"He's not a DC. He is immune to their bites," said
Eli.
"What? How?" I stuttered.
"Okay, bear with me Doc, and don't get angry," said
Eli. "I used your research as an impetus for Tank's treatment. I used myself as
a genetic template and culled an approximation of your formula from my blood. I
wanted to ask your permission, but I wanted to prove myself as a doctor to you
first."
"Eli, you had nothing to prove to me. Hell, I didn't
even know you were a doctor," I said.
"You knew OF me as a doctor. You just didn't know it
WAS me," he said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I said.
"I'm Dr. E. D. Grey," he said. "Dr. Elijah Darren
Grey."
"The E. D. Grey who was honored along with me in
absentia a while back?" I asked.
"The one and the same. I was too ashamed to face you
at that moment as much of my work was still theoretical. But Tank was a
success, sort of," he explained.
"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" I asked.
"Well," he began, "for one thing, he arrested. For
another when we revived him the mitosis in his cells began to not only repair
damaged brain tissue but began to build new neurological pathways. His muscles
began to become denser and stronger. His skin tougher and thicker. It's like
he's a super soldier!"
"Super soldier?" I laughed. "Are you kidding me?"
"While he's not bullet proof or even bite proof, it is
harder for them to penetrate his skin. I know it sounds ludicrous, Doc, but
hear me out," he said. "Doc, Tank has a very rare blood type. He has the Golden
Blood!"
"What's Golden Blood?" asked Joshua.
"Golden Blood, is actually Type Rh null Blood. It is
compatible with ALL blood types and is said to be as rare as gold," I said. "Before
the apocalypse, only 43 people in the entire world had it. And none of them
were in the United States. How is this possible? If he were in the system, his
blood type would have surely made him famous."
"I was able to conduct all of the experiments and
treatments at the University of Georgia in secrecy," he said. "I used your
Proto-Enzymes and our shared DNA as a framework and extrapolated the general
thesis for physiology in addition to neurology. The result is Tank."
"And what is Tank?" I asked nervously.
"He doesn't get sick. He can press 10 times his body
weight. Anything he sees, reads or hears he retains with 100% recall. He heals rapidly,
and he rarely tires," he explained. "When this outbreak first began, my uncle
and aunt tried to help some folks in trouble and they were both bit. When Tank
tried to help them, he was bit as well. We didn't know nearly as much then as
we do now, but his parents eventually turned. They attacked JoJo, but Tank was
able to save him. He was bit again, but there were no ill effects."
"So, you believe your modified formula prevents the
turn?" I asked.
"No. It only worked on Tank. On anyone else, their
system just burns through it. However, I did have one test subject who
reanimated but had a complete system break down on a cellular level a few
moments later," he said.
"Well, have you been working on this cure of yours?" I
asked.
"Sort of," he said.
"Well, you have, or you haven't!" I replied.
"Okay Doc, let me be completely honest with you," he
began.
"Hold on," I said.
I called to T over the intercom. I wanted him here to
hear this. A few moments later, T joined us. I filled him in on what I had
heard so far. T just looked at me as to say, "You need to come clean with him."
"Eli, before you begin, I have something to tell you,"
I said.
"What's up, Doc?" he asked as he and T laughed.
"I don't get it," said Joshua. "What are they laughing
at?"
"The outbreak is my fault. I administered my treatment
to a patient and he was patient zero for the outbreak. Because he was a family
member, I released his remains for cremation and the cloud created drifted out
over Greater Atlanta," I confessed. "From what you've told me about your
suspicions, I can only gather that this cloud somehow affected a batch of flu
vaccines originating in the CDC distributed around the country."
"You had no way of knowing any of this would happen
Doc," he said.
"That's what I told him," said T.
"Wow! I had no idea," said Joshua. "But I'm with Uncle
T on this. How could you know any of this would happen?"
"But I doubt others would see it that way," I said.
"T, Eli was about to share some other information when
I called you in," I said.
"Well, I was working for a guy after the outbreak. He
wanted a cure. All the test subjects he subjected to the treatment all turned.
None of them had Rh Null Blood, so the treatment didn't work," he said.
But then Tank said, "Too bad you can't use my blood
with Doc's serum to cure everyone."
"Could we use him as a reverse patient zero?" I asked.
