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The Peleliu's captain marched to the front of the bridge and issued orders.

"All hands, stand down from battle stations. Recall all forces, cease all offensive operations."

Campion seemed ready to protest but Thom stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

The skipper said, "Major Gant, there's a General Friez on the horn for you." A big, satisfied smile then spread across his face. "Captain Campion, you are no longer in command of this task force. I believe the general wants to speak to you, too."

Thom put the call on speaker.

"General, sir, this is Major Gant with Captain Campion."

Friez did not express gratitude that Gant had been found alive, he did not congratulate the men on stopping whatever foul plot was afoot, and he did not ask for the answer to the riddle that was Tioga Island.

Instead he berated them.

"Captain Campion, who the hell ordered you to launch an all-out assault?"

"Sir, General, sir, you empowered me with the authority and imperative to contain and/or destroy all threats, sir. Based on information I received, I felt this action was necessary to deal with a clear danger."

Gant felt sorry for Richard. He had not knowingly pissed off Friez, and doing anything that could be construed as inappropriate might break the soldier's heart.

Friez's voice boomed over the microphone, "What threat, Captain? I understand your people had been extracted and the problem was contained to one small island. You should have contacted me before taking any additional action. By what authority did you attempt to eradicate the hostile complex and force?"

Major Gant interceded, "General, sir, I instructed the captain to order the strikes. I took this action based on Task Force Archangel's rules of engagement and the parameters under which we operate on a regular basis. I believe the threat posed by the facility required a response of this size and scope."

"Bullshit, Major. You're either really stupid or trying to be too clever. I hold you accountable for any valuable intel or materials lost on account of these strikes. You and Dr. Stacy are to pack your gear and return to Fort Irwin immediately for debriefing. Captain Campion …"

Campion stepped closer to the speaker as Gant backed off.

"… you are instructed to take the Archangel detachment ashore and gather any remaining specimens and intel that can be found in the debris. I want whatever it was that was unleashed on Tioga Island. Any attempts to destroy materials or data will be viewed as insubordination. Am I clear, Captain?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

26

A transport helicopter flew overhead, a Humvee raced by the main entrance, a soldier removed his cap and wiped sweat from his brow while enjoying a cigarette in the hot sun, and a maintenance man accessed a circuitry panel inside one of the many metal sheds surrounding the surface level of the Darwin Research Facility.

Two levels below ground, Major Thom Gant and Dr. Annabelle Stacy stood in front of Colonel Thunder's desk while General Friez chewed them out for the fourth time in three days.

"So there you have it. Campion managed to recover three of the specimens. A multi-million-dollar building built to research, develop, and house the most extravagant biological weapon in history and you made it worthless in two hours."

Gant no longer felt the need to apologize. Or rather, he no longer felt the need to feign regret. He had suffered through dozens of phone calls, meetings, and memos all pointing to a reprimand in his file, which at his level of operating was akin to a slap on the wrist or being sent to bed without supper.

Still, he knew enough to suffer the general's anger quietly.

"We still don't know who this Global Health Protectorate is and who Monroe's sponsors were. You understand, Major, that it's possible this parasite is out there, somewhere, in another bunker, being worked on. If we had captured the complex intact we might know."

Yes, General, and if you had captured the facility intact the scientists downstairs would be picking up where Waters left off.

"Sir," Annabelle cut in. Gant held his breath, waiting to hear Friez tear into the girl.

But to his surprise, the opposite occurred. Friez's voice calmed and he spoke to her in a soft tone.

"Dr. Stacy, I want you to know I do not hold you responsible for this. You performed admirably on your first mission, and the information you have provided is one of the few bright spots of this entire episode."

"Thank you, Albert. As I wrote in my report, the organism was extremely unstable. I don't believe it is possible for it to be contained for any length of time. Even the few specimens we have here at Darwin should be considered extremely dangerous."

Given Stacy's interruption, Colonel Thunder must have believed an opportunity existed to turn this dress-down into a conversation. She said, "I didn't read your report. What is it that you're afraid of?"

Stacy turned to Thunder and then looked back to General Friez.

"This was the perfect killing machine, tailor-made for human beings. Notice that we saw no evidence of the fungus infecting other animals. It adapted to the countermeasures used against it, such as the PX gas, and I have to believe that the blocking agent administered to me would not have worked for much longer."

For Thom Gant, the biggest relief since returning from the mission had been to learn that Dr. Stacy's medical examination checked out clear. Whatever substance they had injected her with to keep the zombies at bay had since faded form her system, apparently leaving no ill effects and no trace.

She went on, "Maybe something in the environment caused it to become that deadly, but it's also possible that its ability to adapt was coded into the original biomathematical equation Waters pulled from the disc. Maybe even hidden in it."

While Thom felt a little lost, Colonel Thunder seemed to follow along.

"You're suggesting that whoever the original source for the formula to make this thing was added this quality to make it extra dangerous, and hid that somehow within the formula."

"Like hiding a computer virus inside an otherwise legitimate download," Annabelle nodded. "That's how it seemed to me, although it's really just a gut feeling."

"Gut feelings are a part of this job," Friez told her and tugged his cap a little tighter on his head. "You did well, Doctor. I'm sure Major Gant appreciated having you along."

Stacy turned to Thom, who smiled — a little — but kept his eyes focused forward in case the general decided to yell some more.

However, it seemed even Friez had grown tired of berating Major Gant. The man made a sharp turn and exited the office, no doubt on his way to the elevator and a jet destined for Washington, D.C.

Stacy watched him go and then turned to Thom and said, "So that's why you did it, isn’t it? To keep it out of our hands. Here I thought you were just being a sadistic bastard."

Oh, I was, he thought. I burnt it down good.

Liz — sitting at her desk — crossed her hands and with a somewhat delighted grin said, "In the short time I've known Major Gant here, I've come to see that he's got his own sense of justice. I guess that's the best you can hope for in this line of work, isn't it, Thom?"

He relaxed his posture but still guarded his words.

"Is there anything else, Colonel? Or am I dismissed?"

"What, you have a date or something? Why the hurry?"

"I have something I have to do," he said, then turned to Annabelle Stacy and went on: "I believe I still owe Dr. Stacy a tour."

She stepped back and tilted her head.

"That's funny. I had forgotten all about that."

"Come on then," Gant said and motioned toward the office door and beyond that a corridor leading to an elevator that only went down. "You've earned it. Or at least, I owe it to you."