by RM Brewer
“Okay, let’s go.” He jumped down from the chair, landing at Hana’s feet. "Are there other cameras?"
Hana shook her head. "Not around here. I mean, they're in the genetics lab, too, but not in the exam rooms."
Chuck reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet, thinking it would indeed be nice to see what she would do if she were infected with the virus. Then a thought came to him. He didn’t trust Hana to retrieve the antidote. The only way he could know for sure that she had the right one was if she had the virus herself.
Hana whimpered as he dragged her into the room. He set her in a chair and slammed the medical bag down on the table in front of her. Hana looked at him, confused. Chuck opened the bag and pulled out a syringe.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just you never mind,” Chuck said, flicking the protective cover off. He reached down and grabbed the rubber strip used as a tourniquet and wrapped it around his forearm, watching as his veins grew in size.
“Chuck, your blood. You have to be very careful with it.” Hana’s voice was shaking.
“Yes, I know,” he said, sticking the needle into his bulging vein and pulling back the plunger to fill the tube. Very careful.”
“What are you going to do with that?” Hana asked, pushing her chair back from the table.
“I’m going to provide some incentive.” Chuck lunged across the space between them and pushed the needle deeply into Hana’s arm as she screamed. “Now let’s see how much of a hurry you’re in to get the antidote.” Pulling her and her chair over by the refrigerator, he opened the door while she whimpered. Shelves of bottles lay set out before them. “Which one?”
“I’ll get it,” Hana said, her voice trembling. She tried to stand until Chuck pushed her down into her seat. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
“Well, that’s just golden, Hana. What I’ve done? Me? Not you and your genetics team? Me?” Chuck found this funny in one way and enraging in another. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at her. “Well, yes, I know what I’ve done. Now, tell me the name of the medication and I’ll get it.”
Hana glared at him. “Alt Z. Get two vials for each of us.”
Chuck read across the rows of bottles, coming to a shelf of shrink-wrapped vials, labeled Alt Z. He looked around the room for a container. Finding a large needle disposal box, he opened it and dumped the used needles out. Then, he went back to the refrigerator and swept the entire row of Alt Z vials into the container, got an ice tray out of the freezer and covered the vials. He snapped the lid closed and stuffed the container inside a unused trash can liner, which he slung over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Hey, be careful with that," Hana said. "Besides that, you don’t need that much. There won’t be any left for anyone else if you take it all.”
Chuck laughed and roughly pulled Hana to her feet. “You’re catching on. That’s the plan. Now, tell me why you think everyone on the planet is going to die.”
Hana looked at him and shook her head. “I’m not telling you anything.”
Chuck smiled. “You know, I was never a violent person before all of this started. Now, I see the value in it, though.” He twisted Hana’s arm at a severe angle. “If I push just a little harder, it will break.”
Hana groaned, her breath quick and raspy. “Okay, okay. When we get up there . . . at the outpost . . . they’re going to blow the planet from space.”
Chuck didn’t trust her. “Oh, well, only that,” he muttered, dragging her down the hallway. “Why wait? I mean, why are you so important? Why not kill us all now?”
Hana didn’t respond. She just rubbed her wrist and moaned.
The realization of what he’d just asked was starting to sink in. “It’s not you that is so important, is it? It’s me and Jodie . . . isn’t it?”
Hana remained silent.
Chuck stopped and pushed her against the wall. “Isn’t it?” he asked louder. He could tell by the look on Hana's face that he was right. “Well too bad. We’re not going with you.”
* * *
Fester ran as hard as he could. He’d found the backpack and was making his way toward the tank where Claire was when he heard them. Not virals, though. Jeeps on the ground. Helicopters and jets screaming overhead. He dove under one of the tanks as a canvas-covered military truck approached and stopped. Fester heard the door open and the sound of footsteps coming closer to him.
“Looks like everybody’s gone,” a soldier called out. “There’s nothing left.”
