by S. S. Segran
Bertram eyed the smaller man. “You have a mean streak I have only ever seen in my niece’s Chihuahua. That thing will bite off fingers and toes.”
“Says the man who engineered two strains of a deadly virus.”
“Dr. Deol at Biotech did much of the actual groundwork.”
“That woman is a brilliant star in this organization,” Dattalo said. “Hopefully the Boss will be willing to induct her into the Inner Circle in the coming months.”
Black reclined in his seat and looked out of the Spinnaker’s numerous large windows, admiring the view of the bay, then returned his attention indoors to the occupied tables. He cocked his head, watching the people eat, smile, and breathe despite the events of the summer and now, the spread of an incurable disease.
Bertram’s voice reached his ears. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Black blinked, snapping back. “Sorry. It’s just… can you believe all of this will be coming to an end soon? There are times when I find it hard to grasp the sheer immensity of what we’re doing.”
Bertram raised an eyebrow. “Is that doubt I’m hearing?”
“No, of course not. It’s just a bit jarring. But when you’re on the right side of history, it doesn’t matter.”
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
“Hm. Margaret Mead?”
Bertram looked at him approvingly. “Very good, Adrian.”
“Yes, well, it’s an apt quote.” Black gazed down at his empty plate for a few moments. “We live in exciting times, and we get to help steer the course of destiny.” He looked back up, meeting the eyes of each of his cohorts. “This is an honor, gentlemen. We are the change we’ve been waiting for.”
18
Kody flipped though channels on the Lodge’s satellite television; some of the broadcasts were in English and others in French. Annoyed, he called out, “There’s nothing much! The newscasters are just quoting parts of the CDC media statement. I guess we missed the actual thing.”
“Hey, I found the full transcript,” Aari called back from the conference table; he, Tegan, Jag, Mariah and the Sentries sat around it, talking quietly. “It was just posted on the CDC website.”
Kody trotted over to his friends who all sat across from the Sentries, in front of the giant map on the wall. Kody bumped fists with Deverell as he passed. He and the twins had returned earlier in the morning from Zurich after obtaining lab samples of the aging disease, and Dominique had shipped everything off to the Dema-Ki contact in Mayo, Yukon, including blood and tissue samples from the teenagers and the Sentries present.
Deverell and Gareth had also added a gift for Magèo: a microsphere nanoscope, a high-quality optical microscope that used extremely tiny beads to allow viewing of objects between two to three hundred nanometers, giving the user the ability to study microorganisms and viruses.
Kody took his seat between Mariah and Tegan. Aari tilted his laptop’s screen back and as he cleared his throat to read the statement aloud, they heard the front door slam shut. Kody looked over at the stairs, eager to meet the newcomer.
A broad-shouldered, rugged man in a faded black utility jacket and jeans climbed the steps, a duffel bag on his shoulder and another in his hand. Kody had to do a triple take at the creature following him. Is that a wolf?!
“About time, Vic!” Gareth grinned. “How was the drive from Geneva?”
“Long but stunning. It’s probably what caused that pileup on the mountain road.” Victor gave a short nod to the other Sentries, some of whom were gazing at him with something akin to poorly disguised hero-worship. When his gaze landed on the friends, Kody suddenly felt incredibly small and unwelcome. The man had a quiet fierceness about him, and the intensity of his hazel eyes reflected blatant disapproval.
The stretch of silence was painful. Victor turned to walk away, then paused and looked back at the teenagers. “Nice to meet you.”
The friends glanced at each other. Kody noticed a cold expression cross Marshall’s face as the Sentry watched Victor retreat to one of the loft rooms.
“Um.” Gareth rubbed the back of his head. “Aari, let’s get to the CDC’s statement.”
“Right.” Aari cleared his throat again. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms an outbreak of a previously unknown disease and is working with public health officials in Australia, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Two possible strains have been observed and, due to the highly infectious nature of this disease, the CDC has issued a travel warning for these regions.”
