Rob Carter sat at his computer with his hands on his head. The monitor before him was flashing red. All of his screens were flashing red, too much red. Beyond his office people were running about like the zombies were chasing them, he to watch them through the glass windows.
The Ark plan was not going well.
Denver should been able to hold, it was a military fortress. It didn’t hold. It didn’t even last a day. He couldn’t understand why it’d failed; even an archaic plan like Ark shouldn’t have fallen apart so badly. He could only believe that someone didn’t follow protocol. In frustration, he tossed the massive Ark manuals across his desk, causing empty paper coffee cups and food wrappers to fly everywhere. He’d been living in his office for days now, he lifted his arm and sniffed, he smelled like he’d been living in his office for weeks.
He sighed and started to pick up the mess tossing some into an overflowing waist basket when something on the monitors caught his eye. The only thing not on the west coast that wasn’t red. Washington. With the bridges gone, it seemed to be holding. He wasn’t sure how, with that dye job ditz at the helm. He was sure the all the coloring had fried her brain. He stared at the little state while the rest of the building moved with urgency, he looked like he was in suspended animation.
“Danny!” he walked to the door and looked out into the cubicles setup in front his office, there sitting a small desk looking wide-eyed and spooked was young woman with black hair and blue eyes.
“Yeah… Yes, Mr. Carter?” she said, standing up as a small huddled group rushed between them heading for what Rob knew was the contagion labs.
“I need those documents for the military transfer from Denver to the Umatilla Army Depot. Where did you put them?” he waved for her to hurry up.
“But, sir,” she looked confused.
“But what?” he frowned lowering his brows severely, he sometimes wondered why he’d hired her. But as she bent over her desk trying to find the report he’d remembered almost at once.
“You said, you didn’t want to be bothered with details about every five star general trying to save their own necks,” she found the report trying to put it back in order. He remembered something about flinging it back at her desk spilling the papers and her walking away in frustration.
He rubbed his face and turned walking back into his office, “God damn it, Danny. I don’t have time for you question everything I say. I need to see the report.” He kicked a foil wrapper into the air and it pinged off a window leaving a guacamole smear as it landed into the corner.
He pulled the keyboard over and started digging through the Ark database. “Denver, Denver,” he mumbled as he worked. He scratched at his cheek leaving red marks as he tried to think.
Denver Army Weapons Research Center
Faculty Head: Dr. Irons
On site staff: 632
Site Projects: Classified.
This building is just one of many in Denver’s Ark strategy. It was believed that if Atlanta was lost, they could use Denver as the back up. It had the size and equipment needed to replace Atlanta as headquarters if needed. He tried to find more details on what Irons was doing; every query came back with blank details or CLASSIFIED
“Fuck!”
Danny winced stopping in the door, “Sir?”
He looked up she was holding the file in her hand Taking an arm he swept it across his desk knocking everything off except his keyboard and mouse. He pointed to the cleared off space and went back to his computer.
“I don’t get it,” Rob was bouncing his leg violently.
“Don’t get what, Sir?” she said, tentatively.
He didn’t answer her question; instead he started to look over the paperwork, spreading it out taking up every inch of desktop as he could. “Danny?” he said, his tone made her wince.
“Sir?”
“Irons left a day early.”
“D-did he?” she bit her lower lip, clearly not understanding where this was going.
“A second copter left the next day with a full crew, but no manifest declared?”
“Oh, no. It is,” she reached over his shoulder and pushed the manifest paper forwarded. Keeping professional, she didn’t even wrinkle her nose at his smell.
“Supplies? Do you really think they sent a whole copter with just supplies?” he crumpled up the sheet causing Danny to squeak, he tossed it at the window.
“Danny, get your coat, where heading to Spokane,” Rob picked up his cell, punching in numbers.
“Spokane?”
“Washington.”
“Washington?” she almost shouted, wide eyed.
“Yes,” he waited for someone on the other end to pick up.
“I just work in the office.”
“Danny, you work for me.”
“In your office.”
“I’m moving my office to Spokane.”
Danny stormed out, almost in tears.
Rob leaned over to watch as she left.