Chapter 4: Theory confirmed
Paula Jameson was in quarantine, though it had not been proven she had the illness. She was fairly angered by it, but didn't mind as much. Abby was the one who wasn't cooperating. She knew she had to be quarantined, but she also knew that she wasn't sick. She didn't know how, but she did. She looked over through the window to the next room and saw Paula pacing around. She tapped on the glass and Paula looked up. Her eyes widened and, since you couldn't be heard through the glass, she scrawled a quick note on her hand with a pen.
"I'll tell you everything," was what it said.
"What do you mean?" Abby mouthed, slowly. Paula but her lip and wrote on her hand again.
"You're lucky my brother was deaf. I can lip read!" she smiled. Abby rolled her eyes.
"That's all very nice, but what do you mean?" she asked, becoming impatient. Paula looked around the room for another piece of paper, not wanting to write on her hand again. Reluctantly, she took out a pen.
"Not like this. Can I talk to you face to face?" Abby read. She bit her lip then went to the door.
"HEY!" she screamed, hoping someone heard, "HEY! I'm not sick, OK? Just let me out!" she banged on the door.
"Whoa, easy there!" Luka came to the door and pressed the intercom, "What is it, Abby?"
"Luka! Get me out of here, I feel fine!"
"Well... I don't know, Abby..."
"Luka, I am angry and frustrated. LET ME OUT!"
"Abby, please!" Luka's voice was stern, "We are doing this for everyone's safety! How do you know you do not have this disease?"
"I... I... I just know, OK? Please, Luka, help me!" her voice was pleading and Luka took pity on her, then shook it off.
"No, no, I am sorry, Abby, but I can't..." Luka shook his head. Abby sighed.
"Fine. Then could you do me a favor?" Abby asked.
"It depends. If it has anything to do with me letting you out then the answer's-"
"No, Luka, it's Paula. Could you talk to her for me? She has something important to tell me but she can't through this damn glass! Tell her I sent you in," Abby told him. Luka hesitated, then nodded. Abby watched him walk over to Paula's room.
"Mrs. Jameson?" he said, using the intercom.
"Yes?"
"Abby can't speak with you right now, but she wants me to see what you want to tell her."
"Uh... Kovac, right?"
"Yes," Luka said.
"Could you come in here and talk? I don't really want to be overheard..."
"Alright, in a minute," Luka said, preparing to enter a quarantined room, sporting the proper attire. He entered, with a mask covering his mouth, and wearing gloves.
"Yes?"
"I would have told you sooner except Don said it was top secret. I wasn't even supposed to know about it. But the reason I am telling you now is because now I see it is getting out of hand..." Paula began to pace up and down the room again.
"What are you talking about, Mrs. Jameson?"
"Please, call me Paula," Paula said, "I'm talking about Kayla. This disease... Well... Where are you from, Dr. Kovac?"
"What?" Luka was startled by the question.
"Well, judging by your accent I know English isn't your first language. Where are you from?"
"What does this have to do with anything?" Luka asked, suspiciously.
"Telling an American citizen is bad, but telling someone who isn't an American citizen is worse, says my husband. They could be a spy. So, are you a spy?" she pressed. Luka was shocked.
"Ma'am, I am no spy, this I promise you, but you are correct, I am originally Croatian. But I assure you, I am not a spy. I am a doctor and I need to know what's going on. Your daughter, and two, possibly three doctors, has contracted this disease and you might have too. I need to know how they all contracted this rare disease and if it means uncovering secrets you shouldn't normally uncover, then so be it. But I am not going to stand by and watch your daughter and my friends die just for the sake of your secrets!" Luka tried to keep his voice calm. Maybe this *was* a government conspiracy he was getting into. Paula sighed.
"I didn't mean to question, Doctor, but I have to keep my husbands secrets. If you promise that this knowledge I am about to bestow upon you does not get out of hand, then I can tell you what I believe is going on with my daughter..." she paused and Luka waited for her to continue. He then realized that she was waiting for an agreement from him that he would use this knowledge wisely and he nodded. Paula continued, "Very well. Dr. Kovac, in Washington DC, where my husband, Donald Jameson has been working for the past six months, they are developing a secret weapon that they intend to use against enemy troops. A weapon so tiny you can't even see it, but so effective, it can wipe out an army in just a few days, maybe hours. What weapon, you ask? A disease. An extinct disease for which there is no vaccine. A disease with which ninety-nine out of one hundred people die from easily. The Smallpox virus. But since this disease was created in a lab, when mixed with a normal virus like the flue, it can be twice as more harmful. But to something like Hantavirus... I can't imagine the effects. My only guess as to how Kayla got this disease is when she was visiting her father a few days ago, she followed him into his office one day, to see where he works. She could have contracted the disease there. Now, I fear it is spreading among your staff and maybe even be in me. I can only hope this helps you," Paula concluded her fascinating tale. Luka stared at her with amazement and fear.
"I... I have to go. Carter," he said, standing up and jogging to the door.
"Please help them!" Paula called after him. Luka ran down the hall with no idea what he was going to do. He sprinted into Carter's room and hated the sight that met his eyes.
"Damn it, no!" Peter screamed, trying the difribulators on Carter once more. But there was the monotonous sound of a dead heartbeat.
"Time of death, 22:42," Elizabeth said, tonelessly.
OK
OK
OK, I know you are probably all pretty mad at me right now for ending a chapter this way, but I'm SORRY! I love Carter, too, you know! And I wouldn't let him die unless there was something really important (Or I had a trick up my sleeve) ;). So keep a look out for chapter 5 coming out real soon and review this chapter while you are waiting (though most of them will probably be flames like "OMG you killed Carter! You b******!")
