Nefarious (The Blackwell Files Book 1) (12 page)

CHAPTER 31

Camp Eggers, Kabul, Afghanistan

Two days following his physical evaluation test, Alton had just begun his work day when a private approached his desk. PFC Jenson was one of several curriers who delivered personal mail and important military documents within Camp Eggers. He handed Alton two sealed envelopes.

“What are these?” asked Alton.

“The first one is from the physical evaluation board. The second is your discharge papers.” He leaned over and spoke in a quieter voice. “I’m sorry to see you go, Captain Blackwell. Me and the guys—we have a lot of respect for you. Good luck in the future.” He turned on his heel and left.

Alton sat, stunned. This was it. He was truly not returning to the field. Acknowledging the likelihood of this outcome during past seasons of cool reflection hadn’t eliminated the emotional blow of the actual news. He opened the second envelope. He would be “medically discharged with honor” in a month.

As Alton reflected on his impending departure from the military, his heart and mind wrestled with competing emotions. Now that his plans for a lifelong career in the heat of the action had ended, his couldn’t help but grow somber as he speculated on the unknown course his life would eventually chart. He had grown to enjoy the lighthearted and serious moments with his new C
2
friends. He would miss those moments, especially those with David and Mallory.

Mallory. What would his life be like not seeing her every day or two? The thought opened up the yawning black abyss of dark emotions from which he had narrowly escaped the previous year.

Yet at the same time, a rational voice in his mind pointed out the futility of pining after a woman of such caliber. The torment of gazing upon Mallory—such an unattainable, ineffable beauty—increased daily as his feelings for her deepened. What good would it do to prolong the agony of separation?

Mallory would never know it, but she would always occupy a space in his heart. He could only hope that the encouragement of family and future friends would buoy him as he struggled to adjust to a life without her.

At Gandamak’s Lodge that evening, Alton spent the first few minutes in casual conversation with his friends. David had apparently entered a “World’s Worst Jokes” competition and was trying out his material on them.

“Okay, here’s one for you,” said David, smirking. “What does a bad-ass rodent have?”

Mallory rolled her eyes. “Do I
want
to know?”

“Rattitude!” announced David, slapping the bar’s countertop and laughing.

“Shhhh,” teased Mallory, “if the humor MPs hear you, they’ll carry you off to lockup. That has to be a violation of some kind.”

Alton smiled wistfully. He would miss evenings like this. Realizing he could procrastinate no longer, he asked David and Mallory to join him at a remote table so they could enjoy a bit more privacy.

Alton steeled himself against an ungenerous display of emotion. He couldn’t put Mallory in the awkward position of refusing unwanted advances from a man desperate to form a relationship she didn’t desire. Besides, what good would it do? He would soon be gone, out of her life forever.

“I received the results of my physical exam today,” said Alton. “I didn’t pass.”

“Alton…” said Mallory, her eyes wide. She continued in a whisper. “What does this mean?”

“I received my discharge papers today, too. I’ll be state-side in a month.”

Mallory appeared shaken. A stricken look crossed her face, and her lips trembled. “Oh, God…”

Alton called upon all his resolve to remind himself that Mallory’s reaction was that of a good friend, nothing more. Under no circumstances would he give in to his weakness and, in doing so, undermine their friendship.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss you all,” he continued. “You’ve been friends in the truest sense of the word. You’ve helped me pull myself out of dark times, laughed with me, had some wild adventures with me…” He trailed off, not trusting himself to contain his rising feelings. Mallory was too sharp to miss any unusual display of passion on his part. With that in mind, he tried to disguise a deep breath and slow exhale lest they betray the tender emotions that roiled in his breast.

“Al,” said David, “I didn’t say you could leave.” For once, he didn’t laugh at his own joke. Even he seemed to be sick at heart.

“I still have a month,” said Alton, doing his best to smile. “It’s not like I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Like Alton, David and Mallory had known the likely outcome of his physical evaluation, but now that the results were final, they too were struck with the sorrow of his pending departure. The three friends passed the rest of the evening quietly together.

When he returned to his barracks that night, Alton had to remind himself that the course of events over the last few hours had been for the best. Throughout the evening, he had acted with Mallory’s interests at heart, a fact he hoped would provide consolation in the impending, lonely future. He also found solace in the reflection that the longer he remained in Kabul with Mallory, the higher his secret, unbridled hopes would climb, and the further they would fall when he eventually came to grips with reality. It was for the best that he was leaving.

He climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling, exhausted yet awake.

CHAPTER 32

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

After two weeks of extensive testing, the group of Briggsfield scientists reconvened to discuss Nelson’s frightening reaction to the Rabinil test vaccine.

“Okay, Bob,” said Finch. “Tell me what you’ve found.”

“As you know, we’ve eliminated the ‘bad batch’ theory. The Rabinil that doused Nelson was identical to all other batches.”

“What about the other theories?” asked Finch.

“Based on the tests we’ve run so far, it doesn’t seem to matter—to rats at least—what delivery medium or route of entry is used: aerosol or liquid, eyes or nose or IV. In all cases, the rats show a consistent immunological response: about eighty percent are successfully inoculated with little or no immediate side effects. Considering that most of our efficacy fine-tuning work lies ahead of us, these are amazing results.”

“I don’t think Nelson would think they’re so amazing,” said Finch, “so let’s discuss the
human
response to Rabinil. Was Nelson’s response typical, or was he especially sensitive?”

“That’s uncertain, frankly. The animal testing has nearly reached phase-three trials, but the human testing hasn’t even begun phase one yet. We can’t yet experiment on a human…period.”

“Okay…Is there any testing we can perform on living human
tissue
samples?”

