by Tara Ellis
“The weather?” Seth suggests. The tone of his voice surprises me. Was that contempt? Or maybe even anger.
“Anyway,” Nate interjects. “Great to see you in the daylight, man.” Stepping up to Chris, he gives him a quick hug and pulls one of the few chairs in the room up next to the bed.
“Here,” Chris offers, leaping with ease from the bed and nearly halfway across the room. “Take the bed, I’m sick of it.”
“Crap, man,” Kyle groans, pushing past Nate to lie down. “Now we’re going to have to get used to both of you acting like ninjas.”
“Be nice, Kyle,” Missy says, eyes narrowed. She smacks him on the thigh as she sits beside him.
“Yes, Ma’am!” he replies before turning to Chris. “So when are they going to let you out of here?” he asks, the rest of the tension evaporating.
“Tomorrow,” Chris says. “But Alex just told me I have permission to go to this meeting with the senator today. What’s it about?”
“Some scouts just got back,” Nate explains. “I guess we’re going to be briefed on whatever info they brought back. Benuk is with them now. The senator’s made him some sort of special advisor because of all the knowledge he’s got on everyone involved.”
“Apparently, I’m not trusted enough yet to be a part of their special group,” Seth interrupts. He’s leaning into the corner furthest from the bed, his expression a mix of boredom and scorn. Benuk is the only person Seth has made any sort of connection with. Now that Benuk’s been pulled in another direction, he’s feeling lost.
“Well, isn’t that a surprise,” Kyle retorts, not bothering to hide his contempt for Seth.
“We know two more batches of the antivirus recently arrived,” Nate continues, ignoring the exchange. “That should be enough for all the civilians on the base, in case there’s an outbreak.”
“Why don’t they just take the meds now?” Missy asks.
“It doesn’t work that way,” I explain. “It’s not like a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to create antibodies. Antiviral meds attack the virus itself. Do you know how a virus works?” When Missy shakes her head, I smile at Chris, remembering when he first explained it to me. It seems like years ago but was in fact only three months.
“No one’s sure where viruses come from,” I tell her. “They’re normally made up with a few bits of either RNA or DNA. The virus attaches itself to the host cell and drills into it, releasing those codes. That’s essentially what DNA is: massive programs. Anyway, it hijacks the cell and forces it to reproduce its own DNA, until the cell is so full that it explodes, releasing new viruses to repeat the process over and over again.” I turn to Chris. “Is that about right?”
“Basically,” he confirms. “Close enough.” He’s the one who took all the advanced science and biology classes in high school. I avoided anything even remotely resembling an honor’s level class.
“The Holocene virus, and now the Nephi II virus have hundreds of pieces of both RNA and DNA,” I continue. “It’s more advanced than anything ever seen before, but it still reproduces the same way a regular virus does. That process is what the antiviral meds attack. There are certain proteins involved in the replication, and the meds break that down. So the virus can’t duplicate itself. This allows the immune system to eventually catch up and wipe it out. During that immune response, the needed antibodies are created by the body to prevent the virus from ever being able to attack the host again.”
“So that’s why you and Chris are immune?” Missy asks, seeming to understand.
“Yes!” I confirm. “Seth and Benuk are resistant to at least the airborne version of it because of their Nephilim heritage. The Holocene virus was designed differently than the Nephi2 Virus. It wasn’t nearly as virulent or contagious because its targeting was more specific based on racial DNA purity.”
“So how come I’m not immune too, since I was infected with the Holocene virus?” Kyle asks quietly. He and Nate never talk about being Shiners, because neither of them remembers what they did during that time, like almost everyone else. Both of Nate’s parents died and Kyle’s dad disappeared. Missy looks at me questioningly too, rubbing at her right hand. That one has the worst tremors, part of the mild, neurological damage she suffered from her own infection.
“Because the Mudameere were able to mutate the Nephi II virus enough to essentially make it a brand-new strain. Whatever antibodies you have from the Holocene virus don’t matter, because your immune system won’t recognize them.”
