by Jamie Zakian
“Hey,” Rai grabbed a strand of Joey’s hair, tugging lightly.
She turned toward him, and he ducked to meet her gaze. Their eyes finally connected, and a warmth spread out to cover her chilled bones. “Let’s go pinch your brother ‘till he wakes up.”
A dash of a smile swept Joey’s lips, and Rai swung his legs off the table.
***
Sabrina swiped an access card over the keypad outside of medical. The light blinked to red and a loud buzz screeched in her face. She tried again, same response. Her fingers hooked the sill of a small window and she peered inside. The room of cots appeared empty, aside from Kami and Winslow’s motionless bodies. She leaned closer when Chuck popped up in front of the glass.
A gasp flew from her mouth faster than her legs jumped back. Annoyance replaced surprise and her tough-guy face returned, but Chuck held onto a glare of pure hatred.
She whacked her palm against the glass, and this time, he jumped back.
“Open up, Chuck.”
He continued to glower, upper lip raised into somewhat of a snarl.
Anger pulled her closer, right up to the thin glass that separated them. “Now!”
Her bark shook his stance, carrying his face from view. After a second of silence, a beep echoed from the keypad and the door slid open.
A lengthy scolding brewed inside her mind as she stormed into the room, but she held onto it at the sight of Chuck. The poor kid trembled at his father’s bedside, clinging to the man’s limp hand.
“What’s up, Chuck?”
“I … Someone’s trying to kill my father.” Chuck let go of Winslow’s hand, then stomped to the end of the bed. “I don’t trust anyone, and I don’t know you. How do I know if you’re even from the military?”
“That’s actually a good question. You’re smart to be suspicious, especially with everything going on.”
Her hand raised slowly, and she parted the hair at the back of her neck. “You see this?” She turned, showing Chuck the cluster of black lines and dots tattooed on her skin. “That’s my bar code.” Sabrina crept closer to Chuck, slapping on a civilian-friendly smile. “If you have a handheld, you can scan it and find out everything about me.”
His glare lowered, feet backing away. “My father trusted you. I guess that’s good enough for me.”
“I’m glad you’re looking out for him” —she walked to Kami’s bedside— “because you’re right. Someone is trying to kill your father.”
She removed the wires from Kami’s arm, initiating a symphony of squeals from the monitor beside the cot. Her finger jabbed at the display until the blaring racket ceased.
“What are you doing?” Chuck asked.
“I’m taking her to the cafeteria with the other survivors.”
“Survivors! What’s going on out there?”
A groan rumbled in her throat at the very beginning of the boy’s question, erupting from her lips by the end. She knelt beside Kami’s cot. It was the first time the girl looked peaceful, well, that she’d ever seen.
She brushed a strand of hair from Kami’s cool forehead, triggering a small grin to lift the girl’s lips. “I’ll be making an announcement at 3 p.m. Earth time in the cafeteria. You should be there.”
“My father—”
“The doctor will be here any minute to work on your father.” She looked at Chuck, his face swarmed in fright. “It’s a simple procedure. And afterward, he should wake up.”
Sabrina slid her arms beneath Kami and lifted. About a hundred and fifteen pounds fell against her chest, but it was nothing compared to the weight that crushed her heart.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Rai’s feet hit the ground, his knees buckled. He gripped the table, stopping himself midfall. As Joey ran to his side, he silently thanked his many years of inner-core training because falling flat on your face was not sexy.
“Oh no!” Joey grabbed Rai beneath the arms, guiding him onto the bench. “Sit down. I’ll get the doctor.”
“No, wait.” Rai snatched Joey’s hand before she could run off. “I’m okay. I’m just … so thirsty. And hungry, I think.”
“Good thing we’re in a cafeteria.” Joey bent over, her hand caressing his shoulder. “Hold tight. I’ll get you something.”
Before he could grin at the seriousness in her eyes, she trotted off. He glanced around at a slew of motionless bodies, spotting Jesse behind him. His fingers clutched the table’s edge, and he heaved himself closer.
