“No? How do you work together for a couple of years to create a deadly drug and virus?”
“North Korea lied to them. Used Q—Dr. Phe Quong—as bait. They lured them all in, saying it was a humanitarian project. That they were going to work on protecting livestock. It wasn’t until they were all in that they realized the project’s true purpose. By then, North Korea had a bead on their families, loved ones. Mama and Q had family there with them who were actively threatened. I don’t agree with what they did, but as I’ve gotten to know most of them, I can tell they felt they had no way out.”
“Is this more of the story that my guys will give me today?”
“Probably.” She smiled. “Keep an open mind, that’s all I can tell you.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve jumped in over my head?”
“Because you have. If Uncle and Zed are anything like Doc and Tango, you’ll wish you’d met them sooner, apocalypse or not.”
“Are we allowed to…go outside and stuff?”
“Oh, sure. We’re not prisoners. I mean, here it’s safe. Feel free to wander around the beach. When you’re up at Atlanta they have some different protocols for safety. Just ask.”
“Thanks.” Leta fixed herself a mug of coffee and headed downstairs. Every pleasant ache and pain she felt as she walked reminded her of the activities she’d been engaged in. She stopped when she reached the man standing watch at the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t expect you to, Snarky. You been a little busy. Name’s Quack.” He stuck out a hand.
She shook with him. “Guess I shouldn’t feel so bad about my nickname, huh?”
He shrugged. “Could always be worse.”
“True.”
“Pandora said I could walk around?”
“Sure. Just don’t cross over the causeway by yourself. We’re the only ones on the island. Beach is that way.” He pointed toward what she assumed was the west, since it was the opposite direction from where the sky appeared just a tad bit lighter.
“Thanks.” She headed that way and followed a well-trod path through a dune onto the beach. It was low tide, the breeze light but crisp and out of the north. She walked down to the more firmly packed sand past the high-tide line. In the grey light she headed north a little ways before she stopped and faced the west, staring out over the empty Gulf of Mexico. In the early morning, the water looked almost black a little way from shore, the cloudless sky still holding a blanket of stars toward the western horizon.
This didn’t even feel real. Not by a long shot. She’d gone from single and homeless and clueless as to what her next step would be, to suddenly being absorbed into an apocalyptic showdown to save the world.
Her parents had both died while on duty. She’d absolutely decided she wasn’t going to enlist in the military, another reason for choosing med school when she had the “free money” to do so.
Now here she was, a willing volunteer because of a random, half-comatose encounter with two sexy hunks.
She was also out of a job with only a few months left before finishing her residency, even though technically she was listed as taking vacation and family leave time, followed by an unpaid leave of absence. If she went back within six months, she could pick up where she left off without any hassles. She’d left it all up in the air with her supervisor, that she’d call her back today to confirm that was the plan based on what happened with her “family emergency.”
Although if these dudes were as well-connected as they appeared to be, someone, somewhere, likely could help her out with her job situation if it became a problem.
I hope I did the right thing.
She wasn’t one to second-guess herself too often. Life was short and in light of the current world situation, spending too much time dwelling on alternatives might prove hazardous to one’s health, if not downright deadly.
Deeply inhaling the sweet salt air, she was shocked to realize that, for the first time in her adult life, she also felt at peace. Usually she was too busy with school or work or life or everything to actually stop for a moment and just…be.
When was the last time I actually went…outside. Just for the sake of being outside?
She was shocked to realize she honestly couldn’t remember.
Standing there for at least half an hour as the sky slowly lightened behind her, she tried to sort everything out in her mind. There were a thousand reasons she could come up with as to why this had been a stupid, dumb-ass decision on her part, but they all broke apart and dissolved when she thought about one thing—
She could really help save the world and make her parents’ sacrifice worthwhile. They’d been in the military to make a better life for themselves and for her. Their deaths had allowed her to go to college and become a doctor.
Maybe it was time to start making decisions about her future instead of doing her damnedest to default to whatever choice life happened to throw at her at any given time.
Movement to the south caught her eye and she spotted two forms crossing the dune and heading toward her. Instinctively she knew it was Uncle and Zed, even though she couldn’t quite make them out in the darkness yet. Sure enough, as they drew closer, her heart sped up as she recognized them.
“You left,” Uncle said as he pulled her close and kissed her good morning.
“Not fair,” Zed added as he held her from behind.
“Sorry, guys. Didn’t realize I was going to take a walk. Just wanted to clear my head.”
Uncle stared down at her. “Second thoughts?”
She snorted. “Second thousand thoughts. But no, not going to bail on you guys.”
Both men breathed audible sighs of relief.
“Papa is awake,” Uncle said. “Just finishing up his morning tai chi. He wants to see us before chow. Going to send us to Atlanta.”
“Us?” A thread of anxiety ran through her. She didn’t want to be separated from them that quickly.
“All three of us.”
“I’m not a researcher.”
“No, he wants us stationed there at the safe house. We don’t have a medic who stays there all the time. He’s going to rotate the three of us up there and move a couple of guys back here for a while.”
