Dead Man Running (57 page)

She looked into his face – strong, kind,
and full
of love and hope.  "I love you," she said.  She stood on her tip toes and placed her lips on his.

She caressed his face.  "We still look like them."

"Yes, and we do have some residual strength.  I've been testing myself as you slept."

"Testing?"

"I've been bench pressing the couch," he said with a smile.

She kissed him again.  "Come to bed," she said.

"We need to talk about our next steps," he said.

She took his hand in hers.  "Later," she replied.  "Right now I want to be with you and let everything
else
be damned."

This time, he kissed her
lovingly
, his hands gently undoing her robe.  "Did I say I love you," he said as he kissed her again.

"I think you talk too much," she replied with a smile and led him back into the bedroom.

That evening
the pair strolled barefoot
on
cooling sands under a pale moon.

"How did you convince Wiley to convert me?"  She shifted her eyes from his, down to her free right hand, then back again.  She was alive.  Amazing.  "He knows my magic died with me, right?  What use could I be to him?"

"I'm like a son to him.  He was giving me a toy, a plaything.  Besides,
I argued that there is
a role for you.  Magic or not, you have created a unique chemical mixture, the potion that re-animates the dead via the nanobots.  He is setting up dozens of factories across the globe.  You need to verify the mass produced mix at all the locations and adjust accordingly.
  Your conversion guaranteed your loyalty.
"

"His army of scientists couldn't handle that?"

Elias shrugged.  "Perhaps, but you are the expert, better able to improvise if there are contingencies."

She stopped walking, faced him.  "Have there been any contingencies?"

He nodded.  "In
Mississippi
hundreds were
killed -
some subjects
failed to reanimate or reanimate
d
less than fully formed."

"What do you mean
'
less than fully formed
'
?"

"They were zombies but the 'Dawn of the Dead' variety, all slobbering and looking to eat brains.  They killed dozens of Wiley's people before being destroyed."

"Why did it happen?"

"
Mississippi
is the state with the highest percentage of obesity.  The people were simply too large to reanimate given your current formula."

"So Wiley really need
s
me?"

"I convinced him that he did. 
Mississippi
didn't bother him - h
e was willing to literally eat the loss
es
."  He smiled.

"You convinced him otherwise?"

Elias nodded.  "I told him to multiply
Mississippi
by thousands of other places.  Obesity is an epidemic in the Western world.  Wiley likes order and the conversion of humanity would be untidy."

Mira nodded. 

Elias smiled. 
"I have no idea why zombie me would go to so much trouble to save you
.
  No offense but he had the choice of millions of human women."

"Because you loved me, even as a zombie."

"How was that possible?  Zombies don't feel love or any emotions
.
"

"You did.  When you visited me in Philly I placed a spell on you.  I d
i
dn't know
if
it would work but apparently it did.
  I gambled that Wiley had been treating you with the same humanizing mojo he was taking.
"

"He was."

"My spells don't work on the undead but by making you more human, you were vulnerable."

"The spell gave
zombie me
emotions?"

"It allowed you to feel the emotions of your host, bring them to the surface."

The pair walked on, letting the water from
the rising
tide flow over their feet.

"We can't be together like this again," Elias said as he squeezed her hand.

"I know," she replied.  "There's less than two months to the election and I know Wiley will have you as his right hand man.  I'll be all over making sure his factories are
creating
effective atomic bombs
.
"

"
You need to get with
Manchester
as soon as you safely can
.
  Obviously I can't meet with him or talk to him by phone.  Once I
'm
back with Wiley I'll be in a totally monitored state.
"

"I understand.  I told you what he and I discussed.
"

Elias sat on the warm sands and pulled
Mira
down next to him.  He placed an arm around her shoulder.

"
It's a good plan – you go after Hamid while
Manchester
kills Wiley's child. 
Given your new status, you will have a very high security clearance."

"
Yes, it allows a
n
easier path to get to Hamid
."

Elias looked in her eyes.  "Can you do it?  Kill him."

Mira nodded once, twice.  "It is the only sure way to stop Wiley."

Elias
nodded
, squeezed her hand
.  "I could get you a pass signed by Wiley.  The zombie security will no longer see you as a threat.  You could convert key individuals inside – communications, surveillance – smoothing your path to
Hamid
."

"I
'll smother him.
"

"You sure you can do that?"

Mira kept her eyes stead
y
on his.  "I can do it."

"
A
nything created by his powers would die."

"Like Benjamin Wiley."

"And Mookie. 
Remember Hamid personally created him also.
"

Mira nodded. 
"And
Manchester
can concentrate on Jan Wiley and her child.
 
