“There was a scientist with the military that worked out of Fort Collins. He was doing work on the virus before the pandemic.”
Hatcher nodded, then turned back to her with surprise. “Wait. Before the pandemic? How is that possible?”
She hemmed slightly before answering. “We had discovered the virus a few years back. We published a paper on it as a possible cause for the extinction of Neanderthal man.”
“We? You and this researcher?”
“No, it was another man that I worked with. But I knew the researcher whose work we’re trying to obtain.” She gave him a tight-lipped, but sad smile. “He was a good man.”
“A good man that was working on this bug? To weaponize it?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea what they were doing. I just know that it involved the virus. I do know he’s the fellow that invented the sonic generator.”
Hatcher’s gears spun as he tried to process the information. “Wait, so…he was working on the virus before it got out, AND he invented the only known device that calms the infected?” He shot her an accusatory look. “Sounds to me like they must have had something to test it on, yeah?”
She felt her mouth go dry and she tried to swallow the fear that rose up. “I-I can’t say what they had or didn’t have. I just know he was working on the virus.” She had visibly paled.
Hatcher turned to Hollis who appeared even angrier than before. “Still think I have no reason to be pissed?”
Dr. LaRue keyed her mic. “Why would you be angry?”
Hollis stared at her. “You were there, doc. You saw the colonel blow up the top of that mountain. You two were the first to evacuate once he realized what he’d done.” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Now you’re telling us the military had this virus before its release in the wild and they had the generator.” He looked to Hatcher and shook his head. “Looks like you were right, ranger.”
“Wait!” Vivian held her hands up to interject. “Right? What was he right about?”
Hatcher spun her to face him. “That the military KNEW about this shit before it was released. And Vickers dispersed it on purpose.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh! NO! No, no…he didn’t do it on purpose. He really thought he was destroying the primary vector by blowing up the infected.” She swallowed hard. “He didn’t realize it came from the hot spring until…” her voice trailed off.
“Until what, doc?” Hatcher barked. “Until we TOLD him? Before he blew up the mountain?”
She shook her head, ignoring his words. Vickers couldn’t possibly have known. Surely not. He was an ass, but he wouldn’t purposely infect the grand majority of the population…would he?
She looked up at the two men and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Had she been working all this time to try to put the curse back into Pandora’s box? Had it all been an exercise in futility? Had Colonel Vickers done this on purpose? Was he just following orders?
She took a deep breath and looked up at the two men. “Regardless of how this may have happened, I need that research to try to stop it.” She turned and faced Hollis. “And you will help me make that happen.”
“Where the hell did you go?” Simon barked, his face red with anger.
Savage paused and his shoulders slumped. He couldn’t help but see Simon as that little purse dog again. He turned slowly and pulled his sunglasses off. “I went back out to the trap. Something didn’t sit right with me, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what.”
Simon marched up to the big man and glared at him. “You didn’t ask permission first.”
Savage fought back the urge to crush his head like a grape. “You’re not my dad. I’m a grown-assed man and I’ll do what I need to do.” He bent and lowered his voice. “Your tantrums and intimidation shit might work with the idiots you got riding with you, but it ain’t gonna work with me. I only ride with you and do what you ask because there’s safety in numbers.” He poked the smaller man in the chest with a meaty finger. “You’d do well to remember that.”
Simon’s eyes bulged wider. “What happened to I got your back, boss and I always will?”
Savage sighed and stood taller. “When you’re not acting like a narcissistic asshole, I do have your back. But when you act like a spoiled five-year-old, I have to ignore you.”
“Ignore me?” Simon stepped in front of him again. “Motherfucker, you can’t ignore me. I run this gang!”
Savage gave him a smile that chilled Simon’s blood. “Then act like a fucking man and not a spoiled brat.” He lowered his voice again, “You’ll get respect when you’ve earned it.”
He stepped around Simon and walked away.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To sleep. I was up all night thinking about that ambush. I need some rest.”
Simon watched him go, then glanced around to ensure nobody else had heard their exchange. He couldn’t have Savage, or anybody else for that matter, questioning his authority. Not in front of the other members.
Simon walked back to his tent, muttering to himself. He couldn’t allow Savage to keep disrespecting him. He really didn’t want to kill the beast, but if a dog bites the hand that feeds it, you have to put it down. He paused outside the flap of his tent and stared in the direction of Savage’s RV.
Perhaps it was time they had a catastrophic failure. A gas leak? A fire? Carbon monoxide poisoning? He was certain he’d think of something.
Colonel Vickers scanned the report and smiled. “I told you they’d be alive. That Hatcher is a survivor.” He tried not to remember his escaping from the park
