by Eliza Green
Bill burst through the door, weapon raised, startling two hooded figures. But they startled him more.
‘What are you two doing here?’
He lowered the weapon and stared at Laura and Margaux. His wife stood over a pot. She clutched a wooden spoon covered in tomato sauce. He smelled her spaghetti sauce.
‘This is my apartment,’ she said, recovering, ‘and Margaux is my guest.’
‘A little notice would have been nice. You two nearly gave me a heart attack.’
Seeing his wife in his apartment had shocked him more than an intruder would have.
Laura waved the sauce-covered spoon in the air. ‘Why? So you can bring Julie back here?’ She dropped the spoon in the pot and pushed past him to the living room. ‘Where is she anyway?’
Bill’s mouth lifted at seeing his wife jealous. Margaux just shook her head, like he was missing something. He usually was these days.
Bill followed her into the living room. ‘She’s not here. And how did you know about her anyway?’
‘I... we saw you two leaving the ITF.’
His eyes widened at her revelation. ‘How long have you been here, exactly?’
‘Since you went for dinner.’ She checked the time on the kitchen wall. ‘About an hour.’ Her mouth turned down and she folded her arms. ‘That all the time you can manage for a date?’
His smile grew, despite her annoyance. ‘It wasn’t a date.’
Laura glared at him. ‘Just because I’m here doesn’t mean we’re forgetting everything that’s happened.’
Her words chased away his smile. ‘What are you doing here?’
Laura released a long sigh, in the way she did to calm down. He waited.
‘I’m of no use in the district so I came here to help.’
‘And Margaux?’ The old Indigene stood at the kitchen door. ‘Not that you’re not welcome here.’
‘I know.’ She shrugged. ‘Same reason as this one. I needed to help.’
‘Does Stephen know you’re both here?’
Laura shook her head. Margaux just smiled and looked around the apartment. Stephen would be livid when he found out.
‘He’s going to think I helped you two to escape.’
Margaux made a noise. ‘We’re not prisoners.’
‘No, but you’re under quarantine.’ Rubbing his chin, he said, ‘In what way do you both want to help?’
‘I would like to get back online, monitor things,’ said Laura, ‘but not while the others are around. I can work at night.’
He had a better idea. ‘I can set up an office here so you don’t have to go in at all.’
Laura gave a tight nod. ‘I’d rather not see Julie right now.’
‘She’s just a friend.’
Laura scoffed. ‘Not what her body language says.’
She pretended to examine the cushion on the sofa. She even picked it up, but then dropped it.
It wasn’t what she thought.
‘Doesn’t matter what Julie thinks,’ said Bill, ‘only what I do.’
But his explanation only hardened her expression.
‘Let’s keep on topic.’
‘Okay... And Margaux, what about you?’
‘She’s patient zero,’ replied Laura. ‘It’s risky but Margaux wants to offer herself as a test subject to Harvey and Jameson.’
Bill hated the idea. He looked at the elder. ‘I don’t trust either of them.’
She shrugged. ‘What other choice do we have? I must do what I can to save my species.’
Something more troubling occurred to him. ‘If you’re a carrier, you could infect others—humans.’
‘We had thought about that,’ said Laura, stepping forward. ‘Human immune systems are weaker than Indigene ones. The young have been sneaking out and resuming their meetings with the humans, so cross contamination would have already happened.’
‘I knew it!’
He had no proof of continuing discussions, but a threat to the ITF’s power didn’t just disappear overnight.
Bill stared at the pair, not seeing another way but to let Margaux help.
‘Okay, but you both stay here tonight.’ He asked the elder, ‘Do you have enough air filtration devices to remain on the surface?’
Margaux responded with a short laugh. ‘No need. I can breathe the air just fine.’
A side effect of the virus, he assumed, but hopefully not a dangerous one.
‘Good. I’ll set up the spare room for the both of you.’
‘I can do it,’ said Laura. ‘But first, I think we need to be certain the virus hasn’t spread to the human population.’
He nodded. ‘Harvey will use his clinic to test the population. He’s going to offer free age-reversal treatments to get them in the door.’
‘It needs to happen as soon as possible.’
She made no comment on his decision to give Buchanan his own business, right in the heart of the city.
Laura led Margaux to the spare room. She closed the door and ended all conversation.
‘Goodnight,’ he muttered.
His gaze drifted to the dining room table and the spot where he and Julie had kissed. Bill shook the memory from his mind and planned out what equipment Ben would need to bring over to get Laura online.
☼
Sleep that night was no better than the previous one, but one thing had changed: Bill had not taken any Actigen. As the drug exited his system, it left him with shaky hands, a focus that switched between cloudy and sharp, and a thumping headache.
The rising sun leeched through his bedroom window, dressing the room in gold and orange tones. He should have gotten up but Bill stayed on in bed, listening out for clues that his guests were up. His stomach lurched at the thought that Laura might have left in the middle of the night without telling him. But his mind settled the second he heard movement from the next room.
