The Center: Best Served Cold Part-3

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The Center: Best Served Cold -
Part Three

by:
Enemyoffun


Becca has been having nightmares, all of them involving a certain Mr. Green and how he ruined her life. Now Green's whereabouts might be known and Becca will do whatever it takes to make sure that he doesn't get away from her this time, no matter what the cost.

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Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3. I don't have much to say about it actually. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing. My question to you the reader is this: Is there anyone out there that's still interested in the Center universe. I am finding that the interest in the Center stories is dwindling as of late.

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Chapter Three:

When I got to the Infirmary, there was a guard posted at the door. He was dressed in military green but wasn’t armed. I looked at his belt, noticing the stun gun and nothing else. If need be, I could take this guy. Not that I thought I was going to have a problem getting in there. After all, I did out rank the grunt. He looked at me when he saw me approach, his face a mask of no emotion. They were trained like that, I think. I wonder if he was trained to use that thing on his belt if things got out of hand. He surely looked like a guy who could handle himself in a fight, he was big and burly, his hair shaved almost down to the scalp. What did they call Marines, oh yeah, Jar Heads. This guy was a definite Jar Head.

He saluted when I finally got to him. Apparently, he thought I was someone important.

I looked at his uniform, reading his name and rank. “You don't need to salute me, Private Wilson.”

I didn’t salute back. That stuff annoyed me. He lowered his hand, giving me the once over. I probably looked quite the sight, in my drab gray clothes, tiny skirt and high heels included. I was still trying to convince Mrs. Fine and Kris to let me wear my boots. So far, no such luck, but I think I was wearing them down. They did let me wear my shades though, not that they had much of a choice in the matter. The light still hurt my eyes; the Second Skin didn’t cover my face. I wore a gray hoodie to do that, the hood bigger than most to obscure my face in shadow. Today was no different. Even as Wilson looked at me, he still couldn’t see my face.

“You know why I’m here?” I asked.

He nodded. “Mrs. Fine radioed ahead. She said you might be coming.”

I nodded. “Good, now step aside.”

He hesitated for a second until I glared at him. He didn’t hesitate after that and did as he was told. I smiled, pulled open the door and went inside. The antechamber of the Infirmary was a sad sight. It was all gray and boring, nothing like the waiting rooms of any doctor’s office I’d ever been in there. The chairs even had gray upholstery. The only color in the room came from the yellow curtains hanging over the windows. Whoever thought putting yellow and gray together ought to be shot. Drab and cheerful did not mix.

I walked through the little room right to the door leading to the exam rooms. The woman behind the counter didn’t even try to stop me. I had a reputation already at the Infirmary. It all stemmed from an incident a couple of weeks ago, right before I shipped out to pick up Donovan Talbot and the Ford Twins. It was after one of my sparring sessions with Kris’ boyfriend, Ray. He’s got this cool mimic ability so it makes him a super fighter. He challenged me to a little sparring match, trying to see what he could learn about me. He told me to not hold back so I didn’t. I came at him with everything I had. I’m trained in Krav Maga and Wushu. I’m a pretty competent fighter but apparently, Ray is on a whole different level. Because of my enhanced senses, I can usually hear the punch or kick before it gets to me but Ray is fast, real fast.

He caught me off guard. I didn’t even know he did anything until afterwards. But it turns out he actually broke a couple of my fingers in one of his throwing moves. When he flipped me over his shoulder and I landed on the mat, I didn’t feel a thing. I have this no pain thing, in case you’re late to the game. When I hit the mat, I jumped back up and went right at him. It was Mr. Lions who noticed something was wrong. He was standing nearby, working with some new recruits. He saw my hand and noticed how swollen and bruised a couple of my fingers looked. He stopped our match and forced me to go to the Infirmary. I tried to argue with him but in the end he actually had a couple guys physically drag me there.

