The new researcher is a woman named Val. She's been trying to get out to The Sick Land for fifteen years, and she says she only got accepted because they're desperate. Val is older than they normally recruit; she's a professor at Yale. Used to be, anyway. They wouldn't give her leave to come here, so she resigned. I really hope she gets to do some research. Val's a chemist, but she doesn't work directly on the mal; she's more of an enthusiastic amateur. It's why her department head wouldn't approve her sabbatical.

The staff at the base are very busy. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Every day, convoys of trucks roll out, coming back just before dark. We've mostly been left to our own devices. There's nothing to do here except browse the internet and run laps in the yard. I'll be pretty fit if we have to stay much longer.

I don't think there's much chance of that, though. Whatever is happening, it'll be resolved soon. My guess is that we'll be put back onto a Jeep and then a plane. It's a shame. Despite everything that's happened here, I want to learn more.