“Human testing?” Broussard asked, astonished.
Tammy nodded slowly. “A lot of military men came up missing. And,” she hesitated, “rumors were that failed test subjects were terminated.”
Broussard glanced to Carol and she shook her head. “We can’t allow—”
“Of course we cannot allow that,” Broussard interrupted, coming to his feet. “What kind of place were they running here?”
Tammy squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Once the primary researchers were…infected, and Dr. Higgins placed himself as lead at the lab, in essence, he had the general’s ear. Anything he wanted, the general gave him, hoping we’d find a cure.”
Broussard’s eyes narrowed at her. “But you and the others had no ‘need to know,’ according to the weasel.”
She fought the urge to smile. “Correct. We were given specific tasks but not told anything in detail about the nature of the experiments.” She shook her head. “Every rule of research, he intentionally broke.”
Broussard growled low in his throat. “I think I need to speak to this general. If he is okay with human test subjects, perhaps we can start with Higgins.”
Carol gave him a stunned look. “Andre…”
He waved her off. “Of course, I’m not serious.” He grunted as he sat back down. “Still, it would serve him right.”
Tammy sat upright and gave him a hopeful smile. “As lead researcher…you would have the general’s ear.”
Broussard shook his head. “I assure you, Higgins will do everything in his power to ensure that we never meet.” He glanced at Carol. “It guarantees his continued control.”
“Agreed.” She gave him a knowing smile. “That’s why we’ll need to make sure that you two meet.”
Tammy gave her a confused look. “Why?”
Carol crossed her arms, her face smug. “To solidify our necessity here and to let the powers-that-be know exactly what Higgins was up to.”
Tammy felt the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile. “I don’t have many strings I could pull, but I’ll gladly do what I can to arrange the meet.”
Simon watched the edges of the forest, ready to give up that anybody might come. “I think we can move that roadblock ourselves.” He reached for the door handle when Lana grabbed his shoulder.
“Wait.” She pointed through the windshield. “I see something.”
Simon turned and leaned forward, squinting through the glass. “Son of a bitch.” He turned for the door handle again and stepped out.
“Hello friends,” a shaggy-headed man stated as he sauntered toward the roadblock. Simon didn’t miss the shotgun propped across his shoulder.
“Hey.” Simon shut the door to the RV and closed the distance, stopping at the road block. “Any chance we can get inside?”
The man nodded slowly as another man appeared from behind him. Smaller and more wiry, the shorter man stood next to the taller, shaggier fellow. “How many are ya?” he asked.
“Two. Myself and a woman.” Simon felt a creepy feeling began to crawl up his spine.
The shaggy headed man tilted his head, trying to peer past the spots of sunlight reflecting on the windshield. “She driving?”
Simon motioned toward his wounded arm. “It’s easier for her.”
The shaggy headed man eyed Simon, measuring him up. “You got weapons?”
Simon’s face was stone. “Yes.” His reply was cold and flat.
The shaggy headed man slowly nodded. “Good.” He motioned to the smaller man and he began to pull the roadblock away. “We don’t get many of the hooligans up this way, but the camp is spread out enough that it’s best to be armed, ‘case one sneaks in.”
“Hooligans?” Simon asked.
The shaggy headed man shrugged. “A buddy of mine started calling them that early on. I guess it stuck.”
Simon nodded. “We called them Ragers. Or Crazies.”
The shaggy headed man grunted a laugh. “Both fit.” He extended his hand. “I’m Trent.”
Simon reached out and took his hand. “Simon.” He hooked his chin toward the RV. “That’s Lana.”
Trent waved at the RV and Lana started the engine, pulling it slowly forward. The three men stepped aside as she drove through, and Simon waited for them to react to her appearance.
Trent squinted through the passenger side and turned to Simon. “Is she…?”
Simon nodded. “Was.” He squared his shoulders and looked up at the taller man. “I was, too.”
Trent raised a brow. “But…you’re not now?”
Simon shrugged. “We’re not trying to make a snack of you, are we?” He gave him a crooked smile. “I was lucky. I was infected for just a week or so. Then one day we woke up and…”
“No shit?” Trent asked. He glanced at the smaller man pulling the roadblock back into place. “Any others that you know of?”
Simon nodded. “All of them that were in our pack.”
“Pack…” Trent rolled the word around in his mind. “Good word for it.” He stepped toward the RV and opened the passenger door for Simon. “We got a doctor in the camp. She might want to give you two the once over.” He glanced at Lana, trying hard not to stare. “I’m sure she’d be real interested in y’all.”
Simon climbed into the passenger seat and Trent shut the door for him. “Where are we going?”
Trent pointed up the short hill. “About two hundred yards you’ll find a Y in the road. Take the right branch. There are a few open campgrounds there and the water pressure is better. There’s a trail that goes up to the higher camp. Doc is parked there in a big brown and gold trailer.” He paused a moment then turned back to Simon. “How are y’all set on food?”
Simon shrugged. “I think we have enough to last a bit.”
