Moonlight Medicine: Inoculation Read Free Page B

have a good idea that Evelyn was, in fact, working on a cure and how far along towards that cure she has gotten. How far along have you gotten?”
    Evelyn was working on gathering up the last few stray slivers of parmesan cheese with her fork, and had just switched to swiping them up with her finger, which she finished licking clean before she answered. “Not far, but maybe now that I don’t have to do it only on the weekends and sneak around, I’ll be able to focus and make some real progress.”
    “Oh, Evie, that’s right, your job,” said David.
    She shrugged. “I had a feeling I wouldn’t have it that much longer with…with everything that happened before. When I negotiated a new contract with Dr. Alverez, it included a clause where I agree to sell him my half of the clinic for base market value if I should be unable to perform my duties as the second veterinarian as described, including missing too many days of work. If we get through this alive, I’ll find another. I’ll just put down Dr. Alverez as a hostile reference.”
    Roberto shook his head. “Americans are very strange in their ability to joke in dire times.”
    “Hey, if we let them take our sense of humor, then the Nazis have already won,” David chimed.
    “Nazis?”
    David rolled his eyes and shook his head, Kim giggled, and even Evelyn suppressed a small smile. “Never mind.”

4
    David and Evelyn spent the next hour or so recapping recent events with Roberto. At first Kim offered the occasional detail, but eventually she fell asleep in the chair and David sent her to bed. When she had been gone a few minutes Roberto turned the conversation back to Kim.
    “You are both certain that she is not some kind of Vulke informer or mole?”
    Both Evelyn and David shook their heads.
    “No way.”
    “Impossible, when we found her she was almost dead from an accidental injury in the forest, and the Vulke couldn’t have known or even suspected that we would A, run into her, B, take her in, and C, be able to save her life,” said Evelyn.
    “Also, the Vulke tried hard to get to her when we came back from the lab. Why would they try to get her back if she was supposed to be a spy?” David added.
    Roberto folded his hands in his lap. “It could have all been a set-up to keep her closer to you by getting you to think her life was in danger. She could be a sleeper and not even know that she is working for the Vulke. We have intelligence that they are rather good at brain washing.”
    David sat up taller in his chair. “Okay, then why would they have lured us into helping her if they already had an idea where the lab was? Why not just kill us and have done with it?”
    “Your disappearance would have aroused suspicion, but come to think of it, I guess Evelyn has a point. It would be too risky to spend so much time brainwashing her and then risk her dying or being permanently injured and incapacitated if you didn’t find her in time.”
    Evelyn nodded towards Roberto. “Thank you.”
    “But you understand my concern. It is going to be very difficult to figure out who we can trust, and these strays are dangerous. Not only are they a risk to exposing us, but it is going to be near impossible to tell which ones the Vulke have already gotten to. We may already have ticking time bombs strategically placed in packs thinking that they are helping innocent people.”
    “Crap.”
    Evelyn frowned deeply. “Wait a minute, I know that movies and TV depict people being activated by a special word and killing without knowing what they’re doing, but we live in the real world. Do you really think that’s possible?”
    “I am no expert, but we are not exactly normal people either. Who knows what can be accomplished when a new, unsuspecting Wolfkin is subjected to conditioning while in Wolfkin form. What if the rage can be focused and directed? I am just saying that we need to be careful.”
    Evelyn nodded, her brows furrowed and eyes glazed in thought. “Did