by Lara Nance
She stepped into the small decontamination chamber, reattached her hood then passed into the ten-foot-square clear-walled unit. Other units had metal beds equipped with restraints should they need to take in victims. Linc left to make calls and try to drive some sense into the panicking bureaucrats.
She placed her sample kit on the table and began transferring some of the brain material into a Vita-pak. This nutrient-rich saline solution provided a stable environment for the parasites. Hopefully, she could keep some alive until she returned to Omaha. After securing several packs, she inserted the remaining techno-probes into the slide unit to produce the sterile slides she’d need for the trip home.
Linc joined her as she completed packing the slides. “We have more bad news and then some more bad news. What do you want first?”
She gave him a feeble half-grin, forced from the pit of her fear. “I guess the bad news.”
“The tanker has already been found and they sent in Special Forces teams. The deaths were limited to two crew members on a lower level where the victim hid. Looks like he made a priority of hiding and only killed the two men to eat them, not the usual mindless bloodbath.”
“So he used reasoning to know he needed to hide. That’s bad.” She shook her head, her suit crackling with the movement. “What are they doing with the ship?”
“It’ll have to return. They’ll be quarantined aboard to make sure there are no outbreaks.”
“I suppose they killed the guy?”
He nodded.
“What else?”
“After rounding up all the townspeople and going house to house, they learned three men have escaped on land, not one as originally thought. Three men. Infection is confirmed.”
She leaned against the table, suddenly weak-kneed. A sheen of moisture coated her skin, chilling her in the cool circulating air of the containment suit. Her gaze held to Linc’s blue eyes as an anchor in the midst of their dwindling hopes. “Three?”
“Yeah.”
“What if they don’t kill each other?”
“I had the same thought. If they separate and attack different areas instead of each other, they pose a greater threat.”
She lifted her sample bag. “I need to get this back to Dr. Manson as soon as possible.”
“I agree. The only chance of dealing with this now is to find a way to kill the parasite and prevent it from spreading.” He jerked his chin toward the group of soldiers huddled at the clear panel. “I’m going to arrange for a transport back to The Divide.”
She let out a deep sigh. Another ride on a transport. But he was right. No sense delaying the trip home. Maybe she’d catch a couple hours of sleep and chip away at her exhaustion.
They passed through the decontamination unit, and he hurried to the soldiers while she found the bags she’d left earlier. She removed her containment suit.
“Good news,” he said as he came to join her, stripping off his suit. “We can take the hover craft you flew in on. It’s ready to go. And get this, the president wants me to go with you to the North.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. I can’t believe we’re able to cross the border after all these years.”
“I know. I suppose fear is a great motivator.” He grinned. “As much as I hate the reason for the trip, I have to admit, I’m excited to see the capital of the North. Did you feel the same way about coming here?”
She hesitated a moment, not sure how to describe her reaction. “Honestly, I was so tired, I only remember hoping the trip lasted long enough for me to sleep more than a few minutes. It seemed like a hazy dream at the time. I’m sure I’ll process it differently later.”
“I understand. My adrenalin is running low, as well.” He headed for the door. “Let’s go. It’ll be dark soon, and I’d like to be at the wall by then.”
She followed, refusing to glance toward town. She’d seen enough death and gore today, although a lingering scent of blood refused to completely release her from the horror. Clutching her sample bag, she swung her other tote over one shoulder. She looked forward to seeing Conner. She needed to hug him and see that he was safe.
Gray clouds streaked the sky as the sun sank lower in the west, causing a glow of orange to form at the horizon. To the east, a line of trees marked the edge of the forest where the authorities say the three men escaped. Goose bumps rose on her arms. Those poor individuals, sickened by the parasite and craving human flesh. She prayed the army would find them before they encountered their next meal.
Chapter Eleven
A pilot greeted them as they rushed inside the copter, his forehead wrinkled and manner terse. “We need to get in the air as soon as possible. Strap yourselves in. There are storms reported north of here, but we’ll try to miss them.”
He left for the cockpit without further conversation, the engine already purring. The copter lifted, its four blades whirling faster and faster. They quickly took seats and attached their restraints. Linc let his head fall against the headrest, fatigue sapping him of strength after the rush of activity the past two days.
He glanced at Ria. Her head lolled to one side and her eyes closed as they left the ground and swayed momentarily before zipping away to the north. Sections of her dark curly hair had escaped the band used to contain it and formed wisps around her face like a fuzzy frame. She was pretty even without proper sleep. She wore a thin gold chain around her neck, and it dipped in the hollow of her throat. The delicate strand against her skin filled him with a sense of protectiveness. How easy the necklace would break if pulled—as easy as they could die if they ran into one of the cannibals.
His phone rang—Mark, a member of his university team.
“Hello?”
“Linc, we had a break-in at the lab.” The man’s voice shook.
A tremor of dread traveled up his spine. “What happened? Is anyone hurt?”
“A member of campus security was shot, but no one on our team, thank God. Armed men in masks stormed the building about an hour ago. They forced their way into the lab and took the whale specimens.”
