S5E04: Part 2
In the awkwardness that followed as they got dressed he cleared his throat and mentioned how Sun Mei would be expecting him for his daily checkup. Bailey nodded as she fixed her hair running her fingers through it haphazardly and offered to walk him to the infirmary wing which he agreed to saying it'd be nice, but truthfully he didn't want to be left alone with his negative thoughts which, though they were gone now, he had a feeling they'd find a way to creep back in eventually.
"You know you can't just keep 'taking your mind off it' right?" Bailey asked him as they walked, "The only way to solve a problem is to face it."
He let out a long breath and leaned his head back, "Can't I at least try to ignore it?" he asked and she smiled at him.
"No."
It was silent for a bit after that until she asked, "Did I ever tell you about the signs I left you?"
He turned to her confused, "What signs?"
"After I left Spokane and you said you'd find a way to come after me." She clarified, "I left signs I was hoping you'd follow."
"What kind of signs?" he asked and she went on to tell him how she'd left numbers posted across the northern United States hoping he'd see them and know the meaning behind them.
"Oh yeah." He chuckled, "3,003 was a good one." He said remembering back to the cake and frosting covered zombie he and Doc had taken out.
They walked into Sun's lab and found Red there with her as they worked on a Talker to further Sun Mei's research. 10K had never seen the guy before but Bailey recognized him and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"It's Mike. He lost his wife and little girl in the attack, and this is all that's left of him." She said as they looked at Mike. The lower part of his body had been destroyed and nothing below his waist remained. His face was pretty badly wounded too with cuts and bruises and the guy looked miserable. 10K couldn't help but look down at his wrist, he knew he should be grateful for what he still had but then his gaze fell on a tank resting on a counter not far from the door and he saw a severed hand floating in the blue liquid. Something inside him knew it was his hand and it felt like the universe was mocking him, at least Mike didn't have someone dangling his lost limbs in front of him like teasing a dog with a cookie. Bailey held the door open for Mike as he left and 10K stepped forward staring at his hand in the tank.
Bailey POV
"How you doing 10K?" Sun asked after Mike had left.
"How soon can we get out of here?" he asked barely letting Sun Mei finish her question.
"You need to take time to recover." Red told him, "You don't want an infection."
"The longer we stay here the harder it's going to be to get out." He said and it was understandable to Bailey, so far Altura had taken more from 10K then it had given him, it made sense that he wanted to leave.
"Let me take a look at your arm. See how that cauterization's doing. " Sun offered ignoring his aggressive tone and leading him over to a cushioned chair. He looked annoyed as he sat down and Sun began unwrapping the bandages. Bailey sat up on the counter behind Red who stood beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Bailey could see how much this was still affecting her friend. Red had been the one to take 10K's hand and while that move had saved his life it was also the cause of his depression – and his angry outbursts – now. Bailey had hoped 10K would improve and that would ease the guilt she knew Red felt. Speaking of guilt, Bailey thought as her mind flashed with images from only half an hour ago and she inadvertently crossed her leg over her knee as she sat on the counter. However, she was pulled from that train of thought when Sun pulled back the last bit of the bandage revealing 10K's wound. The skin was grey – black where it had been stitched together. There was this pus like substance that made a squelching noise as Sun Mei pulled the bandage off it. Bailey was grateful for her skill in manipulation now since it helped her keep a mask of indifference instead of the disgust she felt looking at it, it reminded her of some alien thing she'd seen in a movie once, though she'd never tell 10K that. Red and Sun Mei weren't as good at faking it as she was though and Bailey could see Red cringe a bit looking at 10K's wrist.
"It's healing beautifully." Sun lied and her tone revealed that.
"It's not." 10K snapped probably already having looked at it before himself when he was alone. He huffed as he got out of the chair and approached the tank again. "This is my hand right?"
"Yeah, Red went back and found it." Sun Mei explained.
"I want you to sew it back on." 10K said.
"It doesn't work like that." Sun Mei said with a hint of a smile trying to relieve the tension in the room, though her response clearly wasn't what 10K wanted to hear.
"Well what am I supposed to do with this!" he shouted angrily.
"Tommy." Red said in a scolding voice knowing Sun Mei didn't deserve to be shouted at.
"It sucks I know. But you can learn to live without a hand." Sun told him probably tense after working on Mike who had lost so much more. "There are prosthetic options."
10K was still scowling with a glare in his eyes as he huffed again and turned back to his hand in the tank.
"We'll get through this." Red said walking to stand beside him as she consoled him just as Roman Estes came in.
"Roman." Sun Mei greeted though she had a look of suspicion.
"Doctor. I see you're busy so I won't take much of your time I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed to complete your research. It's more important now than ever." Roman said before he turned to 10K, "I heard you lost a hand, I'm very sorry."