"What the hell is a REVERSE PATIENT ZERO?" asked T.
"Well, when you have an outbreak, it usually begins
with one person. If that person is no longer available or viable, if you're
lucky you might have a patient that is responding well to a course of
treatment. You attempt to figure out what differences and commonalities they
share to develop a broader line of treatment," I explained.
"Oh!" said T as he made an airplane gesture over his
head while he shook it.
"Find somebody that the cure worked on if you can't
find the first sick person," said Eli.
"Damn! Why don't you eggheads talk like that all the
damn time?" asked T. "Isn't Tank that big quiet dude we met when you came
aboard, Eli? What's so special about him?"
"Hey Tank, can you come in here," I asked over the
intercom.
Tank hulked through the door as T looked up at him. T
puffed up his chest and stood on his tip toes.
"Oh, and T, he's only 12!" I said smiling.
"Damn! What the hell are y'all feeding this boy?"
asked T.
"MREs mostly," said Tank. "Fruit cocktail is my
favorite."
"You have a decent medical facility here?" ask Eli.
"Yes. I've been conducting experiments trying figure
out how to proceed" I said. "I have been planning a trip to the CDC to
determine if any of their research is viable."
"Can I tag along?" asked Eli.
"I think we will need to postpone and plan this trip
better," I said. "There are some things that need to be taken care of first."
"Like what?" asked Eli.
"Can Brian. Andre and Rodriguez meet me in the
med-bay?" I said over the intercom.
"What's up Doc?" asked Rodriguez as he, Brian, Andre,
Eli and T started laughing.
I overheard Tank whisper to Joshua, 'Why is everyone
laughing?'
T attempted to explain to him and Joshua about that
famous cartoon bunny.
"We are going to plan a trip to the CDC. But first we
have to get this young man here ready for the trip," I said. "Oh, and Eli check
this out. Alfred, how are our stores on medical and scientific equipment?"
"Marvin Harris, we have approximately 82% of the
supplies left from when you first entered the facility," said Alfred's voice.
"What the hell was that?" asked Eli. "Don't tell me
you have a voice activated computer?"
"Actually, it is a fully integrated, fully functional
artificial intelligence," I said. "Designed by my father and optimized to my
voice patterns."
As Alfred displayed the contents of our medical and
lab equipment, Eli and I made a wish list and added a few extra items.
"The items we have here are more for medical treatment
and not for research," I said. "Maybe we can find some things at the CDC."
"We will need static curtains for a sterile
environment," he said. "We'll also need extra petri dishes, and slides for the
microscope and a bunch of suckers,"
"Suckers?!" asked Rodriguez.
"Suckers!" said Eli. "Trust me! When you try to draw
blood from a 6'2" 280 lbs. man-child, you want to have suckers on hand! Doc one
more thing, if I can speak with you privately again."
"Can we have the room?" I asked as everyone began to
exit.
"Doc, the guy running the Poppa's Pride, his name is
Cisco. He is the stuff on the feet of the ameba on scum! He is the absolute
worst and is evil. He's the one who took our friends," said Eli. "One of our
friends was his daughter, Cicely, who he had been molesting since she was
three. I swore to protect her, but I wasn't strong enough. Tank was there, but
there were too many of them. He's strong but he can still die. Cisco is also
the man for whom I was trying to develop the cure."
"Okay, as soon as we get the materials for this lab,
and you learn how to take care of yourself, we'll pay him a visit," I said. "He's
taken in someone we kicked out and it's only a matter of time before our paths
cross again."
"And Doc…" began Eli, "he burned my notes and took the
only viable sample I had that might work. He's too afraid to try it on himself
because of how the previous formulas turned out on the others, but he doesn't
want to waste it if it will work. So, he just keeps it, but I know it will
work. If we can get it back, we can synthesize it and perhaps create a cure
with Tank's blood and your serum."
"Well, you not being strong enough is one of the
things I wanted to talk to you about," I said. "Everyone here trains. HARD! And
if you, JoJo and Tank want to stay, you'll have to train as well."
"What kind of training?" he asked.
"Hand to hand, mixed martial arts, weapons and
specialized skills," I said. "I think you have the specialized skills part
down, but the other two, we'll have to see."
