Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 6: Strategies

When I finish my stew, I push it aside as the other’s finish. I quickly turn to Clare nudging her and pulling her attention to me. I nudge my head to the kitchen, and Clare like always taking the hint grabs her bowl, while I grab mine and we head into the kitchen. The door swings open and when I see the kitchen I’m kind of surprised. The kitchen is small with a wood stove and small counter’s.

I walk to the small sink and place my bowl in it, Clare following behind me. I look around the kitchen and when I don’t see anyone in the room I turn to her. Instead of saying anything I pull down my sleeve and show her the mark that has appeared on my wrist. Clare grabs my wrist staring at it as her finger’s run over it. “Does it hurt, or itch?” she whispered in a hushed tone.

" No, I noticed it before you came down, it doesn’t hurt or anything.. it just appeared.” I inform her. Whispering back, my eyes watching the door.

“Okay, Lets head up to the room and Ill get you some medicine, that should make it go away.” She says pulling on her medical training. I follow Clare out of the kitchen, the rest of team is sitting down foxglove and talon eating their food. “There you are lets begin.” Enyo says picking up a woven basket of rolled up paper’s.

“We will be just a moment.” Clare states as we head to the room

The moment we get into the room Clare is moving to her small bag she has brought with her. She empties the bag out on the made bed, vials of every color spilling out. Some are filled with herds of many odd colors, other’s have liquids both clear and colored. I sit on my bed watching as she shuffles through them. Finally she replaces a vile with a clear water like liquid. She gently shakes the vial then pulls out a small needle. One of the things about this I hated and one of the things Ive gotten use to. She fills the needle up and pierces my skin pushing until I feel it enter my vein. We watch as she pushes the medicine into my vein exactly where the blackened portion of my vein begins. Within moments the blackened vein has dulled and vanished until its grown back to normal.

She pulls the needle from my vein and turns away from me placing the vials back into the small pouch. “You shouldn’t wonder about alone, Aspen.” Clare states and I know she’s talking about the argument from earlier. “Yeah, I know. I just needed some air. Its so peaceful up here.” I try to excuse my actions, its the truth. I’m always being surrounded by people and eyes and up here its so empty.

“Come they are waiting for us.” She says as she hides the pouch under the bed quickly.

“Do you think it’s happening again?” I mutter worried of what may happen.

Clare look’s over to me her eyes clouded as she think’s. “No, it’s just a symptom of the medicine... and if it were, there would be sign’s; just different from this.” She tries to dose my fear’s and I guess it does help slightly but I still have a piercing fear in my stomach.

When we get down the stair’s the table was cleared of bowls and filled with paper’s with what look’s like maps sprawled out over it. “Well, our princesses are here.” Foxglove taunts. It seems Enyo isn’t the only one that resents those of higher status. I can feel Clare roll her eyes as she sits beside Orion, I take the seat next to her opposite of Enyo whose standing at the middle of the table. His eyes are focused on the many maps laying out in front of him.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here lets begin.” He pauses his hand sliding over the map, one finger settling on an area.

” Ground zero itself has never been reached. The information we do have for the Lab itself is scattered and unclear at best. The virus originated from a lab called AeroLabs. Its unknown what the lab’s security is or if the building is even still standing after all these year’s. The quality of the city and environment around the lab is unknown meaning the whole area could be gone. So for right now we will focus on how we will be getting there.” Enyo sit’s slightly on the tale taking out a few smaller maps with river’s and mark’s all over it.

“When we reach ground zero all our information is practically useless, we wont know until we reach it. Some old plans provided to us by the general, says the building is three floors. We don’t know how much stands of the building, Clare, Aspen, are you aware of what floor you will need to be on?” Enyo asks, I could tell he was searching for more info on what we need.

Clare gives him a curt smile and stand’s grabbing a piece of paper and wooden pencil. “Their are three floor’s but the most important floor is basement level it wont be on any maps.” She informs drawling out the first floor and placing it on the table for everyone to see. ” This is the first floor, a hidden stair well is here-” she says pointing to a spot on her sketch. “You will need to get me and Aspen to these stair, after that we will take it from their. You are to guard and watch that floor until we come back up, from the basement.” Clare states emphasizing that only me and her will go down those stairs.

Enyo and the rest of his team look at her, obviously wondering how she knows that and definitely wanting to know why they aren’t allowed down the stairs. “And why are we not allowed down those stairs princess?” Foxglove asks a little agitated.

“Because we are the only ones aware of what we are looking for, if your team goes traipsing down their touching things they should, you might release another virus or break something needed for the cure. So no one else is allowed down.” She order’s firmly.

" Okay.” Enyo speaks up firmly obviously agitated by Clare. “The quality of the city and environment around the lab is unknown meaning the whole area could be gone. So for right now we will focus on how we will be getting there.” Enyo sit’s slightly on the tale taking out a few smaller maps with river’s and mark’s all over it.

“To get to the lab we will have to travel first through a large portion of woods, luckily we have traveled through this area before in the Faint Groves. Just beyond this point is a small outpost the Eagle team set up a year ago. Our last communication with the outpost is from a month ago by bird. If were lucky the out post is still standing but with the lack of word from the outpost we may be heading straight for a city of infected. If still standing we will hunker down there for the night.” Enyo strategies, He traces over the map looking his hand stopping where a black marker was circled indicating the location of the outpost.

“Can we refill our supplies at the outpost?” Foxglove asks listening intently to her captain.

“Well, Were unsure about weaponry but food should be available.” Orion speaks up.

“Medicine?” Clare asks to clarify. I know why she’s asking, maybe they had some herbs to help me.

“The eagle team said they had a few doctors at the outpost, and farmer’s. We should have herbs available and maybe some medicine too.” Harrison states nudging his head towards the map. Clare nods her head in understanding and my thumb instinctively rubs against my wrist where only a while ago had a black vein. Maybe being out there they found better way’s to combat my symptom’s.

“After the outpost, we will have to pass a large river and just beyond the river sits a small abandoned town. We are unaware of the towns situation, whether its destroyed or some remnants of it still stands.” Enyo continues on. as the team asks questions or thoughts, I don’t put much thought into anything until he reaches ground zero part of the plan.

“Past the outpost we will need to travel again through a section of the Faint Grove. When we reach beyond the forest we will be completely on our own with none of our map’s to help us. All we will have is a lone map salvaged from the Old lands.” Enyo says his hand lifting to his face rubbing it as he scowl’s focused on the small crinkled map beside him.

“Be prepared for the Old lands building to be unsafe and many structural hazards.” Talon fill’s shrugging slightly.