by David Achord
Fred sat quietly, listening. I knew I was being a little long-winded with the backstory, so I tried to get to the point.
“So, like I said, it was odd, but I’d forgotten all about it. A couple of days later, we find out he stuck a gun in his mouth and I kept thinking about our last conversation. It wasn’t until I was in bed one night, about to drift off to sleep when I realized he was trying to tell me something.”
“Tell you what?” Fred asked.
“His dog’s name. It was his password,” I said.
Fred was no longer looking at his hat; I had his undivided attention now. “For what?”
“His Mount Weather intranet account.”
Fred gave a slow, somber nod.
“Here is where it gets serious. In order to even see other people’s accounts, you have to have administrative rights, which I don’t have. Only Parvis has them. At first, I was going to go to him, but I chose Grace instead.”
“Why did you do that?”
I thought about it a moment. “I’m not sure. Call it intuition, maybe. Parvis is a good man. He’s been good to me, but he’s also a close friend to both Stark and Fosswell. I trust Grace,” I said. “She’s had a sheltered life, but she’s trustworthy.”
“That she is,” Fred said in agreement.
“So, I gave her Junior’s password and she ran with it. Once she read the documents and emails in his account, she went further. She somehow figured out how to get admin rights and then proceeded to hack almost everyone’s account whom Junior had shared emails with.”
Now, Fred looked mildly surprised. “Grace did that?” he asked. I nodded. “Why, that little stinker.”
“Yeah, she found all kinds of stuff.”
“Like what?”
“For one, Junior’s own personal journal in which he memorialized all his father’s dirty little secrets. He corroborated some of it with copies of documents from his father’s account. He also had a lot of emails.” I took a deep breath. “Senior is the one who tipped off Earl Hunter that his wife was having an affair with President Richmond. But, before that, before I got here, a contingent of Marines had gone to Fort Detrick to secure it for the doctors and scientists. One of them was a man by the name of Mayo Craddock. He was a virologist and apparently a good friend of the Fosswells. Senior cooked up a plan to sabotage the mission and somehow talked Craddock into implementing the plan. There weren’t a lot of specific details, but long story short, they all mysteriously died.”
“Weren’t they found?” he asked.
“Yeah. When they went back up to Detrick, they found some of them dead in the labs. There are a couple of them that are MIA. If I had to guess, I’d say they turned.”
Fred had picked up a bridle while I spoke and was fidgeting with it, but now looked at me.
“Yeah, and in case you haven’t figured it out, he purposely sabotaged all of the vaccines earmarked for Ohio. His son helped him do it. There is a detailed explanation, but in a nutshell, they caught a live one, extracted its blood, and injected it in each batch.”
“We need to kill the sonofabitch,” Fred said when I finished.
“I’ve thought about it, but if we do that, I stand a good chance of being banished, and that would include Kelly and the kids.”
“No problem, I’ll do it and tell them I acted on my own,” he said.
I thought about it, but found myself shaking my head. “I don’t want that to happen.”
“You’re limiting our options,” Fred said. “I’ve looked around Detrick once or twice. I’m pretty sure I can get in there without anyone spotting me. Nobody will know who did it.”
I sighed. “There are certain people who will be suspected from the get-go, and one of them is you. If you did it, and someone started investigating, well, what can I say?”
He was quiet for a moment. “You’re limiting our options,” he said again, this time under his breath.
A three-year-old sorrel wandered into the barn and nuzzled Fred. He gave her nose a friendly rub. Fred had named her Priss. When the human Priss found out, she was flattered until I told her Fred named the horse after her because it was as obstinate as she was. She didn’t like that too much.
Fred fished into his pocket and came out with a piece of carrot. Priss did not hesitate and nibbled it from his hand. We were quiet for several minutes before Fred spoke.
“So, you’ve asked for my advice and you don’t like it. What are you going to do?”
“I’m thinking the best course of action is to build a case against him and then present it in a formal meeting.”
Fred digested what I said as he fished another piece of carrot out of his pocket. Priss took it from his hand immediately.
“So, you’re going to build a case, present it to the politicians, and they’ll banish him,” he said.
“Something like that.”
“It won’t matter, son, not to those politicians. Let’s say they banish him. I have a feeling he’s got Fort Detrick all fixed up for his own domain. You already know that, right?”
I reluctantly nodded.
“So, banishment won’t work. We need to kill him,” he said again in a low voice. “Have you told Kelly?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But, I’ll have to eventually.”
The two of us were silent for a time as we each gave Priss a scratch. She figured out there were no more carrots and wandered back out of the barn, leaving us to our thoughts. Well, I think Zoe was thinking of finding another mouse, while Fred and I were thinking of Fosswell.
“You know what I think?” Fred suddenly asked.
“What’s that?”
“I think you need to get a private meeting with our esteemed president and present your evidence to him. Forget about the other people, just him.”
“And then what?” I asked.
“Simple,” Fred replied. “If I know that man the way I think I know him, he’ll give the green light. That is, if he’s not in cahoots with him.”
