“You volunteered, Gideon. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Dr. Curran asked.

“No, no.” Gideon shook his head. “It just feels different being on this end of the procedure.”

Omondi laughed heartily. “It’ll be okay, Gideon. Just a little prick and the world goes dark for just a little bit. You’ll come back and feel like a new man.”

The big man’s laughter alleviated some of the tension that had been brewing in the room. Even Dr. Curran smiled one of her rare genuine smiles.

“Let’s begin,” Dr. Curran said.

Gideon opened his eyes, nodding.

Maria and Omondi retreated to a corner out of the way to watch. The techs finished preparing Gideon, then stepped back as Dr. Curran did a final check of his vitals. Looking up at the robotic arms retracted into the ceiling, Maria was glad that the transitions were now much more personal. With a nod of her head, Dr. Curran motioned to the lead tech who promptly administered the sedative.

Omondi bumped Maria’s arm lightly with his elbow and indicated with his eyes Gideon’s tightly clenched fists. Gradually, the fingers of the restrained tech unfurled and Dr. Curran did a read of his vitals.

Another injection resulted in all the monitors ceasing activity. As always, the moment of death made Maria uncomfortable. It was strange watching someone die willingly.

“Let’s bring him over,” Dr. Curran said.

The one thing Maria truly respected about Dr. Curran was that she didn’t ask of her techs anything she was not willing to do herself. She had administered the last few injections of the Inferi Boon Virus, but this time deferred to the lead tech. Stepping forward, the man bent over Gideon and the hiss of the injector slithered through the quiet room.

“He’s a little guy. He’ll be back fast,” Omondi whispered to Maria.

“How many do we have to go?” Maria wondered.

“About eight,” Omondi answered. “Tired?”

With a smirk, Maria said, “No, you?”

“If not for this damn feeling of being wrapped in cotton I would say this is the best I’ve ever felt in my life.”

“I know what you mean.”

The ungodly howl of an Inferi Scourge ripped through the room. A tech dropped a pad and leaped from the table as Gideon thrashed upon it. More clamps erupted out of the table, locking over his limbs as the man fought against his restraints. Bloody foam flecked his lips as he gnashed his teeth, his eyes locked on Dr. Curran. She stood close to the table, her eyes wide, a stunned look upon her face. One of her techs pulled her a few feet away from the table as the large robotic arms unwound from the ceiling. They immediately began to take samples from the howling man.

“What the hell is going on?” Omondi demanded, stepping toward the chaos.

Dr. Curran regained her senses and began to quickly tap away on her pad.

Though the sight of the rabid Scourge that had once been Gideon terrified her on some primitive level, Maria advanced toward him. His gaze jumped from one tech to the next as tears rolled down his cheeks, his teeth snapping. Reaching Gideon, she laid her hand on his shoulder. Consumed with the need to spread the virus and kill, Gideon continued to fight his restraints. He ignored her touch and her presence completely.

“Gideon,” she whispered. “Gideon, if you’re in there...”

Foamy blood and saliva slid down his cheeks as he grunted, his body seizing. His eyes rolled up into his head. His body went limp, his clenched hands once more going still.

“I asked you a question, Dr. Curran. What is happening to him?” Omondi said, towering over the table.

Dr. Curran barely glanced at him. “Give me a moment.”

“I want to know what is happening to my man now,” Omondi persisted.

Whirling about, Dr. Curran glowered at him. “We’re trying to assess the situation. I suggest you shut up.”

Omondi fell silent, but his mouth was twisted into an angry grimace. He rested his hand on Gideon’s arm, his stance protective.

Maria grabbed a sterile cloth from a nearby counter and wiped Gideon’s mouth and face. No one stopped her. The techs and Dr. Curran attentions were intently directed at the monitors and their pads.

“We’re not leaving you,” Omondi whispered to Gideon, leaning over him. “We leave no one behind.”

Resting her hand on Gideon’s chest, Maria felt the stillness of his heart. “How did you knock him out? I didn’t know we could do that to Scrags.”