"No that's okay, they found it. It's right here." 10K said though Bailey couldn't be sure if he was trying to make a joke or not. His voice revealed how uncomfortable he was with the subject and the speed of his sentence only further confirmed that. Estes smiled anyway.
"When things settle down come see me about that hand. We're doing great things with robotics, I can help you." He said and 10K nodded as Roman turned back to Sun Mei, "I've got some meetings to attend with some of the other outpost leaders to discuss where we go from here. You can update me in detail then." He said before leaving.
Third Person POV
The next day Bailey had gone to visit 10K to see how he was doing now that he was out of the infirmary. She hoped being back in his own space without doctors hovering over him would have helped improve his mood but just in case it hadn't she'd brought something else she was hoping would help. She knocked on the door and heard him mutter, "Come in."
She opened the door and stepped into his living quarters that he shared with Doc, since the hippie was away with Warren and George 10K had the whole apartment to himself, not that that seemed to be helping him much. Bailey found him lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling and she repressed a sigh.
"Hey." She greeted, "You feeling better now that you aren't stuck in the infirmary?"
"I guess." He muttered as he sat up to sit properly on the couch.
"I brought someone who wants to see you." She said as she lingered in the doorway and saw 10K turn to her confused. Bailey stepped back and waved the person forward. It was a young woman and 10K clearly didn't remember her.
"This is my friend Katie." Bailey introduced her, "She's the one you saved from that pack of Z's, before. . ." she trailed off nodding at his missing hand.
"Hi." 10K replied hesitantly clearly a little thrown off.
Katie stepped forward playing nervously with her hands, "I just. . . wanted to thank you, for what you did. I heard about what it cost you and. . . I'm sorry. But I just thought. . . someone should thank you for risking your life like that, for someone you don't even know."
"I uh, don't mention it." 10K replied, "It was the right thing to do."
"There aren't many people who do the right thing anymore, even less who'd risk their life for some stranger they never met." Katie told him, "I just. . . really wanted to thank you." There was a long pause where no one seemed to have anything more to say, "I should let you get your rest." Katie said before smiling at Bailey and leaving. When she was gone Bailey turned to 10K who looked like he was between surprised and touched.
"I know you wish you still had your hand." She began and he turned to her, "And if you hadn't been at that place at that time you'd still have it. But if you hadn't lost your hand in that corridor she would have lost her life." He looked at his missing hand looking deep in thought.
"Perspective 10K." Bailey told him with a small smile, "Someone once told me life is all about perspective."
«»
Later that day when 10K had to go see Sun Mei again to check up on his stitches she had assembled all the prosthetic options that were available to them. He sat in the same chair with a silver tray attached to the arm with three different options. He picked one up and looked at it while Red redressed the bandages on his wrist.
"Really?" 10K asked gesturing to the red painted nails on the plastic hand he held.
"I know." Sun said, "Just. . .trying to find. . . a solution until engineering can manufacture you a better one."
"How long is that going to take?" he asked with a hurt puppy dog look in his eyes.
"It's hard to say with the lockdown." She said as Red finished with his bandaging and brought her hand to the nape of his neck stroking his hair. "There's a lot of wounded to care for."
He slammed the fake hand back on the tray, "Just give me something that I can pull a trigger with." He said his irritated tone coming back in his voice though his aggravation was aimed more at himself than Sun Mei. Both Red and Sun shared a look knowing that what he wanted would be next to impossible.
Bailey POV
Bailey was in the Supply & Storage building with a clipboard in her hand going rack by rack and shelf by shelf reviewing how much of everything they had. Most of her fellow staff were now either dead, in Talker lockdown, wounded and in the infirmary or tending to wounded loved ones so she was left doing most of the work herself. She was alone right now only because she'd told all of her workers if they had any hurt friends or relatives she'd give them a leave of absence to be with them.
38 cans of beans, 4 30lb bags of rice, 26 blankets, 3 bottles of rubbing alcohol, 6 boxes of band aids 20 per box, 16 pillows, 2 boxes of rubber gloves. . . she starred that one so the scavenge team would know to look for more of those. Batteries: 6 boxes of double AA, 2 boxes of C, 4 and a half boxes triple AAA. . . lightbulbs. . . candles. . .
Then the door opened and she went to the table out front that separated the gymnasium between the shelves and where people lined up to get supplies and saw Colonel Keeler and some of the guards coming in with papers in their hands.
"Can I help you?" she asked them.
"Estes has asked that these new laws be posted immediately across Altura." The Colonel said roughly leaving a stack of papers on the table.
"I'm already understaffed here, most of my workers are in Talker quarantine –"
"I'm sorry that's not my problem. No scavenge teams are going out since we're in lockdown which means there's no supplies for you to sort. We also are not accepting new citizens during this time which also means there won't be people coming in looking to you for care packages so please make yourself useful and post these around Altura." He said rudely before leaving and not giving her a chance to respond. She picked up one paper and read the new laws.
