“It’s like sheltering from a rainstorm. You’re less likely to get wet, but you’re more likely to discover leaks you didn’t know existed,” said Harvey, serenely.
They reached Alexi’s body. He was still breathing, and his limbs had nudged forwards since they left him, but he remained face-down.
“Would you mind?” said Harvey.
He secured his gloves, then stooped down and took hold of Alexi’s shoulder.
Ruth pulled on her own gloves and took the other shoulder. They dragged Alexi clear of the elevator. Lucy caught the doors before they closed, and peered inside for signs of other insects.
Harvey laid Alexi back on the ground and stepped into the elevator. “There, there, Alexi, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, there’s a good fellow.”
The receptionist moaned faintly. The doors closed with a chime, eating the wedge of light that framed him. The elevator clunked upwards.
“He’ll slip into a coma within the hour. From there, it will be a gentle goodbye. I’ll retrieve the body first thing tomorrow, before it’s completely degraded. It’s always useful to have fresh samples to study,” said Harvey.
As the elevator ascended, Ruth cocked her rifle and trained it on the doors. Lucy stared at the slit of light pulsing through the crack as they climbed, barely daring to blink. The elevator slowed to a halt. Karys pulled Lucy to the side, with Ruth and Harvey taking similar refuge positions against the opposite wall.
With a ding, the doors slid open. Lucy peered through the gap, into the Level Five lobby. It wasn’t a level she’d been to before. Lopez was on the floor above, and Adrian on the one below. She hoped to God their floors were in a better state than the sight that greeted her.
Bodies littered the ground. Some bore the bleach marks of dissolved wings. Others were covered in multiple butterflies, which crawled slowly over folds of clothing, looking for patches of bare skin. A handful fluttered a few inches above their prey, startled by the elevator’s chime. One by one, they re-settled on the nearest body.
“They’re nesting. If we move slowly, we may be able to pass them undetected. Follow me,” said Harvey.
The group stepped out and formed a line before the elevator. Harvey took three tentative steps along the corridor. The insects didn’t respond. He beckoned the others to follow. The group walked in single file, on tiptoes, weaving between the scattered bodies of scientists and soldiers.
Karys gasped and stepped back sharply, causing Ruth to lose her balance as she tiptoed between insect-ridden bodies. Lucy’s eyes flitted to what had caused Karys fright. A technician lay paralyzed across the ground, face up, staring at the ceiling. Her ring finger twitched, almost imperceptibly. Lucy clocked the bleach mark across the woman’s wrist. Her eyelids flickered, as a tear rolled down her cheek. The split second stretched out before Lucy, as she suddenly yearned to be that woman, moments away from the end of it all.
Her trance was shattered as quickly as it arrived. In an urgent bid to avoid collision with Karys and the surrounding bodies, Ruth had leaped to the side, only to spot a ground-dwelling butterfly at the last second. Twisting away, she collided with a trolley, sending it tipping over with a clatter. Ruth cursed loudly, as butterflies took off from the nearby body of a uniformed soldier. This time, they showed no signs of resettling; they spread out across the width of the corridor, and swarmed towards the group.
“Run!” cried Harvey.
They sprinted through the hallway, dodging trolleys and bodies as they ran for the safe zone. Breathlessly, the group tumbled crossed a strip of metal that lined the hallway from floor to ceiling like a picture frame. It looked rickety – made from scavenged parts, with stray wires and bolts protruding from the sides. Harvey turned to the wall, panting, and stared into a retina scanner, then punched in a code. The device bleeped twice. The ceiling lights blinked out across the corridor. He turned to face the oncoming insects, panting, as they fluttered towards the group.
Ruth and Lucy hopelessly tried the locked doors around them. The corridor was a dead end.
“Harvey!” cried Karys.
The growing swarm twisted towards them in a mesmerizing glow. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Lucy felt a distant inclination to run, but her limbs felt soft; she was transfixed.
