The Dead War Series (Book 1): Good Intentions Read Online Free PDF

when so many others didn't. That's the next thing we need to figure out,” Philip said. “I'm sure you can understand why I didn't want to tell you about this right away. If things went wrong, you could have plausible deniability.”
    “Really? You want me to honestly believe you were protecting me in this scheme?”
    Philip lips pursed. “Regardless of what you believe, had this been a failure, or I was discovered, you would have been telling the truth by saying you had no knowledge.”
    “I'm sure you just wanted the credit,” Dr. Martin Henrick chimed in.
    “This breakthrough means success for us all. What with Morris breathing down our necks, threatening to take the lab from us if we lose this contract. I did what needed to be done.” Philip pointed at his chest. “ I took the risk for the team and I think a thank you is in order.”
    Vincent sighed. “We're going to have to explain how we figured out the missing element and it can't be the blood of some nameless donor. If this is successful, the military is going to want a lot more where that came from and we need to be able to produce it.”
    Philip nodded. “That's why I suggested we need to find out more about that blood sample.”
    Vincent nodded. He didn't have a good feeling about what Philip had done, but he did have to admit the other man was right. They were running out of time and he really didn't want to lose control of the lab. That promotion was one he worked hard for; he earned it, damn it! The department head director, Dr. Steve Morris, had been holding it over his head the entire time they worked on the project. In his own words, he had told Vincent, “I gave you the lab; I can take it away if I don't think you're ready for it.” Needless to say, the pressure was on, but breaking the law was something he didn't want to resort to. Maybe that's why Philip did it, he thought. Still, how deep was this hole they were digging? And where in the hell was it going?
    “Are you still with us?” asked Dr. Pierce.
    Vincent blinked, coming out of his deep thought. He nodded.
    “Have you tested the new solution on our subjects, yet?” he asked, getting back on track. He'd have to deal with their other problem later.
    “Not yet,” Dr. Martin Henrick said, looking up from his microscope and swiveling around on his stool to face the two men. “We were waiting for you.”
    “All right. Let’s get the video feed ready and, Dr. Henrick, could you prepare test subject 08-15?” Vincent directed.
    Both men went about completing their directives. Philip loaded the camera to record the results of their test. Martin pulled a female monkey infant from her cage, gently placing her on the sterile stainless steel table.
    “All right, let’s start off with one milliliter of the… what are you calling it now?” Vincent asked Philip.
    “PVM-1. Simple, I know, but it’s in honor of the three of us,” Philip said.
    Vincent chuckled. “Well, I suppose then I can’t knock you for your lack of originality. PVM, eh? Our first name initials?”
    Philip nodded.
    “I had suggested Elixir-21, but he shot that down,” Martin said.
    Vincent laughed. “Why Elixir-21?”
    “If this thing does what we want it to do—what we're being paid to make it do—then it’s no doubt the ultimate elixir  made in the twenty-first century,” Martin explained.
    “And you called me unoriginal,” Philip teased.
    “All right, gentlemen, let’s see if we're going to make history or not,” Vincent said. “Let’s start off with one milliliter of PVM-1.”
    Philip filled the syringe with the dark red liquid that looked almost black in the plastic tube. Very carefully, he injected the needle into the chimpanzee’s vein and pushed the serum through. The chimpanzee was silent at first, looking very curiously up at the three men standing over her. Philip removed the needle, tossing it into the bio-hazard trashcan.
    “Put her back into the cage, we’ll observe her from there,”