Silo 49: Deep Dark

Chapter Twenty-Four

She found Greta in the hastily converted hospital room. It was now empty of people or artifacts and held just the debris of their meeting and Greta. Seated in one of the chairs in the half-light that spilled from the hallway, she was still and deep in thought. When Marina tapped the door jamb to announce her presence, she lifted her head and gave a wan smile.

“How are you doing?” Greta asked.

It was such a loaded question. There was so much that could be wrong that it would take a dozen answers combining a whole range of un-fineness to answer. Marina shrugged instead and stepped into the room. She pulled one of the scattered chairs close to Greta’s and sat facing her.

“I can’t live knowing all of this,” Marina said without preamble. It was best to just get it out in the open and deal with it.

Greta bowed her head again and Marina saw a tear fall. “I was afraid of that,” she said sadly.

“Remediation isn’t such a big price to pay for peace, is it?” Marina asked.

There was a long pause before Greta answered. She said, “I have an idea of how you might be able to live with it and be okay.”

Marina listened.