Forever and a Day

Chapter Two

He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, but this wasn’t it. His eyes looked from the doctor, to the container, and back to the doctor.

Rebecca smiled at him proudly. “P-01, this is Levi.” The woman, who was surprisingly conscious, smiled and waved at him. “You two will be seeing each other often from today onwards, so I suggest you get acquainted.”

“Couldn't have said it better myself,” an all-too-familiar voice says just behind him.

Booker stands with his arms folded over his chest, just in front of the door. Next to him was yet another female scientist. Frankly, Levi was beginning to get tired of seeing them.

“You’re late, David,” Rebecca said as she navigated the room.

“I'm not late. I gave Levi an earlier time so he didn't have to spend his first tour here with his superior.” The older man smiled at Levi, the bush above his lips reminding him of a worm the way it moved. “So how was it?”

Levi couldn't help but give another glance at the woman, or rather, P-01.

“A bit unexpected, if I’m honest.”

Booker laughs and comes up to stand next to him. “I can understand that.”

“Excuse me. Now that we’re here, I’d like to move on with the program. Some of us actually have jobs to do,” the lady that came with Booker says. She didn't look much older than Levi, but the condensating tone she took suggested otherwise.

He hated her first impression, but he had to admit he was keen on seeing what all this was about.

“For that we will need a map of the area.” Rebecca pulled images up on one of the large screens and called them over. “This is New York. More precisely, this is New York as it is now. This large circle here is us, and this. . .” she paused to point out an off landish area, “is the location of the underground facility. I’m sure we all know the history, but I will explain it anyway due to its relevance.

“Three hundred years ago, the MH infection began to spread, taking over humans and wildlife alike, dismorphing characteristics and giving life to monsters. Truth be told, to this day, we aren't sure how, where or why the infection started, but now we are closer to a vaccine than ever before. With centuries of scientific engineering, we've found a way to use P-01’s blood to create the Gatekeeper's powers.” The way she spoke was as if she were telling a fairytale. “That's where the two of you come into play. We’ve gotten information of a completed cure from the same facility P-01 was recovered from. And it's pretty reliable.”

“Question,” Levi raises his hand. Besides the fact he’d never known that the shot he took to become a Gatekeeper came from the woman they called P-01, things didn't sit right with him. “Excuse my ignorance, but why is she so important? Why must we travel so far for a vaccine we aren't 100% sure is there, and why us?”

“That's a lot for one question,” the still unknown woman pointed. She was beginning to get on his nerves.

“It's good to have questions,” Rebecca nodded. “I realize you may not know this Levi. An oversight on my part. She is so important because she is the very first person to survive being introduced to the MH infection, or, in your sense, the very first Gatekeeper.”

“You’re telling me that she's more than two hundred years old,” he said slowly, trying not to sound skeptical. Even with all their technology, he still found it hard to believe.

“Actually, she's older than that,” the nameless one said. “Though she's been asleep for the majority of her life, we believe she was no older than ten when the infection first began to show. It's possible she was even the first infected.”

“And that's why I feel it's so important that she goes along with you two. Not only to provide you with more precise directions, but she may also provide protection.” Levi glanced over at the cylinder. He doubted it, but wouldn't voice his opinions. “Even though we aren't one-hundred percent sure, I, and a good majority of the council members, believe it's worth the potential risk. I can’t go into details. Everything is pretty much classified. But I can tell you we are in dire need of that vaccine.”

The room is quiet for a couple of seconds. The only sounds come from the soft wiring of machines.

“I’m still not sure why I- and my team - were chosen for this. Surely the group working on direct orders from the council would have been a better choice than us?”

“No offense to your commander,” Rebecca said, sliding her gaze into Booker's direction, “but I thought that way as well. The heart of our operation herself was the one who’d convinced me otherwise. I’m not sure what she knew, but she's always had an eye for things like this.”

He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just kept his mouth shut. Even if he wanted to refuse this job, the higher ups' pressure wouldn't let him anyway.

“Now that we've gotten past all the. . . Science stuff, I think it's time to start the practical talk.” Booker shifted his position to stand near Rebecca to access the map.

The rest of the meeting took about as long as you’d think it would, being that the mission had just sprung on him and his team. Nothing he wasn't used to though. It consisted of the usual planning for time, efficiency and power to fight or maneuver the infected.

The area of operation in particular was known to house an abundance of them, which only made the whole thing seem worse. If this operation went to s**t, no one would be there to pull his team. No one but the oh-so-reliable P-01.

Levi just couldn't get behind the whole thing, not when they explained the positions, not when they explained the importance of Dr. Mackenzie - the unknown lady was now named- and definitely not when he was dismissed and standing back outside in the baking sun.

But what choice did he have?

“I can understand how you feel,” Mackenzie said, standing on the edge of the property beside him. She basically followed him the full way down the building and to where they were now, waiting for their rides.

“Do you?” he asked, mixing in a hint of sarcasm that she very clearly picked up on.

“I do. No one wants to risk the lives of their friends and family on uncertain bets, above all risking themselves. That's not a feeling I would want to go into battle.” she paused, as if she wasn't sure if she should continue or not. After a moment's hesitation, she did. “There are things we can't tell you. I'm sure you're used to that with your line of work, but just know that we won't put lives in danger unnecessarily. Keep that in mind.”

As if on cue, a sleek black car pulls up to the wide gates opening. She pulls the passengers back open and slides in. “Think it over a couple of times,” was the last thing she said before leaving Levi alone.

He would think about it. He had no choice but to think about it. During the next two weeks, it would haunt his sleep and his waking thoughts. The worst part was, he couldn't brief his teammates until everything was finalized.

“Give it about four days. A week at most,” Booker had said, resting his hand on Levi’s shoulder with that same look he always gave when he knew things were unreasonable.

Sighing, he turned his face to the slowly darkening sky. For the first time in his thirty-one years, he was thinking of retirement.