In the Infirmary, they had to strap me down to look at my hand. Like I said, I didn’t feel anything. I could have been a little aggressive with Dr. L and his staff. I might have punched one of the nurses; I’m not sure because there was a lot of stuff going on. Basically, I don’t like doctors. Trish was my doctor and she was good to me, the only doc that had ever been good to me. At the Syndicate, there were two doctors, Trish and Dr. O. He was a fat bastard and let’s just say that he liked the ladies. So you can see where I’m kind of apprehensive about the whole doctor thing. One of the nurses actually had to sedate me to get me to calm down. In the end they taped my fingers together and put these little splint thingies on them. When I got the call from Donovan the next day, I tore it off. I needed all my fingers out in the field.

Dr. L was still kind of pissed about it. I didn’t get very far down the little hall that the exam rooms were on. Out of one of the rooms came a burly nurse. I remember him well and his face remembered me, the shiner I gave him was just starting to fade. He stopped in front of me, crossing his arms across his chest. He was big and tall, built like a linebacker. He glared at me when he saw me.

“You’re not to go one step further,” he said in a cold, emotionless voice.

“Orders from Mrs. Fine?” I asked, knowing they weren’t.

“From Dr. Lynchburg actually” he said, sounding smug. “He doesn’t want you anywhere near his patient until they’re done giving her a thorough examination.”

I groaned. “That could take hours.”

“Sorry ma’am, doctor’s orders. No one is allowed past me and especially you.”

I could pull rank but it was no use. The Infirmary was Dr. L’s domain and rank disappeared as soon as you walked through the front door. In the Infirmary, everyone was equal and Lynchburg was C.O. Those were his rules and everyone was supposed to follow them. They were kind of stupid, a power trip on his part but I had to respect that. Unfortunately, today I wasn’t really in the mood for respecting anyone. I needed to get to Dr. V; she had vital information as far as I was concerned.

I groaned. “How long will it take?”

He shrugged. “An hour, maybe two.”

“He’s lying,” said a familiar voice from behind me.

I groaned because I knew who it was without even turning around. I did though and saw Lola walking down the hall, a big smile on her face. She looked too happy to be in an Infirmary. She had a bounce in her step that was kind of annoying too somehow, the drab gray uniform on her looked a lot better than it did on anyone else, save maybe Stella. But who could compare with her.

“What are you doing here?”

She ignored the question and looked at the nurse. She smiled evilly at him. “I was asked to come here by Mrs. Fine,” she said, finally answering me. “She told me to go right in. This guy only stopped you because he’s still holding a grudge for when you kicked his ass.”

The nurse looked flustered. “She’s a girl.”

Lola smiled. “And you’re in love with her.”

The nurse turned crimson. I raised an eyebrow. The guy was in his twenties and I was sixteen, talk about serious felony. He looked from me to her and back to me again. Then he flushed even redder and stepped out of the way, letting the two of us pass. I made an effort to slam into his shoulder when I walked by him. Lola patted him on the cheek as she passed, moving quickly to catch up with me.

“This doesn’t change a thing; I still think you’re a pest.”

She shrugged. “Fair enough.”

We passed a couple of empty exam rooms before we got to the one that we wanted. There was another guard at the door, this time he was armed. He nodded at the two of us and opened the door as we approached. The room was small, barely big enough for the bed. Dr. V was lying on it, handcuffed to the side, hooked up to machines by tubes. She looked like hell. Her black and white hair was disheveled; her face was gaunt and pale. She had a bandage on her neck, probably where the sheet chafed it. There was also a bandage on her face which was because of me. I looked at her hands; there was a cast on her left wrist too. That one also because of me. I broke the bitch’s wrist while escaping from the Syndicate but that was almost two months ago. I was surprised it was still in a cast. I looked around the rest of the room, the only other person there besides Dr. V, was Dr. L. He was standing near her bed, scribbling things down on a clipboard. Neither one noticed us until we stepped fully into the room. Dr. V got one look at me and her eyes widened in fear.

“Get her out of here” she gasped, her voice a raspy whisper.

Dr. L turned to me and frowned. “Sergeant Howe, this isn’t a very good time.”

“Make it a good time.”

Dr. L sighed. “The patient isn’t ready to be questioned yet. She’s just woken up from a coma and she’s still suffering from a great deal of trauma, some of which that you inflicted upon her. Maybe if you come back in a day or two, we can arrange something then when she’s more comfortable.”

