First ever story, so be nice!  If you like it, I plan on continuing into a series, the next chapter with a focus on Anya, Tom, Greg & the others.

Whitaker watched through a one-way mirror down into the cold, sterile examination room where Abby Grant was being held. It had been three days since she had been brought here, and numerous tests had been done, all concluding that Abby Grant's results were insignificant. He glanced down at his watch. 11.04 am. Samishould be here by now.

"Whitaker?". A quiet voice sounded out in the bare office.

Whitaker spun round sharply. "The final results? What are they?".

"...Nothing new. They're the same as all the others."

There was a short pause as Whitaker gave a frustrated huff and turned back to watch the woman.

"There has to be more. You said it yourself, she's unique. No-one else survived getting the virus. She's our last hope of finding a cure."

"We may never find one! Are you prepared to accept that? It's been over a month since the virus struck, and we're no closer to finding a cure than we were then. More than thirty survivors have been dragged into this place, and nothing's been found."

Whitaker had stood silently during this speech, continuing to stare at Abby's figure, pacing back and forth in the examination room below. His next words were quiet, controlled.

"It takes time, Sami. It could be months, years, before we can go out into the world again. Just be patient. We *will* find a cure."

Sami finally came out of the doorway in which he had been standing, and stood in front of Whitaker, blocking Abby Grant from the older man's view, in an almost protective manner. Whitaker's eyes finally met his, and Sami felt a hollow chill course through his body at Whitaker's cold, calculated stare.

"You promised me that Abby Grant would not be harmed in any way," Sami said in a low voice.

"Yes," said Whitaker, in a slightly strangled tone. "Yes, I did".

Whitaker's eyes, however, did not quite meet Sami's. Sami had known Whitaker for years, ever since he had come to work at the laboratory. The man had always had a harsh edge, but the edge had always been softened by a sense of order, of civilisation. Now that chaos ruled, Whitaker had been brutalised, stripped of a sense of morality, in a desperate quest to survive. Sami recognised the look that haunted the eyes of the man before him, the same one that had ordered the death of an innocent woman, and may yet cause the death of another.

"They're human beings," Sami insisted. "They deserve dignity, respect! You cannot keep doing this. It's wrong!"

"There is a greater good, Sami. The human race needs to survive. WE need to survive," Whitaker said, moving slowly to sit in the only chair in the stark, bleak room.

Sami tore his eyes away from Whitaker's. "Did you ever think..."

"...Did I ever think what?" asked Whitaker guardedly.

"Maybe we were not destined to survive. These people, the ones who survived the plague, perhaps they are alive for a reason. Some may starve or get sick, but they can survive outdoors, they don't *have* to wear protective suits just to venture out into the sun. I don't want to die in this prison, Whitaker."

"One day, Sami, we shall walk in the sun. When we find the cure, we can be free."

Both men fell into an uncomfortable silence, wondering what the price of freedom would be. Whitaker got up slowly, as if he lacked the strength to move, and started to make his way to the door.

"Abby?" said Sami, reminding the older man of his earlier promise.

Whitaker's hand stopped on the door frame, and he turned his head slightly.

"Just a few more days, Sami. I promised you she would not be harmed. But there is something else, something we have missed. There must be. Just a few more days".