All of a sudden, the first wave of butterflies vanished from the air. The next wave followed suit, disappearing with a faint popping sound. This was followed by a gentle pitter patter, as drops of Gen Water fell onto the silver base strip.
“Success!” declared Harvey, looking to the group for a celebration that was not reciprocated.
“What just happened?” said Lucy, dazedly.
“That, my dear Lucy, is classified. However, in light of Karys here being so wonderfully obliging with our little experiment earlier, I suppose I might share a modest detail or two with you. It’s a sound barrier; a hypersonic wall of sound energy, undetectable to our humble human ears, but which can, in the right circumstances, induce spontaneous de-specialization in D4 creatures. Goodness, I really am telling you too much. It’s strictly confidential – military stuff, you know what they’re like about these things,” said Harvey, as the popping sounds abated.
Lucy stared at the small puddle of Gen Water forming across the silver barrier. The handful of remaining butterflies had abandoned the chase, and returned to the easier pickings of the fallen humans behind.
“You’ll need to clear this up. Some of it could re-spawn,” said Lucy, warily.
“Quite. Although, as you can see, I’m a little short-staffed right now. I’ll ask Adrian to send through a clean-up team – that is, assuming they survived. For now, I must press on with our top priority. You are all familiar with the blood pouches. I hope you are as impressed by their performance as I have been? Based on the trial so far, the Government have urgently commissioned more. I could use your assistance in meeting this demand,” said Harvey.
“Using the blood of an infected soldier to protect those who are clean? Tell me, Director. The soldiers wearing his blood know the truth? Do they know how he – they – whoever, suffered to produce it?” said Lucy.
“Ah, I believe you are referring to Patient Zero? Adrian and I had really hoped a stint in the country might reset that particular – shall we say – distraction of yours,” said Harvey.
Lucy bit her tongue. She needed to keep Harvey on-side if she wanted to find Lopez, and for that she needed to regain access to the Level Six lab above them. But it wasn’t easy; the way he dismissed Lopez’s mistreatment made Lucy’s blood boil. She clenched her fists and forced a civil smile.
“Soldiers are loyal. They might not take kindly to the reality underpinning your method. It would seem unwise to commit significant resources to producing a solution that is deemed unacceptable by its end-users. We may risk wasting a lot of time if, say, some soldiers were to object to being clothed in the byproduct of human rights violations,” said Lucy.
An expression of weary disappointment fell across Harvey’s face. Lucy immediately regretted her slide into the emotive language. Harvey polished his glasses, in a gesture that signaled he was preparing to leave.
“From the pilots I’ve been running in the city, I don’t think that’s an issue we’ll have,” he replied.
Lucy floundered.
“Durability. That’s your biggest issue,” said Karys, intervening. “The bags need replacing every few days, don’t they? What if we’ve found an alternative that doesn’t expire?”
Lucy tugged the jar of white powder out of her pocket.
“And what might this be?” said Harvey, pulling on his glasses and turning the container in his hands.
“D4 cancer. It kills the creatures. What you’re holding right there was grown on a D4 specimen we captured on the farm,” said Lucy.
“You’re telling me you’ve discovered a bio-weapon?” said Harvey, with an unusually visible degree of skepticism.
“It’s works as a defense, too. What we’re telling you is surely go
od news for everyone? You can stop using the blood, because this is the way forward,” said Lucy.
Harvey continued to turn the jar over in his hands. “Either the powder you’ve provided here is potent enough to protect an entire city, or there’s a lot of work yet to be done. Which is it?”
His cheery, Santa Claus manner was slipping.
“This is proof of concept,” began Lucy.
“Forgive my cynicism, Lucy, but the proof you’re bringing me is purely anecdotal. I will need to see its effects replicated in laboratory conditions before I can even countenance halting the blood method,” said Harvey.
“Of course, we can totally do that. But we’ll need a couple of days,” said Lucy.
“I look forward to talking in due course, then, once you have something meaningful to show,” said Harvey.
“Will you halt the blood production until then?” said Karys.
