Point Of Transmission: A Post-Apocalyptic Epidemic Survival (The Morgan Strain Series Book 1)

by Max Lockwood

  “You knew each other before the virus?”

  “Hardly. My dad’s a virologist. They worked in the same lab. I met her once, years ago.”

  Alec sat still for a moment as he connected the dots. “Lainey was only a nickname,” he muttered to himself.

  Natalia nodded, and her eyes welled up with tears. “She didn’t want to tell you about this because you’re a cop. She didn’t think you would believe her. She didn’t know whom to trust.”

  Alec was furious. It was one thing to be lied to, but another to have protected the person who’d released the virus on the world in the first place. If he knew who she was, he could have turned her in to the military much earlier. He was just thankful that they had all been brought in.

  Perhaps the worst of all was that he’d completely misjudged her character. He thought she was really cool. He felt incredibly stupid for having a crush on a criminal mastermind.

  “Well,” he said tersely, getting up from his seat, “I’m going to my bunk. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to be alone now.”

  He kept walking as both Will and Natalia protested and pleaded for him to come back. He kept walking, even though he wanted to find an officer and tell them everything he knew about her. He wanted to find Elaina Morgan and scream in her face for tricking him into helping her.

  He was much too exhausted for all of those things. Instead, he tucked himself into his assigned bunk and tried to pretend that none of it had even happened.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Doctor Vincent,” an assistant called after he got off the phone, “we have someone here that you’re going to want to see.”

  “Okay, send them in,” he said without looking up from his microscope.

  “Um, I think it’s best if you meet them somewhere other than a laboratory. This is unrelated to your current assignment.”

  Dr. Vincent finally looked up. “I’m not sure if I follow.”

  “It’s your daughter, Natalia,” the assistant said. “She was picked up by some of the patrol team this morning and is being held in protective custody. She’s not allowed to leave the quarantine area, so you’re going to have to go to her.”

  Bretton felt as though he may faint. He sat down hard on his stool. “Is she okay?”

  “As far as we know, she hasn’t been infected. However, due to protocol, we can’t release her until she’s passed the quarantine period. It’s just standard procedure. But you’re more than welcome to see her. I’m sure she’s excited to see you.”

  Bretton was silent. He didn’t know what to do or say.

  “Well, when you’re ready, we’ll have someone escort you over there. Just let us know.”

  “Okay,” he said weakly. “Give me just one more moment to finish up.”

  Bretton panicked. He didn’t think he was ever going to see his daughter again, let alone see her completely unscathed.

  Since she had survived without becoming infected, it meant that he probably could have pulled her back into the car or fought off the kidnappers without being killed. He felt cowardly that his tiny daughter could live in such a hostile environment when he hardly could.

  He wasn’t sure how she would react to seeing him after all that time. He hadn’t even tried to look for her or send help because he thought she was dead. He hoped she would be so relieved that she was safe that she would forget about everything that had happened in that period. Maybe she would understand that there was little that he could do and even be proud of his new accomplishments.

  Once she was cleared to go, she would return to her mother, of course. With his new job, Bretton wouldn’t be a suitable parent. But she would be pleased with his new income. He could make up for all the fear that he’d caused her in those weeks. She would be fine, but he needed to get this initial meeting finished so he could make amends and return to work.

  “I’m ready to see my daughter now,” he said to one of the guards and was led to the quarantine tent.

  He had spent so much time in the lab that he didn’t even realize that this makeshift shelter had been constructed so close to the base. As he rode in an all-terrain vehicle, he realized that he hadn’t been outside in the sunlight for days.

  He was led through a door and instructed to close his eyes for twenty seconds as a disinfecting mist blew onto every surface of his body. Once that was over, the next set of doors opened and he entered into an open recreation area.

  In the center, sitting at a plastic table with a newspaper in hand, was his daughter.

  “Natalia,” he said softly, tears coming to his eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  She looked up at the sound of her name. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as her mouth turned into a scowl.

  “What are you doing here?” she hissed.

  “It’s a long story. I was picked up by the military shortly after you were taken from me. I’ve been working with the virus at the lab here. I was brought here to make a vaccine.”

  “Oh,” she said coldly. “And how’s that going for you?”

  “Fine,” he lied, not wanting to tell his daughter that he’d failed at his original task. Plus, secrecy bound him to keep quiet about what he was really working on.

  He could sense that something was not right about her. She was quiet and especially moody.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked. “I’m really happy to see you. Aren’t you excited to see me at all?”

  “Nope,” she said shortly.

  He sighed. “Natalia, I’m so sorry about what happened when we left the city. I tried everything I could, but there was no getting you back. There were just too many of them and not enough of me to fight them all off. I was devastated, Natalia. I thought you had been killed or infected. You have no idea how horrible it’s been for me, not knowing what happened to you but fearing the worst.”

  “That’s rich,” she scoffed. “I’ve been running for my life. I’ve seen some of the most horrific things known to man, but I should be more understanding of your situation,” she said sarcastically. “You suffered so much in your cushy little laboratory while I fought off infected people and slept on the streets.”

