“That won’t work,” Sutton said, leaning toward the camera. “When I got here, I looked at the air system. That large main complex with all the stores and apartments doesn’t filter the air inside as it’s circulated around. Only the air systems at the presidential complex and this lab complex do that. Everyone in that main complex will be exposed and eventually infected unless they are naturally immune.”
The President nodded, “Thank you, Dr. Sutton. Sarah, I expect daily reports, by video of course.”
“Yes sir,” Sarah said with a nod and the screens blinked as the feed was cut.
Pushing up from his chair, “Come on, we have to tell the others,” Sutton sighed.
As she got up, Sarah turned to Sutton. “The president was asking very troublesome questions,” Sarah admitted, as Sutton headed for the door.
“Yes, he was,” Sutton said, opening the door. “My guess is he’s going to use the vaccine to force compliance on those who receive it.”
Following Sutton out, “It makes sense, but it’s wrong,” Sarah mumbled as Sutton stopped at the intercom, telling everyone they needed to come out for a meeting. After listening to Skannish yell for five minutes, Sarah stepped over to the wall to open a fire station and pull a fireman’s axe out. Walking over to the window, she tapped the blade lightly against the thick glass.
Skannish gave a yelp and took off running for the decontamination chamber. Putting the axe back, “I feel so bad when I threaten Skannish,” Sarah admitted with a sigh.
Laughing, “I don’t, that old fart has yelled at me for decades,” Sutton told her.
They met the team in the dressing area and told them what was going on. As Sarah spoke, she watched each member of the group test themselves and all were negative. “Best case is twenty days before we can start handing out vaccines,” Skannish blurted out.
Rolling her eyes, Sarah walked over to a small fridge and pulled out a tray of sandwiches. “Dr. Skannish, you will eat two of these because when your blood sugar gets low, I want to strangle you with a yo-yo,” Sarah growled, putting the tray in front of him. Looking up at Sarah behind his thick glasses, Skannish tried to scoot back, running his eyes over Sarah for a yo-yo.
Hooking her foot around one of the legs of the chair Skannish was sitting in, “I ran track and always placed. I also had three older brothers. I promise, I can catch you,” Sarah said, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t think I won’t force feed you.”
Reaching out, Skannish grabbed a sandwich and took a bite. As he chewed, Sarah reached over the table grabbing a napkin and putting it in his hand. Walking over to the coffee pot, Sarah poured a cup as the others on the team dove over the table to grab sandwiches before she started on them.
Walking back over to the table, Sarah smiled at everyone to see they were eating. Putting the cup of coffee she’d just fixed in front of Skannish, “Just like you like it,” Sarah smiled as Skannish shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth. “Don’t choke,” Sarah told him as she patted his cheek.
“How are we for supplies before we have to go out?” Sutton asked.
“For regular people about two weeks but for this group, we can go three with ease,” Sarah answered. “But the troops can resupply us from storage.”
Feeling much better after his second sandwich, Skannish drained his coffee. “I have shoes older than you,” he mumbled with a grin as he got up and headed over to the coffee pot. “Well, seems like as good a time as any,” he called over his shoulder, refilling his cup. “I have seventeen vaccines ready for trial.”
“The eggs were just put in for incubation!” Sutton shouted. “How in the hell did you manage that?”
“Used the human DNA based bacteria cell cultures,” Skannish shrugged. “That’s why I only have seventeen. Had to use some on mice twelve days ago and exposed them on day eight. Antibody response was immediate.”
“That’s not in your reports!” Sarah mumbled with shock.
“Sorry, but working under Scott has taught me to hide some of my work,” Skannish said, glancing over at Sutton. “He doesn’t like me going off on my own, wasting resources.”
“What’s the production rate?” Sarah asked, moving to a table and sitting down.
“The culture set puts out enough for one shot every four days,” Skannish answered, walking back to the table. “That’s all we have and I got that from Atlanta before we left. Even with what they have, we could make one shot every two hours. Sorry, but I was working on this because the virus was so lethal to chickens. Since I was almost done when we got some chickens that were immune, I just continued on the side.”
“How certain are you that it works?” Sarah asked.
Setting his coffee cup down, “I took my shot six days ago,” Skannish answered. “I tested for antibodies this morning and have them. By day ten, I should have full antibody response.”
“You tested negative!” Sarah gasped.
“Sarah, as our boss you should know, getting the shot doesn’t give you the flu. We only inject pieces of the flu that we’ve killed. You don’t spread the flu with the shot. The only downside is if the shot doesn’t work on what’s going around,” Skannish grinned.
Rolling her eyes, “I know how it works. I’ve read so much on virology, I want a damn degree,” Sarah huffed, throwing up her arms. She looked around at Sutton and Skannish, then to the five other researchers.
“If everyone agrees, let’s get the team vaccinated,” Sarah said, looking each person in the eyes. “All it would take is for someone that was infected to burst in here and without this group, there isn’t a hope. That means
