Chapter Twenty Five
Catherine frowned as the lab shook violently. The fluid she was trying to pour into a test tube almost spilled in the process. She was tempted to yell at the driver to drive more slowly but somehow managed to quell the urge.
That was the third pothole he was running into in the last two minutes. Her eyes drifted around the lab’s expansive confines. It was built like a motor-home. There was a leather couch a few feet away, a toilet at the back and even a bedroom.
The table she was working on was riddled with sheets of paper, test tubes and beakers. She wiped her hands on the stained apron she wore glancing at chemical formulas opened on a spreadsheet on the Dell laptop to her right.
Her eyes drifted around the lab once more. She was alone. Taiwo and Olatunji were in front with the driver. Four armoured vehicles stuffed with soldiers followed. They’d decided to let her work in peace. She snorted in disgust. They could have saved themselves the trouble. She was no closer to figuring this thing out than she’d been when they were with her looking over her shoulder.
She’d kill for Kemisola’s help at the moment. That woman was a genius. It was just a pity she had to die before her work was fully completed. Catherine could bet all she had that she’d have had all this figured out in moments. Well bully for her. It sucked being the second in command, the underling. A few more disparaging adjectives came to mind but she dismissed them. Now was not the time to start second guessing herself. She had to stay focused. Focus was key. It could be no other way.
She settled down to work some more when lab pulled to a halt with a grating groan. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. What was wrong? Was there trouble?
Her arms fell to her side and she walked to the door. There was a loud knock as she reached for the lock. She leaped back startled.
“Who is it?” She asked in a shaky voice.
“It’s me _” Taiwo replied in a weary tone. She sighed and unlocked the door.
“What’s wrong?” She asked her eyes taking in his dishevelled and extremely weary appearance.
“Nothing’s wrong. We’ve stopped for the night. Olatunji feels this is a good spot to rest and recharge our batteries until tomorrow.”
“Are we going to stay here for some time? A couple of days at least__”
“Don’t think so __ he feels we should keep on moving. I agree with him. Everywhere is riddled with infected activity. Your work is too important to take chances with it. We must be as careful as we can.”
She nodded slowly glancing at her stained apron. It would take a good round of cleaning to get the stains out of it. She didn’t relish thinking about it.
“Any luck?”
His words brought her out of her reverie. For a few seconds she was confused, not having the slightest clue what he was talking about. Seeming to sense it he spoke again.
“The cure I mean __ or vaccine or whatever it’s called.”
She shook her head slowly. A tired sigh burst from his lips.
“I didn’t think there would be anything yet. Olatunji insisted I ask you.”
“Sorry I haven’t been able to work any miracle yet.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, we all know you’re doing your best. I only pray there will still be a world by the time we get the answers we’re searching for.”
Her eyes hardened as she searched his face for any trace of condemnation. She saw none, save sympathy. Her eyes filled with tears but her gaze grew determined. She wouldn’t disappoint them or the world. She would perfect the vaccine, even if it was the last thing she did.
She stepped further in to the lab. “I’d like to go back to work now.”
He nodded sensing a change in her mood. Whatever it was it looked like she was more than ready to get back to work. He could see the drive burning within her. That was good. They needed that if there was even the slightest chance they got out of this thing alive.
He stepped back from the door closing it slowly behind him. It closed with a loud click. He heard the locks sliding into place on the other side and he sighed walking back to the campsite area.
Olatunji looked up as he approached his grim face becoming almost thunderous when he saw the emotions flitting across Taiwo’s face. Taiwo raised his gaze from the path he’d been tracing on the ground, locking eyes with Olatunji.
“So?”
He shook his head slowly. Olatunji sighed deeply.
“I didn’t expect her to have found something so quick anyway. It’s a miracle they engineered the vaccine as quickly as they did. I remember thinking it happened much too quick. I wasn’t surprised when I heard it had kinks.”
Taiwo shrugged glancing at the men milling around. Some were groping through the bushes looking for God knew what while others were simply loitering around.
They were on a lonely stretch of road which seemed to be miles from anywhere. Taiwo had never seen this area before and he’d been to Abuja several times.
“What are they doing?” He asked pointing at the men groping through the bushes.
“They are looking for firewood. We’re thinking we’ll make a fire later, for warmth. It gets kind of chilly at night.”
“You sure that’s wise? Won’t the fire just draw them?”
Olatunji didn’t have to ask who he meant by ‘them’. He paused, troubled by Taiwo’s words.
“I hadn’t considered that.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Is this road well used?”
“No not really __ it’s a secondary road. It has never been well used ___ even before the Evonso scourge.”
Taiwo lapsed into silence pondering on Olatunji’s words. Olatunji waited for him to respond. When four minutes drew out and he still said nothing he spoke.
“What do you suggest Taiwo?”
Taiwo looked up startled as he came out of his deep introspective thoughts.
“We could give it a try. If the roads are as quiet as you claim we shouldn’t have any problems. But make sure you post lookouts everywhere. Let the men take shifts. We can’t afford another attack, at least until she comes up with something.” He said pointing back at the mobile lab with his thumb.
