Authors: Ian D. Moore
“Jeez, I thought we’d lose you at one point. You were nearly three days infected and your body was beginning to fail.”
“The, the kids, are they okay?” Nathan asked, as the tapes were peeled away.
He shielded his eyes against the glare of the bright white room and fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Nathan looked around trying to see if he could make out any colours rather than black and white; he remembered his vision changing but couldn’t recall why. He looked through the glass at the woman sitting up in the bed inside the bio-lab next to his; she smiled and waved and then placed her hands in a prayer pose at her chest.
“That is Charlotte, Nathan. Charlotte Lloyd, mother to Tom and Holly. You saved her.”
“Really? Jesus, it’s a small world. What about the kids; are they okay?”
“They are both fine; very pleased to see their mum and they have been to see you too. They asked about you a lot, and they also saved your life. This is pretty much unbelievable, but they are the antivirus. Giggling, mischievous, walking, talking miracles of nature.”
“They are the cure?” he said, very groggy from the drugs and not understanding everything.
“Yes. We took samples of their DNA and have produced a serum. You'll have a cold in a day or so but it'll clear soon. Here, sip this slowly, wet your mouth,” Evie said, raising a cup of cool water to his dry lips.
“Can I see them?” he asked softly, tiring now.
“Yes, of course, they’ll be so happy. They love you too, you know?”
“I know,” he said, resting back on the pillows and holding his hand to the leg wound.
“Hi, Nathan, can you feel that?” Charles asked, pointing to his leg.
“Hi, Charles. Yes, it’s burning, what happened?”
“Oh, nothing serious. You just got shot by one of our own!”
“Sounds about right!” he said.
“It is 0300 hours, Nate so I’ll bring them to you in the morning. They'll be coming to see their mum too. Are you hungry?” Evie asked.
“Mouth dry, very dry. Can I have more water, please?”
“Of course, here let me help you.”
“I missed your voice, your smile, and your touch, Evie,” Nathan said, raising his hand to touch her face as she held the cup to his lips.
A tear trickled down her cheek, and he caught it on his finger and watched as it curled around the underside, before staining the sheet of his bed. He smiled at her and tried to lean forwards but the strength failed him. She knew what he wanted so she brought her face close to his. He closed his eyes as their lips met for the briefest moment before she pulled away; he had drifted away to sleep. She stayed with him through the night, checking his signs every hour. There was a marked improvement.
*******
By 0800 hours, there had been a change of shifts and Charles and Evelyn took the lift to the surface; they both needed a chance to freshen up before taking the children down to see their mother and Nathan. Evie introduced Charles to Steve, Janey, and their children. Tom and Holly were up and about, making pictures for the rooms of Nathan and their mum. Holly came to Evie with something hidden behind her back, and Tom stood smiling alongside her as they approached, looking very pleased with their little selves.
“Dr. Eebie. You remember when you and Naffam got cross?”
“Did we, munchkin? Oh, you mean that! Well, we were not cross, just unsure of each other, but yes, I remember. Why do you ask?”
“Naffam asked us to make these for you, but can we give some to Mommy too,” she said. From behind her back, she pulled out a beautiful bunch of tissue paper flowers with pipe cleaner stalks and coloured paper leaves.
Evie knelt down, stemming the welling tears.
“Nathan asked you to make these for me? They really are beautiful and you have even made green leaves. I think Mommy would love some of these too; shall we split the bunch in half so that Mommy can have some too?” she said. Carefully, she separated the bunch, handing half of the flowers back to Holly, who jumped up and down on the spot.
“Come here, you two. I really need to give you a love. You know your mommy should be very proud of you because I know I would be if you were my children. I have a surprise for you too. Would you like to come and see?”
“Can we see Mum, Dr. Evie?” asked Tom, still smiling broadly.
“Yes, of course. She is awake and feeling so much better. She’ll be able to walk now so will be able to go to the recreation room at the facility. Would you like that?”
