Massive thanks to starfoxtwin, jag389 and tmtcltb for their very nice Reviews, it means a lot to me. so massive thank you.
"Who would do something like that?" I questioned, taking a step closer to the monitors watching the wreckage of the lab at fort Detrick. "I don't know." The captain replied, walking out of CIC.
"is there any other lab you know off?" the XO asked. "no, CDC maybe but for all we know it's been destroyed as well." I said, dropping my head, this was going to be a lot harder than I had thought. Now we finally had the cure and couldn't produce it and spread it throughout the United states and essentially the world.
"Hey, we'll figure something out." Kara said, looking at me from in her spot at the screen. "I'm going back to the lab." I announced, walking out of CIC with my head down and my shoulders sacked, what had been the point in making all of this if we couldn't spread it, if we couldn't mass produce it.
being in the lab didn't seem like the best idea to me. it would only remind me of all the hours I had spent there finally finding the cure and now it seemed it didn't matter anyway. Walking through the door I made my way to the barrier at the at the of the helicopter bay, the wind blowing, my hair flying in all direction, but I welcomed it as a nice distraction and maybe mood to how I felt.
The tail of the boat making waves behind us, the sound soothing my thoughts for a bit. The cold seeping into my skin and bones, a slight shiver running through my body, I didn't know how long I had been standing there, nor did I care, it seemed like it had been all for nothing anyway.
"I thought you could use this." I heard, making me jump out of my skin as the Captain walked up to me. "sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you" he whispered, handing me a cup of steaming tea. "thanks." I whispered, looking back at the path the ship made in the water.
"you okay?" he asked, coming a little too close for comfort, but it seemed to be the only source of heat for the moment so I didn't move away from it. wrapping my fingers around my cup of tea, savouring the heat pouring into my fingers as I stared out in front of me.
"what's on your mind?" he asked, concern in his voice. "why would you care?" I asked, a little rude even to my liking but this was my way of protecting myself from him, from being hurt in the future. "I care about you." he whispered, apparently ignoring my previous tone.
"I consider you my friend, it's only natural to worry for your friends." He replied, his tone never favouring as he leaned his elbows on the railing in a similar way to me.
"it seems all the work is lost, it was all for nothing;" I whispered, not like how my thoughts were but every human could only take on so much, before they reached a certain point where they started to second guess everything.
"We'll figure it out, we've come so far. No way are we failing now." He said full of certainty and conviction, it almost made me believe him. "you have more faith then I have." I whispered, my voice being carried away by the wind. "I have been there as well." He admitted, sounding vulnerable all of a sudden.
"I find that hard to believe." I let out a chuckle. "I never though you would be here as well." He hit the nail on the head. "you can only endure so much setbacks." I whispered, hating the fact that I was here, I should be celebrating the fact that I had managed to make the cure and vaccine, but it seemed that everything had a way of discouraging you.
"We'll find a way to spread the cure, I promise you. can you make more on the ship?" he asked, his eyes turning to me. "I can, but I'm running low on everything, If I have to make a cure on this ship, I'll need more supplies." I told him.
"then I will get those somehow, everybody on this ship has faith in you, don't lose faith in yourself now, not now you have come so far." He squeezed my shoulder, before walking off.
somehow the words of the captain had an effect and pulled me out of my self-pitying mood, he was right this crew had its faith in me, I couldn't let them down now. I never gave up, why would I do that now, so I tried to salvage as much as I could and try to produce as much Vaccines as I could, with the supplies I had on hand.
"we have a lab." Was the first thing I heard as the door to the lab opened, looking over my shoulder I saw the captain coming in. "What do you mean?" I asked dropping the stuff I held in my hand.
"there's a lab in Baltimore, we've already set course and we should be there in the next few hours." He said, looking at me. letting out a laugh in relief I looked at him. "thank you" I whispered through the plastic.
