by Matt Ryan
Gary lowered his head. “Yes, Mr. President.”
Poly couldn’t get used to thinking of Travis as the president, let alone people calling him that. She hoped he never expected her to call him by his title. He was the same person as before, but she was lying to herself a bit in thinking that way. He seemed aged somehow. It was impossible, but he seemed to have a crease near his eyes, and his eyes now carried a certain weight to them. She wondered how the rebuilding of Vanar was really going.
Gary opened one of the vials and pulled some of the liquid out with a syringe and injected it into a square metal box. He twisted the lid shut and pushed a button. His computer screen danced with information. Julie leaned in close, but it might as well have been a foreign language to Poly.
She gazed around the room and the people occupying it. Many had stopped what they were doing and talked in small clusters, looking at them. She sighed and knew they recognized her. They probably wanted selfies to put on their walls and build up their social points. She didn’t mind interacting, she enjoyed that part, but it wasn’t her planet. Each time she interacted with someone here, she left a larger and larger footprint. She felt dirty, as if she was polluting their world with lies. Back on Earth, she could simply be Poly.
“Okay, all done,” Gary said. “This is the cure to the cough, but they used a different protein, a more primitive type, like we would have used a few hundred years ago. It will still work but takes on a different color.”
“So it’s exactly the same?” Julie clarified.
“I didn’t say that. There is also something registering on the biomechanical spectrum.” Gary pushed his chair back and spun around. He took another syringe full of the vial and dropped it in a larger metal box. He sealed the top with a twist cap and pushed a button.
“You think there’s a nanobot in it?” Travis said, looking at the machine humming.
“I don’t know, we will find out in a minute. Why are you looking at this old stuff anyway? Is there another cough developing?”
“No,” Travis stomped on the comment.
Gary shrugged and watched the computer screen blaze with numbers and letters. It stopped and he typed into it and then touched the screen, scrolling through different windows until an insect looking cylinder with spikes wrapping around its body appeared.
“There’s your nanobot—tough to spot.”
“Nanobot?” Julie leaned closer to the screen.
Poly frowned at the image. It freaked her out, thinking of some little thing like that roaming around in her body. Elation washed over her as she realized all of them had taken the clean cure from Vanar. They didn’t have whatever it was in them, but the rest of world did, or was about to.
“What does it do?” Travis asked as he rubbed his eye in frustration.
“I don’t know.” Gary shrugged.
“Can you take a guess? It appears to have the structure of a neuron bot.”
“I would agree, it does something in the brain, but unless it’s activated, well . . . we won’t know.”
“Can you activate it?” Travis asked and Gary shook his head. He sighed.
“But if I had to guess, I’d say this is something nasty. The spikes on the side could be used for cutting, while the almost imperceptible tails have a fibrous surface, ideal for attaching inconspicuously to neurons. They could even control thoughts or at the least, give nudges. Or they could kill you.”
Poly put her hand on her chest and looked at Joey. “We need to go and warn everyone.” She wanted to run back to the stone.
“Yeah, let’s get you guys back.”
On the elevator rides back to the stone, they told Travis about the cure, how this Zach guy must be Marcus, and how he was distributing the cure worldwide. Travis took in the information with a grim expression. “You know, I don’t think he has any intention of hurting you six. From everything I have learned, he has looked to keep you alive.”
“Yeah, but now he has our blood and whatever else he took from us,” Joey said.
“He didn’t get everything from you,” Travis reminded him.
“He’s right, I still have both testicles.” Lucas grabbed at his crotch.
“Ugh, Lucas, no.” Julie put a hand over her face.
Travis laughed. “He’s actually not far off. Marcus’s ultimate goal was one of your children. Thought it could be the next step in human evolution. We even found some old documents where he’d referred to your spawn as the last chance for Vanar.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have no idea, but we better hope Marcus isn’t around to witness the birth of one of your kids.”
