The Source: A Wildfire Prequel

by Marcus Richardson

  Damn it.

  "What's your ID?" shouted Daniels.

  "Banyard, Paul, Staff Sergeant, 275-343-3421."

  "I'll run the check, sir," said one of the assistants. He bent over a workstation against the far wall and pulled up the base security system. After a moment, he looked up.

  "ID checks out, lieutenant."

  "Thank you," Daniels replied. "Alright, I've confirmed your identity. We're going to open the door now," he called out.

  Daniels nodded and one of the scientists opened the door, revealing a soldier fully prepped for battle wearing a base security vest. Six other similarly dressed guards filled the hallway behind him.

  "You do this, sir?" the staff sergeant asked as he nodded at the bodies in the hallway.

  Daniels lowered the rifle. "Yeah," he replied with just enough relief to be convincing.

  The man on the other side of the door grinned. "Not bad, sir—not bad at all."

  Daniels turned to the rest of the room. "It's okay, everyone. They’re with base security. The attackers were all dressed in black." He slung Meigs’ rifle over his shoulder and sighed.

  "Can you get someone to turn off that damned loudspeaker?"

  The soldiers in the hallway entered immediately and secured the lab before they helped the scientists out of their hiding spots. Banyard spoke into his radio and after a few moments, the speaker finally fell silent.

  Daniels shook hands with him and smiled. "Thank God. That was almost as bad as the attack. Is it over?"

  Banyard smiled. "Yes, sir. We took out the last group just before I got here—the base is secure."

  A ragged cheer went up from the scientists and assistants. Boatner stepped forward warily.

  "It's over then?"

  Daniels handed the rifle over to SSG Banyard and sighed. "I think it's just beginning."

  "Sir?"

  "If someone was willing to attack us here," Daniels explained, "that proves they're willing to go to extreme lengths to gain possession of Mr. Huntley—Chad." Daniels watched the blood drain from Huntley's face.

  "This was all over him?" asked Banyard, jerking a thumb at the boy.

  "They kidnapped me…" muttered Huntley.

  Daniels nodded to the guard then turned to the boy. "Chad, your blood makes you very important to a great many people around the world," he said.

  "Which makes your safety that much more important," finished Boatner.

  Daniels looked at his colleague. "We need to get him out of here."

  Boatner nodded. "Where, though? We're already on an army base..."

  Daniels shook his head. "I don't know, but it has to be some place more secure than here—no offense staff sergeant," Daniels added when the guard bristled.

  "They won't get to try this a second time," growled Banyard.

  "Granted," said Daniels. "But we can't risk something like this happening again and interrupting our work. There's too many lives at stake and we certainly can't risk losing you," he said to Huntley.

  "People obviously know you're here. We need to get you somewhere else, then move you around to keep this from happening again."

  "In that case," advised SSG Banyard, "I recommend we transfer Mr. Huntley to the armory until the situation at Security Command is taken care of, sir."

  "What situation?" asked Daniels.

  "All I know is everyone at HQ is dead and no one knows why. Security Command was one of the most secure locations on base until today. Everything is completely FUBAR, sir."

  "But the armory is safe?" asked Boatner.

  "Yessir. It's underground and with only one way in or out, it's the most secure location left on the base that hasn't been compromised by the attack."

  "Until I hear otherwise, I agree that's our best bet," said Daniels.

  "Then let's move," agreed Boatner. "Come along, Chad. We're getting you out of here."

  Daniels assumed rear-guard position and watched as Banyard's soldiers led the scientists out of the lab. He stared at Huntley's back as two soldiers took up flanking positions to protect the Source.

  This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Daniels.

  CHAPTER 32

  Report

  THEY TOOK THREE MORE days to bring Chad's meager belongings to his new room after leaving his makeshift quarters in the base armory. Dr. Boatner assured him it was only a temporary measure while they worked out where exactly to take him for his long-term protection. In the meantime, Chad welcomed a reprieve from the needles, constant blood drawing, and strict routine of his daily life.