"I promised you didn't I?" he questioned. "that you did. Maybe I should ask you for that Bengal tiger after all." I said in a teasing tone. "just name it." he laughed. "good to know, might take you on that one day." I chuckled, relieved that we continue our mission and spread the cure.
we had just arrived in Baltimore, in the labs of Advocet. Seeing for the first time what damage it had done in a densely populated area, such as Baltimore. It was just horrible to think how it swept through cities such as these.
we'd been in advocet for over an hour when a rattled Captain approached me. "Do you have four doses on hand?" he asked, frantically. "My family they're sick." He explained, looking around as if they would somehow pop up here. "Of course, I'll give them immediately." I said, walking back into the lab and preparing four doses. "Find them captain." I said, handing him the small package.
"thank you." he said, gratefulness in his eyes before he turned around and walked off with speed in his pace. He'd finally found his family back. I was incredibly happy for him, to be able to find his family. Not many people would be able to given such a chance.
I had been trying to hide my growing feelings for him during the last week, it only increased after I had passed him that note, it seemed like it was years ago, while in fact it was only 8 days ago.
I would have to better in my hiding, he was on his way to recover his family and wife. Yea I'd have to tell myself it was not meant to be, have to avoid him afterwards in hope to lessen the feeling coursing through my veins for him.
Looking over some data I wasn't sure what I was seeing as I approached Michael: "Michael have you seen these protocols?" walking up to him.
"Of course, why?" he asked a confused look on his face. "Well, Dr. Hamada claims that his treatment prolongs the lives of the infected. But his whole assumption about the virus seems to be wrong." I explained, standing in front of him, holding the data in my head, starting to turn it around so he could take a look.
With a huff he said: "I'm just a statistician. But the data he has given me suggest the treatments working." He gave his opinion.
"No that's impossible." I shook my head, I had seen the data, it wouldn't work at all, I don't know what results he'd been given but it certainly were lies. "Is something wrong?" I heard dr. Hamada's voice behind me, my muscles tensing up as if I was trying to protect myself, I got the feeling that not all was what it seemed here.
"Yes," immediately said, not beating around the bush. "You're using Ribavirin to introduce higher error rates to the virus DNA replication." I explained.
"In a chemical cocktail yes" he said, starting to look very guilty as he started rocking on his feet. "Yes, but the pandemic virus is error-free, your treatment wouldn't have any positive effect whatsoever." I objected. "in fact these dose levels are highly toxic." I pointed out, taking on a defensive stance. "uumm." He said, trying to look for a way out, be he'd just tightened the nose around his neck as I ran off to seek out Mrs Granderson. She had to know about this.
Storming into her office I confronted her with said facts, when she started explaining as to why she did it seemed like she saw herself as some higher power. "so you get to decide who lives and who dies?" I asked, walking up to her desk, my blood turning into fire as I was so pissed off.
Then she had the arrogance to order me and tell me it would be better if I worked with her instead of against her. "she was trying to run away." A guard said coming in with Alisha. "I will never work with you and I the doses I gave you aren't enough to create the cure. Everything is stored safely on the ship." I told her in defiance, a grin on my face as I rubbed it in her face.
"and the captain will never give it up." Alisha added, shaking her head no.
"I assure you, I'll get what I want whether it's with or without your consent." She grinned with an evil smirk. "take them downstairs and teach them a lesson, maybe they'll be a bit more cooperative after they've been thought who to listen to." She ordered as a guard grabbed my arm, turning around I smashed my fist in the guards face, but without results as he hit me back, sure he had a bleeding nose, but I had a pounding headache as he butted the back of his gun on my head.
my feet barely following what I wanted them to do as they dragged us down the hall, down the stairs. "Start undressing them." one of the guards ordered as the door closed behind us. two beds were put to the side and several chains were hanging off the ceiling.
