BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Good to know, sir, as I hadn’t received any instruction—”

“No sirs, either, son. We’re all in this together.”

Though he’d called Lett “son,” he couldn’t have been more than forty. He nodded around the room, and his long, practically rectangular face and thin mustache loomed over Lett.

“And welcome, I should add,” he said in a more patient voice that reminded Lett of a small-town grocer. Of Ohio. He hadn’t thought about Ohio in such a long time.

The man stepped even closer, the clipboard held behind his back. “I’m Lansdale. Edward Lansdale.” He was holding out his other hand.

Lett shook it. “A doctor?”

Lansdale tugged at his white coat. “Oh, this? Of sorts. Though as I said, we don’t bother with titles here, rank and degrees and so forth. It’s more about what a man can achieve.”

Lett tensed up.

“Relax, take it easy,” Lansdale said. “Questions? Fire away.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Not long. A few hours. It’s night now.”

“Where are we? Underground?”

“Good. That’s good.” Lansdale pivoted on a heel, looked around again. “It’s a tunnel system, right under camp. Just yards from where you blacked out.”

“No kidding.”

“Why, sure. It’s from the war. Was supposed to be a top-secret hole-up should the Japs invade—Japanese I mean—but now we get to inherit it. Pretty ideal.”

“How far does it go?”

“Oh, not far. Far enough. Links up with some of these lava caves they have here if you head inland, but I can assure you that’s not in our plan for you. Don’t worry.” He added a flash of a grin that was more like a sneer. “This is just for your own safety, and that of others, until you get up to speed.”

“Who was that man I attacked? Or he attacked me. I . . . I’m not sure.”

Lansdale flashed the sneer-grin again. “It was both. It was really something, you two going at it like that, like two stray cats. He’s a Marine, that one. Also having the treatment. More on that later.”

“Is he all right?”

“Of course. He’s been through worse.”

“Are you here for the cure?”

“The cure? Ah. Yes. But it’s for you, you see, not me.”

“Is this part of the VA?” Lett asked. “Is this a VA program?”

“A what?”

“Veterans Administration.”

“Oh, right. No, no. You can put that notion right out of your head. Ours is a special project.” Lansdale smiled and swung his clipboard around and tapped at it. “As I said, let’s get cracking.”

***