The Oasis Page 15

  There was a shuffling from behind Jasper and he turned. Eric Freeman stood in the back of the room. He stood as if he prided himself on his own opinion. Jasper always got a sour taste in his mouth when around Eric. The man surrounded himself with others who either were not strong-minded enough to generate their own opinions or, as Jasper had discovered quite early, could be easily manipulated.

  It wasn’t uncommon for SEALs to be called cocky or arrogant; they were. Jasper knew what it was like to stand taller than other men, physically and mentally. Their arduous training taught them to think of themselves as something more than the average sailor. This feeling, however, could easily go to someone’s head, as it did with Eric. Although they were in the same shop, Jasper found himself gritting his teeth with annoyance every time they interacted. Eric stuck to his likeminded followers and Jasper wasn’t one of those. It was better that way.

  Eric plastered a smile on his face, but all Jasper could see was a snake.

  “Will we be joining Team 6 in dealing with the issue in Korea?”

  Jasper wasn’t surprised by his question. The men around him slapped his back and smiled. The Captain chose to ignore their actions, probably for the best. A lot of the times, men like Eric and his crew matured later than others. Jasper knew what Eric was doing and knew that, although others may not know it, Eric was a smart man. He was always aware of his position and chose his followers with great care.

  Everyone was ready to fight, regardless of the cause. For people like Eric, killing meant validating himself and making himself feel superior to others. It was sadistic.

  “No,” the Captain continued. “Your chief will fill you on the details, but in short you will not be joining the men in Korea.”

  There was a moment of grumbles and comments about “killing those bastards” before silence again took over. Eric sat down and Jasper turned back to the captain.

  Jasper’s expression changed as a question entered his mind.

  “Excuse me, Captain,” Jasper raised his hand slightly.

  “Yes,” the captain paused, looking over at Jasper’s name tag. “Anderson. What is your question?”

  He cleared his throat and thought how he was going to phrase the question. “When will the vaccine be distributed among the other troops, or to the public, for that matter?”

  All eyes stared at the captain, who shifted his weight uneasily. Jasper, and likely every one of the SEALs, recognized the shift and they already knew the answer to that question. However, Jasper waited, half in anticipation and half in dread.

  The captain again shuffled the documents on the podium before continuing. “All questions should be directed to your chief. Thank you, gentlemen.”

  Gathering his papers, he nodded briskly in their direction and walked out of the room. Jasper eyed the other men who all visibly relaxed once the captain left the room. His mind was going a mile a minute as he tried to understand what had just happened. Suddenly, the future looked vague and shadowy.

  Before conversation started back up, Chief stood up but avoided the podium. Staying among his men made him more personable. However, it mattered very little at that moment as a chilly silence surrounded them.

  “Once you finish filling out the forms, we are going to medical to get the vaccine. I shouldn’t have to tell you that the doc administering the vaccine was informed that you are getting a flu shot and nothing else. So keep your mouth shut, Freeman.” He looked back at Eric with a warning glare.

  “Am I the only one with a conscience here?” Jasper stood up, appalled by the lack of civility going on. Initially no one looked at him. “This vaccine needs to be distributed. To everyone.”

  “Sit down, Anderson.” Chief said quietly. Deep down Jasper knew that Chief agreed, but there was nothing to be done. “You’ve got your orders. Fill out your forms and then get the hell out of here.” He lowered his head before exiting the room himself. Chief knew that not distributing the vaccine meant a death sentence for many. Little did Jasper know that that number would eventually climb into the billions.

  The men relaxed when the chief left, but Jasper could not shake the ominous feeling and his nostrils flared with fury.

  “Relax, Anderson,” Eric said, his voice dripping with venom. He slapped Jasper on the back, rubbing in more than just his hand. “We are already kings among men.” He stepped away, raising his arms high in the air. Being a SEAL had given Eric a much bigger head than it did Jasper. “Why can’t we be gods?”