I didn’t have time for that. “Like I give a shit if she’s comfortable or not.”

Dr. L looked like I’d poisoned his lemonade. His eyes narrowed in anger at me and he whipped out his iPhone, dialing quickly. I knew who he was calling and frankly I didn’t give a damn. I ignored him as he started to complain to Mrs. Fine. Instead, I looked at Dr. V, my eyes narrowing as well. She tried to look away but she knew that I wasn’t going to give up. I think she knew what I was looking for; I could see it in her eyes.

I turned to Lola. “Make yourself useful and tell me when this bitch is lying.”

Lola nodded. “That’s why Mrs. Fine asked me to come.”

Dr. L sighed in the background. “This is highly irregular, ma’am.”

I heard Mrs. Fine’s response to that: “She might have answers we need. We can’t risk her trying to end her life again. Sergeant Howe and Miss Marston are there on my authority, so make it happen, doctor.”

I smiled and turned my attention back to Dr. V. I tried a different tack. “Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything; fluff your pillows, maybe?”

She hissed then rasped: “I’m not telling you a thing.”

I smiled. Ok, nice wasn’t working; hey I had to try. “Just save yourself a lot of the run around and tell me where Green is?”

She looked confused for a second. When she answered, the confusion was in her voice: “Dekker? This is about Dekker, why would you want him?”

I sighed. Apparently, the Syndicate didn’t pass notes in class. “He killed Trish.”

The look on her face said it all. Here I thought she knew what I wanted. But apparently, she was thinking I wanted something else. Go figure.

“This is about her?” I nodded, she hissed again. “The traitor deserved what she got.”

My anger flared and I went for her. Lola grabbed my shoulder, trying her hardest to hold me back. But she was a frail weakling. I shoved her off and got right into Dr. V’s face. Dr. L gasped and made a step for me. I snapped around, gave him a glare and he backed off. I snapped back to V, my face inches from her own.

“Dekker” I said, holding back the flood of emotions I was feeling. “Where the hell is he?”

“I don’t know” she stuttered.

I turned to Lola. “She’s telling the truth.”

I decided to change tactics again. “Ok, then what was he doing at Section One?”

Dr. V’s eyes seemed to pop open at that one. She looked past me at Lola and seemed to quiver a bit. When she answered, her voice was shaking. “I don’t know” she stuttered.

“She’s lying.”

I smiled and pointed at Lola. “Lola is a human lie detector. You can’t lie in front of her. So would you like to try that again?”

Dr. V. gulped. “I don’t know all the details but I know some” she cleared her throat. “He was there meeting with Dr. Philips, the two of them were discussing Project Hercules.”

There is was again. That big oaf, Bart, mentioned it as well. “What the hell is that?”

She looked at Lola and sighed. “I don’t know much about it. I know it has something to do with an offshore research facility called Facility X. After you and your friends took out the mainland facilities, One through Four, Carson moved everything to Facility X.”

“Where is it?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t have enough clearance to know. But Dekker, he’d know. Carson put him in charge of it.”

She shuddered and started to cry. Dr. L finally grew a backbone because he stepped over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him but there was no glare now. I’d gotten what I wanted which was nothing. I sighed. She didn’t know where Dekker was. I grumbled as I pulled my shoulder out from underneath Dr. L’s touch. Lola tried to say something to me, I think it was “sorry” but I pushed her aside as I stomped out the door.
What a fucking waste of my time.

Lola ran to catch up with me; I heard her footfall behind me. “Becca?”

I turned toward, tears welling in my eyes. Damn it. “You will address me as Sergeant Howe.”

She nodded. “Look I’m sorry she didn’t have what you were looking for. But she gave us some good information, don’t you think.”

I scoffed. “I knew all that before.”

It was a lie and she knew that but she nodded anyway. “You can’t do this to yourself.”

“What the fuck would you know about it?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I just turned and stormed down the hall.

