“Executive order for immediate resolution of ration 27680, authorized by Executive Jeremy Smith…” His voice trailed off for a moment as he chuckled. “I guess this is almost like the reading of a death warrant from ages ago, isn’t it?”
Ayn’s stomach turned as fear raced up his spine.
“Why would Executive Smith want me dead?”
Noah shrugged.
“Oh, it’s not Smith, he’s just the only one who can do it. Dr. Hanson is the one who wants you dead. Now, where was I? Oh yes—authorized by Executive Jeremy Smith. Noah Meyers, lab assistant to Dr. Monica Andreas, has informed the administration that he witnessed Dr. Andreas and her co-conspirator, Dr. David Sipp, use their knowledge of genetic engineering to create the ration strain in question for the sole purpose of manufacturing evidence to end the ration program. Dr. Andreas’ actions warrant the immediate intervention of the administration to resolve said ration―”
“We both know that’s a lie,” Ayn breathed, his eyes flashing with anger. “What’s the real reason?”
Noah refolded the page and put it back in his pocket as he crossed the room.
“All that matters is that once you’re dead, my compensation for carrying out the order is automatic researcher status. No more qualifying exam―just straight to my own lab.”
Ayn’s eyes tracked the man’s movements, watching as Noah reached into the medication cabinet and withdrew a syringe and a vial. He stabbed the needle through the seal, turning the vial upside down as he filled the chamber to capacity, and Ayn’s heart began to pound.
“Andreas is going to have you removed for this,” he gulped. “You’ll never get a chance to see your own lab, not when she’s done with you.”
Noah clicked his tongue.
“Not so, ration―she’s going to be removed once you’re dead, Smith is going to tell everyone about her giving him access to confidential research files. See? It all works out—I get to be a researcher, Dr. Hanson gets rid of Andreas, and you disappear. Perfect.”
Noah set the vial down, holding the syringe in his hand as he reached back into the cabinet. Ayn clenched his jaw.
“Dr. Hanson knows about the defect, that’s really what this is about. She’s known this whole time, hasn’t she?”
“Are you going to make this difficult?” Noah asked, ignoring the question. He withdrew his hand from the cabinet, producing a slender rod. “I mean, you’re trapped in that cage, it’s not like you can escape this. I really would like to avoid an unnecessary mess.”
He slipped the syringe into the chamber, and it clinked as it ran down the inside of the rod’s length until the tip of the needle appeared at the opposite end. Ayn kept his eyes fixed on the sharp point as Noah stepped towards the cage; the spring-loaded rod was over three feet long, and Noah wouldn’t have to come within reach to jab him.
“I have more information about David’s work,” Ayn bargained, his voice cracking. “Things I haven’t even told Andreas yet.”
Noah laughed.
“I don’t care about that, she’s the one obsessed with all of this, not me. I have an order from Smith that gives me what I’ve been wanting since the day I moved out of the researcher training unit and found out I was only ever going to be a lab assistant. Nothing else matters to me.”
“But don’t you want to know why I exist, Noah? Isn’t that the whole point of being a researcher?”
Noah scoffed, lifting the rod.
“It’s not about why, ration—it’s about control. It’s about maintaining order, and above all else, it’s about making sure we survive. The ration program can’t continue if the scientists find out about you, and once you’re gone, Dr. Hanson will be able to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Ayn heard the spring release as a glint of silver flashed towards him; he spun aside, narrowly avoiding it. The syringe clattered against the wall, the chamber cracking from the force and sending fluid spattering across the floor, and Noah whispered a curse as he moved to fill another.
“It’s pointless, ration,” he sighed, removing a second vial from the cabinet. “I’m not leaving here until you’re dead.”
Ayn glanced at the one-way glass, hoping to see Andreas walk into the entry room, but she didn’t appear. He focused on the keypad, his mind churning as he tried to think. The code had to be something predicable. Andreas cared about David, she cared about the work…
She cared about David.
Ayn closed his eyes, desperately searching his memory as he heard Noah reload the rod with a new syringe. He pictured the computer screen from the Project Nine lab, the numbers that displayed the date flashing through his mind.
October 28th, almost a year and a half ago.
His hand was poised over the keypad, and he tapped the numbers as quickly as he could.
1-0-2-8-4-7.
The lock clicked.
Ayn lunged out of the cage; Noah screamed with wide-eyed panic as he raised his arm, aiming the rod just as Ayn’s hands closed around his throat. Ayn began to squeeze, adrenaline pulsing through his veins, when he felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over him. He glanced down in shock—the needle was buried in his side.
“No,” he whispered, losing his grip as his muscles went numb. His vision began to swim, and he staggered back, grabbing hold of the desk as he tried to keep from falling.
He heard Noah gasp for breath, and he glanced up to see the man grin.
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Noah chuckled hoarsely, rubbing his throat. “It’s quick, it’ll be over in a few seconds.”
Ayn let out a wail of sorrow as his knees buckled beneath his weight.
“Amber,” he gasped, fighting to stay conscious. His heartbeat faded into the distance as the light vanished from before his eyes; he collapsed to the floor, rolling onto his back in the corner beside the desk. He stared up at the ceiling as a dark wave of confusion soaked into his mind—where was the sky?
