Kathy flashed back to that afternoon when she’d downed a glass of water that was supposed to be for her father. “I… might have, purely by accident. Wait—did you talk to my father about this? Are you observing him too? And what does that mean, observation? I already have plane tickets to go back to Nevada in two days when spring break starts.”

“Kathy, I know this comes as an unwelcome surprise.” Carrington’s voice was calm, soothing. “We have a place set up where both you and your father can be observed. You’ll be together. We just want to keep an eye on your health.”

Kathy sensed that she wasn’t being given a choice. “So… what do we do? Can I pack?”

Agent Ragheb smiled. “Of course. I’ll go with you to your dorm while Agent Carrington gathers up the car.”

Kathy stood and suddenly had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She didn’t understand what was happening. Was something wrong with her? With her father?

“Agent Ragheb, are you guys on the level?” Her voice cracked and she blinked away the unbidden tears.

Ragheb came over and gave her a hug. “You’ll be fine, I promise. It’s just a precaution.”

But deep down inside, Kathy knew it was much more than a precaution.

###

Nate woke to the ringing of his phone. He grabbed it from the nightstand. “Carrington.”

It was Jeff. “Nate, the shit’s hit the fan. I need you to roust Dr. Gutierrez.”

“Jeff, what are you talking about? Is this about the letter you received? What’s going on?”

“No, totally different. There’s a rural hospital in West Virginia—actually, I’ll just read off the report exactly as it came in from the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

“911 emergency dispatch received a call from the Welch Community Hospital. Six dead, one physician, three nurses, and two other individuals. Sheriff’s office sent three patrol vehicles to investigate and confirm. Report of newborn infant in the operating room, alive, but two first responders are believed to be dead of unknown causes.

“FBI agents out of Beckley responded to the reported emergency alert, and emergency transport was arranged for the newborn to the NIH’s level-4 biocontainment unit in Bethesda.

“Final report lists seven adult males deceased, one adult female deceased. All bodies are in quarantine at the NIH’s main campus, along with the newborn.”

Jeff paused. “Do you want to hear the kicker?”

Nate’s insides felt hollow as he robotically said, “Sure, why the hell not.”

“One of the dead guys was on our list. He was treated for cancer at the VA in Martinsburg, West Virginia. They were scheduled to pick him up for quarantine tomorrow.”

“So that’s it then. It’s out there. It’s already out of our control.”