“Welcome to Tricon Mr. Killbrook.”
“I don’t feel welcome.”
“Well, I wasn’t the one who broke into my establishment. That was you. Is this inaccurate?”
“I wouldn’t have had you not attempted to kidnap a good friend of mine and killed her guards in the process, who were my citizens, by the way. You also held another citizen of mine hostage against her own free will.”
“All a misunderstanding. You see…this world is not what it used to be. You know this.”
“It can be what it once was.”
“Nonsense. The world has changed for the better. A new superior being has taken over. We our being replaced. This can’t be news to you. You are a scientist or is this information I have on you falsified?”
“It’s accurate. I just chose to believe that we can beat this disease.”
“Disease? Really?”
“Fine…a virus.”
“Really? It is much more than that and you know it. You have witnessed the evolution first hand. David is a piece of work. What he did to your sniper…chilling.” He held out his arm. “I’ve got goosebumps from what he’s become. What I’ve created.” He wore a sadistic smile.
“The Azrael virus?”
“No…no…no. Are you even listening? David…Marcus…Emma and countless others have ascended beyond that of the virus. These are not mindless creatures but finely calibrated machines creating their own future beyond our own.”
“This is madness.”
“Your lack of foresight is madness.”
“What do you want?”
“Ah, right to the point. I love your spirit Mr. Killbrook.”
“What is it?”
“Patience…patience. Timing is everything. Mr. Cortez hasn’t quite figured that part out yet.” Dr. Kolovski gestured to the blood stains on the floor in front of Simon.
“I’m listening.”
“Giselle Johnson. Where is she and all of this goes away. Well, you’ll still be my prisoner until I eventually kill or turn you into one of those beautiful creatures. But this…whole conversation ends. Maybe I release some of your people. Maybe I just kill them. They don’t matter to me at all.”
“Why do you need Giselle?”
“I’m pretty sure you know why. Are you really trying to act like I don’t know everything already?”
“But you don’t know where Giselle is. Go fuck yourself. Actually, I hope she finds you and wipes that dumb smile off your face.”
“Well, well such hostile words from what I thought had the brightest mind in all of Chicago. How the mighty have fallen.”
“What incentive is it to me or my people if I just give you the one thing you don’t have?”
“So many secrets you hold in that mind of yours. If only…”
A beeping noise followed by static interrupted Dr. Kolovski.
“Sir, we have a problem.”
“Not now, I’m busy with a guest.”
“Fuck off.” Simon responded.
“It’s important, sir. It’s about…”
“Enough, send someone in for Mr. Killbrook.”
“Yes sir.”
The doors opened and the four guards from before escorted Simon from the room. He pressed the button on his desk once more.
“Okay, what’s so important.”
“Mr. Cortez has escaped.”
“Bollocks! Is this some joke? He left in a pool of…”
“He’s taken the others as well.” He interrupted.
“You bloody minge! How in the hell did this happen?”
The coms went silent. He pressed the button again.
“Answer me!” He shouted while banging his fist on the desk.
There was no response.
Chapter 29: A New Pet
Cold water abruptly awoke Laura from a mentally exhausted nap. Her eyes blinked erratically swiping away water droplets that attempted to drop into her eyes. Her hands were bound behind her and her feet were tied to each leg of the chair she was sitting in. The breeze of a fan caused her to shiver.
“Do you know what is wrong with you?”
“Uh…huh. I…have an infection.” She coughed violently following her words.
“An infection? Were you bitten?”
She eventually identified the source of the voice from a loudspeaker on the wall above and behind her.
“Not that I know of. I…was captured by a monster and had a bone pushed through my shoulder.”
“A bone pushed through your shoulder? What the fuck is this bitch talking about? Is she on meds?”
“She could be hallucinating from trauma or from the drugs she was on when we found her.” Another voice joined in.
“I’ve been sick ever since.” She continued, hung her head down and coughed again. She began to shiver uncontrollably. She was freezing.
“What about your hair? Your eyes and skin are not normal. What’s wrong with you?”
“Oh, my albinism?”
“So you’ve been diagnosed?”
“When I was a ch…ch…child. Yes.” She shivered mid-sentence.
“Jackpot. The doc’s gonna love this one.”
“C…c…can I have a blan…ket please?” She asked.
“Bring her a blanket and a cup of tea.” The voice mumbled away from the microphone. “And for Christ’s sake, turn off that fucking fan. She’s going to die of pneumonia before she gets to Dr. K.” He continued.
“Th…thank you.” She stammered.
“No problem Sweetheart.”
*
“We’ve got word of an Albino citizen, sir.” A man explained over an encrypted SAT phone.
“That’s good news. Have you located Emma?”
“Negative. We’ve found some Azrael children, but none were Emma.”
“That is most unfortunate. What about Giselle? Was Giselle Johnson here?”
“Negative. However, Chase and Drake have intercepted a pair of adolescents who were close with both Giselle and Taliah.”
“Well, that could be useful. Where are they now?”