The constellations flashed through his memory in the final echo of his consciousness, their stars sparkling as if excited to welcome him into their midst. The bull of Taurus turned its heavy head, its eyes fixating on his dying form, and Ayn felt his heart thud to a stop.
Tell her I’m coming, his soul whispered. Tell her…
Noah grinned with satisfaction as he watched the ration’s body grow still, listening to the final breath that hissed out from between its lips. He grabbed a stethoscope and bent down as he placed his fingers on the side of the ration’s neck. There was no pulse, and he leaned in closer, straining his ears as he moved the stethoscope back and forth across the ration’s chest. Silence.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Noah turned to see Andreas standing at the door, her face going pale as she took in the sight that lay before her. He smirked.
“What I was ordered to do,” Noah answered, folding his arms across his chest. “I was told to resolve this ration, and I just completed my task.”
Andreas stared at him in shock; a mixture of rage and horror erupted in her heart, and she let out a roar of fury as she launched herself at Noah.
“You BASTARD!”
Noah shrieked, turning to run, but she was too quick for him. She grabbed hold of his labcoat and flung him away; he tripped and fell, a sickening crack echoing through the room as his head struck the desk. Blood sprayed her face as he went down, his scream instantly cut off, and the raw edges of a gash shaped like the corner of her desk spilled more blood out of the side of his head and onto the floor.
Andreas ignored his limp body, leaping over him as she ran to the ration’s side and placed her fingers on its neck. It was dead, and her stomach sank with despair as she bolted towards the cabinet and began tearing through the vials. Her eyes fell on the bottle marked ‘remedium’; she snatched it and stumbled back towards the ration’s motionless figure, falling to her knees as her trembling hands tried to fill the syringe.
She held it between her
teeth, using both hands as she struggled to roll the ration’s massive body away from the side of the desk it was slumped against. It was heavier than she had expected, and she groaned with effort, finally managing to expose the back of its head. She focused past the tears that were welling up in her eyes as she felt for the right place, then she carefully slipped the needle into the base of its skull, holding her breath as she pushed the plunger. Her heartbeat counted off the seconds; the response should have been nearly instantaneous, and when the ration didn’t move, she ran back to the cabinet for more.
This time, she also grabbed a vial of serum, and she used her knee as a brace to keep the ration from falling onto her as she emptied the second vial into the syringe before moving to the serum. The red fluid swirled as it mixed into the clear liquid of the remedium dose, and she hesitated for a split second as she whispered a prayer. She had never given them both at once like this before, especially not directly to the brain.
“Come on!” Andreas commanded, plunging the needle into the ration’s head a second time. The syringe emptied and she moved her knee, allowing its body to roll back over. She searched its face for any sign of life, only to feel cold fingers of defeat sink into her heart.
It was too late.
“Dammit!” she wailed through clenched teeth, sitting back and burying her face in her hands. “Dammit, David, I had it!”
Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed, and she drew a ragged breath, her lungs struggling against the weight of her sorrow. A gurgling gasp filled the room, echoing in her ears, and she clutched her arms around her chest as she glanced towards Noah’s body. A fresh wave of sobs rose up in her throat; she would be finished once he recovered and told everyone what she had done.
Andreas inhaled sharply a moment later, her eyes growing wide. She couldn’t see his chest moving.
She was almost afraid to look, and she had to force herself to focus on the ration’s form. Relief coursed through her veins―its breaths were labored and shallow, but it was alive. Andreas rushed to fill another syringe full of serum, this time injecting it directly into the ration’s heart. She slapped its cheek, trying to rouse it, and to her amazement, it opened its eyes.
Ayn’s chest ached as he blinked in confusion; he struggled to focus, only to feel a sudden surge of terror snap him wide awake a moment later. His arms flailed in panic.
“It’s okay, ration!” Andreas reassured him, quickly dodging his swinging hands. “Calm down, you’re alive!”
Ayn’s eyes darted back and forth as he searched for Noah; his gaze fell on the lifeless form lying on the floor a short distance away from him, and he instantly relaxed, drawing a deep breath as he glanced at Andreas.
“Noah…he tried to kill me.”
“I gathered as much,” she said, frowning as she looked over at Noah’s body. “He succeeded, albeit temporarily.”
Ayn coughed, groaning as he struggled to sit up.
“Noah had an executive order, he said Dr. Hanson is trying to keep everyone from finding out about me.”
Andreas gasped.
“An executive order? Are you sure?”
Ayn nodded.
“It’s in his pocket,” he told her. “Left side.”
He watched her move to retrieve the folded page from Noah’s pocket, her eyes growing wide as she quickly read through it.
“This doesn’t say anything about Brenda,” Andreas said as she glanced up from the page. “It’s based on statements from Noah.”
Ayn winced, feeling his heartbeat skipping in an irregular pattern, and he coughed again as he tried to steady himself.
“Noah told me that she wanted me dead and Smith was the only one with authority to make it happen.”
“That bitch,” Andreas hissed, shoving the page into her pocket. She looked up at him, her face etched with concern. “How do you feel?”
