Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1)

by A. G. Riddle

  Her mother smiled. “Now that’s the young lady I raised.”

  Chapter 135

  When Desmond woke up, Conner was sitting on the bunk across from him. He knew instantly that he was on a ship. A submarine, he would have guessed.

  Conner cocked his head, but didn’t speak.

  Desmond’s arm and leg hair were singed. Minor burns dotted his body, but he was okay. He looked his brother in the eyes.

  “You pulled me out, didn’t you?”

  “I did what you wouldn’t do for me.”

  “I tried, Conner. I was five.”

  “I was three months.”

  Desmond sat silently, hoping some of the anger would drain away. “Where are we going?”

  Conner smiled. The hideous scars contorted on his face. “We’re going to finish this. You’re going to help us.” He stood and walked to the hatch. “Get some rest. You’ll need it.”

  In the passageway, Yuri was waiting.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll reach him. Thirteen years ago, I helped him rehabilitate you. You had lost your way, just as he has lost his. Together, we’ll save him. And we’ll complete the Looking Glass.”

  Chapter 136

  Peyton was sitting in Avery’s tiny hospital room when she awoke.

  She rose and walked to the bed. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  For the first time since the two women had met, there wasn’t an undercurrent of tension in their voices.

  Peyton still felt like clearing the air. “Listen, I know you and I haven’t always… seen eye to eye.”

  “I applaud your skill at understatement.”

  Peyton laughed. “Thank you.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to start over.”

  Avery nodded, but said nothing.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  Avery glanced at the ceiling and opened her mouth, but quickly shut it, biting off a snide remark, Peyton thought. Maybe they really were starting over. Without making eye contact, she mumbled, “I’m okay.” A pause, then she stared at Peyton. “Desmond?”

  “We’re searching the island. Haven’t found him yet.”

  “You won’t,” Avery said flatly.

  “We’re working on the assumption that Yuri and Conner escaped with him in custody.”

  “You’re going to go after them.”

  “Yes. My mother knows the Citium—and Yuri—better than anyone alive. She’s going to help me. And I’d like your help. No. I want—”

  “You want us to be partners?”

  “I think there’s no two people in this world who will work harder to find him.”

  “You got that right.”

  “So what’s it going to be, Avery?”

  “Yeah. Count me in, Doc.”

  Peyton smiled. “Call me Peyton. There’s one more thing. I need you to make a call for me.”

  “What kind of call?”

  “An important one. We need the coordinates of the Beagle’s wreckage.”

  Ten minutes later, Peyton opened the hatch to her mother’s stateroom.

  Lin Shaw looked up from her notebook. “Did you get it?”

  Peyton placed the scrap of paper on the desk.

  Lin studied the handwritten GPS coordinates as if they were an ancient treasure, thought lost forever.

  “You’ve been looking for it for a very long time,” Peyton said.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Her mother exhaled. Peyton knew the reaction well. She was digging in.

  “Mom.”

  Lin still said nothing.

  “We made a deal.”

  “Very well. If you want to know, I’ll have to show you.”

  Day 20

  Final Death Toll: 31,000,000

  Chapter 137

  On the deck of the US Coast Guard icebreaker, Peyton breathed in the cool morning air. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to find her mother approaching.

  “It’s time.”

  Minutes later, they were in a submersible with two research assistants, drifting toward the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. The four of them donned protective suits, docked with the wreckage of the Beagle, and disembarked.

  The dark, frigid tomb gave Peyton the creeps. There was so much history here. This was where her parents had met and fallen in love, and, according to her father’s account, where her brother had been conceived.

  The LED lamps on their helmets cut through the dark vessel, revealing it in swaths. Frozen, dead bodies lay on the deck. Others had died in their bunks, a book by their side, covers pulled over them.

  In the labs, they found some more recently deceased bodies: members of the Rubicon team that had found the Beagle. They had starved. Conner had sunk the Healy, stranding the team here, to preserve Citium secrets. Peyton wanted to know what was so valuable that it was worth taking the lives of these brave souls.

  Rows of doors lined the wall of the lab. They reminded Peyton of cold chambers in a morgue, except these doors each had a small peephole that could be uncovered.

  Peyton’s mother moved to a safe on the wall and turned the dial. It clicked open, and she withdrew a set of keys. She turned to the two research assistants, who had brought with them several airtight containers.

  “When I place the specimens inside, seal them quickly.”

  They acknowledged her orders, and Lin moved to the closest door, opened it, and slid the drawer out, revealing a set of bones. They were human. No—the skull was different, and so was the pelvis.

  Lin gently took hold of the skull and placed it in the first container. To the two team members, she said, “Quickly now.”

  When the drawer was empty, Lin closed it and used the key to open another.

  More bones. Human, but not that of a Homo sapiens sapiens. A prehistoric ancestor, forgotten until now.

