Brett Battles - Exit 9

“…this time. We don’t have the name of the patient yet, but we’ve been told he’s a student at Hawkins University. The dormitory where he lived, and the emergency services area of the hospital have all been quarantined. Right now we need to go to a break. We’ll have more when we return.”

The image stayed on the screen for a second longer, then cut out and was replaced by a commercial for deodorant.

“What happened?” Matt asked.

“Apparently a student was brought into the hospital with flu symptoms,” Billy told him. “When they ran the Sage Test, it came back positive.”

“Just one case?”

“So far. According to the news idiots, they’ve isolated everyone he’s come in contact with.”

“Any reports from other locations?” If the Project had initiated Implementation Day, there should have been hundreds sick already, not just a single student in St. Louis.

“Nothing yet.”

Matt nodded tensely.

An hour passed, then two. Through it all, the only words spoken were by those using the phone to see if there were outbreaks elsewhere.

As the end of the third hour approached, it was becoming clear that this was an isolated event. How? Sage Flu was not a naturally occurring disease. The student had been exposed to it somewhere. They needed to know where that was. It could provide crucial information.

He glanced over at Billy. “I want you in St. Louis as soon as possible. Jordan, you go with him. Find out how this happened.”

“How did they get in?” the DOP asked.

“Through the roof, sir,” Ross said.

He stared at his aide for a moment. “The roof?”

“Yes, sir.”

The DOP knew it wasn’t worth getting upset over. Even this minor outbreak couldn’t stop anything. It was annoying, though. It meant some people would be more cautious in the weeks to come, potentially skewing the survival rates in the wrong direction. Initially, anyway. At some point they would become exposed to the virus. This just meant that deaths might continue for months longer after the main event than he’d hoped. Statistically, the number would be infinitesimal, but it could still mean dealing with millions of sick people when they should already be moving on to the new reality.

“The factory needs to be destroyed,” he said, forcing himself not to be distracted.

“Yes, sir.”

“Immediately.”

“Consider it done.”

I.D. MINUS 54 HOURS

Sanjay knocked on the door of the managers’ office.

“Come in,” a voice from inside said.

Reluctantly, he opened the door and walked in. In truth, he wasn’t sure if he should be there at all. The last thing he wanted to do was anything that might upset his bosses. The money he’d already saved from the work they’d given him was more than he’d ever had at one time, and there was no sign this was going to end.

Though there were four desks in the room, the gray-haired senior manager was the only one there. The rumor was that he was German. Sanjay had never asked him, of course.

“Yes?” the man said.

“I am sorry to disturb you.”

“What do you want?”

Sanjay hesitated for just a second, as he once more recalled the words he’d rehearsed. “I’m wondering if you might know where my cousin has gone.”

“Your cousin?”

“Yes. His name is Ayush. He’s a coordinating officer. He was here yesterday, but last night he did not return to the dorm.”

“Ayush? How do you spell that?”

As Sanjay told him, the man typed his cousin’s name into the computer. When he was through, he read the screen, and seemed to soften a bit. “Ah, yes. He’s your cousin, is he?”

“Yes.”

The man smiled. “Nothing to worry about. Ayush and one of the work squads have been assigned to a task outside the city. They should be back in a few days.”

“Thank you,” Sanjay said, relieved. Then, feeling it necessary to explain himself, he added, “Usually we tell each other if we’ll be gone, but he must have forgotten.”

“You’re probably right. It did come up quickly, so perhaps he looked for you but couldn’t find you before he had to go.”

“Thank you again.”

Sanjay would have left it at that-in fact, had intended to leave it at that-if it were not for one thing. When he got back to the dorm that evening, someone else was using Ayush’s bunk.

Why would someone else be given his bed if he was coming back in a few days? Sanjay asked around to find out who else had been assigned with his cousin, then discovered that their beds had also been filled.

So far, he had enjoyed working for Pishon Chem. Mainly it was the money, of course, but they had been fair in their other dealings, too. This seemed out of character, and he didn’t like what it might mean about things to come.

A job is a job , a voice in his head reminded him. Ironically, it was Ayush’s. And it was right. A job was a job, and questioning it after having spent so much time without a real one was not advised.

He headed out into the dark, warm night, thinking he just needed to take a walk and clear his mind. As he neared the building the managers used, he saw the youngest of the bunch, a man named Mr. Dettling, smoking a cigarette outside the main door.

Dettling had always been nice to Sanjay, and had been the person who delivered the news of his promotion. Maybe, if Sanjay worded things carefully, he could find out if there was anything going on he should be concerned about. He changed his course and headed toward the European.

“Good evening, sir.”

Dettling jumped. “Sanjay. Jesus. I didn’t…see you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I was just out for a walk.”

“Well, don’t walk too long. Tomorrow’s going to be really busy. We’re just a couple days from starting.”

“A couple days?” Sanjay said, surprised. “I did not know the official date had been set yet.”

“Keep it to yourself for now. We’ll make an official announcement in the morning.” He tossed his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot. “Well, I should get in. Have a-”

“One question, Mr. Dettling.”

The man looked at Sanjay expectantly.

“I was told my cousin, Ayush, and several others would not be back for a few days. Will they be back in time? He is important to making sure things run smoothly.”

For a second or two, there was uncertainty in the man’s eyes, almost…fear. This was quickly pushed away by an accommodating smile. “They were needed elsewhere in the city. Your…your cousin will be replaced by someone else here who will do a fine job.”

“Elsewhere in the city? But I was told-”

“I really need to go,” Mr. Dettling said. “You should head back, too, and get as much sleep as you can.” He turned toward the building.

In the city? The gray-haired manager had told Sanjay that Ayush and the others had been assigned somewhere outside the city. Was it possible Mr. Dettling just didn’t know the details? Yes, but it seemed unlikely. In Sanjay’s experience, the managers had always been in sync on information.

Could it be Mr. Dettling just forgot? Sanjay would have believed that more readily except for one thing-that look of uncertainty and fear before he answered. It almost seemed to Sanjay as if the man were making up a response that he thought would be satisfactory.

Sanjay didn’t like this. Not at all.

Had Ayush gotten into trouble? Was he being punished or something? Or had he really been assigned to a new project? Whatever was going on, Sanjay wanted to know. Ayush was as much a brother as a cousin, and it was better to be sure that everything was all right than to wonder.