The Eden Plague

“But perhaps it would motivate the others, knowing how much discomfort you are in. And if that doesn’t work, perhaps I will reverse the roles.” Durgan leaned forward, his balding head shining with the sweat of stress – or perhaps it was excitement, power. “Perhaps I will have Miguel abuse someone you care about. Roger. Arthur. Or…how about Bobo?”

In spite of her resolution not to show them any fear, she blanched. I can’t let them hurt Bobo. The chimp would never understand. She would never trust a human again. And even though primates could be carriers, it didn’t affect them exactly the same. They didn’t heal fast like humans did, not in body or in mind.

She couldn’t let them do it.

“All right,” she whispered. “I won’t cause any more trouble.”

Durgan’s face broke out in a big, false smile. “You see? I knew you could be reasonable. Miguel, go get Karl.” When the man had left he went on, “You like Karl, right? Well now that we’re all friends again, he can be your minder. I can be reasonable too.”

“Thank you,” she ground out. The courtesy cost her something. Self-respect, perhaps. But what could she do? Until Daniel showed up – and she hoped he would – she was helpless.

***

The next morning at the cabin the men awoke at dawn. At least, Zeke and Daniel did. Spooky was already up and around somewhere. That guy doesn’t sleep much, thought Daniel.

Zeke talked to Spooky for a minute before they started their morning run, out of Daniel’s earshot. He realized he wasn’t really one of the team. Not yet. All he’d done was fast-rope down to a bad situation and save Zeke’s life on a Kandahar mountainside, and knock off a bunch of Taliban. He hadn’t done any actual ops with him or his people.

Zeke and Daniel walked down a trail that co

“Go on, man. I’m out of shape. I’ll make the circuit at my own speed.”

Daniel nodded, then took off at an easy run. Soon he was feeling really good, kind of floating. Ru

Fantastic. Whatever the downside, this makes it all worthwhile.

He lapped Zeke in the next quarter-mile, blasting past him to the cabin, then jogging back, cooling down. He walked the last couple of hundred yards along with Zeke.

Zeke looked at him sideways, like he had two heads. “Holy crap. Holy crap,” he kept repeating.

“I try not to put those words together anymore, but I agree with the sentiment,” Daniel answered dryly. “I am a bit hungry, about what I expected. And thirsty.” He ran his head under the outside water pump, then took a bunch of swallows. It tasted metallic. He pumped it a few more times for Zeke, then they walked over to the barn to see what Spooky was doing.

Inside, they found another vehicle, a Toyota SUV, and another, younger man of about twenty-five. He was talking to Spooky, and looked a lot like him, at least to Daniel’s eyes. He was saved from a charge of racial insensitivity by the introduction.

“Vi

Spooky gave him a glare.

“Or Nguyen Van Vinh, if you ask honorable Uncle-san here.”

Double glare.

“I work tech and IT for Brownstone.” At Daniel’s blank look he went on, “The security contractor. Uncle Spoo-”

Spooky lashed out like a striking snake, to slap Vi

“Uncle Tran Pham,” Vi

Spooky snapped, “This is not normal job. Maybe pay a lot, maybe pay nothing. I don’t call you as a favor to you, I call you because you are family and supposed to be trusted. If you can keep your mouth closed. Do not shame me in front of my commander and his comrade.” He might speak English pretty well, but his heart was still in the mountains of Vietnam, and his diction tended to fall apart under stress.

It occurred to Daniel that his dad and Spooky would get along famously.

Vi

Tran pointed at Zeke. “You do what he tell you to. He your boss now.”

Zeke nodded, said to Vi

“Duh. Nothin’ to it.”

Daniel noticed they had already set up some kind of satellite ante

“Plastic insert, invisible to the satellite signal,” said Zeke, following Daniel’s gaze.

A cable trailed from the setup down to the floor nearby. The two Nguyens quickly set up a couple of tables and started breaking out computers and mysterious electronic boxes from the Pelican cases in the back of the Toyota.

By the time Zeke and Daniel were done showering and cooking breakfast, the electronic setup was done. They carried the food out to the barn and everyone ate while Vi

By lunchtime Vi

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Okay, Elise Wallis is straight up until about five years ago, when she gets diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She gets treatment, goes into remission, finishes her Masters in microbiology at Texas A&M, gets hired by the CDC – Centers for Disease Control. Cancer comes back with a vengeance after about two years just as she’s finishing up her PhD, at which point she goes on disability and into aggressive treatment, which fails this time. So she’s in hospice, and a month later, she gets hired.” Vi

“Hired by who? Not the Agency, or you wouldn’t have that look on your face.”

“Nope,” he gri