Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 (7 page)

"Okay," he said. "But only for another half hour. We could waste all night and the next day going through this stuff."
 

"Agreed," Theresa nodded, and once more everyone shuffled through their seemingly unending stacks of data.

"Here's something," Liam offered, looking carefully at the papers in front of him. "But for the life of me I can't tell what it's talking about."

Alex crossed over and took the proffered document from Liam. He studied it for a moment before speaking. "Looks like some kind of medical document. Lots of government speak, but I think there's something about a vaccine, or a shot, or...something."

Now Dr. Cahn took the papers. He scanned them quickly, flipping back and forth between the pages. "These are orders for some kind of vaccine," Dr. Cahn said. "But," and he flipped through the pages of the report again, "this doesn't make sense."

Alex looked over the doctor's shoulder, trying to figure out what had the man stumped. "What's the problem, doc?" The aging man shook his head.

"These orders seem to be for the same vaccine, but they don't quite match." Dr. Cahn held the papers out to Alex, pointing first at one set of orders, then flipping the page to show the second. "Do you see them? Here and here?" Alex took the documents and studied the orders for a long time.

"So just what is Etamox?" Alex asked. Dr. Cahn shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know. I've never heard of it before. And I'm not sure why there are two different variations of it, either."

Alex continued looking between the papers. "Etamox-a and Etamox-c," he said quietly.

"How were the vaccines distributed?" Theresa asked. Alex looked up from the papers, then over to Dr. Cahn. Handing the papers to the doctor, Alex picked up the Sharpie and hunched over the map.

Dr. Cahn began reading off the various locations and doses of the Etamox vaccines. As they continued, everyone gathered close to see if the information resulted in anything new. The more data sets that were plotted, the more everyone realized something was wrong.

"I don't like what I'm seeing," Theresa said stunned. The data laid out before them showed a disturbing picture, one in which the secure areas and troop strongholds receiving Etamox-c were completely destroyed. The remaining strongholds, those which received Etamox-a, survived.
 

"I don't think this necessarily proves anything," Dr. Cahn said. "Coincidence?"

"That's a pretty big coincidence," Alex offered. "Considering everything else that's gone on..."

"What?" Luke interrupted. "What are you suggesting? Conspiracy? That someone did this on purpose?"

"I'm just hypothesizing," Alex said defensively. "You have to admit that there are some pretty big coincidences."

"But conspiracy?" Luke argued. "That's big. Are we really saying that someone actually planned this?"

"Why not?" Theresa said. She stood over the map, arms crossed in defiance. "Why couldn't someone have planned it?" Theresa's posture dared anyone to cross her. Luke took the challenge.

"That's bullshit and you know it! Why would anyone want to do what you're suggesting? For that matter, just what are you suggesting?"

Theresa's face was hard, and anger flared in her eyes. "I'm saying someone planned for those strongholds to fall. That they set it up, and put things in motion. I'm saying that maybe the destruction of those places was not an accident. Maybe not even this outbreak."

Murmurs erupted around the group, each voicing concerns or agreements to the accusations Theresa offered. Luke was the loudest and most adamant. "Bullshit!" he said once he found his voice. "Total bullshit! Do you hear what you are saying?! You are accusing people of mass murder..."

"And why not?" Theresa interrupted. "People have done a lot worse." The silence in the room was palpable. Luke looked around the room at each person standing around the desk.

"Does anyone else think that all this was planned?" Luke challenged. "Does anyone else believe this all was intentional? Do you?!" Luke's voice raised in pitch and ferocity as he challenged Alex to go against him.

"Things are starting to look a little fishy," Alex said calmly. "You have to admit that things are..."

"I don't have to admit anything," Luke spat. "We are jumping to a ridiculous conclusion, and based on what? A few dots on a map? Information given to us from someone we don't even know, and information we can't even trust to be true?" Luke waved at the map, dismissing the information it displayed.

"We all agreed to trust the information," Alex reminded him. "If we start nitpicking every piece of paper..."

