S3E14:
10K POV
They took two jeeps full of everything they might need and went off after Lucy and the Man. It was late afternoon when they left Murphy's compound and they didn't stop driving until late the next morning when Warren had to make some repairs to her jeep. While she was working Sun Mei had mentioned some parts of the car – mainly the battery - might be useful to get in contact with Kaya and get an update on Lucy's whereabouts. Citizen Z had stayed behind to help get the plane running again, he'd gotten news that Kaya was pregnant with his kid and was eager to get back to her. Warren took out her tools and started snapping wires and wrapping them around other wires and parts. Meanwhile, 10K stood next to the red jeep he'd been driving with Red standing beside him and 5K sitting on the hood.
"How you holding up?" Red asked bringing a hand to his chest.
"I'm tired. That's all." He said quietly leaning his elbows back on the jeep. He knew Red and the others were worried about him, after the Murphy bite, the vaccines, the cure and on top of all that losing Bailey he knew they were concerned for him but he pushed that aside knowing that Lucy had to come first. He remembered the Man as well as any of them and he hated to think of what Zona would do to a little girl. They heard Sun Mei start up the engine on the other car using the battery to power her radio when she was finished hooking it up.
"Operation Bitemark." He heard Kaya's voice through the static as they got a signal. "Your signal was received. Lieutenant Warren? Lieutenant Warren?"
"Copy you Kaya in the Sky-a. This is Operation Bitemark, over."
"Copy Lieutenant Warren. Locked on your signal. Northwest. Route 229."
"That's a roger on our location over."
"You need to change your course to intercept the Man. Taking Lucy to a new drop point. Intercepted a transmission from Zona with new coordinates. The Man's new heading. . . " then Kaya's voice was drowned out in static, it didn't make it easier to hear with Murphy's shouting.
"What are the new coordinates? Where is she? Where is Lucy?"
". . . degrees North, 122 degrees. . . copy?"
"No!" Murphy, Warren and Sun Mei all said at the same time.
"No, we did not copy." Warren said, "Can you repeat those coordinates? Repeat coordinates. Over."
"New coordinates. 48 degrees North, 122 degrees West. On an axis that's called Mount Casey. Repeat. Mount Casey."
"We copy you Northern Light. Mount Casey. Coordinates received."
"I've looked up the coordinates on satellite and I have no data on our NSA records. Once you're through the entry point, you're flying blind."
"Keep trying. Any word from CZ?"
"Negative. And it's been twelve hours."
"I'm sorry. We'll contact you when we get to Mount Casey, Northern Light. Bitemark out."
"Northern Light out."
As Warren, Sun Mei and Murphy planned their next move Red turned to him again. "When we get back on the road I think I should drive and you should rest."
"I got it." 10K said with a shrug trying to look reassuring but knew he still looked like hell, felt like it too. But the driving helped him keep his mind off everything, otherwise he'd be left with nothing but his thoughts and he had to stay focused on their mission. There would be time for everything else after they got Lucy.
"All right everybody let's go!" Warren shouted, "Wheels up!"
Third Person POV
They drove for a few more miles before they heard a horn honking. Warren looked in her rearview mirror to see the red jeep 10K had been driving was flashing it's headlights before it started to pull over.
"Trouble." She sighed and they turned back and got out of their vehicle. Red was already out, all the doors to their jeep open. 10K had been moved to the back as 5K watched him and Red ran over.
"What happened?" Warren asked.
"He was breathing funny. Then he had a sharp pain and he collapsed." She explained in one breath, her words coming out in a panicked rush. Sun Mei hurried over to examine 10K and rested her fingers on his neck checking his pulse as he gasped barely taking in a breath before exhaling and quickly inhaling again.
"His heart's racing." Sun Mei said, "High fever. Given all the chemicals pumped into his bloodstream this could be anything."
"Check his shoulder." Red said and helped Sun Mei turn 10K as they pulled down his jacket revealing his sleeveless shirt where they found a circular wound that was inflamed and leaking yellow pus.
"Infected." Sun Mei said, "Damn."
"What if he turns?" Red asked worried.
