The hand she’d used to inject Lopez was still trembling. She clamped it hard, with the other, and squeezed her eyes shut, willing it all to go away as memories of Dan and Lopez pooled in her mind uncontrollably. She could feel herself hyperventilating as Lopez’s swinging, jerking body haunted her thoughts. It was like he’d looked right through her, seconds before kicking the bed away. Come morning, he’d wake up, restrained in the same bed he’d escaped from, and at the mercy of Harvey’s next phase of experiments. She had to free him that night – she had to find Fliss, and enact the plan.
“Lucy?” came a familiar voice from across the lobby. It was the chair of the Medical Council, who was flanked by the other council members.
Lucy rose to her feet and extended a gloved hand.
“Obviously no to that. Jesus, you look like hell. The outbreak – is it as bad as they’re saying?” said the chair, casting her eyes around the lobby.
“It’s worse,” said Lucy, swallowing, as the memory of the infected Vietnamese woman flashed across her mind.
“It had better be – I’m holding up a deployment for this meeting and we do not wanna be moving at midnight,” said the Agriculture rep, agitatedly.
“How many cases?” said the pharmacology rep.
“We’re pushing fifty,” said Lucy,
“In two days? Are they from the same area?” said the head of Public Health.
“All over town. It’s been spreading through black market food, and physical contact,” said Lucy.
The elevator chimed open and Harvey and Adrian joined the group.
“I don’t see that we have any alternatives here,” said the head of Public Health.
“None. It’s imperative we declare a city-wide emergency. This has to be escalated to the President. We need to divert all non-critical resources to containment immediately. You know what that means,” said Adrian, gravely.
“Adrian, if you do that, my team’s gonna take another hit on numbers. You know how important our mission is. If we fail, DC fails,” said the Agriculture rep.
“I appreciate that, Sid, and your team’s numbers will be preserved,” said Adrian.
“Hardly – I’m already two down because of the outbreak. I’m pretty sure they’re in your ward right now,” said Sid.
“Then god help them,” said Lucy,
“You can take Young, here,” said Adrian, coldly.
“What?” said Lucy.
“You don’t need her?” said Sid.
“She’s been suspended from the lab for gross misconduct. However, we cannot afford to waste her experience at this time. I sincerely hope an off-site mission will help her to clarify her priorities,” said Adrian.
“Done. There’s a spare kit in the truck. We ship out as soon as this vote’s through,” said Sid.
The chair called the group to attention there and then. She swiftly conducted the vote to declare a new state of emergency, which was unanimously passed. Half of the Medical Council then followed Adrian and Harvey to the elevator, where they were issued with gloves and masks.
“Let’s go,” said Sid, leading Lucy toward the exit.
As she followed, a slight figure caught her eye.
“Jack! Are you OK?” she said, darting over to the boy and seizing his shoulders.
“Oh, hey, they’re putting my arm in a cast. What about you? Are you alright? You look kinda wired,” said Jack, awkwardly.
“Tell Fliss she has to get Lopez out. I’m being sent away and if she’s not quick he’ll die in there. She has to use her contacts at the People’s Voice – the white armband people. She has to reach the leader – get that woman to see what’s happening, she can get the public to demand his rights. Please, Jack, you and Fliss are the only chance he has,” implored Lucy.
“Hey, truck’s waiting!” called Sid.
“Promise me,” said Lucy, urgently.
She grabbed Jack in an embrace, then pressed him away and hurried from the building, discarding her gloves as she went. She chased after Sid, to a troop carrier, which was idling in the disabled bay.
“Hurry up!” cried Sid, slamming the front door and gesturing to Lucy to climb in the back. The light was fading, and she had no idea where they were going; only that it was beyond the city walls.
A uniformed hand extended from the back of the truck and grabbed Lucy’s wrist. Lucy looked up and gasped in astonishment at the rugged sailor staring back at her.
“Welcome aboard,” said Ruth, with a grim look.
PROXY
Convulsive Part V
ONE
Tall Fields
_______________________________________________
Sweat trickled down the inside of Lucy’s suit. Her hot breath fogged up the visor. Her radio crackled again. She clicked it off sharply. The devices were useless inside the fibrous mesh. The earth around her sizzled as a drop of acid splashed down from above.
