54 Prep Time
"Sorry. Excuse me....ouch...Sorry!" He pushes against the flow of people until he can see the woman's orange dress before him.
The woman stops walking to adjust her hold on the slender child.
"Where are you going with him?" Marcus asks while looking over her shoulder.
The noise of the crowd hasn't woken the unconscious boy.
"The doctor and his apprentices should be somewhere around here. He needs to see them," she continues walking with the child snuggly pressed against her chest.
Marcus matches her speed to walk alongside her, "The doctor? Is there only one?"
"He's the only one that stayed behind. The others are god knows where."
"You said they should be around...they have a medical wing, right?"
"Not really. All of our real spaces are out there...in here's just temporary."
Marcus's brow furrow in confusion, "The group I came in with had an injured guy and they had a whole setup for him."
A man wielding a semi-automatic rifle nudges through the crowd in front of them with an entourage following behind him. The woman shoves past the group, but Marcus hesitates and is stuck waiting a few moments for the last of the five-person entourage to pass by. When he catches back up to her he can see the area with the faded white sheets he'd been in when visiting Turner.
"See there?" Marcus raises his arm and points at the white sheets.
"That's just a spot they cut off for an emergency. The doctor is probably where the sick are. Never expect him where he should be," the woman pauses and looks around the crowd. "Follow me."
They pass by the area cordoned off by white sheets and start walking toward where Marcus remembers the car lot was.
'Yesterday night revealed one important detail. We can't sneak out of here with a car. The guards would never let us by.'
AFFIRMATIVE
'What else have you figured out?'
INSUFFICIENT MAPPING
THE SANDSTORM OBSTRUCTS CURRENT VISUALS FROM AERIAL VIEW
The woman takes him past the car lot and into a mass of tents where some people are gathered. They walk along the edge of the group.
'But you have snapshots of the area right?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'So, what's the issue?'
RESULTS OF INSUFFICIENT MAPPING
EFFECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ABSCONDING
WITHOUT REAL-TIME MAPPING TO MONITOR SUBJECT 001 THE EFFICIENCY OF PLAN DECREASES BY 42%
Marcus's eyes scan over the people sitting down and chatting amongst themselves. They pass by a short table that holds a large pot of food that everyone was served from.
'No eagle eye'ing me, you mean? I think we can make it out of here without your satellite view, but I need to find a way to ...ugh...I don't know,' Marcus pauses in walking to sweep his gaze over the area. ' I didn't know how frustrating making mastermind plans were until I was stuck with you. Is this why bad guys go crazy? All the mental kung fu that goes on before a plan?'
...
STUDY OF THOROUGH PLANNING NEGATIVELY AFFECTING THE HUMAN MIND IS INCONCLUSIVE
Marcus chuckles into a hand, 'I'm joking.'
He eyes his surroundings while lowering his hand back to his side. Everyone is happily chowing down on what seems to be tasteless oatmeal. Marcus can't find even one disgruntled face. They exit the tents and join a new stream of people.
It's another minute of walking before the woman turns to Marcus with a deep frown on her face. She adjusts her hold on the child and looks around distressed.
"What's wrong?"
"He's shivering...that's not a good sign. Come here and take him."
Marcus stands closer to her and outstretches his arms. Slowly, she places the boy into his arms. When the boy is firmly grasped by Marcus she fixes the position of the boys head on Marcus's shoulder.
"Now, don't drop him," she pats the sick boy's shoulder. "Let's bring him to that area you pointed out before, and I'll continue searching for the doctor. I don't want to lug him all around this place. It's not safe. He needs to be cooled down."
"So we need water, right?... Maybe he's dehydrated."
They both look around at the tents and people milling about.
"I'll get the water and then we'll go back to that area," the woman turns and speeds up her pace
It feels like a clock is ticking. If the boy continues to overheat will he make it?
"Ashanti! What are you doing with that fassy?"
Marcus hears a deep voice exclaim from behind them.
The woman guiding him turns to the voice and her accent shifts when she replies to the man, "Nar! We need some wata to help the likkle bwoy! Where you see the fountain hose at?"
Marcus pauses beside the woman to greet the stranger. He is surprised to see Ika walking beside the man approaching them. His arms are wrapped around the shivering child, so he just tilts up his chin toward the other man in greeting.
Ika returns the gesture at Marcus and furrows his brows.
"Whose kid?"
"No idea, man. I...He just came across me and fell asleep. We think he's really sick. He's burning up," Marcus stands closer to Ika to give him a better look at the unconscious child.
Ika moves several steps away, "I'll take your word for it."
Marcus chuckles and adjusts his hold on the kid. Ika shoves his hands into his pockets, 'First Carla and now this kid. I guess this guy just....cares? What's his deal?'
