by SW Matthews
“I’ll grab some blankets and be right back,” said Skorz, and hurried off.
“Yeah, he’s a character,” Doc said to the others once Skorz was gone.
“I like him,” said Piper. Andy and Tuck nodded agreement.
“Me too,” Doc replied. “But he rubs some people the wrong way.”
“He’s really nice, if you can get past all the profanity and crudeness,” Rosie said. “And a brilliant surgeon.”
Skorz returned with a wheelchair full of blankets, which he steered up the ramp.
“Wheelchair is for you, Hopalong,” he said, motioning toward Andy. “You push him,” he said to Piper. “You three big fellas can each carry a boy. Just wrap them in one of these blankets first.”
***
“You still have your same office?” asked Doc, a little winded from carrying Leef. Skorz was leading them through a maze of hallways in an older section of the building.
“They tried to get me to move into the big office when I became chairman about twenty years ago,” Skorz said, “but I like my office back here. It’s harder for the administrators to find me. And if they do manage to find the right hallway, I can usually hear them coming and bug out before they get back here.”
After several more turns, they reached the office. It was small, but it had enough room for a well-worn desk and a table with four chairs around it. The walls were lined with bookshelves, which were stacked haphazardly with books and journals. The desk and table were also covered with books and papers. A small window by the desk provided a view of an alley.
Skorz sat in his desk chair, opened the top drawer, pulled out a tablet computer, and started typing. Doc, Rosie, Tuck, and Bandit seated themselves at the table, while Andy remained in the wheelchair at the doorway, with Piper behind him. The three boys removed their blanket coverings, set them on the floor, and sat on them.
“Chest x-ray is negative for pneumo,” Skorz said. “No lab results yet, but they’ve been drawn. Probably getting the CT now.” He looked up at Doc. “Now tell me what the hell is going on here.”
“Well, you saw Kat…” Doc said.
“Jesus, she looks like a fucking skeleton, Billy!”
Doc nodded. “I’m just glad she’s alive.”
“Did she ever tell you that we dated?” asked Skorz out of the blue. Even under the circumstances, Andy couldn’t help but chuckle at the man’s personality.
“What?” said Doc and Rosie simultaneously.
Skorz smiled. “You were off doing your pediatric surgery fellowship, and she was working on her master’s degree over at the research foundation. I was there helping out on some damn research project, which I hated, but it was required for my position here. She didn’t want you to know about us. We dated only very briefly before your dad found out and shut it down. I don’t think he wanted his little girl wasting her time with a physician. She started dating Hoff shortly after that.”
“Dad never thought much of doctors,” Doc agreed.
“God, she was beautiful,” Skorz said. “Guess I always held a bit of a torch for her.”
“Even through four marriages?” Doc said with a smirk.
“Fuck you,” Skorz replied. “I loved them all. I still do. Apparently I’m hard to live with, is all. You know, I was devastated when I heard Kat died.” Skorz looked at Rosie. “I was dumbfounded when you told me she was alive. And when I saw her…” He clenched a fist. “I was just pissed off. I always knew Hoff was a piece of shit, but—God, I never would have believed he was capable of something like that.”
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” said Doc. He brought Skorz up to speed on everything they’d learned about the boys, the serum, the demons, and his father.
When Doc was finished, Skorz shook his head. “Shit. He’s going to kill ninety million Chinese if we don’t stop him.”
“And that’s a small number compared to what he’s already done.”
Skorz picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number. “Stan? I’m sending two patients down. One for a face CT, the other for an ankle CT. Keep it quiet and call me with the results. Just call them unknown trauma patients. Thanks.”
He hung up and turned to Rosie. “Kid, take those two down to radiology.” He motioned toward Andy and Tuck. “When they’re done, meet us in the SICU.”
***
They were in the SICU, gathered around Kat’s bed, when the call with Andy’s and Tuck’s results came in. Trauma12421—Tuck—had a right zygomatic complex fracture, including a minimally displaced orbital floor without entrapment of the extraocular muscles, and Trauma12422—Andy—had no fractures, but a large hematoma had formed around the calcaneus.
Skorz explained. “Your face is broken, but surgery isn’t necessary. You’re just going to be a little uglier. A couple shots, antibiotics and steroids, is all you need,” he said to Tuck. Then, to Andy: “You get the same shots. Your ankle isn’t broken, but we need to drain the hematoma. Rosie will do it. I’ll get Jaq to help.”
He stepped out of the room and returned a few minutes later with the young Hispanic man he’d spoken to at the landing pad.
“This is Jaq,” Skorz said. “He’s one of the best nurses I’ve ever worked with. So good I stole him for my personal service. He’s smart and capable, thinks fast and moves fast, and doesn’t give a shit about rules, if they don’t make sense.”
He turned to Jaq. “Help Rosie drain this ankle. Do it in this room, and keep it quiet.”
Jaq nodded and disappeared.
“As for Kat,” Skorz continued, turning to a screen mounted on the wall, “this head CT shows a lot of atrophy, and some typical degenerative changes, but that’s all I see. No ischemia or hemorrhage. Physically she’s pretty good. Nothing really to address surgically. So we’ll just need to get that ankle drained, then Jaq will find some empty rooms for you all to sleep in.”