  Bretton bit his lip. She wasn’t hearing his apology.

  “I don’t think you’re listening to me, Natalia. I’m sorry. There was nothing I could do.”

  “See, I don’t think that’s true,” she said softly.

  “What do you mean? You know what happened. They took you away from me. You were gone so fast.”

  “I watched you drive away. If you would have waited just another minute, I could have jumped back into the car and then none of this would have ever happened. You didn’t even try.”

  Bretton had been caught in a lie. He hadn’t realized that Natalia had a chance to free herself from her captors.

  “Oh, and not to mention, you didn’t try to get help. Why didn’t you have your new military friends come looking for me the second you got to the lab?”

  “I–I did what I could. You don’t understand what these people are like. They have a very strict agenda, and I didn’t have enough power to call the shots.”

  “I can’t believe you,” she said, shaking her head.

  Bretton thought she seemed a lot older and more mature than the last time he saw her. She didn’t act like a little girl anymore. She had grown up a lot in the few weeks since he’d left her on the side of the road.

  “I need you to accept my apology,” Bretton said plainly.

  “No,” she replied. “You don’t deserve to be forgiven. I can’t wait to get on the phone with Mom and tell her about everything that happened. Let me guess, she thinks I’m dead too?”

  “I haven’t talked to her.”

  “You what?” she barked, raising her voice much louder than Bretton felt comfortable with.

  “I haven’t had the time.”

  “My mom has probably been worried sick about me. Even if you did think I had died, didn’t you think it was worth telling her?”r />
  “I was afraid,” Bretton said wearily. “I didn’t want her to blame me for what happened.”

  “She should blame you for what happened. It’s your fault. I need to call her.”

  “Wait,” he said, reaching for her hand. “We don’t have to do this. Just tell her that we’re both fine. She doesn’t need to know the specifics.”

  “You’re a horrible person.” She scowled.

  This angered Bretton. He had been in a laboratory, working for his life for the past two weeks. She was being ungrateful for everything he could offer her in the future. Once she told his ex-wife about what happened, that would be the last he would see of her. In fact, he was worried that he would somehow be sued for negligence.

  “You’re being a stubborn brat right now,” Bretton said, squeezing her wrist. “I’ve done too much for you for you to ruin my life. Sit down and listen to me.”

  With her free hand, Natalia slapped her father’s face with all the strength she could muster. He fell back into his seat, a red hand-shaped welt forming on his face.

  The soldiers assigned to guard him raced in and held Natalia back. He watched her struggle against them, his hand pressed to his stinging face.

  “What do you want us to do with her?” a guard asked.

  “Take her to her barracks. She can wait out the rest of her quarantine in isolation if she’s going to be difficult. It’s not up to me anymore. She doesn’t want to be my daughter, so I’m not going to tell her what to do.”

  Bretton crossed his arms and watched Natalia struggle to break free. She seemed furious, and there was nothing more he could do to change her mind about him.

  “You’re a real bastard, do you know that?” a voice yelled from across the room.

  “Alec—” Natalia protested.

  “No, he needs to know that he put you in so much danger,” he said to his traveling companion. “You’re a coward for leaving her alone like that. I want you to understand what she went through after you ditched her.”

  “Doctor?” a guard asked, wondering if he should restrain the police officer too.

  “I’m not going to touch him,” Alec said, raising his hands to prove his point. “Your daughter was kidnapped by two armed men who were going to keep her in their bunker and repopulate with her against her will. Then, she escaped and was chased after by infected people for days. She had to sleep in a shipping container and drink rainwater to survive. She ran for days, only stopping to search for food and water. Now, she has to see her piece of work father again. Give the girl a break.”

  “Really?” Bretton asked, going pale. He hated to imagine his daughter in any of those situations.

  She nodded. “I had some help, though,” she said, looking at Alec. “Get this—the person who kept me alive was your work rival.”

  “What?”

  Natalia grinned, making Bretton feel uneasy. “I owe my life to Elaina Morgan. If she can get us out of the mess that was never her fault, I think you owe your life to her too.”

  Natalia walked away, but Bretton ran over to her to catch up.

  “You’re not making any sense, Natalia. What’s this about Elaina Morgan?”

  “She’s here, Dad. She saved my ass on more than one occasion and was brought in with me.”

  “She’s dangerous,” Bretton said loudly, trying to reestablish this belief.

  “She’s not, and you know that. I know she never said anything to me about it, but I think you have more to do with this epidemic than she does.”

  Bretton swallowed hard. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Elaina didn’t do this. I believe her. But if it wasn’t her and it came from your lab, it just makes me wonder what really happened. I don’t know if we’ll ever know the truth, but you need to make sure that Elaina gets whatever she needs to finish her work. I’m sure she’s done much more to save this planet than you have.”

  With that, she was gone. She ran back to her barracks, and Bretton didn’t have the energy to chase after her.

  If his own daughter suspected that he was involved with the outbreak, then Elaina certainly knew what was going on. He needed to get to her before she told anyone else what she knew. He needed to convince her that whatever happened was a mistake, but her fault, nonetheless.

