Part Fourteen

Eden: Paradise Lost

Part Fourteen

Elsewhere, Prime 1, President's Suite

The President stands as an Agent walks in.

Agent: Mr, President, General Weaver. 

General Marcus strides inside as the President forces a smile and comes around and greets him as the two shake hands as the General is stone faced. 

President: General, what brings you here for this impromptu visit?

General: I've just wanted to come and see how things have been in EDEN, take some time out to see my baby up close. 

President: things are quite excellent I must say, sir. 

General: No political heavy feuding?

President: Finch is all bark and no bite, I'm not worried about him. 

General: I don't care if you don't think it's a potential problem, I do. 

President: Yes, sir. 

The president lights a cigarette and offers the general one who declines.

General: Nervous, Geer? Things on your mind? 

President: Your visit always makes me slightly stressed. Throw in unannounced visits, well I'm sure you can only guess. 

President Geer takes a seat as the General goes and overlooks the city. 

General: Beautiful place, the Square is. I find it's subtle, realistic tranquil town vibe more subtle for me than the Prime's sometimes. 

President: You do?

General: I always envisioned having an EDEN somewhere in middle America. Chicago maybe. One that would be smaller but would be simply just the Square. No higher ups jiving for political power, no wealth discrepancy to keep social class systems the way they have always been. Just a place for everyday people. 

President: I genuinely couldn't agree more, sir. 

General: Let's hope so. 

General Marcus turns and comes over towards the President as the President avoids his gaze. 

General: I'll see you and councilman Finch at 2pm, correct?

President: Yes, sir. 

General: Get some sleep, Mr President. Looks like you need it. 

General Weaver leaves as the president's hands shake as he lights another cigarette. 

Elsewhere, Misfits Hangout

Shane comes into Lance's study as Lance finishes his book. 

Shane: Just got off the phone with General Marcus, he'll be meeting with us in person at 11am. 

Lance: lovely. 

Shane: That's the good news. 

Lance: and the bad news?

Shane: There was an incident with the others, when I called to inform them about the meeting I got a message about one of our own, Ajax, going postal. Chopped up and mutilated one of the mercenary women... their leader blew him away. 

Lance: shit.

Shane: the situation is growing. 

Lance: No argument there. 

Shane takes a seat.

Shane: I just want to go to my mountain base. 

Lance: A mountain base?

Shane: Yeah.

Shane brings out the picture and gives it to Lance who looks it over. 

Shane: You don't have to believe me...no one does. but there's no place I'd rather be right now then there. 

Lance: I'd rather be anywhere then here. 

Shane eyes Lance and grabs the picture back as Lance grabs another book, the two going silent. 

Elsewhere, 23rd fallback spot

Mary paces back and forth as Nick comes over to her as he looks into the room where Brianna is sleeping. 

Nick: Hey, I'll take over

Mary: Thanks. 

Nick: Yeah, no prob. 

Mary looks at Kris sitting alone as she looks at Nick

Mary: how is he?

Nick: Wish I could tell. 

Mary: Are we falling apart, Nick?

Nick: Looks like. 

Mary: Damn. I was hoping you wouldn't say that. 

Mary heads to her room as Nick looks in on Brianna before turning his back and starts to watch Kris. 

Dawn slowly rises above EDEN as the sun slowly peaks above abandoned buildings and towns outside of EDEN'S walls as we see one large giant herd, hundreds of thousands of zombies Clog the valley for hundreds of miles from the outer barrier around fools landing. Inside of a control hub that was the source of the power generating EDEN, three corpses of guards with headshot wounds are laid about as two of the five terrorists were setting up a device near the largest transponder. Across the way, in the Square, a chain is cut with bolt cutters as a man who has been bitten is led down the tunnel by a terrorist, the tunnel leading to the pier of one of the emergency cruise ships. The other unknown terrorist is prepping one of the two jets for take off as Hockmeyer is backing up the second jet. He grabs a phone and waits for a moment after dialing a number. 

Hockmeyer: It's me...be on the roof at 6pm. No that's where we're meeting...the hanger outside, west of fools landing. 

He waits for a few moments as he listens.

Hockmeyer: Just trust me, and make sure you come through on the money end. 

Hockmeyer hangs up as the other pilot gives him a thumbs up from out the window as Hockmeyer signals back. 

Elsewhere, Lyndsey's Apartment

Lyndsey awakens as Miles is sitting on the bed, Lyndsey wrapping her arms around him as he kisses her arms. 

Miles: Morning, beautiful.

Lyndsey: Aww, morning boo.

Miles turns and kisses her as he stands and changes, Lyndsey yawning as she stays wrapped up in her blanket, but looks concerned. 

Lyndsey: You're not…

Miles: No, just going to check the area out. 

Miles grabs his bandoleers of throwing knives and heads out as Lyndsey looks saddened at the sight of his departure. 

Elsewhere, Prime 1, Finch's Suite

Finch sips at his morning coffee as he sneers at the sight of the Square and looks away as he smirks to himself. 

Finch: Today's the day…

Elsewhere, 23rd fallback spot

Brianna awakens to see Kris, Nick and Krista standing over her. 

Brianna: What's going on…

Kris: Put this on

Kris hands her a flak jacket and her .44

Kris: You're with us from now on, understood?

Brianna: Not really. 

Kris: Doesn't matter. Welcome to the 23rd. 

Kris heads out as the others follow, Brianna changing as she quickly follows. 

Elsewhere, Misfits Hangout

Max is working on something in the computer room as Collin comes in. 

Collin: do you ever sleep, dude?

Max: I sleep when needed. 

Collin: Well I'd get some, the big cheese is on the way today. 