“Sleep? No—we need to get out of here,” Andy said.
“What you need is rest. Don’t worry, it’s safe here. Besides, it sounds like Braxton thinks you’re all dead.”
Andy considered this. The man had a point.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Doc said. “I’m staying with Kat until we can figure all this out.”
“I’m staying too,” said Rosie.
Doc turned to Andy. “Tomorrow I want you to take the boys and William back to Lakeland. I want them all safe and maybe enjoying life for a change, not here drawing attention. I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave here. Although I have no idea how long that might be.”
“I can hide you here for as long as you want to stay,” Skorz said. “Kat, too.”
Jaq reappeared with an armful of supplies and started setting up for the procedure.
“Jaq,” Skorz said, “I’m going to need you to drop your other duties and devote all of your time to Kat. Rosie and Billy can order anything they think is necessary. Put all orders under my name. Give them access to all the results and treat them like the outstanding surgeons they are. When you’re done draining the hematoma, find rooms upstairs for everyone.”
“No problemo, sir,” Jaq replied.
“Good.” Skorz turned toward the others. “We’ll meet in my office at six.”
***
It was midnight by the time everyone was settled into their generic two-bed hospital rooms. Before leaving, Jaq explained that this section of the hospital was deserted during this time of year, but he would make sure the housekeeping staff stopped by.
Andy and Piper were sharing a room. While Piper was getting the bed ready, Andy was in the bathroom, looking in the mirror. He decided he definitely looked much worse than usual today.
“How’s the ankle?” Piper asked from the other room.
Andy swiveled his wrapped ankle around as much as he could. “Still pretty numb. It’s the antibiotic shot that really hurts.”
Piper entered the bathroom. “Aww, poor baby,” she teased. She placed her head on his shoulder and looked at him in th
e mirror, while rubbing the injection site on his butt.
“Hey, that was a big needle!”
“Are you really going to start whining about a little shot, after hearing what all those boys have been through?”
He looked at her beautiful face in the mirror. “They know they’ll heal…”
Her expression turned angry and she pointed at his reflection. “Don’t!”
Andy raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I’m a pussy.”
She smiled and laid her head back on his shoulder. “That’s right.”
***
Two rooms over, a Braxton family meeting was taking place in Doc’s room. Bandit was standing at the foot of one bed, close to Gill, who was sitting next to Leef. Rosie was between Leef and Pol, her arms around both. Doc was sitting on the opposite bed, facing the children.
“Will we have to do testing?” Leef asked.
Doc shook his head. “No, or course not. No more testing. You can do whatever you like.”
“Like… like what?” Leef looked honestly confused by the concept.
“You can get in the lake!” Pol said. “It’s so cold! I love to swim in it!”
“Swim?” Gill said.
“Yes, swim. The lake is a huge pool of water. You can swim in it for hours! You’ll love it!”
Gill looked nervous. “No one will try to kill us in it?”
“Of course not!” Rosie said. “You can just play. You know, have fun!”
The two boys looked at each other uncertainly.
“Fun is when you just do what you enjoy,” Pol explained.
Gill smiled. After a moment, Leef did too.
“And the food is great!” Pol said.
“Real food?” Gill asked.
“Yes. Real fruit, real meat. As much as you can eat!”
“More than one serving a day?”
“All you want,” said Rosie. “My dad will make sure you have enough.”
Leef turned back to Doc. “Truly, Uncle Doc?”
Doc smiled. “You boys will never go hungry at my house, I promise.”
“Food to eat, water to swim in, a safe place to sleep. It sounds perfect!” Leef said.
“It is,” said Pol.
Gill jumped off the bed and stood in front of Doc. “Thank you, Uncle Doc!”
Doc picked up the boy and hugged him. “You’re welcome, my boy,” he said happily.
Chapter 20
“How long until he arrives?” Braxton asked as he entered the great hall of his Rainier Island mansion.
Admiral Sullivan turned from the balcony overlooking the Pacific, drink in hand. “He’s almost here, Will. What took you so long?”
Braxton made himself a drink at the bar, then joined his friend on the balcony. The moonlight reflected off of the calm ocean water.
“My son and his friends discovered the serum—and our plans,” he replied, taking a drink.
Sullivan looked at him carefully. “Do we need to send someone…?”
“I tried. Even blew up my cabin.”
Sullivan stared at him incredulously.
“Oh, don’t worry, Sully. I’ve already notified my press people. I told them it was a Chinese saboteur. It’ll be all over the news within the hour.”
“Will! This is not something to be taken lightly! We are on the verge of a major military action, which must be kept totally confidential!”
“Look, Sully. I’ll handle this. I have people keeping an eye on them. I can’t just go kill them in broad daylight!”
Sullivan turned back to the ocean. “It’s not like you to leave a loose end.”
Braxton shook his head. “That damn boy has always been an idealistic pain in my ass.” He took another drink. “Everything ready on your end?”
“Just waiting for the word to go.”
“What’s happening over there?”
“The Xanwiti uprising is getting worse. Causing some significant disruptions around Kashgar and Lhasa.”