"You mean being smart?" Luke interrupted him. "I will not blindly follow, Alex. And I for one think that this," again Luke waved at the map, "is a load of bull. We are forcing conclusions. We're not using our heads."

"And you're refusing to look at all the options," Theresa snapped.

"What?! I'm not refusing to look at anything, Theresa! What you're suggesting makes no sense."

"Then what's your theory?" Theresa said, cutting the man off. He simply shook his head, barely able to control his rage.

"I don't know!" Luke shouted. "But this isn't it. It can't be!"

"Who were the Congressmen in the failed safety zones?" Hayden stood looking at the map, barely listening to the argument that raged around him. He rubbed his chin and appeared to have heard none of the heated exchange. Hayden looked up from the map and stared at Alex as if nothing else were going on in the room. "No, seriously. Who was where?"

"What does it matter?" Luke snipped. "They're all dead."

"Exactly. And if there is a conspiracy... Listen, I'm just curious who was where." Hayden looked from Luke to Theresa to Alex. Alex just shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. I'll humor you." Alex dug through the papers until he found the one he was looking for. He handed the paper to Liam and uncapped the Sharpie.

Liam read each name on the list, giving Alex enough time to locate their position on the map and notate it. After every name had been recorded, everyone studied the map in detail. "Great," Luke snarked, "and just what did we learn from that?"

Everyone remained silent for a time, still focusing on the map before them. "I'm not sure I see much of anything there," Alex commented. Still everyone remained silent, lost in thought. Just as Luke seemed ready to lose his temper, Hayden spoke up.

"Does anyone remember back to the last election?" he asked, looking up from the map. "Anyone remember all the controversies that went down? Weren't some of these dead Congressmen involved?" Everyone leaned closer to look over the names written there.

"I remember some of it," Dr. Cahn offered. "Some pretty low points in this country's history, even considering it was politics. But were all of the dead Congressmen involved?"

"Senator Hutchinson," Donovan offered. "He lead the rally call against the current administration, didn't he?"

"Former administration," Alex corrected. "There is no government left to speak of."

Donovan rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Former government. Wasn't Hutchinson very outspoken about the quote-unquote, evil practices of the Dalmer Administration? I seem to remember President Dalmer getting pretty pissed over some of the things that were being said about him."

"I remember that too," Cahn said, now looking at the map with more interest. "And here," he pointed to a spot on the map. "Representative Page...he stood with Hutchinson on the House side, organizing those in the House of Representatives against the administration. Is there a connection?"

Another moment of silence engulfed them as each considered their own thoughts. The silence was broken by a curse from Alex. "Crap. Take a look at this," he said, handing the paper he had been reviewing to Dr. Cahn. The man examined the paper for a moment before giving Alex a quizzical look.

"The President?" Cahn asked quietly. Alex nodded his head and leaned forward to X-out a spot on the map.
 

"Apparently the President's compound was one of those that was lost in the outbreak. The President is dead." The revelation of that news was a weight that pressed down on the room. The leader of the free world, the President, had been killed in the initial outbreak of the zombie war.

"There goes your theory," Luke said, breaking the silence. Glaring eyes turned on the man. "What? You were all leading up to the conclusion that the President had conspired to release the virus. I don't think that is viable now, since he's dead."

"No one said that President Dalmer did anything, Luke," Dr. Cahn countered. "We are just looking at all the angles."

"So it wasn't Dalmer. Who did release the virus?" Eyes now shifted to a very belligerent looking Theresa Hill. She stood next to the desk, arms once more crossed defiantly." Who else, that is still alive, would benefit from killing over half the population of the United States?"

"Seriously Theresa?! You still want us to believe that someone planned this..." Theresa cut Luke off, mid sentence.

"Yes. We haven't finished going through everything yet. There is still a connection that we haven't made. We just need..."

"Shut up! Jesus Christ, woman! You just won't leave things well enough alone! No one planned this! No one is to blame! No one is guilty! The world has gone to shit and you just have to blame someone for it, don't you?!"