"no." I yelled, starting to struggle as they started to rip my clothes off. "keep your hands to yourself pigs." I yelled out, hitting one of the guards again as I fought and that was the last thing I remembered before I hit the ground.
a cold metal cutting in my palms was the first thing I felt when started coming back. "Dr. Scott?" a voice asked from somewhere around me. the pull in my arms was getting painful, my eyes fluttering as I tried to adjust to the light in the room. "Dr. Scott are you alright?" the voice asked again, like a gnome banging in my head with a hammer.
The sore muscles in my neck protesting as I lifted my head, the cold all over my body began to register in my brain as I look to my side. "Lieutenant." I whispered. "what happened?" I asked, looking down and seeing I wasn't wearing any clothes at all.
"you fought the guards and they hit you in the head." Alisha told me, straining her binds above her head. "are you okay?" I asked, worried when I saw she was bleeding from her face. "yea, I'm okay, are you?" she asked.
"yea." I said, trying to get my hands lose above my head, they felt like led and were tingling from being raised above my head. "have they done anything to us, except." I nodded down to our bodies.
"no." she told me with certainty. "We need to get out of here." I whispered, looking around the room, making myself scared at seeing all the things in the room.
Then the door was thrown open. "seems like the doctor is back." One of the dush bags said, taking my face in his hand. "don't touch me." I said, turning my head to the side. "this one's got fire boys; it'll be all the more fun." He grinned at me, his teeth yellow and filthy, his breath was like the devil breath alone.
"let's start with this one." The other smirked, nodding at me as he took the up a cable jumper. Before I knew I felt the electricity going through my body, somewhere in the back of my mind I registered Alisha yelling and the others laughing, but I couldn't fight it as my body weakened by the electricity, sighing out of relief softly when they got the clamp away, before attaching it back on me, losing consciousness.
GPOV
After Rachel had fainted from the pain and shock of electricity going through her body, the two guards didn't seem to find her interesting as she didn't struggle anymore, thinking there was no fun in that, they moved on to Alisha.
Doing the same thing as they did to Rachel, attaching the clamps of the cable jumper to her body as she shook and scream out in pain, she lasted longer than Rachel had, much to the amusement of the two monsters.
It seemed like a game to them, enjoying the fact that they could torture these two women, the consent given from their boss, 'break them, show them who the boss is' she told the two of them before they had been sent in here.
Alisha had given out under the current going through her body, taking up the hose from against the well, they open the faucet and started hosing down Rachel. "wakey, wakey." One of them slapped her cheek.
"she's waking up." one of them said. "let's see if she's more cooperative already." The second one said. When they saw she opened her eyes, the first one who'd attached the jumper cable to her first approached her. "so are you going to work with us and do what Mrs. Granderson wants you to do?" he asked her, holding her face between his hand, squeezing her chin in his fingers, enjoying the fact that she groaned out in pain.
"go to hell." She said, spitting down on him, she wasn't going to let these guys break her, the cure was for those who deserved it, not these who wanted to start a social project.
"that can be arranged, he sneered, wiping the spit away and, forming a fist and hitting her in the stomach, making sure to hit the spot that would hurt the most.
Grinding her teeth on each other as not to give them more pleasure at their torture she could help as the tears sprang to her eyes in hurt. "so what will it be?" the other one asked, approaching her after the beating. "I'd rather die than help you sick son of a bitches." She yelled, earning her a slap on her face, tasting blood in her mouth she dropped her head.
She just hoped that if dead was to follow, they'd do it soon, she didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep going like this. "we'll see." They grinned evilly picking up the jumper cable again, increasing the voltage as they connected the claps to her body again.
She didn't fight when unconsciousness called her this time, instead she welcomed it as a way out of her pain, "she's out again." One said to the other.
"Well, let's see if this one is more willing to cooperate, maybe we should start thinking of another way." He smirked, touching his crotch. "wouldn't mind doing this one." He laughed taking Rachel's face in his hand, running his hand over her body, his fingers moving to her core, inserting a finger.
