The Dead War Series (Book 1): Good Intentions (4 page)

“Not only will the military benefit from this, but with a more diluted version of it, we can heal every disease known to man without the extra benefits of turning a human into a super soldier,” Philip said.

“Well, we aren't there yet. That's our next step. The good news is we've achieved our primary goal.” Vincent patted Philip on the back. “We wouldn't have come this far without your brilliant mind. Now we need to figure out how to cover our tracks and make our research valid and above all, legal.”

“We need to study the subject to make sure this success isn't temporary. Or if it is, just
how
temporary,” Philip said.

“No doubt, but let's enjoy phase one; bask in success,” Vincent joked.

Philip smiled, “Why not?”

“I have an idea...” Martin began.

“What is it?” Vincent inquired.

“Philip mentioned using this elixir to heal the sick. Why don't we test it on Subject 12-19? He's still alive, but barely. Why don’t we inject the new serum into him, see what effects it may have?” Martin asked.

“I think that's a good idea. We'll see if it can heal someone gravely ill,” Philip said.

“More importantly, I want to see the effects PVM-1 has on a subject that has already been infected with other variations of the compound,” Vincent said.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” remarked Henrick as he nodded toward Vincent.

“It's more than my curiosity, Doctor. If we can save this ape, I think we should try,” Vincent said, having caught the sly comment.

“That's wise, too,” Philip agreed.

“I agree. If it can cure him where the other serums couldn’t, that would be an even greater success,” Martin suggested.

Vincent didn’t see the harm in it. “Let’s do that.”

The three doctors walked over to 12-19’s cage; looking inside. The chimpanzee was in the worst shape it could possibly be in. There were bald spots on the ape’s arms, legs, stomach and back where the fur had fallen out. Pus-filled abscesses had opened on the ape's face and chest oozing a greenish-yellow foul smelling fluid.  The ape was lethargic as he lay helpless in the cage, unable to open its eyes. His chest barely rose as he struggled to breathe, wheezing with every breath.

“Oh my God,” gasped Vincent as he looked at the sickened primate.

“That's the same reaction I had when I came in this morning,” Philip said.

“Give him two milliliters of the PVM-1. If it works, it’ll save his life… hopefully. If not, we inject him with twelve milliliters of sodium phenobarbital,” Vincent ordered. If they couldn’t save him, he’d at least put the beast out of his misery once and for all.

“All right,” Philip said. He filled another syringe with the serum and made his way back to the ape’s cage.

Martin opened the door and exposed the ape’s arm so he could give the injection. Philip slid the needle into the ape’s vein and emptied the syringe. The ape released a tiny whimper and then fell silent. Even its chest ceased its unsteady movement.  The long beeping sound on the monitor meant only one thing. Subject 12-19 had passed away.

“I guess we were too late,” Vincent said with some measure of regret.

“Call the time,” Philip said.

Martin looked at the lab clock. “9:45 AM.”

“Make sure to write the notes on specimen 12-19 and the effects of compound RTS-14, RTX-52 and the immediate reaction to PVM-1,” Vincent said.

“Sure thing.” Martian nodded. He looked at the ape again. “He really did look bad, didn’t he? Truth be told, I’m actually happy he’s out of his misery.”

“Aren’t we all,” Philip commented.

“Indeed. All right, disconnect the wires; get a few biological samples from him. I want blood, skin, fur and flesh,” Vincent ordered. “I'll make the arrangement to get the body out of here.”

Martin reached over to disconnect the wire attached to the ape’s right pectoral. The ape's eyes shot open revealing black irises. It took hold of Martin's wrist, gripping it with the strength of an ape twice its size. Martin screamed as the fragile bones in his wrist began to snap and break under the extreme pressure.  The ape sat up quickly, and bit deeply into Martin's forearm. Martin screamed louder as he struggled savagely to wrestle away from the animal. The animal’s teeth were embedded deeply into his flesh. Blood bubbled up from the wounds around the ape's canines. Then the ape reared its head back, ripping away flesh and muscle. Blood splattered Martin's upper body coating him. Philip ran as fast as he could over to Martin, grabbing hold of his elbow and doing his best to pry Martin's arm from the ape before he could attack again. Vincent joined them as Martin fought the dizziness that threatened to black him out.