“Yay! Can we really?” asked Tom.
“Yes, love, you can. I’m sure Mummy will be very happy to see you as well.”
“Charles, will you return to the base now?”
“Yes, Evie. I need to update the C.O. and send the results to the other labs, along with some samples of the serum, so that they can recreate it. Maybe we can start to repair the damage this virus has caused across the country? I’ll need a couple of hours shut-eye too; it’s catching up with me now. It’s been a hell of a night, if I do say so myself.”
“That it has. Thank you for your help, especially for bending the rules and allowing these two the access to the facility. You know, without that we wouldn't have found the cure.”
“It’s your facility, Evie; you are the lieutenant chief medical officer. My job was to support you and assist where possible and you’ve excelled as usual.”
“I’ll thank the team myself. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
“Oh, they already know, but I’m sure there will be time in the future to celebrate; right now, we still have much to do.”
“Sleberate what?” asked Holly, curiously.
“I’ll see you at the base, Charles,” she said, hugging him. “Come on, you two; today is a really good day!” said Evie to the children.
Both were excited and held Evie’s hands as she walked them through to the study to board the lift. Holly clutched the flowers in her free hand while Tom held onto Evie’s bunch for the five-minute ride down.
***
They exited the lift, skipping together through the foyer as the guards smiled at them. Then, down the long corridor, which seemed to go on forever, until the plate glass walls of the bio-lab could be seen.
They looked into their mother’s room to see her dressed in dark trousers and a clean blouse borrowed from Evie, her arms open to welcome her son and daughter through the airlock. Evie let them have a few minutes alone before she went in to give Charlotte a hug. The children handed over the flowers they had made, causing tears of joy.
As Evie bent down between Tom and Holly, Charlotte pointed to the room next door where Nathan was sitting up in bed, tucking into his first solid meal for almost four days; so far, it seemed to be staying down. Nathan waved through the glass.
“Naffam!” shouted Holly.
“He’s better. Look, Dr. Evie, look. Nathan’s better. Can we see him, can we?” said Tom.
“I think Mummy might like to come along too, don’t you?”
They both turned, signing to Charlotte who nodded strongly, her fingers interlinked at her chest. Evie took them through, just in time for Nathan to place the food tray on the wooden tabletop over his bed before Tom and Holly jumped onto it, hugging his neck. Nathan pulled them close, kissing each one several times before sitting them on either side of him.
“Here’s my two favourite children. It seems the magic you two have has made me better. I’ve missed you both a lot, and it won’t be long before I can get back to normal. I think we’re long overdue a huge dollop of ice cream.”
“Yay! Naffam. You’re not poorly anymore. Mommy said you would get better. She said kisses can be magic, and Dr. Eebie said she wanted to give you this,” Holly said, handing him a single rose they had made.
“Can you show me the helicopter, Nathan?” Tom asked, his way of welcoming him back to the land of the living.
“That I will, but first, come give me a man hug, you. You have been so grown-up, Tom, looking after Evie while I’ve been away and taking care of Holly. You’re a real hero, son.”
He pulled the boy close, and he wasn’t sure, but he thought he felt the slight jerk of a tear shudder come from the small body as he held him; they would keep that between themselves, their secret. Charlotte signed a thank you to Nathan and this left him puzzled.
“This is Charlotte. She cannot hear you, Nathan, so when you speak, do so slowly and facing her so that she can lip read,” Evie said. Nathan nodded his understanding.
“Mommy said thank , Naffam,” Holly said as she watched her mother approach.
“You two can sign to Mommy?” he asked.
“Oh yes! Mum taught us both when we were little,” Tom said proudly.
Charlotte smiled as she neared the edge of Nathan's bed. She leaned in towards him, before placing her arms at his neck to plant a kiss on his cheek, and then signed what she wanted to say. Nathan watched and looked at Tom to translate for him; Tom repeated her words.
