CHAPTER 96
CDC
Atlanta, Georgia
Paul Brenner steadied himself against the wall. It was so hard to concentrate. Where was everyone?
The halls were empty. The offices were empty. They were hiding from him. He had to find them.
No. He had to do something else. She had sent him something. The pretty one in the movies.
A set of glass doors slid open. The screens inside blinked.
ONE RESULT
One result. Result of what? A trial. He was the head of it.
Trial for what? A cure. For the plague. He was infected. With a cure. No, that couldn’t be right. How could he be infected with a cure? Something was wrong.
He surveyed the room. Empty. Coffee cups all over the floor. Stained papers on the table and chairs.
Paul sat down and pulled a keyboard closer.
A flash of clarity seized him. One result.
He typed until his fingers ached.
The letters on the screen changed.
Transmitting new therapy to all Orchid Districts…
CHAPTER 97
You’re listening to the BBC, the voice of human triumph on this, the first day after the Atlantis Plague.
The BBC has learned that the initial reports of disorientation and brain fog associated with the cure for the Atlantis Plague were only temporary side effects of the cure.
Orchid Districts across the world now report a one hundred percent cure rate with no need for further Orchid treatments.
World leaders hailed the breakthrough, citing their historical investments in medical research and steadfast commitment to staying the course in these dark times.
In related news, sources within the intelligence community have reported that citizens of nations managed by Immari International have been ordered to evacuate coastal areas. The populations of entire regions in South Africa, Chile, and Argentina are heading into their mountainous regions with only food and water.
Dr. Phillip Morneau of the think tank Western Tomorrow had this to say:
“They’ve lost. They bet on the plague running its course, on the ruin of humanity. And we’ve come through it, like we always have. It’s fitting: they’re literally heading for the hills.”
More cautious observers have speculated that the Immari move might be part of a larger pattern, possibly the beginning of a counteroffensive.
We will update this report as details emerge.
CHAPTER 98
CDC
Atlanta, Georgia
Paul Brenner trudged through the hallways of Continuity. He felt as though he were recovering from a severe head cold. But he could think now, and he knew what he had to do. He dreaded it, dreaded the answer.
As he passed the sliding glass doors that led to the operations room, he noticed a young female analyst sitting inside, alone, staring at the screen. The tables were still arranged haphazardly and coffee cups and crumpled papers littered the scene.
Paul stepped toward the doors. When they parted, the analyst looked back at him, her eyes a mixture of surprise and hope. Or relief? It caught Paul mildly off guard.
“You can go home now,” he said.
She stood. “I know… I didn’t think I should… be alone.”
Paul nodded. “The others?”
“Must have left. Some are… still here.”
In the morgue, Paul thought, completing her sentence in his mind. He walked over and turned the large screen off. “Come on. There’s nobody at my house either.”
They walked together out of the ops room, and Paul asked her to wait outside his nephew’s room. He pushed the door open and braced himself for what he might see…
“Uncle Paul!”
His nephew rolled over in the bed. He was bright-eyed, but when he tried to push up, his muscles failed him, and he collapsed back onto the bed.
Paul rushed to the bedside and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Take it easy, kiddo.”
The boy smiled at him. “You fixed me up, didn’t you?”
“No. It was another doctor. She’s much smarter than I am. I was just the delivery man.”
“Where’s Mom?”
Paul leaned forward, scooped the small boy into his arms, and headed out of the room. “Just rest now.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going home.”
Paul would wait until the boy was stronger to tell him.
Until they both were stronger.
Kate had long since closed the laptop and moved to the end of the rock cliff.
David was there, behind her, waiting silently.
He seemed to sense that she needed some space, but he still wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
Together, from the mountaintop, they watched the sun sink beyond the Atlantic. Its last rays slid down the mountain, casting a long shadow on the bloody scene at Ceuta. Across the straits, she knew the same thing was happening in Gibraltar, with the Rock of Gibraltar casting the shadows there.