I'm trying to get as many chapters in as possible before my surgery! Thank you so much for all of you wishing me well. It warms my heart! Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, or the chapters are shorter. I have to chicken peck with one hand. Which kinda sucks because I'm usually such a fast typer! Anyway…where was I? Ahhh, yes. What will I do to our boys now? Read and find out.
The room was silent after Elin had spoken, save for the whistling sound of Danny's breathing.
"Thomas only saw you two as a problem. But see, you are the solution." She said mysteriously. Steve glanced at Danny, who looked even worse than before, then turned his harsh gaze towards Elin.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in as low and deadly of a voice as he could muster. Her dreamy smile never faltered.
"You haven't figured it out yet? Hmmm…I'm disappointed in you Commander. I thought you were a broader minded man. You two will help me spread God's will across Hawaii. Think of the island as a beta test. If all goes to plan here, we take this to the rest of the world and watch as it is reborn."
"G-god's w-will? You're killing people! H-how is that God's will?" Danny managed to gasp out between coughs and shivers.
"Killing? No. We are releasing them. They are now soldier's in the Lord's army, and soon, they will march across the Earth, liberating others. When this is all over, our world will no longer be the over populated and dying mess it is now. It will thrive in the hands of the few that survived and they will help Earth start anew. Don't you feel it? Don't you feel the Lord working through you? I was so surprised to find out that you had been infected, but then I saw that this would work better than I'd hoped! You see, all of Hawaii trusts you. So even if you are half mad with fever, people will not run. They will try to help. And the two of you will spread the pathogen so effectively!" She said with a triumphant smile. Steve was taken aback for a moment. They were infected? He glanced over at Danny, but he looked as if he already knew. Maybe he had.
"You really th-think that we'd go along with this?" Danny said, sounding strong willed even if his voice was so weak.
"My dear Dectective, you won't exactly be you. You've seen the reports. You won't be able to control yourself." Danny glared at her through hazy eyes. Steve turned his own dull, yet still fierce stare to Elin.
"How did you get Briarley to go along with this? Is he just as much of a wackjob as you, or does he still think it's about the money?" She gave a small snort of laughter.
"Ohhh Thomas. Such a naïve man. He couldn't see the big picture either. All I had to do was give him a smile and flash some skin and I had all I needed. Thomas believes that we will sell the cure when this thing goes worldwide, but I have my own agenda. Some people will receive the cure. They will form the basis of the new world. For your service, your families will be among those who survive. As for about six billion other people…well, they will join Heaven's Army." She gave them another serene smile, then turned away towards the door, talking as she left.
"I really must be going now. I have a lunch date. I just wanted to see how the disease was progressing. Sleep tight, gentlemen. I will see you tomorrow." The door slammed shut. Steve was still trying to process Elin's inconceivable confession. If the research from the warehouse was right, they only had about eight days before they became monsters. Even before that, they were still dangerous and combative, but less so than the ones they had fought yesterday. His thoughts were interrupted by Danny's harsh coughing.
"Just breathe, Danno." Steve said, trying to soothe his partner in any way he could. "In and out. In and out. Take it easy." When the coughing subsided, Danny grew weaker still. He saw that Danny had several angry red scratches on his neck. If his memory was correct, Steve only had one. Danny must have gotten more of the infection than him.
"Just rest Danny. I'm going to get us out of this. You just hold on." Steve began to panic. Placing a lid on his growing fear, he checked the room for security cameras. Finding none, he pulled a small pin from beneath his watch. He had started carrying it around ever since Jenna had had slid it to him moments before her death in North Korea. He deftly picked the lock on his handcuffs, then rose shakily and undid Danny's cuffs as well. Danny didn't stir.
"Come on man. I need you to wake up Danny." He said, gently tapping Danny's pale cheeks. He moaned softly, then flicked his eyes open. "Okay Danno. I doubt Elin locked us in here and I doubt there's guards. We're going to get of here and find a cure. Can you walk?"
"N-no." Danny answered truthfully. "Steve, you gotta go…without me. Better that way. Slow you down. M-might hurt you…" he trailed off, eyes closing again. Steve worried about the way he could only say a few words at a time.
"No no no. You stay with me Danny. No sleeping, alright? I'm not leaving you. I'll get you out of here if I have to carry you, we clear?" Danny gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Steve took his friend's arm and hooked it around his waist. Then he took his arm and used it to pull Danny to his feet. They made their way laboriously to the door, Steve taking most of Danny's weight. They crept out into the hall. Wherever they were, it was old. It looked like some Cold War era bunker. The good news was, there were no guards and there was an ancient and disused looking phone on the wall. Praying it still worked, Steve set Danny down gently against the wall and tried it. It worked. He quickly dialed Chin's number. It took a while, but eventually Chin's worried voice answered.
"Kelly." He said tersely.
"Chin! Thank God." Steve said, his shoulders sagging with relief.
"Steve?! Where the hell are you guys? We've been tearing up the entire island looking for you!"
"Chin, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Elin Valburg took us somewhere. I don't know where we are, so have Kono trace the call. It looks like an old Cold War bunker." He paused a moment and took a breath, then stole a glance at Danny. He was soaked with sweat, yet his whole body convulsed as he shivered. His eyes were closed and he could barely breathe.
"Chin…we're both infected. It happened some time during the fight at the warehouse. I'll be okay for a while, but Danny got more of it into him. He's not doing good." He heard Chin's sharp intake of breath.
"Ok, just hang on. We've gotten the signal narrowed down to somewhere in the jungle near Kahuku. We're asking Catherine right now if she can look for any bunkers in that area."
"Thanks brother. We're going to try to find the cure. Listen, Elin is tricking Briarley. He still thinks it's about the money, but she wants to wipe out about six billion people with this thing. She says it's 'God's will'. Chin…she planned to use us to infect the island. If you find us and we're not…us, you can't hesitate. I've read the research from the warehouse. Once the ten days are up and we're fully gone, the cure won't help us."
"Steve, what you're asking me to do-" Steve cut him off.
"I know. And I'm sorry. We're going to try, but if it comes down to it, I need to know you'll do what's right. We won't be us if that happens. You guys need to take us down. I need you to promise me that, Chin. If this gets out, everyone dies."
"I will. But it won't come to that Steve. We'll get you guys the cure and we'll stop this thing."
"Thank you. I mean it. I gotta go now. We need to see if we can find the cure. I think Elin left the bunker. She said she had a lunch date, so check facial recognition again. And please send someone to go pick up Briarley." Chin gave Steve his word to do all that he had asked and they hung up. Steve gathered up his remaining strength and hefted a much too limp and barely conscious Danny to his feet.
"Come on, Danno. Let's got find that cure."
Hmmmmmm…what will Chin do? Will it even come to that? Will they both make it out alive? Will anyone make it out alive? I'd love to hear your thoughts!