I found myself frowning. “Normally, I’d agree, but Fosswell is one of his closest friends. I mean, Fosswell is undermining his mission, so I can’t see how he’d go along with any of it, but like I said, they’re good friends. I don’t see how he’d give the green light.”
Fred adjusted his hat before speaking. “Abraham Stark is only interested in his name going down in history as the man who rebuilt America. When you prove to him Fosswell has been trying to undermine his efforts, he’ll give it. Trust me on this one.”
I leaned back in my chair, digesting Fred’s thoughts. What was President Stark’s reaction going to be when he learned the truth? Would he give the go-ahead to kill General Fosswell?
There was one other issue which was bothering me, and I purposely did not say anything to Fred. That was Parvis.
There were two emails between Parvis and the general which were subjective in their interpretation. Each was written in such a way where one could possibly interpret it in which Parvis knew all about the contaminated vaccines.
Chapter 34 – Harlan Fosswell Sr.
“Why do you continue to get up so early when everyone else sleeps in?” Kelly mumbled groggily.
I chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. “You should be used to it by now. Fred is probably already up, and if I don’t help him, he’ll go feed the cows by himself.”
“You’ve got enough work to do,” she said into her pillow.
“Go back to sleep,” I whispered, then gave her behind a playful squeeze before leaving.
Besides the kitchen crew, I was the first one in the cafeteria. I fixed a pot of tea while awaiting the other early risers. They began filtering in, a couple at a time. Captain Seth Kitchens was back from the dams and gave me a grin when he saw me. I poured him a cup and we chatted for a few minutes.
“The work is hard, but it’s proceeding nicely. As of now, we can power the entire city of Lynchburg, if we need to.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “I’m going to move back there perman
ently,” he said. “I’m here to get a tooth looked at and gather all of my personal belongings. After the meeting, I’m gone.”
“I understand,” I said with a smile.
When Seth and his team went to the Reusen Dam in order to restore power in that area, he came across a group of people living there, including a buxom blonde by the name of Wendy Stover. He tried to get Wendy and her people to come live at Mount Weather, or at least in a house nearby, but they wouldn’t have any of it. So, Seth made the decision. I smiled in understanding.
“I’ll miss you, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop our Morse code conversations,” I said.
He grinned and nodded. “If you don’t mind, keep it under your hat until I make the announcement.”
“You got it.”
We worked our way to a table and continued chatting as Josue ambled in and pointed at me like he did every morning before walking to the tea table. Sammy wandered in, still looking a little sleepy. He was probably sneaking out with his girlfriend again, but I couldn’t blame him, he was in love and young boys in love never listened to reason. Parvis came in and gave me a nod as he walked over to the president’s table. From the expression on his face, I don’t believe Grace had told him anything, but it’ll only be a matter of time. She was close to her father; there were few secrets between them.
And, finally, Fred came in. He was usually one of the first here, but Rachel was with him this morning. She grinned and walked over to the table while Fred separated himself and made a beeline to the tea table.
“Good morning, Rachel,” I said.
“Good morning yourself, handsome,” she replied, gave me a peck on the side of the head and sat down. She said hello to Seth as well, but no kiss.
“You don’t usually come in this early,” I remarked.
“I’m helping Fred today,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, yeah, why?”
“Because you have too much on your plate,” Fred answered as he sat down.
“I do?”
“Yep,” he said and made a subtle glance toward the double doors. Fred wasn’t a person who played word games, so I guess he was trying to clue me in on something without spelling it out in front of everyone else.
I acted like I was enjoying my tea while keeping an eye on the doors. Within seconds, I figured out what Fred was telling me when General Harlan Fosswell walked through the doors. He ignored everyone and headed toward the president’s table. Shooter, who was now Fosswell’s bodyguard and assistant, went to the tea table and began preparing a cup, like a dutiful lackey should. Parvis caught my eye and made a head gesture, indicating he wanted me at the table with him.
“He showed up last night,” Rachel whispered.
“Looks like you’re right,” I said to Fred and stood. “Excuse me.”
I walked over and sat beside Parvis. He gave me a pat on the shoulder as I bid everyone good morning.
“How are you, General?” I asked.
He gave me a cool look. “As well as can be expected,” he said.
“How are the tests coming with the female?”
“We will be discussing it in detail during this morning’s meeting,” he answered.
“Excellent,” Parvis said with an easygoing smile. “I’m looking forward to it. Let’s get some breakfast.”
I knew Parvis was intervening, but I went along with it and followed him to the breakfast line.
“Supposedly, he has solved the mystery of the tainted vaccines and will be presenting his findings at the meeting,” he said under his breath.
I nodded in understanding. When the subject matter was important, it was not discussed in the cafeteria, but in a more formal environment. This rule was instituted after many heated arguments broke out during the meal breaks in the past, some of which had escalated to shoving and fist fights. So, I excused myself and had an enjoyable breakfast with my family. I ate quickly though and was the first to arrive in the conference room. I chitchatted with people as they came in and found their usual seats, but there seemed to be a palpable tension in the air.
