“When?”
“After a short rest break. We’ll leave this afternoon. March until sundown. Now that we’re on Clark’s trail, a smaller party can travel faster.”
Kelly closed her eyes, huffing out a sigh. The plan was sound. And with the contagion spreading here and in the States, time was essential. Besides, if something was found, a scientific research team could always be airlifted to the site to investigate. “I guess I have no choice.”
Frank remained silent, cinching his hammock for his short rest break.
A call broke the tension. Olin, busy establishing the satellite uplink, shouted, “We’re ready here!”
Kelly followed Frank to the laptop, again protected under a rain tarp.
Olin hunched over the keyboard, tapping rapidly. “Damn it, I’m having trouble getting a solid feed.” He continued working. “All this dampness…ah, here we go!” He sat up. “Got it!”
The ex-KGB agent slid to the side. Kelly crouched with Frank. A face formed on the screen, jittering and pixellating out of focus.
“It’s the best I can manage,” Olin whispered from the side.
It was their father. Even through the interference, his hard face did not look pleased. “I heard about last night,” he said as introduction. “It’s good to see you’re both safe.”
Frank nodded. “We’re fine. Tired but okay.”
“I read the report from the army, but tell me yourselves what happened.”
Together Frank and Kelly quickly related the attack by the strange creatures.
“A chimera?” her father said as they finished, eyes narrowed. “A mix of frog and fish?”
“That’s what the biologist here believes,” Kelly said pointedly, glancing to Frank, stressing that even Manny had proven useful to the expedition.
“Then that settles matters,” her father said, straightening and staring directly at Kelly. “An hour ago I was contacted by the head of Special Forces out of Fort Bragg and was informed of the revised plan.”
“What revised plan?” Zane asked behind them.
Frank waved away his question.
Their father continued, “Considering what’s happening with this damn disease, I totally concur with General Korsen. A cure must be found, and time has become a critical factor.”
Kelly thought about protesting her expulsion, but bit her lip, knowing she would find no ally in her father. He had not wanted his little girl to come out here in the first place.
Frank leaned closer to the screen. “What’s the condition in the States?”
Their father shook his head. “I’ll let your mother answer that.” He slid aside.
She looked exhausted, her eyes shadowed with fatigue. “The number of cases…” Lauren coughed and cleared her throat. “The number of cases has trebled in the last twelve hours.”
Kelly cringed. So fast…
“Mostly in Florida, but we’re now seeing cases in California, Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri.”
“What about in Langley?” Kelly asked. “At the Institute?”
A glance was shared between her parents.
“Kelly…” her father began. His tone sounded like Frank’s from a moment ago, cautionary. “I don’t want you to panic.”
Kelly sat up straighter, her heart already climbing into her throat. Don’t panic? Did those words ever calm someone? “What is it?”
“Jessie’s sick—”
The next few words were lost on Kelly. Her vision darkened at the corners. She had been dreading hearing those words since first learning of the contagion. Jessie’s sick…
Her father must have noticed her falling back in her seat, pale and trembling. Frank put his arm around her, holding her.
“Kelly,” her father said. “We don’t know if it’s the disease. It’s just a fever, and she’s already responding to medications. She was eating ice cream and chattering happily when we came to make this call.”
Her mother placed a hand on her father’s shoulder, and they exchanged a look. “It’s probably not the disease, is it, Lauren?”
Their mother smiled. “I’m sure it’s not.”
Frank sighed. “Thank God. Is anyone else showing symptoms?”
“Not a one,” her father assured them.
But Kelly’s eyes were fixed on her mother. Her smile now looked sickly and wan. Her gaze slipped down.
Kelly closed her own eyes. Oh, God…
“We’ll see you soon,” her father concluded.
Frank nudged her.
She nodded. “Soon…”
Zane again spoke behind her. “What did your father mean that he’d see you soon? What’s this about revised plans? What’s going on?”
Frank gave Kelly a final squeeze. “Jessie’s fine,” he whispered to her. “You’ll see when you get home.” He then turned to answer Zane’s question.
Kelly remained frozen before the laptop as the arguments began to rage behind her. In her mind’s eye, she again saw her mother’s smile fade, her eyes lower in shame. She knew her mother’s moods better than anyone, possibly even better than her father did. Her mother had been lying. She had seen the knowledge hidden behind the reassuring words.
Jessie had the disease. Her mother believed it. Kelly knew this with certainty. And if her mother believed it…
Kelly could not stop the tears. Busily arguing about the change in plans, the others failed to notice her.
She covered her face with her hand. Oh, God…no…
Eleven
Aerial Assault
AUGUST 14, 1:24 P.M.
AMAZON JUNGLE
Nate could not sleep. As he lay in his hammock, he knew he should be resting for the next leg of the journey. In only another hour, his group was due to depart, but questions still persisted. He stared around the campsite. While half the camp napped, the other half were still quietly arguing about the split-up.
“We can just follow them,” Zane said. “What are they going to do, shoot us?”
“We should mind their orders,” Kouwe said calmly, but Nate knew the older professor was no more pleased with being abandoned than the Tellux rep.
Nate turned his back on them, but he understood their frustration. If he had been one of those left behind, they would’ve had to hog-tie him to stop him from continuing on his own.
From this new vantage, he spotted Kelly lying in her hammock. She was the only one who had not protested. Her concern for her daughter was clearly foremost in her mind. As he watched, Kelly rolled over and their gazes met. Her eyes were puffy from tears.