After the Cure

by Deirdre Gould

Gerta Schneider was far more worn and disheveled than the image Nella remembered from Dr. Pazzo's video. The light from the television screen only added extra shadows to her eye sockets and cheeks. She was surprised Frank had recognized the woman at all. Nella wasn't sure she would have.

  "If you're here to bring me in for the trial, you'll have to wait. I'm doing something far more important. I promise I won't try to flee, and I'll come without giving you trouble if you just let me have a little more time." Dr. Schneider glanced first at Nella and then Frank. Her shoulders hunched like a cornered animal ready to spring away.

  Nella and Frank exchanged a look and Nella took a step forward. "We know why you're here Dr. Schneider. Dr. Carton told us you came back to find the more powerful strain of the Recharge bacteria. We just want to make sure it was destroyed."

  Dr. Schneider sank back into the squealing office chair. "So the world knows then. Are you military? No- no you're Robert's attorney aren't you?"

  "Frank Courtlen, yes I'm Robert Pazzo's lawyer. But besides the three of us, very few people know about the bacteria. We came to make sure it's destroyed before it can be released or cause a panic. We don't have much time before the military shows up though."

  "And who are you?" she said, turning toward Nella.

  "Nella Rider, the court psychiatrist."

  "How did you get caught up in all this?"

  "Dr. Pazzo gave us some recordings from your lab."

  Dr. Schneider smiled grimly. "I ought to have guessed. Well, Dr. Rider, Mr. Courtlen, it would seem we are all far too late. Someone, or several someones have already been through here. Whoever it was broke into the lab vault. The only thing they took was the Recharge vial." She waved her hand toward the security monitors, "I've been looking for a clue in the security camera footage. Unfortunately, some time ago the solar panels for the generator were obstructed by leaves and dirt from storms, so the coverage is intermittent at best. I cleaned them off over a month ago, but if you are thinking of turning on the lights, I'd reconsider. There is still at least one herd of Infected wandering nearby, not to mention the Looters."

  "We know," Nella said grimly.

  "How far have you watched?" asked Frank.

  "I've gone back four years now. So far only a scavenging team and a few herds of Infected have even shown up on the screen. Only the scavenging team entered, it might have been them, but they left with medical supplies over six months ago. If they had the bacteria, why hasn't it hit yet? Besides, the other samples in the vault are beginning to denature. Some of it would have died within months, but the freeze dried samples should be good for years. I think the vault has been open for a very long time."

  "Was the Recharge bacteria freeze dried? Could it still be infectious?" Nella almost choked on the question.

  "The samples we were working with were frozen but we had two backup vials freeze dried. They are all missing. The freeze dried vials could be good for a decade or more." Dr. Schneider rubbed her eyes with the heel of one hand. "What's worse is that the vials are small and require no special equipment. They could be anywhere, with anyone. Except here, where they are supposed to be." She sighed.

  "We'll help you," said Nella, "we'll figure out who has them, we have to. But I'm badly hurt and need rest. Frank does too, and you look like you haven't slept in months. Is there an infirmary here or a first aid station? Can we sleep tonight and go over everything in the morning?"

  Dr. Schneider shrugged. "Why not? It's been eight years, what's one more day? I can't look at this anymore today any way. Come on, I made one of the executive offices pretty comfortable when I came back. We can at least turn on the lights up there."

  Dr. Schneider flipped off the monitor and the room was clotted darkness.

  "Nella, the lamp," Frank's voice was low but anger writhed beneath it. Nella turned the lantern back on. Frank had raised the pistol toward Dr. Schneider again. Nella was startled but Dr. Schneider just looked exhausted, worn through like an old shoe.

  "Let me make something clear Dr. Schneider," Frank's words were bitten off and Nella was frightened to see that his hands no longer shook around the gun grip.

  "We know you were the one who persuaded Ann Connelly to infect herself and then let her wander out into the public carrying the germ. We know you stole a sample from your own partner in order to develop a bacteria completely impervious to any antibiotic, before you even finished testing the weaker version and against the strenuous objection of Robert Pazzo. You may not be solely responsible for what happened, but you bear the lion's share.

  "We are not your friends. You are going to be returned to the City for trial in a few days, whether or not we find the stolen sample. Nothing good has ever come from you. Your entire existence has caused nothing but misery and death. Even the Cure did more harm than good in most cases. I don't believe anything good can come from you. But this is a chance to prevent more devastation from clinging to you."

  Dr. Schneider's exhausted expression didn't change. "I'm not going to try escaping Mr. Courtlen. I know Robert probably painted me as a villain, but none of what I did before the Plague, or since, was ever motivated by any evil intent."

  "Just greed," Frank sneered.

  "Please," interrupted Nella gently, "can we find somewhere to rest instead of arguing?" She wasn't really as exhausted as she let on, but she thought it was the best way to defuse the situation before someone got shot.

  It had the desired effect, Frank immediately lowered the gun and came to her aid. Dr. Schneider moved toward the hallway. "This way," she said, "Try not to hold the lantern too high. The windows may be tinted but even the smallest light shining through will look like a lighthouse beacon these days."

  Nella leaned on Frank to prevent him from becoming agitated again and they started down the hallway. "What made you come here now, Dr. Schneider?" she asked, "After all these years, why now?"

  Dr. Schneider's voice floated coolly over her. "I thought the bacteria was safe here. Dr. Carton used his position to keep tabs on where the scavenging teams were going and this place was untouched. I always meant to get back here to destroy it, but something always prevented me. After a few years I just let it go and didn't think about it very often. No one was going to dig up this place or any like it. It's just an office building to anyone who didn't know what it was. Not exactly a high value looting target. And if they did come here, why would they take anything from the vault? The warning signs alone would scare the pants off the average Looter. But then I got a report that the scavenging scouts had been here and that the vault was lying open when they arrived.

  "Only someone that wanted to destroy what was left of humanity would let the most dangerous diseases in the world thaw out of deep freeze to infect the next unlucky person to walk by. Thankfully, the frozen ones denatured long ago, before anyone could be infected. And the freeze dried ones are in a stable state, they won't infect anyone without being properly prepared. But I came anyway, to see if the Recharge Bacteria was safe, to destroy all the remaining viable samples of anything left in the vault. And when I found the Recharge samples missing, I decided to stay and try to figure out who took them."

  Dr. Schneider pressed an elevator button. Nella had a strange sense of disorientation when the doors slid smoothly open to a brightly lit interior. They took the elevator to the executive floor.

  "You said freeze dried samples need to be properly prepared- what would a person need to do that?" Frank was calm, but Nella could feel goosebumps rise on his arms and he tensed as he asked the question.

  Dr. Schneider looked suspiciously at them for a few seconds. The elevator doors slid open with an alarming chime. The next hallway was just as dark. "Whoever has the bacteria would have to know what they are doing. Ideally, you'd open a freeze dried vial in a sterile environment and then basically drop the sample into a nutrient rich broth and let it incubate for a few hours or days. But it wouldn'
t really take that much to recreate those conditions. Someone with access to bleach, alcohol or even vinegar can sterilize both the vial and an area to work. A good beef broth and some plain gelatin would do the rest. As long as the sample wasn't exposed to the elements, it would be viable even in a cool area within a few days. We aren't talking major surgery here."

  Dr. Schneider opened a smooth wooden door and flicked on a light switch. Nella and Frank hurried in and shut the door. The windows in the large room were all covered with black garbage bags and a giant executive's desk was shoved against one wall. The rest of the room was relatively bare.

  Something Frank Knew