Salby Damned (32 page)

“Okay, Dr. Eebie” was the only answer.

The helicopter came in to touch down at the facility as the thunder rumbled, accompanied by further flashes of lightning. The captain landed safely but decided to suspend further flights until the storm had passed over, not wishing to place the aircraft in jeopardy. Evie and the children proceeded to the house, and Evie settled the children and showed Steve, Janey, and Luke around her home.

Evie kissed Tom and Holly and said goodbye; she needed to check on Nathan and wanted to know whether there had been any breakthrough with the DNA sampling yet. She made her way to the study, out of bounds to everyone else, and proceeded to the facility below.

The first of the victims they had captured two nights ago had been the teenage girl. She was still heavily sedated and deteriorating fast despite efforts of the team to stabilise her. As Evie approached the bio-lab, now the hapless girl’s home, she could see white-coated laboratory workers rushing about frantically. Without waiting, Evie donned a facemask and lab coat, entered the air-locked room, and waited for the two sets of doors to hiss open and close, before seeking Dr. Kate Simmons; Evie wanted to know what was happening.

“Kate, what’s going on?”

“Evie, we’re losing her. No matter what we try to do, the virus wins. We’re running out of options. If we don’t do something soon, she’ll die within hours.”

“Do we have any trial antiviral serum completed yet?”

“Just one but we’ve not completed testing on AB negative blood cells yet, let alone O positive.”

“If she only has hours to live, then she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. I say we give her the serum and see what happens. Let me come and take a look with you. Let’s make sure we exhaust all options first.”

The young woman was very weak, her skin pale and drawn and her eyes sunken and dark. Her eyelids moved frantically, as if she were experiencing a nightmare in her unconscious state. Evie checked the girl's vital signs: blood pressure very low, aggravated by the jellied black ooze that now flowed through her veins. Her breathing was laboured and shallow; her body was shutting itself down. Evie made a decision, helped by Kate, that it was a now or never moment; if they were to save her, it meant using the trial serum, but it might kill her too, either way they surely had to try to ease her suffering.

Evie filled a syringe from a vial that had come from the bio-engineering lab. The test serum had a pale blue tinge when seen inside the glass body of the syringe. Evie pushed the plunger to send the liquid into the cannula taped to the girl's right arm. It was assimilated into her system as Evie took a step backwards from the bed to watch. The woman tensed, her body rigid on the bed, straining against the straps that held her to it. She convulsed, trying to suck in air and eject a blockage from her throat at the same time. The girl shook uncontrollably, appearing to fit. The electrocardiogram machine showed erratic heart fluctuations with an unstable rhythm. There were wild variations in the blood pressure; the machine beeped warning alarms as the readings rose and fell sharply.

Evie took the girl’s pulse, fighting to hold her arm whilst she counted, but it was all but impossible to get an accurate reading. Kate ran for the crash cart, powering up the paddles just in case they needed to try resuscitation. The ECG flat-lined as the girl fell still on the bed; her contorted face assumed a calm, peaceful demeanour as the muscles in her body relaxed and life left her behind. Kate pulled the cart towards the bed, grabbing both paddles, but Evie raised her hand and placed it on her forearm, looking at Kate solemnly.

“Kate, no, let her go. Even if by some miracle we manage to get her heart started, the serum clearly has had an adverse effect. We should let her rest in peace now. We have done all that we can for her.”

“It’s sad, Evie. She would have been so pretty in life, so young too. Not fair.”

“The kind of weapons we make in this facility aren’t meant to be fair, Kate; what we need to do now is focus on making a cure.”

We should have thought of that before we created this.

Evie checked the pulse of the girl once more, and feeling no sign of movement, she pushed the young girl’s eyelid upwards. Evie stood back, gasping.

“Kate, come and look at this,” she said, raising the eyelid again.

“Oh my God, the blackness of the eyes has gone, not completely but noticeably improved. She would have had beautiful blue,” said Kate

“It means we’re on the right track. She has given us a sign in death and a legacy of hope, and we shouldn’t waste it,” Evie added and stood in silence as a sign of respect.

Determined to beat the virus that she'd unleashed, Evie entered the airlock, intending to continue working with the DNA samples of the other female subject. It was getting late, though, and she'd need to see the kids. Perhaps better to start tomorrow with a fresh mind, she thought.

Changing her direction, she hung up her lab coat and headed for the lift room back to her house. The children would be curious about her day and they would need to be prepared for their visit to Nathan; maybe the last chance they had to see him alive. She shuddered at the thought.

The lift doors opened into the study of her house and she stepped out. The sight of the children playing monopoly on the living area floor with Steve and Luke greeted her. They ran to her as she bent to greet them; Evie hugged them tightly. It gave her relief from the troubles of the day.

“Is Naffam better, Dr. Eebie?” Holly asked straightaway.

