Clear Water, Hidden Danger

Chapter 38 – The Plan of All Plans

Fatima looked no different at first glance. Same pale skin. Same shallow breaths. Same cold weight under the blankets Cruz had tucked around her. But as soon as I stepped toward the cot, Cruz shook her head.

“Not better,” she said quietly. “But not worse. That’s as close to progress as we get right now.”

“Give me a number.”

Cruz checked the monitors again, thumb pressed against the pulse at Fatima’s wrist. “Six to ten hours. That’s the earliest she’ll be stable enough for you to even think about leaving her.”

I nodded. “I’ll be here until then.”

“No,” Cruz said. “I’ll be here until then. You need to make sure whatever you plan can actually save her.”

Fatima shifted faintly under the blankets. Her lips parted but no sound followed. I touched her hand once, lightly, then stepped back.

Time to face the rest of it.

The briefing room felt smaller than usual. Everyone was there:

Neal
Hawk
Wolf
Burns
Rourke
Stacks
Santiago
Helms
Dave
Lin
Jacob Epperson

All eyes turned when I walked in.

Neal spoke first. “What did Cruz say?”

“Six to ten hours. We leave only after she clears that line.”

Hawk muttered, “Barely enough time to plan.”

“That’s why we’re doing it now.”

I stepped to the map table. Bellevue. Omaha. Clarkson Tower. University Hospital. Every hospital within reach that still might have the supplies needed to keep Fatima alive and help whoever else like her may be out there.

Neal tapped the route. “The semi is the only thing big enough to haul what we need. But in open roads with Zerkers out there, it’s a target.”

Wolf grunted. “A slow one.”

Rourke shook his head. “Semi plus two MCUs is a moving banquet. They’ll tear into us before we hit Highway 370.”

Burns crossed his arms. “What if RJ rides in the middle of the convoy to shield the semi and MCUs?”

Hawk shot that down fast. “Too tight. One speed mismatch and we end up with a pileup.”

Lin scratched at his tablet. “What if he rides behind the convoy? Keep the swarm off our backs.”

Neal shook her head. “Then they’ll stack on the front instead.”

Dave frowned. “Then what? He rides right in front of the semi? Clears the way?”

Jacob answered first. “Zerkers flank. They’ll peel away from him and hit the MCUs.”

Voices layered. Ideas collided.

Wolf: “What if we stagger spacing?”

Rourke: “What if we run only at night?”

Santiago: “What if RJ moves side to side? Keeps them unsteady?”

Stacks: “What if we take a different route entirely?”

None of it worked. None of it even came close.

Neal finally raised her voice. “Enough. Someone give me a plan that doesn’t get thirty people killed.”

Silence hit the room like a hammer.

I looked at the map again.

At the roads.
At the choke points.
At the problem everyone was dancing around.

If I stopped anywhere near the convoy… they’d die.
If I stayed too close… they’d die.
If I rode in the middle… they’d die.

Movement.
Chase.
Trajectory.

Everything they said kept circling the same truth.

They don’t follow the convoy.

They follow me.

The thought came hard and clean.

“I run ahead,” I said.

Neal looked up. “Ahead how far?”

“A full mile.”
A breath.
“Maybe two.”

Hawk stared at me like I’d just cracked open a hidden door. “You mean… you take the Zerks with you.”

“Exactly,” I said. “They chase pressure. Noise. Motion. Resonance. They’ll lock onto me and they won’t break off. They’ll run in one direction until they drop.”

Stacks blinked. “So the hospitals empty before we even get there.”

Wolf nodded slowly. “And the road behind you becomes the safest path on the map.”

Burns stepped closer to the table. “The semi drives through the wake you create.”

“Followed by both MCUs,” Jacob added.

“And none of them ever stop,” I said. “Not once. If I stop, the entire horde turns around.”

Neal exhaled, the realization settling in. “This is the only version that works.”

Hawk rested his hands on the table. “I ride with him.”

I nodded. “Yeah. You do.”

Wolf cracked a smile. “Me and Santiago take one MCU. Burns and Rourke take the other.”

Neal tapped her finger against the semi route. “I’ll drive the truck. I choose my copilot.”

Dave looked around the room. “Everyone in those trailers needs to understand something. This isn’t just about Fatima.”

I met his eyes.

“No. It’s not.”

I let the weight of it land.

“There may be more kids. S-29. S-30. S-24 through 26. Maybe six of them. Maybe more. If they’re out there… or under this ground… or in another well… they’re going to need the same supplies she does. And they won’t survive another week without them.”

The room stilled.

Santiago whispered, “So this run… it’s for them.”

“For all of them,” I said.

Wolf nodded once. “Then we’re going.”

Neal folded her arms. “We leave as soon as Fatima stabilizes. Until then, everyone gets ready.”

Hawk clapped his hands once. “Gear up. Fuel up. Prep everything. When Cruz gives the green light, we’re rolling out.”

I looked around at every face in that room. No doubt. No hesitation. No second thoughts.

They were ready to move.

I stepped back from the table.

“We run at dawn,” I said. “Fatima stabilizes. Then we go.”

No one disagreed.

Because it was the only plan big enough to save them all.

========================================
ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY ALPHA
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
Anchor initiated high-risk logistical planning to secure advanced medical assets necessary for survival of Subject “Fatima” and potential parallel subjects. Internal debate resolved around Anchor’s proposed forward-run divergence strategy: Anchor will move one to two miles ahead of convoy to draw Phase III concentration away from mission route, enabling semi and MCUs to traverse cleared corridor without engagement. Group cohesion strong; leadership aligned. Anchor emotionally tethered to Subject Fatima but refrained from compromising mission planning. Resonance baseline stable with minor upticks during strategic projection. Silent observation continues.

========================================
ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY BRAVO
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
NLC detected long-range oscillation irregularities consistent with pre-movement surge from CWP direction. Command unaware of Anchor’s operational planning but interpreting surge as precursor to external field displacement. Dr. Mercer ordered sublevel recalibration sweep and temporary lockdown of south and west wings. Security units adjusting patrol routes. Two medical officers reassigned to trauma bay after reporting persistent static-hum headaches during event. Infiltration unobstructed; elevated alert state advantageous for accessing restricted telemetry nodes.