Olatunji nodded grimly and walked off, going to supervise his men. Taiwo watched him go and squatted down in the dirt with his eyes closed. He said a quick prayer and sat leaning back on his palms. His eyes continued to drift round not missing a thing.
‘What if she never finds the cure?’
He shivered at the question. The voices in his head were up to their usual tricks. He couldn’t afford to dwell on that possibility. If he did he wouldn’t be able to plough through and do what he had to do. He shook his head slowly and closed his eyes. The flood of peace was instantaneous. The sounds around faded away too.
Hours later
Catherine heard the cackles of laughter, the rumble of discussions and general movement of the soldiers at the campsite. From the red glow shinning in one of the windows she surmised they’d lit a fire.
A frown roughened her brow as she thought about that. She wasn’t sure lighting a fire had been the smartest thing to do and she had to quell the urge several times to go out and tell them so. She probably would have if she didn’t have the burden of perfecting the vaccine. It felt like she held the fate of the continent and perhaps the world in her hands.
A sigh left her lips as her thoughts drifted. She never liked bearing too much responsibility. It was a throwback from her childhood years when she’d been responsible for supervising a play her class was to present at the school’s awards ceremony and she messed it up. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she remembered.
Her mum would argue that her pathological fear of responsibility had cost her much in her career. She should be a more senior researcher than she was now which was true, but she didn’t mind the fact too much. It kept things safe. If things got bungled the leader would have no choice but to take the fall. And now for some strange reason responsibility had
been thrust on her by a queer quirk of fate. Life was strange like that.
She continued working with greater vigour and zest. Three more hours passed. She was tempted to stop at a point but pushed on; counting down the thousand combinations the vaccine ingredients could be mixed.
She kept getting failed results. As she made the four hundred and fifty fifth attempt the room started to swim before her eyes. Only then did she accept the signals her body was giving her. She stepped away from the table and rubbed her eyes with the back of one gloved hand.
She could still hear the sound of laughter and discussion outside. Her eyes drifted to the bed on her far right. It beckoned but no __ not yet. She hurried to the door and opened the locks stepping out into the cold night.
The camp fire created eerie shadows everywhere. The slightly disturbing part of the whole thing was__ asides from the chatter from the men surrounding the fire, everywhere was deathly quiet.
The sound of crickets, mosquitoes, mice and other creepy crawlies that might otherwise grace the environs of any known bush were strangely absent. It was as if such things did not exist.
The sentry sitting a few feet away from the loud talkers gave her a surprised look when he spotted her walking towards the campsite. He gave her a polite nod which she responded to as she walked past him. She couldn’t help looking back at him as she moved away. He’d resumed looking into the bushes, his head drifting from right to left.
No one saw her until she was two feet away from the fire. Some grabbed their guns and were on the verge of firing when they saw who it was.
“Jesus!” Olatunji gasped leaping to his feet. “You almost gave us a heart attack. What are you doing out here at this time of the night?”
“I got bored of work so I decided to stroll. Some soldiers you are __ if I’d been an infected I would have killed at least two of you before being stopped.”
“The sentries would have alerted us __” Olatunji growled looking shamefaced.
“Yeah __ go that route if it makes you feel better.” She snapped sinking down on the ground beside the fire with a dull thud.
A few of the soldiers exchanged embarrassed looks and slunk off. One mumbled something about needing to check their surroundings. The others didn’t speak at all.
They began to leave in their ones and twos until only Taiwo and Olatunji were left. Taiwo and Olatunji exchanged wary looks and looked off in opposite directions avoiding her gaze. There was a long moment of awkward silence as she scrutinized each of their faces.
“What’s the next step?” She growled fixing her gaze on the burning flames.
“Not sure __” Taiwo breathed with a sigh. “We keep moving around I guess.”
“What do you think Olatunji? Or do I call you Tunji?”
Olatunji’s grim eyes locked on Taiwo’s own. “You can call me whatever you wish. That’s hardly important at the moment is it?”
Taiwo shrugged lowering his gaze. Catherine watched them her eyes drifting from one to the other.
“You didn’t answer the question__” her words were like a breath of air. You almost couldn’t hear them. But their impact was undeniable.
“Honestly??” He growled turning an irritated glance Catherine’s way.
“I don’t know what to do ___ perhaps if you got the vaccine fixed now __”
Her eyes hardened at the sting of his words. She rose, about to stride back to the lab. Taiwo’s words stopped her in her tracks.
“Wait Catherine __ don’t go. Let’s not bicker __ we need to come up with a plan.”
Her glare burned holes in Olatunji’s head for several seconds before she sank down on the ground once more staring off into the distance. Olatunji cast an apologetic glance her way before turning to Taiwo.
“Even if we do perfect the vaccine in record time how do we disperse it?”
Taiwo took a deep breath not responding. Olatunji waited __ impatiently.
“Let’s solve one problem at a time __ the most important thing is getting the kinks in the vaccine fixed.”
“Yeah __ I am the one slowing down the process aren’t I?” Catherine spat out.
“No one’s saying that __” Taiwo said gently. “We all know how difficult this is.”
Catherine’s eyes rose up to meet his. He looked sincere. Perhaps he meant it. Who knew? One never knew with men.