“Tricky little buggers,” Seth says, coming closer. “Biological warfare is the most dangerous kind.” Before he has a chance to say anything further, the door opens again, and Jake walks in with Baxter at his side. I give Seth a warning look, and he comprehends that I don’t want any talk of the virus in front of my little brother.
“Jake!” Chris beams. “My most loyal visitor!” It’s true, too. Jacob spent hours every day in the observation room, talking to Chris, playing games through the glass, and keeping him company. Running across the small space, Jacob wraps Chris up in a big hug. This is the first time since we left the ranch, nearly a month ago, that he’s been able to touch him.
“Mom just told me you were here,” he says, his voice muffled in Chris’s shirt. “I was in the radio room with Jim. I didn’t know you were getting out of quarantine today!”
Pushing back from him, Chris ruffles his hair affectionately. “You didn’t miss a thing,” he reassures him. “I just got here, bud. Not even half an hour ago.”
Kneeling down, he takes Baxter’s furry face in his hands. “I missed you too, Baxter.” Grinning back, Baxter licks him once on the nose and whines happily. Laughing, Chris looks up at me and my breath catches. He’s just so dang handsome. Blushing again, I try to distract myself.
“Any word on RA?” I ask Nate since he seems to be the one with the most up-to-date info.
“No,” he answers solemnly. “Not a peep from RA or the Mudameere. At least, nothing I’ve heard. Maybe these guys the senator and Benuk are talking to can give us some answers.”
“They have some, but not much.” We all look up at the sound of Benuk’s voice and find him standing in the open doorway. “Come on,” he continues, waving us forward. “The senator is waiting to talk to us, and you will all want to hear what he has to say.”
TWELVE
The compound is vast, and although I’ve been exploring it for the past four days, I still haven’t even seen half of it. After making our way out of the upper floors of the hospital, Benuk leads us through a maze of hallways and corridors. I’ve lost track of what building we’re in, but I know we’re nearing the administrative section.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit dark in here for those?” Chris asks, looking sideways at me.
Stopping between two of the dim solar lights, I turn to Chris and remove the sunglasses. “That’s kind of the whole point,” I explain, revealing my luminescent eyes.
“Oh. Of course,” he laughs. “I can see where that might make fitting in a little difficult.” Two soldiers pass us going the opposite way. Both do a double-take when they see me, emphasizing my point.
“That’s her,” one whispers to the other. “The one I told you about.”
Letting out a slow breath, I replace my glasses, and Chris and I hurry to catch up with our group.
“You know, they’re almost totally silver now,” Chris continues, keeping pace with me. “Your eyes, I mean. That purple ring is even more prominent.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Okay,” he says sheepishly. “That was a stupid thing to say. I’m sure you’ve looked in a mirror.”
“I actually try to avoid them,” I admit. “I’m going to ask the senator where the optical store used to be on this base. This place is huge, so there has to be at least one. I’m hoping I might be able to find some colored contacts.”
Taking my hand, Chris squeezes it reassuringly. “I’ll help you look,” he offers. I smile back
, thankful to have him on his feet again. I don’t know what I would do if I lost him.
Benuk and the others disappear through a door on our left, and we follow them inside. I’m happy to see Jim already seated at a large, mahogany table. I’ve only spotted him briefly a couple of times in the cafeteria since he was released from quarantine. He was quickly recruited into helping with radio communications.
Senator Zane Adel is standing at the head of the table, and our mothers are on either side. Mom and Lisa started working in the hospital this week, where they are really short-handed. Mom’s been an ICU nurse for years, and she told me Lisa is a natural at being a nurse’s assistant. Cindy was a teacher before Natalie was born so helping to organize the kids on the base was a perfect fit for her. Keeping busy is important in this kind of situation and I’m hoping Zane might have something for us teens to do too because I’ve been starting to get stir-crazy.
