Mutation
Parables From The Apocalypse, Book Three
Written by Norman Christof
Published by Digital Storm Solutions Inc.
This is a work of fiction. If you find any similarities to real people, places, events or planets you're sadly mistaken.
© 2014 Norman Christof / Digital Storm Solutions Inc.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
Author Info at http://NormanChristof.com
Also by Norman Christof
Parables From The Apocalypse
Endings
Revealed
Mutation
Awakening
Rising
Write For Love.
Cover Photo Credits
flickr.com/photos/elsie/
flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/
Table of Contents
Into The Breach
Secrets
Waiting And Watching
Stealth Mission
Patient Discovery
Friends In Low Places
Some Girls Fault
The General And The Colonel
Up And At Em
State Of Affairs
A Time For Action
Spy Games
Forgotten Passengers
Second Thoughts?
A Little Kidnapping
Going Down
Lab Time
Reunited
Escape Gone Bad
Desperate Moves
Out The Front Door
Right According To Plan
Into The Breach
Chaz didn't have much to say after watching the skirmish play out on the monitors. Dr. Montgomery was still talking to Chaz, but he hadn't heard much of what she was saying. The general came back into the room, and sat across from them at the table.
"I'm sorry, Colonel, we didn't have much time for introductions earlier. I know who you are. I'm General Frank Chambers. I'm the commander here, in charge of all military personnel and security measures for the fort. Dr. Montgomery is my co-commander on the science side of things. She's in charge of just about everything non-military. Sometimes she needs reminding of that."
Judith glared at the general before returning her focus to Chaz.
"The package you've brought to us is going to be incredibly helpful with our work here. We had been working with the doctors at the CDC in Atlanta for a while. It was a huge setback when we realized they were gone. We've been trying to duplicate their research ever since, but haven't had much success. Now with what you've brought us, things should pick up."
Chaz nodded. "The vials were damaged en route, and much of the medicine leaked out. I hope that wasn't a problem."
"Yes, we noticed," Dr. Montgomery added. "It was the research files that were critical. We can synthesize the medicine with their notes. Our facility is pretty capable."
Chaz looked to the general. "So, this is more than just a storage shed for gold bricks. The rumors were true about super-secret government facilities set up to fight freaks?"
The general suppressed a smile. "Well, I don't know about super-secret. No more secret than anything else the US military or government is up to these days. Some brainiac in Washington decided to have a few more resources committed to solving our little problem. Not sure how successful they've been, all things considered."
Dr. Montgomery furled her brow. "This isn't a simple shoot first and ask questions later problem. Brute force isn't always the best approach. We're very close to a final solution."
The general shook his head. "You’ve been saying that for years, Doctor. We're all running out of time."
"Science can be elusive, Colonel. This problem is constantly changing and mutating. We just haven't been able to keep up with the frequency of that change. Now though, it looks like we have all we need. The research is in place, and with the girl we have the final piece of the puzzle."
Chaz turned to the doctor. "What do you mean the final piece? Why the girl?"
Dr. Montgomery looked towards the general. He nodded his head. "Go ahead, Doctor, tell him what you have to."
"We've been here for quite a while, Colonel. Longer than any other facility. We've been researching since the beginning of the zombie wars."
"That is a long time. No wonder they're getting impatient with you."
The doctor waved away Chaz's comment. "This mutation has been evolving. We've had multiple solutions, but it's always changed before we could control it. We would all have been dead long ago if it wasn't for one thing we had on our side. We have Patient Zero."
Chaz was silent. They were all silent for a few moments.
Chaz spoke first. "How could that be? I thought all the freaks were wiped out after the end of the first war. None of them survived."
Dr. Montgomery sighed. "We did keep a few here in this facility. The rest are all dead, but one is still alive. The first one. We're quite confident that this one started this whole thing. Some radicals think otherwise, but our top researchers believe she's the one."
Chaz got up and started pacing around the table. "So, let me get this straight. You have the very first infected zombie patient ever. And now you believe that using the research you and the CDC have done combined with Christa, you have a cure for this mess. Why now? If you've had Patient Zero for all this time, why couldn't you have solved the problem years ago? Why does Christa make that much of a difference?"
The doctor straightened her coat, and looked to Chaz, on the other side of the table now. "There was a lot we didn't know when we started this. We didn't truly understand what we were up against. This is not an epidemic as you know it. Every disease or virus evolves and spreads itself in different ways, and this one is no different. What is different is the rate of change we've seen. It's very quick. Quicker than anything else ever encountered. As we looked back on our years of research, we concluded it was strategic evolution."
"What? You make it sound like it has some form of intelligence. This is just a disease, like the black plague."
