Alpha Infected (Reaper Pack 84)
Chapter 1
Friday, October 28th, 1983
0930
KV Perkins Pharmaceuticals
Tulsa, Oklahoma
“Come on. Show me something good,” Reid whispered. He braced himself, hoping when he examined the contents under the lense of the microscope this time, the results would be different. Unfortunately, when he looked into the eyepiece and adjusted the focus, he saw the same thing as the last three tests.
“Damnit!” he loudly swore. Reid nervously eyed the clock high up on the wall of the spacious white lab before he glanced at the vials of red liquid in their stand next to the microscope. He was out of time. His boss would be there in minutes, expecting good news. But all he had to share was yet another failure. The anxiety for the upcoming meeting had his stomach so upset he was seriously considering ducking out with the excuse that he was sick.
But that likely wouldn’t do any good. His boss would probably send employees after him to drag him back to the lab. Besides, it was too late to leave anyway. Because at that moment, the door opened and Bray Egan, the CEO of KV Perkins, strode in. He was accompanied by a big, burly company security guard.
The chief executive was dressed impeccably as always, in a suit and dress shoes that probably cost more than Reid’s entire wardrobe. He was Caucasian, with a tan that made him look as if he belonged in a Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil ad. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back with so much mousse that not a single strand was capable of moving out of place. And his cologne, that no doubt had a name like POWER or TAKEOVER, wafted toward Reid in a headache inducing cloud.
“Dr. Burke. How are we doing on the updated strength enhancer?”
Reid tightly clasped his hands in front of him before he answered. “We’ve made progress,” he said. That was true. But there wasn’t enough progress for what Egan wanted.
“Is it ready for human testing?”
Reid adjusted his glasses, steeling himself for what he had to say. “I’m afraid not, sir.”
Cool blue eyes narrowed with displeasure.
“And why not?”
“I’d like more time to run additional tests and tweak the formula.”
“More time?” Egan planted both his fists on the lab table and leaned over it, getting as close as possible to Reid’s face. “Dr. Burke, I have a meeting with the board of directors in one hour. They are expecting a demonstration to see what this product can do and you’re holding everything up. Again .”
“I apologize, Mr. Egan. But we can’t give any of our human test subjects strength enhancer RX-2 yet.”
“Why not? The other trials were all successful.”
“Yes. But that was before you asked us to make the lyssavirus adjustments. If you look through my microscope you’ll see-.”
Mr. Egan waved a hand to cut him off.
“I’m not interested in that.”
Typical. Egan never cared about the work. Only the results. Reid tried again. “I can give them the enhancer without the adjustment. The board will be impressed with those results.”
“Not good enough. I want the new version ready to go in one hour.” He shot his arm forward, shoving his gold wrist watch so close to Reid’s eyes that they crossed trying to focus on it. Egan tapped the diamond encrusted watch face. “One hour,” he repeated.
At the order, a heavy lump of dread dropped into Reid’s stomach. Egan wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. But he wouldn’t inject humans with that enhancer. Reid swallowed hard, throat so dry it clicked. “I won’t do it, sir. It’s too dangerous.” He took a step back, away from the vials of SE RX-2 and away from Mr. Egan.
Mr. Egan slowly lowered his hand back to the table. He stared at Reid for an uncomfortably long moment, his eyes cold and hard, before he spoke.
“Then you’re fired. Clear out your desk.”
Reid’s mouth dropped open in shock. Fired. For the first time in his life - he was fired. While Reid stood there with his mouth agape, Mr. Egan rounded the table. He strode over to Reid and yanked off the employee badge clipped to his lab coat.
“I don’t have to remind you of your NDA, Dr. Burke. But in case I do. Not a word of this project to anyone. Or I’ll see that you pay dearly .” Mr. Egan turned to leave the lab. “Please escort Dr. Burke from the premises,” he said to the security guard waiting at the door on his way out.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Egan,” the guard replied.
The guard, a big, barrel-chested man in a gray uniform with a gun holstered on his waist, walked over to Reid. He gestured for him to get started following Egan’s order to clear out his desk.
