Zach got everyone else out of the Tank. No use having them sit out there now that it was safe. Nev raised her eyebrow at him as if to say Everything all right?
Zach shrugged and nodded. “There’s a guy here, says he can help us. There are snacks at least. Come on.” He pulled out the illicit wad of bills from Bellingham.
Lizzie lifted Saj from Nev and headed toward the building.
Zach and Nev followed with Charley and Spike. Lizzie was pulling on doors, but nothing opened. Then a loud click sounded and a powered handicapped door opened. Glen probably had cameras watching them. He better not be the paranoid psycho Zach envisioned.
Inside they found the promised row of vending machines. Zach handed money to Charley and Nev and they all punched buttons until they had armfuls of chips, candy and packaged cookies. They followed Lizzie in. Saj cruised around the room.
When Nev ripped open the cookies to share with the boys, Saj’s head shot up. He recognized the sound of food being opened. He toddled over to her.
Zach handed Lizzie a package of Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
She nodded her thanks.
Glen came in a side door. Zach sized him up: a big guy, balding, glasses, no pocket protector, but it wouldn’t have looked out of place. His round, boyish face belied his size. No wonder he’d set up the theatrics, he didn’t look like he would or could harm a spider. He approached with his hand out.
“I’m Glen,” he said, pumping Zach’s hand, then Lizzie’s, then Nev’s.
“I’m Zach. This is Lizzie, Nev, and the kids: Charley, Saj’s the baby, and the big one’s Spike.” Zach watched Nev hustle off after Saj. Zach wanted to chase her.
Glen gave Spike a sad questioning look then turned to Zach. “Zach. Pleased to meet you. Who’s the leader?”
Zach shook his head. “Not me. Lizzie is if anybody is.” He hooked his thumb at her.
Lizzie glared at Zach. “We don’t have a leader. They came along to help me.”
Glen acknowledged Lizzie. “I’ve been trying to download everything of importance on the Internet since I got the first hint of the dispersion of this disease. I mean, who was going to do it? I was alive and somebody has to save the data. When the net goes down, can we rely on all those servers to maintain data? No, we— Shit, I’m geeking out on you.” He grimaced. “Glen, watch the language.”
“They’ve heard worse,” Lizzie said.
“Why are you saving data?” Zach asked.
Lizzie walked away from them.
“I don’t know. For me? For the future?” Glen chuckled. “Sounds silly saying it out loud. Guess I read too much science fiction.”
“No, this is so cool. Saving data is brilliant.” Zach called after Lizzie, “Hey, we need to get Glen connected with Seattle.”
Lizzie came back over and pulled out the card the politician had given her in Seattle. “Here, Glen. Keep it. They want the same things you do. This ought to be worth lots of your help.” She smiled.
Zach didn’t think she was even being sarcastic.
“Hey, who wants to see the server rooms? There’s a solar array on the roof. From a data standpoint the college rocks. The main power grid goes down? It switches to solar, turbine and battery.”
Zach watched Lizzie tune out, but he wanted to see the techie stuff.
“You go ahead,” Lizzie said. “Nev and I will hang out with the kids. Glen, there any place we can stay here? Dorms?”
“Yeah,” Glen said. “There’s family housing. I fixed up a place for myself, but usually end up sleeping on a couch upstairs.”
“Great.” Lizzie shoved Zach. “Go do the gadget guy thing.” Saj pulled at Lizzie’s pant leg. “We can get settled in later.”
Glen’s set-up was brilliant. He’d set each of the computer labs to run software he’d created to cull information, then it dumped into the school’s extensive servers. He looked most proud when he talked about deleting all the student loan and personal data. The building was state of the art, a perfect oasis for a techie. Zach understood even more now why Glen would be paranoid.
Glen told him his dreams of saving the data and sharing with people who needed it. He’d been a teacher to pay for his post-grad, but as good as he was at it, what he really wanted to be was a student, learning forever.
After the tour Glen got them settled in Eocene Court, family student housing. The apartment smelled like old gym socks and bleach.
Zach volunteered to have a night with the big boys. Nev said she’d join him. Lizzie and Saj went next door after an exchange of hugs. Things were starting to feel back to normal between them, Zach thought. Now, how can I get another night alone with Nev?
* * *
The next morning Lizzie traded phone numbers with Glen over breakfast. “Any idea how long cell service will last?” she asked.
Glen shrugged. “Depends on power. Near as I can tell, back east, where the power comes from coal or nuke plants, cell service and Internet is already down. Out here in the west, we have more solar, wind and hydro power. Things’ll work until the power goes down. That’s why I’m here. When a circuit breaks, though, I don’t know there’s anybody anywhere fixing them.”
“What about when bills don’t get paid?” Lizzie had been worrying about that since Mama’s land-line had gone off-line. An idea made her smile. “Can you use your techie skills to keep my bills paid?”
Glen’s face exploded in a mighty grin. “Hell, yeah. I can do that for all of you. Are these all your numbers?”
Lizzie passed the sheet around to get Nev and Zach’s and the extras. Then she added Jess’ and her dad’s. “That ought to do it. They’re not all in our names. Some are uh, repurposed.”
“You won’t have to pay the bills ever again.” Glen glanced through the list, verifying a couple numbers.
After breakfast they loaded up the Tank and headed south toward Idaho with Zach at the wheel, Nev riding shotgun, Spike and Charley in the back practicing sign language and Lizzie playing with Saj in the middle.
About an hour down the road, Lizzie’s phone buzzed. Glen.
“Thought you’d want to know. I had a guy come through here. Asked if people had come through here from your neck of the woods—I got the feeling he was following you guys, but he wouldn’t say what he wanted.”
Lizzie shook, feeling clammy and hot.
“Wouldn’t offer me any information, except his name. Duke. I told him I hadn’t seen anyone from Northwest Washington, but I don’t think he believed me.”
Lizzie hugged herself, going inward. “Can you describe him?”
“Yeah. Young guy, mid-twenties. Camouflage clothing. Looks like a hunter.”
“Thanks, Glen.” She ended the call. “Shit. C.J.’s brother is on our trail.”