Infected Series (Book 1): Mission: New York (16 page)

“You know, I did not know that; so she died ten years ago?” He asked enquiringly, “What was she like?”

“Her whole life she was an army wife, she traipsed all over the world with him. They really did a lot of travelling. He never really managed to get settled for very long, and she always managed to get the house set up in such a way that if they had to leave for a new assignment; then it would take very little to get the packing done and get relocated.” She explained to Simon, “She never moaned about it and was the most supportive wife to him. She loved her various hobbies; but the one thing that she did miss was the fact that she could not have children. That was why she doted on me when I was born and always made time for me.”

Chapter Thirty Two

Sighing she leaned into Simon, “I just want him to be happy. I need him to be happy. I know he has been lonely; although he never really showed it. I could always tell however that he wanted someone else in his life to spend time with. Being ex-military she is possibly the perfect person that he could have met.” She said wistfully, looking into his eyes she continued, “He really has been a different person since he met Dawson. She has made his face light up with joy every time he looks at her.”

“I know; I can see it in his face every time he looks at her. I agree that she is a good match for him. I know we are not supposed to be trying to get them to get together but they are gravitating towards each other naturally.” Simon intoned, shivering as he felt a cold breeze catch him. He wondered where that little breeze had come from. The weather was actually pretty good, and the only breeze was relatively warm. He was a bit puzzled by that. He shivered again as he felt the breeze again; but Judith did not seem to notice him shiver. For an instant he swore he was staring at a white wall; but dismissed it instantly. How could he see a white wall if he was on-board a boat in the ocean? He looked down at Judith again, smiling he noticed something odd. She looked a bit stiff to him but was still moulded to his body. He shrugged and probably thought he was hallucinating. He realised that he had not eaten anything in a while.

“Judith, I am going to go grab something to eat; I just realised that I have not had anything to eat in a while. I am feeling a bit strange; and feel as if I am not really here.” he said, feeling a bit dizzy. He knew it was possibly just the whole trip they had been on, but wanted to be sure. Judith took a moment and seemed to finally register. She nodded and smiled at him. “Tell you what, I think I will come and make a sandwich with you. I need to get something inside me as well. I realised that I am also hungry. Lead the way captain.” she said, smiling at him. The boat was riding the swells, making the boat lurch slightly. They held onto the railing tightly, and Simon held Judith’s hand as he carefully traversed the way down to the deck. Reaching the deck, they saw that other people did have food; they had obviously gone to get themselves food as well. He was glad that people had not relied on him to tell them to go grab food for themselves. He nodded at the people and looked carefully at them. They were all sitting in small groups; talking amongst themselves. They were relaxed and alert, having managed to get some of the rations dished out amongst themselves. He was sure that they would all make themselves heard if they did not have anything to eat. At least they could actually act on their own initiative and get themselves food to eat. They all nodded as he headed into the galley. He looked at their supplies and had a flash of inspiration.

Grabbing an MRE he looked at it carefully, then decided to look for one exactly the same. With two he could possibly whip up a decent meal. Sorting through them he finally located a similar one; ripped the sachets open and got the gas stove lit. Mixing the two main sachets together; he made one big pile of stroganoff. He heated them on the stove; stirring the whole time. Adding a few spices from the cupboard, he soon had a delicious smell wafting through the small kitchen. He knew there was not a huge amount that he could do with the MRE but he would try his damndest to get a decent meal together for Judith and himself. Slowly the food warmed up and he was really enjoying the role of chef for them. Judith stood watching him and smiled. As she stood watching him, she was enjoying watching him work with the food. He was comfortable in the kitchen; but then again he should be. He had a coffee shop after all. She thought back to the coffee shop wistfully as she looked at him; mixing the spices in and making the kitchen smell lovely. His movements were smooth and unhurried; he obviously knew what he was doing. She folded her arms, as she watched him become totally absorbed in the food. Soon she would be able to have a nice meal, and was now looking forward to it.

