by Candice Lim
I would bleed to death here. That would be trouble and there was enough trouble for the day. Vaxine grabbed me by the other arm and directed me out of the door, to the basement car park.
Cars occupied every space, every corner was an inviting hiding place.
Vaxine and I hid behind a silver sedan. “Get down.”
“The CCTV?”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about that. Take your cardigan off.”
Dried blood caked my skin where a vicious gash ran. Vaxine reached behind her to produce a silver packet and ripped it open. “You’ll be fine.”
She pulled out a white pad. “Come over.”
I shifted closer.
“It’s not going to hurt.” Vaxine draped the pad over the wound.
“ARGH―” My hand shot to my open mouth to muffle my scream.
Not gonna hurt, my ass. Vaxine pressed the pad onto my arm and it felt like acid, catapulting me to the peak of agony. I swore I could feel my flesh melt like butter, the pain pricked deep into every inch of my skin. The tears I’d been holding back spilled like a waterfall.
“That was a close shave.”
I couldn’t deny how lucky I’d been. Or how skillful a fighter Vaxine was and how well she handled a gun. I wanted to scream, to shout at Vaxine’s face. I wished she hadn’t come and this would not have happened. But it wasn’t wise to cross swords with someone who had a gun. I glanced at Vaxine’s waist. Nope. Two guns.
I understood the need for extra weapons. Vaxine had to come over to save my ass from the high-security Court. The door where we’d come in burst open and the armored men took up their positions in the car park, each wielding heavy weapons.
Vaxine stood unwaveringly and faced them. The armored men curved around us, their firearms pointing in our direction. I moved in sync, following Vaxine. My eyes fixed on the black swarm. “What’re we waiting for?” I whispered.
“Our ride.” Not a trace of fear in Vaxine’s tone. “It’s taking such a long time to arrive.”
“Freeze! This is your final warning.” A voice ordered from the nearest line of troops.
I looked at Vaxine for a cue, but all she did was smile as though to challenge the armed men. I shook my head and stepped forward, holding up my hands when a distant screech blared behind us, echoing throughout the car park. Some of the armed men looked around, trying to ascertain the source of the sound.
Only Vaxine remained unperturbed. “Looks like our ride is here.”
Genom made its grand appearance. Its headlights glared like diamonds, temporarily rendering me blind. Some of the armed men raised their arms to block the bright light. The silver hood of the car, as slick as a torpedo, shone like a halo. All other cars looked inferior and dull in contrast with Genom’s splendor.
The first time it had occurred to me that it was a gorgeous ride.
It slid past in front of us like a ballet dancer doing Swan Lake. The tailwind whipped our clothes in exhilaration. Genom screeched as it braked, swinging its bonnet at the enemy as the driver door flipped open in welcome.
As the car held everyone in a hypnotic state, Vaxine seized the moment. Her hand swung backward where she grabbed a smoke bomb and tossed it across to the enemy line. They looked at the canister rolling towards them. A cloud of black smoke mushroomed from the ground, engulfing the baying horde.
Vaxine grabbed my arm, breaking my trance. “Get in!”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I threw myself through the open door, clambered over to the passenger seat and buckled up. Vaxine hopped in next, the door slid down. She shifted the gear, the car careened out of the parking lot.
A few men had broken out of the smokescreen and chased the car, peppering the track we left. The cloak thinned and dissolved into thin air. One of the men raised his weapon.
I shrieked, bending over and throwing my arms over my head. A sharp turn flung me out of the axis, a metallic clank pierced my ears. It hit the back of the car. I braved myself to look again, Vaxine was still wearing the same grim expression. She looked unaffected by all events, only to concentrate on her driving. I glanced behind again, at the empty aisle where we’d lost the black smudge. “I hope Hershey had insurance.”
“I am sure.” Vaxine swerved the wheel, making another turn. I was swung to the side. The car screeched hard as Vaxine eased into a dead end where they came to a halt.
“Uh-oh” My vision slid to the shuttered gate that had blocked the way. A big yellow lightning bolt sign slapped on its front in warning.
“What, no need to pay for the parking?” Vaxine gunned the accelerator as the parking machine said, “Have a nice day, Dr. Hershey.” Genom tore through the barrier with a metallic rip as the light from the streetlamps poured in like a golden river, washing over the car.
☣☣☣☣☣☣
Another cigarette lit and that would be the seventh one in a day. Waite couldn’t care less. He took a long pull on it and blew out a gray puff of smoke. What else could he do with the remains of his already wretched life? He’d never amount to anything great in his entire life. So, why couldn’t he enjoy his final years to the fullest?
He hated his job too but it was the only thing that sustained him. The only reason he had not starved to death. He roamed in the open car park in front of the Court building every night, wondering how life would turn out if he made a different choice.