“Being held at a PetSmart. A friend of mine overheard their conversation about it. I have reason to believe they are withholding information from you, sir.”
“Why do you believe this?”
“I have read their debrief from the raid. There is nothing written about the boys.” The man leafed through papers. “No, there is nothing written about them anywhere.”
“Do you believe they are loyal to Dr. Kolovski?”
“I don’t know where their loyalties lie, sir. All I can prove is their lack of documentation is deceitful.”
“Your expert opinion is appreciated, Stanley. If anything else comes up, let me know.”
“Sounds good. What about the Albino woman?”
“Actually, bring her to me now. I want to give her something.”
“She’s being cleaned and processed for transit to Tricon. Do you want me to change those orders from the system and deliver her to you instead?”
“Yes, do it. I can’t give him all of our prisoners. I’ll be in my trailer.”
“Very well, sir.”
*
The door opened to Laura’s room and a man walked in quickly.
“Come on, let’s go.” The man urged reaching his hand out to her. She was sitting in a chair wrapped in a blanket. Her nose was red and there were several tissues on the end table next to her.
“I thought we were leaving tomorrow?”
“There’s been a change of plans.”
“Okay, let me just stand up.” Laura feebly stood to her feet.
“Are you ill?”
“Been fighting off an infection for a bit.” Laura pushed her blouse over, revealing a bandage. “Not doing so well.”
“Let me get you a wheelchair.”
The man hurried outside, dumped an elderly man from a wheelchair and wheeled it back inside.
“That was quick.” She stated lethargically.
&nb
sp; “Hurry up, get in.”
Laura sat down and before she could settle herself in, the man was pushing her out of the room. She noticed an old man struggling to get up from the floor outside her room.
“Was that man...?”
“Never mind that, the boss wishes to speak with you.” He interrupted.
“The boss?”
“We’ll be there in a minute.”
The man quickly removed her from the staging area for transit processing and exited the building at a brisk walk. Around the corner, there was a group of construction office trailers. The man pushed her up to the closest one. He knocked on the door.
“Bring her inside.” The man within the trailer ordered.
The man helped her to her feet and brought her inside. Sitting at a large table meant for meetings, a man gazed at Laura menacingly.
“Is she ill?”
“Yes sir. She’s got…”
“…an infection.” The man interrupted.
“That’s right, sir.”
“Sit her down. Good work, Stanley. I can trust that you will take care of the paperwork?”
“No problem, Mr. Sloan.”
“Leave us then.”
“Yes sir.”
Stanley left the trailer in a hurry. Laura could tell that he was afraid of this Mr. Sloan. Laura wasn’t afraid. She was on death’s doorstep. She’s come to terms with her mortality. She was ready to die.
“So, an albino still alive in this world. Impressive.” He wore a massive grin.
“What’s so…” She fell into a coughing fit. Resituated herself and finished her sentence. “What’s so impressive about being an albino. I’m weak and the sun could kill me. I’m a defect and a drain to society.”
“You are a rare creature. The defect, as you call it, has affected your immune system in a way that could benefit you.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying Mr. Sloan.”
“I’m going to inject this tiny bottle into your body.” He retrieved a small vial from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“What will it do to me?”
“Hopefully, not kill you. You might actually get stronger.”
“I don’t want to be a part of your experiment.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want. I am going to inject this into your body, whether you like it or not. Is that understood?” He stood and banged on the table when he was finished. Laura flinched in response.
“No…no, just let me die already.” She pleaded and attempted to get up. She fell to the floor.
Mark Sloan walked over, jabbed her with a needle and injected the contents of the vial into her arm. He placed her back into the chair and tied her to it.
“You will thank me when it’s over.” He insisted.
“How do you know it will do what you say?”
He whispered in her ear.
“I was albino too.”
“Was?” She gasped
Chapter 30: Samantha’s Transition
Samantha groaned and rocked from side to side. She was sweating profusely and her temperature was 104 degrees.
“Is this normal?” Giselle asked.
“Now that she has been given the appropriate dose, her body is restarting the initial fever stage. It seems the previous serum oversaturated her cells with Azrael inhibiting enzymes, elevating her heartrate too soon and placing her into a coma like state. So, yes, this reaction is normal for my type of transition.” Toko explained.
“How long does it take, this stage?” She asked.
“Her age, body weight and the fact that she is female all play a separate role in when the recovery stage happens. The third reason, her being female, is the wild card here. This type of transition has not been successful with female recipients.” Toko explained.
“I’m sure, once we get you to the Veil, your cells could provide an answer as to why this is.” François added.
Samantha groaned again and followed with a whimper.
“Is there anything I can do to help her through this?” Giselle asked.
“Oui, shoot her in the face. It only gets worse.” François confirmed.
“But, I thought the next stage is recovery?”
“There are five stages. All even stages are recovery periods while stages one, three and five are progressively worse.” Toko admitted.
“How long does it usually take to be finished?” She asked.