“He’s stable, love, not better yet. He’s resting at the moment, but you can see him tomorrow,” Evie said, trying to tell her in a way that wouldn’t cause upset.

“Did you have a nice bath, you two?”

“Oh yes!” said Tom, adding, “And, and, and we had bubbles and a boat and everything. And then Holly threw a sponge at me full of water so I made a bubble hat on her head!”

“Sounds like you’ve had a great time. Is there anything left of my bathroom?”

“We cleaned up afterwards, Evie,” said Steve, looking up from the game board.

“Thanks, Steve. Reckon it’s time for you two to get some sleep, don’t you think?”

“Awwww, do we have to?” they said together.

“I’m afraid so. It’s getting very late now, and if we want to go see Nathan tomorrow, then we’ll need our sleep to be fresh for the morning, won’t we? I’ll be sleeping myself soon as it’s been a very long day for me. Come on, up the stairs with you.”

With both children settled for the night, after the insistence that a bedtime story be read, Evie kissed them goodnight and told them sleep tight before closing the door, making sure to leave it ajar to allow a little of the landing light through.

Evie went back downstairs, only to wish Steve and his family goodnight as they sat watching a late night movie with Gracie fast asleep on her mother’s chest. She lifted her tired legs back up each step of the stairs, showered, and slept a disturbed sleep, littered with memories and fears.

*******

Brian Goulding and Meriam Stuart sat nervously outside the office of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Connell. They had been summoned half an hour previously. They had no idea why they'd been called, but suspected that the incident with Snape was behind it. They sat quietly, feeling a little like naughty schoolchildren waiting to see a stern headmaster. The C.O. came to the door, opening it quickly and startling them both. He waved them inside his office and offered them each a seat on the opposite side of the desk to where he would sit.

They noticed that Major Sower sat to the right of the Lieutenant Colonel, with a notebook and pen at the ready.

“Mr. Goulding, Miss Stuart,” the C.O. began, “may I use your first names?”

“Of course, Sir,” Brian replied, nodding to Meriam for her approval too.

“Very well, thank you. As you are aware, a recent incident on the base has resulted in the unfortunate death of Mr. Colin Snape.” He left the sentence hanging for a moment to gauge their reactions.

Both gasped in deeply. They looked at each other and then back at the colonel, who gave them a fixed stare as he spoke.

“In the process, Mr. Snape stabbed one of my staff and ran down another with a vehicle that he commandeered, an FFR Land Rover. Both casualties, I am relieved to say, are alive and recovering. The young private that was stabbed has a serious wound, but not life threatening. I am aware that you handed a computer component, a hard drive, to Corporal Simms the day before yesterday. That is correct?” the colonel said, not really needing confirmation. He looked at Brian to answer, to gauge his manner.

“Yes, Sir, two days ago. I had wanted to get it straight to you but was unable to reach you. Has … have you managed to decipher it? Is there something we should know?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute, Brian. We need to ask you a few questions about the behaviour of Mr. Snape before the incident took place. Is there anything you can tell us that might help us?”

Neither the C.O. nor the major were going to expose what they knew; they were probing to see if Brian or Meriam knew more.

There had to be a third person or group involved here; the large amounts paid totalled a million pounds. Not small change by any means.

Brian and Meriam looked again at each other. Meriam stared at the floor, interlocking her fingers nervously before she looked up.

“We, we were put in an uncomfortable position by Snape. The wellhead offices had two laptop computers, company issue, that contained data files of employees, email, and job costing. He said we had to find them, both of them. We didn’t know where to begin. Then he found one, Snape that is, so Brian and I came up with a plan to remove the hard drive without his knowledge, because we thought that he wanted to delete data on it. We didn't know why. It required me to use my feminine charms, if you understand my meaning, something I found repulsive, I might add. It had the desired effect.”

Both officers nodded in understanding of her implication before she continued.

”Snape had mentioned some sort of escape plan but not in any detail, Sir. He wanted to sleep with me before he would let me into his circle completely and that never happened. Brian and I are together, you see, in a relationship. We thought that Snape was going to try to incriminate us. Nevertheless, we felt that the drive should be handed over to you so that any evidence could be retrieved from it,” Meriam finished, tears pooling in her eyes.

The major scribbled a few notes as the colonel replied, “Meriam, it appears to us that Colin Snape and Brin Garrett were working together. There was a plan to cause a major incident at the wellhead, and they both received large payments from an outside financier. Were you aware of this and do you know who might have financed the payments?”

“No, Sir, I’m afraid not. Brian, do you know any more?”

“No,” Brian said, stunned at the revelation.

“Very well. We have accessed both computers, and I’m pleased to say that there is nothing to suggest that either of you were involved. On a personal note, and on behalf of the base, I would like to thank you for your efforts to bring Mr. Snape to justice. It is a shame that he didn’t survive to face the consequences of his actions. There will be an enquiry when things get back to some sort of normality I am sure. The fact that you have both assisted in such a positive manner will be noted. It is unlikely that any further action will be necessary, but should you think of anything that could help us find the people behind this, please contact either myself or Major Sower, and only us, please.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Brain and Meriam said in unison.