  The team Lin had brought with her made trip after trip, returning with empty containers, filling them, then leaving to return the specimens to the ship waiting at the surface. Peyton watched in amazement as the chambers were emptied. She counted five different human species in total. The other chambers held other animal species: a large feline, a seal, a porpoise, and many more.

  Peyton activated her comm. “Mom, what is this?”

  “Let’s speak when we’re done. We have to preserve the samples.”

  When the last cold chamber was empty, Lin told the research assistants to wait at the submersible. Then she gestured for Peyton to follow.

  They snaked through the dark passageways to a series of cramped offices. Lin pulled open a drawer and rifled through the files. She opened one that was scribbled with German handwriting, then began to read the pages to herself.

  “Mom.”

  Lin looked up as if she had forgotten her daughter was still there. She seemed almost possessed.

  “Whose research is this?” Peyton asked.

  Lin said nothing.

  “It’s yours, isn’t it? You collected those bones. Why?”

  Lin took the folders out of the drawer and piled them on the desk. Finally, she faced Peyton. “Switch to channel seven.”

  When they were alone on the comm channel, Lin spoke again.

  “Our Citium cell was the original. Committed to the core belief. The founding question, we called it.”

  “What question?”

  “The question every sentient mind asks itself at one point or another: Why do I exist?”

  “The answer’s here on the Beagle?”

  “Yes and no. We named the sub the Beagle in honor of another famous ship of the same name.”

  “The ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world—when he formed his early beliefs, what became the theory of evolution.”

  “That’s right. We believed that Darwin’s theory was only half of the true picture of the nature of humanity—that the full truth was even more shocking.”

  “And you found evidence of your theory?”

  “Ye
s. We called our work the Extinction Files. We believed that by studying the genomes of extinct and living species, we could finally unravel the greatest secrets of the human race. What we found was… it was something none of us would ever have imagined.” Lin paused, as if considering what to say next. “But we needed more data to confirm our theory.”

  More data, Peyton thought. “In the cordons, they took DNA samples from every patient.”

  “I was only told that the data would be collected, not how. Nevertheless, right now, somewhere in a Citium lab, those billions of genetic samples are being sequenced. If we can obtain that data, and combine it with the samples down here, we’ll finally know the truth.”

  “What are you telling me, Mom?”

  “There’s a code—buried in the human genome. And if our theory is correct, what it leads to will change our very understanding of human existence.”

  EPILOGUE

  In the days after the X1-Mandera pandemic ended, the South Australia Relief Alliance, or SARA, was inundated with refugees seeking help. Luckily, they had a new staff member.

  Andrew was thankful for the work. It kept him from thinking about what had happened and what he had done. He would never forgive himself, no matter how many patients he treated, how many lives he saved. For the rest of his life, he would carry a debt that could never be repaid.

  Charlotte had tried to get him to move on, but he couldn’t. She insisted that time heals all wounds. He wasn’t sure he believed that. But he wanted to.

  He stepped into a patient room and closed the door. His prosthetic arm held a simple attachment, his other hand a clipboard with the patient’s name. His own name had been something of a dilemma. Andrew Shaw was technically dead. And if anyone ever came looking, he didn’t want to be found. In that sense, the remote, outback aid camp was the perfect place for him. All there was to do here was work and spend time with Charlotte. They had a lifetime to catch up on.

  “Hi,” he said. “My name’s William Moore. I’m the attending physician today. How are you feeling?”

  Avery sat in the conference room in the low-rise building in Research Triangle Park, the same room where she had interviewed with Rubicon Ventures so many years before. The same man who had interviewed her back then, David Ward, sat across from her.

  “I’m proud of you,” he said.

  “I’m proud of me too.”

  “Seriously, Avery. Listen for a second. What you did was beyond the call of duty. There’s no award this nation confers that even begins to recognize the type of risk you took or the skill you displayed. What I’m trying to tell you is, I know what you did, and everyone up the Rubicon chain of command knows. And we appreciate you.”

  Avery fidgeted in her seat, unsure what to say. After a moment, she asked what she’d come here to ask. “My father?”

  David nodded. “Was very well taken care of. We had him transferred to the Dean Dome. He’s still there. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming.”

  “Thanks.”

  David leaned back in his chair. “Can we trust them?”

  Avery knew he was asking about Peyton and Lin Shaw. What she didn’t know was what to say. “Time will tell.”

  “It would be nice to know ahead of time.”

  “I don’t see what option we have.”

  David let the chair ease forward. “Lots of people are unhappy about Lin Shaw’s immunity agreement.”

  “I don’t blame them. But they’ll have to get over it. We need her.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “This isn’t over. We don’t know what’s next. It could be worse than the pandemic. We need to start dismantling the Citium. We need somebody who’s been on the inside to do that. We can sort everything else out once we’ve finished this.”

  “All right. I can live with that.”

  Avery stood, and David walked her out. At the door, his tone softened, “Don’t worry, okay?”

  “About what?”

  “You know what, Avery. We’re going to do everything we can to find him. Every resource we have is at your disposal. I know what Desmond means to you.”