“I have gone through about four hundred different combinations but the result is still the same; failed. It’s tiring and more than a little frustrating.”
“How many more combinations do you still have to try?”
“A little over six hundred.”
Both men sighed. “That could take weeks.”
“Weeks is an optimistic estimate. I am thinking more of months. If I wanted to be a bit morbid there is a possibility we might not even find the right formula in the combinations generated by the system.”
A cold silence greeted her words. Silence Taiwo eventually broke.
“I choose to proceed on the side of optimism for the time being Catherine. We simply have to find the solution. If we don’t, our country and perhaps the world might be lost.”
Catherine shrugged and resumed staring into the flames. Taiwo took another deep breath and faced Olatunji.
“Tunji do we have contact with any remaining military force still out there?”
“Nothing so far __ we’re still trying. Since civilian communication all but ground to a halt __ it’s been __ challenging to get the word out and receive word in return.”
“We have to keep trying __ who knows__ we could get lucky.”
His words drifted off as he looked into the distance. There was something dark coming. He could feel it.
“Taiwo __”
He snapped out of his reverie and looked into her eyes.
“What gives?”
He shivered looking off into the distance again. “Nothing really __ just a feeling is all __”
“What sort of feeling?” Olatunji growled. His pupils were as hard as pebbles.
“Never mind __ it’s not important. Let’s ensure we leave here at first light tomorrow. The situation demands our __”
His words drifted off. Olatunji and Catherine exchanged puzzled looks again.
He rose __ locking glances with each of them in turn. “I am turning in for the night __ going to sleep some distance away. Take care __ until tomorrow.” And he slunk away going to join some men lying on the ground ten feet away.
“I should turn in too __” Catherine said beginning to rise.
“Are you feeling sleepy?”
“Not really no __”
“Then why not stay up for a bit. We don’t have to speak but I am betting you could use the company.”
She paused considering his words. She sat after a total of fifteen seconds. A slight smirk lifted the corners of his lips ever so slightly. She spotted it, barely.
It irritated her for some reason and she was seconds away from walking off when he spoke again.
“I am sorry about what I insinuated earlier. It was uncalled for __ I have no excuse save to say I am a little overwhelmed by it all.”
“We’re all overwhelmed by it. How do you think I feel having the fate of the country and perhaps the world in my hands? It’s not a pretty sight and feeling I assure you. But I can’t say because I am under pressure I will take it out on everyone can I?”
“Well __ you did kinda take it out on us.”
“Remind me when I did that __” She began glaring at him.
He shrugged unperturbed.
“Your greeting when you walked up to the campsite wasn’t exactly stellar was it? Anyone with a brain in his head could see you were wound up in knots __ and you gave us a grilling __ though a little one.” He smiled to take the sting out of his words.
Her glare lingered for a few seconds before slowly fading away. “Maybe you’re right __” She conceded after a while.
 
; “Maybe?” He prompted with one eyebrow raised.
“Don’t push your luck __” She shot back beginning to glare again.
He laughed. She shook her head slowly unable to stop a small smile from lifting the corners of her lips.
“It will be well__ I hope!” he added when he saw the hard look enter her eyes again.
A comfortable silence ensued. Catherine’s thoughts started to drift when he spoke again.
“What about your family Catherine?”
The question drove ice into her veins. She lowered her head trying to stop the shaking in her hands. When she couldn’t she looked up meeting his gaze.
“Asides from the attack on the South Africa vaccine facility, they were the reason I was so eager to get back here. I thought perhaps they escaped __ Now ___” Her broke. His eyes softened in understanding.
“They were living on the Island __”
He grew cold at her words, his eyes shining with sympathy. “I don’t know if they made it off before the bombing. But somehow __” She stopped unable to continue.
“__ there’s still a chance __”
She smiled sadly. “I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better. We both know the odds of that happening are slim at best. The bombing of the Island by the Israelis wasn’t a public decision. They were most likely caught unawares. Not to mention the island was condoned off from the mainland weeks before the bombing.”
“You heard what was happening __ did you try to contact them when you were in South Africa?”
Are you blaming me now?”
“NO of course not __ why would you even think that? I am just trying to get a sense of what happened.”
She sighed looking contrite. “I am sorry __ just stress is all.”
“No problem __ did you?”
“Did I what?”
He sighed looking impatient. “Did you try and get in touch with them while you were in South Africa?”
“I tried __ severally; was never able to get through. Considered flying down many times, but with the pressure on us to find a workable vaccine it was impossible. I only wished I’d been able to say goodbye properly.”
A long silence followed her words.
“We’ve all suffered loss __ sometimes it’s almost to go on__” his voice shook as he said this causing her to look at his face. What she saw brought tears into her eyes.
“Who did you lose?”
“My wife and young son __ the town was overrun by infected. The army had to sanitize it. I got the news after it happened.”
“They could have gotten out __” She began.
“They didn’t! I checked.”
“Sorry __”
Another long silence ensured.
“Tell me about your childhood years.”
She looked up in surprise. He nodded giving her an encouraging smile. It was forced so it came out looking like a snarl, but she got the idea. Leaning back on her palms she began.