“Initially, I input the database from the online community I’d created, selecting for education and implicit characteristics – likeability, leadership, that sort of thing – based on the size of the individual’s network and the experiences listed on their profiles. But I realized I needed more variables to make it complete – after all, my database didn’t provide any reliable way to measure health or intelligence, or to ensure a healthy mix of genetic traits.”
The Developer didn’t break stride. “That was when I reached out to the Doctor and requested access to his genome research. By that point, most individuals from the developed world had had their DNA sequenced, and the information was stored electronically in their medical records. I was able to hack into the databases with some effort, and the Doctor consulted on what genetic combinations his research had shown were best suited for survival. This allowed me to further refine the algorithm.”
Isaac took a slow, measured breath – he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Had someone really developed a computer program to play God?
“It’d all started as an intellectual exercise, but once I had the answer in front of me,” he paused his pacing and looked at Lizzie earnestly, “I couldn’t just let it go to waste. We were all going to die, Elizabeth. The entire human race. And I was one of the few people in the world with the resources to ensure that our species survived. I had a responsibility to do something.”
He resumed his pacing. “Sure, maybe small pockets of people might have made it through the next few decades, the oncoming nuclear winter. But Mother Nature is messy – why take a chance on her screwing it up, on us going the way of the dinosaurs? And why let our ecosystem get destroyed in the process? I could stop it – I could make sure that our planet and our race survived our mistakes, and never made those same mistakes again.”
Isaac felt nauseous. This computer programmer had actually designed software to decide who should live and who should die. It was beyond sick.
Lizzie sat motionless, listening, as the Developer marched back and forth in front of her, reveling in his fantasy.
“So I contacted the Economist, to get some input on the structure of an ideal society, one where we could ensure safety and prosperity for all, for years to come. And then… we had a plan. We knew who, had a rough outline of what. We just needed to figure out how to make it happen.
“The Doctor was well-versed in epidemiology – the study of epidemics – and suggested that a viral outbreak was the most reliable way to swiftly and effectively reduce the world’s population to a viable level. The only problem was, we didn’t know where to get such a virus or how to make sure the people who’d been chosen by the A.R.K. were safe. That was where the General came in.
“As a high-ranking military official and head of civil service, he had access both to covert government research and almost all of the healthy adults in the country. He was able to point us not only to secret research on a powerful viral strain that the Doctor could manipulate, but also gave us an avenue for vaccinating those who’d been chosen by the algorithm – we simply slipped the vaccine in with the other inoculations given during everyone’s routine civil service physicals.
“Once the selected subset had been immunized, we got the Draftsman on board to prepare the city for their arrival. And then we set the virus loose.”
Repulsed, Isaac backed away from the account of horror he’d just witnessed, cracking his head on the ventilation shaft with a clunk.
Isaac cursed under his breath.
The Developer looked up for a moment, a flash of something crossing his eyes, as Lizzie jumped at the noise.
The Developer reached out to her. “It’s okay – just old pipes.”
Isaac let out a sigh of relief.
Lizzie shook her head. “It-it’s not okay,” she stuttered. “You killed all those people. You killed everyone.”
“No, no, no,” the Developer insisted. “Don’t you see? They killed themselves. We were all going to die, the way things were headed.” He ticked off his fingers. “Nuclear war, crop failure, all of our natural resources depleted. We at least made it so we could save some of them, and we ensured the survival of our entire species in the process. If we’d waited any longer – if we’d done it any other way – there would have been no planet left for us to live on. They would have destroyed everything.” He stopped moving and looked Lizzie in the eyes. “We stopped them. We saved the world.”
That was certainly a different way of looking at things, Isaac thought sardonically. To his mind, they were murderers – slaughterers of his family, his friends, and everyone he’d ever known. The Developer was freely admitting having committed genocide – of almost the entire human race – and Isaac could never get on board with that, no matter how supposedly altruistic their motives.
But Lizzie… Lizzie seemed almost convinced. Isaac could only guess that she was playing along. After all, if this Developer was willing to massacre billions of innocent people, there was no telling what he might do to her.
She shook her head slowly, processing all he’d said. “But what about your families? Your friends? Did you spare them at least?”
The Developer sighed deeply. He looked more pained than Isaac could have expected of him. “How could we, Elizabeth? The algorithm didn’t choose them; it wouldn’t have been fair. How could we ask this sacrifice of the world and not make it ourselves?”
He ran a twitchy hand through his greasy hair. “I had someone once, you know. A fiancée. She was… just stunning. A part of me always wondered if she truly loved me, or if she just loved my success. After all, girls like you never paid me any mind until I was rich.” He shrugged. “But I thought – I thought I saw something different in her eyes. I held her hand as the virus took her. And now I have no one, and probably won’t have anyone again. But that was the sacrifice we made. It was the only choice – the right thing to do. We certainly didn’t take this responsibility lightly, any of us.”
“I’m sorry,” Lizzie acquiesced. She looked up at him. “But I still don’t understand – what does this all have to do with the rebels?”