We all find seats around the huge conference table, and I notice there’s a topographical map spread out in the center of it. Two of the walls of the room have images of different planes, ships, and missiles. The other two are covered with computer panels that I’m sure were once very useful for displaying vast amounts of information. A large whiteboard that looks out of place is situated at one end of the room. There are names of what I assume are towns scrawled on it in red ink.
Two men in dark blue uniforms enter and purposefully walk over to the senator. They have all sorts of stars on their shoulders, which leads me to believe they are high-ranking. The three of them talk quietly for a minute before they take at-ease positions behind Zane.
“Allow me to introduce Lt. General James and Major General Costas of the United States Air Force. We’re fortunate to have their leadership because we are preparing to go to war,” he says somberly.
“War?” Nate asks, incredulous. He mirrors all of our thoughts.
“Yes, for now, against the Shiners,” Zane explains. “New reports indicate the Nephi2 virus is spreading rapidly through all major cities. We are already seeing organized behavior disturbingly similar to that during the Holocene outbreak. The attack on Chris is proof of this. We can only assume the next phase is imminent, and they’ll move on to all of those who aren’t infected. We have to take action before this becomes widespread. In short; we must protect our assets. At this point in the game, all uninfected people are assets.”
With a flick of his hand, Lt. General James steps forward to give his report. The middle-aged soldier has somehow managed to keep his hair neatly cropped and his uniform pressed, in contrast to the chaotic circumstances. Clearing his throat, he addresses us with a gravelly voice.
“We have reliable Intel that known members of the Mudameere organization have gone underground and not yet resurfaced.” I catch him giving Seth a quick look when he says this. Seth shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and I know he noticed it too.
“If they follow the same pattern as before, once all threat of infection is past, they will re-instate themselves, and at that point actively lead the Shiners.” Pausing, he turns his steely eyes on Seth. “Agreed?”
Placing his hands very deliberately on the table, Seth clasps them together and then purses his lips. “It’s really not quite that simple,” Seth begins, speaking to the senator rather than the general. “You make it sound like they’re some sort of isolated group. They aren’t. There are members placed all throughout your government, military, and civilian population. There are also dozens of isolated cells, likely the ones you’re getting your info on. Sure, we can try to locate and eradicate them, but the actual challenge will be identifying the real threats. The ones you don’t know about.”
Seth leans back in his chair as his words apparently have the desired effect. The three leaders once again converse in private, although I can pick out several of their words. I know they are discussing whether or not Seth can be trusted. But then, anyone in the room could figure that out, enhanced hearing or not.
“Seth,” Zane says, turning back to us. “Your insight on this is clearly valuable to our fight here, and I would appreciate any help you can give us. Would you be willing to work with my men on this?”
“Finally,” Seth says loudly. “You could have asked me this a week ago … but whatever. Yeah, I’ll help, Zane. We can start with this base. There are two guys you need to track down and see if they’re still here. I don’t believe they are, because they went dark weeks ago, but you need to double check.”
Another flick of the wrist brings the major forward, and the general tells him to set up a time ASAP for the ‘team’ to meet with Seth. It’s clear the senator is in charge, but there’s also a strong military presence. It’s good to see they’re organized, and I feel some of the weight lifted from me as I recognize authority I can trust. I’ll be able to hand over some of the responsibility.
“I know you basically just got here, Alex,” Zane says, turning to me. “But your role in this fight is critical, and I’m going to rely on your help to bridge this large gap of understanding we have when it comes to the Shiners, Nephilim, and Khufu Bast.”
The weight immediately settles back into position. Well, scratch that thought. I feel a protective hand on my back, and I lean slightly into Chris’s strength. “I’ll do whatever I can Senator,” I say, “but I’m not sure it’ll be all that much.”
“Please, you kids call me Zane,” he says, finally sitting down at the table. “And Alex, there is a lot you can do. All of you,” he continues, addressing everyone at the table. “This is going to be a strategic fight, rather than who has the biggest guns. It’s a game of numbers, and we’re severely lacking.”
