“I see,” Scott relented. “But did your work involve anything related to a cure?”
“Perhaps,” admitted the professor. “It is too soon to be sure of anything. Personally, I highly doubt that anyone who has been transformed into what you call a zombie could ever be restored to the normal human condition. But we might be able to come up with a vaccine that would make people immune to infection, or an antidote that could stop the virus immediately after the infection occurred. Perhaps even an anti-virus that would terminate zombies. But again, it’s too soon to be sure if anything like that is possible.”
“Well, professor” Captain McCloud interjected. “The CDC and Homeland Security seem to think your work is very important. That’s why the Coast Guard was tasked with helping Commodore Allen to rescue you. Why would that be?” McCloud, like most good commanders, had a polite but blunt way of cutting to the chase.
The professor spent a moment wrapping his third lobster burrito and taking a large bite that he chewed without haste, but with obvious delight, before answering, “I’m really not sure if I am at liberty to tell you that, sir. I would much rather get access to communications systems again, so I can discuss my findings with the CDC, before disclosing them here and now. Suffice it to say that I have made certain discoveries that point to both the source and a possible solution to the Super Rabies plague.”
“In that case,” Scott said with conviction. “You are the most important person on this ship, possibly the most important person anywhere, and you will have all the communications access that we can provide, as well as exclusive use of my own laboratory facilities on this ship. They may not be as high tech as you are used to, but it’s a fully functional marine biology lab with pressurized containment tanks for the study of deep ocean life. I suppose they could be used like the tank I saw in your lab too, if needed. By the way, will you need more infected subjects to study?” Scott heard the slight hesitation in his own voice as he asked that final question. He did not relish the idea of bringing any zombies onto his ship, even if they were restrained and used as guinea pigs in the lab.
“Oh no,” the professor replied with a grin. “At least not yet. Doctor Greenburg provided all the samples I needed.”
“Doctor Greenburg?” Scott prompted.
“Yes, he was the subject you saw restrained inside the tank in my lab,” responded the professor absently. Scott’s mouth fell open for moment and he exchanged troubled glances with O’Hara. Bernhard continued evenly, “He was bitten on the morning of the first day, on his way into work, and immediately volunteered to be a test subject. The man had an uncanny intuition for what would happen to him. He started talking about zombie movies and books. At first I thought he was delirious. Then he told me to restrain him and take blood samples every five minutes. Later, before he succumbed to the virus and lost his faculties, he told me about his work on bio weapon defense for the US Army at Fort Detrick. Then he explained what he thought had happened, why it was happening, and how to stop it from destroying all of us. He was a brilliant man, wasn’t he Miss Hansen?”
“Yes, professor,” she replied with half a burrito in her mouth. “He was truly brilliant.”
“It was my investigation of his theories that the CDC is so interested in,” concluded Bernhard, before returning his full attention to the lobster. This revelation left everyone at the table speechless, but intrigued, and the meal concluded in a more somber atmosphere than it had begun.
*****
Professor Bernhard’s brief summary of his research raised far more questions than answers for Scott and the others. He refused to explain whatever insight his colleague, Dr. Greenburg, had shared with him, claiming it would be premature to discuss such theories until he completed his research. But he hinted that his work was promising and might show results within days or weeks at the most. That was enough to satisfy everyone’s curiosity for the time being.
Following dinner Scott offered to escort the Professor and Miss Hansen to the lab and help them select living quarters on the ship. As they descended through the public areas of the Sovereign Spirit Ms. Hansen asked questions about the ship and seemed suitably impressed with the facilities. Professor Bernhard, however, seemed oddly silent and preoccupied.
“This is the Grand Salon,” Scott explained as they walked back towards the stairs to the vehicle deck. “You are welcome to come and socialize here with the other passengers and crew. We show satellite news most of the time on the big screen and schedule movies in the evening. There’s also a bar and a sushi bar that opens in the afternoon and after dinner. Three meals a day are served in the Main Dining Room, but we can also have meals brought to the lab if you are too busy to make it up here.
“Now, this is the reception lobby with an elevator and stairs down to the vehicle decks,” he explained as he ushered them down the starboard stairwell. “The upper vehicle level on this side of the ship has been turned into a video arcade and a bowling alley, but we’ve converted that into a shooting range for everyone to practice defense against zombies. On the other side of the ship is a casino with dozens of slot machines and a small movie theater.”
“This is fantastic,” commented Miss Hansen appreciatively. “It’s like being on a cruise ship. How can we thank you for all the hospitality?”
“If your research is as important as it sounds, I will be the one thanking you,” Scott replied as they emerged into the cavernous vehicle deck, full of cars, trucks, water craft and various other toys that Scott had collected. The professor and Ms. Hansen seemed shocked by their surroundings for a moment until Scott explained, “The Sovereign Spirit used to be a long range vehicle ferry before she was converted into an expedition mega yacht. This vehicle deck was one of the things that made her so attractive when I was shopping for a ship. It lets me bring all of my toys with me where ever we go.”