“Two weeks.” François answered.
“Hai, two to three weeks is common.”
Giselle lifted Samantha’s left eyelids. Her eye was milky gray.
“Is this normal?”
“No.” François answered.
“No.” Toko added.
“Her timeline is off. The eye thing is usually stage three.” François worried.
“So, she could be finished sooner?” She asked.
“I have no idea, Miss Giselle. You said that it took a day for your eyes to change?”
“Uh huh, about a day.”
“The female transition is much quicker it seems. Bring me a few gallons of water. Toko, run out to the car and bring back the stage 3 kit.” François urged.
“Hai.”
“Why didn’t you bring that before?”
“Thought we had more time and it’s a big heavy bag.” Toko grumbled.
Jason hurried up the steps from his Virus enraged lockup. He rubbed at his wrists. They were bleeding beneath a scab. His face appeared worried when he noticed the mood of the room. He groaned and grunted.
“Great. Jason, go with Toko and help him with the stage 3 kit.”
He nodded and assisted Toko remove furniture from the front door. They had to take out a small herd of four once they opened the door.
“Be quick, she could slip into stage four soon.”
“Why the rush?” She asked.
“I’ll explain when they return. Help me with the furniture.”
“Sure.”
They quickly restacked the furniture. Samantha stopped moving. Her breathing and her heartbeat slowed drastically.
“It is too late. Help me hold her down. Quickly!”
“But…she’s not moving?”
François gave her a menacing glare as he sat on his knees holding down her left and right shoulders.
“Okay.”
She hurried over and looked to François for direction.
“Just lay on top of her legs, Se presser!”
“Huh?” Giselle asked.
“Hurry.” He translated.
Giselle carefully laid her body over Samantha’s legs. Moments later, she began to seize violently.
“Stage four?”
“Stage five…” He struggled with her shoulders. “…four was that brief lapse in breathing. Remember, Azrael recover much faster than humans.” He explained.
She nodded and held on tight. Samantha screamed and growled. Veins in her neck expanded and stretched the skin. Her stomach sucked in and out radically while the muscles in her legs lifted and shook Giselle.
“Whoa! She’s powerful!”
“This stage is the most dangerous. 3 out of 5 don’t recover.”
“So, she could die?”
“Oui, the heartrate increases to its permanent beats per minute. The heart dictates if they live or die.”
“She’s young. She has a strong heart.” Giselle speculated.
“Hope will be your friend for the next 48 hours.”
“48 hours? My heart transition was almost instant.”
“The heartrate transition with the serum lasts 48 hours, yet it could be shorter.”
“Because she’s a girl?”
“Oui. The time scale is already different.”
Samantha began to scream again. Her pitch was deafening and her muscles contracted and retracted unpredictably. She was becoming extremely difficult to control. She wailed for over a minute. Her voice cracked and grew hoarse. Her heart was racing even faster than Giselle’s.
“It
’s too fast.” François worried.
“What do we do?”
“Putain! We need that stage three kit.” He hollered.
“What’s in it?”
“Weighted vests and blankets, an IV, some saline solution and freeze gel.”
“Freeze gel?”
“To slow the heart. She should already be coated in the stuff.” He explained.
“Is there anything we can do in the meantime?”
“Ice. Can you get ice?”
“No. The fridge has no power to it.”
“Then, we wait.”
Samantha continued to holler and moan from the constant waves of steroids ramping her heart up while the Azrael enzymes were making her nervous system more sensitive. Suddenly, an overwhelming aroma of shit hit the air. It browned Samantha’s pants and spread down her legs. She continued to kick her legs with ferocity. Giselle’s face was in close proximity. She gagged.
“This is why I chose the shoulders.” François grimaced and dry heaved.
“Toko warned of this. I was hoping…” She swallowed down vomit that settled in the back of her throat. “Ugh…I was hoping that she…skipped that step.”
“Nobody skips the shits.” François scowled. “Not even François.” He added.
“Well, I didn’t get the shits. I figured since she was female…”
“Serum induced transition always brings the shits. When she fully empties her intestines then we can take her to the bath tub for cleaning. Until then, use those rags over there.” François gestured to a stack of rags on the floor. “…to help barricade the liquid follow up to the solid stool.”
“Is that a thing?”
“Wait and find out the hard way. I am not the one holding her fondue fountain.”
That comment almost pushed Giselle to projectile vomit. She dry-heaved and paused, attempting to breathe shallow and slowly. When she regained her wits, she hurried over and dragged a pile of rags to Samantha. She created a barrier around the girl to hopefully soak up and stop the feces from spreading further.
A controlled banging on the door followed with Jason’s face smiling in the side window.
“Hold her, I’ll get the furniture from the door.” Giselle hurried over and proceeded to slide away the heavy items from behind the door. She quickly opened it once it became free. Toko and Jason waddled inside carrying the bag into the room. They were both caked in blood, flesh and an overwhelming stench of Azrael.
The Azrael (Book 5): Prisoners Page 18