Fester crawled farther under the tank and slid toward the front, where he could see the soldiers standing.
“The only thing they didn’t blow up is the loading facility. We’d better get over there and see if anyone’s still alive.”
Fester saw an opportunity and took it. Scooting out from underneath the tank, he waited until the soldiers opened their doors, then he ran for the back of the truck and hoisted himself up on the tailgate. He almost lost his grip as the truck lurched forward, but managed to wriggle through the opening in the canvas tarp. He landed hard on his shoulder, slamming into a box. Fester grimaced, gritting his teeth for a moment, waiting for the pain to pass. Then he rolled over and read the label on the box he was laying on. “Awesome,” he said.
* * *
Jodie woke with a start, not knowing where she was for a moment. Her mouth felt like it was full of sand and her head felt like a bass section had taken up residence there. Just opening her eyes intensified the pounding beyond what she could tolerate and she covered her face, trying to keep the light out. She felt like she’d had enough of all of it. If she truly was infected with the alien virus, she hoped it would take her this time. She was done fighting. Starting to doze off again, visions of the creatures crept into her mind, but she forced them out, trying to think only of Mei and the sweetness they’d found in the little time they’d had together. Having failed in saving Mei, death seemed like a welcome option.
Then, she heard Chuck’s voice echoing in her head. She tried to force him out, but he wouldn’t go. He just kept saying her name over and over. She woke to him standing over her. Someone else was there, too, but her vision was so blurred that Jodie couldn’t make out who it was. “Hi, Chuck.”
“Hi, Jodie. I brought Hana. We’ve got the antidote.”
Jodie’s vision was clear enough to see the tears streaming down Chuck’s face. She reached up and wiped them away. “I’m not feeling so good.”
“Better give her two vials,” Hana said. “She’s further along than I guessed she would be.”
Chuck fumbled around in a bag, his big hands looking clumsy for the task.
“If you hadn’t broken my wrist, I could’ve done that for you,” Hana said.
Chuck laughed a sarcastic sounding laugh. “If I hadn’t broken your wrist, you would’ve never told me where the antidote was.” He pulled an empty syringe out of the bag and filled it, holding it up as he pulled Jodie’s arm out of her sleeve. “Oh, God.”
The sound of Chuck’s voice alarmed her and Jodie looked at her arm, seeing it covered in scales. She sat halfway up, breathing hard. Maybe she didn’t want to die like this. “Is it too late?”
Hana leaned over and looked at Jodie’s arm. “Give her the shot now, Chuck. In her shoulder. It won’t go through that.” Hana pointing to the scales.
Chuck turned away from Jodie and grabbed Hana by her broken wrist. "Now, sit still. I think you'll go first."
Hana tried to squirm away from him, but couldn't. "Okay, just give it to me," she said.
When Chuck was finished giving her the injection, he let her arm go and she wriggled a few feet away from him, clutching her wrist to her chest. Jodie watched her for signs of a bad reaction.
"Just give it to her, Chuck, or she'll be too far gone," Hana said.
"If this doesn't help her, it'll cost you your life," he said. "Do you understand?"
Hanna nodded. "It'll take some time to work."
; Jodie tried to read Chuck's face. "Is she telling the truth?"
Chuck closed his eyes, looking like he was deep in thought. Then he smiled and looked at her. "Yeah, I think so," he said, his eyes filling with tears. He pulled up another syringe of the antidote and injected her.
Jodie suddenly felt weightless, as if her body were floating. Her pain gone, she let her mind wander to a time not too long ago when her friends had become family. She could see their laughing faces and feel their embraces, wrapping around her like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. She felt Chuck gently place her head down on a pillow as a wave of darkness washed over her. She let it take her, realizing she needed to rest now. There was much left to live for.
* * *
“What’s wrong? Why is she so out of it?” Chuck wondered if Hana had poisoned Jodie.