In a shocked daze, Reid began packing his personal belongings in his backpack. He wouldn’t be allowed to take anything that belonged to KVP with him. Under the watchful eye of the security guard, he picked up the Castle Grayskull playset that he kept on his desk and carefully tucked it under his arm. After he shrugged the backpack straps on his shoulders, he looked at the guard.
“I guess I’m ready,” he said faintly, still in disbelief that he’d been fired.
There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy on the guard’s face as he walked Reid to the elevator and joined him inside. The long ride down to the ground floor was silent - neither him or the guard moving or speaking. The elevator stopped, the doors opening after a pleasant chime.
With the security guard two steps behind him, Reid walked across the lobby he’d crossed countless times during his five years at KV Perkins. It was currently decorated for fall, with sheafs of wheat in tall gold vases, their bases surrounded by stacks of bright, orange pumpkins.
When they reached the exit, they both stopped. The heavy, smoked glass doors slid open with a quiet hiss. A warm, early fall breeze rushed in to warm Reid’s front while the cool air of the building’s air conditioner chilled his back.
Before Reid stepped through the doors of KV Perkins Pharmaceuticals for the final time, he looked over his shoulder at the security guard and gave him a warning. “If he injects anyone with that strength enhancer today, run.”
* * *
Friday, October 28th, 1983.
1020
KV Perkins Pharmaceuticals
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Bray returned to his corner office on the twenty-eighth floor. He went over to the floor to ceiling windows and looked down at the city of Tulsa below. As he watched the cars driving past, frustration simmered in his veins. Blowing out a hard breath, he straightened his charcoal gray Armani suit jacket.
He was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation, which meant he had to make the tough decisions. He’d allowed Dr. Burke to delay testing of the final enhancer too many times. But the board and the shareholders wanted to see new, innovative products that would increase company profits. And he was going to give them what they wanted. The SE RX-2 demonstration was happening today. If the board and shareholders were pleased, and he had no doubt they would be, he would be rewarded for ushering the product to market.
Bray smiled, his dick growing hard in his expensive slacks as he imagined the fat cash bonus he would get when KV Perkin’s stock value shot through the roof.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he went over the presentation his assistant had prepared for him one last time. The staff was already finished setting everything up in the demonstration room on the thirtieth floor and the test subjects were in place. All that was left was for the board members to arrive.
Five minutes later, someone knocked on his office door.
“Come in,” he called out.
The door opened and his secretary, Shelly, came in. She was a tall, slim brunette, with her hair in an elegant French roll. Shelly wore a form-fitting lilac sweater and a chocolate brown pencil skirt. Her black pumps elongated her pantyhose clad legs.
Two years ago, Shelly had classed it up after he told her she was too frumpy to represent him. She’d cried, but returned the next day with a new look that matched the image he wanted to project. He was glad she’d made the change. She was the best secretary he’d ever had and he would have hated to fire her.
“They’re ready for you, Mr. Egan,” she said with a pleasant smile.
“Thank you, Shelly.”
Bray left his office and took the elevator up to the presentation room on the thirtieth floor where the demonstration was to take place. He pushed open the double doors and strode inside. On one end of the large space was a black and gold marble conference table, with the board members all seated around it in big, black leather chairs. The walls were papered with white and gold damask wall paper and brightly lit, expensive chandeliers made up for the lack of natural light in the windowless room. On the other end of the room, a black velvet curtain draped from the ceiling to the floor, hiding the demonstration area and test subjects from view.
Bray strode over to stand at the head of the table. His shoulders pulled back and chin lifted with confidence, he addressed the group in front of him.
“Members of the board,” he began. “Thank you for joining us this morning. Today is the beginning of the next stage in KV Perkins Pharmaceuticals. Our latest product will revolutionize sports and athletic competition. KV Perkins’ scientists have created a new strength and performance enhancer. It is not a steroid. As such, it will be legal for use in all professional and amateur sporting competitions.”
He paused to smile and let the anticipation build. Then he turned slightly toward the doors and swept a hand out. “I present to you strength enhancer RX-2.”
The doors opened. A young, curvy blonde woman dressed in a short, gold sequined dress wheeled in a glass and metal cart. On the top shelf there was a shiny gold syringe rack that held three syringes filled with a bright red liquid.