Martin remained conscious as he assisted Philip and Vincent in prying his wrist away from the ape's grasp. He screamed again as pieces of his skin ripped from his body as he pulled away from the animal's grip. Once the doctor was free, Vincent slammed the cage door closed as fast as he could, locking it in place.

Philip aided Martin who was holding his bleeding arm, trying to apply pressure to the wound.

“Jesus Christ! I thought the damn thing was dead. We need to get you to the hospital. Hurry, come on,” Philip suggested, ushering Martin toward the exit. “We have to decontaminate you, Martin!”

“Oh God, look at it,” Martin said as he looked at the wound in his arm. The skin around the bite began to turn a sickening yellowish color.

“What the hell?”  Vincent said as he saw the instant discoloration on the doctor’s wound. “We need to get him to a hospital right away.” He ran over to the telephone, dialing 9-1-1.

The ape in the cage began to screech and rattle the bars as it tried desperately to break free.

“Holy shit! Look at him!” Philip said as he darted glances from the festering wound to the ape in the cage.

“We need to get him out of here, now!” Vincent yelled to Philip as he kept his eyes on the ape. He began to back up towards the others as they made their way to the exit.

Martin held the tattered remains of his bio-suit to his wound as he made his way through the decontamination chamber with Philip’s assistance.

“The ambulance is on its way, we need to get you downstairs to wait for them. Security is on their way,” Vincent informed them after catching up to the two men. He stood under the decontamination spray with the others.

“God, there's so much blood, I think he's bleeding out!” Philip gasped, looking at the wound.

“God, I feel sick… we need to tell the hospital about the two compounds when I get there,” Martin said. His legs grew weak and he nearly fell, but both Philip and Vincent caught him, hoisting him up and supporting him by the waist.

“That’s top secret, I don’t know if you can divulge that kind of information. Just tell them you were bitten by a lab animal and if they need it, do what you have to do, but you didn’t hear that from me,” Vincent advised.

Martin nodded and looked up as soon as SciTech security rushed toward him.

“Please get him into the ambulance that’s on its way,” Vincent instructed.

“Yes sir,” one of the security guards said, taking Dr. Martin by his arm. They walked away and Vincent and Philip went back through the decontamination chamber, then back into the lab. Vincent watched the ape as it struggled wildly inside the thick steel cage. He'd never seen an animal in such a mindless rage. A part of him was mesmerized, but he knew that what he was seeing wasn't normal.

“You need to see this,” Philip called out urgently to Vincent.

“What is it?” Vincent asked, rounding the table to look at the monitors. He studied the screen for several seconds and then he saw it. “Oh my God.”

“I know, it has no heartbeat and very minimal brain activity,” Philip said.

“The hypothalamus and primary motor cortex
show highly active signs of activity… but no other parts of the brain seem to be active. Not to mention the lack of a freakin’ heartbeat. Are we really reading this right?” Vincent asked as he frantically looked over the several monitors then back at the ape that was yanking as hard as it could against the bars of the cage.

“There's a little bit of activity in the cerebellum, but not much, not enough to explain why a dead animal is moving,” Philip said. His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest as he attempted to wrap his mind around what had just happened and what he was currently seeing.

“What in the hell is happening here?” Vincent asked the question to no one in particular. He looked at the ape, the very animal that by every law of science known to man was legally dead. How was it possible that it was screeching and raging inside its cage? Its creepy black eyes focused hard on both doctors as it foamed at the mouth.

“We need to sedate it and find out why it’s still alive when it shouldn’t be,” Vincent said.