“The virus and the medicine you’ve given her are both a big shock to her system. Her body needs everything it has to fight the infection.” Hana turned away. “Chuck, what I told you before about Jodie dying . . . it probably is true. The injection you just gave her will delay the inevitable, but she probably doesn’t have that much time left.”
Chuck looked at her, gritting his teeth, trying not to hit something. “But, why?”
“We've known that about her for a long time. She was infected with the virus as a small child and her cells tolerated it, but we always knew there was an ending point. She’s lived longer than anyone thought she would. But now . . . with the physical transformation happening . . . well, people don’t live that long.”
“What do you mean, she's had it since she was a child? Wouldn't she have died from it already if that really were true?"
Hana said nothing and Chuck could feel his rage building, not being able to read her mind. One thing he did know, though, was she was hiding something. Obviously, she was skilled at keeping her thoughts concealed. "Do you mean to tell me that no one ever told her? She could've infected people all this time? And, what about me? I didn’t die. It’s been months and months.”
Hana turned back to face him. “You’re a pretty special case. No one knows how long you'll live, but it's fair to say you've exceeded all expectations. You might live out a normal human life. Maybe even longer, but eventually, your time will come. Mine, as well." Hana averted her eyes from Chuck again, a sad expression creeping over her face.
"Do you mean --"
"Yes, I was infected, too. We all were. The entire team. The only hope we had was that the others would have some sort of cure for us. They sent us the antidote, but we have to be treated whenever we're exposed or . . ."
Chuck didn't know whether to feel sorry for Hana or not, but now he understood the reason behind her betrayal and her need for the genetics team to get to the alien outpost. They were hoping alien technology could provide them with a cure.
"Speaking of which, now that you infected me, I’ll need more of the vaccine, too,” Hana said.
Chuck nodded. He pulled out another syringe and loaded it. “One or two?”
“One for now. Another later,” Hana said, holding out her good arm.
“I’m sorry I did that to you,” Chuck said, gesturing to Hana's injured wrist. “I didn’t think you would help me if I didn’t persuade you to.”
Hana smirked. “And this is your method of persuasion now, Chuck?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
"It seems that saving ourselves is coming at too high a cost." Hana looked down at Jodie, a wistful expression on her face. "We studied Jodie for so long that we felt like we knew her . . . like she was our friend, rather than a research subject." Hana sighed and leaned against the wall. "I know this is all very difficult to understand. What started out as a cooperative project to rid the world of disease and hunger . . . well, it's going to kill us all."
Chuck gritted his teeth. He had no desire to feel sorry for Gypsum or its scientists, especially not after having seen their patient files. The descriptions and photos of the torture they'd inflicted on thousands of people in the name of science, notoriety, or whatever drove them filled his body with a kind of hatred and disgust he'd never known. He looked down, seeing his arms begin to glow red.
"I know what you're thinking, Chuck. You're thinking about the experiments, aren't you? That's childish. Scientific advances don't happen without some sacrifice. Even you should know that."
Chuck turned to her, examining her face, seeing no sympathy or regret, only a look of smugness and superiority. He realized she was nothing other than a manipulative glory monger who cared about no one other than herself. He couldn't trust her. He'd made that mistake before, allowing her to talk in her ever-so-convincing voice about scientific advancements Gypsum had made. Yet, moments later, the true Hana had come out of hiding, the Hana who could rationalize experimenting on thousands of unsuspecting human subjects just to gain notoriety with the Gypsum Corporation. He wasn't going to let her trick him again.
* * *
Fester jumped out of the back of the military truck as it approached the loading area. Above him, he could see and feel the ship hovering, an almost inconceivably massive structure that blotted out what was left of the evening light. It loomed over the landscape, enormous, impressive, and terrifying. Fester rolled to the ground and crouched behind a Jeep parked near the loading area. He pulled out his radio and looked around to make sure he was alone before turning up the volume. "Chuck, come in." Fester waited, flattening his body against the ground as another vehicle passed.
The radio suddenly came to life, a sharp static-filled squeal.
"Chuck here. Fester, is that you?"