“Nathan, I know you have gone to great lengths to protect and care for my children, and I cannot thank you enough. You really are one in a million, and the children tell me that they love you very much. They are a good judge of character. I owe you a great deal and will never forget what you have done.”
When his mother had finished, Tom smiled, turning to Nathan to wait for a reply.
“Tom, would you sign this to Mommy for me. Holly-Polly, will you help? Please say this. Since we found your children, it has been a pleasure for us both to have them around. They are polite, funny, courteous, and very intelligent. It is also a real joy to meet you, Charlotte. I admire you a lot, and you have done an outstanding job in bringing them up the way that you have. I am in their debt for saving my life, something I will never forget. I say thank you for all of the joy they have brought to me and Evie.”
Charlotte wiped away another tear, nodding and smiling as Nathan smiled and bowed his head in respect for her.
*******
At the base, things carried on. A team had been sent out to recover the second laptop and the FFR Land Rover that Snape had used to aid his exit. It wasn’t pretty inside, with parts of his body still present and decomposing. The vehicle was chemically cleaned so that it could be reused; damage to it was slight.
The infected kept coming in lesser numbers. Six days into the outbreak, those who had contracted it on the first day would now be very weak if not dead. A message had been received from the Salby facility; there had been some success with an antivirus. Both Richard and Paul awaited word of Nathan; they knew he had been given the first batch of the test serum, and they were hoping a turning point had been reached.
Charles arrived back at the base within the hour. His team returned to the base with him, in need of some sleep after their eventful but productive night; they were keen to return to their own facility, to begin producing the antiviral serum for distribution in the northern counties, although their colleagues would have that well in hand by now.
Leaving the flight crew and thanking them for all of their help, Charles made his way to the main office buildings, hoping to catch the C.O. to break the news to him of the success of the serum used upon Nathan and the children’s mother, Charlotte, if he hadn’t heard already.
He knocked first on the door of Major Paul Sower and waited to be called. Instead, the door opened and Richard was holding it for him to enter.
“Had a feeling you’d be stopping by, Charles. I believe congratulations are in order,” he said, extending his hand as Paul stood to commend him also.
“Well, thank you, Richard, Paul, but it really isn’t me you should be thanking. Evelyn and the team did all of the hard work. I really assisted only when needed; they deserve the full credit, and don't forget the children, Tom and Holly, and their mother Charlotte, without whom we could not have done this nearly so quickly, or at all.”
“All the same, Charles, credit where credit is due, I think,” said Paul, taking his hand.
“So much for the top secret communications system,” Charles said, laughing.
***
It would be months before the country would return to normality, but the antiviral program was going well, with supplies in every area of the island being used to treat those infected who were found in time. For some, it would still come too late. For the many hundreds of thousands that had been infected, there was a second chance at life.
For the officers and staff based at Dishforth, it had been a real test of resilience and determination, one that continued long after the creation and testing of the serum. Slowly, the tens of thousands of survivors who had made it to the hundreds of military bases up and down the land returned to their own homes, to begin the long, hard task of rebuilding their lives.
Many thousands were lost without trace, presumed infected and cremated, at the height of the outbreak. Hundreds of funeral services and many night vigils were held at churches far and wide, in memory of those lost.
***
For Brian Goulding and Meriam Stuart, it had been a new beginning in many ways, and their efforts during the failed attempt by Colin Snape hadn’t gone unnoticed.
The lieutenant colonel recommended that Brian be employed by the MOD as chief engineer civilian advisor to serve military bases up and down the country, a post he had accepted gratefully.
For Meriam, the Home Office secretary had called, requesting her presence to assume a position to create a plausible story that could be released around the world to explain the outbreak away, which she did successfully.
To the best of their knowledge, the underground facility, way below the quaint looking town of Salby, was still a national secret; a few people outside of the MOD would now know of its existence.