Jesse’s cheeks held a ghostly shade of white; he could see it even before he rose to his knees. His weak muscles coiled tight. Jesse seemed so strong, almost untouchable. To see him this way, drained of color and lying still, shook Rai to the core. He reached for Jesse’s hand when his name cut through the low mumbles of the room.
His arm jerked back. He looked over his shoulder, and Sabrina placed his sister in the spot he’d just crawled from.
“She’s starting to wake up.” Sabrina moved aside as Rai stumbled toward Kami. “She was calling your name.”
“Kami?” Rai tore the mask off his sister’s face, gathering her hand into his own. “I’m here.” The dark crimson stains on her pajamas pulled his stare. “She’s covered in blood!” Rai let go of Kami’s hand, her arm smacking the table, and checked her stomach for injuries.
“It’s not hers,” Sabrina said. “That’s Joey’s blood.”
Kami groaned, her hand flying to her face. In almost slow motion, she rubbed her eye while rocking her head. “Rai.” The word came from her mouth in a flowing breath, much like a prayer.
Rai glided his palm along Kami’s cheek, turning her gaze to him. “I’m here,” he said through a grin.
“What happened?” Kami slung her arm around his neck, pulling herself up to a sitting position. She froze, eyes wide at the sight of her blood-splattered arms and clothes. “Did I get stabbed?”
Joey’s elbows hit the table at Kami’s feet, an armful of snacks and juice pouches spilling along its shiny surface. She stood up straight, taking a bite from an already half-eaten granola bar. “I stabbed myself,” she said between chews. “Then I bled all over you. Sorry.”
Kami jolted back, lifting the ends of her shirt to gawk. “What the f—”
“Hey! How come Jesse’s not awake yet?” Joey tossed the stub of her granola bar, still tucked in its wrapper, onto the table and dashed to Jesse’s side. She ran her hand along his forehead, her jaw hinging open. “He’s burning up.”
Sabrina stepped beside Jesse, removing his mask. “His lips are blue.” She glanced around the room, then raised her hand. “Sally.”
Rai downed a pouch of apple juice while walking toward Joey. The cool liquid burned his stomach, but his legs grew stronger with each gulp. He reached for Joey when Sally blew in like a whirlwind, shooing them both aside.
“What’s wrong with him?” Joey asked in a panic, looking at Sabrina.
Sally lifted Jesse’s eyelids, waving her penlight up and down. “His body’s not metabolizing the chemicals. Looks like he’s the exact opposite of his twin; in terms of chemical make-up, he’s highly sensitive to anesthetic. I’ll have to administer a dose of Naloxone.” She opened her bag, pulling out a large syringe and a vile of clear liquid. “This will help reverse the toxicity in his system.”
“So he’ll be okay?” Joey asked, cringing when a needle jabbed Jesse’s arm.
“He’s been under for so long.” Sally shook her head, her heavy stare flashing to Sabrina. “There’s no telling what the lasting effects will be until he wakes up. If he wakes up.”
Rai’s heart jumped into his throat. He looked at Joey, whose face was locked in a state of shock. Her arms crossed her chest, fingers twisting around the fabric of her shirt, and he stepped closer to her.
Kami hobbled to his side, leaning on his shoulder. “He’ll be all right, Joey; he’s tough.”
Joey wobbled on her feet. Her arms drooped down, and her eyes r
olled toward the ceiling.
“She’s gonna drop,” Sally said while taking Jesse’s blood pressure.
Sabrina and Kami ran in front of Rai, but none of them caught Joey before her body slapped against the glossy floor.
Kami fell to her knees, lifting Joey’s head onto her lap.
“She’ll be all right,” Rai said, crouching down. “They both will.”
“If Jesse doesn’t wake up, she’ll never be the same.” Kami twirled her fingers through Joey’s hair, her lips pressed tight.
“Please. I barely know Jesse, but I can tell you one thing. That guy would never leave his sister all alone.”
The smirk on Kami’s face was a sight for his sore eyes. He couldn’t even think of losing her. Hell, he’d probably be on the floor next to Joey.
