Coop tugged at his gown. “That Topiramate will make you light headed for the first few days you take it.”
Vicky gave him a confused look. “Who was this friend of yours?”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “Just another biker.” He cleared his throat. “Who wiped out without a helmet.” He tried to give her an innocent look.
“Uh-huh.” She lifted the box and stepped past him. “Get dressed old man. I’m transferring you to the new place.”
Coop’s face lit up. “Do I get a real bed? I could help keep yours warm.”
“Not on your life.”
Carol waited impatiently as the couple were cleaned up and dressed. “Thank you.”
Broussard gave her a confused look. “You were the one who stepped in front of the soldiers.”
“No, I mean for going along with this hairbrained idea. I know I’m grasping at straws.”
“It’s not hairbrained.” He leaned against the wall and watched her. “No more so than my idea to give them hallucinogens.”
“Psychedelics,” she corrected. “There’s a difference.”
He shrugged. “Tomaytoe, tomahtoe. If there is a way to connect with them, I’m all for it.” He pushed off the wall and glanced through the small glass window where the couple were being prepared. “I’m sure they’re probably starving.” He looked toward the lab. “I wonder if they’d bring them something so that we could start sooner?”
“Can’t hurt to ask,” Carol replied. She turned and gave him a wicked smile. “Actually, it can’t hurt to ‘order’ it. You are in charge of the lab now.”
He shook his head. “WE are in charge of the lab.”
She nodded. “Fine. I’ll order it.” She walked to the end of the hall and got a guard’s attention. “We need some food brought down to the lab.” She snapped her fingers. “Hop, hop. We need it soon.”
He gave her a confused look. “Ma’am?” He pointed behind him. “The chow hall is down—”
“We’re going to let our guests eat in the lab.” She gave him a hopeful look. “While the memories are still fresh in their minds. We don’t want to risk them forgetting how their language works.”
He nodded as if understanding. “I’ll have some sandwiches brought down.”
“And drinks,” she added. She turned and walked toward Broussard. “Holy cow…I think it worked.”
He gave her a weak smile then turned when he heard noise in the other room. He glanced through the glass again then stepped aside. “Our guests are ready.”
The pair stepped out, and the woman was nearly in tears. “My hair…”
Carol stepped close and placed a comforting arm over her shoulder. “It will grow back. It will just take a bit of time.” She prayed that wasn’t a lie.
The man stepped into the hallway and looked to Andre. “I do feel better.”
“Wait until you’ve got some food in your system. My colleague arranged to have some brought to the lab.” He directed the man down the hall. “We’d like to start as soon as you are able.”
The man looked at him hesitantly. “We don’t have to get close to them, do we?”
Broussard patted his shoulder. “The subject we are working with is secured, I assure you.” He sighed as they stepped into the room where the lab sat. “She’s easily agitated and she’s definitely hostile, but she’s secure.”
He opened the door to the lab and the four of them entered. The woman strapped to the table began to struggle with her bindings as soon as they were in view.
Carol nodded to Randy. “Remove her gag.”
He eased closer to the woman and reached below her head, unstrapping the ball gag. As he tried to lift it away, she clamped down on it and growled at him. “I don’t think she wants it out.” He gave a defeated look to the pair.
“Let go. When she’s ready to howl at the moon, she’ll spit it out,” Broussard stated. He stepped closer and leaned over her prone form. “I doubt you understand me, but we brought some people who might actually understand you.”
The pure hatred in her eyes told him that she didn’t care. As he leaned back, she spat the rubber ball gag toward him. It plopped harmlessly next to her on the table. She immediately began to howl and scream.
The researchers all pressed hands to their ears as her shrill voice echoed inside the acrylic walls of the laboratory. The cured man stepped closer and stared into her eyes. “I can’t understand her.” He looked to his compatriot. “Do you make out anything?”
She shook her head, her own hands covering her ears. “She’s just screaming.” She stepped further away and looked away from the crazed woman. She glanced at Carol. “Tell me we weren’t like that.”
Carol opened her mouth to reply then simply shook her head. “I can’t say. I never met you while you were under the influence of the rage virus.”
The woman cringed and sat in the farthest chair, looking away from the struggling woman. Her partner walked slowly around the table, studying her. “She seems more than just agitated.” He looked through the acrylic wall of the lab and his face fell when he saw the others pawing at the sides of their cells. “Good heavens. How many do you have here?”
“Too many,” Broussard stated as he reached for the ball gag. “Our task is to find a cure to their reaction to the cure.”
“There was a cure?” the man asked. He seemed to perk up slightly. “How was it administered?”
“Airborne. We modified a strep bacteria to carry a mutated version of the original virus, nullifying it in human hosts.”
The man’s face lit up and he began to nod. “Of course.” He snapped his fingers. “And who do we thank for this bit of brilliance?”
Broussard pointed to Carol and she pointed to him at the same time. She blushed slightly. “We worked on it together, but he was definitely the brains of the outfit.”
“Hardly,” Andre muttered as
