Lethal Injection

by K M Lovold

  Nikolina took a deep breath and pressed her lips together. Of course, David would answer like that. He was changed, not the same man he was when he lived on Earth. He was a keeper. And, apparently, being a keeper changed you. Forever.

  “You’re right, David.” Nikolina stood slowly. “Power. That’s all I want. Just like you.”

  “Where are you going? To sit with your friend over there?” David nodded toward Ian who sat across from Levi, still eating.

  “Yeah. I’m still trying to find out as much as I can about him and anything else about Jack that would be helpful to me as a keeper.”

  “Very well then. Keep up the good work.” David smiled. “Hey, we’re gonna have a lot of fun being keepers together.”

  Nikolina nodded and turned on her heel and walked over to Ian.

  “I need to talk to you.” She stood above him, ignoring Levi. “It’s important.”

  Ian stared at her, his forehead wrinkling. “Have a seat.”

  ****

  By the next afternoon, a weight had lifted off Malaki. The refrigerator and freezer were loaded with food enough for at least a month, and the cupboards, too. He figured he might as well have things set for himself for some time, and for Ian, too, in case he made it back soon.

  He stood in front of the coffee pot, his fingers drumming the countertop, waiting for it to finish brewing. The Columbian aroma permeated the kitchen, and he breathed it in. The open window let in a warm breeze, and the summer birds sang so loud, it was as if they were composing a welcome melody. Malaki poured the steamy brew in his cup and strode to the window and held his mug out in a toast to the chorus of birds. “Thanks for the welcome, friends. Very glad to be back, too.”

  With that he turned on his heel and headed directly to the ham shack. He turned up the radio. Next to it sat the recording device. “I need to test this thing out, make sure it’s in good working order.” Even though he wasn’t going to be leaving the house anytime soon, he could possibly be outside, in his room, on the lake—who knew—and he couldn’t risk missing Ian’s message.

  He plunked his coffee onto the desk and jogged out to his truck, jumped inside, and switched his mobile radio on, turning the frequency to the same one as the one in the house.

  He grabbed the microphone. “Testing, testing, 1-2-3-4, this is E0NQT.”

  He flicked the radio off and darted back to the ham shack, grabbing the recording device. He let out a sigh of relief. The recorder’s green light lit up steady and then blinked once, meaning one message stored. Thankfully, it worked. But he had no reason to think it wouldn’t. He pressed the button to play the recording: “Testing, testing, 1-2-3-4, this is E0NQT” Malaki’s voice boomed in the room.

  “Nice.” He took another gulp of coffee and strode to the steps that would take him to the basement. He went to the electrical panel and shut the electricity off—as a test—and Malaki could tell by the humming sound nearby that the back-up generator power had immediately kicked in.

  If those in The Circle saw him using Ian’s generator instead of their precious memroth, he’d be in deep trouble. He laughed. Then he returned to the ham shack. All the radios were still powered on, and the recording device still had a red light, showing Malaki it would keep recording even if the electricity went out for some reason. Then he went back to the basement and switched the electricity back on. Good working order was vital.

  Malaki looked at his watch. Waitforit went up two days ago. She should be landing on Reathran in about six to eight days. That didn’t mean Ian would get to her the moment she arrived. He had his stuff to tend to on his end, which could take time. But Ian wouldn’t have sent his message if he wasn’t ready to take the next steps. Would he? “I wonder how far he’s gotten?” Malaki whispered. “How close is he to getting what we need?”

  Malaki grabbed the remote control and pointed it to the TV on the wall, flicking it on. He turned to his favorite classic TV station, watched for a few minutes, chuckling out loud, then flipped through the stations. A few court dramas and a couple documentaries, and then he landed on the news, which instantly caught his eye. He leaned toward the TV:

  “—standing in front of Renewalenergy, Inc.,” the reporter said, “where the best, and I mean the best, chemists are on the cutting edge of something dramatically new that will affect the way we use energy for the rest of our lives.” The newswoman stood in front of their headquarters in Washington D.C., clutching a microphone, her auburn hair slicked back in a tight bun. She wore narrow glasses and a navy-blue sport coat. The large sign “Renewalenergy, Inc.” was to the right of her, with people walking in and out of the building in the background.

