The Cure, стр. 14

a team to take to the prison to find the Professor was by no means an easy task. Most of the teenagers on the base had no experience of the outside world let alone any kind of military training, so picking kids that could hold their own in an apocalyptic world of potential monsters and cannibals was proving tough for Logan and Danny. They already had four boys on board who Danny had vouched for. Essentially, they just wanted to get outside the base and cause mayhem without their parent’s watchful eyes. The Mean twins, Scott and Seth, had grown up on a farm around guns and their father was an agricultural aide to the Presidential team. With very little to keep them occupied in the past ten or so years they had been itching for something like this to happen. They were joined by Xander Carlgren and Jay Green, both of whom had influential and very rich fathers with political ties and spent most days on the base with Danny and the other boys causing mischief.

This was a start at least. Logan had chosen two other boys from the dormitory who he trusted implicitly, which were Chuck Nelson and Brad Holton whose father ran the stores. Brad Junior was a good guy, but certainly packing in the weight department. This concerned Logan as he knew he would look out of place in the city, but he felt Brad was an asset to the team. Chuck was the joker of the pack, an absolute goon, but he was a motivator and motivation was something which he was in short supply of.

Logan and Danny had brought the six boys into his room with the intention of breaking the news to them about what the President and his team were planning to do. Neither of them knew exactly how they would do this or how their newly assembled team would take it. Let alone whether they would be onboard and help to stop it.

’So,’ Logan started ‘you’re probably wondering why we’ve brought you here?’

‘Well it isn’t a romantic dinner for two,’ Chuck said pretending to be disappointed. The Mean brothers chuckled in unison, shoulders bobbing up and down while Xander looked away, more interested in the cigarette hanging out his mouth than what was happening in the room.

‘I’m just going to come out and say it,’ said Logan. ‘The President and the members of the board are planning on killing off over half of the population outside of the base by poisoning the water supply to the cities.’ Logan took a breath and looked around the room.

A couple of the boys visibly gasped, whilst Xander looked up and then shrugged.

‘We need to stop them,’ said Brad, barely taking in what he had been told. ‘We need to tell our parents and get them to stop this. Why are they even doing this?’

‘Slow your roll Cowboy,’ interjected Danny. He held out a hand for Logan to continue.

‘Their plan is that with half the population dead within a certain time frame they can start rolling out some of the processes we have used on the base to the remaining population. We will then have enough food and supplies to ensure the continuation of the human race.’

‘Sounds like they’ve got a valid point to be fair,’ said Seth.

‘And if you were on the outside Seth? Would you want to have that choice of whether you are in the side that lives or side that dies taken out of your hands? Besides that, who are we to say that humanity should continue?’ said Logan. Seth nodded ‘True, very true.’

‘So why can’t we tell our parents? Surely, they will use common sense to stop this happening,’ said Brad Junior.

‘The decision has been made. Your father was in the room Brad. He voted for this along with my father, Xander’s father, Tallulah’s father. They are the ones that are making this happen.’

The door swung open and all the boys jumped. In walked Tallulah with Faye over to where Logan and Danny were stood.

‘The point is boys, no-one on this base is a God. It’s about freedom of choice. However bad it is up there at the minute those people should have the choice as to whether they live or die. No-one has the right to take that away from another human being. They don’t know that this is coming, and they don’t have anyone other than us to fight for them. We are the last line of defense between millions of people being murdered so that others can live.’ Tallulah had made her point and Logan and Danny both looked approvingly towards her in admiration.

‘Oh, and for those of you who don’t know her, this is Faye. Faye and I will be joining the team.’ The room went quiet, and Logan took Tallulah by the arm and pulled her to one side.

‘I don’t want you going,’ he whispered.

‘I’ve just given a speech about freedom of choice and you’re going to stop me? I don’t think so,’ she spoke loud enough for the rest of the room to hear.

Logan looked up and around the room. Danny shrugged at him and smiled, knowing the decision had been made and nothing Logan was going to say would change her mind. Logan shook his head and turned back to the boys. ‘So, this is Faye and Tallulah and they will be joining the team.’ The boys laughed and even Logan smiled. ‘This is what we’re going to do.’

Logan went on to explain about the Professor, the prison and a possible antidote to the toxin. Then how the military team planned to poison the water and when and where it would happen. He went through various maps and they talked for hours about how they would get off the base and how they would get to the prison and extract the Professor.

Danny