“What about the doctors? They don’t live at the CDC, do they? Don’t they go back to the safe house?”
“They’re not medics,” Zed said. “Clara told us Sin nearly wet himself the first time he had to give a kid a vaccination shot in her clinic. They’re all ‘doctors,’ but not necessarily MDs used to dealing with people as patients instead of guinea pigs. Like Canuck. She’s a chemist. In the treating patients department we’ve got Doc, Tango, Clara—who’s a nurse practitioner and about as good as any doctor—and now you.”
“Why does he want us up there, though?”
“Because he feels that we’d be a better fit for up there,” Uncle said. “Good thing is, lots of shooting ranges up there.” Uncle smiled. “Get to teach you to shoot.”
“I don’t get it. Good fit how?”
“Less crowded.” Zed had started nibbling on the back of her neck. “We’ll have time to ourselves.”
Now it hit her. “Ah. Your commanding officer is a fan of letting lovebirds out of the cage every once in a while?”
“Dammit, Paul,” Zed said. “She’s talking again.”
She drew back a little to look up into Uncle’s green eyes. “Paul?”
He rolled same-said gorgeous greens. “Paolo Elder, but I prefer Paul. He’s Mickey, so don’t go giving me grief.”
She tipped her head onto Zed’s shoulder. “Mickey?”
“Mickey Hopper, at your service.”
“You can service me, all right, once I get some more coffee in me.”
Zed froze. “Okay, maybe talking like that’s not such a bad thing after all.”
“How dangerous is Atlanta?”
“We’re going to need to get you some warmer clothes,” Uncle said.
“Nothing you’ve got will keep you warm enough. Our place up there is safe.”
“I’ve never seen snow before. We going to have hot chocolate and stuff to warm our insides?”
“I’ll warm your insides,” Zed promised.
“You are a horn dog.” She bumped her hips back against him. Even through her jeans and his she could feel the stiff outline of his cock.
“You complaining?”
“Didn’t say that.”
“You are not an easy woman to have a conversation with.”
“You complaining?” She smiled at him over her shoulder.
He smiled back. “Didn’t say that.”
* * * *
Zed was starting to think that Leta with a chunk of sleep and copious amounts of caffeine in her might be deadly not only to his reserves, but that she might be able to conversationally lap him several times before he even got his engine cranked and drove out of pit row.
Not that he was complaining. Definitely not.
Nothing against any of the other women in their unit, especially since the women in their unit had collectively helped pull their mission—and their asses—out of the metaphorical and literal fire more than once.
But they weren’t…
Spicy.
Like chopping up a Scotch bonnet pepper, finely dicing it, and then tossing it into your scrambled eggs.
Everything’s normal and bland, and then…
Zing.
That was Leta. The zing.
To be honest, the apocalypse had gotten pretty damn boring.
Find the scientists. Stay alive. Don’t become a Kiter.
If it wasn’t for the fact that this time it was the fate of the whole damn planet resting on their shoulders, he’d say it wasn’t much different than some of the insurgent runs they’d gone on in the early days when their unit was first formed a few years ago.
Zed nipped the side of her neck. “Let’s go grab chow and talk to Papa. We won’t leave until later this afternoon. Panda has to fly the crew down from Atlanta and then pick us up. She spent the night up there last night after running a load of samples and data to them.”
“What about guarding your people up there while they work?”
“We’ve got some inside guys. As long as they’re in the hospital, they’re safe. It’s a short flight down and back again.”
She turned in Uncle’s arms. She’d finished her coffee and handed Zed the mug. “Then if we’re going to have time together before we fly, I suggest we get busy.”
His cock throbbed, aching. If it wasn’t so damn chilly on the beach, he’d pull her down to the sand and make love to her right there.
Except he was afraid his cock would shrivel up like a stack of dimes in the crisp morning air.
* * * *
Uncle still wasn’t sure how the hell they’d left their safe house on Thanksgiving morning on a simple supply run, and then ended up this morning with…
Her.
He didn’t know about Zed, but Black Friday would never be the same for him again, ever.
He hadn’t been asleep when Leta left their bed and got dressed. He suspected she wanted a few minutes alone.
Nothing in his life could ever compare to the joy he felt when he first opened his eyes and spotted her lying there between them. Not a mirage, not wishful thinking. The slow rise and fall of her chest, the scent of their lovemaking still hanging in the air…
Her adorable snoring. Which wasn’t bad if she laid on one side or the other.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why the triads took every available opportunity to get it on like rabbits.
The end of the world.
You had to grab happiness by the balls any chance you got and tickle its taint while you still could.
Because tomorrow, you might not get another chance.
They’d been lucky on their mission, so far. Damned lucky. So many close calls with Kite and other shit. Knock on wood, they’d only lost one person to date. Sparky, who’d joined them when Annie had partnered up with them. The retired firefighter had been trying to help them scout the best way out of LA when they’d been waylaid by armed thugs.
“I think the lady has a wonderful idea,” Uncle said.