What do you think about
Manchester
's idea to destroy
Wiley's jet
over the Pacific
?"

"Yes.  No offense but I have to assume that you fail.  We need a redundant plan
and that's a good one
."

"Agreed.  How will you take down the aircraft?"

"I'll need
Manchester
's help.  He'll
have
to use some of your reversal bombs to convert Wiley's flight crew.   Wiley uses the same team of
zombie
pilots out of Langley, the Alpha Bravo Tango team.  Once converted they can secret a massive amount of C
-
4 onto the aircraft and
enable
the bomb
to be detonated
on my command."

"
Y
our command?"

"Have it set to detonate by a sat phone call to
Manchester
's old cell number."

Mira
nodded.  "How will you get out?"

"They can bring aboard a parachute and leave it under one of the seats.  Have it put in a
silver case with a lock set to your birthday."

"You know my birthday?"

He leaned in and kissed her.  "You mentioned it once.  I haven't forgotten anything you
've
told me."

"How will you survive the blast?"  She kissed him.  "I can't bear to lose you again."

"They can set two bombs.  The smaller bomb blows a hole in the fuselage
two hours after we leave
Hawaii
. 
Once the plane blows and starts its descent I'll grab the parachute and jump out.
  The second
larger
blast could be set to occur
three minutes
after the first, giving me time to clear the aircraft before it disintegrates.
"

"And if Wiley somehow survives?"

"He'll be stuck in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean
, even if you don't succeed
.
"

'
If you don't succeed
'
meaning she's likely dead.

"
And we'll time this so that you are killing your grandfather shortly after the blast."

"It'll be easy for me to find out when your flight leaves
Hawaii
and time my visit to Hamid accordingly
."

"Exactly."

"And
Manchester
can eliminate Jan and her child."

"Yes, like a tragic opera
, a
brutal culmination of this performance."  He got to his feet and extended his hand.

She accepted the hand and stood in front of him.  "We need to go back to the hotel separately.  I'll remain out here for a while.  You go ahead."  She stood on her toes and kissed him.

"I'll see you when I can," he said.  "I'll get you intel on the flight as soon as I know."

"I'm going to miss you," she said.

"Not for long," Elias replied.  "After this is over you'll get sick of seeing this ugly face."  He kissed her quickly then slowly walked
away
.

Not hardly
, she thought, as she watched him grow smaller in the distance. 
Not hardly at all.

THIRTY-
T
HREE

WASHINGTON
DC – NOVEMBER 2012

Inside the
Capital
Hyatt Regency ballroom the crowd buzzed
with
anticipation.  The networks, beginning with NBC as soon as the West Coast polls had closed, had called the election for Obama and Wiley.  Ben Wiley was the Vice President elect of the
United States of America
.

They were waiting for the concession speech by the Republican candidate.  In the candidate's suite were a select group –
Wiley,
Elias Turnbull, Mookie Sills, Becky Singler and, of course, the candidate's wife Jan.

They were arrayed about the room watching CNN. 
The cable titan was
broadcasting from Romney's hotel, site of more of a wake than celebration, where the
defeated
candidate was about to take the stage.

Wiley looked at Elias.  Elias looked back, unsure what he should say to the man. 

Would zombie Elias smile?  Would he recommend finding two virgins afterwards and
having a late meal?

"We need to talk," Wiley said and he was on his feet.
  Elias, Mookie and Becky stood.

Wiley made eye contact with Singler.  "Stay here and keep my wife company.  This won't take long."

Stung, Becky Sings sat down.  The fact that she was ordered to sit with another of Wiley's discarded
human
women doubled her pain.  An image flashed in her brain from her childhood.  Sitting on the floor in front of the TV during the Holidays, small hands gripping a cup of hot chocolate, eyes peeled
enraptured
the screen's magic.

The
Island
of
Misfit
Toys. 

Elias followed Wiley into the suite's bedroom and the dangerous Sills trailed behind.

"I don't want Jan to hear this," he said and Elias let out a deep breath and relaxed.  "Where are they with the space station?"

"I spoke
n
to the astronauts, they have completed the construction of the deployment platform
,
"
Elias responded.

"Have they made arrangements to drop the station to the nearest possible lower Earth orbit?"

"Yes, it's all been programmed in for January twenty-eight, one week after inauguration."

"That's why I want
ed
to speak to you.  I want to move up the timetable.  We move on Obama after we return from
China
."  He faced Mookie.

"Are you ready to proceed?"

"Ready, sir," the pimp and petty thief turned security czar responded.

He turned back to Elias.  "There's no reason to wait.  This evening has filled me with the desire for complete power, as soon as possible."