by Bobby Akart
Dr. Spielman contemplated Mac’s suggestion. He scribbled some notes and then wrote the number 14 on a page, which he then circled.
“Based upon my calculations after reviewing the information on the Upsher-Smith production capabilities, it will take fourteen days to produce the first one hundred thousand doses requested by the President. I think you could take somebody under your wings during that time frame, which means I could have you back here afterwards.”
Two weeks with Hunter was better than nothing, but then Mac thought of a way to extend her duty out of the Den.
“Sir, have you considered using military jets to transport samples of the vancomycin together with our clinical notes to other major laboratories around the world, starting with the WHO?”
“That is an option, but it’s not going to happen for a while,” replied Dr. Spielman. “Even before this new development, the President intended to release the information to the rest of the world many—”
Dr. Spielman caught himself mid-sentence and stopped, feigning a cough to clear his throat. He looked down at his notes and then took a quick glance at Mac’s face. Finally, he continued. “Let’s take one step at a time, okay? I’ll put in a transfer request with Cheyenne Mountain to take you over to Star Ranch tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred. I’ll issue a corresponding requisition to provide you a Humvee and a driver as assigned by the fella in charge out there. I think his name is Hooper, or Huber.”
“Captain Hoover.”
“Yes, Hoover. Also, while you’re there, I want you to talk to Turnbull about joining us here. Technically, she is no longer an employee of the CDC following her resignation, but I’ll be glad to reinstate her with retroactive pay.”
Mac had so many things to say in response, but she held her tongue. Her only goal at the moment was to make it twenty-four more hours so she could see Hunter.
“Sounds good, sir. I’ll step up my efforts in the lab and begin thinking towards the production of the drug. If you need me, I’ll be around. Get it? A-round,” she repeated while twirling her fingers in a circular motion, making reference to the cylindrical shape of the Den.
Dr. Spielman laughed and shooed her out of his office. Mac soared out into the hallway and began to count the minutes until she left.
Chapter 57
Day Ninety-Six
Star Ranch
Colorado Springs
“Here we are, ma’am,” announced the driver of the Humvee who brought Mac from the heliport at Peterson. Earlier, when Mac had exited the terminal at Denver Stapleton, she resisted the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the ground like so many freed hostages have done throughout history. In her mind, she was a hostage. Remaining within the protected confines of the Den might have worked for those who weren’t prepared mentally to face the ugly world above ground, but it was definitely not for her.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said nonchalantly. As if to drive the point home to Mac that she should be careful what she wished for, the driver was forced to take several evasive maneuvers to avoid mobs who attempted to stop the Humvee.
He explained that over the next several days, the National Guard would be taking measures to control the interstate between Colorado Springs and Denver, with several main thoroughfares in each of the surrounding towns next on the list. Mac surmised the additional military presence was in response to her conversation with Morse two days ago. He was risking their lives based upon my cure and representations.
Mac exited the vehicle and approached the guarded gate. She presented her credentials to the soldiers, who were distracted by Janie’s shouting.
“Mac! Mac! I’m here. Hunter, too!” Janie was jumping up and down on the other side of the fence. The soldiers finally opened the gate and Mac ran into Hunter’s arms. The two squeezed each other and she instantly began to cry. A week had seemed like an eternity.
Janie, who had eagerly awaited her turn for a hug, eventually lost patience and ran to join them. The three friends were reunited and their emotions poured out.
“Guys,” started Mac, “you have no idea what I’ve seen.”
“Mac—” Janie laughed “—our story beats your story, right, Hunter?”
“Trust me, there’s lots to discuss,” replied Hunter. “This afternoon, we’re going to enjoy a dinner that’ll blow your mind. The National Guard has taken over a meat processor on the east end of Colorado Springs. They’re working with the ranchers to slaughter their beef and pork. Captain Hoover has hooked us up with steaks, ranch-style beans, and cold Budweiser. He says we’ve all earned it.”
“I love Captain Hoover,” said Janie with a laugh. “Come on, Mac. Wait’ll I tell you about how I was kidnapped.”
“What? You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope,” replied Janie. She began to tell the story to Mac as Hunter excused himself to go speak with Captain Hoover. He promised to be along in a minute.
After Janie was finished, the two women cried as they discussed the pain and humiliation suffered by the other women. Mac considered what Janie had almost endured, and suddenly her captivity in the Den didn’t seem so bad.
“Janie, here’s the irony, although there’s no comparison,” started Mac. “I have been underground in a secret facility created by the government decades ago. It’s an incredible place with everything you’d ever want during an apocalyptic situation like this one except one thing—the ability to leave.”
“Here’s what I know,” added Janie. “Let’s make a pact to never put ourselves in that position again. I’ll fight battles with guns and knives before someone will have the type of control over me those Snow people had.”
“I agree, which is why we have so much to talk about,” said Mac as they reached the home assigned to them by Captain Hoover previously. Mac decided to lighten the conversation until Hunter returned. “I have to ask. Which room did you pick?”
