Tammy had hid the fact that she wasn’t human so that they, in their prejudice against non-humans, wouldn’t judge her before getting to know her and her values. It was nothing more than blind prejudice. Jack was ashamed of himself. Their dad would have never allowed it in his house. No. He had not been raised to judge people by what they were. People were to be judged by who they were and what they did. Tammy had done more than her share. She had shown that she was their friend and could be counted on even when they were lost or paralyzed by fear. She was a good person. A person. Not a thing. Not an alien and certainly not an enemy. She had proven as much on more than one occasion. Looking around, he could not believe that this was her future for the good she had done. Jack had to make Darvski see that he was wrong.
As promised, it was not long before the scientist returned, and bearing a small tray he neared their cage with a blank expression. When Darvski sat the tray down, Jack could see several vials and needles upon it along with a pair of surgical scissors and several small containers. It appeared he intended exactly what he had said, and if that was the case, Jack saw no reason to try and thwart his efforts. Letting go of his embrace on both of his siblings, he walked to the barred wall of the cage nearest Darvski.
“She might not be a human, but that does not make her the enemy,” Jack protested.
“I understand your argument, but disagree nonetheless,” Darvski replied.
“She saved all of our lives just days ago, and saved Will again just an hour ago. If she had an evil agenda, why help us?” Jack questioned.
“Perhaps to find her way into the camp of her enemy as a spy,” the scientist answered, preparing the needles and vials.
“Then why help Will tonight? She was already in the camp.”
“To appear more human, of course.”
“Dr. Darvski, you have to understand that she is not evil, you can’t judge her just because she is different than you.”
“You think I do this because of blind prejudice? Hatred?”
“Yes,” Jack answered honestly.
“What if she is carrying a disease man has no immunity to? What if I am simply right, and you are wrong and she is a spy or does want to hurt us? What danger do I then place the one hundred and ninety six people in camp in? I am not a heartless monster, son, but a lot of lives depend upon me, and I will not be the one to put them all to an end because of a lapse in judgment.”
“That doesn’t make it right, you know,” Sam spoke up from behind Jack. “Claiming the greater good as a defense doesn’t justify cruelty and torture.”
“Even so, it is the safest option. If I am to let one go, I have to let them all go with your moral stance. Do you think the insect ones will just leave? How about those big ape ones over there?”
“What if you let her go and all four of us leave, just like we never showed up?” Jack asked.
“And then she runs away from you and returns with a few hundred of her real friends? Not gonna happen, kid. Look, you three might get out of your cage in an hour or two, but not her. She’s gonna stay. Now let me see your arm. If you cooperate it will go easier.”
And that was it. Darvski would not budge, no matter how wrong his actions were. Yes, there was a chance he was right, but just because there was a chance did not give anyone the reason to condemn another person. The only way Tammy would get free, was if Jack found a way to get her out.
* * * * *
Sam watched Jack give two vials of blood, and a small clipping of his hair. Next was her turn and even though she hated needles worse than spiders, she had to look brave so Will wouldn’t be afraid. As Darvski put a piece of tape and cotton ball on Jack’s arm, she pulled up her sleeve and walked to the front of the cage before thrusting her arm between the bars.
Jack went back to sit with Will as Darvski washed her arm with alcohol and a cotton ball. After wiping it clean he placed two of his fingers in the inside of her elbow. Gritting her teeth and looking past the man to the cages beyond, she felt the needle push into her skin and felt another push when he pressed the first vial into place. Her head swam slightly at the thought of her blood pumping out, yet against her better judgment she looked down to see if he was almost done. Bad idea. With the edges of her vision going all white, she watched her blood spurt into the glass vial as her knees began to tremble.
“H… hang o…” Sam tried to warn as her legs buckled.
Dropping to the floor, Sam watched as the scientist struggled to hold her arm outside the cage and keep her from tearing out the needle. She felt a tug and then another push as Jack came to her aid, and felt as a portion of her hair was lifted away from her face. The familiar sound of scissors followed and then it was done. She never did feel him put a bandage in place, but pulling her arm up and bending it she saw it there, and wondered when he had managed it.
With Jack’s help she half crawled across the cage as Will took her place at the bars. Beginning to feel better already, she noted the determined look upon her little brother’s face and smiled at his bravery. She hated that he wanted to grow up so bad, but supposed that he had to with the way things were. It certainly wasn’t fair, but he seemed to be handling it well enough.
It only took a couple minutes and Will was done without as much as a whimper. Turning back to them he smiled in triumph though his eyes were heavy with moisture. She couldn’t help but to be proud of him and, smiling in return, Sam raised her arms and he rushed into them as she hugged him tightly to her chest. With Will’s face nuzzled in her neck, she looked through the bars to the man who held them captive.
“Now what?”
“Now you encourage the alien to cooperate too, else I get Tom in here with his bat to bang her up a bit. We ran out of tranquilizers a few weeks back,” Darvski threatened, his face devoid of expression.
“Just do what he says, Tammy. We’ll talk to everyone in this camp if that’s what it takes to get you out of there. Just hang in there and be strong.”
