“Does proliferation continue from there?” Julie asked.
“It does, but only to that magic line of viral load — somewhere around 8,000 copies. If the load is higher than 16,000 when it jumps, though, both hosts have a concentration of higher than 8,000 cpm. The virus will continue to spread inside their systems, consuming cells and antibodies mainly, but also overloading vital organs.”
“So the answer is to find a third host?” Malcolm asked. Ben was nodding along, trying to piece it together as Stephens explained.
“Right. And then a fourth, fifth, and on, until the virus has equally spread through these hosts and the titre count drops below 8,000 in each.”
“What happens then?”
“We don’t know,” Stephens said. “But it dies on its own, somehow. Initial tests have shown that it starts to clear up within a day or two, and works its way completely out an infected host within a week.”
“Ok, so we don’t have an antidote for it, yet. But we know that it goes away on its own?”
Stephens nodded. “It does, but like I said, only when the concentration in the host is low enough. Under load, it will increase to the point of becoming contagious to others, but then stop, immunizing the host.” His eyes flicked to Malcolm. “Over the viral load, however, and it will completely destroy the host’s internal system.”
“That’s good news, Stephens,” Ben said. “But we’re running out of time. This thing’s spreading around the country, and it’s not slowing down. Plus —”
“The bomb,” Julie finished.
“Right,” Stephens said, nodding. “The bomb. Any ideas as to where it is?”
“No, not yet.”
“Okay, well I can help. Julie, why don’t you and I —”
“You’re not going anywhere with her,” Ben said, stepping forward.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not leaving.” Ben said again.
“Ben,” Julie said, coming up alongside him. “What’s the deal?”
Stephens stood up from the chair again, frowning. He looked at Ben, scrutinizing him.
Before he could react, Ben took another step forward and punched Stephens in the gut, hard. Stephens doubled over, trying to catch his breath.
“Ben!” Malcolm ran toward him, but Ben held up his arm to halt his approach.
“Stop — let me deal with this.” He turned back to Stephens. “What else do you do, Stephens?”
“Wh — what are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Who are you working with?”
Julie became panicked as she looked between the two men standing in front of her. “Ben, wait, just —”
Ben grabbed Stephens under the chin and hoisted him up straight. He delivered another blow to the man’s side. “It’s not just that you were suspicious to me from the beginning,” he said. “You came in here, somehow finding the road without, apparently, outside help. These back roads aren’t on any map, and we’ve specifically removed them from GPS data feeds to make sure wandering tourists don’t end up finding a back entrance to the park.”
Julie watched the exchange, mouth agape.
“I — it was the IT… Randall. He got me here. He helped me find —”
“That’s not true,” Julie said. Ben looked at her, surprised. “Randy didn’t even know we were coming here. I didn’t tell him where we were going, and even if he tried to track me through my phone somehow, he wouldn’t be able to do in time to send you our coordinates until we were here. You showed up minutes after we arrived, Stephens.”
Stephens’ eyes grew wide. “Seriously? You don’t think —”
“Explain how you know so much about this virus,” Ben said. “You’re a research assistant, right? You collect research and deliver it to Julie?”
Stephens’ nostrils flared, and he gritted his teeth.
“And I saw the way you looked at Dr. Fischer when you mentioned ‘immunization.’ How did you know that he was immune?”
“I didn’t!”
“You did. I saw it in your eyes. You knew exactly who he was the moment you walked in here, didn’t you? You’ve seen him before!”
Stephens’ eyes darted back and forth from Julie to Ben to Malcolm. Ben grabbed him again and started to swing his arm back. A slight smile escaped the side of Stephens’ mouth, and just as quickly, it vanished.
Ben stopped, shocked. “You do know something, don’t you?”
A look of anger washed over Stephens’ face. He spat.
Ben punched him in the jaw, sending the man’s head hurtling backward as it absorbed the blow. Ben winced in pain, opening and closing his fist.
Stephens didn’t react. He stared coldly back at Ben.
Ben hit him again. Julie ran forward and grabbed his arm, trying to stop the attack.
When Stephens’ head came back up this time, Julie saw a trickle blood dripping just next to his mouth.
His smiling mouth.
Stephens spat out a mouthful of blood, then spoke. “You just couldn’t figure it out, could you?”
Julie was stunned. “What are you talking about?”
He laughed. A chuckle, slowly rolling out of his bleeding mouth. “It’s too late anyway. Too late.”
Ben looked at Julie, silently asking her what to do. She shook her head, and Ben dropped his hand.
“It’s too late. Too late —”
“Too late for what?” she yelled at Stephens.
“You can’t save them. Couldn’t save them. Diana Torres, Charlie Furmann, David Livingston. And the others. You can’t save them now.”
Ben took a step back. Stephens. It was him — the man who’d killed them. And Diana.
His mother.
Chapter Forty-Four
Julie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. There was Stephens’ confession, but mainly the unbelievable scope of what Stephens claimed he’d done. Following Julie’s threads of evidence and research to Diana Torres’ door, then to Charlie Furmann and Livingston. Anyone who’d gotten in his way had paid the ultimate price.
Not to mention however many others they didn’t know about.
Julie was beside herself. She’d worked with Stephens long enough to trust him, to even grow fond of him. He was a smart kid, and he worked hard.
But he’d betrayed her.
He’d betrayed them all.
She didn’t know how to respond. Malcolm was also shocked, still recovering from Ben’s attack on Stephens. He slumped in the corner, leaning on the table Julie had been using as a lab table.
Ben, however, did know how to respond. Julie watched as Ben laid into Stephens, landing punches as fast as his arms would allow. They weren’t targeted well, and many brushed Stephens’ head and shoulders. Ben lacked control, and he wasn’t putting much force into the blows. It was an emotional reaction, one Julie and Malcolm were both astonished to see.
But it made sense.
The man in front of her had killed Ben’s mother. He had been the cause of her infection and eventual death, all while Stephens led them through a dead-end maze.
But why?
The question nagged at her. She hadn’t noticed it the first time, focused instead on overcoming the initial shock of Ben’s accusation, and the subsequent revelation that he’d been right.
Still, the question was there, and she had to know the answer.
“Why?” she asked, softly. Then again, louder. “Why, Stephens?”
He looked up at her, and Ben stopped swinging.