I know I'm (very) late with continuing this story, been busy in RL. Hopefully you all will enjoy this update. :)

Chapter 29

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"Daddy, where are you?"

Words from his son were on his mind as he waited for a response. A response that might never come.

"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over." He repeated yet again.

"This is Tom Chandler, U.S Navy, looking for Jed Chandler." The tone of his voice was rushed as he tried one more time to reach out to his family. The stillness on the radio was slowly giving him doubt that his family might not be there anymore.

Then his heart stopped for a moment as he thought he heard a familiar voice.

"Tom?"

Had he really heard his voice?

"Dad?"

"Dad? Are you there?"

"It's me. It's Tom. I'm back." He repeated but the voice he had heard kept silent. Had he imagined it all?

"Tom.."

"I'm here, dad." He replied with a feel of relief. If he was alive, so was most likely his family too.

"Tommy?" His father's voice was weary and as he heard the coughing coming from the other end of the radio call, it delivered him the news he had been dreading. His old man was sick.

"..the sick can be cured providing they're not too far gone."

Rachel's words about how the cure works came into his mind as he hoped that he still had a chance to save his family.

"Are you at the cabin?"

"We're going to Baltimore.."

"Baltimore?" The words got him at high alert as he stood up in full height.

"Are you with the kids? Darien?" He asked, not sure if he could bear to hear the answer.

"We're sick.. We had to leave the cabin."

"Going to Olympia. It's our only hope for a cure."

"Please, Tom, come quick. We're sick."

A moment later he let out a breath as he sat in the SUV, waiting that they would reach the place where his dad had been a few moments earlier. Taking one last check on the doses he was carrying with him, he was nervous. What if it was too late?

Kara stepped out from one of the SUV's right after Danny, and saw Tom desperately looking for a sign of his family. She wasn't sure if she should have stayed back at the HQ or not, but she wanted to know. Know that he would find them.

She saw him be quite upset with what appeared to be a homeless man with a radio. A radio that assumably belonged to his old man, her grandfather. It was strange to think that she actually was a part of a bigger family now.

"Olympia!"

The faint words of Olympia were cast in the air and Tom was determined to move on. "Come on, let's go!"

"Can't do that, sir." An older man who had escorted them to the place walked in front of Tom.

"What do you mean?" She heard Tom ask with a baffled voice.

The wondering looks from her shipmates were clear, everyone glanced at each other as the conversation quickly escalated.

"Olympia's for sick people." Was the simple reply. Sick people? She didn't understand a thing, but a feeling in her gut was slowly forming as she held onto her gun and nervously glanced toward Danny, he gave her the slightest nod and she understood she wasn't alone. He felt it too. Something was off.

"But we're immune. You got the shots too." Jeter tried to reason.

Jeter's reasoning didn't help much as in a split second guns were pulled out, everyone aiming at each other. She was pointing the muzzle of her gun firmly at a man standing behind Danny. She felt her heart racing in the moment, one mistake and it would be over. Could she pull the trigger in time? These people were suppose to be on the same side as them.

The standoff was getting to everyone as the reason behind it was unclear. Suddenly from the corner of her eye she saw the flare come out of Burk's gun as he fired. Killing a surviving law enforcement officer. And before she knew it, she had fired her gun. Killed a man just like she had done back in Gitmo, it was what she had been trained for.

"Thousand hours of training, for five minutes of pure chaos, and then a thousand hours of second guessing yourself.. That's the job."

Words from Danny took over in her mind as the whole situation was absurd. Had they just attacked their own people? And for what?

And in the chaos around her, she heard Danny's voice shout out. "Master Chief!"

"I'm alright, I'm okay." Jeter got back to his feet while holding his right arm as the rest of the gunmen took off with a SUV.

Moment went by fast as she got into the car with Jeter and Danny. Watching as her father and Burk continued on their journey towards Olympia. Hoping they would make it in time.