The Developer sat down again and took in Lizzie’s face earnestly. “That’s the key, Elizabeth. You were all chosen. Everyone here, rebel or not, was selected by the algorithm. We have a duty to our people – to our entire race – to carry on. If we lose the rebels, there’s no telling what that could do to the future population, what important genes and characteristics will go with you. So we need the rebels to come back and reintegrate with society, for all of our sakes. Otherwise everything we did – all the sacrifices we made – will be for naught.”
Lizzie took a deep breath. “I don’t think my mother – or any of the other rebels – will react well to this. I can try to explain… but there’s no guarantee they’ll come back.”
He nodded. “I know that. All we ask is that you try. It would probably be best if you didn’t tell them,” he shrugged, “you know, the full story. Maybe just the parts they need to hear. Obviously we know how it sounds, but I hope you at least understand that we did it with the best of intentions.” He sighed. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make – remember that we all lost our loved ones as well, just like everyone else. But we tried to do what was best for humanity as a whole. That’s really the only defense I can offer.”
Lizzie nodded. “So you’ll send me back? To the rebels? You’ll let me go?”
He shook his head eagerly in affirmation. “Now that you’re healthy, we’d send you back right this moment, if we could. The only problem is that we don’t know where they’re hiding.”
“Oh.” Lizzie deflated.
“But they’re sure to come for you sometime,” the Developer reassured her. “And when they do, we won’t stand in your way. Just promise me you’ll deliver our message.”
“I will,” Lizzie vowed.
“Then take this.” He pressed into her hand a small device, a thick piece of glass the size of a coin with wires embedde
d throughout its interior. “If Regina is willing to meet, this button will send us a signal, and we’ll gather in the center of the city to parley with her. If we don’t hear from you, I’ll assume she rejected our pleas. In that case… well, I’m not sure what we’ll do.” He closed Lizzie’s fingers around the transmitter and gripped her hand. “You’re our last hope, Phoenix.”
“I’ll do what I can,” she whispered.
He released her and turned to go. “I know you will. Thank you.”
The door whooshed open, but before he passed through, he added, “I’m removing the guard from your door, now that you know the truth. You’re free to go if you’d like, but if you’d prefer to finish recuperating here, you’re welcome to. I know it’s been a hectic evening, so at least rest up and stay the remainder of the night – I’ll check back with you on your plans in the morning.” And then he was gone.
Isaac wasted no time before knocking the grate from the wall and jumping down beside Lizzie’s bed.
“Isaac!” she cried, incredulous. “What are you doing here?”
“Good timing, I guess.” He grinned, but his smile soon faded into concern as he took in the full extent of the bandages covering Lizzie’s face. “Lizzie, what did they do to you?”
She shook her head. “How much of that did you hear? It wasn’t them – it was Paragon.” She sighed. “I’ll explain later, just help me get these things off so we can get out of here.”
Isaac grabbed the knife from his pocket and deftly cut away the gauze looped around her head. It was definitely Lizzie underneath, but not the Lizzie he remembered. She was scarred and skeletal, her skin pale and clammy. But perseverance still burned in her eyes – she was ready to go.
Isaac made to climb back into the ventilation shaft, but Lizzie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“The Developer said I was free to go.” She motioned towards the door.
Isaac pursed his lips, unsure of how much he should tell Lizzie – after all, this mission was supposed to be top secret. But he didn’t see a way around it. He couldn’t take the chance of leaving her, and the rebels couldn’t escape unless he got that power cell. She was going to have to come with him.
“They may not feel the same once they realize what I’m here for,” he smirked. “We’re getting out of here, Lizzie. Out of here, out of here, I mean. We’re leaving Paragon.”
Lizzie’s mouthed dropped, but he shook his head. He didn’t know who else might be listening in this hospital, and he wasn’t about to risk revealing their plans. Regardless of whatever the Developer said, Isaac simply did not believe that Paragon would let the rebels go without a fight – especially now that he knew how much they meant to the Engineers’ plans.
“I’ll take you with me. I just need to grab something first. Come on, we need to find the utility room.”
A few quick turns down the deserted hallway, and Isaac had found the stairwell he was looking for. Next to it was an open supply closet where Lizzie had been able to pull on some scrubs and sneakers.
Isaac peeked into the hallway before giving the signal to move to the stairs.
“I don’t know why you insist on sneaking around like this,” Lizzie carped. “He said they wouldn’t stop me from leaving.”
“Maybe they won’t stop you,” Isaac hissed back, “but they didn’t say anything about me. Plus, your mom sent me here to retrieve something. This wasn’t a rescue mission – I just got lucky stumbling across your room. So stay quiet and keep hidden,” he ordered.
He’d entered the building on ground level, so the basement was only one quick turn of the stairs below. Again, the hallway seemed deserted – it was almost too quiet.
Just as Isaac finished the thought, a distant wailing rang through the walls.
“Is that –” Lizzie looked around, “– a siren?”
“It sounds like someone tripped the alarm in the prison,” Isaac confirmed. In the back of his mind, a surge of panic flashed, fearing for Alessa. But he brushed it aside – he needed to finish what he’d come here to do, otherwise there was no hope for Alessa, or anyone else, for that matter.
