“Something is up,” he said. “Someone destroyed this on purpose.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” As he had in the other buildings, he checked the location of the lab and ran with Doc that way. “What’s our time?”
“Thirteen minutes.”
Down the final corridor and a left into the lab, Mick stopped. He groaned.
“What the hell?” Doc blurted.
The door to the lab had already been blown, just like they had done elsewhere. It lay half off the side, amidst other debris.
“The cabinet.” Doc said. “It’s closed.”
“That’s a good thing. Let’s check it. This has to be where the MHS is. We haven’t found it yet.”
“I got a bad feeling.”
“Yeah, me too. Let’s do this. Hurry.” Mick charged forth toward the lab door climbing over the debris. The second he entered the containment room, he swore his heart stopped.
Rip.
Not only did he tear his suit, he felt a searing pain in his leg. He halted abruptly.
“What is it?” Doc asked.
“I ripped my suit.”
“Oh my God, step out. Let’s repair it.”
“No time. No time.”
“Mick, we have to repair and disinfect.”
“No time everything is going to blow.” Mick paused only briefly to look at his leg. He knew it was bleeding. He flew to the cabinet and opened it. The carriage lifted. “There aren’t many in here. H5N1.” Mick pulled the cylinder. “Check. Accounted for.” He moved to the next. “Zaire95” Pause. “Check.” He grabbed the next. “MHS.” He lifted the cylinder and opened it. “Fuck!”
“No.”
“Gone. All the internal cylinders are gone.”
“All six?”
Mick nodded. “What’s our time?”
“Where’d they go?”
“I don’t know. What’s our time?”
“Six minutes. Mick…the antidote. It should be marked.”
“Here.” Mick lifted the cylinder out and opened it. “Gone. The antidote is gone.”
“So everything else is accounted for but that. I guess we didn’t need to be Einstein to realize someone blasted the door for something.”
“Let’s set that explosive.” Mick pulled forth the explosives bag and crouched down.
“With that suit of yours ripped, at least we know the room wasn’t…”
Mick put the C-4 on the tank. “What?” and grabbed the timer.
“Mick,” Doc whispered.
“What?” Mick placed the timer.
“Look down.”
Just as Mick attached the timer, ready to set it, he glanced down. There, by his foot, was a single metal internal tube. And beside it, a broken vial.
They were wrong. The room was hot.
The explosions sounded as they drove the jeep frantically out of Fort Detrick.
Doc repeated, “Two miles, two miles then pull the fuck over. I mean it.”
Two miles at top speed didn’t take long, and both men moved quickly. The red bag was ready. They sprayed each other down with disinfectant, then ripped off the suits, quickly placing them in the bag. Again, they washed with the items they had brought, secured the bag, then immediately lit it aflame.
Doc wanted to tend to Mick’s wound. He scrubbed the leg until Mick cringed and vocally expressed pain. The cut wasn’t big, but that wasn’t Doc’s concern, and he told Mick that.
Mick’s suit had ripped and not only was his skin exposed, he had an open wound.
They wiped down everything that they had touched in the jeep, steering wheel gear shift, everything, refueled the tank and drove off.
They had to call in. Another few miles away, they pulled over. Mick put on a brave front, acting tough, but Doc saw right through it. Doc was scared that he himself had been exposed, and his suit never even ripped. He could only imagine the turmoil Mick was feeling. He watched him, his jaw clenched, face red, but Mick’s eyes stayed forward.
“Let me make the call,” Mick said, and picked up the phone. He dialed and it didn’t take long for Henry to answer.
“Mick, give us good news.”
“I… I wish I could.” Mick cleared his throat. “Power was still on, Henry. Cabinets were secure and sealed. We took out buildings one through five and accounted for everything but the MHS.”
“Was it not stored there?”
“No, it was.” Mick said gravely. “It’s gone. The vials and the antidote were gone.”
“Oh my God.”
“Henry… I… I ripped my suit going in to the final lab. Scratched my leg.”
“But the cabinets were sealed, right? You disinfected, everything was clean. It wasn’t hot.”
“One of the MHS vials was on the floor. Whoever took it must have dropped and broke one when they were removing the inner cylinders.”
“Did you seal the suit and disinfect right away.”
“No. We set the explosives.”
“May I speak to Dr. Kiddi?”
Mick handed Doc the phone.
“Yeah,” Doc said sadly. “We’re scared right now.”
Mick shot him a glance.
“As well as you should be,” said Henry. “Listen to what I am going to tell you about the MHS. Keep an estimated time of exposure. When you get back, pull a blood culture from both of you and examine them. Seal the room you work in and use precautions. Check the blood, this thing is visible right away. If it is there… if it is in your blood, Mick’s blood, you both have 72 hours before you become ill. You have less than two days before you must leave wherever you are, because after forty-eight hours, you are highly contagious and are walking bombs. Do you understand the severity of this?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Conditions of your testing must not be compromised. If the tests come up positive, incinerate the samples, right away.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mick cleared his throat again. “Tell him not to tell anyone.”
“Mick asked that you not tell anyone,” Doc said to Henry over the phone.
“You have my word. And please, get back to me.”
“Yes, sir.” Doc disconnected the call, and his hand trembled as he put the phone down. “We may not have it.”
“You don’t have it. I do.” Mick said. “I know it. I feel it in my gut.”
“Let’s not give up, okay? Let’s get back and check.”
Mick nodded. “Call Briggs, tell him we’re on our way back. Make sure he doesn’t tell the boys we’re returning. Just have him meet us at the clinic.”
Doc agreed and picked up the phone. It was going to be a long ride home.
Lodi, OH
There was heavy silence in the room after Henry informed Kurt of what he was told on the phone call. Kurt had to know. He knew the virus almost as well as Lars. He protested it when he learned of it.
Even though Henry promised not to tell anyone, he had to inform Kurt because Kurt was right there.
“What will happen to them if they have it?” Henry asked. “I know they’ll get internal—”
Kurt held up his hand and shook his head. “This makes me sick. It makes me physically ill to even think of it. Our flu will look like a picnic. The only saving grace is that this thing is fast. Two days. High fever, a burning rash, but the rash is like an iceberg, nothing compared to what will happen underneath the skin. Cold symptoms, stomach flu symptoms.”
“Maybe they don’t—”
“Do you remember how many scientists and techs died of this thing, just from touching a contaminated surface? Hopefully, they will be spared.”
Henry lifted the phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“MHS is missing.” He dialed. “I’m calling Lars.” A few seconds passed and Henry requested with emotionless authority, “I need to speak to Lars Rayburn.” Pause. “Do not give me that. He called for my help. I am calling back.” His voice raised. “Let me speak to Dr. Rayburn. Now!” His eyes closed and he waited. After a few moments, he said, “Lars.”