"He's a blend. He can't turn." Sun told her as she did what she could to patch the wound in 10K's shoulder while he struggled to breathe. Warren moved away from the jeep and Murphy followed her.
"Make the hard decision." He told her, "That's your strength. Time's running out."
She turned back to the others in the vehicle and headed back over, "We've got to keep moving. How is he?" Sun Mei only shook her head, "All right Red, you drive. Sun Mei you stay with him. Hopefully he'll be strong enough to fight when we land. Hang in there 10K. Let's go."
«»
They got to Mount Casey late afternoon the same day. 10K was doing a bit better now that Sun Mei was able to treat him with what little they had for his infection but the drugs came at a cost. She didn't know how long they would last or how well they would work given everything else floating around in his system but it did seem to get him back on his feet – even temporarily. When they got to the base of Mount Casey they found Doc swarmed by Z's and rushed in to help while 5K helped 10K hobble behind.
"Stay down!" Warren shouted as they opened fire on all the Z's.
"What the hell'd you do that for?" Doc shouted in handcuffs.
"Thank you chief?" Warren said lifting an eyebrow.
"No. Yeah sure but no. That was our guy. He was helping us find Lucy. Damn it." Doc said stomping one foot and looking at a mercied zombie on the ground who was wearing glasses with smilie faces covering the eyes as Sun Mei crouched down to examine soldier Z's they'd just mercied.
"Same thing as those over there." She said looking at their glowing blue eyes.
"You think its mutation?" Warren asked.
"No. They're from Zona." Murphy said stepping forward, "I've seen this before on the sub. Their immunity must be failing."
"That's why they want you so bad." Warren said putting it together.
"And Lucy." Murphy whispered horrified.
"Do you know where she is?" Warren asked turning to Doc while Red went to help 5K support 10K's weight.
"Somewhere inside that mountain." Doc told her gesturing to the large cliff next to them.
"And Addy?" Warren asked.
"I don't know, climbing up the outside." Doc told her.
"All right. Take what you can carry." Warren instructed, "We go in fully loaded. Whatever these Zona freaks have become, Murphy can't control them and we have to assume Lucy can't either. You stay with 10K." she said to Red before turning to Murphy, "Let's go get your daughter."
«»
They got the cuffs off Doc before going in after Warren, Murphy and Sun Mei. Warren and Murphy led the way before Warren called a halt and had them get down in one of the dark corridors. 10K was gasping for breath again, the drugs Sun Mei had given him were now wearing off. Warren ordered the others to stay down while she and Doc scoped out the next few sections of hallways in the base. 10K slid along the wall until he dropped and Sun Mei checked his pulse again.
"He's dying."
"I saved him once. I can do it again." Murphy offered.
"No." Red said.
"There's no alternative." He said as 10K's gasping became mixed with grunts and groans like now it physically hurt to take what little breaths he could. He didn't look at any of them only stared off into space, all of his focus on staying alive to take one more breath, to push his heart to beat one more time.
Doc and Warren returned not much later and gave them all the rundown of what they found.
"All right the tunnel is cut off in that direction. Soldiers, not zombies." Warren informed them.
"This way's open all the way to the top. Might be a good place to stash 10K." Doc said.
"Keep watch." Warren said then crouched over Sun Mei, "Can we move him?"
"It's a risk, his pulse is erratic."
"I can feel him slipping." Murphy added.
"Shit." Warren cursed.
"Don't bite him." Red said desperately, drawing Warren's attention.
"Whoa. Nobody's biting anybody." She said sternly before turning to 10K who was still staring off into space, "All right, we're gonna get you somewhere safe and keep you hidden." but 10K didn't even seem to hear Warren's words let alone respond, "Lucy's our priority. We will deal with you when we come back. Stay with us." She said before standing, "All right, Doc, you lead. Everybody follow Doc."
Sun Mei helped Red haul 10K to his feet as Doc led them to an old lookout post with high thin glassless windows that let in some light and exposed the ocean. Warren took up the rear making sure nothing got the drop on them as they got 10K to a higher platform and laid him on his back. His gasping started to sound more like choking as his eyes went wider.
"Think you can help him?" Warren asked as she joined them tucking away her gun.
