Salby Damned (22 page)

“To the left, there is bio lab one, and to the right, bio lab two. In all, there are fifty laboratories along the almost four-mile corridor. Each would have had its own team working had it been daylight when the explosion occurred. Thankfully, only a fraction of the facility’s complement of staff would have been working; at least ninety people were here,” said Evie as they approached labs three and four.

She stopped dead, as did everyone else, behind the three front guards. Nathan, Chris, and Susan dropped to one knee, each targeting a white-coated, bespectacled man that had come from lab three. He was clearly preoccupied by what he had been doing and hadn’t even noticed the bright, white-suited invaders, yet.

“Stand still!” shouted Chris through the suit mask, and then added, “Do not move until you are told to do so and you will not be harmed.”

“I, I, I’m Dr. Jenkins. Just exactly who are you people?” He began to tremble as he spoke.

“Army, we’re here to get you out. Nate, cover me, please.” Chris said. He took off his facemask hood to enable him to speak to the man more clearly.

“You got in from the surface? Is Dr. Shepherd with you? Oh Jesus, we’re safe, we’re finally safe. Come, come, you must come and see the others,” he babbled, very excited as he began to walk back towards his lab.

“Sir, stand still, please,” Chris reminded him.

He glanced at his colleagues to emphasise the point that he had a lot of weapons pointed his way still. Chris turned to address the white-suited figures behind him.

“Dr. Shepherd, Ma’am, do you recognise this man?”

Evie stepped from behind the C.O. and walked towards them.

“Yes, Staff Sergeant, it is Dr. Mathew Jenkins, he’s one of my team. Matt, are you okay? Are the others alright? It’s so good to see you,” she said.

She took off her bio-suit mask and walked to the doctor with an outstretched, still gloved hand.

“Dr. Shepherd, we thought you were dead. Come, you must see the others because we’ve been worried sick. We thought we would end up locked in here forever. This way, this way,” he said while smiling broadly and escorting her.

“It’s okay, he’s one of mine. You can take your bio-suits off now as this area has its own filtered air system. Follow me please, Sir, this way,” Evie said, addressing the C.O.

They took off the bio-suits before following the two chattering doctors farther along the huge circular corridor.

They stopped by what looked like an electric golf buggy, only longer. It had room for six people with another parked behind it, plugged into an electric charging socket on the wall. Down the centre of the tunnel were lanes for people and the mobile electric carriers, and directional arrows indicated the way to labs branching off either side.

Huge, reinforced glass sliding doors, with an airlock entry and exit system, concealed each lab. The inner glass was the two-way kind that lets light in one way but appears as a mirror on the other side; people inside could see out, but those on the outside could not see in.

Some of the work here was so secret that even those employed here were not allowed knowledge of it. Below them, another quarter of a mile down, was the storage facility, which spanned the entire area beneath the town of Salby, almost five square miles.

“Get in please, everyone. Find a place and use this one too,” Dr. Jenkins said.

He motioned towards the second cart, before pulling the charging cable clear of the socket and flicking a switch on the dashboard.

“You just twist and go. Brake pedal is in the middle, down there, handbrake to the side. Like a standard car,” he added, pointing to the nominated driver, Susan.

“It’s quite a distance. These labs here have been sealed. We left them that way as luckily, there were no staff working at the time the facility went into lockdown. Do you know what caused it, Evelyn?”

“You have no idea of what has happened? You’ve no communications at all? No outside signals? I’m afraid you’re in for a bit of a shock, Mathew.”

Nobody spoke for the remainder of the ride down the vast tunnel. Finally, coming to rest just before a sign that designated Lab Six left and Lab Seven right, they pulled up next to a charging port designated for the cart. Bio-suits hung in glass emergency cabinets fixed to the walls at regular intervals. Doctor Jenkins offered a hand as Evie stepped from the cart and then he addressed the group.

“Ladies and gentlemen, oh pardon me, Dr. Shepherd, would you like to do the honours?” Mathew said, and then corrected himself, remembering that his boss was back.

“It’s okay, but thank you, Matt. Everyone please, welcome to Lab Six of the Salby facility. Here we specialise in bio-chemical agents, antiviral immunisation, and micro-biological warfare—and a few less dramatic assignments,” she announced.

“Let’s get inside. They will be pleased to see you, Evelyn. I’ll introduce your friends and take them around the lab, just so they know what is safe to touch,” Mathew said.

He placed his palm on the reader to open the glass door, which hissed, allowing them access to the airlock chamber.

“It’s only designed for four, I’m afraid, so I’ll get you through first and come back for the others. Doctor, if you would like to go first with the Lieutenant Colonel and two more, please?” Mathew said.

He was unsure of the order that protocol demanded. The C.O. stepped into the airlock chamber, followed by Evelyn, then their armed guards, Nathan and Chris.

“Dr. Shepherd will guide you once you have access,” Dr. Jenkins added.

The doors hissed closed with a mechanical click as the display light turned from green back to red. A few seconds later, the internal doors of the chamber slid open, allowing the four occupants to walk into the open-plan laboratory foyer.