___________________________________

I should be in lunch right about now but I just can’t bring myself to sit in there with all those people. All the laughing and chatting, it was too much. Besides, I could also hear what else they were saying, the whispers and the gossip. I hate having super hearing; it really puts a cramp on your social life. I knew I had friends and they would never openly say bad stuff to me but I can even hear their whispers sometimes. Most of them are concerned for me but there’s other things too. They’re getting sick of my attitude, eg., Stella. She’d never admit it of course but even she’s been a bit standoffish lately. Things like this aren’t supposed to affect me, of course, but I’m not pain proof, contrary to what I let people believe.
It hurt; it hurt a lot.

So here, I was now, in the only place I knew people wouldn’t dare to look for me. Ok, so maybe storming up to the roof and sitting on the edge of the building wasn’t the brightest idea but I’m not full of a lot of those lately. First, I busted a teacher’s balls in class, and then I slapped my boyfriend for trying to help. I even blew off Mattie and I treated Lola like shit. Ok so maybe she deserved it a little, no one likes a tattletale. But I hate it, I hate this way I’m feeling. It’s like the whole world is piling on my shoulders and all I can do is continue to hold it up.

The worst part, all I’m doing is throwing hate at it. Hate and loathing, those were my only two weapons lately. It all started with Green, too. He was everywhere. I saw him when I slept, I saw him when I closed my eyes. I even saw him in other people’s faces. This morning I swore I saw him when I saw running to the Infirmary. He was standing at the end of the hall, smirking at me. When I ran after him, he dissolved and there was a tall kid standing there, looking really scared. I brushed past him and ran the rest of the way. It’s scaring the hell out of me and the only thing anyone wants to do is send me to the shrink. Go to Dr. Tipps, she’ll make you feel better. It was a load of shit. I didn’t need a shrink to make me feel better; I needed justice.

If I could just find the son of a bitch and put a bullet in his head, then everything would be right. I would feel better; the school would feel better. I’d be back to myself again and everything would go back to normal.

“You’re not going to jump, are you?”

I snapped around, surprised that someone else was up here. He was standing only a few feet away in all his shining glory. Ok, he wasn’t shining but it was close enough. The sun caught his blonde hair and it seemed to dance around his body, making him glow like an angel. My heart skipped a beat, my chest all a flutter. I bit my lip, cursing myself. I can’t like him; I’m in love with Barry. I put on a stoic face, turning my head so he couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as he came walking over, leaning on the wall. “Did Fine send you?”

He shook his head. “Nope” He put his hands on the wall and jumped up to sit next to me, taking a look down and grimacing. “Mind if I sit?”

I shrugged. “It’s a free country, Brad, you can sit wherever you like."

He smiled. Damn it, why did he have to smile. Bradley Ford was like an Adonis. When I brought him and his sister into the school two weeks ago, I heard a lot of hearts beating faster. I got a lot of nasty glares too. A lot of the girls were really jealous that a guy like that would be anywhere near me. The freak, that’s what they call me behind my back when they don’t think I can’t hear them. Brad was cool though, he didn’t say a thing about me. Even better, he liked to sit with us in lunch, which only made the other girls more jealous. He and Emma adjusted rather quickly to Center life, which didn’t surprise me one bit. Everyone called them the “Golden Twins” on the count that both of them were beautiful with their alabaster skin, sparkling blue eyes and lustrous blonde locks.

He looked down again. “Nice spot you picked out here” he said, sweeping some hair from his eyes. “The perfect place for a jump. If you time it just right, you might even land on that statue down there.”

I smirked. He can make me laugh too. That’s all I need to complicate things. “Is there a purpose for your visit?”

Ok it’s bitch time for me. But he smiled; boy did he have a great smile.

“If you must know, you sent Lola back to the cafeteria in tears. The only thing we were able to get out of her was your name. The others were drawing straws to see who got the honor of coming to see if you were all right.”

I huffed. “And you lost?”

He smiled. “I volunteered.”

Damn it. I flushed a little red, turning away so he didn’t see. “So are you going to throw me over your shoulder and carry me back into the cafeteria?”

He laughed. “Nope. I think I’m going to stay here and enjoy the view.”

I nodded. “I’ve kind of made a mess of things.”

He nodded. “Yep.”

I smacked him in the arm. “You’re not supposed to agree with me.”