The robotic arms were busy depositing their samples into the machines set along one wall. Dr. Curran didn’t look up as she answered. “We didn’t knock him out. Like I said, we’re trying to assess his condition.”

“If you didn’t knock him out, why—”

“I said, Vanguard Martinez, we’re assessing his condition. Perhaps you had best leave the room while we work.”

“We don’t leave our people behind,” Omondi said.

“You’re not on the battlefield yet,” Dr. Curran snapped back.

“Is it over?” Gideon’s voice was a mere rasp.

Startled, Dr. Curran hurried back to his side. “Gideon?”

“Is it over? Am I turned yet?” Gideon stared at the doctor through cloudy eyes.

“Yes, it is. We had a slight...anomaly though. We’re going to need to keep you here a little longer than we anticipated,” Dr. Curran said swiftly.

“Anomaly?” Fear filled Gideon’s eyes. “What happened?”

“You’re going to be okay now, soldier,” Omondi assured him.

Dr. Curran glared openly at Omondi. “We will have to do more tests. The rest of the procedures will have to be rescheduled.”

“We need to move forward and soon,” Omondi reminded her.

“I am aware of the situation, Chief Defender Omondi.”

Silence seemed like the best option in Maria’s opinion. She wasn’t sure what she had just witnessed, but it had unnerved her. Omondi was a man of singular focus, as was Dr. Curran. They were already locked in a battle of wills. Maria kept her hand on Gideon’s shoulder and his gaze slid toward her. Fear was in their depths, and she squeezed his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

The door to the room opened behind them. Maria was not surprised when she heard Mr. Petersen’s voice.

“Chief Defender Omondi and Vanguard Martinez, could you please follow me?”

Reluctantly, Omondi stepped away from the table, giving Gideon a thumbs up. Maria smiled at the frightened man before following in Omondi’s furious wake.

The door had barely slid shut when Omondi’s proper tones, edged with anger, cut through the air. “You said the procedure was safe.”

Mr. Petersen quirked a slight smile. “And it is. To most of you. We were aware there could be some...” he seemed to consider a possibility of words before opting to use Dr. Curran’s. “Abnormalities may occur when dealing with experimental procedures. You must keep in mind that though Gideon is in good health, he is not a soldier. He does not have your strength and stamina. Apparently, this resulted in complications.”

“Then give him the cure, Petersen.”

It was clear Mr. Petersen didn’t like the tone in Omondi’s tone. Or perhaps he just didn’t like taking orders. Maria wondered again who exactly the bland man in white truly was.

“We will assess his situation and give you a report later. But for now, why don’t you return to your rooms. We will debrief you as soon as possible.”

“If you suspected that one of us could have an adverse reaction to the procedure, I should have been told. I was given the impression that everyone selected for this mission wouldn’t be in danger of complications.” Omondi towered over Mr. Petersen, but it was obvious Mr. Petersen was not intimidated.

“Your presumption was erroneous. Now, follow me,” Mr. Petersen said in a tone that made it clear he didn’t expect them to argue further.

“What else aren’t you telling us?” Maria said, not able to ignore her misgivings any further.

Mr. Petersen had started to turn away, but at her question, he swiveled back around on his heel. His cool gaze studied her for a moment, then he said, “The information imparted to you is all you need to do your mission. Is that clear?”

Maria and Omondi exchanged looks. She could see her superior officer’s silent order to stand down in his body language and gaze. With a nod of her head, she fell silent and into step behind the man in the white suit.

She wouldn’t be surprised if her and Omondi’s wristlet alarms would be deactivated.

Chapter 13

Dwayne was reviewing weekly reports in his office late one night when Petra appeared in his doorway. She was already off duty, but was still in uniform. He lifted his eyes as she set a steaming cup of real coffee in front of him.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

“I’m busy right now,” he said.

He tried to keep the irritation from his voice. There had been no word from Maria in two days and the silence was bothering him. Lindsey had promised to scrounge up what she could when he had contacted her a few hours before. To keep himself busy and distracted, he was trying to make a dent in the pile of reports he had to review before forwarding them to the commandant.