Glancing at her clock, Rachel felt an uneasy feeling go through her. He might have found them by now. Kara had briefly informed her on their way out, that Tom had reached his father. So Jed was alive. The unsettling feeling inside of her wasn't getting any easier as she now knew that his family was alive, sick, but still alive. Letting out a sigh, she tried to focus on her work. Looking at the papers that Dr. Hamada had given to her.

Shortly after their introductions, she had brought up the fact that she knew about Dr. Hamada's connection with Doctors Kapustov and Sørenson, and Quincy of course, wanting to know if the good doctor could be trusted. But he claimed that he too had dropped out of the 'leaking circle' rather quickly, due to the craziness of Sørenson. A notion that made her feel slightly better that he too knew about what kind of a person Sørenson had been. But glancing at the papers in her hands, she was more puzzled.

"Michael. Have you seen these protocols?" She walked over to the statistician she had met earlier.

"Of course. Why?" The tone of his voice seemed surprised.

"Well, Dr. Hamada claims that his treatment prolongs the lives of the infected. But his whole assumption about the virus seems to be wrong." She stated. Which was rather odd considering he had been in the 'leak circle' with Quincy.

"Oh.. I'm just a statistician. But the data he's given me, suggests the treatment's working." His answer was sincere yet again. But as she looked at the data, it just didn't line up.

"No, that's impossible.." She shook her head and heard footsteps behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Dr. Hamada walked to stand in front of her and she glanced at him before continuing.

"Dr. Hamada. You're using Ribavirin to introduce higher error rates to the virus' DNA replication.."

"In a chemical cocktail, yes."

"But the pandemic virus is error-free. Your treatment wouldn't have any positive effect whatsoever." She explained.

"In fact, these dose levels are highly toxic." She let the words out and heard Michael's stunned reaction. Her eyes met with Dr. Hamada's and he didn't even blink as he heard her.

Staring at the man, she felt shivers go through her spine as the look in his eyes was cold. He knew. What was going on?

Tom looked over Olympia, people being categorized, he didn't know what it was but the whole place gave him the creeps. After what happened on the alley just now, he wasn't sure of anything. All he wanted was to get his family to safety and leave this town.

He walked through the thick crowd of people waiting for a cure of sorts inside the big arena. He tried to look for a face he would recognize but he didn't see them. His heart was pounding as there wouldn't be much time before people came looking for them.

"Daddy?"

Just like a lightning striking from a clear sky, he heard a voice, a voice that sounded like his daughter.

"Daddy?" He turned around and saw his family in the middle of the room, Sam was lying on a cot. His father guarding over him on a chair.

"Ashley!" He rushed over to his family and hugged his kids. A gesture that made his body explode in joy. It was a miracle that they had survived, although still sick, but they were still here. He had a chance to help them now.

"Sammy.." He touched his sons face, it wasn't easy to see his boy like this, sick. Flashes of the six people inside the isolation tent went through him. The blood coming from their nose, the rashes on their skin..

"Daddy, we're sick." Ashley's words reminded him what he needed to do.

"I know baby. I know. Daddy's gonna make it better, okay." He pulled the small case from his chest pocket and as he inoculated his kids he asked "Where's mommy?".

"Tommy." He heard his father calling for him, trying to get his attention but he was occupied on giving Ashley the vaccine. Making sure he did it right, just like Rachel had taught him.

"Where's your mother?" Tom asked again as he glanced around before preparing the shot for Sam.

"Tommy.." His father's voice was lower this time around and he should have realized what it meant. Why he was trying to get his attention.

"Dad, why didn't you wait for me?" He asked, giving a glance at his way.

"Sam, a little pinch. A little pinch. This is gonna make you feel better." Tom leaned over Sam and quickly gave him the shot, hearing a small wince come out of his little boy. This will make you feel better, son.

"Tommy.." He recognized Jed's voice again, the sad tone should have told him what he had to say and as he asked one more time "Where is she?" He looked straight at Jed.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The words went through him like a freight train. I'm sorry? He didn't mean..