"ooh, I'll definitely love this one." He smirked, looking at his friend. "not yet. They need to be awake." He grinned to his friend with an evil smirk.
They woke Alisha up the same manner they had done to Rachel, but Alisha didn't say anything and kept her mouth shut, not wanting to give them anything, not even a whimper as they hit her body to the point she was certain they had broken a few ribs.
"let's wake the other up, now we can have a bit more personal fun;" the other one said, picking the hose up again and spraying her down, when she didn't wake up, they put her feet in a bucket of ice, "we'll never give you what you want." Was the first thing Rachel said when she woke up again, hoping they'd put an end to this sooner rather then later.
"We'll see about that." Said the man in front of her as he started running his hand down her body again, squeezing her breast with an evil smirk and down her body. "no." Rachel yelled out, trying to kick the body in front of hers. Hoping he'd fall and break his neck, but luck was on her side. "you'll pay for that bitch," he said, the other had already pulled down his pants, walking up to Alisha. "No." Rachel yelled again as she felt his fist connect with her face again.
Before she saw the one in front of her start unbuckling his belt as well. "HELP SOMEONE!" Rachel yelled, hoping that her previous statement of everyone coming to look for her would be true.
"where could they be?" Tex asked, they'd nearly searched the entire basement in hope to find Alisha and Doctor Scott, they'd already discovered Kara, thank god they'd been in time for her, the captain just hoped that they weren't too late for Rachel.
He'd already lost his wife today he wasn't about to lose her as well. No he wouldn't, he told himself as they pushed the next door open. "Was that Dr. Scott?" Green asked, looking at the end of the hallway where they had just heard someone scream for help.
"I think so." The Captain said in a hushed whisper, they'd already been here for 6 hours without any form of protection, he didn't want to imagine what they'd been through already. "let's go then." Tex said, already walking ahead, several of the war lords following in our path as Burk and Tex took the lead.
Green and the captain stood stationed out the door they scream had come from and screams were still coming from. "now." He ordered as he and Green kicked the door open and what he saw made his blood boil and pull the trigger on his gun sooner then he'd ever done.
"Rachel." The captain said, walking up to her, taking his jacket off already. Rachel was jut happy to see him. They'd gotten here just in time for me, but Alisha had already gotten the blunt and he'd already started raping her.
Rachel had managed to anger him more than anything else as she kept kicking him, it had earned her more beatings, but at least she hadn't been raped, at least not while she was conscious for as far as she knew.
"Tom"; she sobbed in relief to see him, his jacket was already off. "'I'll undo the restrains" Burk said, reaching up for the restraints as the captain wrapped his BDU around rachel's body, wanting to protect her modesty as far as he could, a second later she collapsed in his arms, just catching her in time.
"I didn't give them what they wanted." She sobbed, repeating the same sentence over and over again, as the captain pulled the BDU jacket over her shoulder, buttoning several buttons and picking her up in his arms.
"It's okay Rachel, you didn't." the captain whispered as he held her in his arms, her head cradled in the crook of his neck. Then the leader of the warlords walked in "Granderson's dead and the lab is secured." He informed the captain as he looked at the two women cradled in the captain and Lieutenant Green's arms.
"we need to get them to safety and get them checked out." The Captain ordered as he tried looking around for their clothing, wanting to put some sort of pants on them as they were in a vulnerable position already.
Finding none he stepped out of the room and followed the guy out. "stay with me Rachel." The captain whispered as he looked down in his arms at her. "You came for me" she whispered softly. "of course." He immediately replied as he walked out of Avocet, they'd beaten Granderson's people and as he crawled in the back of a car to go back to the ship, he couldn't help but think of his Children and Darian and surprisingly most of all the women in his arms, that he wanted to protect more than anything in the world.
Is this what the world had turned into. He asked himself as Rachel cried softly in his arms.
So that's the Chapter, I hope you liked, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment behind.