trench from the toilets to the runoff behind the Fac and had to work on it from time to time to keep things flowing.
Brewster tapped Trev on the shoulder in a conciliatory gesture. “Look, I see where you’re coming from. But they’ll get what’s coming to them in the end. Hell, maybe Sherman’s keeping them around just to have a couple of guinea pigs for Dr. Demilio to test on.”
Trev chuckled and shook his head. “All right. You’ve got me there.”
The pair circled the wide landing and headed down the last set of stairs into the basement, nearly running directly into Rebecca Hall, the short young woman with dirty-blond hair who had been with the group since before Suez. Her naturally trim form had grown even thinner over the past few months. She ate little, spoke less, and when she did open her mouth it was usually with a biting comment. It wasn’t that she was unpleasant. Unlike the rest of the group, Brewster knew that she held little to no hope for the future. She managed to paint a grim enough expression on her face to discourage any flirtatious advances from the male survivors. She was backing out of a medical supply closet toting a cart behind her when she almost collided with Brewster and Trevor.
“Hey!” she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Hiya, sunshine,” Brewster said, grinning. “We’ve got some presents for you.”
“Oh, goody,” Rebecca said acidly, and pointed an outstretched finger at the cart. “Just dump them there. I’m heading to the lab now, anyway.”
Brewster, a literalist when it suited him, opened his rucksack and upended the contents onto the cart. Rebecca cast him an agonized glance and began sorting through the boxes and bottles. Trevor took his time, unloading his findings by hand while engaging Rebecca in conversation. “Tell the Doc that some of this stuff is beyond its expiration date,” he said, holding up one of the bottles of Cipro to illustrate his point. “It might still be good, but she should know. How’re things coming in there?”
“How do you think?” Rebecca snapped, then looked guilty for doing so. She took a deep breath and softened up. “I’m sorry. It’s just not going so well. Every day it’s the same tests, the same negative results. I’m not sure what we’re missing. Hell, I don’t understand most of what we’re doing in there. I’m no help at all.”
“Don’t worry,” Trevor said, handing her the last bottle of medicine. “I’m sure you two will figure it out sooner or later.”
“And maybe once you do we’ll get to see you smile,” Brewster said, still grinning. “I mean, come on. Just once. It won’t break your face. I swear.”
Rebecca held up her middle finger. “Get back upstairs. If you stick around down here, I might break your face. I’ll get the cart.”
Brewster chuckled. After Thomas, Rebecca seemed to dislike Brewster the most. Irrepressible as always, he favored Rebecca with a wry smile, returning her gesture with one of his own.
“See you, Becky,” said Trev, waving.
Rebecca watched the men walk back up the stairs, chatting back and forth, until the doors swung shut behind them. Once they were gone, she grabbed the wheeled cart and began the walk toward the biosafety level four laboratory. A second set of double doors, directly opposite those leading to the stairs, confronted her. A simple keypad sat in place of a handle. Normally she would have had to enter a six-digit access code to enter, but Mitsui, handy with electronics, had disabled it. There was no need for security at this particular checkpoint any longer. Rebecca backed into the doors, pushing them open for the cart, which she pulled in after herself.
A long, dim hallway stretched out before her. It was as Spartan as the rest of the facility: white walls, white tiled floor, white ceiling panels. The lighting was only half-on. Every other bulb sat dark to conserve what little power reserves they
Brewster tapped Trev on the shoulder in a conciliatory gesture. “Look, I see where you’re coming from. But they’ll get what’s coming to them in the end. Hell, maybe Sherman’s keeping them around just to have a couple of guinea pigs for Dr. Demilio to test on.”
Trev chuckled and shook his head. “All right. You’ve got me there.”
The pair circled the wide landing and headed down the last set of stairs into the basement, nearly running directly into Rebecca Hall, the short young woman with dirty-blond hair who had been with the group since before Suez. Her naturally trim form had grown even thinner over the past few months. She ate little, spoke less, and when she did open her mouth it was usually with a biting comment. It wasn’t that she was unpleasant. Unlike the rest of the group, Brewster knew that she held little to no hope for the future. She managed to paint a grim enough expression on her face to discourage any flirtatious advances from the male survivors. She was backing out of a medical supply closet toting a cart behind her when she almost collided with Brewster and Trevor.
“Hey!” she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Hiya, sunshine,” Brewster said, grinning. “We’ve got some presents for you.”
“Oh, goody,” Rebecca said acidly, and pointed an outstretched finger at the cart. “Just dump them there. I’m heading to the lab now, anyway.”
Brewster, a literalist when it suited him, opened his rucksack and upended the contents onto the cart. Rebecca cast him an agonized glance and began sorting through the boxes and bottles. Trevor took his time, unloading his findings by hand while engaging Rebecca in conversation. “Tell the Doc that some of this stuff is beyond its expiration date,” he said, holding up one of the bottles of Cipro to illustrate his point. “It might still be good, but she should know. How’re things coming in there?”
“How do you think?” Rebecca snapped, then looked guilty for doing so. She took a deep breath and softened up. “I’m sorry. It’s just not going so well. Every day it’s the same tests, the same negative results. I’m not sure what we’re missing. Hell, I don’t understand most of what we’re doing in there. I’m no help at all.”
“Don’t worry,” Trevor said, handing her the last bottle of medicine. “I’m sure you two will figure it out sooner or later.”
“And maybe once you do we’ll get to see you smile,” Brewster said, still grinning. “I mean, come on. Just once. It won’t break your face. I swear.”
Rebecca held up her middle finger. “Get back upstairs. If you stick around down here, I might break your face. I’ll get the cart.”
Brewster chuckled. After Thomas, Rebecca seemed to dislike Brewster the most. Irrepressible as always, he favored Rebecca with a wry smile, returning her gesture with one of his own.
“See you, Becky,” said Trev, waving.
Rebecca watched the men walk back up the stairs, chatting back and forth, until the doors swung shut behind them. Once they were gone, she grabbed the wheeled cart and began the walk toward the biosafety level four laboratory. A second set of double doors, directly opposite those leading to the stairs, confronted her. A simple keypad sat in place of a handle. Normally she would have had to enter a six-digit access code to enter, but Mitsui, handy with electronics, had disabled it. There was no need for security at this particular checkpoint any longer. Rebecca backed into the doors, pushing them open for the cart, which she pulled in after herself.
A long, dim hallway stretched out before her. It was as Spartan as the rest of the facility: white walls, white tiled floor, white ceiling panels. The lighting was only half-on. Every other bulb sat dark to conserve what little power reserves they
Similar Books