  “This new form of renewable energy is going to be the way of the future and could rid the world of gasoline fumes forever, a big win for those fighting climate change.” She gave a wide smile. “We’ll have more on this developing story in the coming months, so keep in touch on KHQK online. You’ll get up-to-date notifications in real time.”

  “Thank you, Stephanie, for that exciting news development.” Back in the studio, a blond-haired man spoke with a smile. “And on the economic front, here’s Blair Keinfeld with the latest report.”

  Malaki flicked the TV off.

  Things were moving swiftly. Malaki tapped his index finger against his lip. “Hurry back, Ian. Hurry back.”

  Suddenly, static and what sounded like a pounding noise blared through the speaker to Ian’s security gate passcode device. “What is that?” More static, then the beeping of buttons followed by a loud humming. The device read locked. “What is going on out there?” He didn’t think it was the person who worked on Ian’s lawn because the lawn looked pristine, as if they’d just been here.

  He plunked his coffee mug on the table, bolted out the door and ran down the long winding driveway, stopping short before he came in view of the gate. He darted to the left into the thick woods and took steady steps toward the security gate. He heard someone’s voice. The spongy crunch of dead pine needles and the snap of twigs sounded with each step he took so he slipped behind a large white pine. Through the trees and bushes he spotted the security gate up ahead. He crept a few steps closer. A gush of wind rustled the leaves around him, and then he spotted him.

  Charles Price.

  What the devil was he doing here? His focus lay solely on the security gate passcode panel. He pressed his fingers to it a few more times before swearing loudly, then jumped back in his vehicle slamming his door. He gripped the steering wheel and put his forehead to it. His mouth moved frantically, no doubt yelling. Finally, he straightened, and the car sped away, leaving a cloud of dirt and dust behind.

  After a couple minutes, Malaki jogged to the gate. Tall fencing extended from the gate and surrounded all of Ian’s property. Thank God Ian had taken such security measures. Otherwise, Price or anyone else could steal in through the woods. Malaki shook his head and rushed to the code panel on this side of the gate and punched in the numbers. It still read “locked,” so Malaki switched the device to the retina scanner and quickly scanned his eyes. When the device unlocked, he pressed in the passcode again, and the gate unhitched. Thankfully, Price hadn’t wrecked the blasted thing.

  Malaki crossed to the panel Price had been messing with, and it looked in perfect working order. Why would Price keep trying to enter codes when it had clearly read “locked” on the front of it? What was wrong with that man, and why the devil was he attempting to break into Ian’s property? What did he think he’d do if he succeeded in getting inside?

  Malaki checked the gate itself, which looked fine, then closed and locked it back up before striding to the house. He swiped his phone off the countertop and dialed Lawrence’s number.

  Lawrence answered after the first ring. “Oh, good. I’m glad it’s you. I was about to call.”

  “How’d it go? The meeting? And Price?” Malaki marched out to the deck and fell into a chair.

  “It was bizarre. Really bizarre. Something is seriously not righ
t with that man.”

  “Tell me everything.” Malaki rubbed his forehead.

  “Well, the meeting was fast, and Price looked a mess. He was pale with dark shadows under his eyes, as if he hasn’t been sleeping much. He couldn’t stay focused on the meeting but kept pacing around, asking if any of us had heard from Ian yet. He kept talking about Ian for God’s sake.” Lawrence chuckled. “When he knows damn well none of us are in touch with Ian except you, so I asked him where you were, why you weren’t there for a second meeting in a row.”

  “And what did he say to that?” Malaki interjected.

