Under a Graveyard Sky

approaching boat. It was probably just someone passing through the area but people were using sailboats to evacuate. It was just as possible that someone wanted this boat. He considered the driver as it approached. Big guy… “Stand down! It’s Tom…”

* * *

“You could have called Uncle Tom,” Faith said. She was still in her hastily donned body armor. “We nearly blew you away.” She took the tossed coil of line and secured it to the stanchion.

“Why am I not surprised?” Tom said, grinning. “Sort of an opsec situation. First of all, I come bearing gifts.”

“I hope that they don’t include the flu,” Steve said, frowning. “We’ve been very careful about protocols and I’d hate to catch it from my brother.”

“I’m clean,” Tom said, picking up a large black pelican case and hoisting it over onto the deck of the sailboat. “And so is this. It’s all been decontaminated. And part of the gifts is vaccine.”

“Hallelujiah,” Stacey said, grinning. “The news said that it wasn’t going to be ready for months!”

“And we need to talk about that,” Tom said, dropping another case over the side.

“What is all this stuff?” Faith asked.

“More weapons,” Tom said. “Ammunition. Legal releases for holding it. First aid materials. More masks and filters. And…” he said, lifting a small cooler over the side. “The first delivery of vaccine. And now,” he said, climbing over the rail, “Steve, Stacey, we need to talk. Alone.”

“Girls, front cabin,” Steve said.

“Aww, Dad!” Faith said.

“Seriously,” Tom said, pointing. “It won’t be long. Sophia, no eavesdropping.”

“I won’t,” Sophia said, grabbing Faith’s arm. “Come on. We’ll find out eventually.”

* * *

“I’d accept a drink if it was offered,” Tom said.

“What, you want to raid my bar?” Steve said, waving him into the saloon.

“We’d better talk out here, though,” Tom said, following him in. “Stacey, I haven’t really said hello.”

“Vaccine, medicine and ammo is the best hello you could have sent,” Stacey said, hugging him. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” Tom said, taking the offered whiskey. “I probably should have brought you some of this as well.”

“We’re okay on it,” Steve said, waving out of the saloon. “If we start using it to pass the time we’re done for.”

“How’s it been?” Tom asked as they sat down in the cockpit. Steve tactfully closed the door.

“Boring, really,” Stacey said. She’d poured herself a glass of wine. “We’ve had harbor cops tell us we had to move twice.”

“Not much pull there,” Tom said. “But the most they can do is fine you. And I’m pretty sure they’re too busy to do that…” He paused and took another sip. “This is good. Smooth.”

“Bushmills Honey,” Steve said. “Why are you stalling?”

“Because I don’t know where to start,” Tom said. “What do you know about vaccines?”

“Depends on the vaccine?” Steve answered. “There are a bunch of different ones and various ways they’re produced. Why?” he asked, suspiciously.

“You know the thing about who you’d call to help you move bodies?” Tom asked.

“Yes,” Stacey said, cautiously. “Do you need us to help you move one? Who did you have to kill to get the vaccine?”

“Several people,” Tom said, taking another sip. He’d been avoiding drinking since the vaccine mission. “And I’ll have to kill several more.”

“You’re serious?” Steve said. “Tom…”

“It’s more complicated than you think,” Tom said. “And not. The easiest and fastest way to make a vaccine is through using killed virus. The only source of the virus, the only place it grows, is on spinal tissue. And the only species it infects is primates. And the only readily available primates are…?”

“Humans,” Stacey said, turning slightly green. “Oh God, Tom. Oh good God.”

“The excuse is that unlike rabies there seems to be no way to reverse the damage,” Tom said, taking another sip. “Once a zombie, always a zombie. And vaccine will save people like, oh, you and me and the girls. But they are, also, unquestionably human. So it is just as unquestionably murder. I have people to…help me with the heavy lifting. And sedated zombies are very heavy. But the biologist who is producing the vaccine does not have help. So I thought to where I could find someone that was trustworthy enough to not talk about what they were doing…”

“How much do you need?” Stacey asked. “I mean…”

“I only got about forty doses from our first run,” Tom said. “And after I said I needed two hundred doses, four hundred actually since there’s a primer and a booster, I got the estimate upped by higher. So the answer is: a lot. The general idea is to keep producing until we hit the eject bar. Or, rather, shortly before.”

“I can…” Steve said, then looked around.

“Would you like me to think ahead for you?” Tom said. “The boat needs to be secured. Although the girls and Stace are trained by you, they’re not you or I. I could detail someone to secure the boat but given the circumstance I’m not sure who I’d trust to hold a boat in the harbor. So you need to stay. And Stacey is your engineer, not to mention just about the kindest person in the entire family. I don’t see her as an assistant to our resident mad doctor.”

“Is he mad?” Stacey asked.

“No more than Steve or I,” Tom said, shrugging. “Bit of an arse, but then so are Steve and I,” he added with a grin.

“You’re saying one of the girls,” Steve said. “To assist you in murder.”

“Assuming that this ever comes out,” Tom said, “and assuming that people don’t just ignore it and assuming that Sophia’s role in it ever comes out, the most she could be charged with is accessory after the fact. The only person’s who are going to know she knows what she is doing are more culpable by far. And you can be assured I’ll be moving heaven and earth to make sure she’s not locked up when the fall comes. To the point of having the plans ready for the prison break.”

“Which will be difficult for you to affect if you’re in prison as well,” Steve pointed out.

“Which is why you’re going to have them,” Tom said, grinning. “The other reason for you to be out here, brother of mine. Seriously. I need Sophia. You have my assurance as her uncle that she’ll be secure while she’s on the island. Oh, and she’ll get paid. In gold.”

“Why would people ignore it?” Stacey asked, temporizing.

“Because I know I’m not the only one with this bright idea,” Tom said. “I don’t have any hard data on that but I guarantee that NYPD is doing the same thing. The cops aren’t going to go without vaccine. Nor is NYFD. And all the same rationales hold. One: it gets dangerous zombies off the streets without having to put them in permanent isolation. Which is consuming so many resources it’s getting ineffective. Two: it saves people. Yes, it requires that some die that others live but they’re already effectively no longer human. At least that’s what I tell myself in the middle of the night. Oh, and for another reason to release Sophia: it gets her off the boat. That’s less resource use and I know that she and Faith have been driving you nuts.”

“I’d rather you took Faith,” Steve said, shaking his head. “If I hear the word ‘bored’ out of her mouth one more time I’m going to throw her over the side.”

“Which of them would you rather have producing your vaccine?” Tom asked.

“Sophia,” Stacey and Steve said simultaneously. Then chuckled.

“Send them both,” Tom said. “I can find something to occupy that little hellion that doesn’t involve being on a BERT.”

“BERT?” Stacey asked.

“Biological Emergency Response Team,” Tom said. “And I’ll ensure they both get the same protection as any of our execs. They’ll be safe. They can quarter with me. I’ve got the room.”

“You’ll regret that,” Steve said, looking at Stacey.

“We’ll have to talk to them about it,” Stacey said. “It’s…”