Virus

Eight hours later, they arrive at Juneau International Airport.

“Shit! We’ve lost some of our gear! What do we do?” asks Steve, as he looks for their supplies. They realize some of it must have gotten lost when the baggage crew unloaded the Lockheed Starliner.

“We don’t have much time, as the next plane is due soon,” explains Jim. “We’ll just have to make do with what we have.”

“Our containment box is gone,” states Steve. “How the hell are we going to take back the samples when we have nowhere to put them?”

That is a good question. Jim definitely doesn’t want the virus sitting shotgun with him on the plane. Dead or alive. Jim thinks for a moment, then says, “We’ll just have to create a makeshift containment box out of those army supply boxes. That’s the only way.”

“Is it going to be safe like that?” asks Steve.

“As long as the samples are securely sealed and we don’t drop the damn thing, it should be.” It’s not Jim’s first choice, but that’s all they can do.

“Maybe we should turn back,” says Jill.

Jim turns to her. “Are you kidding me? We’re almost there!”

Time is running out, so they board the next plane to the Brevig Mission Regional Airport. After their short flight, they are greeted by a native. Jim knows it’s an Inupiaq Eskimo. They are the indigenous people who reside in this town.

The woman walks up to Jim. “Dr. James McAvoy? I’m Sinaaq. I’m the Mayor of Brevig Mission. I understand you need to take samples from our people, yes?”

“Yes, we’ll treat them with the utmost respect. The United States Government would like to thank you for your cooperation.”

They both shake hands; the village mayor seems cynical of this encounter. However, as long as they treat the bodies with respect and leave as soon as possible, she’ll deal with them. They walk out of the building, get into a Willy’s Jeep that is seemingly left behind from WWII, and head to a large hill.

“It’s been warming up to fifty degrees Fahrenheit within the past week, but the ground may still be solid,” says Sinaaq. It’s raining and quite windy, which makes it feel colder than it actually is.

Wind chill drops the temperature down to the mid-thirties, which makes it uncomfortable for the team. Sinaaq has to almost shout so that Jim can hear her.

“Governor Riggs hired some miners back in 1919 to dig mass graves near the side of that hill! There should be about eighty-three people in there! You should be able to get a good sample!”