“So it’s not two separate diseases?” Tegan asked.
“Looks like that’s what they’re saying. Let’s see… Although the vector or vectors remain unknown at this point, the CDC is not ruling out any possibilities, including zoonotic vectors.”
“One more time in English, please,” Kody said, taking a granola bar out of his pocket to munch on.
“They’re not sure what kind of agent is transmitting the disease, and they’re not ruling out the possibility of the carriers being animals.”
“Animals make sense,” the Chinese Sentry said, pushing back her jet-black hair. “The more widespread they are, the more devastating.”
Marshall shook a finger in agreement. “Lei’s right. You know what I’m thinking the best mode of delivery is? Birds. Wide range, huge population. Perfect carriers.”
“I’m bringing an umbrella with me the next time I walk outside,” Kody muttered as he took another bite.
“While studies into the pathogen and vector/s are ongoing, the CDC is able to confirm the symptoms for one strain of the disease…” Aari quickly scanned the report. “We know this already. They’re talking about the accelerated aging strain. It’s exactly as Dominique described.”
“Anything else?” Mariah asked.
“Yeah, the unconfirmed initial symptoms for the second strain, the violent one. Mild headaches; increase in heartrate, blood pressure and body temperature.”
“It’s like a fever,” the Australian Sentry murmured. “And that’s just the early symptoms.”
“Investigation into advanced symptoms of this strain is underway and details will be made available once determined,” Aari continued. “They’re also saying that they’re not ruling out the possibility of this being a coordinated bio-terror campaign due to the diseases’ simultaneous outbreak in various parts of the globe.” He slumped back, fingers clasped behind his head. “Seems like that’s about all they’ve got for now. I’ll keep an eye out for more updates.”
“Good idea.” Benny, the Indian Sentry, got up. “I need to start packing.”
“Where are you going?” Kody asked, eyebrows arched.
“Home. Zoe’s going to head back to Australia, Lei’s returning to China and I’ll be leaving for India tomorrow. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
“We were just getting to know you guys,” Kody grumbled.
Benny smiled warmly. “I’m sure we’ll see each other soon. It was very much a pleasure—and an honor—meeting you five.”
The Sentries slowly dispersed, either to pack or to catch a well-deserved nap, leaving the teenagers around the table. Marshall was the last Sentry to go but, when he did, Kody noticed he headed to Victor’s loft. The cold look had returned to his face. Curious, Kody stepped up his hearing and directed it toward the topmost floor.
Marshall’s voice filled his ears. He sounded livid. “Really, Colback? That’s it? That’s all you got for the five of them? ‘Nice to meet you’?”
“I’m sorry. Should I have showered them with rose petals?”
“You’re unbelievable. What’s up with you? They’re the ones, for heaven’s sake!”
Something fell, making a stark clatter.
“They are not messiahs,” Victor snarled. “They’re kids. Is this what we do to kids? Throw them into the jaws of a world driven by cruelty? It will chew them up and spit them out, a
nd we’re going to have to pick up the pieces.” A heavy thud sounded, like a fist against a wall. “I just had to leave a kid in a lion’s den. He was going out of his wits. If you ask me, he seemed almost suicidal. And not only did I have to leave him, I gave him an assignment that could put his head on the chopping block.”
There was dead silence from Marshall.
“And now, I walk in here and see these five staring back at me. I don’t know how you and the others can sit around and smile and laugh with them because all I see”—Victor’s voice was low, rough and angry—“are kids thrown into an adult war, who believe they’ll make it out unscathed when you and I both know that’s a lie.”
“No one ever said this was going to be easy or safe,” Marshall said slowly, “but we know the Elders have been preparing them for this. And we’ve been doing what we can here, developing their self-defense techniques, giving them crash courses in first aid, CPR, survival skills—”
“Do you hear yourself? Do you really believe that they’ll be okay, or are you just trying to convince your conscience?”
