“To be honest, there’s little for you to do. Jane has a professional team set up to handle the matter. I think you’d be better off here.”
I glance at Cole, who has gone quiet next to me. Inside, I’m boiling with anger. “So I’m good enough to be a mule for your super important, top-secret information, but I’m not good enough for anything else?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“I’m eighteen. You can’t keep me from helping.” It’s a juvenile retort but whatever.
He takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. “I appreciate what you did for me and your sister. For the world, really. Your actions gave us a shot at saving society. I shouldn’t have asked you to do it but I couldn’t trust anyone else and I didn’t have the time to recreate my trails.” He sighs. “That being said, I’m not eager to send you back out there. Can you imagine what your mother would say?”
“Don’t,” I say, fighting the tears welling in my eyes, though what he says is rational and based on truth. My mother would never want me in danger, but she and I lived through something he’ll never understand. We changed. Neither of us were the people that my father left in that house in Raleigh. She was and I am stronger than either of us expected.
“I’m sorry, Alexandra. Nothing I say here will be the right thing. Like I’ve said, I’ve already burdened you with too much.”
Cole clears his voice and lays his hand over mine. He says to my father, “When you asked me to make sure Alex got here safely I was ready for the assignment. It became quickly apparent that your daughter was more than capable of handling herself out there. We all pushed through a lot of fear, anxiety and insurmountable challenges to get here. We did it, but it’s clear our mission isn’t over yet. You’ve kept me sidelined from the vaccination details since I got here, which is unfortunate since I have the experience and skill you need.” He looks at me. “Your daughter has a point. If we were able to succeed before, we should be a part of the future decisions and actions of PharmaCorp.”
“Otherwise we’re leaving,” I blurt, playing the card I’ve held close to my chest. I ignore Cole’s protesting hand tightening around mine. “We’re not sheep.”
My father leans back in his seat, looking more exhausted than ever. His eyes move to the glass window between his office and the lab—a signal he’s already taken too much time away from his work. He tosses his hands in the air and says, “Fine. Do what you want. You’re an adult and things are changing rapidly in our world. I won’t stop you from going.”
“I promise I’ll be careful.”
He gives me a slight smile and looks at Cole. “Follow me. I’ll brief you on the vaccine’s status and set you up in the lab.”
I nod, urging him to follow. We need to know as much about this vaccine as possible. My sister’s confidence in her grand scheme gives me the feeling that there’s more going on than we know. Today will be the day we figure out what her plan is really all about.
Chapter 8
The change is immediate, from the knock on my door at 6 AM to the larger serving of food I get in the dining hall. The biggest difference is the way the other Freedom Fighters treat me. I’m officially part of the team.
My father must have spoken to Jane, and then Jane must have notified Walker and the rest of the Fighters. I didn’t realize how exclusive the club was until I’d been made a member.
“Ramsey,” a soldier says, approaching me as I shovel a spoonful of my dinner, a brown, mystery-meaty stew into my mouth. “You’re to report to the atrium in ten minutes.”
“For what?”
His face remains blank but I spot the twitch of annoyance in his jaw. The FF aren’t big into questions. I already know that from dealing with Wyatt and the others on the road.
“Okay, fine. I’ll be there.” I cram the last piece of bread in my mouth.
A small group has met at the desk in the front lobby and I join them just as Wyatt starts talking. He glances at his wide, fancy watch but says nothing if I actually am late. I guess if I thought Wyatt would treat me differently I was fooling myself. If anything he’s been a little more aloof than usual since he got me in to see my sister.
“Each of you is a new recruit into the FF. We don’t have a lot of time as we should receive orders to set up the first vaccination clinic within a week but there are some things you need to know before going into the field. I’m going to take you down to the R&D department to get a fast training in some of our newer weapons.”
“R&D?” someone asks.
“Research and development,” he replies, already leading us to the stairwell.
Another voice ahead adds, “We have an R&D department? Besides the lab?”
We travel through a maze of hallways, including three security posts where Wyatt uses a magnetic key card to gain access. I study the others around me. Four women, six men. All appear sturdy and fit, varying in age from early twenties to maybe about fifty. I’m probably the youngest one but that isn’t a surprise. I’d forced myself onto this team.
After a certain point I no longer have my bearings in the building. Is this on purpose? Did PharmaCorp hide the R&D area away from prying eyes? Knowing they’d created the E-TR virus in the first place doesn’t encourage confidence in what we’ll find. My sister did create and release the virus as a weapon, after all.
“I know you,” a voice says besides me. “From the recovery team?”
I glance over and recognize Jude, from the house we’d cleared last week. He’s a bit cleaner and filled out in the cheeks after a couple good meals. Plus he’s now in Fighter black and not redneck camouflage.
“Jude, right?”