Rai jumped to his feet, teetering under a strong wave of vertigo. His hip hit the table while his gaze landed on Jesse. The guy looked bad, real bad. He wanted to keep a close eye on his friend, but he needed to get to his laptop. “I want to bring them both to my room.” Rai steered his gaze to Sabrina, since she was the only person who thought they had authority over him on this bus.
“I don’t know,” Sabrina said. “There’s still a threat onboard. It’s not safe to split from the crowd.”
“It’s not safe to sit here and do nothing.” Despite the wobble in his knees, he stood tall and held a hard glare. “What do you plan on doing to protect us?” Sabrina shrank down and his lips pushed for a smirk, which he twisted into a sneer. “Cause I plan on hacking the mainframe, diverting all systems to my control. Navigation, access codes, the video feeds, all of it. Nothing’s gonna stop me from getting us to Mars.”
Sally looked at Sabrina and shrugged. “Jesse does need to be under constant supervision, and I’m swamped.”
“Fine!”
Rai grinned, not at Sabrina’s overdramatic hand gestures or the little vein pulsing in her temple, but the fact that she actually assumed she had a say.
Sally zipped up her bag, glancing at her watch. “I have to tend to Winslow.”
“Go. Square away our pilot.” Sabrina took the medical bag from Sally’s hand. Her eyes scanned the tables of groggy people, a sorry excuse at confidence shining in her eyes. “I can handle … this.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Sally backed away, turning to Rai. “If there is any change with Jesse, flag me on my handheld.”
Rai nodded, and Sally rushed off. A squeak drew his stare from the white lab coat flowing out the door. He turned around as Kami wheeled a metal serving cart beside the table.
“Put Jesse on this.” She whisked up the snacks left by Joey, shoved them on the bottom shelf of the cart, and held it steady as Rai slid Jesse’s limp body on top.
Sabrina headed toward Joey, still laid out on the floor, and Rai grabbed her by the wrist.
“I’ll get her.”
“Whatever.” Sabrina backed away, her eyes drawn to a chick sobbing in the corner. “You know how to find me,” she said, before melding into a sea of scared faces.
Rai lifted Joey carefully, as though she could break at any moment. Her chest rolled against his, igniting sparks. He squeezed tighter, drawing her closer. If it weren’t for the anguished cries that plagued the room, he could stand in this spot forever just holding her.
With Joey nestled in his arms, he followed Kami as she struggled to push the cart through the cafeteria doors without knocking Jesse to the floor.
***
Chuck flinched when the door lock clicked. He could see Dr. Boone through the window, but he didn’t want her here. He was glad his father had survived. It wasn’t until the man actually disappeared that he realized how much he missed him. He was anxious to hear his father voice, just not yet.
Somehow, Sally overrode the lock, and the door slid open. Chuck leaped from the corner of the bed and hurried to the center of the room.
“Didn’t you see me out there, Chuck?” Sally brushed past him and headed straight to her locker. “I understand how frightened you must be, but when somebody you know knocks, you should answer.”
“I’m sorry.” He peeked into the cabinet as Sally loaded a long syringe and multiple vials onto a small tray. “I must’ve fell asleep. What are you doing?”
Sally closed the locker’s thin door, circling around Chuck with her supplies. “I have to conduct a minor procedure on your father and wait until he wakes up so I can check his vitals.” She placed the tray on a nightstand, glancing at Chuck. “This could take a little bit. Why don’t you go get something to eat? You look like scorched earth.”
Chuck swayed as Sally filled the needle with a green liquid. She moved toward his father, and he sprung forward. “Stop! I can’t let you.”
“Calm down, Chuck.” Sally returned the syringe to her tray of equipment. “I’m not going to hurt him.” Her eyes darted around the room. “Where’s my assistant?”
The suspicion in her gaze locked his body in place. He could only glare. Glare at the woman who breezed in to ruin everything. His hands balled into fists, a red haze creeping in to cloud his vision. All thoughts faded beneath the deafening pound of his heart. Fear triggered his carnal instincts, and he did what he was taught to do, what he was trained to do.