Poly felt queasy and put her hand on her stomach. The elevator opened and they walked down the hall to the stone room in silence.
Travis turned to face them. “I need to apologize to each of you and Hank. If I live another thousand years, I’ll never stop regretting what happened, what I did to each of you.”
Poly shook her head. “You don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do. And so much more. Especially to you, Poly, my dear. I almost killed you and then watched you nearly lose your life to Max. I should have acted sooner. I should have done more and now he’s found a new place to call home on your planet. We thought we might have a hundred years before he got his claws into Earth. Harris and I believed we’d have time to concentrate on rebuilding our world. We were fools and that is just one of the reasons Gladius is so much of a better person than me. She had the courage to take action and help your world.”
Poly watched the man tremble and couldn’t find the words to soothe him. She grasped his hand and squeezed.
“I will make this right.” Travis nodded, as if making a deal with himself. “Know you have the support of Vanar.”
“Thanks, Travis,” Poly said, letting his hand go after one more squeeze.
They didn’t talk much as he said his goodbyes and walked down the hall. Poly had a sinking feeling she may never see Travis again. She had no reason to think it, but it weighed on her. They had shared a kiss, mostly Travis kissing her, but it was there. He knew about her and Joey and when he thought she wasn’t looking, she’d spotted him sizing up Joey as if trying to understand what she was doing with him.
Joey gave hints that he saw something in the way Travis was with her, but Poly never mentioned the kiss. She’d rectify that as soon as they were alone. She didn’t want to keep one thing from Joey. She wanted him to have her entirely.
“Come on,” Joey said. He took her hand and guided her into the stone room.
Travis held a hand up and stared at her as they walked by, words paused on his lips and maybe he was feeling the same macabre feeling, but he kept his words to himself and watched them enter the dome.
Lucas didn’t waste time and typed into the stone. “Here we go.”
The smells of the forest washed over them and Poly took in the warm breeze.
“We need to tell everyone what they are taking. We have to warn someone at the top about this cure,” Joey said.
“Why?” Julie asked.
“We should just put it on the internet or something,” Lucas suggested.
“Yeah, ‘cause conspiracy theories will stop people from curing themselves and their loved ones.” Julie crossed her arms. “Don’t you guys get it? It won’t matter what we tell them, they still will take the cure. What is the alternative?”
Poly held her tongue because she had the exact thoughts as Julie. It was silly to even think they could stop the world from taking the cure. That nanobot would be in every person on the planet in the matter of a week and the only alternative was to die.
“Then what, we just give up and let him have Earth?” Joey asked.
This question brought on a long silence. Poly searched for the answer but there wasn’t an easy path. That was Marcus’s design, she was sure, he didn’t want anyone to have a real choice in the matter. Maybe if Vanar wasn’t in shambles, they could create a competing cure.
Jo
ey ran his hands through his hair. “I think we need to go back to square one and do the one thing we can control.”
“And what’s that?” Julie asked.
“Get Samantha back.”
“I’m driving!” Lucas blurted.
THE BEATING HAD ENDED, EITHER everyone in line had a turn or they grew tired of thrashing an unconscious man. Hank wrestled against his constraints, and with each pull, the thin cords dug into his wrists.
The Arrack with the large necklace, walked into the room.
“He’s dying,” Hank pleaded, “we need to get him help!”
Harris hadn’t moved in a while. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. Cuts on the sides of his face had coagulated shut and were swelling.
The Arrack regarded him with a blank expression and walked behind Harris with a knife. Hank figured it was the end for Harris and after that, they would off him. He didn’t want to watch Harris’s last moments, choosing instead to face away.
Harris fell to the floor at his feet. Hank searched for any new wounds, but nothing. The cut straps dangled from his feet and hands. Turning back, he saw the Arrack approaching him with a dagger.
“I’m going to cut you loose, give me a reason to kill you, please,” the Arrack hissed.