Bray ran his eyes over the hostess’s tight ass and long legs. If this demonstration ended in success, he might celebrate with her later, as long as his wife didn’t come home early from her trip to Aspen.
He gave the go-ahead nod to the staff member standing at the ready to pull back the curtain. The staff member pulled on the rope and the black velvet slid back to reveal three athletes in peak physical condition. Each of them stood in front of a treadmill. Their firm, muscular bodies were dressed in tight black tanks with the gold KV Perkins logo emblazoned on the front, black Lycra shorts, and gold athletic shoes.
“Let me introduce you to Jenny, Jun, and Rashad. These top-level athletes are going to show you what SE RX-2 can do.”
The athletes smiled at the board members in greeting.
“First, we’ll establish a baseline of our athletes’ max performance without SE RX-2.”
The athletes each stepped onto their treadmill and began to run. On the wall behind them, a digital screen blinked to life. Each subject gradually increased their speed until they were sprinting at their maximum. Whatever number was on each treadmill was displayed on the digital screen in big red numbers as well. After a minute of running, they slowed to a walk and stopped.
“And now we’ll administer the enhancer.”
The doors opened again and three doctors in immaculate white lab coats with a gold KV Perkins pin on their lapels entered. They snapped on latex gloves before picking up one of the syringes and approaching their previously assigned subject.
As Bray watched, he noted that one of the doctors looked nervous. The vibe she gave off could severely undermine the board’s confidence in the demonstration. Bray discreetly cleared his throat to catch her attention. When she looked at him, he narrowed his eyes in warning. The doctor got the hint and instantly wiped the unease from her face.
One by one the three athletes were injected with strength enhancer RX-2. Once the shots were completed, Bray turned back to the board members.
“SE RX-2 takes about one full minute to enter the blood stream. It’s so fast that it can be administered just before an athlete begins competition and it leaves the body after about an hour,” he said, reciting the information from the original version’s test trials.
Everyone waited a full minute for the enhancer to take effect.
“Okay, guys,” Bray said once the necessary amount of time had passed. “Let’s see your new strength enhancer RX-2 performance.”
The trio got back on the treadmills and started running again. This time they started sprinting with hardly any buildup, blasting past their previous max speeds. Their feet pounded on the treadmills, the numbers on the digital board rapidly ticking higher and higher. Each athlete ran with relaxed ease, as if they could keep going forever, showing no signs of being winded or tired.
Bray had to whistle sharply to get them to stop. Once the treadmills slowed to a halt, they stepped off with wide smiles on their faces.
“Amazing,” one of the board members whispered.
“Whew! That felt good!” Rashad said before he did a spontaneous back flip.
The board members laughed with delight and ripples of conversation began to sweep up and down the conference table.
“Jenny, why don’t you show us how strong you are,” Bray requested.
“Of course, Mr. Egan.”
The petite brunette went to the side of the demo area where a weight bench had been set up. She racked the weights up to three hundred pounds then settled on the bench.
Bray held his breath as she lay down and gripped the bar.
After a long pause, she lifted the heavily-weighted bar off the rack. Jenny pressed the weights up five times in quick succession, looking as if she was lifting a couple of fluffy pillows in the air. Then, she took one hand off the bar, adjusted her hold, and slowly pushed the weight up single handed.
At the stunning feat, the board members gasped in awe before bursting into applause.
Bray relaxed and smiled with smug satisfaction. He’d pulled off a perfect demonstration. Dr. Burke was a fool. That enthusiastic applause was exactly what Bray had expected to hear. He officially declared the company’s new product a success.
At his signal, servers came in carrying trays filled with glasses of bubbly champagne. They circled the room, passing out champagne to all the board members, the doctors, and the test subjects.
Bray stood at the head of the table and raised his glass in a toast. “To the future of KV Perkins Pharmaceuticals,” he said proudly.
The toast echoed around the room before everyone took a sip of the expensive champagne.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” Bray said as he began to close the meeting. “The official demonstration has concluded, but please feel free to stay and chat about the wondrous advancement you’ve just witnessed.”
There was another small round of applause before the board members moved to speak with each other and the test subjects. Mr. Chang, the chairman of the board, came over and shook Bray’s hand.