  Shock quickly overcame Jasper. Was Eric talking about living in a world where someone could live normally among the infected? Or something more – taking advantage of the victims, of the chaos caused by the virus? Was that what he meant by living like a god?

  The other men laughed and raised their fists in agreement.

  Jasper couldn’t stand it. He grabbed his documents and rushed for the door. The laughter of the other men followed him. Eric’s face peered out and he continued to yell out after him. “Mark my words, Anderson, I will be a god!”

  Their laughter filled the room and Jasper opened the door, intent on getting out of the building. He rushed forwards, leaving the complex as quickly as he could. He sighed deeply, trying to clear his mind. For a moment he allowed his anger to bubble to the surface. He tried to stop thinking about Eric’s words, but he felt trapped. Whether he agreed with the vaccination plan or not didn’t matter. He had little choice.

  “I swear,” he mumbled to himself. Deep down he knew he was going to kill Eric. It was just a matter of time.

  After spending some time cooling down, Jasper quickly filled out his medical history and made his way to the medical tent. The other SEALs were already there waiting. Their laughter faded as he approached and no one paid him any mind. One thing about the SEAL community was their ability to separate business and pleasure. They stood there, their faces blank. The corpsman distributed the vaccine without a second glance. Jasper felt the prick of the needle sting more than just his arm. Something told him that this was the end.

  He walked away from the tent, putting on his cover when Eric came up behind him.

  “Look, man,” he said. “I understand how you feel.” Jasper shrugged Eric’s arm off his back. He was wary and completely done talking to the man. “Hey!” Eric grabbed Jasper’s arm to stop him from walking away.

  Instinctively Jasper turned and shoved Eric back. They stared at each other, and Jasper felt the blood pumping in his ears. A few of the other SEALs came running up but stayed back a bit. Their community had seen their share of brawls; they came with the territory. But this wasn’t some fight to blow off testosterone; this time it was over something much more.

  “All I’m sayin’ is—” Jasper knew Eric was panting for a fight. Eric was the kind of guy who would do anything to keep his butch exterior intact. Now, with the others around them, Eric’s instinct to fight increased.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Jasper growled. “I’m sick of it!” He turned away again. “This is wrong on so many levels.” He walked away, not even sure where he was going.

  “You don’t even know, man! We are gods!” Eric’s laughter filled the area and Jasper turned back towards him.

  When he reached him, Eric’s arms were crossed across his chest defensively and he had a stupid grin on his face. The other SEALs stood behind him, waiting for Jasper to make the first move.

  “Gods of what, Freeman?” Jasper pulled his Special Forces insignia off his uniform and threw it at Eric. “People are dying and all you can think of is how powerful we are going to be? Fuck this!”

  It was a battle he couldn’t win, not then.

  Jasper saw the faces of the other SEALs darken as he walked away from his pin. He wasn’t just turning his back on them; he was turning his back on their community.

  Over the next few days, Jasper lay low, avoiding the other SEALs as much as possible. Their missions had been suspended, their training put on hold. As the rest of the world began to fade away, the SEAL community remai
ned strong. The vaccine seemed to work. The virus spread from South Asia, over Europe and Africa.

  When it reached the continental US the panic began. True to their word, the military, specifically the SEAL community, remained a stronghold for the rest of the world. The president blustered about America’s strength and concerns regarding a cure but no one talked about the vaccine. The news portrayed the virus as a quick killer because once a person was infected they quickly turned on those around them. A few scientists had come forward with a “miracle cure” but most died before they could get trials underway. Although he was never directly told, Jasper suspected that the government had hopes of keeping the vaccine for the American people. However, the virus spread too quickly. It was too late. By the time there was confirmation that the vaccine did work on the SEALs, the virus had spread across the globe. Distribution of the vaccine on any level had become impossible and it ate Jasper up inside knowing that he was going to survive only because of his country’s need for superiority.