***
Steve and Janey Grey and their family would return to their home and their lives, grateful to have survived. The government made certain that Luke would go through college and provided a car to them as thanks and appreciation for all of their help, endorsed by Lieutenant Dr. Evelyn Shepherd, naturally. They were fortunate to be able to return to their home on the outskirts of Leeds, unaffected by looters and vandals; many people were not so lucky.
***
As for Baz, the cocky teenager that had faced up to Major Paul Sower at the start of the outbreak, he accepted the offer and recommendation, as did three of his friends, to join the Army. After their basic training, they each chose Dishforth to begin their careers. In the time that the outbreak began, the base saw no less than ten brand new arrivals in the form of six baby boys and four baby girls. Five new relationships resulted in marriage, and not surprisingly, there were two divorces.
***
For Lieutenant Colonel Richard Connell and his second in command Major Paul Sower, the time had come for a meeting with Corporal Jane Simms. She sat, nervously waiting outside the office, not really sure what the meeting was about, but sure that, with both of them present, it was unlikely to be good news.
She'd seen a lonely half-hour sitting in the corridor; the base was all but empty of civilians and the last of the volunteer help had returned to their own homes to try to recover their lives.
“Corporal Simms, would you join us, please, we’re ready for you now,” said Major Sower, poking his head around the door.
“Yes, Sir,” she said.
She waited for the major to return to the right-hand side of the C.O. before coming to attention and offering her salute, to be greeted by twin salutes from both officers. A rare sight indeed, she thought.
“Please sit down, Corporal.” This time the C.O. addressed her.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re probably wondering why you’re here, but don’t worry, there is nothing wrong. On the contrary, Major Sower and I would like to present you with this and hope that you will accept the place reserved for you on this year’s intake at the Officer Training Corps,” the C.O. said, handing her a signed recommendation by both of them.
“In recognition of your outstanding efforts throughout the last few testing months, we felt it appropriate that someone of your character and skills should have the opportunity to lead others. It’s our way of saying thank you, Jane,” the major added.
“I, I really don’t know what to say, but thank you both so much. As you know, it has been my goal to train as an officer for some time, but I never expected this. Thank you.”
“Oh, and just one final thing, Corporal Simms. I believe you requested some leave, a fortnight was it?” Richard asked.
“Ahhhh, yes, Sir. That is correct. It would be for as soon as possible, subject to your requirements, of course.”
“Well then. You shall take it immediately if that suits, and we hope you enjoy it, Corporal. You have certainly earned it. That will be all. Dismissed.” he said, standing with Paul at his side.
“Very good, Sir. And, thank you both once again,” she said, saluting and smiling broadly as she turned on her heels and marched out.
She waited until she had left the building to laugh loudly, unable to control her delight. Could it get any better?
***
The government froze the assets of the deceased Mr. Brin Garrett and Mr. Colin Snape, though no formal charges were ever brought against either man’s family members. The government recovered the two illegal payments, and the money was “redistributed” to those in need.
In reality, some of it was used to buy a small farm with two horses, a quad bike, a huge four-by-four, and put enough money in the bank so that Charlotte, Tom, and Holly Lloyd would not have to worry. Both Charlotte and Holly had a passion for horses, learned in lengthy chats with government officials in the weeks and months after the outbreak. The country owed them a great “debt of gratitude” the Prime Minister had said over tea at Number Ten Downing Street, and this would be a small token of that gratitude.
For the three of them, the outcome had been magical, to counter the earlier nightmare. They had the one thing they wanted most of all in the whole world and that was each other. Advances in hearing technology also meant that Charlotte could hear for the first time, being fitted with experimental transceivers to each ear, invisible to the naked eye. With both Nathan and Evie present, they watched as she listened to her children speak for the first time, heard the sound of the wind in the trees, and birds on the wing. It proved to be a very emotional day for everyone.
***
For Nathan and Evie, life really began when Nathan left the facility. He'd have a limp for the rest of his life, but it was a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.
