Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 by Revenge

conspiracy?"
    "The bastards did it," Hayden said, a little more forcefully than he expected. "Vice President Champion signed the papers to put the vaccines in place and some of those were designed to compromise specific secure locations so that he could assume command once the President was dead. Hill was his trigger man."
    Alex stared at Hayden for a moment trying to sort him out. "Yeah, but all of that is pretty thin evidence."
    "Not when you consider the Congressmen who were targeted and eliminated." The voice startled everyone present. Dr. Cahn had snuck up on their conversation. Apparently he had heard quite a bit.
    "I've been thinking about the map we put together back in Tulsa, and all of the Congressmen who were compromised in the outbreak. Alex, as far as I can remember, most, if not all of those Congressmen, stood against the President and his administration for their policies and politics. It's very possible that this," and here Dr. Cahn spread his arms wide to encompass the entire area around them, "all of this, is nothing more than an attempt to gain power and eliminate one's opposition."
    All of the men sat silent, thinking carefully on what the doctor had proposed; no one wanted to think about the implications of what his suggestions would mean.
    "So if we are to believe what you have suggested, Dr. Cahn," Alex said solemnly, "then the now leader of the United States, of the free world, has committed the greatest act of mass murder this world has ever seen." Alex looked up at the doctor. Both of their eyes were stern, and both had come to the same conclusion.
    "Yes," Dr. Cahn said, nodding in agreement. "That is exactly what I'm saying. There are too many coincidences to be just chance. I firmly believe that Vice President Champion is responsible for releasing the zombie plague upon this country."
    Donovan shook his head, still not wanting to believe what he was being told. "But wait, what about other countries? Hasn't this spread to other countries? If is has or hasn't, does that change anyone's beliefs about a conspiracy?" Donovan looked to each of the men in turn looking for an answer. "I'm not sure what I believe right now, and I'm just playing Devil's Advocate, but what about it?"
    "I don't think it would change my mind," Hayden said, having set him mind on the guilt of General Hill and President Champion already. "I don't see how the spread to other countries would prove or disprove anything. If the virus was contained to this country, then they would just say 'Look at how well we contained this plague. We have saved every other country from dealing with this.' Just makes them look better. And if it's spread? That would just be counted off as a normal vector in this global economy. Any way you look at it, they've got their asses covered."
    "Luke's going to have a field day with this one," Alex said under his breath.
    "So will Theresa," Dr. Cahn reminded him. Alex's eyes went wide and he nodded in agreement.
    "So where does all this leave us?" Hayden asked. Donovan shrugged, Dr. Cahn shook his head, but it was Alex who replied.
    "We do our job. That which we have been tasked to do for this time. We can't come up with a plan if we still have doubts and missing information."
    "I don't have any doubts," Hayden cut in quickly. "I'm not sure many of us will when they all find out about this."
    Alex looked him in the eyes. "You may be right, but we can't risk compromising us or our mission with the implications of all this. I'm going to ask each of you to keep all of this to yourselves and not tell anyone else what we have discussed. If anyone is off their game, none of us will make it back alive."
    -----
    "They've breached the barricade!" Donovan yelled from behind.  
    "Plug it!" Alex ordered. Immediately six team members turned on the breach and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. The dead stumbling through the breach dropped with each crack of their rifles, the numbers quickly piling up and plugging the hole.