Before the fog could clear, he wrapped his hands around Sally’s neck. She scratched at his face, and he squeezed harder. The terror within her eyes tore into his gut, but his fingers tightened.
The force of tiny fists striking his chest grew weaker. Sally’s legs crumpled, and her back hit the floor. Chuck hovered above, throttling the woman’s neck with all his might. Then as quick as it had begun, the struggle stopped. Heels no longer clanked against tile, hands didn’t slap his face, yet his fingers wouldn’t unclench.
Only after his heavy breaths slowed and the throb of his temples dwindled did his hold break. Sally’s head fell to the side as his hands drifted away.
“Forgive me,” he whispered, bending to gaze into the woman’s vacant stare.
His mind clicked into autopilot, the years of conditioning doing their duty. This way, he didn’t have to think about anything or be responsible for any action.
He glanced at his father, still peaceful in his rest, then grabbed Sally by the shirt. This wasn’t his doing, God guided his choices. His mother and all her people had told him so ever since he was a child. He was the voice of God.
Sally’s shoes scraped against the smooth floor as Chuck dragged her into the back room. He dropped her body in a pool of blood, which seeped from the tall dead man beside her. Chuck’s eyes glossed over, and he turned from the streaks of red that colored the walls.
“I just need a little more time,” he muttered.
***
Rai slid a chair next to Jesse’s bed. He settled into the seat, propped his legs up on the mattress, and placed his computer in his lap. With a pile of snacks in reach and everyone he cared about in sight, he may never leave this spot.
“Jesse knows what I did,” he said in a hushed voice, glancing across the room at Kami.
Kami rose from his bed, leaving Joey’s side to stand in front of him and glare. “What do you mean?” she yelped as quietly as possible for her big mouth.
Rai opened his laptop, which blocked out a large portion of his sister’s glower. “Sabrina ratted about the selectoral, even after I helped her.”
“That bitch!”
“Yeah.” Rai began typing, the rhythmic pattern easing the edge of his nerves. “I’m telling Joey everything as soon as she wakes up.”
“Did that gas make you stupid?” Kami slapped him on the shoulder, barely slowing the pace of his fingers along the keys. “This is not the right time for that.”
Rai stopped typing. He looked at Jesse, which tightened the already twisty knot inside his chest. “It was like … Jesse’s last wish.”
“Jesse’s not dead,” Kami yelled, shrinking back from her own screech.
�
��I know.” He returned to the keyboard, walking along the buttons slowly. “Joey deserves to know.”
“Deserves to know what?” Joey asked while sitting up, her words choppy and slurred a bit. She looked around and smiled at the sight of Jesse. Her grin swiftly warped into a pout, as if her brain had just downloaded a megabyte of painful memories.
Rai sat his laptop on the desk. He leaned forward in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees. “The U.N.E. didn’t select you and Jesse for this voyage. I did. I sent that letter to your house and hacked the ship’s manifest to add you two at the last minute.”
Joey slid to the edge of the bed. Her glare demanded answers, which dumped his brain into crash mode.
“I didn’t wanna get stuck with the Japanese broad. That chick’s, like, really Japanese.”
“What are you talking about?” Joey tore her stare from Rai, looking at Kami. A low stutter dribbled from Kami’s open mouth, her body caught in the middle of the room.
“See,” Rai began, rising from his chair, “the passengers of this ship were selected for their genetic compatibility and … likelihood to reproduce multiple offspring. That’s why there’s so many twins.” He crept closer to Joey, but she shriveled back.
“We got matched with the Japanese twins,” he said, pointing back at Kami. “But I did my own scan and you two popped up. They skipped you guys because you were from G-Sector. They didn’t even have two sets of twins from America and still skipped you. So I added you both to the database. Kami didn’t know until afterward.”
He sat on the bed beside Joey, and she rocketed to her feet.
“First off, ew. Reproduce offspring!” Her arms raised at her sides, back stiff. “None of this makes sense. Why does the U.N.E. want a bunch of teenagers to reproduce? Everyone from Earth is coming to Mars. They said so. It’s just gonna take a few years.”