Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Mishandle it? “What the fuck?” I shake my head and grab my phone, stabbing the screen with verve as I hit Juno’s quick dial.
“Hey, Professor.” Candice answers Juno’s phone as I pull off my mask.
Despite my irritation, I still feel a surge of warmth just hearing her voice. “You finally made it to town?”
“Yep. I’m glad I missed the inauguration. There’s no way I could outrun a bullet at my age.”
“I’m glad, too. It would’ve been tough lugging you up the steps.” I wander back through the apartment and sit on one of the fluffy couches near the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Where’s Juno?”
“Flip on your TV.”
“My TV?” I look around and find the remotes neatly lined up on a table to my left. After a few tries, the painting above the fireplace flickers and becomes an image of Juno. “—these resorts are entirely optional, but they are necessary for us to develop a cure. Ask yourself what you would give to see our nation thriving, your loved ones happy, the world the way it should be. We can accomplish all that and more if you volunteer to serve your country. At this very moment, our top scientists are working on a cure. Not a vaccine, not simply a treatment, a cure for the plague. But they need blood supply volunteers to make it work. Volunteers like you.” She smiles at me, her gaze following the words on the teleprompter as her face turns more serious once again. “Now, keep in mind, if you volunteer for this important task, you have zero risk of contracting the Sierravirus at our treatment locations. Let me say that again—you will not be exposed to the Sierravirus whatsoever at these resorts, and in fact, all volunteers will be tested several times before being admitted. All that’s required is for you to agree to a one-month stay at any resort around the country of your choosing.” A series of images float across the screen of smiling people lounging in pools, some of them skiing, others snorkeling. “You will be compensated for your travel, your time, and you will be given every amenity to make your stay enjoyable. If you have questions or would like to sign up, please visit the White House website and fill out the simple form. Thank you for your patriotism and your sacrifice. May God Bless the United States.”
The image goes to a still shot of the presidential seal as I sit dumbfounded. What. The. Fuck?
“Professor, you still there?” I jump at Candice’s voice. I’d forgotten I was still on the phone with her.
“What was that? What resorts?”
“Search me.” She sighs. “Doesn’t sound so bad, though, does it? Like a vacation.”
I try to come up with a reason, some explanation for why Juno would create such a program. There is none, at least, none that makes sense. “But we don’t need blood, Candice. Researchers have been able to grow the virus in cell cultures for almost two years. Besides, why would we need blood samples from people who don’t have the plague?”
“You always got blood samples from the hospital in Austin,” she says.
“That’s because I didn’t have what I needed to grow my own cultures. Here, they have stacks of it. Enough for a million experiments.”
“I don’t know what all that means.”
“Let me talk to her.” I chew my lip so hard it stings.
“She’s not coming back to the office here.” Something creaks in the background, and Candice lets out a small huff. “She’s already on the helipad. I can see her out my window.”
“Without her phone? Is Fatima with her?”
“Hmmm. Let’s see. My eyes aren’t what they used to be. No. She’s alone. Not even Vince is with her. Wait, there’s someone else walking up.” Candice makes a disgruntled sound. “It’s that damned Dragonis. He’s boarding with her.”
A bad feeling settles in my stomach. “Where’s she going?”
“Let me check.” I hear some tapping. “I’m trying to get used to this new computer setup. I hate the mouse, and I should’ve brought my own keyboard. I like the clicking sound it makes… Um, looks like she’s blocked out two hours this morning, but it just says ‘unavailable’.”
“Shit. I need to talk to her.” A helicopter hums past overhead, and I know it must be her. Why would she leave her phone? And why the hell is Valen Dragonis on Marine One with her?
“Try again around lunch. It says she’s meeting with the Canadian PM at 12:30. Surely, she’ll have a moment to talk before that.”
“Right.” I’m not so certain. “Candice, if you hear anything else about these resorts, I want you to let me know. Okay?”
“Sure thing. Oh, shit. I think I clicked the wrong thing and there’s something ringing—what is that racket?” An alarm steadily sounds in the background. “I’ve got to go.”