PLEASE READ! These are one shots. Some may be consecutive but don't expect it of all of them. I know I promised a conclusion to The Cache but I'm just going to be honest and say the end of Season 4 just disappointed the hell out of me so I needed to do this first. Also, it's zombie awareness month. Wear your gray! There is going to be gore, probably a little bad language and general mayhem! Let me know if you like it. :)
The voice that answered her was crisp and full of authority. "Good morning Dr. Isles, this is Dr. Mastin of the Center for Disease Control. We have a situation..."
R&I
Maura pulled up to Massachusetts General less than an hour later. Dr. Mastin was walking toward her, holding out his hand in greeting. "Thank you for coming in so quickly."
"You made it sound serious enough." She looked toward the two men flanking the doctor but they made no move to introduce themselves.
"I'm not sure how close an eye you keep on the epidemiology reports that have been released recently, but there is a problem."
"I stay on top of all the newest material Dr. Mastin." She was led toward a bank of elevators. "From what I've read there's a new strain of flu in Asia, but nothing that's reached the U.S."
He nodded, stabbing at the buttons on the elevator, "That report was misleading and highly redacted. It's not a strain of flu at all."
Maura turned to look at the man. "Then what is it?"
The doors closed in front of them. "We don't know."
The elevator let them out on a quiet floor in an isolated part of the hospital. She knew what it was. Quarantine. It was empty except for one room, and it was at that window they stopped. Inside two more doctors in full Hazmat were poking and prodding a prone figure on the bed. "I'm still not sure why I'm here Dr. Mastin. I'm the Medical Examiner, this patient is alive."
"He'll be dead within the hour Dr. Isles, and we're afraid he won't be the first case."
R&I
Dr. Mastin coutinued his story in a borrowed office off the quarantine ward, with his escorts standing sentinel at the door. "Cases have been popping up all over the world in such a random fashion it's been impossible to pin down. I don't have to tell you that even with the WHO monitoring, some countries' medical situations aren't exactly stellar."
Maura nodded and let him continue. "The CDC has been monitoring the situation closely, but we still don't have many answers."
"What can you tell me Dr. Mastin? I will, of course, perform the autopsy, but I'd like to know what I'm looking for."
He was shaking his head, "No autopsy Dr. Isles. You're being offered this as a professional courtesy, every Medical Examiner in the country is getting this same information. In fact a general alert will be released at 0800 this morning."
"I don't understand why you won't allow an autopsy. It's standard procedure. There is little chance of contamination with full Hazmat."
"I understand but there is one problem that we haven't spoken about."
"And that is?"
"They're not bite proof."
R&I
At 0600 Eastern Time, patient R6347 passed away with barely a gasp, and Dr. Mastin ordered the two doctors out of the room. Maura watched the flatlines on his heart monitor, still in disbelief at what she'd been told. The patient had been restrained and Mastin's two escorts entered the room cautiously.
"This body will be destroyed but the genie is out of the bottle Dr. Isles. Most people will just think they have the flu until it's too late. There's simply no way to know how many might be carrying this disease, how many are already showing symptoms. Despite all the beliefs to the contrary, we don't know where every citizen has been and what they've been up to. All we can do is try to contain it and warn the public."
Maura's hands were shaking as the body on the hospital bed started to move, opening it's now milky eyes. As soon as it saw the two men in the room, it's teeth started to snap. One of them drew a silenced pistol. The sure impossibility of what she was seeing rocked the ME to her core.
Mastin took her arm before the final act was finished, leading her away from the room and toward the elevators. "I'll be briefing local law enforcement, along with all other agencies in the city this morning after the general alert has been issued. A public announcement will be issued by this afternoon."
"That will almost certainly cause a panic."
"The National Guard is already on call to deal with any problems that might arise."
"This will cause paranoia on a level I don't think you understand."
"The CDC is setting up treatment centers, and checkpoints all across the city, along with volunteer groups from the Red Cross. Any person who wants to be evaluated will be, free of charge."
They weren't prepared for what was going to happen. "I need to prepare my staff, if you'll excuse me."
"By all means Dr. Isles." He reached out and grabbed her arm again. "Please be discrete until after the announcement has been made."
She removed her arm from his grip, and turned fully. "I will do what is necessary to protect my staff, Dr. Mastin. Which means full disclosure of the information at hand. If what you say is true, all first responders are at risk, and I hope you'll remember that when you issue your general alert."
Behind her the elevator announced it's arrival and she entered it, pressing the button that would take her back to the ground floor. The doors closed on his slightly stunned face.