“God dammit,” cursed Ruth, nearby, as she hacked at a teal vine that had ensnared her leg.
The land reef’s defenses had been activated, making its underbelly a lethal place to be. Dripping tentacles hung like tripwires, dangling vertically from the latticed exoskeleton. Between them, clinging to the dome, were dozens of stomachs, swollen according to the prey being digested. The reef was rapidly consuming the crop field and anything crossing its path. Lucy had made the mistake of suggesting a way to destroy it. Within the hour she’d been dispatched. As she crawled through the simmering dirt, cursing her loose mouth, raw fear was stealing across her. Her plan wasn’t working.
The reef moved slowly, like a predatory glacier. Keeping it rooted to the ground were dozens of thick stems, each wider than Lucy’s legs. From those, the structure sprouted upward and fanned out like the arches of a neo-gothic Cathedral. The vaulted ceiling hovered three feet from the ground, and spanned half the field.
Fresh shoots extended outwards in every direction from the periphery of the reef’s ceiling, which had reportedly doubled in size since it had been discovered a week ago. Surrounding it was a vast halo of parchment-dry, barren land that was growing by the day.
The exterior of the reef was coated in pink leaves, which resembled the organic tissue of mammalian lungs. Clusters of alveoli contracted and expanded independently of each other as the vast structure breathed.
Lucy tried to ignore the tentacles dangling around her as she edged forwards. Some of them had burrowed into the soil below. Bulges the size of golf-balls passed up these cords every minute, from the ground to the latticed roof above. Each time the creature fed, it made Lucy queasy.
Another drop of acid splashed down, this time landing on Lucy’s suit. She checked her watch. The material was designed to provide twenty minutes of protection. They’d been in the reef for eighteen.
“What’s the ETA over there?” called Ruth, checking her own watch as she drew level.
“I’m on it,” grunted Lucy.
Lucy gripped the saw firmly and gritted her teeth. With her other hand, she grabbed one of the reef’s thick trunks, which anchored it to the ground. She pressed the saw against it and drew the blades back firmly. After some frantic grinding it was fully severed. Ruth forced the upper and lower parts of the stem apart. Gen Water, the genetic liquid that all D4 organisms fed on, spilled out of the hollow trunk, and continued to drip down from the upper section. Immediately, the reef strained to reconnect its severed pieces.
“Keep going,” urged Ruth, as she struggled to keep the sections pressed apart.
Lucy grabbed the jerry can by her foot and dragged it up to her chest. She shoved it flush against the grounded portion of the stem, then unscrewed the cap.
“Hurry up,” grunted Ruth.
Lucy scooped Gen Water out of the trunk. Through her thick plastic gloves the liquid felt warm as she hastily ladled it into the jerry can.
Ruth cursed as the plant snapped back into place. “Give me the saw,” she urged, trying to wrestle the thick stem.
The flesh was h
ealing before their eyes. Lucy passed the saw over and Ruth quickly hacked through.
“Now!” Lucy cried, forcing the sides apart.
She grabbed hold of the severed trunk dangling above. The pair of them hauled the tip down into the jerry can. The trunk quivered and shook violently.
“It’s not gonna take,” said Lucy, struggling against the thrashing cord.
“Keep hold,” insisted Ruth.
The plant spasmed, jerking the pair from side to side. Lucy clung on with everything she had, keeping the trunk submerged in the putrid mix, until finally it shuddered still.
“Three down,” she panted.
A dull thud sounded from across the dirt, thirty feet away. A jerry can lay on its side, leaking into the soil. Above it, the reef was arching upwards in sharp convulsions. A severed stem hung from the latticed ceiling, glistening in its oily black coating of gasoline and Gen Water. As the plant quivered, it spluttered out globs of the toxic mixture.
“God dammit! I’m on it – you get to the fourth one,” ordered Ruth, as she scrambled towards the malfunction.
