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exhale, Charles faced Emir. “Our salvager had no idea what he found.”
    “He probably thought it was empty.”
    “We’ll take the rest back. Seal the box and bag it while I burn this one.”
    “We need to hurry. The other teams are moving out.”
    “No need.”
    “I’m sorry.” Emir said. “Why don’t we want to hurry?”
    “Because this is ours. It’s too big, too deadly to share. We will beat it first, then let the others know.”
    “Is it right?” Emir asked. “Ethical.”
    “About as ethical as finders keepers.” Charles smiled. “Let’s get moving.”
    That day he believed he found his virology gold mine.
    He was wrong.
    It was going to be their secret. At least the secret of SAT. However, to contain it, to work on it, would take a lot of funding. Getting that funding meant letting the secret out, at least within the ranks of SAT and investors.
    Finding and keeping that virus was the biggest mistake of his life and Charles decided after the chimpanzee experiment, it was one mistake he would immediately rectify … or die trying to.

SIX – BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Littlefield, AZ
 
June 17
     
    There were two things that were for certain when it came to summer vacation. Less money and more aggravation. Less money because Macy worked less hours. It wasn’t a hard choice. She could either work less and clear Two seventy-five a week or work the same, pay a sitter for the boys and clear … two seventy-five a week. She opted to work less. If she was going to be poor, she figured she’d get quality time in with the boys while doing so.
    The aggravation came simply by the increased number of people and teenagers that visited her place of employment. During the summer months her schedule was either lunch rush or double shifts when Rege had the boys.
    “Welcome to Cluck-Clucks, can I take your order,” Macy spoke into the headset.
    “Hold on,” the woman replied in the speaker.
    “Take your time.”
    “Not you. My call. Sorry.”
    “That’s okay. Order when ready.”
    “I’ll have the Cluck Crispy wrap, an order of Cluck fires and a six piece Cluckets.”
    “Anything to drink.”
    “What was that?” the woman asked.
    “Anything to drink?”
    “Oh, no.”
    “Sauce for the Cluckets.”
    “Why would I need a bucket?”
    Silently, Macy groaned. “Seven ninety-eight, please pull around.” She lowered the headset, hit ‘send’ on the order and faced her manager who was sharing the small drive thru space as he stocked.
    The woman who ordered pulled to the window. Macy prepared to tell the woman the amount again, but the women held up her finger to tell Macy to hold on because she was on the phone.
    Seriously? Macy thought. The woman couldn’t hold off on her phone call. As irritated as Macy was, she smiled, waited and completed the financial portion of the transaction.
    “I hate my job,” she said to the manager, George.
    “No, you don’t.”
    “Why am I on drive thru?” Macy asked and walked to the line to grab the food.
    “You do well.”
    “I really don’t know why I keep working here.”
    George helped her bag the order. “Maybe it’s because we are flexible, let your kids hang here and you have a really cool boss.”
    Macy smiled and shook her head. George wasn’t bad. Of course George was about three years out of high school.
    “Take a break, you overdue for your ten,” George said.
    “Thanks.”
    After removing her headset, Macy grabbed a soda, her phone and stepped outside. She was going to check on the kids but then remembered they were at camp.
    The message waiting on the phone surprised Macy. It shouldn’t have. It was from Rege, simply stating that she should consider asking for the time off and join him and the boys on vacation.
    She didn’t take the request as a plea to rekindle their relationship, they were beyond that. He was just a nice guy, and Macy knew handling the boys alone was a lot.
    She replied. ‘Your mom can’t go this year?’
    Bleep.
    ‘Not this