Clear Water, Hidden Danger

Chapter 49 – The Much Needed Conversation

Chapter 49 – The Much Needed Conversation
NMD

The last of the chairs scraped back as the debrief wrapped. Bodies shifted. Shoulders dropped. The room exhaled as one. NLC gathered their binders, IBF huddled near the wall, and my own people moved like they were already dreaming of bunks.

Cruz stood at the doorway, dark circles smudging the skin under her eyes.

“Fatima stable,” she said. “Vitals consistent. No neurological decline. Condition unchanged.”

People nodded.

Everyone moved on.

Except one.

Dr. Ethan Mercer’s head dipped. A flicker of something tightened his jaw. Two seconds of breath held too long. A quick glance toward Major Jackson. Then away.

Nobody saw it.

I did.

“Alright,” I said. “Get some rest. We reconvene tomorrow.”

The room emptied in waves. Boots. Murmurs. Chairs. NLC’s officers moved with quiet efficiency. IBF slipped out as a unit. My people scattered toward coffee or silence.

Mercer tried to blend with them.

“Doctor.”

He stopped mid-stride.

“Walk with me.”

He followed without a word.

I cut down the maintenance corridor, where the hum of the plant faded into concrete silence. Pushed open the old pump alcove door. The room sat empty except for dust and the echo of our steps.

Mercer stepped inside like a man expecting reprimand.

I closed the door behind us.

“You didn’t speak,” I said. “Not during the debrief. Not when coordination came up. And not when Cruz gave Fatima’s update.”

He opened his mouth.

I lifted a hand.

“Don’t try it. You reacted. I saw it. So tell me what’s actually going on.”

For a moment, he looked like he might lie.

Then he didn’t.

“It wasn’t the mission,” he said quietly. “It was… what happened at Clear Water last night.”

I didn’t speak.

He kept going.

“When Cruz reported Fatima was stable? She isn’t stable. She’s suspended. Her body’s holding its line because something pushed her there. Something unnatural.”

His fingers clasped together, whitening.

“She was exposed to resonance. Not ambient. Not field. Concentrated. Focused. Something that shouldn’t exist in your facility.”

He looked up.

“And that terrified Jackson.”

I stayed still.

“Keep talking.”

Mercer swallowed.

“There are children beneath this plant,” he whispered. “In the unmanned well houses. Not recently. Not newly. They’ve been here since before the fall. You were never told because nobody knew how you’d react. They’re not being monitored. They’re being… stored.”

My stomach didn’t tighten.
It locked.

He continued.

“They’re not just children. They’re Pi-Bond carriers. Six total. All from Kandahar. All exposed to the same resonance trials you survived.”

I stepped closer.

“How do you know this?”

“Because I helped design the original Pi-Bond sequencing,” he said. “With Dr. Lockridge. Twenty years of work. StratCom. Stafford. NLC sublevels. You were the Sigma prototype. They were the Pi set. Together, the seven of you were meant to reach a stable resonance state. Highest Sigma Bond.”

He hesitated.

“You were never supposed to survive alone.”

I stayed silent.

Mercer pressed on.

“Your resonance is strong. Stronger than Jackson expected. But it’s unbalanced. Incomplete. If you went into the NLC sublevels right now — alone — the enhancer would kill you instantly. Not because it’s hostile. Because it’s designed for a bonded Sigma. For someone linked to the six Pi carriers.”

He rubbed his palms on his pants.

“You asked what you didn’t know. That’s it. You’re not ready for enhanced resonance. You need them. And they need you.”

I opened the door.

He didn’t move.

“You’re not returning to NLC,” I said. “Not until I know what’s under that building. All future briefings happen here or at IBF. Jackson can get over it.”

Mercer closed his eyes.
Relief and fear tangled in the same breath.

We stepped back into the hall where Jackson and his Captains stood by the exit.

“Major Jackson,” I said.

He turned.

“Dr. Mercer stays here for now.”

The room paused.

Captain Bilew-Jackson caught her husband’s eye and gave a single, barely-there warning shake of her head.

Feddeler’s jaw flexed.

Jackson recalculated, mask steady.

“…Understood,” he said.

NLC filed out.

Mercer stood behind me, shoulders tight.

And the chapter closed on one truth:

Something was buried beneath NLC.

And now Mercer had confirmed it wasn’t just something.

It was them.

========================================
ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY ALPHA
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
CWP observed anomalous behavior during post-mission debrief. Dr. Mercer demonstrated suppressed distress in response to Cruz’s medical report on the injured subject (Fatima). Anchor isolated Mercer for private questioning. No audio was available, but Mercer departed the briefing hall under Anchor’s direction and did not return with the NLC unit. Anchor publicly reassigned Mercer to remain at CWP. NLC leadership acknowledged the directive without escalation. No resonance spikes or Phase-III signatures detected within CWP perimeter during the exchange.

========================================
ANONYMOUS FIELD LOG — ENTRY BRAVO
CLASSIFIED — PROJECT ECHO CLEARANCE REQUIRED:
NLC leadership concluded joint debrief and initiated withdrawal. Anchor issued an unexpected directive retaining Dr. Mercer at CWP for continued consultation. Major Jackson complied after brief internal assessment. NLC perimeter remained stable on return. No Phase-III activity registered within approach corridors. Internal morale impact noted but contained. Facility remains on standard lockdown posture pending Anchor’s next operational directive.