He shrugged. “I thought that’s what you wanted.” I sighed. He took a deep breath. “Look, I know all about temper tantrums and difficult girls. Hell, my best friend was Gretchen.”

Emma talked about her a lot. The two of them used to date back when she was Stephen. Apparently, Gretchen was a grade A bitch, though it did take Stephen a long time to see that. I think Emma was still a little stuck on her though. Or maybe she was only pretending to mask her feelings for a certain tall and handsome Corporal I know.

“You’re comparing me to her?”

“No, I’m just saying that girls have moods, trust me I know.”

I laughed. “This isn’t a mood.”

He sighed. “You want to kill this guy?”

I went quiet for a second. Everyone knew about my obsession with Dekker. We were a close-knit community, there was little that any of us here could keep from one another. My obsession wasn’t the biggest bit of gossip but it was certainly one of the more juicer bits. I was the subject of a lot of whispered conversations. “Hey there goes Becca; she’s obsessed with killing this guy.” Like I gave a fuck what they thought.

I finally answered him. “He killed the most important person in the world to me.”

He nodded. “That must suck.”

“I’m going to make him pay for what he did.”

Brad didn’t say anything to that. But after a few moments, he leaned over and wrapped me in a hug. My heart was a flutter and I was a bit shocked. Macho guys like him don’t hug. Then I remembered that only a few short weeks ago, he was a bubbling teenage girl. It was nice to be hugged by him, even if he was being a little girly at the moment. It felt kind of right, being in his strong, comforting arms. I bit my lip. You’re with Barry; Barry is your boyfriend.
When he pulled away, there was a sad look on his face. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For you.”

I was stunned. It was as if he socked me in the gut. I was speechless for a few seconds and then my anger swelled. How dare he. I opened my mouth to really let him have it but I couldn’t. Instead, I broke down. I burst into tears again. He wrapped me in his big strong arms and I cried on his shoulder. Damn it, why did I have to be such a girl.

He let me cry on his shoulder for the longest time. He held me for the longest time and it felt pretty good. Then I kind of let my emotions get the better of me. I don’t think I was thinking straight. Everything was all screwed up so when I pulled away and pulled his lips into mine, it was the spur of the moment and all fucked up. The only thing, he didn’t pull away, repulsed by it. Instead, he wrapped his hands around the back of my head and leaned into the kiss, returning my vigor. The two of us went at it, hot and heavy. It was different than kissing Barry. With Barry, it was lust and nothing else. But with Brad, it was passion. I felt something with him, something that definitely lacking with Barry.

God, what the hell am I doing?

A buzzing vibration saved me. I pulled away, stunned for a second. The vibration continued until I realized what it was. It was my phone. I sighed and reached into the front pocket of my hoodie, pulling out the iPhone. There was a text scrolled across the screen: COME TO COMP ROOM, KIND OF IMPORTANT, THINK I MIGHT HAVE FOUND SOMETHING, BARRY. I sighed; it was a sign. I pushed Brad away a little bit, licking my lips.

“What’s the matter?’ he asked, breathless.

“It’s Barry.”

“What?” he snapped his head around, looking like a deer caught in headlights?

I laughed. “Not here you idiot” I waved the phone in front of his face. “He just texted me. He wants me to meet him in the Computer room; he’s got something important to show me.”

Brad sighed, straightening his tie. “Can we continue this later?”

I bit my lip. Damn why did he have to be so nice, understanding and good looking. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

His head dropped and he nodded. “I understand.”

He looked so hurt, like a wounded puppy. God, I so wanted to kiss him again. I bit my lip. You’re with Barry and you’re damaged goods right now. I wanted to jump in his arms and let him have his way with me. But that would be crazy. I flushed a bit, embarrassed by my thoughts. He smiled, buttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. I smiled too, straightening the bottom of my ugly gray skirt. Then I jumped off the wall and ran across the roof, away from the complication.

