That was a pointed question.
Calista took a deep breath. "To be honest, when I first found out about all this, my reaction was, 'What the hell does any of this have to do with me?'"
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "But Leah, I have this feeling that sooner or later, we're going to get tangled up with France.
Think about it. I received the experimental vaccine, and the virus originated in France. The people over there who knew what was happening must have prepared ahead of time. A lot of them probably survived."
Leah's gaze sharpened. "You think they could pose a threat to Rock Fortress?"
"I don't know," Calista admitted. "But what if Silas Norton suddenly shows up one day?"
The moment she said it, they both fell silent.
It was a very real possibility.
As things stood, there was no antidote. Calista had received the experimental vaccine, and while she had no idea whether she was truly immune to the virus, she was at least alive and healthy, and her physical abilities had improved.
If Silas Norton was still alive and learned about that, there was no way he would leave Calista alone.
Leah sighed. There was no way she could simply pretend she knew nothing.
Not because she was especially righteous or desperate to uncover the truth, but because she was afraid. Afraid that one day, while Rock Fortress still knew nothing about its enemy, her sister might suddenly be taken from her.
Ever since the apocalypse began, people had assumed the greatest threats were walkers, dwindling resources, and raids from other survivors.
But very few had ever considered the possibility that an organized force might be working behind the scenes, one whose threat exceeded all of those things combined.
"All right. But there's nothing we can do about it right now."
"I know. I wasn't planning to do anything right now either. I just mean that if we ever get involved with France in the future, and if this Emily Worth is still alive, she might be a potential ally."
That was as far as they could take it for now. Rock Fortress only had so much reach.
Leah nodded and stepped closer to Calista. "Come on. Let's go eat. They've got rabbit in the mess hall today."
As for Emily Worth and France... she would keep them in mind.
Maybe one day, that information would prove useful.
Or maybe it never would, and the half-finished photograph would remain buried at the bottom of a box forever.
...
News came from the lab. The first version of the walker repellent was finished, though its effectiveness was debatable.
When Calista pushed open the door, Dr. Jenner and the other two were standing with their backs to her, bent over a petri dish containing a small piece of gray-green tissue.
The sample had been extracted from a Black Fire mutant in Block D and was submerged in a pale pink culture medium.
When they noticed Calista come in, the three exchanged glances. After a brief round of silently pushing the responsibility onto one another, Milton finally walked over and turned on the computer.
"Commander, take a look. This is the first version of the walker repellent we developed. These are the results from the third round of testing."
The video showed an overhead view of an outdoor testing site deep in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Wearing protective gear, Milton stood five meters from a walker and pressed down on the spray nozzle.
A pale blue mist spread through the air, forming a hazy barrier.
The walker immediately stopped moving.
Its arm hung suspended in midair. Its cloudy eyes stopped shifting, and even the rasping sounds in its throat abruptly ceased, as though someone had hit pause.
Calista held her breath.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
The walker slowly began backing away.
One step. Two steps.
Eventually, its back pressed against the bars of the cage.
"Is it working?" Calista asked, a trace of hope in her voice that even she failed to notice.
"Keep watching, Commander."
Milton's tone remained flat.
Calista's heart sank.
Thirty seconds.
The walker's body began to tremble slightly.
Forty seconds.
The trembling grew worse, and hoarse growls once again rose from its throat.
Fifty seconds.
It suddenly lifted its head and looked around blankly, as though waking from a brief nightmare.
Fifty-five seconds.
The walker's gaze refocused and locked onto Milton.
Exactly one minute.
The walker suddenly hurled itself against the bars, striking them with exactly the same force and frequency as before it had been sprayed.
The video ended.
"It lasts about sixty seconds, though the duration varies from one walker to another." Milton shut off the video, unable to hide his disappointment. "The effective repelling range is only three meters. At five meters, the effect weakens to little more than a brief pause. Beyond eight meters, it's basically useless."
He paused, picked up the spray can containing the first version of the walker repellent, and gave it a gentle shake. Liquid sloshed faintly inside.
"And then?" Calista asked.
"There is no then." Milton set the can down. "After about a minute, the walker returns to normal.
Spray it a second time, and the duration drops by twenty percent.
A third time, and it drops by forty percent.
They develop resistance. Or rather... they adapt."
Sixty seconds.
That was all it took to go from hope to complete disappointment.
"Have you run any field simulations?" Calista asked, unwilling to give up just yet.
Milton pulled up the last video.
This test had been conducted on an abandoned street along the edge of Block D.
Three Defense Force soldiers encountered four walkers. One of them carried a can of walker repellent.
The spray took effect.
The walkers froze, then backed away.
The squad seized the opportunity and hurried past them.
But before they had gone even ten meters, one of the walkers recovered and turned to pursue them.
The soldier sprayed it again.
This time, the effect lasted only forty seconds.
They continued retreating. Then the second walker recovered, followed by the third...
"So the squad ended up being forced into a fight and killed all four walkers," Calista said. She already knew how it had ended.
Milton looked at her wearily. "Commander, the only practical use this stuff has is buying you sixty seconds to get through an extremely confined area where fighting isn't possible.
And the second application works even worse.
When you compare that to the chemical materials needed to produce the repellent, the research time our team invested, and the time it takes to actually spray the stuff..."
He didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious.
It wasn't worth it.
Especially now, when Rock Fortress had no shortage of ammunition. Killing walkers was easier and faster than driving them away.
Calista walked over to the workbench and took the spray can from Milton.
The metal was cool beneath her fingers, and the weight felt reasonable, but what was inside was practically useless.
"So," she said, gently setting the can back down, "we spent weeks on this, used several key products from the chemical plant's first trial-production batch, and what we got was something that makes walkers stand around confused for a minute?"
Milton swallowed.
Dr. Jenner stepped toward them, about to explain. "Calista..."
"Milton," Calista interrupted calmly, keeping her eyes on him. "Let me ask you the simplest question possible.
If I gave you a pistol with a full magazine and a walker repellent with uncertain effectiveness, which would you choose?"
Milton fell silent.
The answer was obvious.
In the apocalypse, certainty mattered more than anything else.
A bullet could guarantee a walker's death. Walker repellent could only guarantee that it would be confused for a while.
"I understand." Milton's shoulders slumped. Of the three of them, he had been the most invested in the project. "So... we terminate the project?"