"Dad, where's Darien?" Asking again, he met his father's gaze and tears began to form in his eyes. Ashley's sobbing giving him more proof of his suspicion.

"She's gone, son." Jed finally dared to voice out the words that had been on his mind.

"She's gone." Jed added with a low voice.

For a brief moment Tom went into shock, everything around him was a blur as he tried to remember the last time he saw her. It was on the docks, just before the Nathan James sailed off to the Arctic. Before he came face to face with a blast from his past.

He could almost hear her soft voice carry through the wind, her lips touching his as she gave him one last kiss. One last hug. One last smile.

She was gone.

He wouldn't see her smile at him ever again, hear her laughter, feel her hands around him, feel her touch on his skin.

But as he gathered his thoughts, he felt some kind of relief that she would never know of his betrayal, never know what had happened during his time at sea, he wouldn't break her heart.

"I tried.. to do everything I could.. to save her." Jed's stuttering voice brought him back and he looked at his father firmly.

"I tried to. I tried to." Jed repeated over again. He had kept his family alive all this time and he was grateful for that.

"I know you did, pop. I know you did." He replied giving his old man a short hug. Allowing his pop to let go of the guilt he felt. Guilt that he hadn't done enough.

Rachel sat inside the Avocet van, on their way to give the cure to the people who needed it the most. Swaying from side to side due to the turns the vehicle was taking, she couldn't help but shook her head as the past few hours had been like a worst nightmare, she thought the pandemic itself was the worst kind, but this reality, this home that they had come home to.. Letting out a scoff as she could hear Granderson's voice inside of her head.

"..I understand you have some questions.. About the way we have been treating the sick.."

She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about Granderson's facts about the Black Death back in the 14th century.

"The plague killed indiscriminately.."

"..The virus doesn't discriminate. That unfortunate task falls to me.."

Opening her eyes she could feel the anger grow inside of her, almost feeling like she wanted to punch something. She clenched her fist, it was the closest thing for anger management right now.

"You alright?" Michael asked, sitting beside her in the back of the van.

She nodded briefly, too upset to give a reply. Too angry at Granderson.

"You must try to see the situation from our point of view.."

"..You've seen nothing of the chaos here at home.."

The chaos? Hadn't she heard of what they had to endure at sea? How they survived? Swallowing the edge of her anger, she knew there were several sides to the statement. It's not like she hadn't imagined how it had been for the people on land. Tom had told her about the news footage, how governments had reacted to the pandemic, and Bertrise's story about masked men coming to finish the job instead of helping, was enough to make her feel sick. Granderson had survived because of her great plan. Biting her lip as she thought about how she was backing her into a corner. Thinking about Kara and Tom, she hoped they were safe.

"We have successfully taken the control of the James. My people are collecting all your work.."

"Wouldn't it be better for everyone, if you just agreed to work together?"

Work together? Work together?! If blackmailing was her way of getting her to cooperate, Mrs Granderson had another thing coming..

"Doctor, I watched a grown man beat a 12-year-old boy to death over a gas mask.."

The story made her feel sad but still who did she think she was that she got to decide who got to live or die?

"..But I'm willing to adjust my philosophy to suit your sensibilities.."

My sensibilities?! This woman was crazy!

"The best thing you can do for your friends is to let them know you've decided to cooperate with me. That will end this foolish bloodshed.."

Hearing her words literally stopped her heart for a moment. Bloodshed? The words made her mouth dry. She couldn't bare to think of who was dead and who was alive. Kara.. Tom.. where were you?

The van stopped suddenly and she looked out the window at the people gathered on the small alley.

Still in disbelief of what she had learned from her short time with Amy Granderson, she thought about her partings words at her wish to go out to the streets, help the people who needed the cure. The people that were already sick.

"I think it's silly."

As she stepped out of the parked van, she glanced at the chaos in front of her.

Correcting Granderson's statement in her mind - It's my duty to help the right people first, she thought as she witnessed people taking advantage of the sick. My god..

The world they had left behind all those months ago wasn't to recognize anymore.