Alex
thundered, slamming his fists on the table. I felt Sara jump slightly. “Even if
I did, you damn well better not call me something like big guy.”
“Sorry man.” James backpedaled with
his hands in the air still with a smug look on his face. Part of me thought it
would be entertaining to see Alex’s fist wipe it off, but just a little part of
me.
“Whatever’s going on here, we are
in it together,” Sara piped in trying to ease the tension in the room. “We may
need each other’s help.”
“Yeah, and James, don’t be a jerk,”
Rachael added.
At that, we continued to sit in
silence. I glanced over at Sara and caught her as she was looking at me. Her
soft pale cheeks turned a slight rose color. She smiled. I returned the smile
and turned back to the front of the room. A few minutes later the door to the
conference room opened and Dr. Roberts walked in with two men and a woman
dressed in green military dress uniforms.
CHAPTER 6
“Good morning everyone,” one of
the men greeted us. He stood behind the podium on the wide platform at the
front of the room. “My name is Colonel Caldwell. You all have been waiting very
patiently for us to explain what has happened to you and why you are here now. I
apologize for the information delay and I thank you for your patience. I’m sure
you have a lot of questions for us. Today we will be able to give you some answers
to those questions.”
Col. Caldwell was a tall, middle
aged white man with short brown hair peppered with some grey. His chiseled
facial features along with his large stature helped him present himself to us with
an air of confidence and authority.
The others sat on four chairs set
behind the podium.
“To my right is Lieutenant
Masters.” Caldwell said pointing to the very military looking woman to his
right. She smiled slightly and nodded her head as she was introduced. Probably
in her early twenties, she was athletically built and an average height for a
woman. Her short brown hair rested on top of a pale sculpted face. She continued
to smile at the group as Caldwell continued.
“To my left is Master Sergeant
Batton.” Caldwell said gesturing to the other uniformed man. Batton nodded his
head in acknowledgment with a stoic closed face. He was a bull of a man,
towering over the others on the podium, and his uniform barely fit over his slabs
of arm and chest muscles. He too had brown hair and sharply chiseled pale face.
“And of course you all know Dr. Roberts.”
He continued directing his arm towards Dr. Roberts who was standing next to
Masters. Dr. Roberts nodded with the recognition.
Caldwell remained standing while
the others sat down.
“Let’s start with why you are at
this facility,” he began. He continued on into an hour long briefing,
explaining how we came to be at the facility which we soon came to know as the
HUB.
He explained each of us, along with
thousands of other Americans, contracted a lethal virus that was, at the time of
infection, of an unknown type and origin. After one contracted the virus, there
was only a forty-eight hour incubation period before the first signs of
infection would appear. Visible symptoms started with a purple bruise-like rash
on the abdomen before rapidly advancing across the rest of the body. In a
matter of twenty-four hours the rash covered the entire body. A severe burning
sensation followed the spread of the rash, causing a fierce agony for the
infected, while simultaneously, weakening the internal organs. The whole
process, once the first signs appeared, was only a thirty hour window.
The screen over the podium showed
an image of a bare abdomen with what looked like a small violet bruise just
above the naval. The next image showed the full body of a man, unclothed, lying
on a bed. The rash was now covering his entire abdomen ending just below the
neck and right above the knees. The man’s face was a portrait of intense
suffering. A few seconds later he moved on to a third image
thundered, slamming his fists on the table. I felt Sara jump slightly. “Even if
I did, you damn well better not call me something like big guy.”
“Sorry man.” James backpedaled with
his hands in the air still with a smug look on his face. Part of me thought it
would be entertaining to see Alex’s fist wipe it off, but just a little part of
me.
“Whatever’s going on here, we are
in it together,” Sara piped in trying to ease the tension in the room. “We may
need each other’s help.”
“Yeah, and James, don’t be a jerk,”
Rachael added.
At that, we continued to sit in
silence. I glanced over at Sara and caught her as she was looking at me. Her
soft pale cheeks turned a slight rose color. She smiled. I returned the smile
and turned back to the front of the room. A few minutes later the door to the
conference room opened and Dr. Roberts walked in with two men and a woman
dressed in green military dress uniforms.
CHAPTER 6
“Good morning everyone,” one of
the men greeted us. He stood behind the podium on the wide platform at the
front of the room. “My name is Colonel Caldwell. You all have been waiting very
patiently for us to explain what has happened to you and why you are here now. I
apologize for the information delay and I thank you for your patience. I’m sure
you have a lot of questions for us. Today we will be able to give you some answers
to those questions.”
Col. Caldwell was a tall, middle
aged white man with short brown hair peppered with some grey. His chiseled
facial features along with his large stature helped him present himself to us with
an air of confidence and authority.
The others sat on four chairs set
behind the podium.
“To my right is Lieutenant
Masters.” Caldwell said pointing to the very military looking woman to his
right. She smiled slightly and nodded her head as she was introduced. Probably
in her early twenties, she was athletically built and an average height for a
woman. Her short brown hair rested on top of a pale sculpted face. She continued
to smile at the group as Caldwell continued.
“To my left is Master Sergeant
Batton.” Caldwell said gesturing to the other uniformed man. Batton nodded his
head in acknowledgment with a stoic closed face. He was a bull of a man,
towering over the others on the podium, and his uniform barely fit over his slabs
of arm and chest muscles. He too had brown hair and sharply chiseled pale face.
“And of course you all know Dr. Roberts.”
He continued directing his arm towards Dr. Roberts who was standing next to
Masters. Dr. Roberts nodded with the recognition.
Caldwell remained standing while
the others sat down.
“Let’s start with why you are at
this facility,” he began. He continued on into an hour long briefing,
explaining how we came to be at the facility which we soon came to know as the
HUB.
He explained each of us, along with
thousands of other Americans, contracted a lethal virus that was, at the time of
infection, of an unknown type and origin. After one contracted the virus, there
was only a forty-eight hour incubation period before the first signs of
infection would appear. Visible symptoms started with a purple bruise-like rash
on the abdomen before rapidly advancing across the rest of the body. In a
matter of twenty-four hours the rash covered the entire body. A severe burning
sensation followed the spread of the rash, causing a fierce agony for the
infected, while simultaneously, weakening the internal organs. The whole
process, once the first signs appeared, was only a thirty hour window.
The screen over the podium showed
an image of a bare abdomen with what looked like a small violet bruise just
above the naval. The next image showed the full body of a man, unclothed, lying
on a bed. The rash was now covering his entire abdomen ending just below the
neck and right above the knees. The man’s face was a portrait of intense
suffering. A few seconds later he moved on to a third image
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