He was not afraid of them, but he still decided to put some distance between himself and the cave. They did not look very healthy, but he was not interested in any unnecessary confrontation. He continued north at a healthy jog. As he went, a few things became clear, there were people alive out here, those in the cave, and those who they may have preyed upon. There was also evidence of wild animals. The bones were too new to be of long dead carcasses. He only hoped that what he found next was not as wretched and revolting as what he witnessed in the cave.
Two days removed from his experience in the forest, Keith found himself in a valley full of wild grass. It was yellow in color and tall. He collected some for study. He also noticed the ground was marshy. From this, he went to several standing pools and collected samples of water in the hopes that he would find what Dr. Maddow was so interested in. He marked them and placed the vials into a pocket on the inside of his jacket.
He heard the noise before he saw them. There was a pack of dog like creatures walking along the rim of the basin. They spotted him and they were acting as if they were trying to avoid him. He did not think they were planning to attack, as they appeared to be rather small to approach something his size. They were smaller than a coyote, but larger than a red fox. Their coats were yellowish brown, similar to the grass, and they had a dark brown patch riding down the middle of their back.
They were not calling out to one another, and this was another reason he did not think they would try to molest him. He was wrong. As soon as the four dogs were within twenty yards of him, they started to growl and run straight for him. He had little time to draw his gun and fire as they did so. He took aim at the closest one and fired. The gun bucked in his hands as he acquired his next target. The first two went down in cries of pain, while the other two continued their assault. A third one absorbed two quick rounds in mid-air as it jumped at him. The last animal was now too close to fire at. Keith swung his free arm as the dog was in the air.
He struck the dog in his ribs with the side of his forearm. It was not a solid blow but Keith knew it caused damage. In fact, the dog had landed, turned around and growled at him. He did not seem as enthusiastic as he was a few seconds ago, and it was obvious he was hurting. Probably from broken ribs, Keith thought in the moment it took to consider it. He raised the pistol ready to fire once again, but the animal never came. He saw he was now alone, turned, and walked away in search of an easier meal.
Keith decided to return with one of the creatures. He sealed it whole in a plastic bag. It would surely be ripe by the time he made it back, but that would not be his concern. He knew they would want to examine every detail down to what it had been eating. He marked the bag the same way he did all samples he gathered, with the direction and distance from the mountain. This one was labeled 60 Mi. North.
Construction had been moving at a fast pace. Those on the inside could see images through their computer links. They were also able to keep in contact with their colleagues in this same fashion. Once a week, they even shared in parties via this link, both inside and out, as a way to keep up morale. Those on the inside wanted to get out. Those on the outside, wanted to finish their work, and be safe. After the newness of the adventure had subsided, the realities became heavier. They trusted in the measures they were taking in relation to protecting their health, but it was a regimented system. It also became a realization that they were not going to be entering the mountain facility again anytime soon. They would only see others when it was safe enough for them to come out too. This emerged as the new motivation to finish their work.
Eventually, the outside facility became functional to the point of having air-handling systems, recreational areas, and a hermetically sealed exit point. Just inside the exit point was a permanent decontamination unit, which allowed for both people and small recreational vehicles to pass through. The level of radiation was monitored daily. It was clear that it was decreasing, but it would be sometime before it would be safe enough to go outside without self-contained protective gear.
The recreational vehicles were battery powered, and only allowed travel for moderate distances without a reserve. There were solar cells on the top of the vehicles, but they only prolonged the battery life. They were not enough to power the vehicles alone. The facility staff grew to twice its original complement as scientists were kept busy examining whatever newly discovered items were brought in. They decided that they would not construct any other facilities, beyond the mountain, until the environment was safe enough to work in without protective gear. Many of those outside were comforted by that. They believed they had tempted fate enough already.
Frank Bishop was pragmatic enough to realize there were only two options for continued progress. One, was through medical enhancement, the other was time. One they could control once they found the means, the other they could not.
Keith had been in the apartment for little more than an hour when Terri arrived. “Hey, how’s my favorite girl,” he said as he walked toward her.
“Hi. I didn’t know when you were coming back,” she said in a sullen voice.
“What’s wrong,” he asked halting their customary embrace.
She looked in his eyes and knew she could not keep it from him. It was too big for her to keep to herself. “I have something to show you. In fact, it’s something that needs to be shown to everyone here.”
“Okay, so show me,” he said agreeably.
She removed a thumb drive from one of her pockets, and went to a laptop they kept in the room. Once it was turned on, she plugged in the memory stick, and entered the code necessary to open the file it contained. At first, he did not know what he was looking at. It was obviously medical data.
“What exactly am I looking for,” he asked her as he scanned through the pages.
“Here,” she said as she scrolled to what she wanted him to see.
He read it. At first glance, it did not register with him. He reread it. This time it dawned on him. They found a cure for cancer. “Hey, this is great. Is it true? I mean, does it really work?”
“Yes,” she said without much enthusiasm.
“Then what are you upset about. I agree, everyone should know about this.”
“Look,” she said as she scrolled back to the top of the report, “Look at the date.”
He did. The report was almost fifty years old. “That can’t be right,” he said.
“It is,” she replied as she replaced that thumb drive with another.
“What’s on that one,” he asked.
“Wait and see,” she said seriously. After she opened this file, she explained what it contained while he viewed its contents. “After I came across these records by accident, I noticed several references to what I later learned was a secret government project called ‘Artifice.’ I didn’t know what connection it had with the cancer studies, so I asked somebody to do some checking for me.”
While she was talking, Keith was putting things together as he read the reports.
“You know Lisa,” Terri said keeping his attention, “Her husband Greg works with those supercomputers in the archives and records department. I asked him if he could locate anything on some project called Artifice. He did, that’s what you’re looking at now.”
“This stuff has to be classified,” Keith interjected.