The Unpaired (The Pairings Book 3)

by Ramona Finn

  Even if Mia gave us more information about Sledge, as she had in Denver, that didn’t mean I trusted her one bit. She had everything at BioPure, and if she could supposedly turn on Sledge, what would stop her from turning on us when she wanted to?

  I wasn’t sure what to say. The other researchers had already cleared out when we had pulled out our guns, and business seemed to move as usual around the lab even though our conversation was anything but casual. Mia had brought them here, so they trusted her. Or did they?

  The tense standoff was broken by John’s voice. “I didn’t trust her immediately, either, Lora.”

  Mia pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

  “Once she found me on the train to New York, though, it was hard not to. She did bring me back here.” He glanced around the immediate area with excitement sparkling in his eyes. “Look around. This is it, Lora. We can do it here. We can cure New Zero. Here, we can break Sledge’s grip for good. That’s all that matters.”

  I swallowed against my probably bruised throat. It was uncomfortable—almost as much as having Mia around was. But everyone in the lab had accepted her story. I didn’t have to, but I still needed to work with her.

  “Fine,” I said to Mia with the angriest glare I could muster. I couldn’t help thinking of the people Mia had killed in cold blood, along with all the crimes she’d committed. If we were going to move forward, I’d need to put up with her. This had to be for something.

  It had to be.

  “If you betray us,” I growled, “I will make sure you die before we do.” Even though, days ago, Isra had threatened my life over us trusting Jarid, I channeled her rage in focusing this way on Mia. I would never trust her, but if working side by side gave us the opportunity to save my parents and everyone inflicted with New Zero, my hatred for her would have to wait until we completed the cure.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mia didn’t seem concerned about my threat, but I meant every word of it. I had been there when she’d almost killed Syeth and John without any care for the consequences. It had only been when we’d threatened her life that she complied with our requests and gave us the information we’d needed. She had done it for herself, and I doubted this was any different. Her survival was the only thing that mattered to her, and I would never forget that. I wasn’t sure if she was going to betray us this time, but I wasn’t going to trust her until she came through on her promises.

  “We should get back to the meeting,” John said, walking away. He eyed Mia, and she twisted away from us and went over to the table. She had a folder with paperwork inside, and she flipped through it while waiting for the others to return.

  “I don’t know about this,” Syeth said. “Should we grab John and Jarid and get out of here?”

  “John won’t go. Not now. He’s too close. Syeth, look around. This is where we can find a cure. Isra said she’d wait for our signal. I need to hope that’s the case; otherwise, this will all be for naught. There’s too much at stake for us to leave now.”

  “She’s still going to want to kill Jarid and the other BioPure researchers.”

  I sighed. He was right. “First things first. I do the brain scan. John formulates the cure. Then we can get Jarid and John to safety before pinging the location. It will take some time for the Unpaired to get here.”

  “And the other researchers?”

  I glanced around the room and tried to swallow around the tightness in my throat. Not one of these people deserved to die under the Unpaired’s hands, but if Isra was giving us no choice… “We’ll have to see.”

  “I don’t like having Mia here.”

  “We’ll have to keep an eye on her.”

  John gathered the researchers back to the table to continue their conversation. Mia stood at the back of the table while John invited Syeth and me to sit at the front. From there, I wouldn’t be able to see her unless I turned around. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was on my mind, though.

  John jumped back into the conversation they’d been having when Syeth and I had interrupted. Most everyone spoke during the meeting. There were a lot of technical terms that I missed out on, but I understood the general idea. These were the smartest scientists in Chicago, and most likely in the populated country. John must have loved being with such great minds and having all the equipment on hand that they needed to create a cure. Which made my point to Syeth about us having a hard time getting him out of there.

  Mom and Dad were on my mind as the scientists excitedly defended their theories for how to get the final version of the cure ready to fight New Zero. With me there, John would be able to complete the scans and get the cure faster than he ever would have been able to at the rebel base.

  The conversation continued with them comparing their most recent findings in addition to past ones. John ran the meeting with his usual confidence and grace. As much as Mia’s involvement wasn’t ideal, he was there because of her. I forgave her appearance in my life for the moment and focused on what I could do to cure New Zero.