As the mirrored glass doors closed behind them, Nathan, Chris, and the C.O. stared wide-eyed at the spectacle before them. Never in their lives had they seen such a sight.

It's like a Bond movie; just like something out of a film.

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Finally, everyone was through the airlock. The lab was immense, easily the size of four football pitches and separated into areas. Glass panels with more airlock doors divided each working area and almost everything was white, with the exception of some of the larger electronic equipment pieces.

Numerous scientists in pristine white medical coats worked diligently. There was bright lighting within the lab, necessary to provide optimum illumination for the often-delicate work. They passed a bank of robotic arms, encased in airtight glass boxes, accessed via a drawer-type system. Small vials of liquid could be seen as the arm moved automatically, dropping minute quantities of something into each one.

There were desks strewn with laptops, files, and papers, and scientists with bowed heads, buried in equations and formulae as they tried to make advances in their field. The whole place had an air of clinical efficiency, professionalism, and purpose; no voices rose, except during the snippets of debates between colleagues.

Dr. Jenkins approached a small desk area, just inside the main airlock doors and flicked a switch on the internal comms system, allowing him to speak to the whole lab simultaneously.

“Your attention, my esteemed colleagues, I have good news. Dr. Shepherd is alive and well. Would you please suspend your activities for a few minutes and join us in the conference room, thank you.”

The microphone clicked as he placed it back on the desk, turning off the feed. An audible cheer resounded from the labs as the small entourage made their way to the conference room. By the time they arrived, most of the medical lab staff were already seated, waiting expectantly.

As Evelyn entered, they stood and clapped as a mark of their respect. She took position at the front desk with the C.O. to her right and Nathan and Chris to her left. They waited for the room to fill, the air buzzing with excited chatter and curiosity at the new arrivals. Evie called the meeting to order.

“Thank you! Thank you, all. It’s good to see that you made it through. We had no idea what we would find on accessing the site, and oh boy, there is much to tell you. Firstly, I would like to extend my thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Richard Connell for his assistance and support in getting me here. It is his team and his resolve that has allowed us to be here today,” she said, turning slightly to look at the C.O., who nodded in appreciation.

“Secondly, I’ll update you on the surface status, and then I’ll need you to tell me what has been happening here over the last five days; there will be time for questions shortly.”

Evie took a moment to look at the sea of faces, friends and colleagues alike, before she began.

“In the early hours of Monday morning at a shale gas wellhead site not far from here, an explosion inside one of the boreholes ruptured the main storage tank containing the S.A.L.B.Y strain one virus, which was ejected into the atmosphere over the site. Within a short time, the first victims to be affected by it became apparent, and within hours, the virus had begun to spread.” She paused momentarily to allow the statement to sink in fully.

The room remained in a deathly silence as Evie explained the situation topside, the effect the virus had, the imposed martial law, and the plan to capture live infected.

“At the present time, we are safer down here than we are out there. We have troops covering the surface and they will re-supply the facility. I would ask all who are able to remain here to do so; we’re going to need all the help we can get in the coming days if we are to stop this virus. Now, I need to know the status of the facility and staff, so Dr. Jenkins, if you would be so kind as to update myself and the C.O., that would be appreciated. We can then formulate a plan as to how best to proceed.”

Dr. Jenkins stood next. He was second in command under Evelyn and had assumed responsibility for the facility and the team on shift at the time of the shutdown. In her absence, all personnel reported to him.

“Firstly, on behalf of all of us here, I would like to welcome the return of Dr. Shepherd. You had us all worried for a while, Evelyn. I would also like to extend our thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Connell and everyone who has assisted to this point.”

His statement invoked a round of applause from the medical staff, breaking the sombre mood that had descended.

“Now down to business. You’ll be pleased to hear, Doctor, that we are only aware of six fatalities so far, though we haven’t attempted to access the storage facility. The explosion shook the complex but this is a tough, purpose-built facility, able to cope with much worse. As expected, the facility went into lockdown, and as you know, this limits the areas we can access. However, having done a head count and checked for injuries, we made certain that all sensitive areas were airtight.” He looked at the officer as he spoke, measuring his reaction to the news before he continued.

“It took a couple of hours for the first signs that anyone had been infected. At that point, we knew that there had been a storage area breach but didn’t know what had caused it. Full chemical and bio emergency status protocols kicked in when the main power failed, reducing us to back-up power source. Since we couldn’t leave, I ordered all scientific personnel to suspend operational duties so that we could concentrate on research and production of an antidote to SALBY strain one. I assumed that it would be the most likely strain, given the proximity.”

Evelyn looked first at Nathan, then at the C.O. with what could have been sorrow in her eyes as the younger doctor continued.

“I mentioned six fatalities. There were maintenance engineers in the lower level lift at the time, and they had been working on the tanks just before the explosion. Eight made it to the lift and came back to this level. They were infected, and the two survivors had already attacked and killed their colleagues, and we think that, when they reached this level, they split up to hunt for more victims. The airlocks on the labs prevented them from gaining access. We could see them wandering around, growing weaker as the days passed.”