Braxton shook his head. “How much time from initiation to execution?”
“The troops can ship out on the submersible supercarriers with two days’ notice. They can be stationed off the coast of China in a week.”
“Stealth?”
“The Chinese will be totally unaware.”
“First strike?”
“EMPs are ready, as are the follow-up missile strikes. The high-speed suicide drones will be deployed at the time of the EMP detonation and will hit China six hours later.”
“How long to confiscate their tech?”
“My teams estimate two months.”
Braxton walked to the bar to refill his glass. “So, China will be totally eradicated, and we will have all of their technology in less than three months,” he said.
“That’s correct.”
As Braxton returned to the balcony, Sullivan’s commlink came to life.
“Mr. Secretary, President Porter and Secretary of State Chaloux are landing, sir.”
“Thank you,” Sullivan replied.
Braxton threw back his second drink and sat his empty glass on the rail. He turned to Sullivan and smiled. “Let’s go tell them what to do.”
Chapter 21
At six the next morning everyone was assembled in Skorz’s office.
“I have a suite booked at the hotel across the street for whoever chooses to stay here,” Skorz said.
“Rosie and I are the only ones staying,” Doc replied. “I want the boys to go back to Lakeland. Enjoy some peace and quiet. William will watch over them. And these three need to get back to their business.” He motioned toward Andy, Piper, and Tuck.
Piper started to protest, but Doc cut her off. “No arguments. I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave, and you can come back to pick us up.”
“What are you going to do?” Piper asked.
“The first priority is getting Kat healthy. But while we’re doing that, I’m also going to try and figure out how to stop my dad.”
Piper removed the commlink from her wrist and handed it to Doc. “This has a recording of your dad from last night. It’s him explaining everything, in detail. It’s the only copy I have. I didn’t have my equipment to save it anywhere else—it was all on the Loon—so you should make a copy as soon as you can. It may help convince some higher-ups to help out.”
Doc accepted the device and looked over at Rosie. “This could convince Symon to help.”
Rosie nodded.
“Who’s Symon?” Andy asked.
“Symon Cole, of course—the Vice President. Kat and I were friends with him back before he was even a senator from Colorado. I haven’t spoken to him in years, but he’s the only politician I have any type of connection with, so I’ll try to get in touch with him—as soon as Kat is better.”
Andy shook his head, amazed at the extent of his friend’s secrets. Doc knows the Vice President. Now I’ve heard everything.
Skorz stood. “Okay, now that that’s settled, I’m going to go check on Kat. The physical therapist should be there by now. We’re going to try out a new exo-suit, see if she can handle it.” He pointed at Andy. “And you need to get that damn box off my pad before people start asking questions. The word ‘Braxton’ painted on the side will buy you a little time, but not all day.”
Doc extended his hand toward Andy, who grasped it. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Thank you, Andy. We could not have done this without you. Without all of you,” he said, looking at Piper and Tuck.
“Just make sure they don’t come after me for that helijet,” Andy said, smiling.
“Of course.” Doc released the pilot’s hand.
Piper immediately stepped in and embraced Doc. “You’re a good man, Doc. Gabby was lucky to have you.”
Doc looked as if he was holding back tears as he kissed her on the forehead.
Piper stepped back and turned to Rosie, Bandit, and the boys. “And you have great kids.”
***
As soon as ev
eryone had assumed their positions—Bandit and the three boys in the passenger area, Tuck in the nose canopy, Piper in the copilot’s seat, and Andy in the pilot’s seat, Andy lifted off. He turned toward Lakeland, accelerating and gaining altitude.
“Next stop, Doc’s cabin,” he said over the speaker. “Should be there in less than three hours.” He then turned to Piper. “Any idea how to turn the radio on in this thing?”
She smirked and hit a button and music instantly started blasting through the speakers. He smiled at her and she winked back at him.
***
About an hour into the flight, Andy was surprised to see Pol standing silently next to him.
“Geez!” he exclaimed. “You scared me! How long have you been there?”
The boy looked slightly amused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I suppose I just tend to go unnoticed.”
Andy looked at the boy in amazement. It was strange to see a four-year-old child speak like a fully grown adult. His speech was calm and measured, and unnervingly articulate.
“S’okay,” Andy said.
“We haven’t been formally introduced, so I wanted to come and meet all of you.”
“Well, I’m Andy Matteo,” Andy said. He extended his hand, which Pol shook. “And this is my wife Piper.” He motioned toward the copilot’s seat.
As Pol turned to her, Piper unbuckled and knelt down to hug him. “I’m sorry I didn’t ‘officially’ introduce myself to you sooner,” she said. “It has just been so crazy!”
“It’s okay, ma’am.”
Piper released the boy. “I’m so glad you’re okay—and I’m very sorry for all you’ve been through.”
Pol smiled at her. “You are very beautiful,” he said.
Piper blushed.
Tuck’s head popped up from below. “And I’m Tucker Zann,” he said, raising a hand.
Pol shook it. “It is very nice to meet all of you. I’m Pol… I guess Hoff is my last name. I don’t really like that name, though.”
“You can always change it,” said Andy. “I speak from experience on that.”