Lucy hastened away in the opposite direction, dragging the fourth jerry can with her as she crawled beneath the sprawling reef. She swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding a lone tentacle. Above it were the dissolving remains of a coyote that had strayed inside the reef. The surrounding cords had reeled the dog in, and held it in their grip. Its color was almost entirely gone, leaving behind only a surreal, faded Gen Water form of its body. The only unblemished part of the dog was its lungs. A tentacle had fused with the coyote’s bronchioles. The lungs inhaled and exhaled for the plant, while the rest of the dog dissolved around them.
Lucy checked her watch as she clawed her way through the dirt. Twenty one minutes. She hastened forwards towards the final stem and slammed the saw against it. This one was tougher than any of the others. It felt different, too; drier.
Ruth appeared by her side, panting, clutching the explosives. Lucy dropped the saw and prized the freshly carved pieces of stem apart. She leaned back, anticipating a splash of Gen Water, but none came. She peered inside the rooted portion. Something dark and wet was lurking beneath the soil level.
As she dragged the jerry can into position, the dangling stem jerked sideways, spitting out a dark lump of Gen Water onto the ground. Lucy stared at the earthy-brown gloopy mass. Her eyes widened as it quivered and unfurled. It was the same size as her forearm. Its body was tubular, like a worm’s. A nostril peeped open at its tip and sucked in the surrounding air. The slimy creature spun around in its pool of goop. Two yellow eyes blinked open on either side of the creature’s head and swiveled to focus upon Lucy. She screamed as the creature’s mouth opened like a gannet’s. Its jaw had soon expanded to match the size of her shoulders. Its gaping mouth revealed rows of iridescent glands, secreting toxic flecks.
Ruth appeared beside Lucy and plunged her knife directly through the creature’s neck. Its cavernous mouth deflated. It writhed, pinned to the earth. Ruth turned her attention to the severed trunk. She poured the jerry can into the rooted portion, the resealed the two halves.
“Thanks,” gasped Lucy.
“Save it,” said Ruth, as she affixed the detonation cable.
Lucy quickly assisted, feeding the cable through from the trail behind them. Her heart froze. All tension in the cable had disappeared.
“We’ve got a problem,” said Lucy, clutching the severed cable. Acid had burned clean through it.
Ruth swore and checked her watch. She tugged open a pouch on her utility belt and handed Lucy two pebble sized detonators.
“You know the deal. Haul ass or we’re cooked,” said Ruth.
Lucy set off for the furthest two stems they’d rigged. She scrambled through the dirt, away from the setting pips of Ruth’s detonator, dodging the dangling tentacles as she went. She tried not to dwell on the sets of lungs suspended around her, as they breathed asynchronously among the swallowing cords.
The first stem was still glugging gasoline from its jerry can. Lucy hastily affixed a detonator and set off for the second. She felt a draft of cold air sweep across her shin. Her suit was smoldering. The acid had burned through the exterior. She hurried through the earth to the final stem, and thrust the detonator against it.
She hit the button and the timer began to count down. But it wasn’t the three minutes Ruth had briefed her on. The timer only showed two. Lucy stared at the device in horror. She blinked and shook her head, but the seconds were vanishing before her eyes. Lucy forced her mind back to the briefing – hold the central button to reset. She pressed it. With a bleep the timer value dropped from two minutes down to one.
“Ruth!” cried Lucy.
Ruth was twenty feet ahead. She was twitching, sharply, trying to cut herself free from two vines which had latched onto her ankle.
Lucy raced after her. She drew her knife and slashed the tentacles away.
“Hurry!” she cried, urging Ruth forwards.
The pair scrambled for the gap they’d carved in the reef’s side. Lucy followed close on Ruth’s heels, as they dragged themselves out and sprinted towards the red farm shed opposite. The pair threw themselves behind the metal structure and covered their ears. Hot air rushed past the shed as the first bundle exploded, triggering a chain reaction across the reef. The other fuel-filled arteries swiftly ignited. Chunks of burning reef flesh and flecks of Gen Water rained down before them. The pair stayed in position until all of the bundles had detonated.
Ruth rolled onto her back and swore. Lucy tore off her visor and gloves, and let the cool air wash over her. A rumbling truck pulled up before them and the sergeant climbed out.