“Are there other bases like this one anywhere?” Nate asks.
“Yes, but we just made contact with them in the past two days. Jim is to thank for that one.”
“It was just a matter of getting the ham radios up and running,” Jim explains, taking a nervous sip of water. “It still isn’t clear how many people we’re talking about, but both of the other Strike Command bases located in Wyoming and North Dakota are responding. I’m working with them to clear up the communication. Once we determine numbers, we can coordinate getting the antiviral meds to them first. Then we’ll work from all three bases in an outward pattern, to locate and treat any newly infected members of the population.”
“The problem,” Zane interrupts, “is that the infection has spread rapidly. It may already be too late for anyone outside the sanctuary of these bases. It’s flowing like a wave, and we’re behind the crest of it. We’ll be focusing on those that have gone into hiding and avoided exposure. Of course, it will be more difficult to get the meds to them, since it will be harder to find them.” Shaking his head, he stands again and crosses over to the whiteboard. “These nearby cities have had an initial search conducted during our limited recognizance. It doesn’t look promising, guys. The handful of people we found that weren’t fully changed, were still too sick. So far, Chris is the only exception.”
“What about a cure?” Missy puts an arm around her mom, and I know she’s thinking about her dad.
“Our top scientists are working on that, Missy, but none of them are as brilliant as Professor Hassan.”
The mention of my friend causes a pang of regret, and I look at Zane hopefully. “Do you know where he is?”
“No, Alex. We’ve had no Intel on him, but we’re working on it. That will be one of our primary objectives. If what you told me before about the 80% infection rate of the Nephi2 virus is accurate, then it won’t be long before the infectious phase is complete. Ultimately, a cure will be necessary to win the war. Aside from the fact we don’t want to have to kill our family and friends, we will simply be overwhelmingly outnumbered.”
“What can we do, then?” Chris is drumming his fingers on the table, eager to get to work. “Help distribute the meds?”
Nodding, Zane comes back to the table. “That’s a start,” he agrees. “Our next move is to widen our range of communication and or
ganize search and distribution. After that, it will be to form strike teams against the Mudameere, based on Intel collected.”
“I want on the strike team,” I say. Everyone turns to me, surprised. “Why not?” I ask, my voice rising. “Aren’t I the perfectly engineered soldier now? Who better to lead the war against my creators?”
“Absolutely not!” Mom slams her hands on the table for emphasis, but the senator quickly places his own hands over them.
“She’s right, Katie,” he states. “It’s actually my plan to train Alex and whichever friends want to participate, as special ops. They have more knowledge and experience with the Shiners, Mudameere, and Khufu Bast than any of my men here. Even in normal times, most of them would be old enough to serve.” Surprised at how easily he’s agreed with me, I can see Mom is struggling to accept the truth of his argument.
“Well count me in!” Kyle says enthusiastically. “I was planning on going into the Air Force later this year, anyway.” My other friends quickly jump on board with the plan, except for Seth, who’s still leaning back in his chair, quietly watching us. Tilting my head slightly, I meet his gaze across the table and raise my eyebrows questioningly.
Grinning, he crosses his arms over his chest. “I’d follow you anywhere, doll,” he whispers, thinking only I can hear him. But Chris’s hearing is almost as sensitive as mine now, and his head snaps around. Seth’s smile falters slightly, but he quickly recovers and gives Chris a little salute.
“When do we start?” I ask, trying to ignore the exchange.
Opening up a briefcase I didn’t even notice, Zane removes a small stack of papers, and starts passing it around. “This is a schedule I made up. It includes radio communication, logistics, map study, firearms, and hand-to-hand combat. You’re cleared for everything but the combat, Chris,” he explains. “Doc says to give it another week, and then you can do that, too.”
Looking at the times and dates on the paper, I feel a sense of belonging and purpose so strong that I struggle to keep my emotions in check. Finally, we are doing something to fight back!