“Oh, and one final thing, you are not to share any of this with anyone outside these walls. You are bound by the Official Secrets Act, do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“Perfectly, Sir,” they said, almost at the same time.

“That will be all, then. Thank you both for coming.”

The pair stood, smiling as they left the office, walking slowly back towards the exit.

“No evidence, love,” Brian said when they were out of range, and he smiled broadly.

“That sneaky little weasel made it all up, and he was lying the whole time about the stuff on the drive. It means we’re in the clear. ”

***

For Corporal Jane Simms it had been another busy day; the earlier events had certainly caused a stir around the camp. She had taken some time out to watch the spectacular lightning display after the helicopter had taken off for the facility. The C.O. had been pre-occupied with paperwork for most of the day, which usually meant she had more free time. She had checked in with the cookhouse for a supply list and had stopped by the medical centre to check on the two wounded; the female soldier had already been discharged to rest.

The guards had seen a significant increase in activity around the fences during the storm. The flashes and forks of lightning illuminated the prone figures in and around the tree-lined fields on all sides of the base. As the rain fell, she looked out from her residential block window and thought about the future; maybe a couple of days leave to return home when the dust settled. It must have been almost a year since she had been home, and she missed the landscape and the bustle of the city streets; at night, the whole place came to life.

Her work had kept her single, not allowing her the luxury of a social life and relationships had been pretty difficult; she never really knew when she would have to drop everything to answer the calls of her boss. Once this was over, then she would have some overdue leave. The base would run fine without her help for a little while at least. Jane stood captivated, watching as the rivulets of rainwater trickled in crazy lines down the window; she wasn’t the only one with a lot on her mind.

***

At the facility, Evie's night was restless and troubled. There had to be something, something that had been over-looked; it wasn't possible to just take someone else’s DNA, even if it was impervious to a viral agent, and inject it into another human being. The antiviral agent had to be made so that the body didn’t fight it, so that the anti-bodies didn’t cause a massive chain reaction that risked the death of the subject.

The trial serum hadn't worked; the reaction of the girl proved that it hadn’t evaded the defences. But it could have been the virus-mutated cells that had attacked it, utilising the cells for its own purposes.

Evie woke at 3:00 am. The rain had cleared and cool fresh air blew in through the partially open window, wafting the thin material of the plain curtains at either side. It was a welcome coolness as she padded to the small tray to make coffee. It would have to be black, as she didn’t care much for the powdered milk or the UHT stuff.

She dressed and sat on the edge of the bed, sipping tentatively at the hot liquid. She checked the sleeping children before she headed for the lift. She needed to spend some time with Nathan.

Greeted by the duty guards as the lift opened, she wished them good morning and stopped to chat for a few minutes. Her first stop was to see Nathan in his glass bio-lab med room where he rested on the white linen-covered bed in a dimly lit room.

Machines monitored his heart rate, heart rhythm, and blood pressure, with digital readouts every hour for body and core temperature. Sensors fitted to his head measured brain activity, creating jagged prints along a thin paper reel; Nathan's brain was still very active.

Evie passed through the double air-locked doors and pulled up a stool next to him, observing the rapid eye movements beneath the thin surgical tape that covered each eye. He was dreaming of something. She held his hand gently, taking comfort from being with him and feeling helpless. She rested her head on the edge of his bed, almost touching his stomach. She clung to his hand and tears trickled down her cheeks, crossing the bridge of her nose, to form a neat damp circle in the white sheet of the bed.

When morning came, Kate shook her arm, waking her from her troubled dreams. She handed Evie some coffee, realising that she had been there most of the night.

“You must have drifted off,” she said, with sympathy in her voice.

“Yes, I needed to be with him. Unprofessional, maybe, but I love him very much,” Evie said, feeling good at being able to confide in someone else.

“He’s quite a guy by all accounts. He is highly regarded by many at the base. I’ve heard them speak of him often.”

“All the more reason why we have to beat this. How’s our other patient doing?” Evie asked.

“She’s awake and alert; doesn’t seem to be any change in her overall condition. She’s sitting up in bed, and we have loosened her restraints a little further to allow her some movement. She’s trying to talk, but we don't know what she is attempting to say.

“Okay, good. We’ll try to find a way to communicate with her later today. She may be able to fill in some missing pieces of the puzzle. I’ll be bringing the kids … oh my God, the kids! I forgot they were here. I need to get topside to get them up and ready. Thanks for the coffee and the chance to share; appreciate it.”

Kate pulled her close before she turned to leave, understanding the heartache she must be feeling as she watched her man slowly slipping away, dying from something she had created.

*******