No reply came from a few cages down where Tammy laid in a ball on the floor of her cage, though Sam hadn’t really expected any. She now understood why the girl had seemed so terrified of coming here. She could only imagine what Tammy must think of people and their blind hatred. Sam never thought it would have been possible, but in that moment she was embarrassed to be human. She wanted to hug Tammy, like she was hugging Will, and tell her it was going to be OK. But she couldn’t do either. If she were being honest with herself, she doubted that everything would be OK. The people in the resistance had already made a decision. They had stood by as the sentence had been carried out in the past without trial, judge, or jury. They had determined through precedent that all aliens, if that’s even what they were, were guilty by association. Sam was disgusted.
* * * * *
Will was frightened, but fortunately he was exhausted. His earlier asthma attack left him without the energy to panic, let alone cry or even worry much. He could listen, and he did, and he also watched. Giving blood hadn’t bothered him much, partially because he was so tired, and partially because he knew none of his favorite superheroes would whine about a needle. A radioactive spider bite, maybe. Needle, no. He agreed with both Jack and Sam that what Darvski was doing was wrong. People couldn’t be punished for what they might do. If that was the case everyone would have to be punished. Anyone might do something bad. Given the chance, and the energy, he would like to shove Darvski himself into one of these cages, and some might say that such a thought was bad, but that didn’t mean he should be punished for it. Did it?
Twisting in both Jack and Sam’s arms he looked out through the bars to Tammy’s cage a little ways down the aisle. He watched her sit up as their captor neared, and she scooted towards the wall of the cage, extending her arm through the bars. For the next two minutes or so, neither Darvski nor Tammy spoke or looked at each other as he took her blood and a hair sample before he turned and strode down the path between the cages with his metal tray.
Eventually the man disa
ppeared through the door they had entered, and all that was left to do was wait. Will knew it would be a few hours, and even though he was upset, it seemed like the perfect time to take a nap. Apparently, however, his siblings seemed to have different plans.
“Tammy, we’re going to get you out of there,” Jack said, careful not to shout. “I have a plan. We’re all going to get out of here.”
Over the next several minutes Jack shared his plan with them and Will couldn’t help but feel excited. It felt just like a comic book or a cartoon and he couldn’t wait to see if Jack’s plan worked. Even though Tammy wasn’t really involved in the plan, Jack made sure she knew what it was. Sam asked a few questions, but otherwise all was set. With nothing else to do, Will laid his head down on Sam’s lap to rest. And encouraged by both his older siblings that it was OK, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a dream where he wore a cape and knee high boots and a utility belt, jumping from one rooftop to another.
* * * * *
Tammy was happy to have found such friends. Even in a cage her heart was light and hopeful. All around them the other species of humanoids grunted and howled for various reasons but she found she had actually gotten accustomed to the stench of the room. Jack’s plan was a simple one, and she had every hope that it would succeed, though there were many unknowns.
Everything had unknowns these days. She never thought she would want to be back on one of those ships in the sky, but lately had found herself wanting just that. At least there she and her family had been safe and well fed. She had friends once, friends of her own kind who she had played with and grew up with even if they had been prisoners. She had been a prisoner her whole life until being released upon earth, and now she was a prisoner again. Oddly she felt safe behind the bars of her cage, even though she knew the scientist had plans to test and likely torture her. Something about not being able to make any decisions made you feel free even if you weren’t, and Tammy pondered just that for a long time before deciding that ultimately she would rather take her chances outside the cage with her new friends than inside it under the supervision of Dr. Darvski.
Though the man had stated he would return in a couple of hours, Tammy watched as all three of her friends drifted off to sleep. It had been much, much longer than a few hours. Eventually the whole room quieted as all of the different species finally found rest. But Tammy couldn’t sleep, at least not yet, so she kept herself busy studying her surroundings for what she imagined was several hours.
Without any means to track the passing of time, she daydreamed about her home upon the ship, and her family. Jack awoke some time later, and soon after Samantha and Will also stretched and looked about.
“Were we out long?” Sam asked, to which Tammy could only nod.
Though she wasn’t certain, she knew they had arrived in this room in the late night or early morning. It had taken a few hours for Jack, Sam, and Will to fall asleep and they had slept soundly. If Tammy were to hazard a guess, she would assume it was afternoon or evening outside again, yet still Darvski had not returned. No wonder all his test subjects were in such poor shape. Oddly, no sooner had she had the thought, than the scientist emerged from the room beyond.
“I do apologize for my delay, however, I have found an interesting new discovery because of you three,” Darvski said, approaching Tammy’s friends’ cage.
“What’s that?” Jack asked, putting on his kindest smile.
“Well, to be honest I don’t know yet. Yes, I have determined that you are human, and your friend is obviously not, but I found anomalies in your DNA sequencing.”
“What’s that mean?” Sam asked.
