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infected a dozen people, who would each infect a dozen more.”
    “But what we’re doing to our own citizens, it’s never been done before.”
    “You kiddin’ me? Lincoln had Confederates arrested and held for years without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. Korematsu v. United States was the case that decided that Japanese internment was justified. And guess what? It’s still good law. It hasn’t been overturned. In times of crisis, people always give up their freedoms, and they’re happy to do it.”
    “This is different. This isn’t targeting a group. This is indiscriminate. And we can’t maintain order, General. We’re talking about forty million people. We can’t even scratch the surface.”
    “Use local law enforcement to help you. But, Marty, we’re not letting this thing out. Not at any cost. We’re talking about the end of our nation if this thing spreads. No more America. And if the U.S. falls, you bet your ass the rest of the world is going down with us. We have to do this.”
    “And you’ve cleared it with the Joint Chiefs and the president? The Justice Department?”
    “ Who do you think came up with the idea, Marty?”
    They sat in silence a moment before Marty said, “ Once we do this, there’s no going back.”
    “I know.” Lancaster paused. “Do it, Marty. Send the order now.”
    He rose. “Yes, sir.” He took the emblems over his heart off his uniform and placed them on the desk. “It will be the last thing I do as Major under you, sir. I’m here voluntarily, and I quit.”
    Lancaster watched him walk out , and he leaned back in the chair. Marty was young and idealistic—two traits he himself might have had at some point. But if he ever did, they were so long gone that he didn’t even remember them anymore. He cared only about pragmatic decisions and didn’t understand those who took any other view.
    He turned back to the window and stared at the lawn.

 
    9
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Samantha sat in her off ice around ten at night, scanning the news sites for any information about California, but she found nothing. She checked Facebook and Twitter and found only one relevant post under the hashtag #UFOSRREAL. A person was saying that she had seen a lot of activity at the military base near her house. They seemed to be preparing for war.
    Sam stood and rolled her neck, then raised her arms over her head to stretch her shoulders. She walked to the window looking out over the parking lot and didn’t see anyone out. Pacing her office, she bit her thumbnail.
    Screw it, she thought. I’m not doing any good here.
    After g rabbing her jacket, she went out and got into her car. A bar where most of the people at the CDC hung out wasn’t too far from there, and as she drove, she tried not to think about why her sister wasn’t answering her cell phone.
    She parked right out front and went in . The bar was packed with people shooting pool and throwing darts, and she saw a few of her colleagues at a table, nursing some beers. They waved to her, and she waved back but didn’t feel like going over.
    She chose a stool at the end of the bar, then ordered an orange soda with ice and sipped it quietly. She tried to resist, but eventually she gave in and texted her sister for the fiftieth time.
    Where the hell are you?
    No reply.
    She tried her husband , and again, no reply.
    Thinking of her sister’s husband, Robert, brought back memories of when Sam was nearly married, to another medical student named Isaac Hinckley. He was a warm, intelligent boy, and they dated for so long, they’d grown comfortable together in that way that couples find the comfort better than anything else in the relationship. When he asked her to marry him, she said no. And to this day, she wasn’t sure why. No was the first thing that had popped into her head, and she’d blurted it out. Even if she wanted to change her mind then, she couldn’t. His heart was already broken, and he would have always known