  “That you were out of town, doing business for The Circle or some asinine thing like that. Lying through his teeth.” Lawrence took a breath. “I even questioned him on it, trying to get specifics about you and where you were, what you’re doing, but he brushed my questions aside. Pretending he couldn’t hear me. And then he ended the meeting abruptly, saying something about needing to see Ian or meet with Ian or something like that. It was strange. And then he left without another word.”

  “And then he came here,” Malaki said. “To where I am.”

  “What? Where are you?”

  “I’ll tell you, but I’m doing so in confidence. You can’t repeat it to anyone.” Malaki stood and leaned on the deck railing, staring out at the lake.

  “You know I won’t. You know you can trust me.”

  “I’m at Ian’s. He said I could. Just hiding out here for the time being, until Ian’s better and back. It’s safe, and no one would ever suspect I’m here. But Price showed up. He tried breaking in for Pete’s sake!”

  “What?” Lawrence yelled.

  “He tried breaking through Ian’s passcode to get the security gate open. I heard the commotion on the speaker and ran out there and hid, and I saw him. Only moments ago. He was swearing and trying to get in, until he failed and drove off.” Malaki ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be back. It seemed like he’d done this before, so I think he’s been trying to bust in here for some time.”

  “What for? What does he think he’s gonna do?”

  “Well, that’s the question. I imagine he’d want to look around, see if he can find any clue as to where Ian is. Or maybe he thinks Ian is actually here.” Malaki marched back and forth. “I don’t know what that man is thinking.”

  “Maybe you should let him break in.” Lawrence laughed. “And come face to face with you busting his ass.”

  Malaki shook his head. “Yeah right, I don’t think—”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Lawrence continued. “You could catch him in the act, threaten to call the cops, who knows, but you’d have some leverage on him anyway. Maybe you could figure out what the hell he thinks he’s doing, find out what’s going on with him.”

  “Well, we know what’s going on with him,” Malaki said. “He’s paranoid about Ian being gone. He’s so suspicious, so insecure about this that he’s starting to lose his mind.”

  “So catch him breaking and entering. Maybe that’ll snap him back to his senses—the threat of breaking the law, you calling the cops, jail time.”

  Malaki thought about it. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I am right,” Lawrence bellowed. “It’s a great idea. If you think he’ll be trying again that is.”

  “He might. If he’s done it before, maybe he’ll try again.” Malaki pinched his bottom lip. “I’ll think about it, but you may have a good idea there.”

  “If you need any help, let me know. I’d be happy to bust the hell out of Price.”

  “Will do. And on another note, how is Jonathan doing?” Malaki raised his eyebrows.

  “He’s getting nervous. He sees how odd Price is and that you’re missing, and I don’t think he believes what Price is saying about you being out and doing business for The Circle. You’ve never done that before. You’re always in the lab. Without you we have no D.R.O.P. Jonathan’s feeling the pressure. He can’t handle the job alone. He’s doing his best, but he needs you.”

  “I know he does. He’s not going to be able to keep up, and things are going to start getting out of control.”

  But Malaki was glad for it. That’s what he wanted to happen. Just wait until Ian returned from Reathran. Then there’d be total chaos. And it would be better if Ian returned and things were out of control, The Circle going amuck, at least with memroth anyway. It was the beginning of the end of that high-tech catastrophic energy replacement.

  “Let me know what you decide,” Lawrence interrupted Malaki’s thoughts. “And let me know if I can be of any assistance.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that. Also, thanks for keeping me informed of all that’s going on. If there’s anything else to report, please let me know.”

  “Will do.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, and in the meantime, I’ll contact Jonathan.” Malaki set his phone down and trotted off the deck, gazing into the woods leading toward the security gate. Maybe he should let Price break into this place. Malaki could do a couple things to make it easier for him to get past the security. Make him think he’d done it on his own, as if he were that brilliant.

  And then once Price was in here, see how far he would go. Malaki could spy on him, and then confront him. Wonder how paranoid Price would become then? Maybe it would be better for Malaki, for Ian—for all of them—if Price were behind bars anyway.

