Clear Water, Hidden Danger

Chapter 39 – The Ultimatum

The radio room felt smaller than usual. Too many bodies, too much tension, not enough air. Hawk stood beside me, arms folded, jaw locked. Neal hovered near the window, watching the yard like trouble might roll up before the call even connected. Lin sat at the console, adjusting dials with the kind of precision only a man who’d slept six hours in three days could manage.

The static hissed, sharp and restless.

I glanced back at the door. Cruz had given me the latest update minutes ago.
Fatima stable. Barely.
Strong enough to rest.
Not strong enough to be left without supplies.

That was the timer hanging over the room.

Lin turned toward me.
“They’re on the band. Ready when you are.”

I took the mic.

“This is Clear Water Plant calling NorthStar Clinic. NLC, come in.”

Static rolled, slow at first, then tightening.

Finally, a voice. Strained.
“This is NLC command. Copy you, Clear Water. Go ahead.”

Hawk muttered, “Here we go.”

I pressed the transmit button again.

“We’re moving out in the morning. Full run. Multiple hospitals.”
I didn’t sugarcoat a damn thing.
“We’re taking the semi, two MCUs, full security detail.”

A pause.
Long enough to taste doubt on their end.

Neal stepped closer, nodding for me to continue.

“We sweep UNMC Bellevue, then push into the city. Clarkson Tower. University Hospital. We’re clearing all three.”

More static.

Then a voice — heavier this time.
“You’ll never make it that far.”

I didn’t blink.

“You’re right. We won’t. But I will. I’ll run point one to two miles ahead of the convoy. Full resonance field. Every Zerker within range moves with me, not with the people behind me.”

I let that sink in.

Hawk leaned forward, whispering just loud enough for the room:
“They chase him. We move through clean. Fast.”

Lin added, “He’ll drag half the city behind him.”

Neal didn’t look away from the yard.
“And we bring back enough supplies to keep both camps alive.”

The voice on the radio came back, uneasy.
“You’re asking us to abandon the clinic. Everything we built.”

“You’re starving,” I said. “You’re running out of meds. Water. Bandages. You know it. We know it.”

Silence again.

I continued, steady and sharp.

“We stop by NLC in the morning. One time. One chance.”
I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t need to.
“Pack whatever you want to bring. Pack whoever wants to leave. If you’re with us, be ready when we pull in.”

“And if we’re not?” the voice asked.

“Then we keep going. And you stay behind. And you live — or die — with that decision.”

The room stayed dead quiet.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Cruz’s earlier words hung in my head:
‘Fatima has three days. Maybe.’

Three days meant no time for indecision.

I pressed the mic one last time.

“We stop there in the morning. With us or not — we go.”

Then I set the radio down, the click louder than the transmission had been.

No one spoke until Neal finally exhaled.

“That’s it then,” she said. “They choose their future tonight.”

Hawk rubbed a hand over his face. “And we start driving at dawn.”

Lin looked at the radio like it might spark again.
“They heard you. Believe me — they heard every word.”

I nodded.

Because they had.

All of them.

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ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY ALPHA
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
Anchor issued non-negotiable extraction ultimatum to NLC via open-band comms. Objective: synchronize CWP convoy departure with optional NLC evacuation window. Anchor disclosed forward-run diversion strategy to maximize route safety and secure medical assets for Subject Fatima. Internal CWP leadership unified; morale elevated under decisive directive. Sublevel hum registered momentary amplitude rise during Anchor transmission, suggesting resonance-linked stress response. Continued close-range monitoring required.

========================================
ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY BRAVO
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
NLC command received Anchor’s ultimatum; facility response fragmented. Major Jackson and Capt. Bilew-Jackson evaluating relocation logistics while Dr. Mercer cites risk of abandoning sublevel research assets. Civilian contingent expressing desire to join CWP evacuation. Internal comm channels show increased tension as food and medical shortages worsen. Security teams reassigned to monitor exits in anticipation of panic-driven movements. Infiltration cover intact; current volatility beneficial for accessing secure SCD telemetry caches.