“Yes,” replied Bob. “The test is of limited scope, but we should be able to use it to assess whether humans react negatively once the dosage exceeds some concentration level. If there is some kind of tolerance threshold, Nelson’s dose probably exceeded it.”

“Okay, conduct the tissue testing as you suggested. We still don’t know the root cause of Nelson’s reaction, so encourage your teams to use caution when handling the drug or the test animals. Hopefully we’ll fix this problem in time to stay on schedule for next year’s large-scale phase-three field testing.”

The team members began to file out.

“Bob, can you stay a moment?” asked Finch. When they were alone, he asked, “Do you know what this project costs us
per day
? Nelson’s accident put us a good two weeks behind schedule. Even the animal testing was put on hold. We have to get back on our timeline. If this drug passes phase four trials and is successfully marketed, the profits—and our bonuses—will be enormous. On the other hand, if we don’t finish by the phase-four deadline, we’ll be out of the bonuses and maybe even our jobs. I know your people want to proceed cautiously, and they should, but we have to find a way to get this project back on track.”

“We’ll do our best.”

“I’m beginning to think Nelson’s reaction was a fluke—” began Finch, when the intercom cut in without preamble.

“Mr. Finch, a cage in pod four fell on a tech and gashed his arm. The impact didn’t seem to hurt him too severely, but we’re having a hard time stopping the bleeding.”

“I’ll be down shortly,” said Finch. “In the meantime, call the infirmary and see who they can send.” He turned to his companion and repeated, “Back on track, Bob.”

CHAPTER 33

Camp Eggers, Kabul, Afghanistan

Alton’s final month in the Army seemed to fly by in a matter of minutes. His days were filled with a myriad of activities: training his replacement (the capable Lieutenant Garcia), completing mountains of discharge paperwork, turning in equipment, making the rounds to bid adieu to his Army counterparts, and attending a few parties thrown in his honor. Without meaning to, Alton had established a following of friends and admirers, and the warm wishes they imparted to him lifted his spirits somewhat as his departure day neared.

Through it all, Alton never wavered in spending his evenings with David, Mallory, and the other friends who regularly assembled at Gandamak’s Lodge. As the days grew short, the time with Mallory became ever more precious. During his few remaining evenings with her, Alton would often stop and try to commit specific moments to memory, knowing they would soon be all he had.

On the day of Alton’s departure from the NATO section of Kabul’s airport, David, Mallory, and Fahima came to see him off. They had all promised to keep in touch. For his part, Alton intended to keep his promise, and he believed his friends would, too. In this respect, Alton had given in to a small weakness in allowing Mallory to maintain a shadowy role in his life via correspondence. Of course friends would write. What harm to Mallory, or his friendship with her, could come of it?

The previous night, David and Fahima had broken the news. They were engaged. Alton had been genuinely overjoyed for his friends and had predicted a happy home for them. David now held his new fiancée tightly, finding reassurance in her proximity.

Mallory stood alone on the tarmac, a forlorn, troubled expression on her face. Minutes before, Alton had stoically bid her farewell. Knowing this last moment with her would be indelibly etched in his memory, he had been determined to conduct himself in a manner he would recall with pride rather than regret. He had needed every one of his many previous resolutions to wall off the emotions that had threatened to burst through his chest at any moment. He had embraced her as a friend would and shared words of encouragement and friendship.

Alton climbed into the waiting C-17 aircraft and watched as several dozen soldiers and two tactical vehicles were loaded behind him. The aircraft’s slamming doors seemed to herald the end of his once-bright career hopes and of the sentimental yearnings that still gripped his heart. As the airplane began to taxi down the runway, he peered out of the small forward window, gazing at Mallory one last time. He wasn’t sure if she could see him, but he waved anyway. Apparently she could, for she raised her hand and left it high in the air.

Alton took his seat and strapped himself in. As the plane ascended into the bright, azure sky, his hopes did not ascend with it. An empty, desolate feeling gnawed at his stomach, eradicating any trace of appetite. No longer needing to maintain the façade of romantic indifference towards Mallory, and experiencing the final end of his Army-career dreams, he laid his head on the bulkhead and wept.

CHAPTER 34

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

“Okay, Bob,” said Finch. “Can you explain why you wanted to meet one-on-one rather than with the whole research team? Isn’t this supposed to be a Rabinil update?”

“Mr. Finch, a few more people on the project team are experiencing problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Two had hemophilic indications—mostly bloody noses, and we’ve also had a few techs with bleeding cuts that we’ve had a devil of a time stopping. There was also a team lead who became lightheaded. The infirmary thought his blood pressure dropped, but they couldn’t explain why.”

Finch drummed two fingers on his lips. “How seriously were they affected? Was anyone hospitalized?”

“No, sir. They went to the infirmary, were treated, and left. My concern, sir, isn’t so much for the people who have already become sick as for what these illnesses imply for long-term human exposure. We already have fairly strong evidence that the Rabinil formula, as it stands now, can lead to hemophilia and possibly hypotension—the cause of lightheadedness—in humans. What other
homo-sapien
contraindications could develop over time? We need to proceed with caution.”

“Agreed. Remind your people of the safety procedures they’re expected to follow.” He mulled for a moment. “Let’s assume we’ll lick this problem soon. We’ll need another six months or so to finish phase two, then we’ll need another half year to get the FDA’s signoff. So, we won’t be able to start phase-three trials for about twelve months. Large-scale phase three trials will require field testing in a wild population. Ask Phil to send his team out to start prepping the testing site with disbursal equipment and perimeter fencing now. That way, it’ll be ready by the time the vaccine itself is ready for phase three.”

“Yes, sir.”