Hank stilled himself. He felt the Arrack’s cold hands touching his legs and cutting the straps. The wrists were next and Hank felt blood rush back into his freed hands. He bounded to Harris on the floor and touched his hand. Still warm.
“He needs help,” Hank pleaded with the Arrack.
“He won’t get it, and doesn’t deserve it. If I had my way, this would be a weekly thing. I’d heal him, just to where he’d be able to hurt again. The lines of Arracks would wrap around the world to get their fists on him.”
The Arrack kicked Harris in the back and walked to the door. Harris coughed and opened his eyes. He groaned and blinked.
“He will be here soon.” The Arrack left and locked the door.
Hank ignored the comment and rolled Harris onto his back.
Harris coughed and moved back to his side. He spat blood on the floor. “In my pocket, there is a white pill, get it out for me.”
Hank searched in his jacket pocket and found a pill. He pulled it out and looked at the white pill between his fingers.
Harris eyed it and licked the blood on his lips. “Put it in my mouth.”
Hank moved the pill close to Harris’s mouth when he stopped. “What does it do?”
“It kills me, there’s another in my pocket for you.”
Hank jerked his hand back and set the pill on the chair. “I’m not killing you.”
“Just put it on the floor, I can suck it into my mouth.”
“No.”
“Hank, we don’t have time. Marcus will be here soon. He will use us to get to everyone else. He will play games with us like a cat might a mouse. Do you want to be the piece of a puzzle in his game? We can end it now before he has a chance.” Harris coughed and spit another glob of blood on the floor. “Give me that pill. And I think you should take the second one.”
“We are not giving up.” Hank grabbed hold of Harris and lifted him up to a sitting position with his back resting against the chair. Hank tossed the pill away and heard it bouncing across the concrete floor.
Harris sighed. “It’s not giving up. It’s not giving him what he wants.” Harris’s eyes watered. “I’ve seen what he does with his enemies and it’s a fate far worse than death.”
“I am not going to let you die. We can take on Marcus, the two of us.”
Harris laughed and coughed. “Listen, I deserve to die. How many Arracks did I kill? I destroyed their world. I knew what was in the envelope the whole time because I put it there. I had to destroy them before they destroyed us. Now tell me I don’t deserve to be dead. Get me that pill.”
Hank leaned back from Harris and fell on his butt. “You knew? I thought you were just talking back there. You killed them all?”
“Yes, and I’d do it again if it meant saving my world.”
Hank reeled back further. He wasn’t sure he knew the man sitting in front of him. He didn’t have any love for the Arracks, but they were a people, they had a culture, they had children and friends.
“We would have died if not for Joey. You sent us to our deaths?”
“Yes, of course I did. Now get the second pill from my pocket. Even half a pill is more than enough to kill us both. Hank, you don’t want to be the one to give up your friends to Marcus, do you? He will use us like bait, only after we’ve spilled everything we know. ”
“This is crazy, I don’t believe you.” Spit flew from Hank’s mouth as he moved toward Harris.
“Just give me the pill.” Harris moved his mangled hand toward his pocket.
Hank slapped his hand away and yanked the second pill out of his jacket and threw it across the room.
Harris slumped. “It was worth a try. Don’t listen to a thing he tells you. It will all be lies.”
“You didn’t really kill those Arracks, did you?”
“It doesn’t matter now. Much like the Arracks, we’ve just been turned into pawns in Marcus’s game.”
Hank reached down and touched Harris’s shoulder. He winced and Hank pulled back.
“This is an emotional gathering.”
Hank turned to see a man standing at the door. He had expected Marcus, but this was someone else. “Who are you?”
“I’m Zach Baker. I own this building.”
Harris coughed and squinted at Zach. “Is that Marcus?”
“You’re not going to try anything are you, big man?” Zach asked, ignoring Harris’s statement.
“You’re that guy . . . the president of ZRB,” Hank said and Zach bowed. “You’re supposed to be Marcus. You’re not him.”
