Extermination Day by William Turnage Read Free Book Online Page A

talking with a colleague that he didn’t notice Jeff leaving. He and the two agents made their way across a short walkway to the next building. Several of the Project Chronos workers walked by them, whispering and casting nervous glances in their direction.
    They quickly found the cafeteria. It was a modern facility, with chairs and tables neatly laid out like a fancy college dining hall. It was after eleven at night, but there were still a couple people eating and talking among themselves. With all the trauma of the last several hours, Jeff didn’t see how anyone could sleep. As he surveyed the room, he saw an attractive young woman sitting by herself in the corner, staring at her portable. He quickly ordered a burger from the cafeteria line and then turned to the agents.
    “Maybe you two could sit over there. I’m going to ask our young friend here a few questions and don’t want to intimidate her too much.” The agents found a table close by.
    He eased his chair up beside the young woman. She was so deeply absorbed in her device, she didn’t even look up.
    “Can I join you?” he asked casually. Jeff knew his physical gifts and had learned how to charm even before politics had drawn him. He was never shy about talking to women and considering the circumstances, he figured anyone would want to talk.
    The woman barely glanced up and just said, “Sure.”
    Jeff bit into his burger and said, “Not as good as Mickey D’s but still pretty tasty. Can I get you anything?”
    “No thank you.” The woman looked up from her portable and gave Jeff a closer look. “I’ve lost my appetite over the last couple of hours.”
    “I know what you mean. It’s horrible what’s going on. We’re lucky to be alive down here. I’m Jeff Madison, by the way. I’m new here, helping Dr. Chen personally.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. He knew from his short time in politics that the best deceptions were laced with a kernel of truth.
    “Holly, Holly Scarborough,” the woman said. “What does Chen say about all of this; does he know what’s happening? We knew about an event today, but no one had any idea it was going to be this . . . this . . . encompassing.” She again looked at her portable. “This horrific.”
    “I know,” Jeff said, playing along. “Chen is telling everyone to stay focused on their work, that completing the project is top priority. As for what’s causing this, I just found out that it’s a killer virus that’s spreading across the planet.”
    “What? My God.” Holly was clearly shocked. “If the launch goes as planned, we can fix this. I hope.” Her voice trailed off.
    “What do you mean you hope ?”
    “Well, part of my work deals with paradox theory, and we simply don’t know exactly what will happen to us when we launch. It’s all so complex and hasn’t been tested enough. I wish we had more time to run trials, but that’s obviously not possible now.”
    “I’m not sure I understand,” Jeff said. “My expertise is in another area. Perhaps you could explain a little more.” He knew any scientist type wouldn’t hesitate to explain everything about his or her work, even to a total stranger, if that stranger showed the slightest interest.
    Holly started pouring out details. Much of what she was saying was over his head, but Jeff was able to get a few of the salient tidbits he needed.
    “I’m not as up on my theoretical particle physics as I should be,” Jeff said truthfully, as he’d never even taken a basic physics course in college. “So maybe you should start at the beginning.” Physics hadn’t been a requirement for law school and as a general policy, he tried to avoid anything math related.
    “What’s your specialty?” Holly asked.
    “I’m more a builder of things,” he said matter-of-factly. “But your work sounds interesting. Please tell me more.” Under normal circumstances he would’ve complimented her, praised her work even more, since he’d found compliments and