Max: Really?

Collin: What the boss said. 

Max: Probably should then, huh?

Collin: Uh, yeah. 

Max goes to his cot as Collin snickers and gets in the computer.

Collin: Here I come busty Asian chicks…

In an adjacent room, Dustin awakens still handcuffed to the bed as Makayla wakes up and yawns as she sleepily unlocks one of his arms as he had hit his chin on her head to wake her up. 

Terry, who was in the main lobby, was finishing up his morning running on a treadmill as Mandy was still asleep in Terry's bed as he smirks and towels himself down as he looks over at his two .357s. 

Terry: Don't worry, you're still my gals.

He pats them before going to wake up Mandy. 

Elsewhere, Terrorist Warehouse

Hockmeyer looked his men over as they had all returned. 

Hockmeyer: Begin phase two. 

The men nod and two of them go towards the readied jet planes as one gets into a vehicle and heads off towards the east end of fools landing, Hockmeyer sending the last to a computer room as Jon grabs two large cases and heads to his own vehicle where the briefcases sat. 

At a makeshift bank in the Square, the teller smiles as a figure approached her. 

Teller: Morning, sir. 

Figure: I'm here for a withdrawal. 

Elsewhere, Misfits Hangout

11am rolls along as Shane trots back and forth, Lance and the others waiting till there is a knock. 

Cody answers it as Kris and the others roll inside, Brianna and the other two mercenaries quickly hug as they hold each other as Brianna tells them of what had happened. Shane and Kris shake hands as Lance pats Kris on the shoulder, Terry nodding at Nick as the others keep to themselves.

Lance: You okay, comrade?

Kris: Been better. 

Shane: it's understandable

Kris: Where is he?

A throat clear answered them as General Marcus stood at the door, Cody looking intimated as everyone but Kris and Lance froze. 

General Marcus looks everyone over before spotting Nick. 

General: Mr. Garza 

Nick: General. 

General: It's nice to see you again in person. 

Nick: likewise, sir. 

Shane and Kris salute as the General dismisses it as he and Lance lock eyes. 

General: Lance. 

Lance: General.

Kris: Where you followed?

General: Only for a few miles, till they knew I knew they were there, then they backed off. 

Shane: No worries, we got a sniper posted up top just in case. 

General: Where are these mercenaries I was informed about last night?

All eyes turn to the three women. 

Brianna: That'd be us. 

General: I was told there were four of you?

Kris: She was killed last night sir, by Ajax. 

General: Alexander?

Nick: He went postal sir. 

Jared: Just...snapped. 

General: Unfortunate. Is he also…?

Brianna: I put him down. 

General: Suppose I should thank you? He was a damn good soldier. 

Brianna: Just wanted you to know I was the one, full transparency. 

General: tell me what you know, and you live. This is your ultimatum. 

 Brianna: Sir, we can't…

Makayla: I already told Lance and the Misfits everything. 

Brianna: Why?!

Makayla: It's called survival, Brianna. You of all people should understand why I did. 

Brianna:  Goddamn you. 

General: What do you know, last time I'm going to ask. 

 Brianna huffs as she nods and looks at everyone. 

Brianna: We dug around the Prime's before we executed our game plan, figured the more dirt we had on the president and why he wanted them dead, the better chance we had in case they decided to turn on us. I'm sure you all know about the testing facility and the experiments in Georgetown, but I bet you still don't have a motive. 

General: Get to it. 

Brianna: The President's daughter had type 0 blood. She turned into one of these thinker zombies and he hid her. 

Shane: How?

Brianna: Kept her in a Prime I'm guessing. Apparently he was able to reason with her slightly but once the hunger fully took her over months later they put her down. And this prompted the experiments. 

Krista: To what? See if you can reason with deaders with minimal brain use?

Brianna shrugs

Brianna: Maybe, but I think his intentions weren't threatening.

General: You won't get anyone here to agree with you there. 

Brianna: Why? What if he was trying to see if you could somehow reason with these things to eat other things aside living people? Or maybe see if you could get them just leave us alone in general, I mean isn't that worth maybe a look into? How else can you solve a problem that has no signs of ever leaving?

Terry: Reasoning with the dead is about as logical as it sounds. 

Makayla:. Better than mass killing their herds to only lure more and more outside our walls. 

General Marcus  faves the three sternly. 

General: None of this is ethical, and this thought process only proves  that human ambition will only endanger us all. You forget we're humans! You can't reason with the dead, brain activity or not, they want nothing more than to eat us into extinction and they're doing a pretty damn good job at it too. 

General Marcus turns to Shane

General: My forces will arrive sometime tomorrow morning, be ready by then. But until that time, stay vigilant, all of you. I will take back EDEN, I promise you all that. I have to go. 

Shane: Sir…

The general stops as he turns  to them. 

Shane: Be careful, sir. 

General: I'll do my best, soldier. 

General Marcus leaves as the others stay quiet for a moment. 

Kris: Mary, call Miles, inform him on everything, but tell him to stay with the girls, we don't need to add anymore stress to his plate. 

Mary: Yes, sir. 

Lance: Y'all are welcome to stay here till tomorrow.

Kris: Better chances of keeping low profile apart, if anything goes down, and we can't reach each other , we'll meet at the bank in the Square, it's the most fortifying place within EDEN.

Shane: Sounds gold. 

Kris: Alright, 23rd, let's roll. Brianna, you too. 

Kris and the 23rd head out as Brianna kisses her former crew members and follows. 

Lance: Well, here's to an uneventful day. 

Everyone looks at Lance as Lance smirks and heads to his study.

End of Part Fourteen.