Evie buried her face in her hands, clearly finding the account recall upsetting.

“Eventually we didn’t see them, and with a little help from the surviving facility security detail, we managed to locate them both. They were very weak, dehydrated, and unconscious. We put them both into an induced coma and took them to the medical bay secure treatment rooms next door, where we have been keeping them alive. We’re feeding them intravenously as well as with high-protein fluids. However, it is apparent that the virus is now attacking vital organs slowly.”

The C.O. caught the gaze of the doctor, clearly wishing to ask a question.

“Sir, you have a question?”

“Yes, Doctor, what do we know about them so far?”

“They are unable to communicate due to the sedation and are strapped and gagged for the safety of the staff. As far as we know, they are not aware of their circumstances. We have monitored brain activity and taken samples of DNA, blood, and tissues. You’ll be able to review our results, Dr. Shepherd, and I’m sure you will want to see our patients. I’m sorry to report that the first trials of an anti-virus serum were unsuccessful, only managing to thwart the viral signature for half an hour before it retaliated and almost killed the subject.”

The C.O. gasped at the final remark, urging the doctor to continue with his report.

“We’re missing something. I stress something, because we don’t know what. Our guests are deteriorating daily, and we may not have much time left with them. So Sir, the capture of live subjects needs to be a priority, I would suggest. As far as the facility is concerned, there appears to be no damage to this level.”

“What do you suggest we do next, Doctor?” the C.O. asked.

“As I mentioned, the lower level has been sealed off. We have rations and a basic operational canteen. Almost all of the maintenance, catering, and cleaning staff are all fit and well, with only a few minor natural medical issues that we have managed. We’ll need more supplies into here, and if you’re thinking of getting to the storage level, I warn you that you’ll need specialist teams. Lord knows what the damage there is, and we can only hope that the other tanks are intact; one breach is serious enough. I’ll brief you on the scientific work in private, Dr. Shepherd. No offence is intended to anyone,” Mathew concluded, a knowing look directed at the military officer.

Evie stood and thanked the doctor for his report. It seemed that the main facility had escaped serious damage or casualties and that was excellent news. It would allow the facility to become the centre for the creation and manufacture of a cure. Evie turned to address the C.O.

“I suggest we split up. I need your team, Colonel, to oversee the capture of live infected subjects of different ages, genders, and ethnicities. It seems that this level of the facility is secure, and we have no need to enter the storage area yet. Could you contact someone to arrange to access it for assessment in the near future, to see what needs to be done to repair it and make it sound?”

“I’ll get onto it as soon as possible,” he replied.

“We’ll need to get that sorted as soon as possible; as long as we don't know of its status, there is a risk of further viral release. I will need to remain here for the time being so that I can work with our two patients while we still have time. By all means, leave a security detail with us, if you see fit, though I suspect you’ll have more important things for your men to do back on the base. Nate, I’ll need to see you before you leave, please.”

“Very good, Lieutenant,” replied the C.O., using her military title before continuing, “The plans to capture live infected subjects should be well under way. Major Sower has his instructions and the tranquiliser rifles have been sent to the guard towers as far as I’m aware. It’s only a matter of time now before we have some subjects. We’ll head back to the base. Sergeant Wilkes, Hobbs, and Lewis, if you would, remain to protect the staff, and you’ll be under the command of Lieutenant Dr. Shepherd whilst you are here. Staff Sergeant Stewall, Sergeant Cross, you will accompany me back to the base. I’ll need your help with the infected.”

“Yes, Sir,” Nathan and Chris responded.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel. If there is nothing more, I won’t keep you all from your work as time is critical. Within ten days, the virus will have spread nationwide and our only saving grace at the moment is that we live on an island. If this spreads to mainland Europe, we’ll be looking at millions dead instead of hundreds of thousands. You are the best hope to contain it. Other facilities will be trying their best to find a vaccine too, I’m sure, so let’s see if we can give this virus a run for its money,” Evie said. With a final look at her colleagues, she raised her hands to indicate that they could return to their work.

As the staff filed out, returning to their assignments, Evie pulled Nathan to one side for a moment.

“You be careful with them. Don’t take any chances, do you hear me?” she said firmly.

“I will, promise. Same goes for you. Take it steady down here. I’ll see you soon,” he said.

He wanted to kiss her, but it would not have been appropriate in front of the C.O. or the other medical staff, so instead, he held her hand softly, allowing her fingers to slip through his as he pulled away. He left the room behind the C.O. and Chris, looking back once on the way to the airlock doors.

Evie took a few deep breaths before joining her team in the laboratory, keen to take a look at the infected, to start the research, and find a cure for the monster that had been released. She thought of Nathan but also of Tom, Holly, and their missing mother. She thought of the future, and for the first time in days, there was some hope. Finding her team alive and the facility intact was a sign, surely. A sign that the tables were about to turn and that together, they could beat this.

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