John Ringo - Under a Graveyard Sky

“ Controlled ,” Dobson said. “I’m not sure exactly how much you can release from a nuke’s engine or how you’d do it. But the most important part is that it be controllable and precise . If you get too much, you do too much damage to the virus and it’s useless. Too little and you infect those you’re trying to vaccinate. That was one of the major mistakes that drug dealers, who were selling virus that was, in fact, attenuated, made. Some of them infected their customers, others gave them ‘vaccine’ that wasn’t much more than tap water with some random organic material in it. On the other hand, some of the materials collected off the street might as well have been made here. It was that good. Controlled .”

“There’s a way to do a release,” Commander Freeman said. “How controlled?”

“The radiation dosage for creating the primer is forty-three millicuries per second per milliliter in a standard microtube,” Dobson said. “For the booster, thirty-seven millicuries. If you’re off by as much as a millicurie or a tenth of a second, you get either useless or infection. That’s the danger of attenuated virus.”

“Damn,” Galloway said. “What would you suggest using if we, and I’m starting to think we can’t, use this method?”

“A cesium x-ray machine,” Dobson said. “And a lot of prayer. I’d suggest testing specific lots of the vaccine on specific crewmen. Absent them having picked up a microbiologist along the way or having someone familiar with successful attenuated vaccine production…”

“Fish or cut bait?” Steve asked. “You want it or no?”

The 67' Bertram Convertible had taken a beating from the three zombies that had survived. It looked as if there had originally been six. But according to Stacey none of the damage was critical and it was basically a good boat.

“You missed your calling in life,” Blair said, shaking his head at the feces all over the saloon. “You should have been a yacht broker. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of clean-up.”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll find somebody who does,” Steve said. “That’s not being a prick. But if you don’t take it, somebody will. Sophia would take it like a shot.”

“Oh, I’ll take it,” Blair said. “I’m tired of getting beat to death on the Endeavor .”

“How are you with Sophia taking the Endeavor over?” Steve asked.

“Today?” Blair asked. “I’d like to take both into Bermuda and get this one cleaned up before changing over.”

“I can live with that,” Steve said. “Your crew could use some in-harbor time. By the way, if I haven’t said this, you’re doing a hell of a job. But after?”

“I’m good with Seawolf taking it,” Blair said. “She’s young but she’s good. What about the other captains?”

“You heard the vote the last time,” Steve said, shrugging. “There’s not anybody else with the same level of experience. Not that we’ve got right now. Maybe later. The problem’s going to be a crew.”

“You’re the history teacher,” Blair said, grinning. “That was always a problem for captains. Was before the plague. Good crew, anyway. Watch she doesn’t steal yours.”

“Which she probably will,” Steve said. “Okay, somebody’s got to drive this into Bermuda. Then get to work on it. When you’re ready to change-over, give me a holler. I’ll make sure the rest of the captains are good with Seaw… Sophia taking over.”

“Almost got you there,” Blair said, smiling.

“Da, you’ve got a call from the Sea Fit ,” Sophia said, over the radio.

“Gotta go,” Steve said. “Good luck.” He stepped into some shit and shook his boot. “Seriously, good luck.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

“ Sea Fit, Wolf ,” Steve said. It was just easier that way.

“ You’re going to need you and Cooper’s team on this one ,” Captain Sherill said. “Big Coastie. And I mean big . One of their Famous class. More like a destroyer.”

“Oh, crap,” Sophia said.

“ Cooper , are you monitoring?” Steve called.

“Roger. Location?”

“Three one point nine one five by seventy point seventy five two.”

“Roger,” Steve said, looking at the spot. “Be there in about…three.”

“ Cooper will be about six ,” Chris sent.

“ Victoria , Wolf, over,” Steve said. He sighed and shook his head. “ Victoria , Wolf, over.”

“Uh… Victoria…?”

“Tell Victoria actual to expect company,” Steve said. “Get the Large warmed up. We may have some customers.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Tell Mike Sea Fit found a cutter,” Steve said, carefully. “Did you get that?”

“I…what’s a cutter?”

“Is there any possibility I could speak to Mike?” Steve said, calmly.

“Yeah, hang on…”

* * *

“He’s going to go back to Bermuda and kill everybody ,” Fontana said. He had his feet kicked up on the helm of the Cooper and was enjoying the radio play.

“Mild Steve?” Chris said, turning the big boat to head to the reported location. “The guy who put a gun to Jack Isham’s head and pulled back the hammer?”

“Faith says when he gets real polite it’s bad,” Fontana said.

* * *

“He’s going to flip his lid,” Bundy said.

“Bet you a dollar,” Fredette said, trying not to laugh.

“Where are you going to get a dollar?” Bundy asked.

* * *

“We’re eventually going to have to work with these jokers, aren’t we?” Commander Bradburn said, leaning back in the conning chair. Pretty much the whole sub was listening in. There wasn’t much else in the way of entertainment.

* * *

“I will not go over there and kill everyone,” Steve said, calmly. “I won’t. Human life is precious. At least, uninfected human life…”

“You said you wanted to save the world, Da,” Sophia said, then paused. “Da?”

“Yeah,” Steve said.

“What’s that?” Sophia said, pointing to port.

Steve pulled down a pair of binoculars and examined the splash of spray on the horizon. They’d seen whales and even dolphins aplenty in their voyage. Lots of birds. Flying fish. But never something scooting along on the surface more or less parallel to them and putting up a whisp of spray.

“That…” Steve said, lowering the binoculars, “is interesting.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“What it is is something you didn’t see,” Steve said. “Just…we’re going to forget we saw it for now. I’ll talk to you about it later. Okay?”

“Yes, Da,” Sophia said, looking at him.

“That is…important,” Steve said, getting up and walking off of the bridge.

* * *

Bundy looked at the frequency monitor and ran back a recent recording.

“Submarine paralleling the Tina’s Toy, this is Commodore Wolf, over. Submarine paralleling the Tina’s Toy, this is Commodore Wolf, over…”

“Damn,” Fredette said. “Short ranged hand-held.”

“CO?”

* * *

“Damnit,” Bradburn said.

“Apparently they’re not quite as incompetent as all that.”

“Thank you, XO,” Bradburn said. “Drop the aerial. Make your depth one hundred meters. Come to course one nine zero. Quarter speed…”

* * *

“Bloody hell,” Steve snarled as the ESM mast disappeared below the waves. “For this I paid my bloody taxes?”

* * *

“Okay, this is going to be a bitch,” Steve said, looking up at the massive cutter.