Evelyn continued her work with the antiviral serum, adapting it for use with the other variants of the same virus housed beneath the town. She had been promoted to lieutenant colonel within the military for her role and was now the chief medical officer for the UK, taking the reins after Charles retired. The position allowed her to continue in the field of science she loved so much, concentrating on antidotes rather than engineered bio-weapons.
Nathan was awarded the George Cross for Bravery, presented to him by Her Majesty the Queen at a very official ceremony. Chris, his best friend, was also nominated for saving Nathan and stood next to him at the ceremony. Both were proud to have served their country and were offered a post of their choosing within the Army.
Chris opted to remain at Dishforth to continue as lead armourer, a job he loved. Nathan chose to go back to his civilian life, accepting a position as an MOD advisor, more to appease his peers than for his own gratification.
***
Up in her room, Corporal Jane Simms took off her heavy DPM boots, giving them a quick coat of fresh polish before putting them in a plastic bag. She unbuttoned the olive green, regulation, short-sleeved, starched stiff shirt, folding it even though it would be washed. She unclipped the shiny buckle on the thick canvas riveted belt that she wore, making a mental note to re-black the metal, pulling it through the wide trouser loops, before popping the button on the military lightweights and letting them fall to the floor. She stepped out, picking them up and again folding them neatly; they would need to be washed, ironed, and starched too.
From her small side table, she picked up the tablet device to see if she could catch a last-minute flight. Although it had been over six months since the outbreak, there was still quite a bit of disruption to major services. She was lucky, managing a flight out from Leeds leaving at 2:00 pm.
Keeping her light blue jeans, comfortable canvas shoes, and a crisp, white, lace-bordered top with buttons at the breast, she dressed quickly before tidying up her hair, releasing it from the tight bun-clipped knot, required for her beret. Pulling the clips allowed her beautiful long black locks to cascade down either side of her face and shoulders, and at full length, the ends touched the lower middle of her back.
Her father loved her hair, and he always commented on it each time they met. Her mother had influenced her to grow it long. She had passed away many years ago.
Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she headed for the Motor Transport offices on the base, to be greeted by a waiting Land Rover and driver, organised by Major Sower. The flight left on time with no untoward delays, and for the first time in many months, she felt much more like herself, with Corporal Jane Simms packed neatly away in her kit bag.
She boarded the connecting flight for the final leg slightly late and touched down at Odessa airport, Ukraine, shortly before 2100 hours. She walked through the familiar terminal building, noticing small changes that had taken place since her last visit, over a year ago.
Outside, waiting for her arrival was parked a shiny, black stretched limousine. It had been custom made for her father and was armoured, weighing in at over three tonnes. She spoke in Russian, addressing the driver who held the door for her to sit, before taking her bags to the rear of the vehicle.
“Good evening, Mikhail. Good to see you, and how’s the family?”
“Good evening, Miss Sheuchenko. Your father is expecting you. The family are all fine, thank you. Would you like to make stop anywhere on the way?”
“No thank you, Mikhail. Home will be fine, please.”
“Very good, Miss,” the driver replied, starting the engine.
She watched as the views changed from the bustling streets of Odessa to beautiful wooded space, with open fields and small farms. In the summer, it was hard not to fall in love with the landscape here.
In the distance were oil refinery chimneys, her father’s. Each showed flames leaping into the evening sky and dancing briefly. Her father was Viktor Sheuchenko, one of the richest men in Ukraine, with an estimated net worth in excess of twenty billion sterling, all made from the supply of oil. The coast rolled by to her left, and they would reach their destination, just outside Mykolaiv Oblast, a little over an hour after leaving the airport.
They pulled onto the sweeping road, heading towards the grand mansion that her father had seen built to his own plans. In a gentle curve, the car rolled to a stop at the cascading marble steps to the main entrance canopy, designed with huge Greek-style acropolis columns supporting the main front overhang.