The woman and Nard are conversing about where to get water. After a few sentences are exchanged the woman comes back to stand beside Marcus, "They'll make sure you get to a bed for the kid and bring you some water. Just sit tight there until I return with the doctor."
The woman, Ashanti, runs off and vanishes into the stream of people. Nard jogs off in a different direction, "I'll get that wata. Meet you there in five."
Ika nods and starts walking to where Turner previously was settled.
"I don't remember seeing more than one bed back there," Marcus stays a step behind Ika at all times.
Ika shrugs, "We moved Turner to his tent."
"Oh."
Ika leads them a different route than the woman had. They are walking along the other side of the car lot giving Marcus a view of some wrecked vehicles that have been cannibalized for parts. There are some men sitting in hollowed out cars and cooking food over a flaming metal barrel. Ika and he are walking right up against the plain concrete walls. Surprisingly, Marcus hasn't felt claustrophobic until this moment.
'If the ceiling drops we only have one way outside,' Marcus hugs the child closer to himself and speeds up his walk.
A shiver runs up his spine when he imagines large chunks of concrete cascading down to crush the people rushing from task to task. A colony of ants crushed within the walls of their own den. No amount of screaming would result in a call to emergency services, but what else could these people do in those circumstances. Heavy-duty construction vehicles wouldn't come to their rescue. Hollering and tossing aside small rocks with their bare hands would be the best they'd have in that situation.
Marcus shakes his head and focuses on reality,'God forbid something like that ever happens.'
They enter the medical area from behind the bed. Ika strips the soiled, bloody sheets off the bed and tosses them onto the ground before Marcus lowers the limp form of the child onto the stained mattress. The child is no longer shivering but hasn't awoken.
Ika idles near the bed. The chair that was beside the bed yesterday seems to have been moved somewhere else.
Marcus sits down beside the child's leg and pats his barefoot,'We're here, kid. We won't leave you.'
"Is this normal?" Marcus gestures with his hand at the boy.
"This?" Ika steps closer to examine the boy for a blemish of some kind.
"I mean...do people get sick a lot around here?"
Ika sighs and steps back away from the bed, "If you're worried that some disease is spreading you're welcome to leave. No one's stopping you."
"But...," Marcus turns to make eye contact with Ika. "But is there? If I have to be concerned about...you know, dropping dead...uh...Maybe I should--"
Ika glares back at Marcus but the other man doesn't avert his gaze, "I don't know what this is, but it's something new. I haven't heard of anything spreading around the camp."
"So, this is patient zero?"
The child coughs a few times and turns off his back to lay on his side. Marcus flinches at the sudden sound and slinks down the mattress to sit at the edge of the cot. Ika steps even further away from the bed so his back is touching the white sheet that cuts off the medical area from the traffic outside.
'I don't have to worry about contracting.....whatever this is, do I?'
NEGATIVE
Marcus bounces his left leg as he waits. Ika steps out of his peripheral and holds an arm up to lift the white sheet out of his way. His shadow on the other side of the sheet moves off out of sight.
'Any visuals on Priya?'
NEGATIVE
'You said I can hold my breath for 10 minutes at a time, right?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'Maybe I can grab some night vision goggles and supplies then make a run for it. Most of the danger of a sandstorm is breathing, right?'
STRONG WIND CURRENTS COULD RESULT IN DEBRIS HARMING SUBJECT 001
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE NIGHT VISION EQUIPMENT UTILIZED BY THE ARMED SUBJECTS ARE UNKNOWN
'So, I need to let you examine the tech before you can know how useful it'll be for us? If this is their temporary space do they move inventory here as well? When we met their boss did you see anything down there?'
AFFIRMATIVE
AMMUNITIONS
VESTS
LOCKED SUPPLY SHELVING ALONG A WALL 12 METERS WEST OF THE STAIRWELL DOOR
"Tsk...that'll give me some trouble."
Marcus rubs a hand down his face and sighs.
'Truthfully, how likely do you think it is that Priya will be alive after 48 hours out there?'
WITHOUT MORE VARIABLES KNOWN ABOUT THE HUMAN SUBJECT DESIGNATED PRIYA
THE PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL IS SKEWED
'Well, she'll be injured. Possibly bleeding out...in a sandstorm. Take a guess.'
THE LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL WHILE INJURED WITHOUT COVER IN A SANDSTORM IS 0%
'But we saw her out there...she was moving. If she was able to hide how good are her odds then?'
50%
'That seems like good odds. I'm sure you're just pessimistic. She's survived all of this...,' Marcus looks back over at the child. 'She best be alive...for our sake.'
SOLELY DEPENDING ON ONE PLAN OF ACTION
THAT IS UNLIKELY TO BE ACHIEVED IS ILLOGICAL
'You think I need a plan b?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'Well...,' Marcus thinks back to that day on the beach when 'Puter assumed command.