Frankly, he wasn’t sure how he’d concentrate on what Papa had to say until he’d gotten laid again. Sure, he had a mission to go on.
His cock hadn’t signed up for that, though.
Actually, he now felt more than a little sorry for their CO and second. They were the only two men still unpaired.
Well, there’s still time.
They headed back to the buildings. Uncle didn’t even want to think about what the future would hold for them after the vaccine was developed and distributed.
All he wanted to do was focus on staying alive, keeping all of them alive, and surviving one day to the next.
Jinxing the future by contemplating it when it wasn’t even there yet was just tempting fate.
Chapter Thirteen
Papa was waiting for them in the dining area. Leta couldn’t help but notice that the food she’d eaten so far was as good as—if not better than—the hospital fare she’d been used to. As they took their food to one of the tables, Papa joined them.
“Congratulations. Bubba checked you out and cleared you to join us,” he started without preamble. “As I already told Uncle and Zed, I’m sending the three of you to Atlanta this afternoon.”
“We have time to secure her gear?” Uncle asked.
“Grab some duffels and pack what you need,” Papa said. “You can spend whatever’s necessary up there to get her properly equipped.”
“Great,” she said. “Shopping on Black Friday. Just what I’d love to do.”
“Sorry,” Uncle said with a smile. “Florida isn’t known for needing cold-weather gear. Not this far south.”
“And we haven’t had to equip women before now,” Zed added.
“I hope the plane has airsick bags.”
“Why?” all three men asked.
“I’m still a virgin in one way, boys.”
“Never flown before, huh?” Papa asked.
“Bingo.”
His smile faded. “How much have they told you about what we’ve been through?”
“Globe-trotting military guys saving the world from Kite and a batcrap crazy preacher.”
“Close enough.” Papa directed his next comment to Uncle. “I’m sure you’ll be…busy before, but while you’re on the plane, make sure to let her peruse the evidence.”
“Including what happened in LA?” Uncle asked.
“Especially what happened in LA. And Barstow. And Atlanta. She’s now our de facto medical officer while Doc’s pulling lab duty. Therefore, she needs to know everything.”
Dread threatened to settle over her. “What happened in LA and Barstow?” she asked. “I mean, I know it’s toast and all.”
Papa focused on her again. “There’s a reason LA went so fast,” he said. “Not because of the earthquake and riots, either. Reverend Silo unleashed Kite there.”
Queasiness set in. “The virus?” She’d seen the memos. If they had anyone show up testing positive for Kite the drug, they were to report it to the CDC immediately and label it a “heroin-beta” overdose to prevent a public panic or confusion over the virus.
They hadn’t seen any cases of it, yet, much to her immense relief. Just your garden variety heroin, meth, and the occasional pill OD.
“The virus,” Papa confirmed. “Which reminds me. Panda’s bringing back another batch of experimental vaccinations with her. You’ll need to get one before you leave. They’ve already been through test runs up there. As well as the preliminary vaccine they developed. We’ve all had it already. Standard ops now. Doc will give you one of those here shortly.”
“A vaccine?” That boggled her mind. “Is it safe? The new one?”
“Safe, yes. Will it protect us against all strains of Kite? That they don’t know yet, which is w
hy it’s not a general release. It’ll protect us against many strains, though.”
She tried to absorb that. “Many?”
“Over a dozen.”
“Wow.” That was far better than she’d thought. “They’re that close, huh?”
“Exactly why we needed that accelerated culture medium from the hospital. Not to brag, but we are trying to save the world.”
“That’s something, I guess.” She was up on most of her vaccinations, including some she’d never need as the average citizen for diseases usually only seen in third-world countries. But once the world situation happened, the hospital had made sure all its staff had been fully vaccinated as a pre-emptive precaution.
Papa had a few more instructions for Uncle and Zed before returning his focus to her. “You going to be able to handle being here? If not, we’ll get you back to your life and even compensate you for your time. But we need a promise of secrecy from you.”
She thought about it, looking from Zed to Uncle before staring down Papa. “I don’t know if I can handle it or not,” she admitted. “And I’m definitely no hero. But if you’re that close to an answer and I can help…Well, I’m in.”
“Good. Welcome aboard.” He shook hands with her again before leaving them to go talk to someone else.
The men talked, to each other and others, while she sat in silent contemplation as she ate.
She could actually be making a real difference on a global scale. Yes, she’d signed up to be a doctor as a way to know she’d never be downsized out of a job in any market, but it was starting to get hammered home that there was a far bigger picture.
One she’d willfully ignored until now because of losing her parents so many years ago.
Maybe she was destined to help save the world after all. They hadn’t set out to save the world. They’d wanted to go to college, which was why they’d enlisted. They’d wanted a better life for themselves and for her.
It was only horrifically bad luck they’d both been killed by a well-aimed enemy rocket while traveling together, inbound on a combat troop transport. They’d been assigned to the same base as a married couple, but her mom was a mechanical specialist while her dad was in infantry.