He led them to a door behind the main stairs labeled Crew Only and opened it to reveal another set of narrower stairs descending below the vehicle deck. “This leads down to the crew’s quarters, the sick bay, and the Marine Biology Lab. Will you be wanting quarters close to the lab?”
“As close as possible,” replied Professor Bernhard.
“Well, the closest cabins are pretty small,” said Scott. “I’ll assign one to each of you, so you’ll have private bathrooms and a place to relax next to the lab, but I can also offer you larger cabins with ocean views higher in the ship. Or,” Scott paused and pointed across the vehicle deck, “you could use that motor home over there. It’s fully self-contained with a kitchen, bathroom with tub, and it’s plugged into the ship’s satellite TV and internet servers.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Professor Bernhard with a brisk nod.
“Great, the door is unlocked and you can make yourself at home, but first I’ll show you the lab,” Scott confirmed as he led them down the narrow stairway. “This is the Steerage Deck and it used to be for the economy passengers when this was a working ferry. Now we use most of it for crew’s quarters because the cabins are a lot nicer than the old bunk rooms below. We also have a well equipped sick bay with emergency room and office for the ship’s doctor on this deck. And we keep half a dozen cabins empty for potential patients. Two of them will be set aside for your use too.”
Scott paused to unlock the door to the lab and said, “The Marine Biology Lab is across the hall from the Sick Bay. As you can see, these locks use key cards and I’ll issue you some that are programmed for the lab and the adjoining cabins.” As they walked into the lab, which was full of computers, aquariums, and scientific work stations, Scott continued, “A lot of the equipment in here is brand new and has never been used. I have a niece who’s studying to become a marine biologist and I was thinking of making it a hobby of my own too. But we were too busy on our world cruise to get down here much and I’ve hardly even thought of it since Z-Day. Now it’s all yours. I hope you find everything that you need to continue your research here. If not, just let me know what I can do to h
elp. The full resources of the ship are at your disposal.”
Professor Bernhard surveyed the room with a critical eye as Miss Hansen turned to thank Scott again. “This is exactly what we need, Commodore. Thank you so much for everything, especially for saving our lives. With these facilities and access to the internet we should be able to complete our research in no time.”
“Don’t be too optimistic, Miss Hansen,” chided the professor. “There are still a lot of loose ends to tie together before I’ll be comfortable releasing any findings. But it does appear that this facility will offer us even more tools than we had back at the lab in Malibu.” He turned to Scott and said, “Thank you for providing this lab, Commodore. I promise to put it to good use.”
“My pleasure, professor,” replied Scott. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get out of your way and let you get started.” He shook their hands and went back upstairs.
*****
Billy spent the evening catching up with his friends and showing them around the ship. After the impressive tour they all settled into seats at the internet café and Billy started asking questions about what it had been like when the zombies overran Malibu.
“It got really hairy down on PCH,” said Shawn Smith.
His brother Bruce nodded and explained, “Yeah, there were zombies walking up from Topanga and cars were crashing into them. It was hectic.”
“We started packing up my Jeep with guns ammo and food as soon as we saw your message on Facebook, Billy. I think that saved our lives,” Shawn added.
“You bet it did,” Bruce continued. “We barely got out in time.”
“What do you mean?” Billy asked.
“Well,” Bruce said. “When we left we shot all the zombies in front of our house and we could see a lot more of them coming. But if we hadn’t left when we did, we never would have made it past the road block.”
“Road block?” Billy prompted.
“Yeah,” Shawn continued. “When we got to the first bend we found a bunch of Sheriff’s moving a big truck to block the road. They were going to make a barricade to fight off the zombies. They put it in a spot where the cliffs come right down to the highway and rocks above the beach. Good spot for it, but we were almost on the wrong side of the barrier. As it was we had to do some quick talking to get them to let us go through before they closed it off completely.”
“Wow,” said Billy. “That does sound like a close call. I think we saw that roadblock from the helicopter on our way to get you guys. It was abandoned by then, but there were a lot of bodies lying around the Sheriff’s cars.”
“Sounds about right,” agreed Bruce. “I didn’t think they had a chance. Not enough firepower.”
“Yeah,” Shawn said. “But I bet it kept a lot of refugees out of Malibu.”
“You think that’s a good thing?” asked Amanda Steinbeck skeptically.
“Not for them, maybe,” replied Shawn. “But it would have been a lot worse for all of us if we got overrun by zombies and desperate refugees from the rest of LA.”
“You’re right, Shawn,” Brad Thomas said. “Just look at what happened up at my house. Those bastards that attacked us weren’t from Malibu. They were outlaws, running from zombies and looking for loot.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get there sooner,” said Billy.
“It’s not your fault,” said Amanda. “You saved us, Billy. We all owe your our lives.”