"Hey!" she called to the guard as he was at the door, "These laws have no way of being passed, there was no vote."
"They were approved by Estes, they're laws. I suggest you abide by them. Unless you want to be the first Altura citizen taken to trial."
"Trial? On what court system? What judges? That's what the vote was for."
"A provisional court has been formed. Estes is Chief Justice. All law breakers will get their fair trial's. . . then we'll mercy the guilty. Oh, and speaking of. . . " he approached her again and pulled more papers from his jacket, "You can post these too cupcake." He said before leaving and she looked down at a wanted poster for Joseph Dante.
Then she turned to the paper listing the new laws:
-No groups over five may form in public.
-No firearms at any time.
-Looters will be shot.
-Due process will be waivered.
-No filming or recording.
-No feeding the Talkers.
-It is illegal to help Talkers evade quarantine.
-It is illegal to harbor Talkers in your residence or place of employment.
-Aiding one Joseph Dante will make you an accessory to murder.
-Any citizen who sees Joseph Dante and does not report it will be subject to arrest.
-Failure to report signs of Talkers will result in becoming a Talker.
-Talkers who refuse to go to quarantine will be seen as criminals and dealt with as such.
-No transporting, hiding or aiding Talkers.
It went on and on but Bailey's eyes stayed on only one and she swallowed nervously.
Sun Mei POV
She was in her lab examining a blood sample testing it with the recent research she had collected from her Talkers. When she had finished she put the sample in a glass slide just like the ones they had used at the funeral except this person hadn't been a victim of the attack. She went to the Memorial Wall and slid her ID into the access pad and punched in the correct code, it opened up the brick she was looking for and she took the slide and entered it into an available spot leaving only the name on the side visible: Alvin B. Murphy.
"Sun Mei?" someone called to her as she was putting the cover back on the brick.
"Roman." She said as she turned and saw him standing there. "You startled me."
"I see that. Why aren't you in the lab?"
"I needed some time to think. The past three test cycles have been complete failures. The side effects have been . . . horrible."
"I know this must be hard on you. But your work must continue without interruption. We are so close to identifying the protein in brains that drives zombie behavior. You find that protein and we may be able to figure out what about the Black Rain restored consciousness to the undead."
"But we're killing them in the process." She replied.
"And if we do nothing they'll also die. There's a limited supply of brains to feed the Talkers, still inside the skulls of the very humans they need to survive –"
"I need more time." she said trying to walk away.
"We don't have more time." Roman said and she turned back to him, "Vigilantes are already killing Talkers on sight. If we don't find a sustainable substitute for brains soon we will run out of options. We'll have no other choice but to begin treating Talkers as if they're zombies."
"You can't mercy them. Not if they're still conscious." She said appalled.
"You've seen what happens when they're starving. You want to save the Talkers? Figure out what woke them up. You have 48 hours." He said before leaving.
10K POV
Red was walking with him around the campus trying to cheer him up and take his mind off his hand but nothing was working.
"Let's go get some food." She suggested.
"I'm not hungry."
"Well. . . I can make you some soup. You liked that soup." She said referring to when they lived in that tree tent he'd made.
"I'm fine." He said and he knew he sounded miserable. He felt miserable. And he didn't have the energy or the motivation to even hide it.
"They're playing a movie tonight in the dining hall." She said trying something else, "On a real TV. Called, uh, Fugitive or something? Let's go, it'll take your mind off things."
"I don't want to take my mind off things I want to get out of here."
"I'm. . . sorry." She said for the millionth time.
"Stop apologizing." He sighed as they stopped walking and he turned to her, "I know you only did what you did so you could save my life." He said but maybe his tone made it come across as ungrateful to be alive and his conversation with Bailey after the funeral came back to him.
"You know what I'm not sorry." Red said now sounding pissed off, "And I did do what I had to do to save your life, with half a second to think about it. And I'd do it again."
"I know. I would have done the same thing. It's not you, it's just . . . if I can't shoot. Who am I?" he said with a shrug and Red's pissed off expression changed.
"You're Ten Thousand." She said gently as she walked closer to him, "And you're the kind of shot you are because of your mind and your eyes. Not your hand. You can learn to shoot again, it's all in here." she said tapping his temple then sighing looking down at his wrist that he'd shoved into the pocket of his jacket. "You have to start by looking at it."
He huffed and backed away from her, "I need to think." He said leaving her alone.
"Tommy!" she called after him but he just kept walking.
Third Person POV
"George seemed pretty sure Dante's innocent." Kaya said as she and CZ walked through the library of Pacifica.
"I mean it does seem out of character." he agreed, "That guy would lay down his life for her."