“What the pair of you seem to be failing to grasp is the urgency of the situation. I have thousands of soldiers to protect, and tens of thousands of civilians, all waiting for a breakthrough. You can’t seriously expect me to go to the Government and tell them I’m abandoning the one scalable solution we’ve found so far, on account of one unconfirmed sample? Think about it; there is gallons of infected blood ready to be tapped, and a city on the brink of collapse. Halting is not a luxury we have. I have no grand philosophical objection to your alternative. I’m all about the best solutions. If you can make this work, I’ll gladly recommend it to the Government. But you’ll need to prove you can scale it up before they’ll listen,” said Harvey.
Lucy stared at him, crestfallen.
“What’s that?” said Ruth, interrupting, and pointing to a laboratory door in the corridor they’d traversed. The glass pane was shattered, revealing a glimpse into a room full of green light and broken glass tanks filled with plants. A pair of butterflies drifted out through the window space and into the corridor, where they settled on a fallen human.
“Harvey, did the butterflies come from this lab?” said Karys, her tone darkening.
Harvey returned Lucy’s jar to her, then glanced at the broken window with casual interest, as if seeing it for the first time.
“An unfortunate coincidence, it would seem. A mass spawning event outside, and an accident in the research facility trying to study the very same insects,” said Harvey.
“Bullshit,” said Lucy, eyeing him up.
The siren outside ceased, and was replaced with a repeating pattern of chimes.
“No matter. As you can hear, these incidents are over soon enough. Our winged friends are short-lived beings,” said Harvey, facing the corridor.
Lucy’s mouth dropped as the butterflies vanished en masse – dissolving into the humans beneath them, or if they weren’t on skin, simply degrading to Gen Water on the spot. In a matter of seconds, all trace of the insects had gone.
“Wait, you knew that would happen?” said Karys.
“This is our third attack in two days. We’ve learned that it’s a storm one can ride out,” said Harvey, with a twinkle, as he tapped another code into the silver barrier device. It shut down with a bleep, and the overhead lights came back on.
“If you knew it was temporary, why the hell did you use me as live bait?” fumed Karys.
“Then drag the rest of us up here,” added Ruth.
“It was an invaluable opportunity to study the insects in action. We must seize these chances, or we will never progress,” said Harvey.
“But why the hell didn’t you leave that thing on before now? This hallway device – all these people could’ve been saved if you’d turned it on sooner, and told them where the safe side was,” said Ruth.
“It’s a prototype, ma’am, and with that comes two problems. Firstly, it rather drinks electricity. That is power which could otherwise go to life support machines, heart monitors, police radios, and so on. Secondly, I’ve only tested it once before. That is not sufficient data to merit a rollout,’ said Harvey.
“I don’t buy it. How come you’re the only one who can turn it on? I know your type. You were saving it for yourself,” spat Ruth.
“Science often presents us with difficult truths. To test the efficacy of a given solution, one requires control subjects. I can tell from the reaction on your face that you’re not a scientist. Please, before you hit me, as I believe you are contemplating doing, consider that I did not infect or injure the people you see before you. I have been entirely passive in their fate. Furthermore, I must ask you what good it would have done to tell them about the device? Think for a moment. Word would have spread across the hospital. As soon as the siren sounded, people would have flocked here from across the city, all seeking shelter behind the ‘magical barrier’. This would undoubtedly have caused dangerous overcrowding – you will note that we are not in the largest of spaces. Aside from the fighting and crushing that would have ensued, there would have remained a great density of bystanders caught on the other side of that shiny silver strip. This would in fact have increased the number of butterfly victims. These are the unpleasant factors we must consider when keeping things secret,” said Harvey.
“That is the last time you use me as an experiment,” fumed Karys.
“And yet you seem perfectly happy to wear the results of others’ experiments? You’re welcome to return your jacket, should the protection it affords you upset your sensibilities,” said Harvey, smiling warmly, and gesturing to Karys’s yellow-striped flak jacket.
She glared at him.
“In the next twenty-four hours, we will have the proof you need that our solution works. Within forty-eight hours, we will prove it can work at scale. For that, we need lab space. How about Level Six?” said Lucy.