  The downside: he was forced to live with fully-armed soldiers 24/7 now.

  When he went to the bathroom, one of them stood right outside the door. When he slept, two stayed with him in the room—one in a chair by the door, the other in a chair by Chad's bed. He couldn't so much as roll over in the middle the night without someone racking the slide back on a pistol. Outside his door, an entire platoon of soldiers patrolled the hallways. One of them even told him they had tanks surrounding the building.

  Whoever the hell Meigs worked for, they didn't try anything again. For that Chad was grateful—he'd seen enough bloodshed and fighting to last a lifetime, thank you very much. While he was relieved by the extra security, guilt followed Chad wherever he went. Every day, he asked himself how many more people would die because of his blood.

  Dr. Boatner came to visit at least once a day to see how he was doing and bring news of the outside world. Things were especially grim in the rest of America and the body counts from the major cities were hard to believe. That certainly didn't do anything for Chad's mood, but it gave them something to talk about other than his feelings. He'd lost track of the number of psychologists and post-traumatic stress specialists he'd seen since the attack. For his part, Chad locked away the memories of Meigs' and Segel's bodies and tried to forget the whole thing even happened.

  Chad's one constant comfort was still Jess’ diary. It had been recovered—a little more tattered than before—from Meigs’ backpack. Reading her words was the closest thing to having a conversation with someone other than Dr. Boatner. It was the same old routine again.

  It was on the fifth day after the attack that Boatner announced he'd finally cleared it through the army for Chad to be allowed to go back to the library. He was marched under guard—two rifle-toting soldiers in front and two behind—down the hall from his room to the reading center.

  Once they reached the library, the guards took up stations outside the only door in or out of the recreational facility. Chad had free rein to roam the aisles. He let his hands trail over the creased spines as his eyes scanned the books all around him.

  The sudden freedom shocked his system after almost a week in lockdown. No one hovered over his shoulder and told him what to do or where to go. No doctors waited with needles to poke and jab. He had the entire place to himself.

  Chad perused the eclectic selection and hoped to find something interesting. He wanted a deep and involving book like The Lord of the Rings or something so far beyond reality he could lose himself and forget about the chaos swirling around him.

  He stepped quietly through rows of fiction but paused when he heard a voice in the distance. Chad thought he was the only one in the library. Confused that someone else had been allowed in, Chad crept quietly down the aisle until he came within earshot.

  "…yes, sir. I understand.”

  It was the lieutenant from the lab—the same one who’d spoken to him over the radio when he was on the run back in March. Daniels.

  What are you doing in here?

  “No, sir—I heard gunfire outside the main lab and opened the door to investigate."

  The young officer paced around the circulation desk, a bulky black phone with a large antenna at his ear.

  "No—he was not with me at the time. When I stepped out of the lab I discovered—yes, sir, that was him. Meigs. Huntley was with him. Once I put the kid in the lab, I closed the door and confronted Meigs."

&
nbsp; Chad stepped away from the edge of the aisle. It must be a debriefing or something, he thought. He felt more than a little guilty at eavesdropping, so Chad turned back to the books and quickly searched the aisle. He found lots of science fiction titles, mostly from the ‘50s and ‘60s, but nothing really jumped out at him.

  "I had no choice," Daniels said, his voice tight. "Yes. He came at me, screaming about his cut of the payment. Yes, sir. A point blank three-round burst to the chest—he dropped and died within seconds. No—he didn’t say anything else."

  Chad froze with his hand on a book called Farnham's Freehold. He swallowed. Daniels shot Meigs—point blank, three rounds to the chest.

  Chad didn't exactly feel sorry that Meigs had died—the man tried to abduct him twice and killed who knows how many people in the process. But still…it was weird to think Daniels shot and killed someone—he seemed like such a nerd. Chad stared at the book in his hands. Meigs hadn’t been all that bad…at least he wasn’t mean like Segel.

