Read Online Tainted Cure (The Rememdium Series Book 1) by Ashley Fontainne - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ashley Fontainne
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head.
Riverside let out a long sigh. “We haven’t been working for any government entity, Dr. Berning. This whole project consisted of me, you, Dr. Flint, and Dr. Thomas. All funded and put together covertly by one individual: Dr. Thomas.”
A wave of dizziness swept over Everett at the news. He wondered how in the hell he’d been so easily duped. “That’s going to take a minute for me to digest. Okay, okay. So, we were on our own. Let’s get back to what you found out before you rescued me.”
Riverside leaned across the seat and grabbed a bag resting on the passenger side. He opened it up and retrieved several sheets of crinkled paper. “I overheard Dr. Flint talking to someone on the phone in her office about two hours before all this happened. She didn’t know I was at her door since her back was to me. I have no clue who she was talking to, but I did get the gist of their conversation. None of it was good for us. I was going to come find you first, but figured you wouldn’t believe me without proof, so I went back to the lab and hacked into her email account and found these.”
Everett reached out to grab the handful of papers but stopped short. An overwhelming sense of fear ambled up his spine. The thought of turning the interior light on made his stomach clench as paranoia set in. “Just tell me the specifics of the communications, Riverside.”
“These are email exchanges between Dr. Flint and someone named B.S.N. They go all the way back to the day after the discovery last year. Discussions about the cure, how the test subjects reacted to treatment, everything. Though I only heard her side of the conversation, it was apparent she was to shut down the operation, get rid of the formula and evidence, including us, and leave before we had a chance to share the discovery with the press next week.”
Everett felt the air leave his lungs. The throbbing in his head was a fleeting memory, overshadowed by raw terror thrumming inside his chest. “Oh, my God. What about the formula? Please don’t tell me all our hard work is lost!”
Riverside smiled for the first time during their conversation while patting the bag on the seat. “Don’t worry, I’ve got five full vials right here. I also have a flash drive containing all of our notes on formula 10,899. The lab may be gone, but our work isn’t. Even if we lost the vials, we can simply create a new batch.”
Everett tried to quell the anxiety inside his mind. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the fear down deep and counted to ten. “Okay, let me think for a minute. What time is it?”
“A little after four a.m.”
“And we’re almost to Laredo, correct? You’ve been driving the entire time?”
“Yes. Only stopped twice for gas.”
“So, where was our starting point?”
Riverside snickered. “You mean you don’t know?”
Everett shook his head.
“Wow, all these years you’ve worked at the lab and had no clue where you were?”
Irritated, Everett snapped, “I was busy doing research, Riverside. Trivial things like my location didn’t rank high enough on my priority list. Where did we come from?”
“Arkansas. The lab was underground in the Ozark Mountains about fifty miles south of Blanchard Springs Caverns, to be exact.”
Stunned, Everett mumbled, “I’ve been in Arkansas all this time? Unreal.”
For a few minutes, neither man said a word. Everett’s head was still pounding and he felt a bit lightheaded from lack of food and water. “Please tell me we at least have some water.”
Riverside turned around and fumbled under the seat. He produced a plastic bottle and handed it to Everett. Though he wanted to gulp down the entire sixteen ounces, Everett only took a few sips.
Just like the day he found out his entire family had died, a dark cloak of uncertainty draped over Everett’s mind. The implications of what Riverside told him were almost too much for Everett’s brain to comprehend and it wasn’t just from the bump on his
Riverside let out a long sigh. “We haven’t been working for any government entity, Dr. Berning. This whole project consisted of me, you, Dr. Flint, and Dr. Thomas. All funded and put together covertly by one individual: Dr. Thomas.”
A wave of dizziness swept over Everett at the news. He wondered how in the hell he’d been so easily duped. “That’s going to take a minute for me to digest. Okay, okay. So, we were on our own. Let’s get back to what you found out before you rescued me.”
Riverside leaned across the seat and grabbed a bag resting on the passenger side. He opened it up and retrieved several sheets of crinkled paper. “I overheard Dr. Flint talking to someone on the phone in her office about two hours before all this happened. She didn’t know I was at her door since her back was to me. I have no clue who she was talking to, but I did get the gist of their conversation. None of it was good for us. I was going to come find you first, but figured you wouldn’t believe me without proof, so I went back to the lab and hacked into her email account and found these.”
Everett reached out to grab the handful of papers but stopped short. An overwhelming sense of fear ambled up his spine. The thought of turning the interior light on made his stomach clench as paranoia set in. “Just tell me the specifics of the communications, Riverside.”
“These are email exchanges between Dr. Flint and someone named B.S.N. They go all the way back to the day after the discovery last year. Discussions about the cure, how the test subjects reacted to treatment, everything. Though I only heard her side of the conversation, it was apparent she was to shut down the operation, get rid of the formula and evidence, including us, and leave before we had a chance to share the discovery with the press next week.”
Everett felt the air leave his lungs. The throbbing in his head was a fleeting memory, overshadowed by raw terror thrumming inside his chest. “Oh, my God. What about the formula? Please don’t tell me all our hard work is lost!”
Riverside smiled for the first time during their conversation while patting the bag on the seat. “Don’t worry, I’ve got five full vials right here. I also have a flash drive containing all of our notes on formula 10,899. The lab may be gone, but our work isn’t. Even if we lost the vials, we can simply create a new batch.”
Everett tried to quell the anxiety inside his mind. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the fear down deep and counted to ten. “Okay, let me think for a minute. What time is it?”
“A little after four a.m.”
“And we’re almost to Laredo, correct? You’ve been driving the entire time?”
“Yes. Only stopped twice for gas.”
“So, where was our starting point?”
Riverside snickered. “You mean you don’t know?”
Everett shook his head.
“Wow, all these years you’ve worked at the lab and had no clue where you were?”
Irritated, Everett snapped, “I was busy doing research, Riverside. Trivial things like my location didn’t rank high enough on my priority list. Where did we come from?”
“Arkansas. The lab was underground in the Ozark Mountains about fifty miles south of Blanchard Springs Caverns, to be exact.”
Stunned, Everett mumbled, “I’ve been in Arkansas all this time? Unreal.”
For a few minutes, neither man said a word. Everett’s head was still pounding and he felt a bit lightheaded from lack of food and water. “Please tell me we at least have some water.”
Riverside turned around and fumbled under the seat. He produced a plastic bottle and handed it to Everett. Though he wanted to gulp down the entire sixteen ounces, Everett only took a few sips.
Just like the day he found out his entire family had died, a dark cloak of uncertainty draped over Everett’s mind. The implications of what Riverside told him were almost too much for Everett’s brain to comprehend and it wasn’t just from the bump on his
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