Bill got up and left his room to see Laura had dressed in a new outfit: black trousers and a casual, white blouse. She looked more like her old self; it pained him to look at her. Margaux wore a light blue jogging suit with a hood that would help to cover her hairless features.
‘Looking good, Margaux.’
The elder beamed at him, stroking the soft fabric. ‘I remember wearing things like this back when I was human. The memory had left me, but it’s a pleasant recollection.’
Laura didn’t bother with small talk. ‘How soon can you set me up here?’
‘As soon as I get into the office. I’ll call Jul—’ He corrected when Laura’s eyes narrowed. ‘Ben and get him to bring your things out here.’
‘Don’t tell anyone I’m here, please.’ He nodded and she visibly relaxed. ‘I want to bring Margaux to see Jameson.’
Panic flared in his chest. ‘It’s too soon. I need to get Harvey out of the way first. If Margaux is of no use to the cause—sorry, Margaux—then I don’t want Harvey finding out that she’s here.’
Laura pondered this. With a firm nod, she said, ‘The clinic needs to happen. Get Harvey started on the testing.’
‘On my way there now.’ Bill grabbed his bag and slung it cross-ways over his body. He trekked to the door. ‘I’ll be back in an hour.’
‘No breakfast?’ said Laura.
‘I’ll get something on the way. Help yourselves to whatever.’
It felt odd to tell her to eat her own food in their apartment.
He left his guests to it and took the stairs to the ground floor. Along the way, he called his car. The low sun dazzled him as he exited the building. His eyes pinched beneath the glare, but he didn’t care. Having Laura there had bolstered his spirits.
The car idled outside and he got in. It took fifteen minutes to reach the ITF. He could have walked the distance, but having the car gave him both speed and flexibility.
Bill entered the ITF and reached the stairwell door to the first floor. His heart pumped wildly in his chest. He opened the door on a sigh and marched through the office, not wanting to see the o
ne person he hoped had changed her mind about doing dinner again. Julie was chatting with one of the operatives. She looked up and smiled at him. He replied with a tight nod, uneasy about the warmth her smile held.
Laura’s office provided him with the perfect buffer. There, he found Ben studying something on screen.
He closed the door, startling the teenager.
‘Oh, perfect timing.’ To the screen, he said, ‘He’s just arrived.’
Bill rounded the desk to see Greyson’s dark-skinned face on screen. He pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘What is it, Grey?’
‘Good news, hopefully. We may have something new for you to test, to determine what exactly the virus is targeting.’
Bill scooted closer to the screen. ‘What?’
‘Some old tests the clinics used to do for the World Government. They weren’t kept on file.’
‘What kinds of tests?’
‘Early tests on brain-to-brain communications in humans.’ Telepathy. ‘It’s just another avenue to try. It might not lead to anything.’
‘We’ll try anything. Send it over.’
Greyson paused. ‘That’s the problem. The files are too big to transmit over the restricted band you have in place. You’ll need to open out comms fully to receive them.’
Re-enact the interstellar wave? The only safe connection with Earth was via an encrypted channel that was off the grid. ‘I can’t do that.’
Greyson shrugged. ‘You might have to.’
He needed time to think about it. ‘We have a couple of other things to try first. I’ll contact you if they don’t pan out.’
Greyson nodded. ‘I’ll wait for your call.’
He pressed something on his end and the connection broke. Bill leaned back in his chair.
‘What other things do you have to try?’ asked Ben.
‘I have two visitors in my apartment.’
‘Oh?’
Bill eyed the teen. ‘Yeah, Laura and Margaux. Not a word to anyone. I need you to get a comms device and monitor to her and get her online. If anyone asks, tell them it’s for me.’
‘Okay. Where do you live?’
Bill wrote down the address and the list of things he thought she might need. ‘Laura’s there now, waiting. Do it as fast as you can.’
Ben left Laura’s office and Bill wasted no time in calling Harvey. The DPad had recorded his last bioscan location: the hospital. He dialled the secure line. Harvey answered.
‘Boss, what can I do for you?’ His face filled half the screen.
‘I need you to set up the clinic today. We need to test a section of the population for the virus.’
‘I was thinking the same thing.’ He looked back at a frazzled Jameson. ‘He’s driving me crazy anyway.’
He heard Jameson say, ‘He’s out of here? Thank God!’
Harvey carried his DPad out of the lab. ‘I’m going to need some things.’
‘First things first. We need to issue a local bulletin across New London, to notify the residents about an introductory offer.’
Harvey lifted his brow. ‘I think the de-ageing treatment will coax enough people in the door. We don’t need everyone, just a cross-section, to see if they’re infected.’
Bill nodded. ‘I’ll trust you on this one.’
‘There’s a first...’
‘And it will be the last time if you keep up that attitude.’
An unfazed Harvey saluted him. ‘You’re the boss, boss. I’ll need access to the medical records for New London’s residents.’
‘Whatever you need.’
It was a breach of the ITF privacy act to give Harvey that information, but he didn’t see another option. If the population was infected, he couldn’t risk it spreading to other cities. New London was ground zero.
‘Okay, I’ll get set up. But I’m going to need help. How about you send over that boy of yours?’