His sense of dread appeared justified. Why hadn’t he thought of this aspect of the parasite discovery and ordered more secure containment? Damn it. He was afraid to ask, but had to. “Do they know who did it?”
“No one is talking, but I have my suspicions. There’s only one group who’d do something this stupid.”
“You mean the Wrath of Freedom?” Linc also considered the radical conservative group capable of this atrocity. They continued to commit lingering acts of terrorism and were the likely source of the explosion that killed Ria’s sister. He’d always suspected disgruntled members of IPP who urged more violence might be infiltrators from the WOF. He needed to warn Jack.
“Of course. Who else?” Mark sounded exasperated as well as frightened. “They’ve threatened to use chemical weapons to further their cause. I guess they think they can use this parasite as a biological weapon.”
“There has to be a leak in the government or our team,” Linc said. He glanced at Ria, and her eyes popped open. “How else would someone think of such a dip-shit idea?”
“I’ve got the army and police here. I have to go,” Mark said. “Any orders?”
“I’m headed to Omaha in the North with samples from the victims in Cameron. There’s nothing you can do at this point.” He ran his fingers across his scalp. “At least we have the samples of the whale tissue I gave to Dr. Manson. Call me later and tell me any developments.”
“What’s going on?” Ria asked when he ended the call.
“You’re not going to believe this. They think a radical far right group stole the whale tissue from my lab at the university.”
She blinked a couple of times. “Stole the tissue? Whatever for?”
“If it’s who I think it is, the group is called the Wrath of Freedom. They’re the folks who continue acts of terrorism at the slightest hint of our two governments softening their stance on separation.”
Her face w
ent white. “Do you think they are behind the attack in Omaha?”
He grimaced. “If it’s a southern source, that would be a good bet.”
“And now what? They think they can use this parasite as a weapon?”
“Why else would anyone want the tissue?”
“But those samples are all dead. What are they going to do with them?” She frowned.
“They may think they’re live, or are too stupid to have a clue.” A shock ran through him, and he quickly dialed Jeff. After telling him the news from Birmingham, he added a note of caution. “Make sure the military knows about this. There may be an attempt to take one of the bodies for live samples. This is a whole new threat.”
“I’ll let them know. What do you want me to do next?”
“Stay there and keep an eye on the activity. I want to know if there are any sightings of those men who escaped.”
“All right, Boss. Have a safe trip.”
The copter lifted on a wave of turbulence, and Ria’s hands went to her seat arms. “What the hell?”
“We must be headed into that storm the pilot mentioned.”
A young man in uniform joined them briefly from the cockpit. “The captain says it’s going to be rough for a while. There are storms ahead and tornado warnings, so make sure you stay seated and keep your restraints on. We’re going to try flying higher to miss the worst of it.”
“Of course we’re going to have a rough trip. That fits.” Ria threw up her hands. “I guess my chance of getting any sleep are out.”
He gave her a sympathetic look, fatigue weighing on him, as well. “Hopefully it won’t last too long. If they reach a high altitude, it may not matter.”
He’d been in a lot of rough copter rides during his stint in the military, but this turned into the worst of his life. The pilot and co-pilot made no more courtesy appearances to reassure their passengers.
Ria’s face began to turn from pale to green, and she gripped her armrests until her knuckles turned white. Neither of them spoke—both intent on remaining in their seats and, in his case, keeping what little food he had in his stomach from hurling out of his mouth. Through the ports he could only make out dark gray swirling clouds and splats of rain. An occasional rumble of thunder penetrated the thick walls of the copter.
Abruptly, the hover-craft experienced a severe yawl to the right, turning the copter nearly vertical. Ria screamed, and her eyes went wide. A buzzing sound followed by a loud pop preceded several violent bucks.
“What’s going on?” she cried, tossed back and forth in her seat, held down only by the crisscrossed straps over her chest.
“I don’t know.” He gritted his teeth as the copter dropped rapidly, making his stomach clench. He feared they’d met the tornado head-on. God save them if they had.
The inside lights flickered as the aircraft bounced. It bucked again.
Then everything went black.
***
Ria forced her eyelids apart, immediately groaning from the sharp pain in her head. As her vision cleared, she peered through dim lighting. She was still on the copter, but it wasn’t moving and leaned at an odd angle. The straps still held her in her seat, but her body draped over the right side. Dear God, they had crashed!
A moan across from her drew her attention. “Linc?”
A grunt of pain. He answered, “I’m okay, I think. Are you?”
“I’m alive. That’s all I can give you at this point. Can you help me out of this seat?” The straps dug into her neck, her ribs burned, and she was losing feeling in one leg.
On the lower side, he was able to disengage his seat belts and crawl uphill to help her. She slid out when he released her and sat on the floor, rubbed her aching body parts. “What happened to the pilots?”
“Let me check.” He made his way through the rubble and, with some prying, managed to open the hatch to the cockpit. A few moments later, he returned. His expression grim, he said, “They’re both dead. The front window caved in when they hit a huge boulder. They’re crushed beneath it. The equipment is trashed, too.”