  In his free time, which was abundant, Jasper studied and kept his nose to the ground. He remained reclusive in his actions. Every time he saw Eric or the others there was always anger. Jasper knew Freeman feared that he would come forward with his knowledge of the vaccine. He knew he was not safe, even then. Freeman and the other SEALs’ desire to keep the vaccine from the rest of the world mirrored the wishes of those in charge of distributing it—or rather, of not distributing it. Every day Jasper kept away from the other SEALs. His only hope was to remain vigilant and aware of the pending situation.

  As the virus spread throughout the US, so did the panic. Even within the military, things began to fall apart. Jasper witnessed the men change from their normal demeanor into monsters. By that time, most personnel remained in their rooms. Jasper barely saw any of the other SEALs, but because of his continued health, he was sure they were just as healthy as he was.

  On the other hand, almost everyone who hadn’t been vaccinated against the virus was infected by it. He listened to the radio and saw on the news the extent of the damages. This affected everyone, it seemed. The death toll was over four billion people; that was over half the world’s population. As power across the country began to fail, Jasper knew he needed to find out as much as he could before it was too late.

  Jasper’s attentiveness and observation paid off when he came across some confidential documents. He learned that the vaccine had been manufactured and then taken to a facility called the O.A.S.I.S., or the Operational And Special Investigation Station. He had never heard of it. As a SEAL he was given very high clearance, more so than the average soldier. Only SEALs and those above them had access to this piece of intel.

  Through his investigation he found the lead scientist who helped to create the vaccine. Dr. Randall Pinkerson had been the head of the testing facility for the last five years. His work had led to many phenomenal discoveries for science. Jasper had no idea what Pinkerson thought about his vaccine or if he was even aware of what he created. He only knew that locating the doctor was vitally important to his cause. Jasper couldn’t sit around and watch the whole world be destroyed; he needed to help and now was the time.

  The medical facility was in Coronado, California, not too far from his current duty station. First thing was he needed to find Dr. Pinkerson. Pinkerson’s office wouldn’t be in the medical facility, so locating the man was a little harder than just going to the O.A.S.I.S., but Jasper managed it eventually. There was only one problem.

  Dr. Pinkerson was already gone.

  Not in the sense that Jasper was used to. Instead of seeing a dead body in the medical office, a corpse festering away, he saw a man who had been ravaged by someone else. His body was bleeding out slowly and he could see the man’s eyes were changing from the illness he had obviously contracted. If the doctor didn’t die from his injuries, it was likely he would go on to kill others.

  “I know why you are here,” the doctor rasped, holding his hands against his wounds.

  Jasper raised his gun, pointing it directly at Dr. Pinkerson. The wall was covered with awards and degrees and he couldn’t help but think an entire lifetime of manipulating God’s creations was coming to an end.

  “Everything you need to know is over there.” The doctor raised one hand gingerly, still keeping pressure on his side.

  Across the room was a framed graduation certificate. Jasper moved quickly, not wanting to be caught by whatever had taken a piece out of the doctor. He moved the frame and saw a safe behind it.

  “32, 14, 21.” The doctor coughed.

  Jasper put his gun down and dialed the numbers. Inside the safe was a small book, resembling one of his military notebooks. He thumbed through it quickly and saw a lot of formulas. Towards the back, he found pictures of people who had been injected with the virus and those that had experienced the airborne virus. He shut it quickly, not wanting to see any more.

  “I need a formula for a cure.” Jasper prayed that the doctor had developed not just a vaccine to prevent the virus—which would do no one any good now—but also a cure, to heal a person who had already been infected.

  “It’s kept at the O.A.S.I.S. in a vault, like that safe but bigger.” The doctor struggled, gasping the words. “The combination is in that book.”

  Quickly grabbing his gun Jasper pointed it back at the doctor, intent on firing immediately, now that he’d gotten what he needed.

  “W-wait,” the doctor squeaked. “The cure is there. Get it. Duplicate it. Save us.” Jasper lowered his gun only enough to look into the doctor’s face. “Everything you need to know is in there.”

  Jasper heard rustling in the halls. Firing, he left without another word. The virus would soon consume him completely and he would no longer be human.

