“No, we wouldn’t,” Amy agreed, looping her arm through Simone’s. “Let’s put the poor boy out of his misery.”
Chapter 11 - Tara
At ten-fifteen on the dot, Tara and her group were escorted into a large office by two soldiers. The room contained a long, rectangular table ringed with chairs, a projection screen against the wall, and a side-table loaded with coffee, tea, milk, sugar, and an urn. Every seat at the table was equipped with a notebook, pen, and a bottle of water. It was all very pedestrian, more like a boardroom meeting than a council of war.
Major Reed was already present, seated at the head of the table like a king. He acknowledged Tara and the others with a brief nod and said. “Please, be seated. The meeting will begin as soon as everyone is here.”
“Thank you, Major,” Tara said, but he’d already returned his attention to the pile of papers in front of him and effectively dismissed her.
With a shrug, Tara helped herself to a cup of coffee and took the seat directly opposite the major. A deliberate choice. Saul and Dylan joined her on either side and not long after that, Ethan showed up too.
He sat down next to Dylan and looked around. “Hi, everyone. Sorry, I’m late.”
“No need to apologize, Doctor. We all know how hard you work in the hospital,” Tara said.
“Yes, you look tired, Ethan. Aren’t you getting enough sleep?” Dylan asked with a worried frown.
Ethan returned her smile, but it was apparent the long hours were getting to him. “Maybe not, but I’ve got the rest of the day off, at least.”
“That’s great. It’ll give us a chance to catch up,” Dylan replied, leaning toward him.
Tara eyed the two with speculation, wondering where the friendship was going. Especially with Nick on the scene, as well. If she wasn’t mistaken, both Ethan and Nick had the hots for Dylan. The question was, how did she feel about them?
Tara wasn’t sure. Dylan was still adamant about leaving the base as soon as she got the chance. Her main focus lay on Amy and Alex. Not romance. Either way, this is not going to end well.
Within the next couple of minutes, more people filtered in. Dr. Patel, Dr. Wilkins, Lieutenant King, Sergeant Dean, and a few strangers.
Nick eyed Ethan with a look of disfavor before choosing the seat opposite Dylan and next to Saul. He kept throwing her covert glances, which she seemed to miss. Ethan, on the other hand, missed nothing, and his growing hostility toward the sergeant was palpable. Tara could only heave an inner sigh. And so it begins — the famous lover’s triangle. Thank God, I’ve got Saul.
She reached over and squeezed Saul’s hand. “This is it. We’re here at last.”
“I told you I’d get you here even if it killed me,” he replied with a warm smile.
“Lucky you didn’t.”
Her attention was drawn away from him when Major Reed stood up and cleared his throat. “Can everyone find a seat, please? We don’t have all day.”
The buzz of conversation in the room died a sudden death as the last few stragglers grabbed a chair and sat down. Once dead silence reigned, the major gave a nod of approval and opened with a short speech.
“You all know why we’re here. I’ve approved a request by Dr. Lee to clear the USAMRIID Laboratory of infected individuals and reinstate its employees. Their main purpose will be to manufacture more of the cure to the Vita virus and to develop a vaccine. Any questions?”
A man Tara didn’t know, raised his hand. “Does the cure really work? I’ve heard the rumors, but —”
“It works,” Major Reed confirmed before pointing at Nick. “It was tested on one of our own, Sergeant Dean, and as you can see, he’s in perfect health.”
“Any side effects?”
Major Reed hesitated. “If the cure is not administered quickly, there can be lasting damage to the brain caused by the virus. This manifests in the form of mood swings and increased hostility. However, in the sergeant’s case, it was given soon enough to prevent this.”
All heads turned toward the sergeant, and Nick nodded at everyone. “I’m quite sane, I assure you. Not at all hungering for your flesh.”
“Drs. Patel and Wilkins also tested the blood of the three people who’ve received the cure thus far. Their results were conclusive,” Major Reed continued.
Dr. Patel looked up from her notebook. “There were no remaining traces of the virus in their blood. They are also immune to it after receiving the cure. In other words, they cannot be reinfected.”
“That’s astonishing,” the stranger mumbled, and Tara later learned he was a civilian contractor and engineer in charge of the base’s infrastructure.
“Indeed,” the major said. “Such a thing will give our troops the edge they sorely need in the fight against the undead. Therefore, the sooner the lab can be cleared, the better.”
“Where do we begin?” Tara asked.
“We need to select a fighting unit to go in and clear the building, floor by floor,” Major Reed said. “Lieutenant King has volunteered to lead the unit. He also has six other volunteers, all soldiers, ready to join him.”
Tara’s eyebrows rose at the news. She hadn’t expected much help on the mission, although she’d hoped they wouldn’t be sent in alone. It seemed that the major was wholly on-board now, a fact that worried her a little. What does he want out of this? To be hailed as a hero?
“Sergeant Dean, Lieutenant Dhlamini, and Miss Young will also be part of the unit, mostly because they cannot be reinfected. This gives them a decided advantage that cannot be ignored,” Major Reed continued. “It brings the unit up to ten, which is enough given the breadth of the halls in the laboratory. In this case, more is not necessarily better.”
“What about me?” Tara asked.
“We cannot risk your life, Dr. Lee. You are the only one with intimate knowledge of the cure. You will remain