Theresa came flying across the desk at Luke, grabbing at the man's clothes and swinging wildly at him. Everyone jumped back in surprise before collecting themselves and reaching in to separate the two.

"Knock it off!" Alex yelled, struggling with Liam to keep a hold of the fighting woman. "Knock it off!" Theresa relaxed some, stopping her struggle with the two men who were holding her back. Tears streamed down her face.

"I think we've done enough for tonight," Dr. Cahn said quietly. "I suggest we all get some sleep. We are heading out to a new site tomorrow. Alpha team, correct?" Alex nodded, not taking his eyes off Theresa in case she chose to resume her fight.

"The doc's right. We leave tomorrow at noon, Beta team is heading out at 9 AM. Everyone needs to get some rest and check their gear. It'll be a long couple of days to a week before we are back, so that will give everyone some time to collect their thoughts and calm themselves down before we discuss this again. Okay?" Heads around the tent nodded in agreement and everyone slowly started to make their way out. "The same goes for you," Alex said to Theresa. Her eyes never left the back of Luke as he left the tent.

"Fine," she growled, and pushed her way past the two men. Both Liam and Alex watched her exit before looking back to one another.

"Keep an eye on her, Liam. I don't really trust her tonight."

"I had the same thought," Liam agreed. "I'll talk with Donovan and we'll get things arranged to keep an eye on her." Liam shook his head and smiled. "Damn, that was exciting. You think that someone really did all this on purpose, Alex?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Not sure. But there are some big coincidences that I don't think can be easily written off. We definitely need to keep an eye on all this." Alex clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Try and get some sleep tonight, and let me know if I can help with the watch."

"Will do," Liam said and hurried out to find Donovan.

-----

Alex stood in the middle of the staging area listening to the thump thump of rotor blades and watching the helicopters circle in for a landing. The remainder of Alex's Stryker team finished collecting their supplies and checking equipment. Having finished his own preparations at four in the morning, Alex now relished in these few minutes he had to himself.

The quiet thoughts were broken by someone calling him by name. At least by his false name. It wasn't until they had been screaming lieutenant for a time that he shook himself out of his fog and turned to acknowledge the soldier calling him.

"The commander would like a word with you." Alex nodded his understanding.

"I'll be right there." Alex took another moment longer before leaving the staging area to see the commander. The first of the transport choppers were just touching down.

A flurry of activity greeted Alex as he made his way through camp. The arrival of the choppers meant the Alpha teams would head out soon, and everyone raced to finish the last of their preparations.

Finding the commander's tent, Alex waited outside while one of the guards went inside to announce his arrival. A moment later the guard had returned and held the tent flap open for Alex to enter. Alex gave a quick salute as he passed through.

"Commander..." Alex began, but was immediately cut off before he could finish.
 

"I don't like this," Commander Travis said sternly, cutting Alex off. He stood behind his desk holding out an opened manilla envelope. Alex fought to keep his face from turning white when he noticed that it was the same manilla envelopes that his informant had been using to send information. He composed himself as best he could before speaking.
 

"I'm sorry, sir. What are you talking about?"

The commander slapped the papers down on his desk. "You damn well know what I mean, lieutenant. You have been receiving an awful lot of these envelopes, and apparently this one contains sensitive information. So I have to ask, just what other information have you been getting in those envelopes?"
 

"I'm not sure I see the problem, Commander. Those have come straight from central command, through the proper channels." Alex struggled to keep his voice level against the rising panic he felt. The commander slammed his hands on the desk and pushed himself up. He stared menacingly at Alex.
 

"Don't you dare be insolent with me, lieutenant. These papers," and he stabbed his finger at the stack lying haphazardly in front of him, "is sensitive information, meant only for privileged eyes. What makes you so privileged?"

Alex shrugged, hoping it would make the commander mad. "Not sure. Just got some weird message about looking over old data for any inconsistencies or patterns. Haven't found anything yet." Alex got the reaction he was looking for. Commander Travis was furious, and Alex hoped it was enough to distract the commander from making any connections.