Trent nodded. “If you find yourself running low, holler at me. We laid claim to a semi full of retail goods. Everything from canned food to toilet paper.” He gave him a grin. “Even some cat food, if you have a cat or feel like a mixed stew one night.”
Simon shook his head. “I’m more of a dog person.”
“Ain’t we all?” Trent slapped the hood of the RV. “See ya at camp.” He turned and the two men sauntered back into the woods, effectively disappearing into the growth.
Simon let out the breath that he had been holding and looked at Lana. “Still worried?”
She nodded slowly. “I never thought I’d say it, but they were almost too nice.”
Simon slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out his pistol. “Good thing they were, too.” He nodded toward the road. “Let’s go be sociable.”
7
“These are the cheap Chinese-made units,” Will groaned.
“But will they work?” Hank asked. He lifted the cardboard box and gave the engineer a hopeful look. “They’re lighter; they’ll be easier to install.”
Will threw his hands into the air. “It will be totally hit and miss.” He grabbed a box and pulled a solar panel out. “We’ll have to test each one.”
“So we test them, and if they work?”
Will nodded. “I doubt the output will be anywhere near what we have now…but if they work, we’ll certainly use them.”
Hank grinned as he pushed the box back onto the crate. “Just guessing, but if only half work, we should have enough.”
“If the output is the close to the same, yes,” Will grumbled. He reached out and pulled the door shut on the semi-trailer. “I guess we were fortunate to find them, regardless.”
Hank nodded to Charlie. “Fire it up. We’ll take it.”
Charlie hopped into the cab of the tractor and twisted the key, praying that the semi would start. He sighed with relief as the big diesel engine chugged to life, and he pulled the door shut. “Just park in front?”
“Yup.” Hank waved him off. “We’ll be right behind you.” He turned a slow circle, checking for anything else at the facility that they might be able to use.
Will groaned as he came t
o his feet. “Even the inverters are made in China.”
“So they should work with the solar panels just fine,” Hank grinned. He glanced around the yard of the supply house one final time before grabbing the last of the boxes and stacking it in the back of the flatbed truck. “Once we have everything together, me and Wally can work on the frames. We’ll use the ones we have here and copy them.”
“Have you ever welded aluminum before?” Will asked cautiously.
Hank shook his head. “Nope, but there’s a first time for everything.”
Will groaned. “We’ll check with the other men to see if any have experience welding aluminum. It’s not the same as welding steel.”
“So we bolt them together,” Hank offered as he stacked the last of the inverters onto the truck.
“They won’t be solid enough.” Will wiped his hands on his pants and squinted in the sunlight at the facility. “We should really check the warehouses.”
“Let’s get these back first. We can have the men start assembling them, then we come back and pick the bones clean.” Hank climbed into the cab of the truck and waved at Will. “Load up. We’ll come back.”
Will reached for the door hesitantly. He had a nagging sensation that he was missing something. “Cabling.”
“When we come back,” Hank replied. “I promise.” He started the truck and looked to the engineer expectantly. “There are other solar places we can check as well.”
Will climbed into the cab and sighed. “We should have checked them first. I’m not keen on using Chinese manufactured panels.”
Hank shot him a broad smile. “Face it, doc. EVERYTHING is made in China these days.” He paused and gave him a blank stare. “Well, everything used to be made there.”
Will nodded. “I know what you meant.” He slammed the door of the truck and sat back. “But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“My guards tell me that you wished to speak to me?” the older gentleman stated without emotion.
Broussard noted the man’s quiet demeanor. “You’re General Green?”
The man gave him a bored stare. “Last I checked.” He crossed his arms and raised a brow. “What is so important?”
“Apologies, General,” Carol quickly spoke. “We weren’t expecting to see you so soon.” She set down the files and extended a hand. “I’m Dr. Chaplain.”
He took her extended hand out of courtesy. “I know who you are.” He turned to Broussard. “And you’re Andre Broussard, savior of mankind.”
Andre felt his cheeks flush. “I’m afraid I—”
“Don’t be bashful, Doctor,” Green said softly. “We’re fully aware what we’d be facing if it weren’t for you and Dr. Chaplain.”
Broussard nodded then glanced to Carol. “Perhaps you could join us?” He motioned toward the lab.
“If you could tell me what it is you need, I can have my men get right on it,” Green offered.
“Actually, General, we’d like to discuss…” Broussard’s voice trailed off.
“The hierarchy,” Carol finished. She turned and gave him her full attention. “Dr. Higgins has gone out of his way to…”
“Intimidate,” Broussard finished for her.
“Do either of you complete your own thoughts?” Green asked.
Carol smiled and cleared her throat. “Excuse us, General. We’re not used to tiptoeing around subjects.”
“May I suggest you spit it out and we’ll hash through the mess together, then?”
Broussard stepped forward and pushed the door to the lab shut. “Please excuse my candor, but Dr. Higgins has made certain statements that have been beyond threatening.”
Carol stepped forward. “He said we’d be shot if we failed at curing the members of Congress.”
Green’s eyes widened and he gave them both a shocked look. “He what?”
Broussard nodded. “And we have been told that he was conducting unauthorized human testing before the cure was released.”
