Post by Arkadiy Sokolov on Feb 24, 2013 19:16:35 GMT -6
Arkadiy waited as the effect of his words washed over Diana. The information that Soo-Yun had been able to glean hadn’t been perfect, of course. There were too many unknown factors with the Sanctum, and Stella’s Freedom didn’t have enough of a network to cover all the ground they needed to. But there were signs. Helicopters skirting over the city’s rooftops. Radio beacons cropping up and transmitting those eerie sermons. Stray Carriers found dead in alleys. It was enough to give them an idea of what they were up against—the massive, unstoppable machine of psychosis and violence.[/blockquote]
His mouth tightened as Diana spoke; everything she said was true, technically, but something told him that things would be different when the Sanctum came calling again. It was reassuring to know that she believed they could hold their ground, though. She was shaken by his statement, yes, but not cowed. If and when the Sanctum comes, Arkadiy thought, she’ll be the last one standing.
The chill of inevitability seemed to pass, dispersed by the tapping of Diana’s fingers. “I cannot forgive this,” she said, and it took Arkadiy a second to recall what they’d originally been talking about. Right. Here came his punishment…
“Send them both to the tunnels.”
He blinked. “The tunnels. The tunnels that have just collapsed? The tunnels that probably have a bunch of Infected crawling around in them? Are you—” he bit down on his tongue before he could finish that sentence, jerking his gaze away from Diana. Of course she was serious. She was always dead serious.
It was dangerous work to start new recruits on. That was probably why she’d chosen it, figuring that Kayleigh and Henry would die down there, knowing that if they did Arkadiy would never forgive himself. Knowing that he’d never be so welcoming to strangers again. This is what being too compassionate gets you.
His throat burned with the unfairness of it, but he choked it down. “If those are your orders. Fine.” He made himself look at Diana and snapped a salute before striding out of her office, impotent anger giving him extra speed. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t right. Maybe Diana had the objectivity to send people to their deaths, but he didn’t—he couldn’t—
Kayleigh came into view, still calm despite her injuries and the chaos around her. Henry seemed to be settling down, too; maybe this situation was one he was more familiar with, being a doctor. They were starting to look like they belonged here, and now he had to tell them to go down into Hell. His eyebrows drew down and his mouth flattened into a grim, determined line. But they won’t be unprepared.
Arkadiy ducked to the right as he emerged into the common area, making a beeline for a supply cabinet at the back that held his personal stash of creations. From it, he grabbed an old wine bottle, nearly full with liquid and with a rag wadded into its neck. Then he hustled back over to where Kayleigh and Henry were standing. “Okay, here’s the thing,” he said on arrival. “Diana has ordered me to send you two to the tunnel that’s just collapsed to help clear the debris and make sure no one else is down there. I can’t disregard that, but I can give you something to help if you run into Infected down there—which you probably will.”
He dug a lighter out of his pocket and held it out with the bottle. “Light the rag and throw the bottle, just make sure you’re far away from whatever you’re throwing it at. It probably won’t kill an Infected, but the explosion will dull its senses and it’ll at least be distracted by being on fire.” Arkadiy’s gaze jumped from Kayleigh to the floor and then back to her again, and words flew out of him before he could stop himself. “Please don’t die. Be careful.”