EXPERIMENT
Page 17
“Dave didn’t make it,” he said.
So the patient died.
Lane hadn’t wanted that to happen. Natalie had seemed like she couldn’t handle another one dying and Lane looked at her now but she was trying to appear strong.
“I’ll go make the arrangements,” Barron said.
“Thank you Barron,” Jace said. “Major could you come with me? I need to discuss something.”
When the three of them were gone, Lane finally gained the courage to talk to Natalie, who was staring at Dave. “Are you alright?” he asked.
She didn’t even turn to look at him, just continued to stare. “He’s dead,” she said. “I knew it was going to happen I just didn’t want to believe it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“This sucks.”
“Are you going to just stand there?”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“Come with me?”
She turned to look at him for the first time since he had gotten here. “Lane I appreciate the concern but I just need to be alone right now.”
“I know that’s what you think you want,” Lane said. “But trust me, its better if I stay.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just have a hunch. So please don’t kick me out.”
She smiled just a little but then she broke into tears again and Lane went over to her, to give her a hug and didn’t care if she pushed him away.
But that’s not what she did.
She just stood there with him, crying, and he let her.
*
Connor was on his way to the infirmary to look for Lane when he ran into Jace. He was about to pass him, but Jace stopped. “Will you please come to my office?” he said. “We need to talk.”
Connor debated it for a while, wasn’t sure if that’s what he needed to do right now, but he needed to at least hear Jace’s side of the story, so he followed him into his office.
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked the minute they were there.
“You know the reason you’re my friend more than anyone in this place?” Jace asked.
“Not really.”
“Because you speak your mind,” Jace said. “You’re not my minion, that’s what I love about you. Don’t get me wrong, these people they’re very dear to me, and they respect me and love me and I love them back, but what you give me is something no one else can. I count on you to give it to me straight.”
“Jace, I don’t know what to say.”
“You were right,” Jace continued. “For a minute, when we were arguing I wanted you to obey me. I hate myself for it but it’s the truth. Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m not so different from those other leaders after all and I have no reason to keep fooling everyone.”
“Jace,” Connor said. “Everyone wants others to be their minions. We all want them to obey that’s part of our genetic makeup. We were primal species once, remember? But you know what we evolved, and got all these ideas about right and wrong and about to treat other people the right way, and the problem is we’re still learning. But you know what you did wrong, you caught on to that, and that’s not something a regular politician would do. People don’t care that much about these things. Do you think they go around thinking and knowing that what they’re doing is wrong? No, of course not. Most of them just go on doing the wrong thing and they’ll give you some miserable excuse for it. That’s why they keep funding wars and feeding their people bullshit. We all slip up sometimes Jace! We all make mistakes, what matters, is that you go back to trying to be a better person again.”
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“Sometimes, I think I’ve made a mistake,” Jace said. “Making all those people trust me, and now their lives depend on me, and they’re counting on me to make the right decisions and I don’t know if I’m even capable of it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of self-doubt,” Connor said. “Everyone who has that kind of responsibility feels that way at some point. You just have to believe that despite what your tired brain is telling you at this moment, you are capable Jace.”
“Says who?”
“Says the person who’s not your minion and actually knows you,” Connor said. “Jace these people need you, you’re their best chance at survival.”
“Six people got killed,” Jace said. “And I couldn’t save them.”
“I’m sorry that happened. But that’s the cost of surviving in this world. You can’t get away without some damage.”
“We’re going to have to fight back.”
“So fight back!” Connor said. “Isn’t that why you have a damn army and all that arsenal?”
“It will mean war.”
“Have you stepped outside lately? The war is already going on, the planet looks like it’s about to end.”
“Your brother is in the army now you get that right?”
“Let me deal with Lane,” Connor said. “You focus on helping these people fight the war.”
*
The minute Lane entered the room, he felt strange. Not because of what was going on in the room, but because of what was going on with his head. He had an odd feeling inside his chest, like something was about to go wrong. But it didn’t seem much of a premonition as it was a knowledge that his brain might not be doing so well.
“Noah has come back with some information that I’d like him to share with us,” Major Rick said. A man who wasn’t in uniform, stood next to the Major and he looked a bit rattled. “Thank you Major,” he said. Lane noticed Jace sitting quietly on one of the chairs, silently watching.
“As some of you might know I’ve been undercover,” Noah said. “We all knew the Khaltars were up to something, we just didn’t know what it was. But in the past couple of months, all the evidence I’ve seen points to one thing—it doesn’t look good for us. The Khaltars think we’re a threat to them, and that’s not all, they’re planning something that will bring devastation to Zyron. That’s not all—measures are underway to annihilate Anzoft too. Their own planets are on the brink of extinction, and they need to find new places to live. But they don’t want to coexist, they want to be owners, they want to be the only surviving species.”