________________________________

I walked to the computer room, Brad on my mind. Why did he have to be so damn gorgeous? It was one thing to be a good-looking guy but on top of that, he was so damn nice and understanding. It would have been easy to hate him for wanting to continue kissing me but I couldn’t. I wanted to continue kissing him and hated myself for it. I was with Barry, he was my love. Though we had a bit of a rough patch there a few weeks ago, the two of us were back and better than ever. I wasn’t going to let Brad or anyone else stand in the way of that.

As I approached the computer room, an attractive blonde came walking down the hall toward me. I squinted, remembering her from somewhere. She smirked at me, flashing her creepy red eyes. Red eyes? She passed by me with a strut in her step and a sway of her butt, sashaying like a slut. I didn’t give her any more thought but she was familiar. I think I might have accidentally bumped into her in the cafeteria once. Or she bumped into me, I couldn’t really remember. I shrugged and didn’t give her any more thought as I continued down the hall and into the computer room.

It was kind of cold in there and dark, the only lights coming from all the glowing screens. There had to be fifty computers in there, all of them in neat rows. I searched the place, finding Barry and another person hunched over a couple of fancy consoles. I smiled and slowly slunk through the room. I came up behind Barry, wrapping my arms around him, hoping I could make up for being such a bitch this morning. I even leaned over a bit and kissed him on the cheek. He didn’t even flinch; he got like that when he was in computer mode.

I sighed and looked over at his friend. He was wearing military fatigues. He was pimple faced, so he was clearly not a grunt. He had thick glasses and closely cropped hair. He looked like a techie. I looked at the name on his shirt: Corporal Cooper. I nodded. So this was Coop. Barry talked about him a lot, they were kind of kindred spirits. Coop was Barry’s Geek Buddy for lack of a better word. They usually worked side by side in the Information Center but the two of them spent a lot of time here too. I looked Coop up and down; he was definitely not, what I was expecting.

“Coop” said Barry. Not bothering to look up from the screen. “This is Becca, Becca this is Coop.”

The Corporal smiled. “Nice to m-e-e-e-t you ma’am” he stuttered, probably nervous that a girl had invaded his personal space.

“Same here” I said, actually meaning it.

“What took you so long?”

I rolled my eyes. When it was important, Barry hated to be kept waiting. There was a bit of an edge too his voice today, so apparently he hadn’t forgiven me for slapping him. I guess I deserved that.

“I was on the roof thinking” I said, I wasn’t going to let him be a dick to me. “So what’s so damn important?”

Coop looked even more nervous to be there. If I was him, I don’t think I’d want to be in the middle of our little lover’s quarrel either.

“Look, I’m going to leave you two alone” he said, looking from Barry to me and back again. “I’m back to the Info. room and do a double check on those numbers we found.”

Barry nodded. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Coop nodded and smiled at me. “Ma’am”.

He threw me a sloppy salute and then disappeared into the dark with a pile of papers in his hands. A few seconds later, there was a crash and a loud curse. I turned around. Coop had run into a chair in his haste, tripping over it and sending the papers flying all over the place. I smiled and debated helping him but that would have only pissed Barry off even more. So I turned back to my cranky boyfriend and looked at the screen. There was a bunch of numbers on it, none of it made any sense to me.

“What is all this?”

“Quentin Dekker’s bank account.”

I was floored. “You’re got to be shitting me. How did you…”

I stopped there. I didn’t want to know. Barry was like a super hacker, I didn’t need to ask where he got his info. He was what we affectionately liked to call a Technopath. He could interface with just about any piece of technology; his specialty was computers. He was one of the main reasons that all of us were able to escape the Syndicate. If it hadn’t been for him, Mattie, Clara, Donovan and I would still be in cells back at the place. There were a few others too, and all of us owed our freedom to him and his hacking skills. You could sort of say he was my Knight with the Shiny Laptop.

“So what does the bank accounts say about our slimy friend?”

Barry typed viciously on the keyboard. “It says that our friend Dekker has been sending large sums of money to a boarding school in England.”

“A boarding school?”

Barry nodded. “Look, here and here” He pointed to two lines on the screen that were just numbers to me. “It looks like they’re corresponding to semesters. It’s almost like he’s paying someone’s tuition.”

The wheels in my head were spinning. If he’s paying, tuition then that meant. I was stunned. “Dekker has a kid?”