  "Yes, the boy is safe. They moved him to the armory until his permanent building could be hardened. Yes, a very secure part of the base…no. It won’t happen again—they’ve brought in reinforcements. There won’t be another chance."

  Chad peeked around the corner again and saw Daniels move off to the far side of the library. He walked out of earshot and disappeared down a row of books. Chad thought about following him, then decided against it and pulled a book off the shelf instead.

  "You ready, sir? Time’s up," said a voice at the other end of his aisle.

  Chad turned to see one of his escorts scanning the aisles with his rifle readied across his chest. It was beyond strange to find a soldier in full battle gear in a library.

  "Yeah," Chad said as he looked down at the book in his hands. "Just grabbing a couple books."

  "Heinlein, huh?" remarked the soldier as Chad walked toward the exit. "He's one of my favorites. That guy thought up some crazy shit back in the '50s. You ever read him before?"

  "No," Chad said. "I don't read very much…I like video games better."

  The guard grunted. "Yeah, I did too when I was your age. You just haven't found the right books yet. Once I read those, man I never looked back." He held the door for Chad.

  “I thought you guys didn’t want to talk to me,” Chad said.

  "Just because we’re not supposed to talk to you, doesn't mean we can't," the soldier replied.

  Chad smiled as he stepped out into the hallway with his new book.

  "Okay, let's go," said the squad leader. The soldiers fell into formation around Chad and they marched off to the sounds of boots on linoleum.

  All the way back to his room, Chad thought about Daniels and the conversation he’d heard in the library. Who was he reporting to? And why do it on a phone in the library?

  They passed a window and Chad shoved his questions aside as he took in the devastation outside. The attack had rendered a good part of the base unusable. He supposed it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that Daniels would need a quiet spot to give a report to his superiors.

  "Excuse me," Chad said to one of the guards. "Do you know where Lieutenant Daniels is from?"

  The soldier never took his eyes off his surroundings. "Maryland I think.”

  “USAMARIID,” snapped the squad leader. "Keep it down back there."

  “Yeah,” said the first soldier under his breath. “With all the rest of the scientists they brought in, just before you got here. Why?"

  Chad shrugged. "Oh, no reason, just curious."

  “Cut the chatter, we’re almost back,” muttered the leader. The rest of the soldiers fell silent.

  Well, that explains the phone call. His boss is probably on the other side of the country.

  Dr. Boatner greeted him inside the door with a small cluster of nurses and portable medical equipment. Chad's spirits slumped as fast as his shoulders.

  "Hello, Chad. How are you feeling?" asked Boatner as he stepped back from Chad's bed.

  Chad felt a twinge of pain in his arm. "Back to the needles?"

  Boatner smiled, but it never reached his eyes. "I'm afraid so, yes. The attack put us behind schedule—we lost most of our specimens in all the fighting." He motioned with one arm toward the bed.

  "I convinced General Vilnum things might go easier if we made you feel more comfortable. So instead of taking you to the lab, we brought the lab to you. I hope you don't mind?"

  Chad sighed as he sat down on the bed. "No, I don't mind."

  Why would I mind? Now I get to leave this room even less. Yay…

  He lay down on the bed and tried to ignore the nurses as they swabbed both arms with alcohol pads. He managed to only grimace a little this time when they inserted their needles at the same time.

  CHAPTER 33

  Decision Time

  CHAD LOOKED UP FROM his borrowed copy of Stranger in a Strange Land and stared at the wall. He'd gone through half the library’s collection of Heinlein books in the two weeks since the attack. It had taken him another week to get halfway through this one.

  He supposed it was okay, but after quick, escapist stories like Tunnel in the Sky, the much more philosophical Stranger in a Strange Land proved to be a tough read. He slipped a well-worn piece of cardboard between the pages to mark his spot and closed the book.

  I'll have to come back to this one later—I don't get this ‘grok’ thing. Chad reached instead for Rocketship Galileo.

  The door to his room opened and Dr. Boatner walked in accompanied by a woman with long red hair. One of the armed soldiers immediately shut the door behind them.

