by Candice Lim
“Then do you know anyone is following this?” Derrick added, “Well, except Adenine Cash, of course.”
“Derrick, no one can help us.” Something in Vaxine’s voice told me she was lying. What Derrick said next confirmed my doubt.
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Vaxine, remember your words: The fate of mankind is in our hands.”
Vaxine’s shoulders fell in resignation. She sighed and I felt the pain in her voice when she said, “We need to find Axon.”
24
CASH
Back in the MAD headquarters, the intercom beeped. Cash glanced up from the laptop in her office. “Speak.”
“Dr. Cash, Mr. Braun is here,” said the female voice on the line.
“Bring him in. I’ve been waiting.” After the second beep, Cash leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
The door burst open and in walked a middle-aged man, spruced up in an immaculate brown suit and wielding a briefcase. He was as bald as the full moon and wore rimless glasses.
“Good to see you again, Dr. Cash.” His tone was very businesslike.
“Welcome, Mr. Braun. I believe we have much to discuss.”
The usherette closed the door as Braun stepped forward and took his seat.
He whipped out his tablet from his briefcase and flicked a file onto Cash’s screen. “I have an update for you. Our stocks have dropped again in the last hour to $89.16. That would be a 56.2% drop in a week.”
Cash didn’t need further elaboration to know how dire the situation was. She bit her lower lip, fighting the growing anxiety within. Braun was an angel investor of Project Cranax. He’d watched and supported the growth of MAD since its early days. If there was one man she had to bow to, it would be him. Not many people could make it, especially a peasant. That alone warranted much respect and admiration.
Braun sneered again. He sat with one leg tucked under himself. “You don’t have to say anything, Dr. Cash.” He leaned forward. “It’s not like you know this better than I do.”
“Then, why don’t you get to work on it already?”
Another sneer curled Braun’s lips. “I am now. That’s why we are talking. Rumor has it, someone has already found the cure for Cranax. Some of the Infected in Graybridge have recovered.”
The day she feared most had come, smashing the castle of her dreams. “Impossible. There is no cure.” The trembling in her voice betrayed her growing distress.
“Isn’t there?” asked Braun. “But you know better than me Dr. Cash, I’m only a peasant.”
Cash glanced at him, making a mental note to exercise extra caution with this man. “Your presence is no longer needed. Leave now, Mr. Braun.”
“With pleasure.” Braun strode out through the door that closed after him.
Cash waited until he was gone before punching a button on the intercom. “Cancel all my appointments for the day. Get Edmund here, NOW!” She barged out of her office towards the conference room when a voice stopped her. She turned around to see the MAD lab technician.
“Dr. Cash, we have a situation here.” He showed her the readings on his tablet. “The results from the trials showed that the subjects weren’t reacting to the treatment anymore.”
A mix of fear and anger swept over Cash when another voice broke her reverie. “Dr. Adenine Cash, we need to talk.” She almost lost it until she turned to see the Vice President himself. All heads turned in his direction. Cash gave him the warmest smile she could muster to diffuse the tension building up in the MAD lobby.
“Welcome to MAD, Prof. Roger. In reason we trust.” She beamed at the man with gray hair and wearing an immaculate black suit, wondering what brought him here. Urgency propelled him forward as he approached Cash. Two bodyguards wearing sunglasses trailed behind him, all in black. The three men glided across the spotless, mirrored floor.
“Cut the red tape, Cash. This is serious. We need to talk.” Roger held two fingers up.
Cash glanced at the two tall men who loomed over her and at the lab tech she was speaking to earlier. “Increase the dose.”
He looked up from the tablet in his hands. “Again?”
“Yes, again.”
A frown crossed on his face. He nodded and turned to leave them.
Cash took in a deep breath and turned to Roger again. “Sure, let’s have a chat in my office.”
“Cranax has spread beyond Whiteshore. What we feared most is happening now. It has begun to infect Vertlea and Goldfall. If you notice, Corn City is getting locked down. In fact, my researchers estimated Cranax will knock on our door in a week’s time. If no practical steps are taken to put a stop to it.” Roger turned his back on Cash as he gazed out of the windows that overlooked the skyline of the city.
At the edge of the city, concrete walls climbed skywards. Brick by brick they loomed over the city. Obviously, the government had taken necessary steps to stave Cranax off at all costs.
Though Cash couldn’t see his face, she knew he wasn’t happy in the slightest. Neither was she.
“After the launch of Cranatol, we thought we would see improvement.” Roger turned away from the window and faced Cash. She wore a full-length red dress and was sitting at her escritoire. “Now it seems otherwise.”
She took a long drag on the cigarette in a long amber holder, clamped between her fingers gloved in black satin. “Tell me something I don’t know, Prof.”