Paula Jameson was in quarantine, though it had not been proven she had the illness. She was fairly angered by it, but didn't mind as much. Abby was the one who wasn't cooperating. She knew she had to be quarantined, but she also knew that she wasn't sick. She didn't know how, but she did. She looked over through the window to the next room and saw Paula pacing around. She tapped on the glass and Paula looked up. Her eyes widened and, since you couldn't be heard through the glass, she scrawled a quick note on her hand with a pen.
"I'll tell you everything," was what it said.
"What do you mean?" Abby mouthed, slowly. Paula but her lip and wrote on her hand again.
"You're lucky my brother was deaf. I can lip read!" she smiled. Abby rolled her eyes.
"That's all very nice, but what do you mean?" she asked, becoming impatient. Paula looked around the room for another piece of paper, not wanting to write on her hand again. Reluctantly, she took out a pen.
"Not like this. Can I talk to you face to face?" Abby read. She bit her lip then went to the door.
"HEY!" she screamed, hoping someone heard, "HEY! I'm not sick, OK? Just let me out!" she banged on the door.
"Whoa, easy there!" Luka came to the door and pressed the intercom, "What is it, Abby?"
"Luka! Get me out of here, I feel fine!"
"Well... I don't know, Abby..."
"Luka, I am angry and frustrated. LET ME OUT!"
"Abby, please!" Luka's voice was stern, "We are doing this for everyone's safety! How do you know you do not have this disease?"
"I... I... I just know, OK? Please, Luka, help me!" her voice was pleading and Luka took pity on her, then shook it off.
"No, no, I am sorry, Abby, but I can't..." Luka shook his head. Abby sighed.
"Fine. Then could you do me a favor?" Abby asked.
"It depends. If it has anything to do with me letting you out then the answer's-"
"No, Luka, it's Paula. Could you talk to her for me? She has something important to tell me but she can't through this damn glass! Tell her I sent you in," Abby told him. Luka hesitated, then nodded. Abby watched him walk over to Paula's room.
"Mrs. Jameson?" he said, using the intercom.
"Yes?"
"Abby can't speak with you right now, but she wants me to see what you want to tell her."
"Uh... Kovac, right?"
"Yes," Luka said.
"Could you come in here and talk? I don't really want to be overheard..."
"Alright, in a minute," Luka said, preparing to enter a quarantined room, sporting the proper attire. He entered, with a mask covering his mouth, and wearing gloves.
"Yes?"
"I would have told you sooner except Don said it was top secret. I wasn't even supposed to know about it. But the reason I am telling you now is because now I see it is getting out of hand..." Paula began to pace up and down the room again.
"What are you talking about, Mrs. Jameson?"
"Please, call me Paula," Paula said, "I'm talking about Kayla. This disease... Well... Where are you from, Dr. Kovac?"
"What?" Luka was startled by the question.
"Well, judging by your accent I know English isn't your first language. Where are you from?"
"What does this have to do with anything?" Luka asked, suspiciously.
"Telling an American citizen is bad, but telling someone who isn't an American citizen is worse, says my husband. They could be a spy. So, are you a spy?" she pressed. Luka was shocked.
"Ma'am, I am no spy, this I promise you, but you are correct, I am originally Croatian. But I assure you, I am not a spy. I am a doctor and I need to know what's going on. Your daughter, and two, possibly three doctors, has contracted this disease and you might have too. I need to know how they all contracted this rare disease and if it means uncovering secrets you shouldn't normally uncover, then so be it. But I am not going to stand by and watch your daughter and my friends die just for the sake of your secrets!" Luka tried to keep his voice calm. Maybe this *was* a government conspiracy he was getting into. Paula sighed.
"I didn't mean to question, Doctor, but I have to keep my husbands secrets. If you promise that this knowledge I am about to bestow upon you does not get out of hand, then I can tell you what I believe is going on with my daughter..." she paused and Luka waited for her to continue. He then realized that she was waiting for an agreement from him that he would use this knowledge wisely and he nodded. Paula continued, "Very well. Dr. Kovac, in Washington DC, where my husband, Donald Jameson has been working for the past six months, they are developing a secret weapon that they intend to use against enemy troops. A weapon so tiny you can't even see it, but so effective, it can wipe out an army in just a few days, maybe hours. What weapon, you ask? A disease. An extinct disease for which there is no vaccine. A disease with which ninety-nine out of one hundred people die from easily. The Smallpox virus. But since this disease was created in a lab, when mixed with a normal virus like the flue, it can be twice as more harmful. But to something like Hantavirus... I can't imagine the effects. My only guess as to how Kayla got this disease is when she was visiting her father a few days ago, she followed him into his office one day, to see where he works. She could have contracted the disease there. Now, I fear it is spreading among your staff and maybe even be in me. I can only hope this helps you," Paula concluded her fascinating tale. Luka stared at her with amazement and fear.
"I... I have to go. Carter," he said, standing up and jogging to the door.
"Please help them!" Paula called after him. Luka ran down the hall with no idea what he was going to do. He sprinted into Carter's room and hated the sight that met his eyes.
"Damn it, no!" Peter screamed, trying the difribulators on Carter once more. But there was the monotonous sound of a dead heartbeat.
"Time of death, 22:42," Elizabeth said, tonelessly.
OK
OK
OK, I know you are probably all pretty mad at me right now for ending a chapter this way, but I'm SORRY! I love Carter, too, you know! And I wouldn't let him die unless there was something really important (Or I had a trick up my sleeve) ;). So keep a look out for chapter 5 coming out real soon and review this chapter while you are waiting (though most of them will probably be flames like "OMG you killed Carter! You b******!")