Whimper (19 page)

I rubbed my eyes and squinted down through the eyepiece of my microscope. Everything seemed to match up with my printouts. I’d been hoping that with time I could develop a hyperimmune globulin therapy from my own plasma and antibodies. It would require immunizing animals and harvesting their plasma to produce large amounts of the serum. That wasn’t practical now, but if I could prove that it worked and get samples to scientists with the World Health Organization, maybe it would be a start. Now I had Zack and Zoe’s antibodies as well. Blood transfusions from the three of us could be used to treat the infection early, to stop its progression before anyone else was transformed into a monster by this virus.

The antibodies I had harvested and documented in conjunction with the medications I’d already been developing and using might be able to increase the survivability of this virus. I shook my head, unable to believe the progress I’d made in the last few days. If I had access to my old lab, I could do more, of course. I would have to meet up with Amie tonight. The opportunity would be worth the risk. In the meantime, I would make sure that I left duplicates of all information and samples behind with Brianna. She needed some insurance, in case something happened to me.

I started making up my copies, moving quickly and trying to keep my focus strictly on the job at hand. I needed to be conscientious and thorough, but my mind kept wandering to this evening. How would I make it out of this house alone? I couldn’t risk bringing Zoe along. She could either be hurt or it would incite Amie to do something rash.

Instead, I needed to cook up a little insurance policy. If I could finish this serum, at least it might be effective enough to buy myself some time if I was walking into a trap. I didn’t have the equipment or time to produce more than a single dose, but it was worth a try. I started the process in motion, drawing more of my own blood to use. I would need more from Zoe if she’d allow me to use her blood as well. Guilt made my guts churn. Hopefully she’d still allow me that liberty. I was on thin ice with her over the Amie debacle, and she wasn’t going to like it when I left to meet up with her alone.

A knock from upstairs interrupted my plotting. Hope flared in my chest, but it was Zack who poked his head around the door when I answered. “You at a point where you could stand an interruption?” he asked. “We need to convene a privy council meeting.”

“Oh? And who is the Queen?” Brianna laughed from behind him as she stepped downstairs and gave me a mother hen once-over.

“If you make a joke about me being a Queen Bitch, I’m going to beat you,” Zoe said in a mock exasperated voice.

“I wasn’t going to say any such thing, no matter how true it may be. I was going to use the opportunity to flirt with Brianna, but you’ve ruined it now,” Zack quipped, flashing a grin at Bri. She smiled back, obviously delighted by his attention. The big brother part of me wanted to growl at him, but Bri had so much on her plate. She deserved to be silly and flirt whenever she got the chance.

“Let me finish setting this up and then I’m all ears,” I assured them, flashing a smile at Zoe. I wanted to flirt occasionally too, even if I didn’t deserve it. I carefully finished each step, making certain not to rush through merely because I had an audience. It was imperative that I get this serum right. Once everything was as it should be, I turned to face the others. I opened my mouth to tell them about the serum, but stopped myself. I already had my own hopes up. What if it didn’t work? I didn’t want to give the others false hope at this point. I’d tell them about it once the serum was finished and I had a chance to do some tests.

“Well?” I asked instead. “What are we plotting now?”

“Zoe wants to hack into the CDC!” Brianna answered excitedly, “I had no idea she could do that. Isn’t that awesome?” Awesome indeed, but also highly unlikely. I raised a questioning eyebrow and turned to Zoe.

“I don’t think I can do that, actually,” Zoe hedged. “But I might be able to use their network to make contact with someone outside and I would like to at least
try
to get into one of their servers. Maybe I can find some emails or junked documents we can use to prove they’re behind all this.”

“We don’t need a smoking gun. We only need enough information to create suspicion and start an outside investigation,” Zack chimed in. “We want to do something to bring this outbreak back under control. There has to be something we can do to help.”