“What happened to the damned cable? Do you have any idea how close that was?” he fumed.
“You’re welcome,” said Lucy, giving him a fatigued thumbs up.
“Get back to base and clean up. Young, there’s someone who wants to meet you,” said the sergeant.
***
Lucy kicked her pockmarked hazmat suit to the side and sat on the bench, massaging her temples.
“How about a warning in future, before you decide to cut our escape time in half?” said Ruth.
“Hey, we wouldn’t have had a problem if you’d showed me how to use the detonators properly,” snapped Lucy.
“I showed you fine, kid. Not my fault if you don’t listen,” retorted Ruth.
“The numbers… It’s like they went one way, then another,” said Lucy, burying her face in a grimy hand towel and wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“That makes no sense,” said Ruth.
“I know, I’m just telling you how it was, alright?” said Lucy.
“Alright, cool it. The mind can do weird things under pressure. Try getting some more sleep,” said Ruth.
“Fantastic advice. I’ll put in for some annual leave while I’m at it – I think I’ve got some holiday to carry over from last year,” said Lucy.
“Don’t be glib. I’m serious. There seems to be a direct correlation between your frame of mind and my ass being on the line,” said Ruth.
“I can’t sleep. Barely, anyway,” said Lucy, changing her top.
“If you can’t switch your brain off, ask the sarge to get you a medical. They might find you some sleeping pills,” said Ruth.
“Oh, sure, I’ll just book an appointment with the doctor to get them prescribed. Are you insane?” said Lucy.
“Stupid suggestion, my bad. No doctors. Which means you need to learn to compartmentalize, or you’re going to lose it out here,” said Ruth.
“You mean bottle it all up?” said Lucy.
“I appreciate that goes against your generation’s sensibilities, but there’s something to be said for deeply repressing one’s emotions during a crisis. It’s an old-fashioned soldier’s technique called getting really drunk later,” said Ruth.
“I feel like I’m betraying Dan’s memory. And Lopez too, if he’s even still alive. If I shut those thoughts out, it’s like I�
��m giving up on them and I’m not ready to do that,” said Lucy, welling up.
“You’re no good to anyone if you let guilt consume you. Save your energy, kid. People are depending on it,” said Ruth, pulling on her uniform.
Daylight flooded into the tent as the entrance flap was thrown open.
“Do you mind?” said Lucy, squinting.
“On your feet, soldiers,” said the sergeant.
Lucy and Ruth stepped out into the camp yard, where the sergeant stood waiting beside a new arrival. The woman was around the same height as Lucy, with pale skin and a stylized comb over of choppy brown hair which dusted her ears with fading blonde highlights.
“This is Captain Ortley,” said the sergeant.
“I was a captain once,” said Ruth, bitterly.
“Me too,” grunted Lucy.
“I’m not a captain – I’m a specialist,” said the newcomer.
“What? But I was told-” began the sergeant.
“Sorry, Sergeant. I’m afraid Captain Ortley was killed two days ago – a D4 attack in the city. I’m his replacement,” said the newcomer.
“A specialist? Replacing a captain? That bodes well,” grunted Ruth.
The sergeant’s nostril’s flared as he digested the unwelcome news.
“Welcome to the camp, Specialist, I’ve no doubt you will step up to the task. You wanted to meet Young?” said the sergeant.
“She’s still in the fields,” said Lucy.
“Silence!” snapped the sergeant. “Ignore my soldiers’ humor, it tends to come out when they’re fatigued. They just returned from a poorly-executed mission.”
“We’re fatigued? Sarge, this woman’s rank is literally on her uniform. See, it’s not just you, Lucy. Do we all look like higher ranks to you, Sarge? If so, I want a new bed,” said Ruth.
“Enough!” said the Sergeant, rubbing his cheek roughly. “Get it together or I’ll put you both on night watch,” he said, glaring at the pair.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both, I’m Karys,” said the newcomer, intervening before Ruth could respond. “Lucy, I’ve heard a lot about your work in DC. It’s nice to finally put a face to a name.”
Convulsive Box Set Page 64