Free Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar Page B

from the air at what lay below. It was a depressingly familiar pattern- miles upon miles of wrecked buildings and debris, broken by the occasional small settlement of humans. Without many standing buildings, the sands from the Rajasthan deserts were now freely swirling over the cities nearby, creating a near constant haze.
     
    She then saw a large fortified compound with gun turrets on the walls, followed by the airfield she had seen before. As the helicopter came to a rest, she saw Dewan run up to it. While he was a stranger by any standards, he was the one familiar face and she felt a bit more comfortable having him there. He spoke loudly to be heard over the helicopters and Alice leaned over to hear what he was saying.
     
    'General Appleseed himself is here. From what I gather, what our Intelligence folks most want is tactical intel. So just tell them what happened when you went into the Biter base, what you saw, the numbers of Biters and so on. Also, any clues as to where hidden entrances could be will be very helpful. That's really all they want, so it should be pretty simple and then you're on your way home.'
     
    It sounded simple enough and Alice was feeling much more reassured when she stepped into the briefing room. General Appleseed was the only one there and as Dewan saluted, he asked him and Alice to sit down. The big General folded his arms in front of him and smiled, trying to put Alice at ease. With his big neck, huge arms and bald head, it was hard to think of the General as anything other than a raging bull, but Alice smiled back, glad that he was at least trying to be nice.
     
    'Ms. Gladwell..'
     
    He paused, puzzled as Alice stifled a laugh.
     
    'I'm sorry, nobody's ever called me Ms. Gladwell before.'
     
    Appleseed grinned and continued.
     
    'Okay, Alice. I know you've had a tough few days, but you know just how terrible our continuing war is, and any information that can help us strike a blow for all humans would be of great value.'
     
    Alice didn't say anything, but she noted that Zeus was now claiming to represent all humans. She wondered what her father would have said to that as the General continued.
     
    'So, please just let me know everything you saw and experienced. Don't worry about any detail seeming to be too small or insignificant, just tell me everything from the beginning.'
     
    So Alice began her tale, starting with how she had seen a Biter jump down a hole and how she had followed. She watched Appleseed raise his eyebrows as she talked about the first confrontation in the caves and how she had managed to get away. He was scribbling notes furiously and stopped when she mentioned about the room she had entered and the seal she had seen on the door. He looked at Dewan.
     
    'That can only be where the US Embassy was. I know we had underground bunkers, but who would have thought those mindless monsters would have used our own underground bunkers and the ones the Indians had built against nukes to hide? When we're done here, I'd like a recon group to go and check out the area.'
     
    Alice continued her story, about how she managed to get into the room and saw old newspapers. When Appleseed asked what was on those papers, Alice replied that she saw the pictures of when The Rising first happened, but that she could not read fast enough. She thought she saw a flicker of satisfaction cross Appleseed's face as he continued.
     
    'Now these creatures were outside the door. How did you manage to get out?'
     
    Alice started speaking and then wondered how she could possibly explain the drawing on the wall and why the Biters did not tear her apart or at any rate bite her to convert her into one of them. However, she had never been a good liar, and struggled with what she should tell the General. Her dilemma was solved when a trooper knocked on the door.
     
    'Sir, we are serving lunch in the cafeteria now. Will you come and join us or should I send it over here?'
     
    Appleseed growled, his