  ****

  Levi left once Nikolina joined him and Ian at their table. She sat across from Ian and told him she was going to be made keeper and all that role entailed, as well as all the things she feared because of it.

  “Did you know about that?” She pushed the stray hairs out of her face. “Did you know they inject the keepers with a stronger chemical, that it changes them?”

  Ian cracked his knuckles and squeezed his eyes shut. “I’d heard from Klaus that keepers are injected with more Tetracaphoxin than regular prisoners, and I’m trying to remember more about that, but it doesn’t sound familiar to me.”

  “Well, that’s what they do. And now Klaus says he’s going to make me keeper for the sole purpose of watching over you.” She rubbed the back of her neck and quickly looked around. “He wants you watched. What am I supposed to do? I want to help you, and they plan to turn me into someone who won’t be the same. What if I don’t want to help you anymore? What if, in that new state of mind and with all that I know about you and all that fresh and huge dose of that chemical inside me, I turn against you, and I tell Klaus all that I know? What if I tell him you’re innocent and you’re plotting and planning a way off here, a way to help us here. What if—”

  “Hold on.” Ian held his palm out to her. “Take a deep breath. Let me think about this, see if I can remember anything. Don’t jump to the worst possible conclusion.”

  “Ian, did you hear what I said? It’s going to happen soon. It’s a whole transfusion, and it’ll most likely change me. And I know too much about you.” She buried her face in her hands. “I can’t be a keeper, I just can’t. I have to figure a way out of this.”

  “If they’re already planning it, I doubt you’ll be able to stop it.” Ian shifted in his chair. “Give me a minute to figure this out. I’m discovering that there’s things going on in this prison that we in The Circle know nothing about.” Ian looked downward and scratched his cheek. “Don’t panic. When do you think it’s going to happen? The transfusion?”

  Nikolina shook her head. “I don’t know. David only said it’ll be happening soon.”

  “Let me think this through and see if I can figure a way out of this, or around it I mean. I’ll think of something.” He stood. “Don’t dwell on this; don’t let it wreck you. I promise you, everything is going to be all right.”

  Nikolina nodded with tears of worry and fear in her eyes.

  “I’ll let you know what I figure out,” Ian whispered and winked at her, then turned and left her sitting there and marched out of the building to the train.

  If what Nikolina s
aid was true, he had to be more careful than ever with what he told her. What he wanted to tell her was he was going back to the train to hopefully get the vials he’d been waiting for. He shook his hands out. He was so close. Once he had those vials, it was only a matter of finding out when Waitforit landed on Reathran.

  He and Malaki had the proof on Earth, mainly the memroth, but also the documents and paperwork that revealed this secret planet—this prison—including the map, and with the contents of those vials, they’d have the physical evidence to back everything up. Not to mention Ian’s eyewitness account of being here and seeing the place up close and in person.

  They’d be able to blow this whole thing wide open. And memroth would be destroyed forever once it was known what was used to create it. That’s why he needed those vials.

  This thing with Nikolina could cause problems though. Not that he could reveal that to her. He couldn’t let her know that if what she said was true, it changed everything. Talking to her would be unwise from this point forward. He certainly couldn’t tell her about the vials. Good thing he hadn’t yet, though he’d planned to. In fact, he was going to ask her to come to the train with him tonight so he could show her and talk to her all about it. Not anymore.

  He had to move fast. Once he had those vials, he had to sneak to where the spacecraft were to see if Waitforit had arrived. If she was, he’d get off this dreaded planet as soon as possible… before his closest friend and ally literally turned on him and revealed who he was.

  The sound of the waterfall caught his attention, and he stopped in his tracks to stare at it. It wasn’t big but still so tempting. Could he get over to it without being caught? He looked around and saw he was completely alone, like usual. There should be nothing wrong with going to the waterfall. Not like when he snuck into that downstairs room. The waterfall was simply a part of nature. He peered behind him, and seeing no one, sprinted towards it. Just a little taste of Earth, a small reminder of what I’ve been missing these past few years, and what I’ll be getting back to soon.