Barry shrugged. “Either that or he likes to donate lots of money to this school.”

My face lit up. I could have kissed him. In fact, I reached over the chair and did just that. It was a slow and chaste kiss, not anything like the one I gave Brad early. It was kind of awkward, too, like I just didn’t have it in me to really give it to him. I felt kind of bad about that. But there was something else too, something I didn’t want to think about.

“Barry” I said after pulling away. “I love you.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to slap me anymore?”

I smiled and leaned in close to his ear. “Only if you want me to.”

I nibbled on his earlobe and then turned toward the door. I didn’t even bother to give him a proper goodbye. This was fantastic; it was the best news ever. I ran as fast as I could out of computer room and down the halls. I knew exactly where I was going. I wove through the crowds, zipping past people left and right. It didn’t take me long to get to my destination. I didn’t even knock when I got there. I just threw open the door, huffing and puffing as I did so. Mrs. Fine was sitting at her desk, occupied with something. I startled her when I came barging into the room.

“Something wrong, Sergeant?”

I caught my breath. “Quentin Dekker has a kid.”

Photo Credit: Model AJ Stewart

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Comments

If the Center has its

If the Center has its members set up like the US Army, a Sgt would not normally rate a salute from lower enlisted personnel. They would be addressed by their rank title however as Becca has been by Cpl Cooper and Mrs. Fine and others. Officers and Warrant Officers do rate salutes from all those below them in rank. So All enlisted personnel would salute ALL Warrant Officers and Officers. All WO's would salute those grades of WO above them, and salute ALL Officers above them. All Officers would salute ALL Officers above them in grade. By the way, a salute is considered as a form of greeting and not to be demeaning in nature. It evolved from the days of the Knights, to show their "sword hand" (generally the right hand) was free of weapons and they were to be considered "friendly". Jan

I agree...

When Private Wilson saluted Becca I almost fell out expecting to hear her do an R. Lee Ermy impression.

"Wilson! What in blue blazes does your right hand think it is do-ing! Do you SEE these STRIPES?!? I WORK for a living PRIVATE!"

I would also add that the only time any enlisted personnel would ever be the one saluted is if that person were the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Generals salute CMH holders first as a sign of respect for their willingness to sacrifice all above and beyond the call of duty.

-sb

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Ok, Ok

Enemyoffun's picture

I'll fix the salute thingy. Though I could definitely see Becca doing an R. Lee Ermy impersonation.

Its fixed

Enemyoffun's picture

I fixed the salute thing.

Really?

Aine Sabine's picture

Must have fixed somewhere else. Its in here twice, at the infirmary and at the computer center. Also even Kris would salute a senior officer even though she is in charge. Though if they are out of uniform it is not required, unless said superior is an a$$hole.

Wil

P.S. I'm really enjoying the Centerverse. Ive considered writing one that's twenty years later. Some cases of water are still out there, even though no one realises it. But beyond that, does anyone know what might happen to second-gen emergents? Basically, the descendants.

Aine

Center Universe

While I agree that there have been fewer posts within the Center Universe lately, it seems more people have been writing in the Ret-Con Universe. I for one love the Center universe and hope you and others keep writing in it for a long time. It tends to be action packed, with unlimited possibilities for interesting story lines.

Of course no-one wants thier heroines to be nasty and Becca has been skirting that line fairly closely. I am glad to see that this chapter gives her a lead that will hopefully find the closure she needs to move on. Becca has a lot of emotional wreckage to clean-up notonly with herself but with her friends and peers at the center.

I like the connection that seems to be developing between her and Brad. Passion trumps lust anyday.

Good story waiting with bated breath to see where this goes.

Center Universe

Drakira's picture

It does seem like the Center universe stories are fewer. But, they are still good. I know that I write slowly, since I try to balance my writing with my school/lab work, which is why it takes me so long to get chapters out. However, the Comic retconns are an example of another universe to have fun in. So, the writers are trying to have a lot of fun with their imaginations.