Everyone listened to Noah with all their attention, and Lane was trying to keep his mind focused on Noah’s words. Finally, Major Rick spoke. “We’re not telling you all this because we want you to alarm you,” he said. “We’re doing it so we can plan ahead. We might not know their exact plan but we do know that if we start now, there’s enough time to launch a big blow.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” One of the ensigns named Shay asked. “Khaltar’s weapons technology is beyond our imagination. We even rely on them for most space travel.”
“That’s a valid concern,” Jace said, standing up to address the group. “And I think at this point, I should inform you that we’re in the process of developing our very own weapons system. I can’t give out the details yet, but I can assure you, it’s going to be no match for the Khaltars. You see the Khaltars maybe be technologically advanced, but the Zyronians are still the smarter species. If we plan it right, we can hit them where it hurts the most. We’re going to launch an attack on the Space Warrior One which is their home base.”
“But you said the new weapons system isn’t completed yet,” Shay said. “How soon do you think we’ll have it?”
“I think Professor Chandler should be able to give me some details by tomorrow,” Jace said. “As soon as I find out, I will let you know. But for now, I’d appreciate if the discussion stays in this room. I’ll let Major Rick resume.”
By that time, the room was becoming claustrophobic for Lane. He didn’t want to tell anyone what was really going on, so he decided to ride it out. But the feeling inside his chest just got worse, every minute he stayed.
“Can I see you outside for a minute?” Jace said, and Lane wondered if he had noticed something.
“Sure,�
� Lane said and went with him anyway. When they were in the hallway, Jace stopped. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine, sir.”
“Lane, I mean how are you really?”
Suddenly, a shadow appeared from behind Jace. Before Lane could do something about it, he realized it might be his imagination. “Sir, I’m fine really,” he said.
The shadows were scarier now, strange claw-like fingers appearing from out of nowhere and going around Jace’s neck. Lane blinked, tried to concentrate.
“Lane? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing sir, just…not feeling too well I guess.”
“You’re stressed,” Jace said. “Go home. Get some rest. I’ll talk to Rick.”
“No sir that’s fine.”
“Lane, I mean it. Go home! Don’t make me drive you there.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I will see you tomorrow.”
*
Lane was chatting with Natalie in the infirmary when Connor got there. They were both sitting on the counter with empty takeout boxes. When Lane saw Connor he got off the stool. “Natalie,” Connor said. “I see you’ve met my brother.”
“Yes, I have. How’re you doing, Connor?”
“I’m okay,” Connor said. “Sorry about Dave.”
“You know?”
“Yeah, the guys needed my help. We took him to the morgue.”
“There’s a morgue in this place?” Lane asked.
“The Professor and his team they have a cold storage,” Natalie said. “For research purposes. We’re allowed to use that sometimes. Lately, we’ve been using it a lot.”
“Well, hopefully it won’t happen again,” Lane said, and Connor was a little surprised that Lane would make such a claim.
“Lane I’m going home,” Connor said. “I can give you a ride.”
Lane looked at Natalie. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m better now. You go home, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You have my number,” Lane said. “You can call me anytime.”
“Thanks.”
Lane hugged Natalie and the three of them said their goodbyes.
*
Lane was quiet on the ride back home. He had never been the talkative kind, but now Connor usually had to wait to hear him speak.
“Natalie looked upset,” Connor said, trying to initiate a conversation.
“Yeah.”
“I know Dave. He was a nice guy, this shouldn’t have happened.”
“Everyone was angry,” Lane said. “Barron especially. He kept saying Jace didn’t know how to do things anymore.”
“He said that to you?”
“You can’t tell Jace, Barron said that to me in confidence.”
“Jace knows what he’s doing,” Connor said. “I think people need to keep trusting him.”
“I hope so.”
“What about you, anything new going on with you?”
“Not really.”
“Seriously?” Connor said. “You didn’t join the army or something?”
“You found out.”
“When were you planning on telling me?”
“Never.”
“Why?”
“Cause I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
“Well you were right about that,” Connor said. “I don’t understand at all.”
“I’m sticking to my decision, you can’t change my mind.”
“I know.”
Lane looked at his brother. “Aren’t you going to tell me what a big mistake I’m making? Fight with me over it?”
“No.”
“Are you playing some kind of passive aggressive ploy? Where you let me do this and you wait for me to come to the realization that I’m making a mistake?”
“Do you think you’re making a mistake?”
“No.”
“Then you shouldn’t worry about it.”
“So it is a ploy?”
“It’s not a ploy Lane,” Connor said. “You’re a grown-up. You have the right to make your own decisions.”
“That’s never stopped you before.”