Simon was stirring the food, and tore open two other packets of food that turned out to be mashed potatoes. He placed the two lots together in another saucepan, and started to heat those up as well. He grabbed some salt and pepper and added that to the mixture, with a little water to get the mashed potatoes thinned out slightly. Paprika followed into the mix, and he smelt the delicious aroma of the food. He sighed and wanted to really enjoy this meal. He was glad Judith was with him in the galley, and she was just standing there watching him continue to stir the food. He glanced at her, enjoying her smile that made him feel so good inside. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as she continued to look at him. He knew that she would be special, and he wanted her to be a part of his life for the rest of his being. She was making such an impact on him. Her positive impact that she was having on him, it made him feel really good. Her goodness was just so evident that he could not imagine his life without her. He stopped stirring for a moment as he suddenly had a strange feeling that he had somehow witnessed this very act before. Déjà vu, he thought again. The scene was very similar to earlier, the fact that their closeness had been so evident. He wondered at that again as he just stood there frozen, not really taking notice of the surroundings. How could this have played out before if he had only just met her recently. Unless this was all just a dream, he wondered? Yet he could not say for certain; but felt that this was his reality. He shrugged and continued stirring the food. He finally stopped stirring and grabbed two plates; then dished up the delicious smelling food onto the plates. Judith finally straightened up and moved over to the small table to sit with him. She had to sit opposite him on the small bench seat. She dazzled him with her smile, and she reached for his hand.

“Thank you Simon, this looks absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to enjoying this in your company. I know we have not had much time to be together but I feel so close to you. It almost feels like Déjà vu; I know you have probably felt the same. I have seen you stare off into space for a few moments as well. I know I have had a few like that.” she commented softly.

Simon started; and realised that she was very serious indeed. He felt the warmth of her had in his and looked at her closely. Her green eyes locked with his and he was swept away with emotion. Those green orbs were so mesmerising, and he felt lost as she looked at him. He knew then that she was telling the truth about the episodes of Déjà vu. He shivered as he felt her hand squeeze his fingers softly. He squeezed hers back; then lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them softly. “You are simply amazing; so very insightful. Here I was thinking I was the only one having flashbacks like that. Now I see that I was not the only one.” he stated softly, “Thank you my dear Judith. I was worried there for a bit.” laughing nervously he shot her another quick look. “Let’s enjoy this meal; I think that we are going to be a long time from eating anything like this for a while. I have this feeling that we are going to be very busy in the next while.”

Judith smiled at him and lifted her knife and fork start eating. The first mouthful she placed in her mouth and she chewed. Stopping midway through chewing; she smiled at Simon then finished her mouthful.

“Simon, this is absolutely delicious; I am really impressed by this. It should not be this tasty at all. You have created something quite tasty here. I am impressed.” she said with a note of awe in her voice. “Can you dish me up some more afterward? The only thing missing is wine.”

Simon laughed at her comment; grinned at her and smiled. He nodded assent and slowly enjoyed watching her eat while he also enjoyed his food. Watching her eat was a joy; she placed delicate morsels into her mouth; chewed slowly and then swallowed. The rest of their meal they enjoyed in silence, their companionable silence was all they needed. For a short time they forgot the rest of the world out there with the infected and all the trials they had gone through. Pushing their plates away after their meal; they sat there in silence. They were just enjoying each other’s company.

“Simon! Get up here!” he heard his name being called by someone from up above.

Chapter Thirty Three

They both looked at each other in the small galley; then got up when their peace was shattered. Getting up onto the deck, they looked toward where the group was pointing out in the water. He looked but could not make out what was going on just yet. He realised that they had travelled pretty far by water; in fact quite close to where the carrier had been he surmised. Looking at Dawson he saw she had binoculars trained on something out in front of the boat. He reached over and touched her on the shoulder then she passed the binoculars to him with a shrug. Taking hold of them he looked out toward the spot; then spotted a figure floating out in the water. He realised that this could possibly be one of the survivors.