“Any particular reason?” said Harvey, raising his eyebrows.
“I’m familiar with its layout,” said Lucy, blushing.
“No doubt. Alas, Level Six is out of the question. Level Three has capacity, though. It should prove ample for your needs,” said Harvey.
“If we’re going to capture more creatures quickly, we’ll need support,” said Ruth.
“I’ll make a call. If that’s truly your plan – and I salute you for it – you will have the greatest chance of success in the Dead Zone. There are any number of creatures there, and I trust they will be of the size you require. However, I should warn you, venturing in there without protection would be something of a death wish. Your present jackets will expire tonight. I highly recommend you replace the linings – assuming, of course, that is acceptable to your ethical requirements?” said Harvey, with masterful faux innocence.
The three glared at him, silently, while the all-clear alarm chimed in the background. Gen Water dripped from worktops and windowsills. Harvey swiped into the adjacent door and revealed a climate-controlled store cupboard, holding bags of blood packed stacked neatly on floor-to-ceiling shelves. Lucy’s stomach churned at the quantity.
“Please,” he said, handing each of them a cool, fresh pouch.
Harvey, reached under his sweater and pulled out the pouch he himself was wearing, swapping it for a new one.
“Oof, chilly,” he said with a chuckle, ushering them back out. “Now, as I mentioned, I have a shipment to deliver for the military. Do excuse me.”
“Wait – Harvey, you mentioned Patient Zero earlier,” said Lucy, trying her utmost to sound offhand – like it was a purely scientific enquiry.
“Indeed I did. Should you make it back from the Dead Zone, perhaps we can discuss him further. I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Good luck with the hunt – I do hope this isn’t the last time we meet,” replied the director.
Lucy stared at the stock cupboard, unable to dismiss the rows of blood bags within. It hurt her bitterly to admit it, but Lopez would have to wait.
FIVE
The Hunt
____________________________________________
Lucy followed close on the soldiers’ heels as they tiptoed through the aba
ndoned library. With the daylight waning outside, and no power in the algae-riddled building, they were dependent on headlamps and gun-mounted flashlights to banish the shadows that followed them through the cavernous, wooden hall. It reminded her of the dead zone buildings they’d seen on their way into the city. This library had yet to be burned, or fumigated, or whatever other desperate method the Government wanted to try.
Their footsteps were muffled on the ageing carpet. Lucy had taken the role of ‘spotter’ to pinpoint a viable D4 creature to capture. Two other soldiers – deemed to be the best shooters in the group – had been equipped with modified tranquilizer guns. The darts contained a serum of white powder mixed with liquid sedative, which Lucy and Karys had devised for the mission. Lucy’s hope was that, by infecting the creatures with powder rather than blood, the ‘cancer’ would spread more quickly, and thus generate fresh powder faster than the turtle-dillo had.
Lucy scoured the aisles for signs of life. The dark alleyways, stacked with books from floor to ceiling, were overrun with cobwebs. Wood shavings and fallen volumes covered a patch of floor in the next aisle, where a bookcase had collapsed. In the corner stood a large earthy structure like a termite mound. Hundreds of lice scurried out of it, scavenging amidst the paper and wood.
Lucy stumbled into the soldier before her, shunting him with her riot shield. They’d each been issued with one, in case they encountered any of the explosive reptiles. Word on the street was, there were all kinds of creatures in the Dead Zone.
Lucy apologized, having not seen the soldier’s hand signal. His flashlight was trained on a cavity in the skirting board. It was around the size of a mouse hole. Lucy brought her light onto it too, and knelt down. A small pair of eyes glinted back at her from the darkness, shrinking back further into the hole.
“No use, we need something bigger,” whispered Lucy.
They continued forwards. Sprouting up behind the librarian’s desk was a rust-colored tree, similar to those she’d seen in the factories and power stations. Bark hung off its exposed red sapwood like peeling wallpaper.
Convulsive Box Set Page 71