Brianna beamed at him, clearly measuring his head for the halo she believed belonged there. I admired their willingness, but there sure seemed like a lot of hurdles would have to be overcome for there to be even a slim chance of this plan working. “How are you planning to get into the network?” I asked, puzzled.

“You’re going to the mobile lab to meet up with Amie, right? It’s connected to their network. I think I could get in there,” Zoe explained, flipping her ponytail nervously. “Maybe we can even get her to cooperate some more.”

“Right, she was barely cooperative this morning, and you saw how she was about you being there. If I bring you back she’s going to freak out on us, not hand us passwords,” I protested, shaking my head.

Zoe turned to her brother and tousled his dark hair with one hand. “That’s why you’re going to take this handsome devil and he’s going to do his best to charm the pants off of her. Not literally, of course,” she added with an apologetic glance at Bri, “but he is either going to help you talk her into helping us or at least keep her distracted while I try my luck.”

Amie may be desperate to be the center of attention, but it seemed unlikely she wouldn’t notice Zoe skulking in the small space inside the trailer. “It’s not that big a space and she’s going to be watching for you. I don’t see how this will work. Besides, if this is a scheme to turn me over to her supervisors then it would be better if neither of you were anywhere near me.”

Zack hooked a thumb towards his twin. “Zoe can get in from outside the trailer as long as you can tell her where the access panel is. She’s good with electronics and computers. Always has been. I got all the looks and she got the brains, poor kid.”

I glanced over at Zoe, the chestnut curls of her hair slipping from her ponytail to wisp around her forehead, and almost lost my train of thought. She had plenty of brains and her face gleamed with intelligence, but she had looks enough for me. Brianna giggled at my distraction, glancing pointedly between the two of us. I rushed to speak before she started chanting, “Zoe and Elliott sitting in a tree…” I explained the surveillance system of the lab would show the exterior from all angles and that while it was theoretically possible to access the network from outside, the panels would certainly be both difficult to access and possibly alarmed. “They taught us how to get inside in case of an emergency, not how to hack the system so we could steal sensitive material and release it to the public,” I explained, exasperated. “I don’t have a clue where you’d need to look.”

Zoe eyed me skeptically. “Really? Not even a guess where I might be able to start?”

Damn. I did have a few guesses, but I didn’t want to encourage this stupidly courageous plan. I also didn’t want to damage my credibility even more by lying. “I have some ideas, but they’re purely conjecture and I don’t believe it would be worth the risk to test them. There are dozens of infected patients out there, potentially many more now, and as I said before, the CDC could be waiting for me.”

Zoe held up two fingers. “Um, immunity, remember? You said so yourself. Plus, we think that if you’re going to be dealing with the CDC then you should have an audience. Someone needs to know where you are and what happened.”

I groaned and fisted my hands in my hair. “You…we…I can’t prove that you have immunity unless you’re exposed and I might be fucking wrong! You can’t simply run out there and find out! Plus, just because you don’t catch the virus doesn’t mean they couldn’t attack and fatally injure you. Don’t be so casual about this!” I sucked on my inhaler angrily. This girl would kill me if she didn’t kill herself first.

Zack and Zoe looked at each other, sharing that weird ass twin vibe again. Zack spoke first. “It’s worth it to try. We want to help stop this before they do it to any other campuses and towns. Nobody else knows what you do so we have the advantage. We need to use it.”

“If you don’t let them go with you then I am,” Brianna announced in a steely voice. “You aren’t going alone. You’re too worn down and there’s too much at stake. You need help. If they go then I’ll stay here and keep watch. If you refuse their help, then I’m coming with you.”

My baby sister was blackmailing me. All this time, I’d been able to keep Brianna away from anyone who was infected. The closest she’d been to the virus was handling samples and being around me, of course. We could run into a horde of infected people out there, or the CDC could take me into custody. Brianna helped me fake my death, making her a likely target for prosecution as well. “Don’t be stupid, Brianna. You know you can’t risk being caught with me. You could still plead ignorance, but not if they catch you in the act of aiding and abetting a supposed dead man. You have to stay safely out of it,” I argued.