Green stared at the two researchers, his face a mask of confusion. “Unauthorized human testing?”
Carol nodded. “And we’ve also been told that he placed himself in charge of the lab, even though he isn’t qualified.” She glanced to Andre. “And he’s made it clear that anything we may need with which to conduct our work will have to be cleared through him.”
General Green slowly sat down, his face stoic as he took in the information. “Where did you hear all of this?” He glanced to the two researchers. “I mean, you’ve only been here two days and…” He shook his head. “I just can’t believe that all of this was happening.”
Broussard stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry to have to reveal all of this so suddenly.” He looked to Carol then back to Green. “Our work will be difficult. And at times, it may seem slow and unproductive.”
“But only because we have to solve a lot of riddles first before we can even entertain the thought of a cure for this new rage virus.”
Green nodded slowly as he came to his feet. “I can assure you that whatever you need, we will do our best to accommodate you.” He seemed to stand taller as he squared his shoulders. “You won’t have to worry about Dr. Higgins getting in your way.”
“But, about the other things we’ve been hearing,” Broussard continued softly. “If Higgins has been conducting human testing—”
Green held a hand up to stop him. “I assure you, no unauthorized testing of human subjects took place here.” He turned and gave Broussard a steely stare. “All of the human testing was authorized.” His eyes went from steely to intimidating. “By me.”
An audible gasp escaped Carol before she could stop herself. “Surely you didn’t—”
“I did.” Green turned and faced her. She took a half step back as he narrowed his gaze at her. “I understand that Higgins would not normally be a first choice for any task of this nature, but he was the best we had at the time.” He turned and gave Broussard a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But now we have the two of you.”
“You can’t possibly mean that we—”
“I can, and I do,” he stated flatly. He stepped toward the door then turned and faced the two researchers. “I will say that I don’t condone his threatening the two of you. That was out of line. But I will also say that the intent of his threat was accurate.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze at Andre. “Your task is simple. Find the cure for them.” He nodded toward the infected in the acrylic cells. “If you can’t do that, your usefulness here will be negligible.”
Broussard opened his mouth to say something and Carol stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “What are you saying, General?”
“Exactly what you infer, Doctor.” His face became stoic again. “You two are in charge of the lab now. You have all of the personnel here at your disposal. Including Dr. Higgins.”
“I can’t work with him,” Broussard stated.
Green nodded knowingly. “Then consider him expendable. Send him for coffee; hell, feel free to use him as a test subject. I really don’t care.” He smiled, and for the first time appeared to enjoy the thought of Higgins being a guinea pig. “The lab is yours. The people are yours. They, and their actions, are your responsibility. Whatever you need, we will do our best to provide. But do not misunderstand…your primary goal…nay, your only goal, is to find a cure for them.”
“We cannot condone testing on healthy humans,” Broussard said.
“I don’t give a tinker’s damn what you condone. I authorize you to use whatever resources we have to complete the task at hand.” He raised a brow as he faced Broussard. “Just do your goddam job and nobody gets hurt.” Broussard felt his chest tighten as the man stepped back and gave him a pleasant smile. “You have your orders.”
Both researchers stood in silent shock as General Green turned and exited the lab. Carol watched him walk back towards the steel doors then turned to Andre. “I think we’re in bigger trouble than we thought.”
Andre sa
t down heavily and shook his head. “I should have trusted my gut and run.” He turned red eyes to Carol. “I’m sorry I’ve gotten you into this.”
She sat down next to him and held his hand. “You didn’t do this.” She glanced back to the steel doors then leaned against his shoulder. “But we’re going to have to rethink our mission here.”
He gave her a confused look. “How do you mean?”
She sniffed back a nervous tear. “We have to find the cure now. It’s not just our lives at stake.” She looked up at him. “It’s all of the CDC personnel.”
Simon helped Lana pull the canvas awning out and lock the arms into place. “Starting to feel like home?”
She gave him a hard stare. “I can feel people’s eyes on us.”
He nodded as he reached for the door. “You aren’t wrong.” He paused as a tall brunette woman came walking down the path into the lower campground. “I think we’re about to have company.”
The woman slowed her approach as she rounded the front of the RV. “Hi.” She paused and held up a black leather bag. “Trent said we had newcomers. He thought you’d be coming to see me but I figured I’d make a house call.”
“You must be the doctor he mentioned.” Simon smiled politely.
“I am.” She held a hand out. “Veronica.”
He took her hand. “Simon. This is Lana.”
Veronica stared at Lana for a moment then smiled. “Remarkable. I didn’t think anybody came back from the rage virus.”
“Rage virus?” Lana asked.
Veronica nodded. “The last I heard, that was the layman’s title for it.” She turned back to Simon. “And you’re wounded.”
He scoffed. “Flesh wound.”
“Bullshit.” Lana stepped closer and pushed him towards the doctor. “Bullet wound. A bad one.”
“Let’s take a look at that.” Veronica glanced around for a place to do an exam.
Lana pulled the door open. “We have a couch and a table if you need to strap him down and cut him open,” she teased.
Caldera 10: Brave New World Page 5