Ayn gave her a tired smile.
“Better than I did a minute ago. You saved my life.”
“Yeah, by trading mine,” she sighed, her expression souring. “I’m finished, Smith is going to bring me up on murder charges once he finds out about this.”
“Even with the other researchers backing you?”
Andreas nodded.
“Noah had an executive order. They are extremely rare, but the circumstances in which they are issued are the only exception to the board’s authority. As long as the order was actually signed by Smith, my interference constitutes treason.”
“Technically, you didn’t interfere,” Ayn pointed out. “I mean, I was dead.”
She chuckled sarcastically and rolled her eyes.
“If I thought that argument would work, believe me, I’d try it. Noah’s dead, they’re not going to care about anything else.”
Ayn held his breath for a moment, rehearsing his next words in his mind.
“Tell them I did it.”
Andreas scoffed.
“I didn’t go through the trouble of reviving you just to have you die again! They’ll euthanize you for this!”
Ayn opened his mouth, preparing to respond, when his words caught in his throat. His lungs refused to work for a moment, and he sucked at the air, straining against the emptiness in his chest until he finally managed to draw a full breath.
“They won’t, not if you let me go,” he choked out, ignoring her worried expression.
“You need a medical doctor,” Andreas said as she stood to her feet. “I’m going to get Trent, he’ll be able to help.”
“They’ll kill you, Andreas, you said so yourself!” Ayn protested, catching hold of her hand. “Just think about this for a minute!”
“I’m not telling them that you did this, dammit! And I’m sure as hell not letting you go!”
“Why not?” he demanded. “It’s the only way―”
“Are you serious?” she hissed as she pulled out of his grasp. “I’m not the one who matters in this, any researcher can do what I’ve been doing. You’re the key, you need to be studied whether I’m the one doing it or not―”
“And you’re really going to trust someone else with David’s work?” Ayn countered. He heaved himself to his feet. “Do you really think any other researcher would have gone to the lengths that you did? You broke me, Andreas, you found the one and only thing that ever would have worked to get me to talk. No one else cares as much as you do!”
Andreas felt her heart skip a beat. The ration was right, she couldn’t trust something like this to the other scientists.
“I need you for my research,” she said weakly. “I can’t do this without a living specimen.”
“Come on, Andreas, that’s not true,” the ration countered. “You already have everything you need to prove that David was right. You’ve isolated the supplement resistance, isn’t that enough?”
“His research was more than that, it wasn’t done! There was a lifetime of unfinished projects trapped in his mind, and if I don’t finish them, no one ever will!”
The ration gave her a pitying look.
“David’s gone, Monica,” it told her gently. “He wouldn’t have wanted this for you.”
She turned away.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, I do,” the ration said, reaching out and putting its hand on her shoulder. “It would break my heart to see Amber living like you’re living, carrying this guilt around like you are. What’s done is done, and the only thing your regret can change is what you do from this point on. Let it make you into a better person instead of cowering under it.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do! I’m trying to be better, I’m trying to fix what I can―”
“You’re trying to undo something that can’t be changed,” it corrected her. “You’re carrying the whole burden of the system that killed David, even though the responsibility isn’t just yours to bear. You can’t give life to the days he lost, but you can live your days for both of you. That’s wh
at he would have hoped for you, not this. Why do you think I sent Amber away even though I couldn’t follow? I want her to live even if I can’t, and if you hadn’t managed to save me, that’s exactly what she would be doing right now. David would want the same for you, Monica.”
Andreas scoffed in disbelief.
“Why are you telling me this? I literally cut a hole in your head less than a day ago, even when you begged me not to—I cut you apart!”
The ration sighed.
“Because it’s the same thing I hope Amber will know if I don’t find her,” it answered. “If I wouldn’t want her to live with guilt, why would I wish it on anyone else?”
Andreas could feel the words cut through her heart like a hot blade, and in that single instant, the last shred of her denial evaporated. She glanced up, meeting his sorrowful gaze, and her breath caught in her throat.
“You must not know much about people after all, Ayn,” she managed to say. “We always wish the worst for those that have hurt us.”
He smiled.
“So I have a name now?” he gently chided, nudging her jokingly. “I thought names were for people?”
Andreas couldn’t help feeling a sense of awe as she stared at him.
“You’re the strangest creature I’ve ever met,” she told him, shaking her head. “I can see why Amber was so taken with you.”
She saw his eyes snap forward, his face lighting up with hope.
“You’re going to let me go?”
She shrugged.
“As much as I’d love to learn everything I can about you, your idea is the only option I have. Brenda will find a way to get rid of you if I’m not around, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her win this one. She’s not killing you.”
“Oh, I get it,” Ayn said, his eyes dancing with amusement. “So this is just about pulling one over on Brenda?”
“Don’t push it,” Andreas growled, but she couldn’t help smiling. “I can see how excited you are about this, it’s because you’re going to get another chance to drug me, isn’t it?”
“I mean, I figured I was going to have to hit you if you didn’t change your mind in the next ten minutes,” he shot back, grinning happily. “I’d much rather go with the sedation compound—unless you’d prefer the first option, that is.”
CENTER 82 (RATION) Page 36