R&I
Maura sat numbly in her car staring at the steering wheel in disbelief. Surely she would wake up at any moment with nothing more than a cup of coffee and Bass awaiting her. She also knew that wasn't true, and her mind was violently trying to process exactly what she'd seen and heard. Scientifically it was ridiculous, dead was dead. It always had been, but apparently now it wouldn't always be. Not anymore.
Science it seemed, was now failing her. Her ringtone blared out, jarring her out of the twisted reality she was sending herself into and she scrambled for it. Jane's face flashed on the screen, and relief coursed through her system, if only for a moment. "Jane."
"Maura, where are you? We've got a case, multiple gunshot wounds."
"I'm..." She stopped for a moment to clear her thoughts. "Mass Gen, I got a call earlier."
"Mass Gen? Are you all right?"
She couldn't lie. "No, I'm not. Jane..."
"I'm on my way." Maura could almost feel the woman starting to hang up.
"Jane wait! Just stay where you are. Physically I'm fine but I need you to promise me something."
"Of course, Maura, what's going on?"
"If you see someone who looks sick, don't go near them."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just promise me Jane. I wouldn't ask unless I meant it."
The detective's voice grew softer. "Ok, I promise. Can you please tell me what this is all about?"
Jane saying please meant she was concerned now. Maura couldn't blame her. "You said multiple gunshot wounds?"
"Yeah, all that training you gave Frost about not throwing up is out the window. I haven't seen it yet, I just got here myself. Are you sure you don't want me to come get you?"
"No, I'm fine." Maura's mind kept going back to Dr. Mastin's explanation of the disease, of the actions of his two companions. "Where are the gunshot wounds?"
"Hold on." She heard Jane shuffling the phone and speaking to Frost. After a moment her voice was strong on the line. "Several to the chest, one to the head. Frost said it looked like the guy was mince meat even before all the bullets."
"Are my techs there?" Hearing the affirmative, her decision was made. "No one goes near the body unless they're in Tybex. No one, Jane. I want everyone moved out until I get there."
"Are you crazy? Nevermind don't answer that."
"I'll be there shortly." Maura hung up without waiting for a reply, but answered Jane's question as she shoved her keys into the ignition. "Yes, I think I am."
R&I
Jane stared at her phone in mild disbelief. Now she was worried. Maura had sounded like her entire world had been yanked out from beneath her, but the detective couldn't make sense of the woman's instructions. She knew that's when she needed to follow them to the letter.
Grabbing the nearest tech, she quickly gave him Maura's instructions and he scrambled off. "Frost we have to clear this crime scene. Everyone back behind the tape."
At his confused look, she almost growled. "ME's orders, just do it."
R&I
Squealing brakes caused Jane's head to snap around and she saw Maura's Prius jerk to a stop just outside the ring of police cars that were barricading the scene. She hadn't even stopped long enough to turn off the car before she was out, almost running toward the coroner's van parked nearby.
"Maura!" The detective trotted toward her, with Frost and Korsak right behind her. "What the hell is going on? It's gunshot wounds not Mennonites."
She thought that might at least get a smile from the doctor but she looked at them grimly. "If you want to investigate that body, then you will wear the suits. No questions, no exceptions."
She disappeared into the back of the van, kicking off her shoes. Jane groaned.
R&I
Maura held up her hand when they got within a few feet of the body laying sprawled on the concrete. She could already see the gray pallor to the victim's skin, and crept closer. "Wait here."
Her voice was muffled through the mask she wore over her face, but the detective's stopped. Her eyes took in every aspect they could of the body. Gunshot wounds were obvious along the victim's chest and abdomen, and one massive wound to the head that left gray matter exposed and splattered across the concrete.
Kneeling down she carefully lifted up one of the hands, seeing evidence of flesh beneath them, before she moved a hesitant hand toward it's mouth. "Maura what the hell are you doing?"
Jane was standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips, looking ridiculous in the white suit. "Checking."
"For what?"
She ignored the question, raising the top lip. Flesh, and splattered bright red blood greeted her and she quickly moved her hands back, and stood. Glancing down the alley she saw fresh drops of blood spattered down it's path. "This body is quarantined." She raised her hands and her morgue techs immediately came forward with a body bag.
"You want to look for anyone who's been admitted for scratch and bite wounds in the last few hours. They'll need to be evaluated immediately by the CDC."
Jane came forward laying a gloved hand on her arm. "What is going on?"
"It's why I got called to Massachusetts General this morning, Jane. It's bad."
The genie truly was out of the bottle.
"Once contracted, the disease is 100% fatal, there is no vaccine, there is no cure."