General Fosswell walked in with President Stark. I’d watched them during breakfast and the two of them were chatting like old friends who had not seen each other in a while, which I suppose was true enough. After all, the general had not been to Mount Weather in several months.
“Ruth, would you be kind enough to read the minutes of the last six months in order to bring the general up to speed?” Stark asked.
“Of course,” she replied. She already had the file open, which led me to believe she already had gotten a heads up as well.
I sat back and absently listened as I watched the general. For the next thirty minutes, Ruth ticked off the minutes, and the entire time his attention was fixed on her. I did not know why we were going through with this dog and pony show. I happened to know Ruth emailed him the minutes of every meeting.
Ruth finally finished, sat down, and sipped some water.
“Thank you, Ruth. Do we have any new business to discuss?” Stark asked.
In fact, we did, but it was going to wait. Everyone remained quiet and waited for the real purpose of the meeting. Stark knew there was new business as well but also went along.
“Excellent. Next on the agenda is General Fosswell’s report. General?”
General Fosswell stood and gazed around the room, pointedly making eye contact with each individual. Even me.
“To briefly recap, on November twenty-fourth, a team was dispatched to Ohio for the purpose of administering vaccinations. They first traveled to the Eastgate Shopping Mall, and then to Dayton. Personnel with the team report there were no problems, no issues, and vaccination protocol was strictly adhered to. The team was led by my son, Captain Harlan Fosswell Junior.” Fosswell waited for the hushed murmuring, which lasted maybe a second, before continuing.
“As you all know, both groups ceased radio communications one day after the inoculations. Personnel with Mount Weather proceeded to both encampments and discovered the Ohio people had become infected. I myself was made aware of this catastrophe when Mister Gunderson arrived at Fort Detrick with an infected female in his possession.”
He paused and took a sip of water from a plastic glass.
“What I have to tell you next is troubling for me. In fact, I have debated with myself on multiple occasions whether or not I should share this information or take it to the grave. However, after much trepidation, I feel it is in the best interests of our society that the truth be made known.”
Another pause, one might even say a dramatic pause, and another sip of water.
“Once I was made aware of the situation, I immediately began an investigation. One of the first people I interviewed was my son. During my interview, he portrayed a tense and nervous demeanor. When I pressed him on specific details, he stumbled in his facts and frankly, contradicted himself several times. I did not want to believe my son would be capable of doing something like this, and for several weeks after his death, I was in denial. But, I am here today to announce to all of you that Harlan Fosswell Junior is responsible for the sabotage of the Ohio vaccinations. Further, I have no indication, nor evidence, to show anyone else was involved.”
The general sat down heavily among the renewed murmuring. At one point, he realized I was staring at him and locked eyes with me. I knew he was lying. The perfect scapegoat was his son, no doubt about it, but still, I could not believe he’d do that to his son’s memory.
Bob Duckworth was the first person to raise his hand. Fosswell recognized him with a terse nod.
“Do you know why he did it?” he asked.
“Unfortunately, the answer to that question went to the grave with him,” Fosswell said, apparently forgetting that he had his son cremated. There was more talk, but I’d tuned it out. Instead, I started thinking about how I was going to proceed from here.
The rest of the meeting was more or less a blur. When it was over, I was the first one out of the door and fo
und myself wandering the grounds, even though it was cold enough to freeze snot. I ended up in the horse barn. The potbelly stove in the corner was lukewarm. I put some kindling in and stoked it before sitting in one of the chairs. I needed time alone to think, and this was the only place I knew of that was only visited by Fred and Sammy. Sammy was currently in school and I knew that Fred had saddled up after breakfast and rode out. I hadn’t asked, but I strongly suspected he was making regular visits to that barn where those female zeds were living.
Bunky, one of our horses, wandered in and nuzzled me. He liked me and I usually rode him whenever I went out. Surprisingly, Riley wandered in right behind the horse.
“What’s going on with you?” she asked. “You’re not in here jacking-off, are you?”
I laughed. “Nope,” I answered. “You know, you remind me of a girl who used to be part of our group back in Tennessee. Her name was Andie.”
“Tell me about her,” Riley said.
“She was a tomboy. Small framed, but tough as nails. We were never romantic, but she was a good friend and I miss her terribly. She saved my life once.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I’d like to think of you as a friend,” she said quietly. “I hope you know that.”
“Of course,” I said. “What are you up to?”
“I have guard duty tonight, so my day is mostly free. I saw you walk in here and followed.”
I worriedly wondered how many other people had seen the two of us walk in here.
“I’ve just remembered, I need to check over the chickens,” I said and subtly led her back out of the barn.
“Have you spoken to Logan?” I asked as we walked toward the chicken coop.
“Yeah, but it was awkward. I saw him hanging out with a pale nerdy girl last night.”
I looked at her in surprise. “You mean Grace?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s her name.”
“Hmm,” I said. “Interesting.”
“How is it interesting?” she asked.
“Grace is a sweet girl, extremely intelligent, but also extremely introverted. I would not have thought those two would be interested in each other.”
