anything in the sky that hadn’t evolved to fly in almost a year, not even a faint vapour trail. He assumed that if they were under quarantine there would at least be some kind of reconnaissance flights higher up, or even a broadcast on the radio.
“Granted” Dan said “So the other possibilities are that we’ve been attacked and are going to see Chinese tanks or whoever heading down the driveway soon, or the whole world is affected.”
“It doesn’t really matter what we think though, does it?” said Chris quietly “How are we going to know for sure?”
Dan took a breath, and told them of the conversation he and Marie had with their newest guest. “Emma wants to go to some lab in Scotland where they tested stuff like this. She said she might be able to say whether the virus is synthetic or not”
Silence in the room as each considered the benefits.
“But what would the point be?” asked Chris again “How will it affect us?”
“Honestly? I don’t know, but it may give us some answers. I think there’s no harm in helping her” Dan said, waiting for the next question.
“Help her how?” said Marie.
“She’ll need a vehicle and supplies. I also think she should have an escort” he left it there.
“Who?” said Marie, worrying what the answer would be.
“I don’t know yet” said Dan carefully “It would have to be a Ranger, obviously, and it would be their choice to go” meaning that it would probably be him.
“Shall we bring the others in?” Marie enquired.
“Please let me speak to them first” Dan replied “Shall we meet tomorrow?”
~
He sat at the table in Ops, having asked Leah to shut the door. The door hadn’t been shut since the day they found the house.
Dan finished the explanation and let the silence hang heavy. The same questions were floated around the table, and they weighed the benefits and risks of the journey.
"It's not like a cure is an issue; there's very few of us left" said Steve "knowing if it was deliberate or nature redressing some kind of balance is academic, surely?"
Lexi agreed, better to forget the past and concentrate on the future she felt.
Still something in the back of Dan's mind wanted to know more about what had happened to them.
"Are none of you interested to know if it's the same everywhere? What if we're the only ones affected?" He asked them.
He sensed something from them, more nervous than apathetic.
"She wants to go, and I won't stop her" Dan said "but she has a better chance of surviving the trip and bringing back answers if she has an escort. She didn't even know she was being chased when we found her for God sake!"
"I'd go, but you probably won't let me" Leah offered.
"Correct" said Steve "you're not going. I will."
He looked directly at Dan and repeated himself. "I'll go"
"Ok" Dan said, seeing the relief on the faces of Lexi and Joe.
"Get me the location" said Leah "I'll start looking at a route"
They went to find Emma, to tell her what they had decided. She accepted the news quietly, shaking Steve's hand as they were formally introduced.
"I want to give you the best chance of making it there, that's why Steve is going to take you" said Dan "also, I'd like you to do some training with us so that you know what to do in different situations. Chances are the journey north will be dangerous; without us it's highly unlikely you'll make it there. Sorry to sound blunt, but it's the truth"
Emma accepted this, and asked when they would leave. Steve said it would take a week to prepare properly.
Emma closed the laptop and stood, indicating her readiness to start straight away.
Steve led Emma off to begin survival 101 after Dan asked for the location of the facility. He gave this to Leah as he passed, taking Steve's Defender to Neil's workshop on the farm.
An oil stained Neil looked up from the engine of a tractor with the diminutive Ewan assisting.
They greeted Dan warmly, giving the sense of being men
“Granted” Dan said “So the other possibilities are that we’ve been attacked and are going to see Chinese tanks or whoever heading down the driveway soon, or the whole world is affected.”
“It doesn’t really matter what we think though, does it?” said Chris quietly “How are we going to know for sure?”
Dan took a breath, and told them of the conversation he and Marie had with their newest guest. “Emma wants to go to some lab in Scotland where they tested stuff like this. She said she might be able to say whether the virus is synthetic or not”
Silence in the room as each considered the benefits.
“But what would the point be?” asked Chris again “How will it affect us?”
“Honestly? I don’t know, but it may give us some answers. I think there’s no harm in helping her” Dan said, waiting for the next question.
“Help her how?” said Marie.
“She’ll need a vehicle and supplies. I also think she should have an escort” he left it there.
“Who?” said Marie, worrying what the answer would be.
“I don’t know yet” said Dan carefully “It would have to be a Ranger, obviously, and it would be their choice to go” meaning that it would probably be him.
“Shall we bring the others in?” Marie enquired.
“Please let me speak to them first” Dan replied “Shall we meet tomorrow?”
~
He sat at the table in Ops, having asked Leah to shut the door. The door hadn’t been shut since the day they found the house.
Dan finished the explanation and let the silence hang heavy. The same questions were floated around the table, and they weighed the benefits and risks of the journey.
"It's not like a cure is an issue; there's very few of us left" said Steve "knowing if it was deliberate or nature redressing some kind of balance is academic, surely?"
Lexi agreed, better to forget the past and concentrate on the future she felt.
Still something in the back of Dan's mind wanted to know more about what had happened to them.
"Are none of you interested to know if it's the same everywhere? What if we're the only ones affected?" He asked them.
He sensed something from them, more nervous than apathetic.
"She wants to go, and I won't stop her" Dan said "but she has a better chance of surviving the trip and bringing back answers if she has an escort. She didn't even know she was being chased when we found her for God sake!"
"I'd go, but you probably won't let me" Leah offered.
"Correct" said Steve "you're not going. I will."
He looked directly at Dan and repeated himself. "I'll go"
"Ok" Dan said, seeing the relief on the faces of Lexi and Joe.
"Get me the location" said Leah "I'll start looking at a route"
They went to find Emma, to tell her what they had decided. She accepted the news quietly, shaking Steve's hand as they were formally introduced.
"I want to give you the best chance of making it there, that's why Steve is going to take you" said Dan "also, I'd like you to do some training with us so that you know what to do in different situations. Chances are the journey north will be dangerous; without us it's highly unlikely you'll make it there. Sorry to sound blunt, but it's the truth"
Emma accepted this, and asked when they would leave. Steve said it would take a week to prepare properly.
Emma closed the laptop and stood, indicating her readiness to start straight away.
Steve led Emma off to begin survival 101 after Dan asked for the location of the facility. He gave this to Leah as he passed, taking Steve's Defender to Neil's workshop on the farm.
An oil stained Neil looked up from the engine of a tractor with the diminutive Ewan assisting.
They greeted Dan warmly, giving the sense of being men
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