The general cleared his throat. "Yes, and no. I must admit, when the science teams first suggested strategic evolution, I was pretty skeptical as well. I'm not 100% convinced, but I can definitely see where they're coming from on this. The data makes a convincing argument."
Chaz looked back and forth between the doctor and the general. "That's crazy. Crazy and scary, if there's any bit of truth to it. How do you fight something that's constantly changing and thinking?"
"Exactly," Judith replied. "Now you can begin to understand why this has been going on for so long. It's very resilient. Between each of the wars, the new mutations were already active, just not fully formed. When we thought we had won, what we didn't realize was that our enemy was just refueling their tanks. Getting ready to make a comeback, so to speak. The more we analyzed the data, the more we realized there were minor mutations going on all the time. Even during the wars. It seemed that whenever we thought we had them beat, a major mutation would take place and pretty soon we'd be back at it again."
"OK, supposing that true, I don't see where Christa fits. What does she have to do with this mutation cycle?"
The doctor opened the file in front of her. "Well, it would appear that Christa is the next mutation."
Chaz pushed himself back from the table and looked to the general.
"Are you sure? How can you know that so quickly?" Chaz asked.
"Colonel, we have a very extensive database here
. Like I said previously, we were the first facility set up to research this phenomena. We have records of every known mutation, and how they spread. This type of mutation starts differently than others. It begins with one individual. The mutation matures within that individual. We believe it's a matter of just a week or two. While a mutation is immature, it can't move beyond that host individual. What's unique about these mutations is that they don't just get passed on to the host’s offspring like they do in humans. Once the mutation is mature, it can spread to any host at the same evolutionary level. And it spreads fast. We know all this because we've traced all the mutations back to one individual. That's how we know we have Patient Zero. We've backtracked the pattern, and can mathematically prove she's the original mutation."
"Alright, Doc, this history lesson is all very interesting, but I don't see the fascination with Christa."
The general held up a hand. "Let her finish, Colonel. The best part is still coming."
"The best part, Colonel"-Judith closed the file in front of her-"is that Christa's mutation has yet to mature. She's the next big mutation, but she hasn't been able to spread that mutation to others. This is a remarkable opportunity. We've never had a patient during the maturation cycle."
"So that means you can stop her mutation? You can cure her, and the rest of them won't get stronger?"
The general interjected. "That's one approach we could take, Colonel. But her mutation would likely just show up in another host later on. It wouldn't be a final solution."
Judith was beaming with pride now. "We're going to let her mutation run full course."
Chaz couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait, what? We're already in a heap of trouble. We're on our knees here, and you want the enemy to get stronger? You're going to let them mutate?"
"Oh, we're going to do a lot more than just that, Colonel. We're going to let the mutation mature, and we're going to watch, study, and learn. In a controlled environment, of course. We're going to keep Christa here in isolation, and keep a close eye on her. Before we let her loose, we'll have an answer. For the first time, we're going to have a solution for the next level of mutation before it spreads. And every time it spreads to another individual, we'll be one step closer to winning this war."
Chaz took a seat at the end of the table. "I don't see that. How does letting them mutate work for us?"
The doctor glanced down at her notes. "We don't know everything about this mutation; obviously it's too early to tell. We've done the first blood analysis on Christa, and we know she's next. But we don't exactly know what the next will be . . . yet. She's still maturing, and we're still analyzing her DNA. We should know over the next few days what direction it's heading. Then we'll wait till she's done. We'll have to keep her under extreme controls once she's matured. She'll be something none of us have ever seen. She'll be placed in a medically induced coma."
"Hang on." Chaz held up both hands. "Is that really necessary? That won't hurt her, will it?"
The general drew closer to Chaz. "I don't think I need to remind you what we're up against here, do I? I've read your records, I know your history. I understand the sacrifices you've made. Many of the same sacrifices we've all made. Our species is on its way to the electric chair, Colonel. This mutation may only affect the Americas today, but left unabated, it's only a matter of time before the entire world goes down for the count."
"Yes, General. Of course I understand that. It's just, I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for her." Chaz paused to take a breath. "Which is sort of ironic when you think about it. If everything you’re telling me is really true. If it's possible."
Judith jumped back in. "Oh it's all true, and very possible, Colonel. Our research backs it up. And I assure you, we want no harm to come to Christa. Believe me, she's crucial to the success of this whole procedure. We want her healthy and happy now, and up to the point this mutation matures in her. If anything happens to her, we're back to step one."
"So, what will the solution be? What will you do to all those with the mutation?" Chaz asked.