“I think we need to do that right now, it looks like it’s about to break out of that cage,” Philip added.

Vincent nodded as he rushed over to the cabinet that held their medication and sedatives. He pulled out an injection needle, loading it into the gun chamber. The animal inside the cage smashed its powerful forearms against the bars, finally breaking through.

“Oh shit!” Vincent yelped as he moved to the far end of the room, still struggling to load the gun.

The raging chimpanzee leaped on top of the stainless steel table then over to where the monitors and Dr. Philip stood with the desk the only barrier between him and the ape. The ape leaped again, crashing its full body weight against Philip. Both fell back over the chair and Philip fought desperately with the animal, flipping the desk over in the process and sending the computers and monitor screens crashing to the floor.

Vincent ran around the surgery table, aiming the gun at the ape just as it bit into Philip's chest and ripped away flesh. He shot the ape with a double dose of Etorphine, hoping to render the animal unconscious if not permanently dead. Philip held his hands out, trying desperately to keep the animal at bay. The ape lunged forward again, unaffected by the sedative and bit deeply into Philip’s neck. Rearing back its head, it tore away flesh and cartilage as it severed Philip's jugular. Arterial blood spurted from the open wound, splattering the ape, Philip, the wall and the floor.

Terrified, Vincent ran into the decontamination chamber just as the animal set its sights on him. He stood horrified by what he’d just witnessed. Never had an animal had the strength to break through the reinforced steel bars of the containment cages. He stood with his back pressed firmly against the other exit door as the chemical mist washed over him. As he stood there, the ape began to slam against the first door rattling it on his hinges.

Vincent screamed as he pulled on the handle of the second door, struggling to get out before the ape broke through. The ape pounded repeatedly on the door, rattling the handle and the glass in the window. Vincent’s stomach was constricted into a ball of tangled knots as he waited for the chemical rinse to complete its process so the automatic lock on the door would free him. Finally it was done and the lock released. Vincent turned the handle and bolted free, slamming the door behind him. He ran over to the medicine cabinet, pushing the heavy furniture with all his might in front of the door. Once it was in place, he took several steps back, struggling to catch his breath. He knew he had to warn security, so he turned around, locating the emergency button on the telephone.

“Yes, Dr. Masterson?” the security person asked upon answering the call.

“We’ve got an emergency, sixth floor in my lab! We need to call the police! Dr. Pierce has been killed by one of our test subjects. You need to bring heavy artillery; the animal is very strong and fast,” Vincent said in a rush of words he hoped were clear enough that they understood his urgency.

Clearly, they did because the security guard announced that he was on his way up before ending the call. Vincent didn’t want to be anywhere near the monster ape. He still didn’t understand how the animal became resurrected. It didn't help matters that the animal was stronger than any normal chimpanzee its age and size. He ran into the hallway to look through the thick glass window into the lab. There he could see the ape tearing into what remained of his friend, Philip. His stomach lurched and he had to swallow hard to keep down the donut he ate for breakfast.

Security rushed up the stairs and met up with him in the hallway.

“What’s the situation?” the head security chief asked, as he took the safety off his 9 mm.

“Ah, the ape… it killed him. I… I…” Vincent stammered as he tried to find the right words to prepare the men for what they were getting themselves into. “It’s dangerous and you have to kill it. Be careful, it's very strong and fast.”

The security guards looked through the window and saw firsthand the carnage that Vincent had tried to describe. They couldn’t believe it. Never in the history of SciTech Labs had anything like this ever happened.

“Jesus Christ,” one of the officers gasped.

The ape looked up from its meal, face and fur matted with bloody bits of flesh. Muscle and shredded skin clung to the ape’s open mouth, dripping more blood and bits onto its chest and floor.  In a fit of blind hunger the animal raced toward the glass throwing itself at the pane. The men standing there watching the animal jumped backward, shocked by the animal’s aggression. The ape lunged again and the glass shuddered under the powerful force of the animal’s weight.