  "Hello Chad," Dr. Boatner said with his usual cheerfulness. "How are you doing?"

  "Good," Chad replied. He gestured at the stack of books on the floor next to his bed. "Just reading—not much else to do, I guess."

  Boatner smiled. "Yes, well…" he adjusted his glasses. "Chad, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Barbara Taylor."

  The woman smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand. "Hello Chad, it's good to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

  "Dr. Taylor works for the CDC," added Boatner.

  Chad looked from Taylor back to Boatner. "The CDC?"

  "That's right,” she said, her voice soft but strong. “I work in the field research division. You are a remarkable young man."

  "Come on, Barbara," Boatner said as he removed his glasses. "Tell him something he doesn't already know." Boatner examined the lenses and put them back on.

  "That's all he's heard for the past few months."

  "So, what's going on?" asked Chad.

  "Well," Taylor sighed, "the military believes it's time to move you to a more secure location."

  "I happen to agree,” Boatner said, one hand up to forestall argument from his colleague. “However, I strongly disagree on where to move you.” He adjusted his lab coat and frowned.

  “That said, we have two options for you. Option one," Boatner continued, "is you go with Major Daniels to USAMARIID at Fort Detrick in Maryland, for the foreseeable future."

  "Major?" asked Chad. "He got a promotion?"

  “Several promotions, from what I hear," replied Dr. Taylor.

  "Indeed. He's now in charge of the army’s genetic coding division,” added Boatner.

  “What’s that?"

  “It’s a real fancy name for doing what we've done all along—try to find a cure for the Pandemic. In fact, I'll be working closely with him," Boatner said, glancing at Dr. Taylor. "We’re closing in on a vaccine, I can feel it.”

  “On a potential vaccine,” she said.

  “We've done tests with several infected patients and while I agree the response rate isn't what we’d hoped for, we're getting close," Dr. Boatner replied.

  "So you'll be there too?" asked Chad.

  Boatner nodded again. "Yes, but I don't want you to decide until you've heard Dr. Taylor's proposal." He turned to the redhead. "Barbara?"

  She smiled at Chad. "I bet you're tired of being s
tuck with needles all the time, huh?"

  Her smile looked more genuine than any he’d seen since he’d surrendered to Sgt. Reeves. His mood darkened as he thought of Reeves, dead in a pool of his own blood, killed by Meigs and the other mercenaries.

  Chad looked down at the floor. "You might could say that," he muttered.

  "Those days should be behind us now," Dr. Boatner said. "If you were to come with us—"

  "Maurice, please! Give me a chance!" complained the red head.

  Maurice?

  Dr. Boatner raised his hands in defeat but Chad noticed the color that crept up his neck. "You're right—I'm sorry. Please continue."

  "Look, Chad, I'll be brief. Instead of being cooped up on yet another army base somewhere, how would you like to be free?"

  "Free?" asked Chad. I wish.

  "Yes—in the outdoors. Free to come and go as you wish, set your own hours, be your own boss. It wouldn’t be completely unsupervised but you wouldn't be living underground, surrounded by soldiers all day, either."

  Chad felt a smile spread across his face. "You mean I could just get up and walk out? Whenever I want?"

  "Yes," she said, but the smile faded from her face. "Look, Chad—I’ll be honest with you. You're far too important for the government—civilian or military—to let you wander around on your own." She glanced at Boatner, cleared her throat and plowed forward.

  "However, I can offer you a level of freedom the military would never agree to. How'd you like to be a field retrieval specialist?"

  "What's that?"

  "Well, for starters you’d work for me at CDC. However, no matter which way you choose," she said nodding at Boatner, "your first task is to complete high school."

  Chad sat back on the bed, deflated. "What do you mean? All the schools are closed…"

  "You’ve still got a year to go, right?" asked Boatner.

  Chad nodded.

  "Federal law prohibits us from hiring you until you’re 18 and have received your high school diploma or GED equivalent," said Dr. Taylor.