  At the Dean Dome, Avery weaved through the rows of makeshift cubicles. She had waited until she was well enough to pretend she wasn’t in any pain. She didn’t want her father to know—just in case he recognized her.

  At his cubicle, she waited at the opening for him to see her. His reaction to her always told her what sort of day he was having. The Alzheimer’s had progressed a lot in the last few years. Good days were becoming more and more rare.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “No,” she said quietly. “I was just coming by to visit. See if you needed anything.”

  He glanced around. “No. Think I’m all set.” He scrutinized her face. “You look… Do I know you?”

  She walked into the cubicle, scanned it, and found what she was looking for. She pulled out the folding metal chair, sat at the small table, and moved the deck of cards to the middle. “How about a game of Gin Rummy?”

  He raised his eyebrows as he sat across from her. “Sure. Why not? It’s my favorite game, actually.”

  After the second game, he asked, “So what did you do during the pandemic?”

  “Oh, nothing important.”

  Peyton sat in the car outside the stately home, waiting for the line to connect.

  Millen Thomas was laughing when he answered. “Yeah, hello?” He was distracted—and amused by something.

  “Millen. It’s Peyton Shaw.”

  She could hear him walking away, exiting a room where people were talking. “Dr. Shaw. How are you?”

  “Just fine, Millen. Listen, I’m short on time, so I’ll get right to it. I’m putting together a team for a new type of investigation. It’s not CDC. It’s a cross-sectional group. Are you interested?”

  “Uh. Maybe. I don’t know. What kind of investigation?”

  “A scientific one. With far-reaching implications.” Peyton waited, but Millen made no response. “It involves animals.”

  “What kind of animals?” he asked slowly.

  “Extinct ones.”

  Peyton could hear a pin drop.

  “Millen, are you there?”

  “Yeah—yeah, I’m definitely here. When would you need me?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Silence again. He exhaled deeply. “Look, I’d like to, but there’s something—there’s someone I need to take care of.”

  Peyton smiled. “I understand, Millen. It’s a good choice. A really good choice. Tell Hannah I said hi.”

  Peyton got out of the car and walked up to the house. When Elliott opened the door, he didn’t say a word. He merely stepped outside and hugged her. Fifteen minutes later, she sat at the dinner table with Elliott, Rose, Ryan, Sam, and Adam.

  Elliott looked at each one of them, then said, “Well, I thought since Thanksgiving got just a little interrupted, a do-over was in order.”

  He looked Peyton in the eyes. “One with all of our family. If this year has shown us anything, it’s how much we have to be thankful for.”

  Ready for Book Two?

  Don’t miss, GENOME, the second book in THE EXTINCTION FILES.

  A code hidden in the human genome...

  Will reveal the ultimate secret of human existence.

  And could hold humanity’s only hope of survival.

  Visit www.agriddle.com/genome for details.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading.

  Pandemic is the longest book I’ve ever written, and it was a challenge far greater than I ever expected. The complexity and amount of research for The Extinction Files series actually exceed the work I did for the Atlantis novels. And it occurred during the busiest time in my personal life. I began working on Pandemic about two and half years ago. Somewhere in between researching, drafting, and editing the novel, Anna and I moved from Florida back to North Carolina, welcomed our first child, a daughter, and finalized plans on a new home. I
can’t remember the last time I slept through the night. But I’ll tell you, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Getting up at two a.m. to change a poopy diaper, prep a bottle, edit a chapter, unpack a box, or review a new floor plan was a fact of life while I wrote Pandemic. Each was a labor of love, and that kept me sane (coffee kept me awake).

  I’ve heard from so many of you that you’d love for me to publish more frequently. I’ve tried to balance that request with delivering the highest quality product I can. I have mostly erred on the side of quality. I hope the wait was worth it.

  If you’d like to know how much of the novel is fact vs fiction, please visit my web site: agriddle.com/pandemic.

  So many of you were kind enough to write a review of my past novels, and I will be forever grateful. Those reviews helped shine a light on my work, and I’ve tried very hard to deserve the attention. I’ve also learned a great deal from those reviews, and the many words of encouragement were certainly a source of inspiration while writing this novel.

  If you have time to leave a review, I would truly appreciate it. Since Pandemic is the first book in a new series, reviews really help other readers find the book.

  Thanks again for reading and take care,

  - Gerry

  A.G. Riddle

  PS: Feel free to email me (ag@agriddle.com) with any feedback. or questions Sometimes it takes me a few days, but I answer every single email.

  Acknowledgements

  I had a lot of help with this one, so I’ve got lots of debts to pay.

  Anna: thanks first and foremost for being a wonderful mother to our daughter. And for helping me weather everything life throws our way.

  David Gatewood: thanks for the incredible job editing. Your suggestions made the novel so much better and your eye for detail saved me from a lynching on the internet (or at least reduced the number of lashes). Visit www.lonetrout.com to learn more about David’s work.