Fester turned the volume down and shifted, peering under the Jeep for any sign of activity. For the time being, it seemed no one had noticed his squealing radio. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Are you guys okay? Over."
"Yes. We're coming out in a few minutes. Over."
Fester looked at the vehicles departing the loading area. "Uh, Chuck, I think you better hurry that up. It looks like they're getting ready to leave. Uh . . . over."
"Don't worry about that for right now. They'll be delayed for a bit. Trust me. Are you with the truck? We sure could use some transportation. Over."
"Not the pickup, but I can get a truck. I don't know if it's a good idea to use, though. Over."
"Why's that? Over."
Fester recalled the box he'd landed on. "It has these nuclear warheads inside of it."
Fester let go of the transmit button on the radio. Static filled the air.
"Chuck? Over."
"You're sure, Fester?"
"Yup. I saw it myself. I have no idea how to use them, but there's a truck with a bunch of 'em out here. Over."
"You stay out there. I'm coming to you. Tell me what the truck looks like. Over."
"It's one of those canvas covered things. You know, really big. The whole thing is full of bombs and weapons. It looks like they're gonna nuke the crap out of something. Over."
"Okay. Can you get to it and hide inside? Over."
Fester wondered if it was such a great idea to hide inside a truck filled with nuclear weapons, but he'd done it before, so why not again? "I guess so. Over."
"I'll see you in a bit. Remember, stay put until I come to you. Over."
CHAPTER 20
Jimbo felt the air growing cooler as they descended into the Gypsum tunnel. Traveling quietly was out of the question with the horde's talons scraping against the metal stairs no matter how much they tried to be quiet. They'd walked about an hour when the air they had descended into suddenly turned more humid and warm. Jimbo guessed they were entering an area where people would be. He thought he heard a noise and shushed the group behind him. Jimbo crept down as quietly as he could and leaned around the next corner, listening. He could hear voices and machinery of some sort. And, he thought he heard something else. A train, of all things, but how would a train get down here, hundreds of feet below the earth?
Jimbo urged the horde on until they came t
o a landing at the bottom of the stairs. They stood in the dark shadows of the stairwell, watching the scene before them. Ahead lay an enormous subterranean cavern, filled with containers that looked like oxygen tanks. The containers were stacked high on shelves that reached to the ceiling. Jimbo thought three or four football fields could fill the area occupied by the shelves. A train track with flatbed cars sat in the center of the cavern. One by one, forklifts carried palettes of the containers, loading them on the train cars. Another train entered the far side of the cavern and made a loop, connecting with the middle track where it stopped and waited. Once the first train was loaded, the second pulled into place and parked. This, Jimbo and the horde watched repeated four times. Thousands of the containers had been loaded and were being transported. But where? And, what was in them? It was time to find out.
Three of the remaining horde went left, three went right and Jimbo led the other three directly into the center of the cavern. They dodged between palettes, trying to remain undiscovered. They reached an area close to where a man with a clipboard stood, taking notes. Jimbo watched for a while until the man reached for a phone mounted to a column and started talking.
"Yeah, we're up and running. The first load should be to you within an hour," the man said. "I know. I know, but we're working as fast as we can. I kept telling them we should've started this weeks ago. Some of this stuff has to make it all the way to Beijing. I hear they're having a helluva time there." The man paused and looked at his clipboard. "No, only the gas for the virals. We have no weapons to ship down here. The military was supposed to bring some today, but we had an incident."
So, Jimbo thought. The tanks of gas he was looking at were going to be used on virals. Virals like him, who apparently were all over the world now, even in Beijing, for Christ sake. Now seemed like a good time to put a stop to this operation. Jimbo called his horde to him, urging them to move fast. Once he saw them making their way back to his position, he moved forward, his three followers in tow. As he approached the train from the rear, he instructed one group to get the train conductor and the other to take care of the man with the clipboard, who was still talking on the phone. His group would provide backup from behind.