'What do you think I should do?'
The woman stops walking to adjust her hold on the slender child.
"Where are you going with him?" Marcus asks while looking over her shoulder.
The noise of the crowd hasn't woken the unconscious boy.
"The doctor and his apprentices should be somewhere around here. He needs to see them," she continues walking with the child snuggly pressed against her chest.
Marcus matches her speed to walk alongside her, "The doctor? Is there only one?"
"He's the only one that stayed behind. The others are god knows where."
"You said they should be around...they have a medical wing, right?"
"Not really. All of our real spaces are out there...in here's just temporary."
Marcus's brow furrow in confusion, "The group I came in with had an injured guy and they had a whole setup for him."
A man wielding a semi-automatic rifle nudges through the crowd in front of them with an entourage following behind him. The woman shoves past the group, but Marcus hesitates and is stuck waiting a few moments for the last of the five-person entourage to pass by. When he catches back up to her he can see the area with the faded white sheets he'd been in when visiting Turner.
"See there?" Marcus raises his arm and points at the white sheets.
"That's just a spot they cut off for an emergency. The doctor is probably where the sick are. Never expect him where he should be," the woman pauses and looks around the crowd. "Follow me."
They pass by the area cordoned off by white sheets and start walking toward where Marcus remembers the car lot was.
'Yesterday night revealed one important detail. We can't sneak out of here with a car. The guards would never let us by.'
AFFIRMATIVE
'What else have you figured out?'
INSUFFICIENT MAPPING
THE SANDSTORM OBSTRUCTS CURRENT VISUALS FROM AERIAL VIEW
The woman takes him past the car lot and into a mass of tents where some people are gathered. They walk along the edge of the group.
'But you have snapshots of the area right?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'So, what's the issue?'
RESULTS OF INSUFFICIENT MAPPING
EFFECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ABSCONDING
WITHOUT REAL-TIME MAPPING TO MONITOR SUBJECT 001 THE EFFICIENCY OF PLAN DECREASES BY 42%
Marcus's eyes scan over the people sitting down and chatting amongst themselves. They pass by a short table that holds a large pot of food that everyone was served from.
'No eagle eye'ing me, you mean? I think we can make it out of here without your satellite view, but I need to find a way to ...ugh...I don't know,' Marcus pauses in walking to sweep his gaze over the area. ' I didn't know how frustrating making mastermind plans were until I was stuck with you. Is this why bad guys go crazy? All the mental kung fu that goes on before a plan?'
...
STUDY OF THOROUGH PLANNING NEGATIVELY AFFECTING THE HUMAN MIND IS INCONCLUSIVE
Marcus chuckles into a hand, 'I'm joking.'
He eyes his surroundings while lowering his hand back to his side. Everyone is happily chowing down on what seems to be tasteless oatmeal. Marcus can't find even one disgruntled face. They exit the tents and join a new stream of people.
It's another minute of walking before the woman turns to Marcus with a deep frown on her face. She adjusts her hold on the child and looks around distressed.
"What's wrong?"
"He's shivering...that's not a good sign. Come here and take him."
Marcus stands closer to her and outstretches his arms. Slowly, she places the boy into his arms. When the boy is firmly grasped by Marcus she fixes the position of the boys head on Marcus's shoulder.
"Now, don't drop him," she pats the sick boy's shoulder. "Let's bring him to that area you pointed out before, and I'll continue searching for the doctor. I don't want to lug him all around this place. It's not safe. He needs to be cooled down."
"So we need water, right?... Maybe he's dehydrated."
They both look around at the tents and people milling about.
"I'll get the water and then we'll go back to that area," the woman turns and speeds up her pace
It feels like a clock is ticking. If the boy continues to overheat will he make it?
"Ashanti! What are you doing with that fassy?"
Marcus hears a deep voice exclaim from behind them.
The woman guiding him turns to the voice and her accent shifts when she replies to the man, "Nar! We need some wata to help the likkle bwoy! Where you see the fountain hose at?"
Marcus pauses beside the woman to greet the stranger. He is surprised to see Ika walking beside the man approaching them. His arms are wrapped around the shivering child, so he just tilts up his chin toward the other man in greeting.
Ika returns the gesture at Marcus and furrows his brows.
"Whose kid?"
"No idea, man. I...He just came across me and fell asleep. We think he's really sick. He's burning up," Marcus stands closer to Ika to give him a better look at the unconscious child.
Ika moves several steps away, "I'll take your word for it."
Marcus chuckles and adjusts his hold on the kid. Ika shoves his hands into his pockets, 'First Carla and now this kid. I guess this guy just....cares? What's his deal?'
The woman and Nard are conversing about where to get water. After a few sentences are exchanged the woman comes back to stand beside Marcus, "They'll make sure you get to a bed for the kid and bring you some water. Just sit tight there until I return with the doctor."
