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“How receptive are the villagers in this area to receiving the vaccinations?” Slash asked him.

“So far, they’ve been open to it.” Vicente finished the last bite of his stew and pushed the bowl away from him. He leaned forward on the table, picked up what I presumed was a mug filled with coffee and took a sip. “In fact, they initiated it. Their children are dying from malaria, and their population is dwindling. Most of the elders have come to see the light, especially if there’s a way to preserve their way of life and end the suffering of their people. We will try to be as respectful as we can, and have as little contact as possible, so as not to interfere with their culture and way of life. But they’re bound to be curious about us, just as we are about them.”

I almost wished I could go on the visits to the villages with them before I remembered how much I hated the heat, snakes, water and spiders. “I’m sure it will be a fascinating experience.”

“Oh, no doubt,” he said. “But more importantly, we’ll be saving lives. Well, at least those of you administering the vaccine will be doing that. I’m just a small part of the effort.”

“Hardly.” Gwen laid her spoon across her bowl and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “How did you learn to speak English so well?”

“I went to the Federal University of Amazonas,” he replied. “It’s Brazil’s oldest university. After a year, I transferred to the Humaitá campus, where I studied English and other subjects. Eventually I moved to Brasilia, our capital city, and took on a variety of jobs. I was offered this job due to my skills with the native languages of this area.”

“Your English is excellent,” I offered.

He smiled, clearly pleased by my compliment. “Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.”

We had just finished up dinner when Natelli joined us again, a mug similar to Vicente’s in her hand, except I could see the string of a teabag dangling from the side. “I wanted to give you a quick update while we’re all together here,” she said, taking a seat next to Slash. “There’s no rest for the weary. We’re going to hit the ground running tomorrow, going to our first village to administer the inoculations. Gwen, I’d like you to come along to help preserve the cold chain preservation of the vaccine, as well as oversee the waste management.”

“Of course.” Gwen straightened in her chair, not able to keep the look of excitement off her face. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Great.” Natelli looked at me. “Lexi, would you be willing to accompany us, as well?”

I choked on a mouthful of water. Slash had to smack me on the back twice before I could catch my breath. “Me? You want me to go to the village with you...in person?”

“Yes, I’m sorry if you’re surprised by that. I thought Tim might have mentioned it. I’d like you to enter the data right into the laptop as we go along. I know it sounds crazy, but I’d feel better if you were in charge of the laptop at all times, ensuring the data remains safe and uncorrupted, even if we won’t be connected to the Internet. We can’t afford to have anything go wrong with the computer while we are in the field. We’re bringing a small team and I want everyone with just one focus.”

I glanced at Slash. His face remained expressionless, but his body had tensed. I knew him well enough to presume he was going through a list of all the things that could go wrong with that scenario.

Regardless, I considered the request. My job was keeping the data safe, and they needed me along to ensure that happened. As much as I didn’t like water, snakes, spiders and the heat, I felt like it was my job. Moreover, if I were honest with myself, I was greatly intrigued by the process. In spite of all my fears, I really did want to see how the vaccine administration and distribution played out. My curiosity was getting the better of me.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go.”

Slash raised an eyebrow, but somehow didn’t seem that surprised. “I’m willing to go, too,” he added. “If you have room.”

“We’ll make room. Truthfully, Slash, we could use an extra set of hands to help us lug the equipment. Most of the security force has to keep their hands free, so it would be really helpful to have you along.”

“I’m your guy, then.”

We chatted a bit more about various logistics before heading back to the lab. Slash and I made a detour to our respective cabins first to grab our laptops and equipment.

“Are you feeling okay about heading into the jungle tomorrow?” he asked.

“Okay might be too strong a word. I feel a strong sense of responsibility and, if I’m honest, curiosity. However, I’m also feeling abject fear that I’ll step on a snake or a spider will trap me in its sticky web and cart me off to a hidden lair for a slow feeding. But since you’re coming along, I feel much better about that part. I’m only worried that you won’t have a weapon to shoot anything.”

“I can use my hands, and you could have said no.”

“Do you think I should have?” I stopped, studied him. “Wouldyouhave said no?”

He reached out and touched my cheek. “No, I wouldn’t have, and I don’t blame you for being curious. But what I say doesn’t matter. This is your show. If you’re going, so am I. I admit to being as intrigued as you.”

“How can we not be?” I asked.

“Exactly. Just promise me you’ll do your best not to get into trouble or start a native revolution against the government.”

“Ha. Trust me, regardless of the statistics on my Little Black Cloud spreadsheet, I donotintend to cause or invite any trouble.”

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. We walked the rest of the way in silence until we arrived at our sleeping quarters.

“It’s too bad we won’t be sharing the same room,” I said glumly, standing in front of the women’s barracks.