"Why do they think he did it?"
"He was there right before the blast but he wasn't amongst the dead or the injured. No one has seen him since. I was videotaping the whole thing." He explained.
"Well where's the tape? That would prove it."
He sighed, "I handed it over to Estes to analyze."
"I'd like to see that tape." Kaya said determined.
He shrugged hopelessly, "There's no way. I won't get it back until after the investigation."
"If then." She replied sounding unconvinced. "If he's analyzing the tape, it's probably uploaded to a server somewhere in Altura."
"You got that look in your eye." He said with a smirk.
"Let's Hackity Hack." She smiled.
"Come on back." He said with a smile quoting the old song Yakkity Yak as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
«»
Back in Sun Mei's lab in Altura she walked in to find Red with a piece of metal over a Bunsen burner.
"What are you doing?" Sun Mei asked.
"Sorry. I borrowed some of your lab gear." Red replied not stopping her work, "There's got to be some way to make 10K a trigger finger." She said holding the metal over the small flame.
"How about this?" Sun asked turning a dial and making the flame bigger as she smiled at Red who looked grateful for the help.
10K POV
After he'd wandered around on his own for a bit with his injured wrist still in his pocket he found himself outside the supply house where Bailey worked. He decided maybe she'd be able to cheer him up, in the past her ability to read him like an open book had helped when he needed to be consoled after he'd mercied Cassandra and again when he was feeling so down on himself about being a blend slave to Murphy, maybe she could help him through this too, after all her words had been the most helpful so far.
When he went inside it was strangely quiet and he found Bailey on a table sitting sideways with her legs hanging off it. Around her was supplies, she looked like she was using it to make another care pack for new citizens but she looked frustrated and fed up, nothing at all like the last time he'd seen her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his concern for her greater than his constant worrying about his own problems.
She looked up surprised to see him before she composed her expression and looked back down to the supplies in her hands.
"Nothing." She shrugged, "Just a lot has been going on."
He leaned on the table next to her knowing it was something more but he didn't want to push her to talk about it, she'd never pushed him when he didn't want to talk and right now just being next to her in a comfortable silence was all he really needed to feel a little bit better. They fell into a pattern as they sat there, she'd read things off the list attached to the clipboard in her lap and he'd pass them to her and she'd put them in a small box at her feet.
"I never thanked you." He began and she looked up at him confused.
"For what?"
"When Sun Mei came to check me over my second day in the infirmary she said you had been talking to her. . . about how you got me to eat lunch and actually get some rest."
"Yeah?"
"But you didn't tell her about before, when you found me. . . you know." He said giving a shrug and looking down at the table playing with the corner of a blanket with his good hand. He heard her scoff and looked up at her.
"You shouldn't have to feel ashamed about that." She said sounding a little angry but he could tell it wasn't directed at him. "It's so stupid." She said turning back to the clipboard on her lap and checking things off. "How guys think that if they cry it means they're not tough. Like it's not manly."
"It's not about that." He replied but then she looked over her shoulder at him and without a single word called him out on his bull, "Okay maybe it is." He shrugged, "A guy crying, it's just. . . it shows that he's weak."
"No, it shows that you're human." Bailey said in a softer tone now as he looked at her, "Just because you cry doesn't make you weak, you've been through a lot in the past forty eight hours. What are you supposed to do? Act like a robot and never show an ounce of emotion? Our emotions are what make us human, they're one of the things that separates us from the zombies."
He felt the corner of his mouth rise in a very small smile and he saw her eyes light up by the tiny expression that felt so foreign to him. But then their moment shattered when the doors opened and three Altura guards came in led by Colonel Keeler.
"Bailey Hawthorne." He said approaching her and 10K stood up straighter.
"I'm not hanging up more posters." Bailey said rolling her eyes and giving a huff.
"This isn't about that." The guard said and to 10K he looked too happy as he reached into his pocket with one hand and grabbed Bailey's arm with his other.
"Bailey Hawthorne, you're under arrest for aiding a Talker to evade quarantine." He said pulling out handcuffs and slapping one on her wrist before going to take her other hand and pull it behind her back. She was too confused to do anything but 10K stepped forward only to be blocked by the other three guards who stood between him and Bailey now.
"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything wrong." Bailey denied when her shock wore off.
"Well we have camera footage that says differently." Keeler said after cuffing her hands behind her back and grabbing her roughly by the elbow and pulling her away.
"What are you doing?" 10K shouted trying to get through but two of the guards now held him back as the third stood in his way just in case he broke free of the grip on him, "Leave her alone! Get off me! Leave her alone!" he struggled as he tried to shake off the guards who continued to restrain him.
"Bailey!" he shouted and saw Bailey look over her shoulder at him one more time before the guard pulled her out.