He gazed up at The Court and let out a contemptuous snort. Perhaps, he could’ve been working inside, in one of those fancy rooms. Smoking big fat cigars instead of cheap cigs, and drinking vintage wine instead of beer.
Life would have been fascinating and no one would look down at him. Of course, who had the guts to look down upon a member of the Community? They held the highest positions in Asia Nova, a nation ruled by elite science literates.
He spun around and saw a sleek sports car he had not noticed before. One of them richtards must have changed their set of wheels again. Poor old Waite, he was barely scratching out a living, and these people were tossing around money like it fell from the sky!
“Damn filthy rich scum!” He hawked up a yellowish wad of phlegm on the ground, near the sports car. He took a last pull on the cigarette and dropped it on the floor. When he looked up, he caught a glimmer from somewhere inside the car. As he stared longer, the car seemed to glare back at him.
That damn car wanted to play games with old Waite!
“What you looking at, huh?” snorted Waite, spreading his arms wide. “Soon, your friggin master will get a new toy and you will face the same ugly fate as I do. You will be old and abandoned, like me. It’s about time!”
The headlights came on and shone at Waite. He staggered a few steps backward. His arms shot up to cover his face. After a few seconds, he slowly lowered them. His chin dropped to the floor. The engine snarled to life and rumbled as it turned, as though the car had a soul and Waite had angered it. The tires blurred as the beast sped away into the night.
Waite jumped back as the driverless car zoomed past him. Even when its last shadow was gone, he still stared at the empty driveway, lost for words for once in his life.
16
CASH
The lump in Cash’s throat grew by the second. The luxurious comfort of the five-star lounge in MAD headquarters failed to make her feel better about the latest news. The Court facility had never been breached, not until today. The security had always been renowned for being tighter than the grant funders' pockets.
The door banged open and George barged in. The rage and confusion on his face were reflected in hers. He padded over to Edmund, ignoring Cash. She wondered if both men did it on purpose, to make her madder. Cash played along. Let’s see how far he could spin his latest excuses.
“Vaxine was there.” George pulled out a chair and sat down.
Edmund frowned. His expression was guarded. “Isn’t she―?”
“Yes, but my point is she was there.” George folded his arms.
“I’ve got all the reports from the security. The system detected Hershey’s car. Can we conclude something here?”
Edmund looked away, rubbing his chin.
Cash frowned at George and Edmund expectantly. The first time she wasn’t on the same wavelength as them. “So, what?”
Edmund glanced at George. “Vaxine used to be one of the top scorers. She took the wrong path, got herself into drugs and stuff, and ruined her life.” He glanced at George, whose face expressed an unspoken pain.
“According to legal records, Vaxine should be out of the Community. So how did she even infiltrate the Court?” Edmund looked at him again, seeking an answer. But the puzzled look in George’s face told he wished for one too.
“How Vaxine is still in the Community is not the issue here.” George uncrossed his arms and stared at Edmund. “Things are getting out of hand. Too many are in the game. It doesn’t sound pleasant when the media come into the picture.” George turned to Cash. “And how was your meeting with the President?”
“Better than expected.” Cash fixed the fluffy collar curling around her shoulders. “As I said, everything is negotiable. Cranatol’s ready to launch in a week. Our big day is soon.” A victorious smile spread across her face.
“So fast?” Edmund’s eyes widened.
“Come on,” Cash scoffed. “People are dying out there. The Council is desperate. Even President Peyton himself.”
“Peyton,” snorted George at Cash. “Surely you know which card to play with him.” She ignored him, it was not necessary to get petty when she had something great planned. She knew better than getting into yet another pointless argument with George. “Well, I have no desire to know which trick you are using against him. I only want to know if I am getting my fair share after all this shit.”
“As we have discussed, we go half-half. Then, you and Edmund can decide yourselves what you want to do with your share.” Cash checked her nails.
Edmund nodded, George’s face turned red.
“What fools do you take us for, Cash? We all know you did nothing.”
Cash, who had seen their opposition coming, sighed. She knew George wasn’t someone easy to deal with. Heck from Day One, she’d already read him like an open book. She looked up at him, her eyes drilling into him. “It’s never about hard work getting the best returns. It’s about the brains. That’s why we’ve evolved from brawn to brain. And by the way, George, remember our deal?” Cash leaned back in her chair and clicked her tongue. “Such poor memory, George. You are old.”
“The rules have changed, Cash. You contributed nothing while Edmund and I solved all the problems.” George jabbed a finger at Edmund.
“That’s because all the problems came from you two being sloppy,” Cash said calmly.
“We worked under you when we agreed to be on the same level. You write your own rules, Cash. And now the deal is void! Because you breached it!”
Her supple of patience was exhausted. “How dare you, George!”
