Another man chimed in with a nasally voice. “Forget about deodorant. The treatment resurrected my sex life. I had herpes, but I’ll be damned if the docs didn’t clear me. No cancer. No herpes. And I’m single and looking to mingle.”

Everyone laughed.

“But you heard the guards,” said the bearded man. “There’s not to be any ‘mingling’ while we’re in here. That’s why they’re watching the barracks, so nobody gets any ideas.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” The man grinned lasciviously. “Some might say this is a target-rich environment. And besides, who needs the barracks when the porta-potties can give you privacy?”

“That’s disgusting,” admonished the older woman.

Dad turned to Kathy and whispered, “I think it would be best if you get me, or a guard, to accompany you any time you go to the bathroom. You understand?”

Kathy nodded. The truth was, she didn’t know anything about these people. Within this group of former cancer patients, there could be criminals. Criminals who were now, effectively, in a jail.

And she was as much of a prisoner as everyone else.

###

At the outer border of the Air Force installation known as Camp X-Ray, Nate leaned out the driver’s-side window and handed his and Juan’s IDs to the sergeant on duty. “Agent Carrington and Dr. Gutierrez. You guys should be expecting us.” He hitched his thumb to the two SUVs behind them. “Those guys are just here as part of the doctor’s security detail. They’ll wait outside.”

The wind blew a cloud of brown dirt across the unpaved path ahead as the airman studied the ID. The sergeant held both IDs at arm’s length, glancing back and forth from the badges to the two men. “Please lower your rear windows and pop the trunk.”

Nate sighed as he lowered the tinted windows of the GMC Yukon that he’d checked out from the FBI’s Vegas office. Scanning the dash, he hunted for and finally found the button that popped open the hatchback.

One airman peered into the back seats while another searched the trunk.

Juan stuck his head out the window on the passenger side. “Can you guys be careful? Some of that is electronic medical equipment. It’s fragile.”

After another minute, the airmen finished their check, and the sergeant returned Nate’s and Juan’s IDs. He pointed straight ahead. “Go up the trail, past the rise, and veer left. You can’t miss it. I’ll call ahead and let them know you’re on the way.”

“Thanks, Sergeant,” Nate said as he rolled up the windows, put the car into gear, and began moving along the rocky trail.

“This is going to suck,” Juan murmured.