"Well, our research team hasn't quite decided on the best approach yet. It depends on where the mutation goes. We could use a passive approach that would simply incapacitate those with the mutation. It would leave them active and alive, but just temper any aggressive tendencies. The other approach would be termination. That, of course, opens up a whole other multitude of questions. We're still working through it."
Secrets
There was a knock at the door, and a sergeant entered the room. "General, we've got a bit of an issue. That breach in the outer wall is becoming a problem. The freaks are throwing everything at it."
The general turned on the security monitors to get a better view. All those that could squeeze through were doing so. They were pounding and banging around the hole with whatever they could find. Some were using metal fittings they'd ripped off the disabled tank, while others used fence posts and rocks. A few pounded with their heads and fists while others dug at the bloodstained concrete with their fingernails. The wall around the breach was covered in bits of blood, flesh, and bone.
The general looked to the sergeant. "Why isn't that breach blocked off by now?"
"Running that rescue mission to the front yard left only one guard on the breach, and he barely kept them out. Once the rescue was completed, they started swarming the hole. There were freaks already inside when the full team got there. It's a constant stream of them, and they've gone completely rabid. The ones inside are tearing each other to shreds to get to the guards. I've never seen them act this way."
"Alright. Sergeant, we're going to need to secure a new inner perimeter. We'll have to pull back and surrender that section to the freaks. Get a team working on shoring up the defenses outside that room. We can't allow them past that room. Colonel, Doctor, I'm going to have to leave and deal with this."
The general left the room, with the sergeant trailing behind.
Chaz let out a deep sigh, and scratched his head. "I don't know, Doc, this is a whole lot of new information to process. It's great that you think you have a solution, but it sounds like there's still a lot of work to do. I hope you can pull it off."
"I have no doubt we can accomplish what's ahead of us. We're good at what we do."
Chaz managed a smile. "What about Alex? You haven't said anything about him since the rescue."
"Ahh yes, your other friend. He's not in great shape. It's still too early to tell if he'll pull through. He's sedated, and we're watching him. I can take you to him if you like."
"Yes, I'd like that, right now if possible."
"Yes, of course." Judith stood up and motioned towards the door. "I suppose you haven't had a proper tour of our facilities."
"Not at all. I barely know where I am now. You could have me in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean for all I know." Chaz got up to follow the doctor.
Judith smiled. "I assure you, Colonel, we are miles away from any open water. Besides, I'm terrified of the water. You couldn't get me anywhere near it, let alone under it."
They exited the room, and proceeded down a long, dimly lit hall with locked steel doors and card readers. Small lights next to each door illuminated numbers: G14, G16, G18 and so on. Walls and floor were constructed of bare concrete. It smelled a bit damp. There was nothing fancy about this place. At the end of the hallway, they turned a corner and came to a single elevator. Judith swiped her card at the reader, and the doors opened.
"This lower section was not part of the original facility," Judith said, acting the part of impromptu tour guide.
"Yeah, I gathered as much. So we're underground then?"
"Yes, there are multiple underground levels. This is the first one below the original fort. It's primarily used by the military. It separates us from the fort above. Us of course meaning the science and research teams below. I suppose the military level was meant to be a last line of defense between us and them. Their barracks, weapons rooms, and security rooms
are all contained on this level. The next two levels below us are for science and research. The one level below all of that is for high-ranking officials and politicians."
"You have politicians here? Is the president here? I thought he was in Washington when it was attacked."
Judith shook her head and looked around as they entered the elevator. "I really don't know. They have their own private elevator that goes directly up to ground level. This elevator goes down there as well, but I've never seen any of them use it. To be honest, I haven't seen any of them for years. Back when this was the first and only facility around, then yes, there were people down there. I did, in the early years, see the president in the building. If there's anyone still down there, they keep to themselves. Once they started building other facilities around the country, some of them moved elsewhere. They don't talk to or interact with the rest of us at all. I guess they just figured we were a bunch of military grunts and science geeks. They had bigger things to worry about."
The elevator doors closed as Judith pressed a button on the panel. None of the buttons were marked. There were six stainless-steel buttons stacked one on top of the other on the panel. The second lowermost one had a keyhole, and a fingerprint scanner next to it. Chaz noticed the bottom button was red, but when he asked about it, Judith never answered.
"Your friend Alex is on this level," Judith said as the doors opened.
Judith led the way down the corridor. This hallway was vastly different from the military level. The floors were tiled, and the walls were painted white. Glass windows along the corridor gave a view of research labs. Chaz could see the usual assortment of workbenches, test tubes, beakers, computers, and bottles. Various scientists moved around the labs in white coats and surgical masks.
Mutation: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Page 1
