Plague World (Ashley Parker Novel) by Dana Fredsti

him up.
    We?
I thought.
Is Simone going with us?
    Nathan frowned, coming to the same conclusion.
    “You’re not going,” he said firmly.
    Simone raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.
    “Oh, indeed I am,
Mister
Smith. Captain Drake’s condition is extremely unstable. Aside from Dr. Albert, I am the one person most familiar with his condition, and with the appropriate treatment.”
    “Dr. Albert is with Gabriel,” Nathan pointed out with cold logic. “Seems to me that’s already covered.”
    “We have no way of knowing if they’re together, or if whoever took them is allowing Dr. Albert to make any more antiserum,” Simone said firmly. “Dr. Arkin and I have cobbled together an antiserum derivative that may keep him stable until we can get him back to the lab. Since we can’t test it, I have to be there to administer it, and tweak the concentration based on his response.” She gave Nathan a look. “If we are to have any hope of bringing him back while he’s still human, still sane, I need to be there.”
    Nathan turned to Colonel Paxton.
    “Colonel, I thought the general consensus was that Professor Fraser’s skill set and knowledge base was too valuable to risk her involvement in the field.”
    Colonel Paxton laced his fingers together.
    “Captain Drake is also invaluable to our mission,” he replied. “From what I’ve been told by Dr. Albert and Professor Fraser, as well as Dr. Arkin—” He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement. “—Gabriel’s blood likely holds at least part of the answer needed to the cure to this plague. So if that means Professor Fraser goes along… well, it’s worth the risk.”
    Simone nodded. “Dr. Arkin has all the information needed to help synthesize the cure, and more practical experience than I. She and Dr. Albert collaborated on the Walker’s vaccine, and thanks to Ashley, we have Dr. Albert’s notes.”
    I gave a modest shrug. All I’d done was scoop up his backpack, dropped when he’d been attacked by a zombie on our way to the DZN facility. So when the men in black took Dr. Albert away, his backpack, laptop, notes, and samples of Gabriel’s antiserum stayed behind.
    “So if there’s anyone we need to keep alive at this point,” Simone continued, “it’s Dr. Arkin.” I could tell the admission pained her. “Jamie will stay here and assist her.”
    Dr. Arkin looked coldly pleased.
    “
What?
” Jamie shot to her feet. “But I have to go with you!”
    Simone looked at her apologetically.
    “I’m sorry, Jamie, but I need you to stay here. You haven’t had adequate training to go out into the field, especially into the conditions we’re going to face.”
    “I can shoot!” Jamie said hotly.
    “Not well enough,” Nathan said bluntly.
    Jamie glared at him.
    “I’m not staying here, not when Professor Fraser needs me.”
    “Jamie, trust me when I say that your assistance will be much more important here,” Simone said soothingly. “After all, you know my work nearly as well as I do, and no one else can decipher my handwriting.”
    “That’s true,” Dr. Arkin agreed.
    Simone didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead she got to her feet and put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder.
    “I need to know there’s someone here I can trust to make sure the work we’ve already done is built upon, rather than replaced.”
    Ooh, points for a nice subtle parry and riposte.
Dr. Arkin’s slight frown showed that the riposte had been on target, too. What I’d give for a time machine, to go back and find out what exactly happened between the two of them.
    “Besides, I won’t have to worry about your safety if you’re here,” Simone added. I could see Jamie melt, all arguments borne away on a tide of warm fuzzies. She sat down without another word.
    Well played, Simone
, I thought, albeit a bit cynically.
    Nathan cleared his throat.
    “Fine. Now that that’s settled, we’ll be divided into two teams as per usual. Team A will be Ash, Lil, myself, and JT.