The woman, Ashanti, runs off and vanishes into the stream of people. Nard jogs off in a different direction, "I'll get that wata. Meet you there in five."
Ika nods and starts walking to where Turner previously was settled.
"I don't remember seeing more than one bed back there," Marcus stays a step behind Ika at all times.
Ika shrugs, "We moved Turner to his tent."
"Oh."
Ika leads them a different route than the woman had. They are walking along the other side of the car lot giving Marcus a view of some wrecked vehicles that have been cannibalized for parts. There are some men sitting in hollowed out cars and cooking food over a flaming metal barrel. Ika and he are walking right up against the plain concrete walls. Surprisingly, Marcus hasn't felt claustrophobic until this moment.
'If the ceiling drops we only have one way outside,' Marcus hugs the child closer to himself and speeds up his walk.
A shiver runs up his spine when he imagines large chunks of concrete cascading down to crush the people rushing from task to task. A colony of ants crushed within the walls of their own den. No amount of screaming would result in a call to emergency services, but what else could these people do in those circumstances. Heavy-duty construction vehicles wouldn't come to their rescue. Hollering and tossing aside small rocks with their bare hands would be the best they'd have in that situation.
Marcus shakes his head and focuses on reality,'God forbid something like that ever happens.'
They enter the medical area from behind the bed. Ika strips the soiled, bloody sheets off the bed and tosses them onto the ground before Marcus lowers the limp form of the child onto the stained mattress. The child is no longer shivering but hasn't awoken.
Ika idles near the bed. The chair that was beside the bed yesterday seems to have been moved somewhere else.
Marcus sits down beside the child's leg and pats his barefoot,'We're here, kid. We won't leave you.'
"Is this normal?" Marcus gestures with his hand at the boy.
"This?" Ika steps closer to examine the boy for a blemish of some kind.
"I mean...do people get sick a lot around here?"
Ika sighs and steps back away from the bed, "If you're worried that some disease is spreading you're welcome to leave. No one's stopping you."
"But...," Marcus turns to make eye contact with Ika. "But is there? If I have to be concerned about...you know, dropping dead...uh...Maybe I should--"
Ika glares back at Marcus but the other man doesn't avert his gaze, "I don't know what this is, but it's something new. I haven't heard of anything spreading around the camp."
"So, this is patient zero?"
The child coughs a few times and turns off his back to lay on his side. Marcus flinches at the sudden sound and slinks down the mattress to sit at the edge of the cot. Ika steps even further away from the bed so his back is touching the white sheet that cuts off the medical area from the traffic outside.
'I don't have to worry about contracting.....whatever this is, do I?'
NEGATIVE
Marcus bounces his left leg as he waits. Ika steps out of his peripheral and holds an arm up to lift the white sheet out of his way. His shadow on the other side of the sheet moves off out of sight.
'Any visuals on Priya?'
NEGATIVE
'You said I can hold my breath for 10 minutes at a time, right?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'Maybe I can grab some night vision goggles and supplies then make a run for it. Most of the danger of a sandstorm is breathing, right?'
STRONG WIND CURRENTS COULD RESULT IN DEBRIS HARMING SUBJECT 001
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE NIGHT VISION EQUIPMENT UTILIZED BY THE ARMED SUBJECTS ARE UNKNOWN
'So, I need to let you examine the tech before you can know how useful it'll be for us? If this is their temporary space do they move inventory here as well? When we met their boss did you see anything down there?'
AFFIRMATIVE
AMMUNITIONS
VESTS
LOCKED SUPPLY SHELVING ALONG A WALL 12 METERS WEST OF THE STAIRWELL DOOR
"Tsk...that'll give me some trouble."
Marcus rubs a hand down his face and sighs.
'Truthfully, how likely do you think it is that Priya will be alive after 48 hours out there?'
WITHOUT MORE VARIABLES KNOWN ABOUT THE HUMAN SUBJECT DESIGNATED PRIYA
THE PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL IS SKEWED
'Well, she'll be injured. Possibly bleeding out...in a sandstorm. Take a guess.'
THE LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL WHILE INJURED WITHOUT COVER IN A SANDSTORM IS 0%
'But we saw her out there...she was moving. If she was able to hide how good are her odds then?'
50%
'That seems like good odds. I'm sure you're just pessimistic. She's survived all of this...,' Marcus looks back over at the child. 'She best be alive...for our sake.'
SOLELY DEPENDING ON ONE PLAN OF ACTION
THAT IS UNLIKELY TO BE ACHIEVED IS ILLOGICAL
'You think I need a plan b?'
AFFIRMATIVE
'Well...,' Marcus thinks back to that day on the beach when 'Puter assumed command.
'What do you think I should do?'
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