“More than that,” said Brad. “We owe you for taking us aboard this ship too. I can’t think of a better place to ride out the zombie apocalypse than this.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Amanda moved over to plant a kiss on Billy’s cheek and he actually blushed.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Billy suggested. “Did I tell you there’s a video arcade downstairs?” That broke the tension and they all laughed for a moment, but each of them knew that their lives could never be the same as before.
*****
“George and the rest of the Flotilla will be arriving soon,” said Captain Fisher as he conferred with Scott, Sergeant Major O’Hara, and Captain McCloud on the bridge. “I suggest we remain offshore until morning. I don’t want to go into Long Beach Harbor at night.”
“I agree,sugg said Scott and looked to Captain McCloud for confirmation.
“Absolutely,” said McCloud. “We have no idea what type of reception you’ll find in the port. If you’re lucky, it will still be controlled by normal people, but even they might not be friendly. At worst, it could be swarming with zombies by now.”
“We’ll be ready for any type of reception committee,” interjected O’Hara. “But I wouldn’t mind some daylight for our first contact, especially without advance recon. If we show up at night and unannounced, we might end up in a firefight with potentially friendly forces.”
“Good point,” Captain Fisher agreed.
“So, Commodore,” said Captain McCloud. “Now that you have performed your mission for the CDC and rescued Dr. Bernhard, what are your intentions?”
“Obviously we need to keep him safe and facilitate his research here,” replied Scott. “But my next priority has to be securing a safe haven for the flotilla of boat people. They will all need a safe port or anchorage, and they will all need access to provisions, fuel and other supplies. I’m hoping that we will find all of those things in the Port of Long Beach and the adjoining Port of Los Angeles.”
“We lost contact with the Coast Guard Station there on day one of the outbreak,” commented Captain McCloud. “I can’t provide you with any updates on the conditions there, but we should assume that the entire port complex has been overrun.”
“I agree with your assessment,” Scott said. “But it wasn’t really a populated area. The ports are surrounded by cities like Long Beach and San Pedro, but the docks themselves are industrial areas. Aside from those who worked there, there wouldn’t have been a lot of people around during the outbreak. So I’m hoping that the infestation won’t be as concentrated as it would be in residential or urban areas.”
“You’re probably right about that,” said Captain Fisher. “But there could still be hundreds or thousands of those zombies near the docks.”
“Sad as it may sound, I’m actually hoping that it is overrun by zombies,” said Scott in a tone that surprised his companions. He received several sharp looks and hurried to explain, “My plan won’t work if the port is being held by its rightful owners.”
“What do you mean?” asked Sergeant Major O’Hara.
“Well,” Scott said slowly. “This is not going to be a flotilla of pirates or thieves. I won’t try to take any supplies or resources away from other survivors. But my opinion, which I think can be argued as a valid legal position, is that any assets which have been abandoned or overrun by zombies become fair game for any civilized survivors who can secure them. At that point it’s not looting, it’s salvage.”
“That is a logical position,” said Captain McCloud. “It’s even roughly in line with maritime law. Although I’m not sure how it would stand up in a California court.”
“I don’t think there will be any California courts convening in the foreseeable future, but I’ll be willing to argue my case if they do,” Scott said with a smile. “In the meantime the Survival Flotilla will operate under the spirit, if not the letter, of maritime law. In the absence of organized civilian government, our rules will extend to any safe havens we establish ashore too. So, assuming that the port is overrun by zombies, we will be within our rights to secure whatever provisions and assets we can for the Flotilla.”
“And if there are people still holding the port?” asked O’Hara. “Then what, sir?”
“Then we will try to trade with them, or help them, if they ask for it,” Scott replied. “Maybe we’ll ask them to join us. If none of that works, we’ll look for provisions in other places that have been overrun. What we won’t do is take anything that has already been claimed by other survivors. That’s the core of my plan so far.”
&n
bsp; “I like it,” said Captain McCloud. The rest of the men on the bridge nodded their agreement. “Whoever made you a commodore and put you in charge of this flotilla made a wise choice,” the Coast Guard Captain concluded with a smile. Scott couldn’t help but laugh at that. Then he looked out the windows of the ship’s bridge and saw the red glow of distant fires outlining the dark skyline of Long Beach on the horizon. A shiver went down his spine as he imagined the carnage and suffering hidden within the darkened city. Tomorrow they would discover what horrors it held in store for them.
*****
Interlude in Hell
Chevron Refinery, El Segundo, CA, 01:15 AM, April 6, 2012
Carl settled into his sleeping bag atop his air mattress and looked forward to his first comfortable night’s sleep since Z-Day. He had folded down the back seats of the Suburban and moved his gear to clear space for his mattress. He left the windows cracked open for fresh air, but locked the doors and made sure that his guns and pick axe were within easy reach. Now, for the first time since this whole nightmare began, Carl finally felt secure.
Voyage of the Dead - Book One Sovereign Spirit Saga Page 30