“That,” he pointed towards the heavy doors at the end of the hall where the sound was coming from, “means we don’t have much time. The guards will come searching here next. Come on.”
He guided Lizzie through the thick door labeled Utility Room at the other end of the corridor. Inside, the room glowed a faint purplish blue and hummed with a quiet purr. Isaac and Lizzie circled past some large control equipment to a tall sleek machine standing in the center of a wide clearing, running thick power cables into the ceiling – the generator.
Behind a clear glass panel in the center of the power source, a shining blue-violet tube flanked in silver metal glowed brightly, casting periwinkle shadows in all directions. Isaac stepped forward and popped the latch on the panel.
He locked eyes with Lizzie. “Once I grab this, we’ll need to run.” He placed his hand over the fuel cell. “Ready?”
Lizzie took a deep breath and nodded, and Isaac pulled the battery out. They were plunged into darkness but for the nuclear amethyst radiating from Isaac’s hand.
“Follow me,” Isaac called, heading toward the door. The basement hall was pitch black and empty, but already he could hear footsteps sprinting down the stairs. He tucked the battery into his pocket to dim the glow, but it shone straight through his pants. It looked like hiding wasn’t going to be an option…
Isaac thrust the battery into Lizzie’s hand and pushed her deeper into the room. “Go to the far corner,” he directed.
“Are you crazy?” Lizzie objected. “I’ll be trapped!”
“I’ll get you out, just go.”
Lizzie trudged off begrudgingly, taking the beaming light with her, and Isaac slunk back into the shadows, waiting.
Within moments, the guards were outside the door. Isaac flattened himself against the wall and sucked in his breath as the first guard stepped tentatively into the room. Isaac waited for the guard to pass by him unseen, and when a second guard drew even with Isaac’s position, he threw a fist up into his face, knocking him down with a crack.
The first guard spun at the noise, but it was too late – Isaac was already swinging an elbow at his head, and half a second later, he heard the thud of the guard’s body hitting the floor.
“Time to go,” he called to Lizzie. She raced to join him at the door and the two of them crept into the hallway, Isaac shielding the light of the battery behind his body as best he could.
They’d just reached the stairwell when they heard shouting from the floor above.
Isaac cursed. “That’s not good – that’s our only way out.”
“What about the prison?” Lizzie pointed towards the doors at the end of the hall.
“Good idea.”
They sprinted to the prison entrance as the clunk of heavy boots descending the steps rang down the stairwell, the wailing of the alarm growing ever louder in Isaac’s ears as he and Lizzie approached.
But just as Isaac reached for the door, a voice behind him shouted, “Freeze!”
Isaac stiffened, one hand still outstretched, and swung his eyes towards Lizzie, then slowly onto the weapon-clad assemblage of men at the base of the stairs.
His men, Isaac realized with a sigh.
“We heard the sirens – thought you might need some assistance.” The leader smirked, then motioned over his shoulder with his head. “Ready to get out of here?”
“You bet,” Isaac smiled.
34. CLOSURE
Janie’s weight slumped against Alessa as they made their way toward the cell where Nikhil had last seen Joe.
“Number 116 you said, right?” Alessa asked.
Janie nodded weakly. The brush with the creature – and the disappointment of leaving Nikhil behind – seemed to have taken it out of her. “I think that’s what he said,” Janie mumbled.
Alessa glanced at the door to her right. Number 88 – they still had a w
ays to go.
Her ears ringing from the deafening screech of the sirens, Alessa peered quickly around the corner to check for guards headed their direction. They’d managed to avoid any run-ins so far, but she wasn’t sure how long that luck would hold out.
The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, and every blinking light on every lit keypad glared accusatorily at Alessa, but Alessa kept her eyes straight and blocked them out. She could barely make it down the hall as it was, with Janie clinging to her hip. Alessa had her sister – finally – and she couldn’t spare the strength to help anyone else right now. Anyone except for Joe, that was.
Unconsciously, Alessa reached her thumb toward her ring finger, twisting her ring around until she could feel the cool stone buried in her palm. She fingered the ring anxiously as they finally closed in on cell number 116.
The keypad was lit. Alessa’s hopes soared.
Flashes of red colored the keypad as she punched in the code and swiped at the scanner. Alessa couldn’t even hear the clang of the releasing locks over the pounding in her chest.
This was it.
With Janie at her side, Alessa flung the door open. The flickering alarm lights illuminated the darkness within, and Alessa strained to focus on the figure inside.
“Janie? Alessa?” A voice sounded from the back of the cell. With a sinking heart, Alessa realized it was female.
“Sara?” Janie replied. Her mind still spinning with Joe, Alessa struggled to place the girl’s face. Sara… from the sorority?
Sara jumped to her feet, her eyes wide. “What’s going on out there?”
At least she could stand on her own, Alessa thought. “We’re getting you out of here, but we’ve got to hurry.”
Shudder (Stitch Trilogy, Book 2) Page 22