“It means, that you are suffering some sort of breakdown or alteration of your DNA from an outside force. I’ve seen similar gene mutations near radiological hazards, and supposed I should have guessed as much if your story was true. You see, all of the people here have been treated for radiation. When the aliens attacked with whatever the blast was that destroyed most of everything, it left a lingering energy in the air. It’s not the radiation we are used to seeing from the sun or even nuclear power sources, but something different. Have you been feeling ill or having headaches?”
“Yeah,” Jack answered.
“Me too,” Sam said.
“Yup,” Will added.
“I guessed as much. We can offer you some anti-radiation medications such as iodine, but much of the damage seems to have been done already. Whatever symptoms have manifested are likely permanent, or soon to be. The mutation cannot be reversed by any means that I am aware of. I cross-checked your DNA to my own and Cole’s, and neither of us show any mutation so it has to be due to the fact that you were so close to its source there in Chicago for so long a time without treatment. I am afraid that I don’t know the extent of the damages or what challenges it might pose upon you. For all I know, you might not make it another week. We’ll have to wait and see together, and if you need treatment in the future either I or Dr. Burch can assist you,” Darvski stated, dialing in the combination on the padlock to their cage. “The least I can do for now is let you out of this cage.”
Tammy watched as Darvski yanked on the lock as it opened with a click. Pulling it free from the cage, he pulled the door open wide as Jack stood and stepped through.
“And what about her?” Jack asked, motioning in Tammy’s direction.
“She shows signs of DNA degradation and mutation too, but don’t you worry about that, I intend to study her and keep her alive as long as I am able,” Darvski admitted, turning to look at Jack as he spoke to him.
During their brief conversation, both Sam and Will stepped free of the cage as well and waited, listening patiently. Tammy watched as Sam nodded to her older brother from behind the scientist and Jack’s arms reacted instantly. Shoving their captor backwards, Jack forced the man to fall backwards where Sam bashed him with the door to the cage, changing his direction. Nearly regaining his balance, Dr. Darvski tripped over the kneeling form of Will on the floor and fell through the door and into the same cage he had kept them as captives.
Thinking their plan exposed, Tammy jumped as sirens split the air around camp just as Sam snapped the lock back into place on the cage. Retrieving their packs, Jack used the small pry bar they had brought with them to remove the dial from the lock on Darvski’s cage. Now he could not simply unlock it through the bars. The sirens blasted louder.
Picking up his pipe, Jack lodged it into the lock on Tammy’s cage as she rose to her feet. She watched as he leveraged his weight against the metal of the lock and jerking down on the pip there was s snap as the lock fell away, broken. Pushing the door open Tammy hopped out, wrapping her arms around Jack’s neck before releasing him with a smile. He was a good friend.
Racing down the aisle to her pack and discarded shoes, she pulled them on and waited for Jack to tell them what to do next.
“Kids. Kids. Don’t be silly. Don’t make this mistake. The camp is under attack again, it isn’t safe out there for you. Let me out and we’ll write this all off as a misunderstanding,” Darvski shouted.
Under attack… Their escape had not triggered the alarms.
Chapter Thirteen
For a minute there, Jack had thought them caught, but not now. Darvski had labeled the sirens’ warning as an attack. The bug creatures were back again, and he was right, that made it even more dangerous to escape, but it also provided the cover and confusion they needed. He couldn’t have planned it better. Watching both Tammy and Sam take Will’s hands, he began down the aisle between the rows of cages before stopping. It wasn’t enough to just leave. He couldn’t free one prisoner and not the others, but some of them were dangerous. Turning, he retraced his steps to the previous row where several man-like people stood with long three fingered hands wrapped about the bars of their cages. They watched him approach intently as he neared the first cage.
“Can you understand me?” Jack asked the bulbous-eyed man in the cage.
It nodded.
> “I am going to free you. It is up to you to free the rest that you can safely. Understand?”
It nodded again.
Jack shoved his pipe through the lock on its cage and yanked down hard, feeling it give beneath his weight. With a snap the lock clattered to the floor as the door swung open. Raising his pipe once more, he held it out to the newly freed prisoner who took it from him gingerly. It understood what it had to do.
Taking the lead once more, Jack led them out of the room and into the laboratory they had entered through earlier. Carefully navigating the room, his eyes darting this way and that, they made their way to the door. Jack paused.
“Sam. You and Will go straight to ole Bessy. Tammy and I will get that cart out of the way so we can get back to the road. From there, all we can do is hope to put some miles between us and here.”
“I’ve never driven before,” Sam protested.
“That’s not true. You had a battery powered pink Corvette at Grandma’s for years. It’s an old truck. Pump the gas, turn the key. When it starts hold the brake and shift into drive. The rest is self-explanatory. You can do this.”
“Why don’t you drive, and I go with Tammy to move the cart out of the way?”
“Because I’m stronger, Sam.”
And that was it. End of discussion. Reaching up, Jack took the handle to the door and twisted it slowly. Pushing it open, he poked his head outside as sirens blasted and people’s screams were punctuated with the buzzing sounds of their attackers. From behind them, he heard the shuffling of feet. The alien escapees were coming too. It was time to move.
Children of the After: The Complete Series Page 23