"It is," Roark said in a solemn voice. He pushed his plate away then rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "I haven't read half of the papers that were there, but so far everything I've come across leads me to believe that the virus was started by a joint project between several governments to decrease the human population. I just don't think they expected it to take off like it did or for the mechs to invade."
"You're saying the government did this on purpose?" Frankie asked. "Our government?"
"Our government wasn't the only one involved in this mess. Russia, Germany, China, Brazil, and Great Britain were in on this, as well."
"Bloody hell!" Sawyer rubbed his hand over his face as he tried to come to terms with what Roark was telling them. It was inconceivable. Sure, the government often did things he didn't agree with, but to sanction the murder of millions? "Are you sure, Roark?"
Roark's lips were pressed thin as he nodded. "I'm sure."
"What are we going to do?" Frankie asked.
"I'm not sure there is much we can do." Roark reached over and grabbed Frankie's hand. "The damage has already been done, baby. I suspect most of the people who were in on this are dead."
"Yeah, but…people need to know about this."
"To what purpose, Frankie?" Roark asked. "How is that going to change anything?"
"I don't know."
"Roark is right, Frankie," Sawyer said. "Telling people isn't going to change anything."
"So, we're just supposed to pretend we don't know anything?"
"Who are you going to blame, Frankie?" Stefan asked. "The people who did this are gone. The government was destroyed right along with everything else. There's no one left to hold accountable."
"That might not actually be true," Roark said. "When we first started to establish a governing body after the mechs attacked, many of the government people who'd survived the virus and the mechs took positions high up in the ADF, many of them military."
Sawyer's jaw clenched. "That's why you're so angry." He had thought Roark was angry simply because of what had happened to Frankie. Now, he suspected Roark was angry for another reason.
"If they can do that once, what's to say they won't try and do it again?" Roark asked. "They don't seem to hold a lot of value in human life."
Sawyer's eyebrows lifted. "You really think they'd try and take the population out again? Now?" There just weren't that many people left.
"I think they would do anything they could to keep themselves living the lives they live, even kill millions." Roark dropped his arms down on the table, clenching his hands. "The same people who created this damn virus and spread it to the civilian population are the same people who are making decisions that affect us all."
"Fuck!" Sam swore. "What are we going to do?"
Roark shook his head. "I don't know."
"If they ever learn we have this information, Roark," Dahl said, "they'll send everyone after us."
"I know." Roark grimaced before drawing in a heavy breath. "Sam, Butler, I know you guys wanted to relax here a bit, but I need you to ride back to the Castle Rock settlement and get Foster. He needs to be a part of whatever decision we make."
Sam stared for a moment before quickly shoveling in the rest of the food on his plate. Once it was cleared—which only took seconds—he wiped his mouth then stood. "Do we say anything to him about what you found?"
Roark shook his head. "I'll explain it to him when he gets here. I don't want anyone else overhearing you."
"You want us to bring him back here?" Butler asked.
"Yeah." Roark nodded. "We're going to be here until we decide what we're going to do. Luckily, we're not expected back at base for a couple of weeks, so we've got time. Just not a lot of it."
"Make sure no one follows you," Sawyer warned. "No one but us needs to know this place is livable."
"How long do you think it will take you to get there, get Foster, and get back?" Roark asked.
"A few hours at the bare minimum," Sam replied. "It's a good four-hour hard ride from here to there."
"Okay, we'll start looking for you in about ten hours," Roark said. "Don't dally. I want you all back here as fast as possible."