Ben would never be in a room alone with Harvey. But Bill had another person in mind. He just hoped she would agree to it.
‘I’ll send someone over.’
34
What use was Stephen as leader if everyone flouted the rules? He stood in the disused tunnel, an area restless Indigenes were using to escape to the surface. Farther down the dark tunnel he saw the beginning of the climb to the surface, which he’d just learned Laura and Margaux had used to leave in the same way. Clement had come clean an hour ago after Stephen had flown into a panic over them having gone missing.
‘I want this sealed up permanently.’ He pointed down the tunnel. ‘No more will leave using this route.’
Anton and Serena stood next to him. Neither of them said anything, which irritated him.
‘What?’ He threw his hands up in despair. ‘Now you don’t agree with my leadership style?’
‘It’s not that,’ said Anton, ‘but if you board this up the Indigenes will just find another way out.’
‘So you’re suggesting we let them leave? Why?’
‘We can put surveillance on them,’ suggested Anton. ‘Look, nobody saw us come in here. I say we leave it as is and keep an eye on who’s leaving.’
Stephen looked to Serena, who shrugged. ‘It’s a good idea. Some are already on the warpath over the new restrictions.’
Stephen let out a sigh. His plans to contain whatever virus this was had failed. Margaux and Laura had made it to the surface. While Laura had not shown any symptoms, Margaux definitely had. His only choice was to find the source of the epidemic and return his district back to normal.
‘Fine.’
He marched back to the main area, pausing a moment. Sensing no Indigenes beyond the entrance to this tunnel, he exited and walked off, leaving Serena and Anton behind.
His plan to control this virus was, at best, unclear. At least it had not spread beyond the four elders and three first gens. But, viruses had a way of creating havoc when you least expected it.
Passing through the Central Core, he sensed lethargy in the first-generation Indigenes. Older Indigenes stood together, their stoops more pronounced than usual. The lack of access to the Nexus had to be adding to the stress on everyone’s health. An Indigene body healed faster after use. Without it, and on the wrong side of ninety, the body took longer to heal.
The second generations like him bore no illness that he could see. Faint auras filled the space, belonging to the Indigenes who occupied it. Normally, their hues would present as a vibrant kaleidoscope of colours, but today they were faint like the colours of a fading rainbow. Telepathic conversation rattled around in his mind, making the heavy thumping in his head worse.
He hurried through the space and back to the infirmary—a quiet space that gave him respite from his headache. All four elders were awake. Opposite them, the three first-gen Indigenes were sitting up and looking bored. He took that to be a positive sign. The second round of body scans had revealed no anomalies; the blood samples showed nothing to indicate the virus had taken hold. What was happening to them was a mystery.
Stephen approached Emile’s bed. The elder was sitting up and taking a blood pouch.
‘How do you feel, Emile?’
Marie, Maxime and Clara were also looking well.
‘Better.’ The elder nodded. Blood dripped down his chin as he sucked on the straw. ‘Have you figured out what the problem was?’
‘Not yet, but I have something else to try.’
Emile locked his grey-and-yellow gaze on Stephen. He paused mid-suck. ‘Has it anything to do with that human you keep around like a pet?’
‘Excuse me?’
Emile scoffed. ‘I heard she left the district last night, and miraculously we have all recovered.’ He stabbed a long, pale finger at him. ‘If you want to know where this problem stems from, it’s from your fraternisation with the humans. You must ban all contact with them.’
Stephen didn’t think Laura was the problem. But Emile’s sudden recovery could not be ignored. ‘The humans have been coming here for years.’
&nb
sp; ‘Exactly the problem.’
Emile shifted, beckoning Stephen to his side. Stephen drew closer to the centenarian.
‘You’ve built up immunity to them, but the first gens are not as strong. Nor are we.’
Stephen drew back, sensing the problem was more complicated than that. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘Am I?’ Emile lifted a hairless brow. ‘The young Anton was in here earlier, said nothing showed up on the body scan or in the blood work. We’re all fine now that the human is gone. How do you explain that?’
‘I think the problem came from the Nexus.’
Emile waved his hand. ‘Pah, there’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve used it without any issues. Your entire district has used it. Yet only your visitors and a few frail Indigenes have been affected. Your human visitors have infected us. First-gen immune systems are not as robust as second or third. Neither is Margaux’s. And these three,’ he said, pointing across from him, ‘have told me they prefer to keep to themselves rather than spend time with your human companion.’
‘What do you expect me to do, Emile?’
‘Your job. Lead this place. Set a good example.’ Emile dangled one leg over the side of the bed. ‘I will take over until things are back under control.’
The medic rushed over to him. I haven’t discharged you yet. Stay there; replenish your liquids.
Emile huffed and sat back. For how long?
I’ll review you again this afternoon.
‘Fine.’ Emile tucked his leg under the covers. To Stephen he said, ‘We’ll resume our conversation later.’
Stephen left the infirmary with a clearer idea of what he must do. He had to prove the virus had not arisen from human contact and banish it, before Emile got the all clear.