Eli jumped up and hugged me. "Man, this is the coolest
place ever," he said. "If I'm not in the lab, I'll be training."
Despite all his accomplishments, I forget that Eli is
only a 17-year-old kid.
"Good to hear that you're dedicated," I said. "You've
already met one of your instructors, my son Joshua."
"Doc, I don't think he likes me very much," said Eli.
"Well, I think you impressed HIS girlfriend a little
too much," I said as I laughed. "Let's get you situated, get you fed and get
you some rest. The next few days are going to be grueling."
The Raiders scouted the CDC. There were quite a few
DCs remaining, but nowhere near the herd that must have overrun the place. No
one was to engage as it was just a scouting mission to determine viability. The
report stated that from the outside, the place looked to be a mess. The windows
were blown out and there were scorch marks on the walls.
I think everyone has developed a renewed sense of
urgency as it pertains to their training. Brian is beginning to get into his
training more. He's lost some weight and has even begun to challenge Henry to
feats of strength in the gym. They were both blown away by what Tank was able
to do. They piled all the weights we had on one bar and he did 100 repetitions
with it. That was almost a ton and a half. This kid was absolutely amazing. A
total physical specimen.
But he was unfettered emotion and raw aggression. He
needed focus and discipline. JoJo however, surprised me as he had competed in
martial arts tournaments. He was anxious to prove himself against Joshua. He
learned quickly that tournament fighting, and real fighting are two different
animals completely.
He challenged Joshua to a Kumite, I think trying to
impress some of the girls in their training class. Joshua knocked him on his
ass a few times and it became evident who was the more skilled fighter. It was
funny as he kept telling everyone that he was a black belt.
As the days and the weeks passed by, Leon and T signed
off on Eli's readiness for our journey to the CDC. T agreed with me that we
should take no chances, so we stacked the deck with our compliment of Raiders.
It was T, Joshua, Andre, the twins (Ricky and Robert), Gerald, Leon, Rodriguez,
Henry, Brian, Jason and myself.
We took a truck with a trailer and moving equipment,
as well at three box trucks from the department store. We were ready for any
eventuality, be it alive or dead. God help anything that got in our way.
As we approached the complex, there were survivors
pouring in. There were maybe a few dozen. When we pulled up we saw a couple
familiar faces. It was Horatio and Darla.
"Welcome brothers," said Horatio not immediately
recognizing us. "Wait! I know you! You try to blaspheme the word and work of
God!"
"We will not stand idly by while you go against God's
teachings!" screamed Darla. "Be gone from this place!"
"You two do realize that this is a place of science?"
I stated. "I only want to retrieve some samples that belonged to my family and
we will be gone."
"None may defile the temple of God's Messengers!"
stated Horatio. "What they cannot protect, we will!"
As he and his followers began to gather for a
confrontation, Tank asked a question.
"What is the message that they bring from God?" asked
Tank.
"Why that the world is at an end," said Darla.
"And that we must accept its inevitability," said
Horatio.
"How does our retrieving Dr. Harris specimens prevent
you from accepting your inevitability?" asked Tank. "Wouldn't allowing us to
retrieve it and leave, hasten your work?"
Darla and Horatio looked at one another a little
astonished by his simplicity. That's when Horatio noticed the bite marks on
Tank. He quickly fell to his knees as did his followers.
"It is the messiah!" he exclaimed. "The one that would
bridge the living with the dead. He that cannot die!"
"Whoa be the exalted one," they chanted in unison.
We all sort of looked at one another, confuses and
lost.
"Um, Horatio, what's going on?" I asked. "What are you
doing?"
"This man is the exalted one spoken of in the
prophecy," he stated. "After my sister and I left your camp, we wandered for 40
days and nights. My sister had a vision. In it, she was told that we would be
visited by one who could not die, and he would bridge the gap between the
living and the dying. He would save all mankind, as a god among men. He will
become the new king!"
"What does any of that have to do with any of us?" I
asked. "Who is this exalted one?"
"It is he," he said motioning towards Tank. "He, who
has the bites but does not turn!"
I pulled Eli aside and convinced him to convince Tank
to remain behind with T and Joshua to persuade them to allow us to take what we
need, while the rest of us searched the ruins of the CDC. Eli whispered
something to Tank and his eyes lit up. As we departed. Tank engaged the crowd
assembled with a tale of men and women who lived apart from mankind on a
mountain. They flew, they magically formed things from nothing and they could
communicate with just their minds and could manipulate matter on the molecular
level.