  “Hey,” Bretton shouted at one of his assistants, “I need someone to explain why the hell I wasn’t told that Elaina Morgan was on the premises.”

  “I don’t know, Doctor Vincent,” he said, looking sheepish. “Do you want me to figure out who was responsible for briefing you?”

  “No. I need to see her,” he said weakly. “I need to speak with Elaina Morgan.”

  Bretton was far more nervous to see Elaina than he was to see his own daughter. If he couldn’t explain to Elaina what had happened, then everything he’d worked for was at stake.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bretton was extremely nervous about seeing Elaina, but he was doing his best to hide it. He strode down the hall with purpose, giving demands to his assistants.

  “Oh, and somebody find Elaina Morgan for me,” he barked as they rounded the hallway toward his lab. “I’ve been waiting to give her a piece of my mind for quite some time, and I don’t want this to be delayed any longer.”

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be,” Elaina responded quietly from her seat in the laboratory. She had one wrist handcuffed to the lab bench.

  Bretton stopped in his tracks. He had been hoping to buy a little more time before having to come face to face with her. He wanted to fabricate some good excuses as to why the virus left the lab and why it looked so different from hers. He also wanted to lay some groundwork and accuse her of all sorts of terrible things to build some reasonable doubt in the base.

  He was out of time. He had to face the woman who had made his career more difficult for years. She had been the one person in the way of his fame and fortune, and he figured she was returning to steal the limelight once again.

  “Can we speak alone, please?” he said to his staff.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” a guard said.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Elaina replied, jangling the chain on her arm. “I’m not a threat.”

  Elaina stared directly at him. He looked at the floor.

  “We’ll be waiting outside if you need us,” his guard said, motioning the rest of the staff outside.

  Elaina waited until the door was shut before she began speaking.

  “Did you have a chance to speak with your daughter?”

  Bretton winced. It didn’t help him to know that Elaina had some dirt against him.

  “I did. I was very happy to find out that she’s just fine. She’s a little tired and shaken up, but she should make a full recovery. I heard that you spent some time with her.”

  “You could say that.” Elaina smirked. “I’m not sure how much you had to do with raising her, but I’m quite fond of Natalia. She’s a very smart girl.”

  “I know. She’s really something. She said that you helped her out of a few bad situations. Thanks for that.”

  “Of course,” she replied. “I had the opportunity to help her, so I did. I think anyone would in that situation.”

  Bretton knew that she was making a dig at him, but he couldn’t fight back on that comment. He decided to let that point go and move on.

  “Let me ask you this, Elaina—what do you think you know about the epidemic?”

  She knew he wasn’t asking for his own information—he wanted a heads up about what he needed to deny if he were ever accused of the crimes she attributed to him. She had proof, and any virologist worth a damn could look at their samples and understand that something was fishy.

  Once she could show her evidence to the world, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He would have no proof for which he could use to frame her. She decided to tell him what she believed to be true just so she could see the look on his face when she revealed that she knew what he was up to.
r />   “Where shall we begin? I must say, I was truly horrified when I thought there was a chance that my virus was making everybody horribly sick. I hadn’t seen any symptoms like that in my research, so it didn’t make sense to me why they would present in humans. Then, the mutations happened, and the rage symptom threw me for a major loop. It was so frustrating not having any idea why it was happening. There was no lab for me to go to study—the police heard that I was in charge and were planning to arrest me. I think you know more about that bit than I do.”

  Bretton shook his head. “They only ever asked me who was working on that kind of virus. I told them what I knew about the Morgan Strain.”

  “Which was very little,” she interjected. “I don’t think I shared the purpose of my virus with anyone. I think people just heard rumors and filled in the gaps. It’s strange how imaginations will create the craziest truths.”

  “But you ran. You could have talked to the police and cleared things up,” Bretton replied.

  “At that time, I still thought it was a possibility that it was my fault. Not only would it be extremely dangerous to be caught, but if I were locked up, I couldn’t do anything to fix this. While on the run, I managed to do quite a bit of work. It was then that I collected a sample of the virus from an infected person and compared it to mine. And guess what? The killer virus is a cheap imitation of mine. That led me to figure out that someone had been meddling with my work in an attempt to improve upon what I was working on. Am I getting close?”

  “You’re not that sneaky,” Bretton said. “I knew what your virus was for, but it had a lot of flaws.”

  “Minor ones, yes, but I was still working on it. Oh, I was so close to having it right. My guess is that you threw something together in hopes that it would be better than mine, so then you could take the credit.”

  She watched his body tense up and knew that her hypothesis was right on.

  “Why?” she asked simply. “That was my life’s work.”

  “Your life’s work,” he spat. “When I was your age, I didn’t even have my doctorate yet. You have no idea how it feels to work with an overrated colleague. Everyone thinks you’re some shining star, but you just seem impressive because you’re young and beautiful. No one else in our field gets the same treatment as you, and there are some of us who have accomplished much more.”