“Listen, I had my doubts, too. I really did. Everything you mentioned was everything that went through my head, so believe me when I say that I am not blind to the risks they will face. But I had the opportunity to work with them. I saw what they were capable of and this was before they completed their training with the Elders. I know it doesn’t seem fair that they have to bear the burden of the prophecy, but that’s just the nature of it. It’s the universe at work.”
“Screw that. Blood will be spilled no matter how this turns out. And it’ll be on our hands. Can you stomach that, Sawyer?”
Kody snapped his attention away from the Sentries’ quarrel. He sat in silence, shaking slightly, while his friends conversed amongst themselves. Marshall came back downstairs a few minutes later, face taut, but gave a smile when the rest of the group noticed him.
“Sorry about Colback,” he said. “He’s, ah, a bit rough around the edges. Doesn’t do a whole lot of socializing, either.”
“That’s alright,” Tegan said. “What’s he doing now?”
“Using his layover to restock on supplies and tools from the Lodge, and to reach out to Sentries in Russia and Kazakhstan. There is a Sanctuary somewhere there that Reyor will be visiting very soon and he needs to find out where exactly, preferably before his connecting flight tonight. This is the closest anyone of Dema-Ki blood will have ever gotten to Reyor in… decades.”
“Godspeed to him,” Mariah said softly. “What’s he going to do if he does find the Sanctuary?”
“My guess is he’ll report to the Elders. A plan will probably be put in place, and we’ll be let in on it when the time’s right. Colback doesn’t talk much about his work—he’s a bloodhound with a trail to follow and that’s what he does best. Hopefully this will bring us closer to ending Reyor’s reign.”
“It’s interesting,” Tegan observed, “that the Sentries openly refer to Reyor by name, whereas the Elders and villagers do everything not to. Or they try not to, anyway.”
“Most of the Sentries never knew who Reyor was. That name doesn’t carry as much weight to us as it does to our brethren in Dema-Ki.”
The Sentry stuck around to chat with the friends for a few minutes more before retiring to his room. Kody waited until he heard the door on the floor below them shut, then said, “Victor’s not fond of us.”
“Yeah, no kidding!” Aari said. “He sounded kind of nicer on the phone.”
“I don’t mean it that way.” Kody wavered. Should I tell them what I heard? I probably should.
He quickly filled them in, and Jag looked at him disapprovingly. “You eavesdropped?”
Kody nodded, earning himself a smack on the head from Mariah. He rubbed where she’d hit him, glaring.
“I think it’s good that he did,” Tegan said. When the others stared at her, she shrugged. “I’m not saying eavesdropping itself is good, but I’d sure like to know if the people we’re working with have problems relating to us. Victor seems standoffish.”
“That concerns me,” Jag muttered.
“I’m just curious, really. I can’t decide if he’s a pessimist or a realist.”
“You can relate, I’m sure,” Aari teased.
Jag pushed away from the table and got up. “I don’t think we should pry into this any further. We’re not working directly with Victor, so it’s not an issue for us at the moment. Let’s squeeze in some training before dinner. I think that’d be a better use of our time.”
The friends got up and followed him to the basement’s steps. Kody looked up at the now-quiet loft, head tilted, then headed downstairs with the others.
* * *
Midnight found Kody in the kitchen devouring Oreos. He was sure that almost everyone was still awake, but they were all in their rooms winding down. The lights were off on the third floor. With an earbud in his ear, he nodded along to his phone’s playlist to dispel the silence. When he heard the stairs to one of the lofts creak, he stopped chewing. He could just see a silhouette carrying two duffel bags crossing the living room to head down to the main floor.
“Leaving without saying goodbye?” Kody asked as he calmly resumed snacking.
The silhouette paused, then flicked on a light. “There are more important things than goodbyes.”
Kody pulled out his earbud. “Any luck with what you needed to find?”
“Yes.” Victor looked down at his four-legged companion. “Sit.”