“Everything that I’ve ever tried to do,” Connor said. “I did it because I thought it would be best for you. And now I think its best that I leave you to make your own decisions. And whatever they are, you need to remember that I’m still going to be here, Lane. I’m always going to try and protect you. Being your brother is an instinct and a part of who I am, I can’t just rip that off and be a different person. But yeah, if you want me to back off, then that’s what I’m going to do. That’s all I can do.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
CHAPTER 19
THE MISSION
MARKETPLACE
ZYRON REGION-ONE
Lane kept his motorbike as close to the car as possible. Major Rick’s voice spoke into the earphone he was wearing and asked him to use the explosive charges. Lane reached into his jacket with one hand, keeping the bike steady with the other and when his fingers reached the charge, he pulled it out and pressed a button to activate the mechanism. When the lights were blue, Lane stuck the charge on the moving car and decreased the speed of the motorcycle, let the car leave. “Done,” he said, into the mouthpiece and Major Rick was happy. Lane turned left into the first street going as fast as he could, until he heard the sound of an explosion. Once that happened, he stopped, turned the bike around.
He drove back to the same street where now there was chaos and people were trying to get to safety. The general situation of Region-One was bad enough and people feared bomb blasts all the time, but what they didn’t know was that the charges were only set for that particular car and would only hurt the people inside, not a single other person, Major Rick had designed it that way. But the chaos ]would help the mission. He saw the vehicle that Major Rick was driving, a van, pass him by, and Lane followed the same route until they got to a large house. Lane saw a car, same as the one he had just blown up going inside the house, and getting lost in the massive walls and the mechanical gate. He stopped his motorcycle a little further away from the gate and kept an eye out for the cameras.
“Okay go,” Major Rick said, and Lane took out the loaded automatic that he was carrying with him and waited. The van door opened and Barron walked out, wearing protective gear and carrying heavy firearm. Lane saw him walking right up to the gate where two guards were on standby and Barron shot one of them, the silenced gun giving no more than a quiet popping sound and then the other one too, before he was able to make any sounds. Lane walked over him to the gate while Barron tampered with the locking mechanism until he had opened it and gave the progress report to Major Rick.
The house was huge, almost like a building on its own with high ceilings and a massive driveway. Lane felt sure the walls went higher than the prison walls at Black Walls. When they got inside the building, it was quiet, but then they heard some sounds appearing from one of the rooms. Barron motioned for Lane to go in the other direction, and Lane went to check the rooms. He opened every door and went in, made sure they were empty and that there was no one in the house but those people in that den. When he was sure his side of the house was empty, Lane went to join Barron downstairs. “All clear,” Barron said into his mouthpiece and they waited.
In about the next five minutes, the entire army was barging in through the doors and the men in the den, all four of them found themselves trapped and tried to run away and they unleashed gunfire, and the army fought back. Because their people had been killed in the car bombing only a few minutes ago, the men were outnumbered. And the army, because there was a lot more of them, won the fight in no time. The only problem was they only managed to grab hold of one survivor. The rest were all dead or dying and in no shape to be carried off. Major Rick asked everyone to go back to headquarters and took the hostage with him in the van. Lane got out of the building, got on his bike and rode off, hoping to join the rest.
*
Zyron Region-One
There was chaos in the hideout. Everyone was aware that they brought in a hostage, not something that the people were used to seeing and they were curious to find out how it went. Barron and the rest of the guys were in good spirits, and Lane thought it was an enormous change from the way their heads had hung low after their friend Dave had died a few days ago. It was amazing what a tiny bit of victory had done to raise the spirits in that part of the world. Jace however, looked the same unenthusiastic as he had been when he heard Major’s plan. He simply said ‘good job’ to everyone in general, and went away, didn’t even bother to let himself out of his office for the rest of the day.
They put the perpetrator in the cells downstairs, and everyone was supposed to keep an eye on him twenty-four-seven. Major Rick was trying to fish for information, trying to find out who had done the attack but the man refused to say anything. That’s when the Major starting using alternative ways. Lane was there when Major Rick was torturing the prisoner named Parker, and Lane couldn’t help but cringe inside, despite the fact that he knew the man was the cause of six deaths of their own people. Obviously, Major Rick had more practice and wasn’t as affected and Lane was certain the death of his friend by this same guy might have had something to do with it. Maybe he was trying to take revenge for his friend, Lane could only guess. When Major Rick was done, he left and Lane left with him to allow the next shift to take over the watch.
*
Lane was in the infirmary with Natalie when the news came. “Turn on Chanel 6, now,” someone said, peeking into Natalie’s room and left them alone. So Natalie turned on the television and what they saw in front of them, looked like the aftereffects of an attack. People going about in chaos and ambulances and security personnel trying their best to calm the terror. Soon Lane realized it wasn’t Zyron.
“The virus outbreak in Anzoft has killed thousands of people so far and the numbers are only increasing,” said the news reporter. “It is estimated that the casualties will reach a dangerous point unless an antidote can be devised. The Science Bureau of Anzoft has set up a new Outbreak Commission which is trying to make an antidote but so far has found no success.”