“I don’t have to do anything simply because you tell me to. You never do anything I tell you to just because I said you should. It’s obvious to me that you need help. One way or another, I’m going to make sure you get help.” She crossed her arms over chest defiantly, tossing her blonde mane over her shoulder in the process. She looks like Mom when she’s being obstinate.

All three of the scheming cohorts stared me down, waiting for me to cave. Once again, I was left without many options. I choked against my feelings of impotence. I couldn’t master my own destiny, embrace my own fate, with my sister tagging along or with Zack playing bodyguard. The entire situation was horse shit. There was no reason for anyone but me to go out there. I was the only one we knew for certain couldn’t become infected because I already was.

“It’s too damn dangerous for any of you to risk coming along with me. It’s not like I can contract the virus again, but it’s very likely that one of you could,” I managed to grind out from between clenched teeth.

“As you pointed out earlier, the danger lies in the physical damage one of those freaks can do to you as much as it does in the virus,” Zack argued. “I’m willing to watch your back, man. You don’t have to go it alone.”

No matter how much I protested and tried to prevent it, I wasn’t getting out of here alone. I sighed, my shoulders caving as the air rushed from my chest in defeat. “Fine. Zack can come, but only Zack. There’s no reason for you girls to tag along and put yourselves in harm’s way. We can handle this ourselves.”

Fire lit in Zoe’s eyes immediately. Oh shit. If there was a list of “wrong things to say,” I’d evidently picked the top phrase. “We
girls
need to stay out of your way? We GIRLS have been saving your ass. Your sister is the only reason you’re still alive to be standing here belittling her, you stupid son of a bitch. If you were doing such a damn good job of handling the problem, we wouldn’t be surrounded by a sea of infected… Oh, for the love of God, let’s call them zombies and stop pussy footing around about it! We wouldn’t be in the middle of a plague, arguing about whether or not it’s safe for us to go out. I know it’s not goddamned safe. It isn’t safe to stay here while everyone we know and love dies out there either! No help is coming unless we do something. The fact that I’ve got breasts isn’t going to stop me from doing whatever the hell I can to get help here faster. Got it?”

Zoe stopped, inches from my face, the breasts in question heaving a little from the effort she’d exerted while ripping me a new asshole. She scared me a little, this hellion who was determined to save me and the rest of the damn world in the process. Where did the mad passion come from? Why this determination to be involved when most people would gladly stay safely hidden away? It made no sense.

“This isn’t a sexist thing, I only misspoke. I’m trying to take responsibility here and keep the rest of you out of danger. It’s safe here. You could stay here and ride this out. Gah!” I scrubbed my face with my hands, trying to find the words that would convince them to stay here. “I don’t want any more lives on my conscience! Especially not the lives of the people I care about!” I swung away, facing the wall instead of their frustrated faces.

A hand dropped onto my shoulder, patting in faux consolation. “I love you too, bro,” Zack drawled. “But you’re going to have to accept help on this mission. You’re gonna have company one way or another.”

I slapped his hand away and stomped over to my makeshift lab table, checking my serum. If I waited a few more hours then I’d have enough for a partial dose. My hands were once again tied, but at least I could finish this.

“Fine. Make your plans and come with me. I’m finishing this serum and some tests first. I still say this is a ridiculously reckless idea. I hope to God you realize what you’re getting into.”

“Oh, we’ve been watching the news. We’ve got some idea what’s out there. We’re going anyway,” Zoe responded, her voice gentler but still not entirely friendly. I’d already damaged our fragile peace. I’d make her hate me if I thought it would keep her locked in here. Knowing her it’d send her crusading out into the streets to find someone else to save. Bat shit crazy. Why did I have to find a girl with an affinity for hopeless causes?