“Listen, I need to tell you something.” His heart suddenly pounded in his chest. His voice sounded thin. He took a deep breath. “Can I tell you something important?”
Rawlings eyed him warily and crossed her arms. “What is it? Shoot.”
“I might have the Bug.”
She looked around to make sure nobody else heard. The other men lay on the floor facing the walls. She hissed, “Why do you say that?”
“My sergeant was infected. He licked his knife and cut my face with it.”
“You’ve been here for days. The Bug incubates faster than that. You’d be a Klown by now.”
“Maybe they were wrong. Maybe it takes longer with some people.”
“That’s not what we were told. That’s all I’m saying.”
He thought about it. “Do you think I’m immune?”
“Who knows? The Bug doesn’t survive very long outside the body. Maybe it died before you got that cut. Hell, Wade, it could be anything. But the fact is you aren’t sick.”
“Okay.” He let out a long shuddering sigh. “Okay.”
She snorted. “Is this what’s had you all tied up in knots? God, most of us were wounded before we got here. We were all exposed, just like you. Private Wade, you need to think about more important things. Things like you lost people you really cared about. Like it wasn’t your fault they died. Like you need to keep fighting if you want to survive. Like how much the rest of us need you to be at your best if we’re all going to get through this.”
He nodded and studied his feet. He sighed again, but with relief. “All right.”
“Rawlings!” Fisher called. He stomped into the room, startling the men lying on the floor. He noticed her at the window. “Oh, Sergeant. The camp just let in some new people. They’re telling everybody the Army is bugging out of Boston north of the river.”
“That’s Tenth Mountain’s area of operations,” Wade said.
“It’s the fire,” Rawlings pointed out. “The fire is pushing everybody out.”
“Whatever it is, other refugees are saying the same thing. Units all over are pulling out. Word’s going around the civilians. They’re pissed off.”
Wade checked the window. The crowds down in the stadium were concentrating. Everywhere, angry men and women pointed up at the windows of the athletics department building.
Rawlings paled. “Damn. Anybody who wants to go, we’re leaving tonight. Pass the word, Fisher.”
“Will do, ma’am.”
“Don’t ma’am me, Fisher. I’m not an officer.”
Wade looked at her in surprise. “We’re leaving now? Just like that?”
“Just like that, Private Wade. The situation has changed. You’ve got a few hours to get your stuff together. At oh-dark-thirty, we’re bugging out.” She eyed the crowd. “If they let us.”
TWENTY-NINE.
LT. COLONEL LEE watched the captains of First Battalion file into the Air Force administrative building. It was time for a powwow.
“Ready when you are, sir,” Walker told him. “The room’s all set up.”
They followed the captains inside. Lee took a deep breath and let it go. There was a lot riding on the outcome of the upcoming meeting—everything, actually.
The men knew his character and service record. He’d served with some of them going back years. Iraq. Korengal Valley. They respected him. But would they follow him?
He let go of his worries. They either would or they wouldn’t. He’d make his case, and they’d make up their minds. That was the best he could do.
The conference room was filled with men: the captains of Alpha through Echo and HQ, the young lieutenants who served as their XOs, and the battalion sergeant major, Doug Turner, who represented the enlisted men.
At the sight of Lee, Turner stood at attention. “Gentlemen, the commanding officer.”
The officers made to stand, but Lee told them to be at ease, taking a seat at the head of the table. The captains, freshly showered and fed, powered up their iPads as they waited for him to speak. Strong java brewed in a coffeemaker in the corner.
“Gentlemen, thank you for your attendance. For the first part of our meeting, anybody below the rank of captain, please give us the room.”
Turner escorted the lieutenants into another part of the building.
Lee planted his elbows on the table. “You’ve all done an exemplary job far beyond the call of duty over the past weeks. And you got your men back safe. Now we need to talk about what comes next. As you know, I have assumed command as First Battalion CO.”
“Congratulations on your promotion, sir,” Captain Marsh of Bravo Company said.