  Crossing the room, Jasper exited the way he came, tucking the book into his pants. It was small enough to conceal in his clothes. As he raced down the halls, he expected to see infected people, but instead he saw the red beams from the guns of the other SEALs.

  “I know what you’re trying to do, Anderson,” Eric’s voice echoed down the hallway, bouncing off the walls. A shot was fired in warning and Jasper ducked into one of the rooms. “I can’t let you try to be a hero. A cure is not what these people need.”

  The only hope Jasper had was escaping Eric and the others. The little book held possibly the only way to stop Eric. If they wanted to remain gods among monsters, then Jasper knew they would kill him on sight. He was probably the only person left alive with this knowledge. He needed to get the hell out of that building alive.

  “We know about the O.A.S.I.S. Listen, if you come out now, we won’t kill you. There is no reason we can’t work this out diplomatically.”

  Jasper could hear the low laughter of the other SEALs. There was no diplomacy here. If caught Jasper could only hope for a swift death. Which he couldn’t count on receiving; these men were trained in the art of torture.

  He peeked his head out just enough to see who was in the hall. As he suspected, the other SEALs were pressed up along the walls. They were smart. They weren’t dealing with one of the others; they were fighting one of their own.

  Eric stepped forward, raising his hands into the air with his gun up as if in surrender. Jasper was not a moron and he acted quickly. Thrusting his gun forward, he waited for Eric to open his mouth.

  “All we want is the code to the vault.”

  Jasper focused on Eric and opened fire. He aimed and shot directly at Eric. A bullet went straight through his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. The other SEALs opened fire immediately. Jasper was prepared and threw a smoke bomb down the hallway, giving him just enough of a distraction to run the opposite way. He ran until he reached the end of the hallway and jumped down the fire escape. Looking back as he jumped, he saw the others scrambling to get through the smoke and down after him. Without hesitation, he ran to the closest vehicle and got on the road. He knew he couldn’t go to the O.A.S.I.S. now—not if Eric’s men knew about it an
d would be watching for him to show up there. Rationally, he knew he needed to go into hiding until they gave up looking for him.

  That had been five years ago. A long time, but now he was back, and he was again being chased down by Eric Freeman and his fellow self-made gods.

  * * * * *

  Lena looked away from Jasper, not sure what to think. Her mind scrambled to process what he had just told her. She had never imagined there could be a cure for what had happened to everyone. If Jasper had retrieved the cure instead of going into hiding, maybe her mother could have been saved. So many lives could have been saved.

  He leaned forward and tried to hold her. “You have to understand,” he whispered, pleading. She shook her head. Not only had he known there was a cure for this infection, he’d had it within his grasp this whole time.

  Her whole world spun as she tried to make sense of the man sitting besides her. She was torn between the man she had fallen for, the man who knew her sympathy and shared her heart, and the man who had held on to a cure for years while the world fell apart.

  “Listen to me, Lena,” he said, rubbing his hand along her arm. “I couldn’t go back to my base, I couldn’t go to the O.A.S.I.S. I needed time.”

  Lena glared at him. “Don’t you know you could have saved millions?”

  “Not if I was dead!” he almost shouted. Sighing, he kissed her forehead.

  Lena knew already. As she fought to reconcile what she felt for him with his actions when the virus spread, she knew that he was the only one who had that information and right now the only one who could save everyone who was left.

  “Lena, I’ve been running for years.” Jasper leaned towards her and Lena bit her lip nervously, looking away from him. “Men like Eric have been looking for me for a very long time. They would have killed me on sight if I had gone anywhere near the O.A.S.I.S. I’ve watched every single person I met get taken by this virus, consumed by something darker than anything I have ever seen. Greed, lust, gluttony. This is far worse than any of those things. I have lost everyone. Except you.” He pressed his head against hers, smelling her hair. She brought a freshness to his life, a purpose. “You remind me that this is possible. Even if I die, as long as I can get that cure out, that is all that matters.”