"Best guess, after analyzing Murphy's file. . ." Sun Mei began, "we have to kill 10K in order to save him."
"What?" Red asked appalled.
"Go on." Warren said wanting to hear her out.
Sun Mei turned to Murphy, "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.
"Your medical charts, I studied them." She said, "And all the data indicated that you flat lined on the table after the zombies attacked you." She turned to the others, "He died four years ago."
"I'm dead?"
"Technically yes."
Murphy scoffed, "And I've been dead this whole time?"
"Correct. You're dead. And if we're going to save 10K, he needs to die too." Sun Mei explained.
"Well I don't feel dead. I mean, how do you know we're not all dead, and this is some elaborate dream on our way to oblivion?" Murphy said his voice getting louder as he spoke. Warren stood up and slapped him with everything she had.
"Ow!"
"You feel that?" she asked.
"Yeah I felt that."
"Then you ain't dreaming." She snapped at him before she turned to Sun Mei, "What do you need us to do?"
"Somebody needs to kill 10K." Sun Mei told them.
"I'll do it." Warren and Murphy both said.
Warren turned to him with a glare, "I'll do it." She said crouching back down beside 10K and removing his bandana from his head while Sun Mei gave instructions.
"Choke. Die. Bite. Inject. In that order."
"All right, bite. Choke. Die. Inject. Got it." Murphy said.
"Choke first, jackass, then bite." Warren said glaring at him again.
"Give me a break Warren, I just found out I'm dead. Remember?"
"Can you just shut up and focus?" she snapped at him again.
"I am focused."
"Ready?" Warren asked turning to Red and Sun Mei, "Choke. Die. Bite. Inject." She repeated making sure she had it right, then she turned to Red, "Hold his hand." She wrapped the bandana around his neck and retied it so the knot was over his windpipe. "I do this for you baby boy, you come back to us, okay?"
Then she pulled the ends of the bandana and the knot tightened and cut off his air supply. He tried to inhale but choked and Sun Mei told her to hold tighter. She pulled the knot more and tried not to look at 10K but in her peripheral vision she could still see him twitching trying to gasp for breath, his eyes wide.
"Tighter." Sun Mei said again. "Hold. . . " then 10K stopped choking, he stopped twitching and his head fell back with his eyes closed, "Now!"
Murphy took 10K's arm and bit him while Sun Mei lunged forward and brought an injector to his chest. Murphy then brought his hand to 10K's wrist and felt for his pulse. Warren removed the bandana from his neck as Red clutched his hand watching for any sign of life while her lip quivered. They waited in silence but 10K didn't move, he didn't twitch, his chest didn't even rise with his next breath.
"He's gone." Murphy finally said as he felt his control of 10K disappear.
"No." Red said, "No! You have to save him!" she said turning to Sun Mei. Warren got up and moved to the railing that wrapped around the platform. She rested her arm on it and dropped her head in sorrow. Sun Mei got up and went to tell Doc and 5K at the door about 10K. A moment later they heard 5K's sobbing as he cried into Doc's shirt. Murphy was stoic as he sat beside 10K, he looked like he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that 10K hadn't made it. That kid has ten thousand lives, he'd told Will, and he had believed that himself. He didn't feel bad that his bite and his injectors had led 10K to this, in all honesty he thought the kid would survive all of it, he'd thought –
Then 10K jolted up taking a deep breath and latched his hands onto the lapels of Murphy's blazer. Murphy's eyes went wide as the others turned to watch.
"You. Are not. My savior." 10K said slowly.
"Thank God for that." Murphy replied as 10K let go and Red grabbed his shoulders turning him to face her.
"You're alive." She said smiling as Doc and 5K walked in and saw him sitting up, clearly not dead and they smiled too.
"I am?" 10K asked a smile crossing his face as Red pulled him in for a hug.
"We all are." Warren said.
"Speak for yourself." Murphy grumbled as Warren turned to Sun Mei and gave her a salute.
"Hang on." Murphy said his tone turning serious, "Something's going on with Lucy. I can feel it. We need to hurry."