Displeasure darkened Roger’s face. But he went over to the escritoire and placed his two palms on it. She could see fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He muttered, “I received reports of treatment failure and drug resistance. You know what that means, Dr. Cash?”
“Tell me.”
“Cranatol no longer works.”
Cash knew the truth, but it still stung. “My Cranatol still works like magic. But what can I do if the patients refuse to follow instructions? You know better, Prof. Roger. Like every other antiviral drug, they are supposed to finish the course.”
Roger’s mouth formed a grim line. “The last time I checked, there is no full course.” He sat up in his seat. “I knew something was not right from the beginning. A scientist like you suddenly becoming chairwoman of Asia Nova’s most powerful organization overnight? It makes me look like a joke. I have no idea what trick you used on Peyton, but rest assured, I am not falling for it.”
Cash was supposed to be threatened, but she didn’t feel the slightest.
“The peasants who do not benefit the nation in any way are dying out there, which is the least of our concerns. I swear to you with my life that as long as you complete your course, you are on the safe side.”
“Truth will always prevail over evil, Adenine Cash. One day, you will learn things do not always work your way.”
Roger marched towards the double doors where his two bodyguards were waiting. A sudden, tortured yelp burst from his lips. He fell back and hit the floor with a thud. One of the men was brandishing an injection gun.
“Ouch,” leered Cash as though she felt the pain herself. “That must’ve hurt.”
Another scream came from Roger’s mouth. His body shook uncontrollably as black veins grew on his face. “What have you done to me, you monster!” He felt the metallic syringe at his stomach. With a deafening yell, he plucked it out, his blackened blood squirted out like ink.
“Speaking from experience, Prof. Roger, things always work the way I want to.” Cash sniggered, taking another drag on her cigarette. “And I don’t like being threatened.”
Roger twitched on the floor. It was like the floor had been set on fire and scorched his back. His two men watched as though they had turned into stone sculptures.
Cash snickered at Roger’s struggle. She slid a packet of Cranatol to the other side of the table. The flimsy box flew off the edge and dropped with a clatter on the floor, a few feet away from him.
“I will not fall for it, monster!�
�� He shouted through gritted teeth.
Resting her chin on her fist, Cash looked as though she was enjoying the show. “Don’t fight it, Prof. Roger, don’t fight it. Cranax feeds on the stress hormone cortisol like a child on candy,” said Cash in a mocking tone. “Help yourself before it is too late.”
Roger knew he was trapped. Swallowing his already wounded pride, he let out a wail and scooted on his stomach to pull himself closer to the box. With another yell and he grabbed it and quickly ripped it to shreds. His trembling fingers added to the challenge, but nothing beat his resolve. Finally, he popped the white pill into his mouth.
“Do you need water with that, Prof. Roger?”
Roger’s transformation took place. His symptoms dissolved, the human in him took control. His veins sank back into his skin as his eyes cleared. His chest heaved as he inhaled fresh air. But even when he had calmed down, he still could not get up.
Cash laughed and enjoyed the show.
“Screw you, Adenine Cash! You will pay for this!”
25
HERSHEY
The sound of grinding metal was replaced with creaking of rusty door joints. A column of light broke into the darkness and spread out while the black mist in the hall dissolved into gray shadows. A shadow took shape and stretched in the pale light on the floor.
The familiar sound of high heels tapping the ground resonated in the air as the figure advanced towards Hershey, detaching itself from the shadows. Her face was revealed in the dim light, a wry smile curling her crimson lips.
“Long time no see, Dr. Hershey.” Cash said to the woman in the giant birdcage.
Hershey was slumped on the floor against the bars.
White cashmere draped over Cash’s shoulders, cascading like a winter waterfall. Hershey cocked her head slightly, that was all she could do to conserve the energy. Her hair was now lank, caked in filth and plastered against her face. She still wore the same clothes as the day she was put into isolation, now soiled with sweat and dirt.
“You screwed up, haven’t you?” asked Hershey.
Cash knelt, next to Hershey, and wrapped her fingers around the bars. “Such brilliant powers of observation, as usual, Hershey.”
Hershey shook her head as a faint smile lit up her sickly pale face. “You are looking for the anti-Cranax gene now?”
Cash feigned an agonized look. With an air of theatricality, she buried her face in her hands as though she was sorry for everything that had happened. “The anti-Cranax gene doesn’t work anymore,” she whispered.
Hershey almost heard a tinge of regret in Cash’s voice. Almost.
“What now?” Hershey let out a small laugh. Not mocking but self-pitying. She had seen this day coming. The only thing she regretted was she could not do anything to put a stop to it. “You want me to redesign the anti-Cranax gene now?”
“Better yet, the Cranatol.”
Hershey shook her head, thinking how naïve Cash was. At the same time, she was in awe of her perseverance. Still no sign of despair in her at this stage. “And what good does that do?”