“Ha-ha. You know which one. It’s perfect for me and it’s right down the hall from Mommy and Daddy.”
“The pink one?”
“You know it,” Janie said with a laugh as she escorted Mac into the house.
Janie poured a glass of wine and Mac popped the top on a beer when Hunter returned from seeing Captain Hoover. He had a dour look on his face.
“Is everything okay?” asked Mac.
“Things are suddenly moving very quickly,” said Hunter. “Two days ago, it seemed like the military was maintaining status quo. You know, protect Star Ranch and limit contact with those outside the perimeter. Cappy shared his new orders with me and laid out the government’s strategy for the region. All I can say is their plan is ambitious and even risky.”
Mac opened a beer and handed it to him. She gave him a kiss and whispered in his ear, “No worries, my love. We’re together and we’ll figure it out. But let’s promise each other something. Promise we’ll never be apart again.”
“I promise,” said Hunter.
They shared a toast and the group joined in preparing dinner while they discussed the Den. Hunter tried to help Mac understand her sudden paranoia. The isolation and being underground were shocks to her mental stability. The initial conversation she’d had with Sandra Wilkinson had planted the seeds to create a confusing and unsettling experience.
“That said, the place was probably wired with a very sophisticated surveillance system,” said Hunter. “In an enclosed environment like that, if somebody loses it and gets access to a weapon, then you’ve got a mass murder situation on your hands.”
“They prohibited guns, except for the guards,” interjected Mac.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Hunter. “Guards can be overpowered or tricked. Heck, they can lose it themselves. It would be a one-sided gunfight.”
“It makes me think of the doomsday preppers who plan to hunker down in an abandoned missile silo for months or even years,” said Janie. “They don’t consider the psychological aspect of doing that. Consider the fact that they all have guns, and you have the potential for a real mes
s.”
“Right, those things look good on paper, but you’re throwing a bunch of strangers together with varying attitudes and agendas,” said Hunter. “No, thanks. You can have your million-dollar missile-silo condos, or whatever they’re called.”
Chapter 58
Day Ninety-Six
Star Ranch
Colorado Springs
They finished their dinner and then gathered outside on a brick-paver patio surrounded by landscaping. The house was oriented with a view of Cheyenne Mountain from the backyard, which was the perfect backdrop for the remainder of their conversation.
“Let me tell you what I’ve overheard so I can get your thoughts,” started Mac. “Dr. Spielman lied directly to my face, and several times he committed lies of omission by not answering my questions. The first big one was when I asked him about contact with the WHO. He said no, but then I saw a cablegram on their letterhead dated the day before I arrived.”
“Maybe he forgot?” asked Janie.
“No, I don’t think so,” replied Mac. “Once, when I was in his office, I scanned through the paperwork on his desk to learn anything about what was going on. The letter from the WHO specifically said they were frustrated because neither organization had made any progress toward a vaccination or a cure.”
Hunter got out of his chair and walked inside the house. He returned with another round of drinks and blankets for the girls. “What else did you learn?”
“It was part of a conversation with Andrew Morse. The two of them tried to speak in code, you know, like I was stupid and couldn’t figure out what they were saying. I got the impression that the CDC’s directive from the President was to move the clinical trials along very slowly. For some reason, that suddenly changed in the last few days. Now they are on a fast track.”
“Cappy just told me something that could explain that,” interrupted Hunter. “There was another ISIS attack on a military installation, this time in Pennsylvania. It was well planned and coordinated. Five or six dozen were killed and RPGs were taken.”
“We’re at war on our own soil, with ISIS?” asked Janie.
“He and I think this is the logical second phase of the bioterror attack using the plague,” replied Hunter. “In traditional warfare, after an air strike, infantry would be sent in to mop up. The ISIS fighters have found their way to America or were here all along. They are attacking us with the intentions of finishing the job while we’re at our lowest point.”
“Now it all makes sense,” said Mac. “The issue of manufacturing and distribution came up while I was at the Den. Our work tomorrow is designed to quickly produce the vials of vancomycin for distribution to our military facilities only, despite the fact clinical trials are less than a week old.”
“The President plans to send our guys out to fight terrorists with the drug as a panacea in the event they become infected with the disease. Pretty risky,” said Hunter. “This also fits with something Cappy disclosed to me. Mac, the National Guard plans on occupying Breckenridge soon. Their goal is to locate as many as twenty thousand uninfected refugees from Pueblo to Fort Collins. Also, the National Guard will be securing medical facilities and begin treating ill patients.”
“Mac, are they going to deploy the vancomycin prematurely, like they did with BALO,” asked Janie.
“It appears so,” Mac replied. “They need it to convince their soldiers to leave the military bases to secure the cities and to fight the terrorists. If there is an upside to this, at least I know for certain the drug works.”
“What happens tomorrow?” asked Hunter.
“First, I need to know if you guys will go with me. Janie, they want you to work at the CDC, specifically at the Den.”
“No!” replied Janie emphatically, with a slight chuckle. “That will never happen. Mac, I will stay by your side, but I’ll never go underground again.”