“Jones spotted him about 20 seconds ago; then called you. I thought it prudent to get you here so you could see exactly what we found.” Judith said quickly. “But I doubt that he is a survivor of the carrier. He could be one of the people on the boat that was trying to ram the carrier.”

“Good thing you called me; we need to approach slowly, and be careful. Just in case your theory is correct Dawson. Well done you two; I mean that.” Simon said proudly, clapping them both on their backs.

George slowed the boat down as they approached the figure trying vainly to swim toward the distant shore. “It certainly looks like he does not want to be picked up; does it?” he asked Simon, keeping the speed of the boat slow, and steady. “It looks like he could possibly be one of the attackers.”

Jones lifted his rifle; aimed just ahead of the swimming figure; aimed and pulled the trigger. The shot had the desired effect on the swimmer. He instantly stopped and started treading water. He turned to face the boat, and the people on board. As he turned they saw his face flash a look of hatred. Jones had been right to place a shot ahead of him to get him to stop. There was really nowhere else to go anyway. The man accepted defeat and placed his hands in the air as the boat swung in towards him.

“Simon; be careful. I don’t think this guy is American.” Jones said with an earnest voice. “I would rather be safe than sorry.” Jones kept his rifle trained on the man the whole time as they slowly managed to get him out of the water and onto the deck of their boat. By the look the man gave them, he was not American, but he kept his gaze rooted on Jones and the rifle. Jones just kept the rifle trained on the man and smiled. He must have realised that the game was up. “I know you are not American boy; you better come clean and tell me who you are and where you come from.” Jones said slowly. “Otherwise I will put a bullet in your head.” 

“My name is Frank Smith,” he said with a clipped British accent, “I was on a sailing ship out here and saw the carrier get hit by another boat. I am a British national on holiday. Please accept my reluctance to stop swimming, but I thought I saw a shark out here and wanted to get away from it to safety!” he explained, keeping his hands safely up in the air.

“Any way of proving that you are British sir? It is just that I am a bit suspicious right now. That carrier was my home for quite a while before it got attacked and destroyed.” Jones questions the man; still not completely convinced. “Besides, I saw the look of hatred that crossed your face just as you turned around. You did your best to hide it but it was there. Do you have any identification that you are British? You can understand my reluctance to believe you wholeheartedly, I am sure you understand.”

Frank Smith spluttered in indignation; he looked at the large man that pointed the rifle at him and said again, “I can assure you that I am British. Just because my boat sank with my passport after being hit by bullets from the conflagration, does that not mean anything to you?” Smith’s voice rose in indignation. “You Americans are always so pig-headed; no wonder your country is always being targeted by us.” He replied without thinking, and then quickly shut his mouth; realising that he had given the game away.

“Just as I suspected, you were on the attacking boat; weren’t you? I suspect you are may be one of the terrorists who planted the planted the virus in New York.” Jones said quietly, the menace in his voice showing. “Let me tell you something else that we knew about your little insurgency; the fact that you had a mole inside your crew and they were relaying information to us.”

He gestured to the man who was now stunned by this revelation; he could not believe that there had been a mole on board their ship; or even in the organisation.

Jones quickly levelled the rifle at him, and then spoke to George quickly. “Grab a rope, and tie him up securely; I need to tell you all a small secret that I have kept from you about the events that have happened.” he said with a resigned tone.

Dumbfounded everybody looked at Jones; then back at the man sitting on the deck. Then, they looked back at Jones. Everybody started to talk at once; and Simon had to try restore order. Simon could not believe what he was hearing. He put up his hands and shouted above everybody to try and get them to quieten down. The noise persisted; questions being flung at Jones in a flurry. George tied the man up; making sure his bonds were secure; then, they dragged him over to the rail, and tied him securely to it so that he could not attempt to escape by jumping overboard.