“Bray, you’ve done it again. Stock prices are going to soar after this.” Chang leaned in close and lowered his voice. “I see a hefty bonus in your future,” he said with a wink.
Bray’s dick tingled again. “Thank you, Mr. Chang. Our team of scientists deserve credit for today’s successful demonstration as well,” he said humbly.
“Of course. Couldn’t have done it without their brilliant minds.”
Mr. Chang patted him on the back and excused himself, citing an off-site meeting he had to attend.
After the chairman left, Bray made the rounds, accepting the congratulations from the other board members.
About ten minutes into the impromptu cocktail party, the sound of breaking glass followed by a shocked gasp suddenly cut into the celebratory chatter.
“Hey! Let me go!” a woman cried out.
Bray turned to see a shattered champagne flute on the floor and Jun holding one of the board members by the throat. The woman scratched at Jun’s grasp, frantically trying to get him to turn her loose. Several people rushed over to help her. The board vice president reached them first. But Jun swung out with his free hand, slashing his nails across the man’s face. Bright red blood welled up on the vice president’s dark skin, dripping onto the powder blue of his suit. He slapped a hand over the bloody wound, eyes wide with shock as he stared at Jun.
The others who’d tried to help now stumbled back in fear.
Bray looked for his other test subjects. Across the room, Rashad kneeled on the floor facing the wall, moaning and clutching his head with hands curled into claws. He shook, his entire body trembling as if he was in intense pain. Then he abruptly went ominously still and silent.
One of the doctors tentatively called his name. “Rashad? Are you okay?”
Rashad didn’t answer. Instead, he shot to his feet and whipped around to face them. An animalistic growl rumbled in his throat and spit collected in the corners of his mouth. Without speaking a word, he bolted from the room, knocking over several board members on his way out. Seconds later, screams rang out in the hall.
“Damnit!” Bray cursed under his breath. His demonstration was going to shit. Furious at the potential loss of his bonus, Bray strode over to the doctors to demand they fix their mess. Before he reached them however, Jenny stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She stared at him with bloodshot eyes wide with feral rage. Her previously tan complexion had taken on an odd, waxy white tone and the veins in her arms and neck were turning black under the pallid skin. Jenny bared her teeth and snarled, the sound raspy and inhuman. Flecks of white foam bubbled at the corners of her mouth - the same as Rashad.
Bray used the authoritative voice that made his employees flee from him in fear every day. “Jenny, get the hell out of my way!”
She didn’t move.
Out of patience with her antics, he tried to go around her to get to the door and call for security. But in a lightning quick attack, she leaped at him. Her body slammed into his, sending him crashing down to the floor. His back hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him with a hard whoosh . He barely managed to suck in enough breath to issue an affronted demand.
“Get off me!”
Again Jenny only voiced that ugly, raspy snarl. She leaned down, getting right into his face. Chunks of her long, black hair sloughed off her scalp, falling to blanket the floor on either side of Bray’s head. He pushed at her shoulders, fighting to hold her back, but her enhanced strength easily overpowered him. To his horror, she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the meat of his cheek. Bray screamed in pain.
“Ahhh! Help!”
No one helped. Above him, the others screamed as well, shoving at each other in their haste to escape the presentation room. Someone tripped over his sprawled legs and fell. Bray tried to reach for them, but they crawled away, making it out along with the others. He was left to deal with Jenny on his own.
Her teeth still in his cheek, Jenny yanked her head back, tearing a hunk of flesh from his face. She swallowed the piece of his face meat without chewing, drool dripping down her chin to land in Bray’s open wound. Her movements jerky and quick, Jenny gripped him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up to a half-sitting position.
“No! Please!” Bray cried as he slapped at Jenny’s grip on his shirt.
As he futilely tried to get free, Bray had a moment’s regret. He knew now that Dr. Burke had been right. Strength enhancer RX-2 wasn’t ready for human trials.
The acrid smell of urine hit Bray’s nose as he pissed himself in fear. But he didn’t care about the humiliation or the ruined pants. He was too busy begging for his life. “Please, let me go!”
A hoarse snarl was his only answer before Jenny slammed his head onto the floor.
A bomb burst of pain exploded in the back of his skull and then