"Stay with him until he recovers." Warren told Red and Sun Mei before she kissed 10K on the forehead and they left. They took Doc with them while 5K ran into the room still grinning and approached 10K.
«»
They made their way quickly through the rest of the compound following Murphy and his connection to his daughter until they reached a staircase and ran up to the top floor where they could see the sun setting, the bottom of the bright orb just touching the mountains around them. They ran up and saw the Man with a young teenage girl in a pink leather jacket. It had to be Lucy, no other teen would be blue and Murphy's eyes widened in shock.
"Lucy?" he questioned, "Wait. She's a teenager."
"It's the apocalypse man. None of this shit makes sense." Doc said as he and Warren pulled their guns and the Man did the same.
"Keep me covered." Warren whispered.
"You got it chief." Doc said as Warren lowered her gun and raised her hand.
"Listen, we don't want any trouble." She said putting down her gun on the ground, "We just want the girl. Hey sweetheart." She said turning to Lucy, "This is your daddy, Murphy. He came a long way to see you, and you remember him right?" she gestured to Doc who waved.
"She's telling you the truth Lucy. That's your daddy." He said.
"That man is my daddy isn't he?" Lucy asked the Man who kept his eyes on them but still answered her question.
"He is." He replied as Warren moved forward, "Another step and I'll shoot. No mercy."
"No, no more killing." Lucy said.
"The girl's right." Warren said as Lucy put her hand on the Man's arm and his gun lowered slightly. Then a gunshot went off and the Man went down and Murphy was holding a smoking gun.
"Murphy!" Warren shouted before quickly grabbing her gun and turning it on the Man who was getting back up, "Don't move." She ordered and Lucy ran and hugged her father. Then she pulled back and slapped him.
"Why did you abandon me?"
"Abandon you? I didn't –"
"You left me! You missed my entire childhood!" she shouted.
"You were one month old a year ago – listen. I left you to protect you, okay? My blood is in your veins and I love you with all my heart, okay? I'm here to protect you, I'm going to keep you safe okay?" Murphy told her bringing his hand to cup her face.
"Daddy." She said breaking down before she hugged him again.
"I'm right here." Murphy said wrapping his arms around her. Then the Man made his move, he stepped forward before Warren could pull the trigger and hit the gun from her hand and hit her in the face, but Warren didn't go down easy. They each exchanged punches before the Man pulled a knife from his back pocket and slashed at her a few times. She dodged each strike but the Man was still able to turn her around and get his arm around her neck, the perfect position to snap it.
"Careful with that gun old man." He said looking at Doc, the only one left with a weapon on him.
"Better get out of here." Doc told Murphy who stood breaking from the hug with Lucy.
"No, this ends now. No more running. Today we fight." He said and charged forward as Warren elbowed the Man in the stomach making him let her go as Murphy grabbed him. Murphy was able to punch him in the face and when the Man tried to punch back Murphy grabbed his fist with a strength none of them knew he had and stopped his hit.
"I don't want to have to kill you." The Man said through clenched teeth.
"You can't kill what's already dead!" Murphy shouted.
"Dad!" Lucy shouted as Doc held her back away from the fighting.
"Stay back!" Murphy called back to her and the Man used his distraction to head-butt him disorienting Murphy long enough for him to roll on the ground and grab Warren's gun. He aimed and fired as Lucy screamed and the bullet hit Murphy in the stomach and went through to hit Warren. Both fell onto the concrete roof as the Man stood up and Doc went to shoot him but when he pulled the trigger his gun was empty and the Man hit him hard enough to topple him over as he took Lucy to the edge of the roof. An advanced looking airship like they'd seen in Roswell rose from the sky ready to pick up the Man and his cargo as Sun Mei, Red, 5K and 10K showed up. They weren't the only ones to arrive, from the side of the roof Addy appeared and charged at the Man running full speed into him so hard they both fell over the edge.
"Addy!" Lucy shouted jumping over too as 5K followed.
"10K!" Red shouted as they watched him jump off spreading his arms as if he could fly like a crow. Then the airship moved to hover over them and a gun popped out of the bottom and lit up in red and purple light charging up, then it fired.
END SEASON 3