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“Now. As I was saying.” He stands up and begins a slow walk around the table, brushing and nudging up against the chairs of the others as a way to ensure they recognize his authority. “I share your concerns. This weapon is nothing other than a doomsday device that was created to overthrow their enemies and ensure their fading empire would remain relevant in modern society. However, there are a number of problems with lobbing missiles across the globe.
“Chief among these problems is the fact that the USA is suffering far
worse than some countries. There is absolutely no sign that they have remained uninfected by the weapon or that they are using this release as some sort of cover. They are affected quite profoundly.”
“Who cares?!” A man with medals across half his chest shouts from down near the end of the table, pounding his fist on its surface. “We must strike at them now, before it’s too late! We have the advantage here! Fifty-two of our missiles still stand at the ready!”
“So we use them. What then? Who’s to say how many they have ready to send back? Or Germany. Or Israel. Or France. Or Britain. Or China, for that matter. Perhaps they would decide it’s time to add a bit of land to their collection.”
“So you want us to cower in fear?”
“Do you truly believe that?” The President’s tone is icy cold and full of menace.
“Of... of course not. Sir.”
“What I propose is simple. We watch and we wait. We still have an eye in the sky and we will use it to our advantage. We will sit, quietly, watching and gathering information until the time is right. Then—and only then—we will make our move.”
“And what will that move be?”
The President, having arrived back at his seat, places his hands on the chair. “The one most advantageous to ourselves.”
Chapter 7
Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Outside Colorado Springs, CO
It was after dinner the following day when Rick, Jane and Dr. Evans met up in the common room of the building where the three of them were staying. The day had been largely uneventful and Rick had managed to catch a couple hours of sleep before his curiosity got the better of him. After exploring the entirety of the building he was housed in—an exercise that turned out to be frightfully boring—he went back to his room until an alert sounded over the base’s intercom alerting everyone that it was time to eat.
Dinner was devoured in haste and once Rick and Jane finished they quickly headed back to the common room. Dr Evans arrived twenty minutes later and after walking inside he sealed the door by jamming a folding chair underneath the handle.
“Those bureaucratic fools!” Dr. Evans nearly shouted as he stalked over to a seat near Rick and Jane who looked at him with wide-eyed expressions.
“What’s the matter?” Jane asked. “Trying to get them to let you run some tests again?”
“It’s not even that!” Dr. Evans flopped down in the chair, his display of anger quickly dissipating as his expression turned from upset to exhausted. “It’s like they’ve all given up hope up there. They’re all just sitting around talking about survival probabilities.” He scoffed and shook his head. “What do they expect us to do? Hide in a cave and wait till the food and water runs out or the Russians decide to see if they can solve the problem with a few well-placed nukes?”
Rick snorted and nodded. “You’ve been talking to General Black, I take it?”
“He is, without a doubt, the most asinine excuse for a military leader I’ve ever seen in my life. And that’s saying something given how many I’ve worked alongside.”
Rick smiled. “I couldn’t agree more, Dr. Evans.”
Dr. Evans abruptly changed the subject as he pulled a satchel close to his side, cradling it like it was his own child. “Rick. You were asked to go to Mount Weather.”
“That’s right. We talked about that yesterday?”
“And you’re aware of what they were trying to do there.”
Rick leaned back in his chair and thought back to his meeting with Colonel Leslie. “Well, yeah. When I was at Nellis Air Force Base the commander there showed me a paper with a brief description of what was going on. It also described a think tank they were assembling at Mount Weather to try and combat the virus.”
“Damocles. Yes. I know it… quite well.”
“Are you one of the scientists working on finding a way of stopping it?”
Dr. Evans glanced at Jane with a slightly worried expression before answering Rick’s question. “I suppose. I was—well, I suppose I still am—better known as Dr. Howard Chu.”
Rick’s eyes narrowed as he tried to remember where he had heard the name before. “That sounds very familiar. I can’t quite place it, though.”