"I had Tank tell them about his favorite comic book,"
said a grinning Eli as we began to explore the CDC.
There were quite a few dead in the facility. Both
walking around and dead-dead. It seems that when society fell, quite a few
within these walls chose to end things with a bullet to the head. Leaving
digital journals explaining why. Others were killed as a psychosis swept
through the facility. A few workers who were lucky enough to avoid being
overrun, decided to join Horatio and Darla's church.
Eli and I located the samples and the test results. In
addition, there were samples from other cadavers as well as information on the
interns. However, the interns, like Emily and Adam, were missing. There was
also information on a soldier who was also missing.
We gathered the samples and what equipment we could.
As we prepared to leave, Tank addressed the "congregation."
"I am not the messiah you seek,' he stated. "You will
have to wait a little bit longer for your savior, for he is not I. I am but a
prophet who like you, am waiting for him to arrive."
Much to my chagrin, there was also a rudimentary A.I.
here as well. It was also installed by my father. The same passphrase worked as
a back door to this this facility as well. Upon logging in, all the data was
transferred via a hardwire connection to the ARC. Once the transfer was
completed, the connection was severed via a burn code that activated as sparks
and smoke rose from the system.
Tank convinced The Congregation, as they became known,
to become a trade partner with our fledgling community. We would trade at the
Plant for food and fresh water for any medicines that they happened upon in the
CDC. Our party returned to the ARC as Eli and I restructured our research lab.
Each day between seeking a cure and training, Eli
would remind me that his friends were still out there, in danger. And each day
I would remind him that fighting the living is different than fighting the
dead. But finally, we were ready to retrieve the girls, and hopefully negotiate
a sample of the serum.
The mission to secure Eli's friends and the serum
would be probably the toughest one we've had to date. T wanted a full
complement of Raiders whose ranks had swelled over the months to approximately
100 strong. They had platoon leaders and squad leaders and fire team leaders
that all worked well together.
T also wanted Tank and JoJo to come along. We both
wanted Eli to remain behind as he wasn't ready for something like this, due to
his fighting prowess not advancing like the others. This would also give him an
to calibrate the equipment and prepare to create the cure. It was then that I
overheard two people having a difficult conversation with each other.
"Look I know after our last mission together, we swore
we would never do anything like that again," T said. "And I wouldn't blame you
if you told me to kick rocks and kiss your ass. But I need…., no, we need you
on this one. I know you don't usually go out into the field, but please."
Leon looked at T and said, "You had me at 'Look!"
Leon was perhaps the best commando T had ever met. He
trained with Army Rangers and Navy Seals just like T, but he was always a Hard-Chargin'
Devil Dog Marine at heart and was one of the best in their recon platoon.
Even though he taught him martial arts, his field of expertise is and always
will be that of cover and concealment. His foray into the martial arts led him
to the way of the ninja.
I wanted him to plan and lead this mission. He went
over details of the Poppa's Pride compound with JoJo, Eli and Tank. It seems
that Tank, in addition to his physical gifts, has an eidetic memory, able to
recall the most insignificant details with absolute accuracy.
The three young men shared as much as they could about
Cisco. He was a convicted rapist who escaped prison a few months after the
world went to hell. He started gathering up like-minded people that he was able
to dominate and control. He molested his daughter, murdered her mother and
bullied and belittled those who attempted to stand up to him. JoJo described
him as an accomplished street fighter. He fights dirty and usually tries to use
a concealed weapon. He is brutal and unrelenting when he realizes he has the
upper hand.
Eli went on to described him as a psychotic who uses
violence and sex as an interchangeable release. He rules through fear and
intimidation. He uses a GLADIATOR arena of sorts with his men as entertainment.
He wanted Tank and JoJo for his arena and Eli for his lab. Eli believes he
wants to sell/barter the cure to set up a new power structure with him at the
top. Eli also stated that there was someone he reported to but was never able
to find out who it was.
And if he feels that the combatants are half-assing
it, he releases DCs that they must fight unarmed. He is also a narcissist who
demands devotion and attention. If you please him, he will reward you. But if
you fail him...