Drakira

Drakira

Center Universe

I'm glad to see authors keeping this universe alive. I've got to have something to sate my center fix. You may have already been aware of this, though ;)

Center universe

there are several center stories that got started but never finished, just like in other areas. i really enjoy your stories, both the action and characters
(plus you finish what you start)
keep up the great work.

Unfinished Center Stories

Enemyoffun's picture

A couple of those were really good...I'm kind of sad that they're not finished.

Uhhh...

Patient Zero is not abandoned... but classwork has kept me from dedicating myself to its continuation. I am still working on it slowly.

-sb

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The Center: Best Served Cold Part-3

Does England have its version of the Center or Syndicate?

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

England

Enemyoffun's picture

Not that I'm aware of.

I think right now...

...that we are all writing under the impression that the water was never exported. However, I see that as an interesting angle that could begin to be explored. Foreign powers bankrolling the Syndicate in exchange for captured Emergents... Particularly once the lock-down is put on Carson's funding.

In the larger scheme of the world, Emergents are nuclear bombs and there is a distinct balance of power issue right now with all of them being in the US/Canada. I have a strong feeling that some of these organizations (aside from the Syndicate) may be fronts for foreign operations... particularly the one that is giving signs of trying to re-create the water-incident, indeed, it very much sounds like the sort of thing the Chinese would try in this situation (the Russian's too, for that matter).

-sb

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Keep Going Then

Enemyoffun's picture

So I guess all everyone wants me to keep going because this was going to be my last Center story for a while. It still might be for a little bit because I've got some Retcons I want to write. I do have plans to do a little Mattie/Clara/Cori side story to this one.

Center over Retcon!

I never was very excited about the retcon stuff, too much prior knowledge required, for one thing. And whatever interest I had has been pretty well trashed. OTOH, the Center stories have been fairly consistent, even the ones I didn't feel like reading weren't offensive, just not my cuppa joe, ya know? Keep going, and keep up the good work!

. . . .

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they speak.


I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.

Similarly for me...

I was never able to get into the Retcons; I wasn't much of a comic book fanatic growing up, and my tastes haven't changed much in that regard.

I'm sure the Retcons are wonderful stories, and they have their draw. But I much prefer the Center stories.

I really enjoy your stories

I really enjoy your stories both the center an retcon ones. But I'll always associate you with the center an you write some really good stories for the center universe. So please do keep up the great work they are worth the wait.

Center Universe

I certainly want to see the universe keep going - I like it!

I have worked with (and read) a number of long lasting universes (some for more than a decade), and I have seen them ebb and flow over time. For the most part, they come in waves.

The Center universe is well defined but open enough to last for a long time. Let's hope it does exactly that.

Jorey
.
Like Sudoku?
sudokurose.com

Jorey
.

Thanks Everyone

Enemyoffun's picture

Thanks for the input, even to those who PMed me and told me what they thought. I think that besides a few negatives comments, I will definitely continue writing the Center universe in the future. I was a bit worried for it but I'm glad there's still a great deal of interest for it out there.

I love the 'Center Universe'

I love the 'Center Universe' and really want it to continue and grow.

That said, I grew up reading a lot of the DC comics during the 'Silver Age'.

First, I REALLY hope you continue writing. Second, I somewhat prefer the Center to the retcon but would like to see both continued.

Hugs
Brenda

Hates how she feels?

Jamie Lee's picture

Biting people's heads off is a sure way to become lonely, very lonely. Even though Becca has done that often, there are still those who care about her, and she refuses to acknowledge that fact.

Becca hates the way she feels but wants to be angry and hate what's been done to her. She has it within herself to feel better but refuses to do so. She wants to hat Dekker. She wants to be angry at Dekker. She she she...Becca has become so self centered she can't see how her overall attitude is affecting others.

If she hates how she feels then SHE needs to get off her butt and do something about. And that doesn't mean killing Dekker.

Becca better put on the brakes before she does what it feels like she wants to do. She's already formulated a plan to take Dekker's child in order to get him out into the open.

Trying to get Dekker's child will make her no better than those she hates. Trying to get the child will be the same as was done to every kid at the center who was grabbed by the Syndicate.

Let's hope Mrs. Fine sees this also.

Others have feelings too.