“Cranatol is our saving grace, Hershey.” Urgency was mixed with a pinch of desperation in her words. “The anti-Cranax gene is one that does us no good. It’s a liability. It’s the reason we are losing profits!”
“What’s become of you, Adenine?” Hershey’s gaze fell on Cash. But what she saw wasn’t the wicked lunatic everyone must have taken her for. She saw something deeper in those cold eyes. She saw a former friend, an aspiring scientist with a personal vision to change the world. The vision was long lost in the labyrinth of her corrupted soul.
“You know this is not the solution, right, Adenine? The virus is unstable. Cranax evolves faster than its mortality rate. We will fall back into the same vicious cycle. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“Aren’t you the Queen of Genetics?”
“It doesn’t mean I have magic powers to conjure up a new drug whenever I want to.”
Cash bit her lips, her face heavy with impatience. “Well, I thought coming to you would be easier. It seems I still have to involve Vaxine and Roxy. Maybe I can get them to help me instead.”
Confusion flooded Hershey’s mind. “What is this going to do with Roxy?”
“Oh, talking about that rascal of yours.” Cash’s lips curled in sheer contempt. “I have no idea how or why she had got her hands on the anti-Cranax gene data and teamed up with your other rascal, Vaxine. Rest assured, I’ll make sure they both pay for what they have done. And if you,” Cash snapped at Hershey, “Their beloved mentor refuses to do as I tell you, I am going to kill them.”
“Don’t you dare get them involved, Adenine Cash!” Searing pain ripped through Hershey’s throat. A thousand questions probed her mind.
What on earth was going on out there? Why was Roxy involved?
“Do it my way! Reconstruct Cranatol and we shall rise above Cranax again!” Cash sounded like a child with a tantrum.
Hershey stared at her.
“Look around you!” She continued, spreading her arms. “These are your samples. They are all yours to use! Aren’t you satisfied with the resources I have prepared?”
Hershey didn’t have to turn and look to know what Cash was talking about. The ‘samples’ had been there in the smaller cells and were accompanying her all the time. They were the creatures that had been humans, now regarded as animals. “Where did you get them from?”
Cash snorted as though Hershey was a fool to ask such a question. “Hershey, don’t disappoint me. You should know where we can find these peasants.” She twisted her face as though the word tasted foul.
“How could you even bring yourself to do this?”
“I could have done so much better!” retorted Cash. “Now, are you doing it or do you want me to make your two rascals do it on your behalf?”
Hershey took a long, hard stare at the woman she once called a friend. If she could do this to the people here, no doubt she would do even worse to Vaxine and Roxy. Plus, the chance to escape would be greater outside these four walls.
“I am in.”
26
MANDY
The alarm over the Connor University PA system blared; a short but loud tone set as a cue for all to stop work or play and pay attention. All students and staff in every corridor, lab, and room stopped what they were doing as the large screens placed around campus flickered on.
Above the murmurs of protest and curiosity, everyone paid attention to the nearest screen and watched the university logo appear on it. After a brief fanfare of the college anthem, the Dean’s face slid into focus. The elderly man coughed once before beginning his address.
“In reason we trust. Ladies and gentlemen and pioneers of Asia Nova’s glorious future. I hope all is well.” His voice was reassuring and deep. “The reason for this sudden emergency announcement is I have good and bad news. Let’s start with the bad first. As you’re all aware, the Cranax Outbreak has been declared a pandemic, spreading from rural areas to urban slums. My condolences go out to families and friends of those affected. Due to this state, the university has decided to declare closure starting today onwards until further notice.”
A racket of whoops and shrieks filled the corridors like high school passion rekindled. “Time to partehh!” A few voices chorused.
“What?” Armani’s face fell as his surprise was mixed with dismay. “How could―?”
Mandy shushed him when the Dean spoke again.
“I hope you put the time to good use and have a safe break. Above all, please take good care of yourselves and your health. In reason we trust.” The Dean’s image disappeared and the screen went to black.
“What is the good news, then?” Armani cried when the large screen the Dean spoke in transformed back into a mirror in the ladies’ washroom. The lavender-scented floor cleaner hung heavy in the air.
“We don’t have to clean up shit anymore!” Mandy let out an
explosive cry of relief as she slammed the mop into the bucket. Water sloshed out and formed a pool around its base.
“You do realize we could have had worse sentences.” Armani followed suit, jabbing the mop into the same bucket. They both walked out of the washroom and melded into the frenzied crowd heading for the exit gate. “If I weren’t one of the best and you weren’t caught with me, we would have been expelled without a second thought.”
“But you’re still stuck here with me,” Mandy rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Anyway, seriously. They can’t close the university just like that?” Armani veered left and right in the face of the activity in the hallway. He saw smiling and laughing faces but couldn’t share in their joy. No sign of panic or even concern for the said outbreak. “What am I going to do with my life now?”