Tank was very brief in his information on Cisco.
"He's scared and that makes him mean," said Tank.
But due to Tank's mental acumen, we were able to plot
out maps of their compound, guard and security schedules and even bathroom
habits.
Leon, Gerald, T and I poured over the information to
develop some tactics to approach the Poppa's Pride compound. Di was not happy
with the decision to breach. She had other thoughts on the matter.
"I knew if we raised an army, that eventually we would
INVADE someone," she said. "Why is violence always the first choice?"
"Violence isn't my first choice," I said. "But the
Poppa's Pride has already held guns on us and levied threats. And besides, they
have accepted that slimy weasel Cyrus into their midst. That alone should tell
you everything you need to know about their character."
"But why can't we first attempt a diplomatic solution?"
Di asked.
"Who do you suggest we send as an envoy?" I countered.
"Me? Joshua? T? How about Andre? It has already been revealed to us that this
guy fashions himself as some type of Roman emperor with gladiators to die at
his whim. Do you honestly think whomever we send in under diplomacy is coming
out alive?"
"I…I…I don't know," she said. "I just don't want to
lose anyone else. Haven't we all lost enough? And after all, all of your
information hinges on the ravings of a teenager!"
"That teenager has almost as many degrees as I do and
maybe even a higher IQ," I responded. "You really should get to know someone
before you cast aspersions."
"Fine! Do whatever you like. You always do so anyways!"
she yelled.
"Di, the days of me making unilateral decisions are
over. I can't really get into the specifics of why this is truly necessary, but
trust me that it is," I said. "If...when we are successful, it could create a
whole new world."
Di, stormed off in a huff, as Leon, Gerald and I
continued our strategy session.
"You know," said Leon, "she wasn't completely off
base. How much do you really know about this kid, Eli? I mean how convenient
that the guy we're going up against just happens to be the father of the girl
he likes and worked for? Sounds too melodramatic to me."
"You could be right," T said. "Maybe we hold Andre and
his squad in contingency. That way if things go south, we still have an ace up
our sleeves."
"So, you trust these guys, Marv?" asked Gerald.
"What does that nose of yours tell you?" I asked
Gerald.
"It just seems like we're not getting the entire
story. There's a piece missing, but I don't know what it is yet," said Gerald. "But
I trust you and your ability to judge a person's character."
"I think the longer we live in this new world, the
more likely that I lose that ability to know what a person's character is," I
responded. "But for right now, I trust him. And when this is over, you all will
receive the complete story."
Tank, Joshua, JoJo and I set out in a Jeep for the
Poppa's compound. We theorized that Cyrus would have filled them in on who we
were and on our capabilities. It was decided that I would accompany the boys,
as I would least likely be perceived as a threat.
The radio relays were working, and we had almost an
entire platoon following at a safe distance in an APC (Armored Personnel
Carrier). We had Andre and his squad at the ready following them in the bus.
The rest of the Raiders were split into teams of three and deposited into the
three locations of the ARC, the Plant and the Armory. Leon took an electric
bike, which was whisper quiet, and went in through a gap in their security.
I went over the plan again and again until I was sure
JoJo understood. Tank was able to repeat the plan word for word, but I worried
if he'd be able to improvise if things skewed from the plan. Sometimes when I
look at Tank, I see the joy of a child and others, I see a soullessness that
I've only ever seen in Charles when he was in a drunken rage. I looked over at
Joshua. If he was nervous, he hid it well, even from me. He worked with JoJo
the entire time we drove to the compound.
The compound was actually a gated community that Cisco
and his Pride took over. Cisco had escaped from prison about three or four
months after the world went to hell. He rounded up like minded, but weaker
willed people to form his Pride. Murderers, rapists, drug dealers and thieves
made up his compatriots. His arena was in the middle of the community which was
a park. He gathered everyone to watch the spectacle every Friday night. Tonight
was Friday. While the four of us went in through the front gate, Leon was in
through one of the side streets and over their wall.
We parked the Jeep and made our way through to the
park. There he was, Cisco, holding court. They were hanging on his every word.
He wasn't a BIG man. He stood approximately 5"'11' and maybe 180lbs.
"Well, well, well," said Cisco with a heavy southern
accent. "It looks like our guest have finally arrived!"