Hilliard glanced through the acrylic walls of the lab and nodded. “Perfect.”
“You said you had good news?” Carol asked.
“Ah, yes.” Hilliard handed Broussard a file and stood back, waiting.
“What is this?” Andre rifled through the papers, unsure of what he was looking at.
“Those are the CDC laboratories that we know fell. General Green approves of your idea of reestablishing a working lab.”
Andre lowered the file and gave him a confused look. “What are you saying?”
“He has authorized me to escort you to each of the facilities there. Once you have determined which of the facilities would be the easiest to restore, we will send the personnel and the equipment necessary to make it happen.” Hilliard’s smile grew.
Andre lowered the file and gave him a cautious look. “And then?”
“And then the place is yours. Run it however you see fit.” He crossed his arms and gave Carol a self-satisfied grin. “I told him it was your idea. I even gave him the whole, ‘we can’t be certain that this is the only biological danger we may face’ speech.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “He thought it was a fantastic idea.”
“Wait,” Carol interrupted. “What about his idyllic community idea?”
“There will eventually be new people there. Children. They’ll need inoculations…vaccines. Who better than the two people who saved the world to oversee such things?”
Andre’s mouth fell open. “You’re serious?”
“If you are.” Hilliard raised his brows at the pair. “Will your people be onboard with something like this?”
Broussard chuckled and nodded. “As long as Dr. Higgins isn’t involved, I would think so.”
“Ah, Higgins.” Hilliard nodded knowingly. “I think the general has something in mind for him.”
Broussard’s face fell and he stared wide eyed at him. “Don’t tell me he’ll be put to death as well?”
“Oh, no.” Hilliard struggled not to smile. “But the general knows what a louse Higgins is.” He took a long breath, considering his words. “But Cheyenne Mountain will need somebody to act as medical officer.” He glanced at Carol and shrugged. “The base still stands, so there’s no sense in abandoning it. We’ll post men here to maintain their duties.”
“So…” Carol began slowly, “Higgins won’t be following you to your new all American town?”
“Nope. He’s staying right here. Handing out ibuprofen and antibiotics.” He smirked at Broussard. “Doing the old ‘turn your head and cough’ routine.”
Andre chuckled and set the file down. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He gave him a knowing look. “First things first. Treat the vice president so he can be presentable when the boss shows up. Then I hope you’ll be up to flying. We’ll be taking choppers to check out the locations.”
“The general is okay with us setting up across the country?” Carol asked.
“Why not? The facilities are in place. Some still have power, thanks to the small nuclear reactors.” He held a hand up to quell her concerns. “They’re Navy reactors, like they use aboard ships. Perfectly safe.”
She gave him a cautious look. “If you say so.”
“And we’ll assign people whose sole purpose in existing is to maintain those reactors.” He crossed his arms again. “Trust me. You’ll be well taken care of.”
“Thank you.” Broussard held a hand out to him. “You can’t know what a relief this is.”
“No, thank you.” Hilliard shook his hand then turned for the door. “Tell your people to pack their bags. Their work isn’t over yet.”
Simon was sitting in the folding chair around the central campfire when Lana slipped out of the RV. “Where’d you go?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her then shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep,” he lied. He had snuck back into the RV in the wee hours, grabbed his socks, boots and jacket then slipped back outside. Now he sat, fully clothed and still chilled, even though he had rebuilt the fire. “I came out here to think.”
She sidled in next to him and shivered. “It’s cold out here, Simon. Come back inside.”
“I will shortly.” He patted her hand as it rested on his shoulder. “I’m just clearing my head.”
She crouched next to him and peered into his eyes. “What could be weighing so heavily on you this early in the morning?”
He glanced at her then stared back at the fire, unable to look her directly in the eyes. “I’m thinking, even if they want us to leave, who are they to tell us where we can and can’t go?” He smiled knowingly. “I say we stay put regardless.”
She smiled and squeezed his shoulder again. “Now you’re sounding like the alpha I know.” She ran her fingers through his hair then tugged at his arm. “Come inside. Let’s celebrate.” She wagged her brows at him.
He pushed up from the chair and waved her off. “I really need a hot shower. I’m chilled to the bone from sitting out here.”
“I’ll cook you breakfast while you warm up.” She practically bounced back to the RV while he trudged toward it.
In his mind, he struggled. He couldn’t look her in the eye because of what he’d done the night before, and lying about his intentions didn’t make it any easier. He went through the motions of stripping down and removing the bandages from his arm. He avoided looking at Lana as she began to prepare food, shutting the door to the small bathroom behind him.
As the hot water beat against his skin, he remembered how happy he was when he first awoke from the infection and saw that Lana was still by his side. He remembered how his heart ached to be with her. He remembered how much he felt for her, deep inside.
Then he remembered how upsetting it was to see her gradually become the person she was now. He remembered how disturbing it was when she became aroused by violence.
He sighed and pressed his forehead to the wall of the shower, his mind and his heart still battling internally.
As he lathered and rinsed, his mind berated his heart for allowing what had happened with Vee. At the same time, he smiled when he