“I think you need to tell your friends this.” Zach sidestepped him, getting closer to Harris.
Harris coughed and watched with swollen eyes as Zach moved across the room. He blinked and spit more blood on the floor. His right hand moved toward his jacket. Probably an instinct to grab for his gun, but the Arracks had disarmed him.
“I don’t care what you want to call yourself, I know you as Marcus.” Hank jumped to his feet, but Zach matched his movement in a flash, drawing his square gun. He shot an electrical charge, hitting Hank in the chest. Every muscle fired at the same time, sending him to the floor. His jaw clenched and his feet curled up as he convulsed.
The shock stopped and he breathed hard. His muscles released their intense grip and he felt control of his body returning. Two cords ran from his chest to the gun in Zach’s hand. Hank tried to move, but his arms wouldn’t work right. He lay on his side and watched Zach get close to Harris.
“I thought it would have been harder to capture the Harris.” Zach hovered over him with his hand in his pocket. Harris’s bloody hand grabbed Zach’s throat, but Zach injected something into his neck. Harris’s hand fell and he slumped over. “Don’t worry, I’ve got enough for you too, Hank. You are part of the plan as well.”
Hank felt the needle dip into his neck and soon, it was all black.
JOEY LOOKED ON AS JULIE punched the off button on her cell phone. Hank hadn’t been answering her phone calls and she seemed like she might throw her phone out the car window. “It could be a hundred reasons,” he said, attempting to calm her. “Maybe the power’s out, or maybe Harris told him to leave it behind.”
Julie sighed. “Can we pull over? I have to . . . you know.”
“Is this a number one or a number two pull over?” Lucas asked, glancing from her to the road as he drove.
Julie punched him. “I have to change a tampon, if you must know.”
Lucas quickly veered off the road. The car bounced onto the bumpy shoulder as it came skidding to a stop.
Julie glared at him before opening the door. Dust swirled into the car. “Poly, can you come with me?”
“You need my help?”
“I don’t want to
be outside, in the dark, stuck with my pants around my ankles, in a post-apocalyptic America.”
“Well, when you put it that way.” Poly opened her door and they walked into the darkness off the highway.
Joey got out of the car as well and watched a car drive by, giving his back to the girls. A good Samaritan might have stopped, but he was glad they didn’t. He didn’t feel like talking to someone about the cure or how great it was. He’d heard enough on the radio. The whole world seemed to be celebrating the cure, but at what cost? He kicked the gravel along the shoulder of the exit. Even if they knew the costs, they’d still pay it.
Lucas walked around to the side of the car and leaned against it. “Seems like we don’t get a moment, just the two of us, anymore.”
Joey chuckled, but when he thought about it, he couldn’t recall the last it was just him and Lucas. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”
Lucas moved closer and looked down at his arm. “How’s it going, you know, with the shakes?”
“It comes and goes, but I feel pretty good. Poly helps.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t leave your side. She’d kill me if I brought up your condition.”
“My condition?” Joey crossed his arms.
“Dude, you know how hard it is to not bust your balls over it?”
“So you’ve been holding back to save my feelings?” Joey asked.
Lucas looked confused. “No, I just don’t want to get stabbed by Poly, dude. She freaking adores you.”
“Yeah, she does . . . And, you know, Julie tolerates you. Which says a lot.”
Lucas laughed. “That she does.” He stared into the darkness. “You know, even with everything that has happened, I feel like we are two lucky guys to have people like Poly and Julie with us.”
Joey turned to face Lucas. It wasn’t very often the man went to a deeper emotional level. “I agree, bud. We are damned lucky.”
“Hey, you think we are doing the right thing here? Maybe we could find a place to escape, a place Marcus would never think of looking,” Lucas said.
“Like Nebraska?”
Lucas laughed. “No, there are other worlds, I think the Arracks know of them. Aren’t you getting sick of this revolving door? Don’t you want to wash your hands of it at some point?”