“I understand. Thank you for your support. I will relay your message about the importance of the statistical analysis.”
“Alright Senator. Thank you for keeping me informed,” the President said.
“Always a pleasure, Madam President.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“Jane are you sure you want to do this? Now that the Governor knows you have spied on the facility they could have increased the patrols.”
“He isn’t worried about me any longer. I got fired so I’m no longer a threat to him. He has bigger fish to fry than me,” she assured him.
“Look, I’ll go with you but if I don’t like what I see I’ll just keep on going.”
“Me too Jane,” her other companion said.
“Jimmy, Frank, it will be alright. I’m telling you. They have no idea where I was hiding. The patrols are a long way off from the knoll I used.”
“Like I said, I’ll go but if it looks wrong, I’m out of there,” Frank told her.
“Same goes for me,” Jimmy echoed.
“Fine. We’ll check it out and make sure you’re satisfied before we start snooping.”
“Even if we do get a bunch of good pictures with the facility in the background and all of that, you are out of a job. What good is this really going to do? Is it just revenge?”
“No Frank. People need to know about this. How would you like it if your neighbor called and reported that she knew you had a relative that has the virus? The trucks roar up; you are thrown in and hauled to the facility. They run tests and if you’re clean you are set free. If not you're confined. Basically until you die.”
“Yeah but it does stop the spread. I mean if I have it and pass it on, how will it ever stop?”
“Look, you’re missing the point. It’s the way they do it. Once you are in that truck you are at their mercy. Some people resist. I saw with my own eyes what can happen. They shot and killed a man because he fought back.”
“Well maybe he shouldn’t have fought back. Just gotten tested."
“Damn Jimmy. The last time I checked this was America. We don’t haul people out of their houses just because someone doesn’t like us. That was what the KGB did in Russia. You’re saying the end justifies the means. I don’t think that is what the Constitution says,” she said adamantly.
“Okay, okay. Don’t blow a fuse. I’m going with you so chill.”
“There is a point to my going, that’s all I’m saying,” she replied.
“We got it,” Jimmy said.
Buck had been in the mine since early in the morning, checking and rechecking every part of the machine. He had laid out spare parts next to each area where a failure might occur. Spare motors, servo units, fuses, tools and electrical parts were ready if something failed. He had even made sure the tools necessary to replace any part were right on hand.
He was just going over the checklist one more time when the headlights of the CDC truck came down the tunnel. Randal, Mark and Jones got out and walked over to where he stood.
“I guess this is it,” Mark said.
“I guess so. My people have gone over every single piece of equipment and everything checks out,” he told the three men.
“So we do one more run through and then down we go?” Mark asked.
“Yes. Just a quick run through. It won’t take too long. I just want to make sure you retained everything.”
“I’m ready,” Jones said.
“Yes, well I’m not so we do the exercise once more,” Buck said.
“I’m cool.”
“Okay. I want you to get in the gondola and hook up the re-breathers. Check each other and make sure all connections are tight,” Buck told them.
The two men climbed in the gondola and hooked up the breathing apparatus. They checked each other, making sure nothing was cross threaded or not tight enough.
“All good,” Mark said.
“Check,” Jones said.
“Good, buckle your safety harnesses. Make sure both the primary and secondary ones are snapped on and the lock secure.”
“Done,” Jones replied quickly.
A few seconds later Mark confirmed his was ready.
“Turn on your helmet cams.”
The two men flipped on the cameras and lights cut through the darkness.
“Turn right. Good. Turn left. Down. Up. Good. Everything is working as it should. Jones, take hold of the manipulator arm controls. I’ll give you a series of commands, just follow along,” Buck said over the earpiece.
“Ready to rock-n-roll,” Jones replied.
“Lower the arm and extend it all the way. Okay. When the gondola is over the hole you will be able to extend it approximately six feet. Now raise it. Extend. Good. See what I mean?”
“Yeah, we did this already.”
“You bet and we are doing it again. I’m going to haul the gondola up off the floor and attach it to the guideline.”
A few seconds later the gondola was suspended in mid-air, rocking slightly. Buck was busy checking hydraulic pressures, temperature gauges and checking bearings. He lowered the gondola back down to the floor of the mine.
“Okay, now, exit.”
The two men went about removing the safety harnesses. They had to help each other disconnect the re-breathers. It was simply too difficult to disengage the fittings in the cramped space.
A few seconds later the two men stepped out.
“Okay, not bad. I’ll run through all the equipment and check the hydraulic fluid levels and we should be good to go.”
“How long?” Jones asked.
“An hour at most.”
“I’ll be ready,” Jones said and went and climbed in the truck and closed his eyes.
“Need a hand?” Mark asked.
“Well, it would go a little faster. Sure.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“Wow, It’s bigger than I imagined it would be,” Frank said as they lay on the knoll overlooking the containment facility.
“Yeah, see those buildings over there. They used to be hangers for repairing airplanes. Now they take the men to that one,” she said pointing, “And women to that one.”
“So they are separated. Even if they are from the same family?”
“Absolutely. If they have kids they go with the mother. I guess they keep them together but I don’t know that for a fact,” Jane told them.
“So the trucks come in at that gate. Once they are inside they are taken out of the truck and then what?” Jimmy whispered.
“Guards surround them. They are divided into men, women and kids and taken to the buildings.”
“Then what happens?”
“I don’t really know. I assume they do some kind of testing and then determine if they have to stay or get released.”
“So what happens to the ones that have to stay?” Jimmy asked.
“From what I can tell. They stay in the hangers until they start to deteriorate too far. Then they are taken to that large building over there,” she said indicating a large white building in the center of the complex.
“Can you get some pictures that show the camp along with the razor wire? I need to prove the place is totally locked down.”
“Yeah, I can get it. You want the sign in the frame too? I can just get it in. This camera can take panorama shots.”
“Totally cool. Yeah, get as much as you possibly… crap, get down. Get down. I see a patrolman looking up this way,” she said pulling Frank down.
They watched, hardly breathing. The man stood there a long time before he finally turned and headed back the way he came.