“Not even Underground Atlanta for drinks at Footprints?” asked Mac.
“Nope.”
Mac reached for Hunter’s hand and squeezed it. “I got permission from Spielman to hire you as an escort to and from downtown Denver, where the lab is located. I was told by my driver earlier the interstate between the two cities would be cleared and open for travel. Will you do it?”
“Of course,” replied Hunter. “I’m not leaving your side.”
Mac turned to Janie. “I could use your help, too. There is a much bigger issue I need to tell you guys about.”
“What is it?” asked Janie.
“I don’t think the President plans on sharing my discovery with the rest of the world, at least not initially. Morse was being coy about this during the phone call, but I got the impression they intend to take the cure, use it for their military and communities like Star Ranch first, and then on Americans only.”
Hunter sat up in his chair. “That fits with what I spoke with Cappy about. They are reopening medical facilities to treat the ill with your new drug.”
“The President’s playing god with the cure,” said Janie.
“I think it’s much bigger than that,” said Hunter as he became suddenly quiet.
Mac and Janie waited for Hunter to continue; then she finally asked him, “What are you thinking?”
“It’s starting to add up,” replied Hunter. “Spielman lies about contact with other health organizations. He and Morse stumble and let out their initial intention to delay development, but then decide to use the drug on Americans only. There’s something going on behind the scenes.”
“Let me add one more tidbit from right after Mac left the CDC,” said Janie. “Baggett became very controlling over our work. The government brought in IT people one night and installed keylogger programs on our computers, and some suspected they bugged our phones. Our cell phones had to be checked at security when we entered, to be retrieved on exit.”
“Why?” asked Mac.
“Baggett gave strict orders to everyone during the staff meetings regarding our progress on finding a vaccine or cure. We could not discuss our findings with anyone, including our families. In fact, do you remember how there would be cooperation with the WHO and the Public Health Agency of Canada?”
“Of course,” replied Mac. “It was part of our daily protocol.”
“Baggett ordered it stopped. And, I might add, so did Spielman. They wanted to keep all of our clinical research in-house.”
“Unbelievable,” said Mac. “I’ll bet this came from Morse.”
The three of them sat on the patio in stunned silence. The clean, crisp air coupled with the bright stars seen over the top of Cheyenne Mountain might have been romantic on any other night prior to the pandemic, but not on this night.
Finally Janie broke the silence and asked, “Guys, this has been like a horror movie. How does it end?”
Mac responded with a nervous laugh. “I’d like to say that all of us are standing on top of Quandary Peak, arm in arm, staring off into the distance with smiles on our faces. We’ve found the cure and everyone still alive lives happily ever after.”
Hunter added, “Yeah, that’s how the story usually ends, but somehow this script is written a little different. There are too many moving parts and all three of us agree something is going on within Cheyenne Mountain. Just remember, the bigger the conspiracy, the bigger the people involved. Powerful people like presidents shape world events in a way beyond our knowledge or comprehension. I’m afraid we’re right in the middle of it.”
Chapter 59
Day Ninety-Seven
Upsher-Smith Laboratories
Denver
The trip into Denver was remarkably easy. There was a large military presence along Interstate 25 from Colorado Springs until they exited near Lakewood in central Denver. Captain Hoover assigned Hunter one of the U.S.-based Humvees for ferrying Mac and Janie to the drug-manufacturing facility. This vehicle had low miles and hadn’t been abused on the inside like the others deployed in the National Guard fleet, which had been brought back from the Middle Eas
t.
Captain Hoover issued travel documents to Hunter, which allowed him to travel anywhere within the Eastern Colorado district established by FEMA and the National Guard. The region split the state in two with the Continental Divide being the difference between east and west. These travel documents allowed Hunter to travel from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the New Mexico border, or eastward to the state lines of Kansas and Nebraska.
Hunter, while clearly appreciative of the upgraded interior, did piss and moan over the lack of a Ma Deuce on the roof. To make up for the slight, as Captain Hoover sarcastically called it, he issued an AR-10, together with a thousand rounds of ammo, to Hunter to replace the one given to the Vagos motorcycle gang.
He also issued M4s, sidearms and ammunition to Mac and Janie. Despite the fact the interstate was cordoned off by the military, they needed to be prepared to defend themselves in the event of a breakdown in security.
When the trio exited the Humvee at the front door of the Upsher-Smith building, they were greeted by Colonel Clements, who was assigned the task of securing the facility.
“Good to see you again, Colonel,” Hunter began as they approached the entrance.
“Likewise, Sergeant. I didn’t expect to see you.”
“Right. I’ve been assigned to the protective detail of these scientists. You remember Janie, of course. This is Dr. Mackenzie Hagan with the CDC.” Hunter said the words with pride. He was glad Mac had been reinstated.
“The head honcho,” quipped Colonel Clements. “I’ve been expecting you, and the sentries let me know of your arrival. Let me make one thing clear. This building is secured by multiple layers of military protection. Nobody will get past my people. While you’re working here, you’ll never have to use those.” He pointed to their weapons.