“Oh, no. How horrible.” Her stomach sank. She scrambled across the uneven floor to retrieve her sample bag and quickly checked the contents. “Thank goodness the samples are intact. Now what?”
“It’s only about fifteen minutes until the sun is down.” He unlatched the bent door to the outside and had to kick it to swing it free. The patter of rain and whistle of wind echoed in the cabin. A whiff of decayed vegetation entered along with what meager glow of light remained of the daytime. After peering through the opening, he said, “Looks like we’re in a forest. Let me check my phone’s GPS.”
“Well?” she asked after several moments. A forest? She couldn’t help but wonder what that was like.
“Damn. I can’t get a signal. Given our route, I bet we’re near Mt. Driskill. It’s in northern Louisiana, so that makes sense. I can tell we’re at a high altitude.”
“So we ran into a mountain,” she muttered, wondering how the hell the South had areas without a signal. Didn’t they have satellites? “Are we near any place we can get help?”
He shook his head. “This area is not developed.”
That sounded strange to her. The North had very few undeveloped areas due to the crush of population. The band of land north of The Divide was the exception. It was so scorched from warfare, no one could live there. She was curious to see what Linc called a forest. The most trees in her experience grew in the planned city parks. She’d never had time to travel to national parks where natural environments remained protected. “How will we get out of here then?”
“In the morning, we can hike to a clear area where there’s a signal and call for a transport to pick us up.”
“Okay, I have to ask. Don’t you have satellites for your communication links?” She gazed up at him.
He leaned against the doorframe. “Not many. We didn’t put much money into the space program after the war. Everything went to the military and rebuilding all the damage. Unfortunately, the congress is just now starting to realize how far we’ve fallen behind and fund programs to revive the old NASA facilities.”
“I see.” She should have thought of that. “The war depleted a great deal of resources in the North, too. Louis thinks we’d be living on other planets by now if we hadn’t had that tragic period.
“So, we have to stay here all night?” The idea of remaining in this broken copter in the middle of nowhere sent shivers over her skin.
“It’s not a big deal. There are food and first aid supplies onboard, and I’m sure we have blankets, as well.” He moved to open some of the latched cabinets. “Didn’t you ever go camping?”
“As a matter of fact, no,” she said, a tug of irritation making her reply sharper than she meant. They didn’t have the beautiful wide-open spaces as the South due to the thorough bombing job they’d done. “Camping isn’t a big thing in the North.”
“Oh.” He stopped digging in the cabinet and stared at her. “Sorry. I, uh, guess there are a lot of differences in our two countries other than the politics.”
Her shoulders slumped. “No need to apologize. Yes, we do have a lot of differences, but one big thing we have in common is defeating this parasite mutation. We should keep our focus on that and we’ll be okay.”
“Good point.” He returned to rummaging and gathered a first aid kit, a stack of blankets, and an emergency lamp. He turned on the light, and a soft blue-tinged illumination filled the cabin. Just in time, since the sun finally gave up and sank below the horizon, leaving the world outside in darkness.
“I’ll raid the food,” she said, going to the locker from where the attendant had given her snacks and drinks during her flight down. “Hmm, we’ve got packs of nuts, trail mix, cheese and crackers, pretzels, and brownies.”
“A veritable snack food buffet,” he said.
She had to smile. No high-powered Vita-bars or renewing beverages here. It didn’t matter. This would keep them alive
until they could reach a transport. The juice drinks alone contained enough sugar to give them energy.
“Oh, here’s another light of some sort.” She lifted a black tube about five inches long, with a clear panel at one end.
“Good.” He took it and showed her how to twist the base to turn it on. “I’ll secure the door then we can arrange a place to sleep.”
She folded one of the blankets in thirds and placed it on the slanted floor then sat on it cross-legged. Ugh, her bed was not soft, but she doubted that would matter given her exhaustion. She unloaded her haul of snacks before her, sifting through the contents for a good choice for dinner.
Linc tied the door closed since it no longer latched and joined her with his own blanket pallet. “Don’t want any mountain lions coming in while we sleep.”
“Or cannibals,” she said as a tremor shook her.
He stood and dropped one of the extra blankets around her shoulders. “It’ll be cool tonight at this altitude.”
“Thanks.” She found his solicitude charming. Perhaps the old term, southern gentleman, held true even in this day and age. “Hey, I want to ask you for a favor.”
He arranged the light on the floor. “What’s that?”
“I met a biologist at a conference earlier this year and I wondered what happened to her. Her name is Carol Gates. Have you heard of her?”
“No. But the South is a big place.”
“Yeah, well. If you get a chance in all this mess, could you try to locate her? I’d like to contact her. She was completing her PhD at the state university in South Carolina.”
“Sure. If we survive the brownies.” He ripped open a bag of trail mix. “This is about the most nutritious of the lot. But I will have a brownie for dessert no matter how bad it is for me.” He chuckled and tossed one of them at her.
She caught it and laughed for the first time in days. The sensation lit her insides and she kept laughing until she fell over, tears running down her cheeks. Then she couldn’t tell if she was laughing or sobbing. Pure hysterics.