The dog obeyed. Kody eyed it. “So is he, like, a real wolf?”
“Half.”
“That’s cool. Tegan would love him. She’s nuts about animals.”
“I could tell. She perked up at the sight of Chief when we walked in. Mariah seemed more guarded though. Not big about wild animals, is she?”
“Yeah.” Jeez, he’s observant. “How does he handle all the travelling that you do? Must be hard, constantly being cooped up in a crate in the cargo hold of some plane.”
“He’s a service dog. He stays with me at all times.”
Kody, surprised, looked the man up and down. “I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but you seem… fit. Healthy.”
“Service dogs aren’t just for physical issues.”
Seeing the Sentry’s dour look, Kody, suddenly feeling rather stupid, decided it was best not to pursue the topic. He followed the man down the stairs and his stomach suddenly rumbled. He hid his face, embarrassed and frustrated at his insatiable appetite. Through his fingers, he thought he saw the swiftest twitch of amusement flicker across the Sentry lips, but it was gone so quickly he figured he’d imagined it.
Victor reached into one of his bags and pulled out a handful of energy bars. “Here. These fill you up within a couple of bites.”
Kody took them. “Thanks.” He slipped them into the pocket of his track pants, storing them for later. “So do you only know us by name?”
“You’re Kody. Tall guy with a constant guarded look is Jag. Inquisitive redhead with the vibrant energy’s Aari. And I talked to the girls on the phone.”
“Guess that answers that.”
Victor reached for the knob of the front door, then stopped. “What do you turn to in times of trouble?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
Kody blinked. “Um… my friends. And my family.”
“Anything else?”
“I guess I turn to humor, too, but that’s kind of preprogrammed in me.”
“It’s mankind’s greatest blessing, a writer once said.” Victor opened the door and strode out into the night, Chief following closely. As he melted into the blackness, he warned darkly, “No matter what happens, what will happen… don’t lose your humor, kid. If you do, your house of cards will crumble and hope will be lost in the wreckage. Trust me, that’s the last thing you want to happen. Don’t lose your humor.”
Kody stood in the doorway long after the taillights of the Sentry’s car had disappeared from view. H
e barely noticed the snow beginning to fall, nor the biting cold that pinched every inch of his body until he realized he could no longer feel his face. He shut the door and, not hungry anymore, returned to his room. He lay awake for half the night, staring up at the shadows on his ceiling cast by a tree outside his window as it rocked to and fro in the wind.
When he did finally close his eyes, he dreamt of a colossal pyramid formed from a deck of playing cards towering above him against a starry night. A gust billowed through the great structure. Kody watched in terror as the topmost card tipped over and the cackling face of the Joker rushed to meet him, its mouth open wide in a gruesome laugh, devouring him whole.
19
The white-haired man knelt beside the body, lips trembling as tears trailed down his weathered face. He softly stroked the girl’s black-and-ginger hair, silently weeping apology after apology. Then, with shaking hands, he pulled the sheet over his lifeless apprentice, covering the face of the girl who was the closest thing he had to a daughter.
Bodies covered with sheets littered Dema-Ki’s community square. Rain beat down around the old man, the heavens weeping as Magèo did for the lives that had been ripped away by the plague. Lightning struck on the opposite bank, momentarily illuminating the afflicted villagers as they moved through the trees. They were on edge; the disease had reduced them to beasts that assailed each other when their paths crossed. Magèo crouched low among the corpses, staying out of sight. Thunder roared, echoing through the valley. The old man had never felt so defeated.
Slowly, he backed away from the mass of bodies. He needed to get to his laboratory, barricade himself within the safety of its walls—and find the cure. The rain soaked him to the bone and tightened his tunic around his rotund body, restricting his movement. When he thought he was a safe distance from the community square, he spun around to make a break for his lab. Another flash of lightning erupted in front of him. Sparks of electricity lit up the darkness and he unleashed a scream that drowned out the thunder.