She ate while he explained. “Once we pick out a rolling home away from home, we can find you some more clothes and maybe shoes that you can grow into. And we’ll find you some toys. Kids like toys.” He gave her another smile. “It may be a whole new concept to you, but…”
Trevor leaned forward and glanced out the window. “Okay, Peanut. The sun is low enough that we can go now.” He picked her up from the checkout counter and she gripped his hand as they made their way to the door.
He pushed the glass door open for her and she stepped out into the darkening evening. Then he took the lead and she fell into step behind him. “You’re gonna love living on the road.” He gave her a smile and she tried to smile back, orange bits stuck in her teeth.
He nodded. “Guess we ought to find you a toothbrush, too. Something tells me you’d probably eat the dentist…if we could find one.”
Chapter 23
Hatcher sat back in his chair, his eyelids drooping heavily. His head bobbed, snapping him awake again.
“Go to bed, Daniel.” Vicky stepped in and pointed down the hall.
“I got stuff to do still. I need to make sure the sentries are—”
“Roger is taking care of it as we speak.” She stepped forward and reached for his hand. “You’re practically a zombie stumbling around in here. You need your beauty sleep.”
He cracked a grin. “You saying I’m ugly?”
She nodded. “You can be sometimes. But right now you’re so tired you can’t stand up. Go to bed.”
He stretched and yawned then looked down at her. “I really should make sure the sentries are in place. We have a lot of new stuff going on and…”
She pointed down the hall. “Roger has two men in the watch tower and two more men on the wall. We’re good. The rest of the security forces are on standby.” She handed him a small radio. “Roger picked these up at a farm supply. They’re two way radios but they’re all on the same frequency.”
Hatcher looked at the black walkie-talkie and smiled. “It’s so light.”
“But it has like a thirty-mile range.” She pushed him toward the door. “This one is fully charged and turned on. If we see anything, you’ll hear about it. Now go to bed.”
Hatcher shook his head. “If they call over this little thing, I’d never hear it to wake up.”
Vicky snorted and reached for the radio and cupped it in her hand. “Give me a test of the warning system.” She held the radio out and the screech that came through it snapped Daniel’s eyes open.
“Holy cow. What was that?”
She pointed to the red button on the side. “Mash this and the talk button and it sends out the siren or… alarm. Whatever you want to call it.”
Hatcher took the radio back and studied it. “How many of these do we have?”
“It was an eight pack. One for each of the sentries, one for you, one for Roger, one for Candy.” She gave him a smirk. “Now please, go to bed.”
Hatcher nodded and stuffed the radio into his pocket. “Copy that.” He stepped toward the door then turned on her. “But first, how did your dinner date with Coop go?”
She smiled knowingly. “He’s waiting in the cafeteria for me right now. As soon as you’re all tucked in, I can go and meet him.”
“Well,” he raised his hands in surrender, “never let it be said that I came between my sister and romance.” He stepped into the hallway and took a few more steps. “Although, I have no idea what you see in him.”
“He’s kind.” She pointed down the hallway. “And in his own way, he reminds me of dad.”
Hatcher paused and gave her a sidelong look. “You know what Freud might say about that statement…”
She shook her head. “If he wasn’t already dead, he’d be a Zulu and nobody would care what he said.” She pointed down the hall again. “Don’t make me beat your ass all the way to the door.”
Hatcher held his hands up again. “I’m going! Jeez, don’t turn into mom.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “I’ll show you ‘mom’…” She watched as he turned the handle and stepped into his room. He didn’t flip on the light before he shut the door and she could only imagine he fell into bed.
“Good night baby brother. Don’t let the Zulus bite.”
“You guys aren’t going to use the entire incubator are you?” Kevin asked as he reached for the door. “I mean, surely I can slip a few samples in there, right?”
Carol looked at Broussard who shrugged. “We’re not certain what temperature we’ll need yet.”
Kevin nodded. “That’s fine. This model’s a tri-zone. I’ll set the lower zone for normal body temperature and the middle to the elevated average temperature of the infected.” He nodded to Broussard. “Is that acceptable?”
Broussard nodded. “Be my guest. Just please leave enough room for our own cultures.”
Kevin smiled and slipped the petri dishes into the machine. He sealed the door and stood back. He could see his own reflection in the glass; he ran a hand through his hair quickly. “Now all I have to do is wait.”
He tugged off his lab coat and hung it near the door. “I’m hitting the mess decks before they clear them. You guys gonna eat?”
Broussard looked to Carol who simply shrugged. “I could stand to. You?” Broussard nodded and set his reagents aside. “After you.”
The trio made their way to the mess and fell into line with the men who had just come off watch. They made their selections from the limited offerings then found a table.
“So, would you mind explaining your plan to me?” Kevin asked as he shoveled a large spork full of food into his mouth.
Broussard picked at the gray food then pushed it side. “We intend to rewrite the genetic code of the