She stood up and George followed suit. He was secretly delighted to see that Cash was a foot shorter than him in her high heels.
“How dare I? We achieved everything you could only dream of. Don’t think you’re significant to us. We could have done it all without you,” sneered George, twisting his face.
Cash reached under the slit in her skirt and pulled out a gun strapped to her thigh. Before both men could react she pulled the trigger.
George’s hand went to his chest. A crimson rose blossomed over his heart. In disbelief, he looked at the growing patch. He lost his balance and crumpled to the floor in an awkward heap.
Cash snorted at the body near her feet and turned to Edmund, who was frozen in fear. His jaw hung open when Cash aimed the gun at him, his two hands shot up. “Don’t kill me!”
“We work with mutual respect, Edmund. You respect me; I respect you. Got that?”
Edmund nodded.
“Now clean up the mess.” Cash strutted to the door where she spun around. “And don’t forget about the BioTomb.” She put the gun away and floated out of the room, leaving Edmund with the body of his ex-colleague.
17
ROXY
The car cruised along the road, the whirring of the engine faded into the clear beautiful night of Corn City, the capital of Asia Nova where the big cities were and the big shots lived. It meant CU was near but still much road to cover to get back to Hershey’s research facility. Multicolored dots twinkled like stars in the skyline. The moon peeked out through a mass of dark clouds. The flag of Asia Nova was waving gently at half-mast in honor of the latest victims of Cranax.
I could not remember the last time I took a close look at the city I’d lived in for years. Since moving to Corn City, I was hustled into doing what everyone should be doing; studying, experiments.
During the day, all students were cooped up in the university campus, attending lectures and classes, perceiving the world through written texts and printed images. In the evening, we rushed home, ignoring the outside world. Too tired to think about anything else. Weekends were spent catching up on assignments.
Since everybody was doing the same damn thing, it became a norm no one thought to question because every waking second was a luxury. Waste your time and you fell behind the crowd. You blended in or dropped out. During my time in the lab, I could only imagine the warm touch of the sun. Sometimes, I forgot about its existence.
As the car cruised out of the city, I felt a stab of homesickness. I missed those times when I actually had a life, when I was much younger, around five or six years old in Whiteshore. During those summer months at my parent’s old house, connected to nature. I was home.
The same robotic voice greeted me. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad but I felt neither. Back here, I was still a prisoner, only in a different location and under constant surveillance. But of course, it was better to be here. At least, I didn’t have to wear shackles. At least alcohol smelt nicer than water from a clogged toilet.
“Take your cardigan off.” Vaxine tossed her keys and the two white guns on the desk. Her long jacket was draped over the chair, her blue veins bulged under taut skin.
“Since when did you start ordering me around?” I blurted.
Vaxine shifted her feet and stared at me. “Since I just saved your ass, again. Did the government goons hit you too hard on the head?”
I stripped off my cardigan. The arctic air inside the room engulfed me. Vaxine directed me to the white couch and asked me to hold up my wounded arm. She tore off the silver patch. A sticky web of dried blood stuck to my skin. As though by magic, the bullet hole had healed into a smooth scab. Even the excruciating pain had subsided into a ticklish sensation, almost unbearable. I fought the urge to scratch.
“Whoa. Faster than expected.” Vaxine whispered. “Touch nothing.” She flitted into the pantry and reappeared with a first aid kit. She opened the box and tipped the contents onto the coffee table.
Vaxine picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton. I shut my eyes as the moist cotton swab landed on my arm. It surprisingly didn’t burn like acid this time. It soothed like an ice bath over tense muscles. After a few changes of cotton, all the blood was gone, leaving nothing but a long welt.
“That scar is gonna be a helluva souvenir.”
I pulled my cardigan over and hugged myself.
“Here you go.” Vaxine dropped something on my lap.
I looked down and found my phone. The battery was flat. Wrapping my fingers around it, I gazed up at Vaxine, who was now replacing the contents into the first aid kit. “Why did you save me?”
“Why not?”
I shook my head in disbelief. My lips were parched, cracking like an over-boiled egg. “I’m only going to be in your way.”
“Well, I know the pain of being forsaken and helpless.” An untold sorrow lingered in her voice. Vaxine went on with the clearing. It was evident she was holding back but I
didn’t ask. Vaxine would’ve told if she wanted to. Plus, I couldn’t stomach any more new information for the day.
I looked out of the windows, at the ocean swallowed by darkness. I couldn’t see the moon but a streak of starlight hung over the horizon. The silver lining, as they called it. There was no clock, no way to measure the time. But looking at the violet dawn sky, I knew we had spent the long night out on the run. “I can’t believe Tracey sold me out.”
“Who?”
“My coursemate. And I didn’t even do anything to her.”