  It took about two hours, but after the researchers decided on the next course of action, John invited me to tour the room with him. Syeth and Jarid were behind me, but neither of them spoke to each other.

  “I know you just got here,” John started, “but getting your scan sooner than later will only help the cause.”

  “I’m here to help.”

  “That’s what I thought you’d say. I’ve seen the effects of the temporary cure first-hand. It’s remarkable. Tell me, how did the cure affect Elsie?”

  I sucked in my lower lip before responding. “I used it on Dad.”

  “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Of course.”

  “He’s worse off now. Even more so than Mom. At that point, we had to be sure it worked and that Jarid was telling the truth.”

  “I understand,” he said, smiling at me. “There’s no need to explain.”

  I wasn’t sure why I wanted his approval. Though, I was sure I’d feel the same way no matter who I had tested it on.

  “Look at this,” John said, bringing me in front of a scanner. It was similar to the one that Syeth’s mother had strapped me to in the VaxWell lab, but newer and more high-tech.

  Jarid and Syeth continued walking. Somehow, they had found their silent communication stride again. I hoped Jarid continued to prove himself to us, regaining Syeth’s trust. He didn’t need to worry about me. While his trust in Mia left a lot to be desired, he had good intentions.

  John approached the computer station next to the scanner. He touched the screen and typed in a password.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Mia was nowhere to be seen, and the twins were at another station. Jarid showed Syeth something on their screen.

  John and I were finally alone.

  “I was so worried about you.” Tears stung my eyes, catching me off-guard. “What was it like?”

  He shook his head. “It wasn’t as bad as one might expect.” He led me to the scanner and opened the door. It was much wider than the others I’d been in.

  “How so?”

  “They had come to the base to capture both me and Marisha.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s alive,” he said, grabbing four sticky pads with sensors in them and placing them on either side of my head. “I advised her to make a deal with them to work in their lab. There are several workers here that have been keeping tabs on her for me. She’s alive and well, but kept under guard.”

  That was a relief. I sat back against the scanner as John booted it up. It wasn’t as loud as our scanner on the rebel base, and I could hear John tapping his finger across the screen as if he’d been standing right in front of me.

  “They don’t believe in letting a good mind go to waste,” he said. “At least not here. BioPure wanted me to work with them to create a cure.”

  “The list you and Mom were on. That was for working with them in their lab?”

  He nodded, and the scanner whirr
ed to life. “They’re desperate. They’re scared of the monster they’ve let loose, scared of the damage it’s done even at the highest levels.”

  The scanning device moved down from the top of the tube and hovered around my head. It spun around, stopping before turning the other way and back around.

  Then it idled for a few seconds as it processed.

  “What do you think about Jarid and Mia?”

  The scanner moved again, based on John’s specifications. He walked closer to the tube as if he was checking on parts of it.

  “Jarid believes in what we’re doing.” He sent a pointed glance over his shoulder. “He’s so earnest and full of hope and excitement. He thinks we’re on the cusp of taking down BioPure.”

  The scanner moved again, and John lifted the portable tablet while focusing on the screen. He glided around the tube, keeping his attention on the screen as he asked me questions which were similar to the ones we’d gone over before. We fell into a rhythm that I had only dreamed about since BioPure had stolen him from us.

  Here, the process seemed effortless; the more sophisticated equipment could map my brain with only my cooperation and no issues.

  The scanner idled, and John stood next to the door again. “Mia, on the other hand.” His attention was still on the tablet, concealing his real purpose for standing so close. I could tell he didn’t trust her entirely, just like me. At least his memory hadn’t been scrambled while he’d been gone. “I can’t get a read on her. She’s pumped full of so many top-shelf biomods. Her mind and body are on overdrive. She’s quick and strong, and not really a normal human anymore. For all we know, she can suppress her pulse and fully control her body language when she’s lying.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Anything is possible with BioPure. Sledge is pumped up with them, too. I wouldn’t put it past them to protect their own interests. Her specialties are murder and interrogation, so she would have to be good at both sides.”

  I couldn’t imagine.

  The scanner read me another time before he continued. “Her story is plausible, but I’m not sure whether it’s true. I don’t trust her.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “But we wouldn’t have this lab without her. To be honest, I’m torn between what I’ve seen from her in the past and what she’s done for us here. All we need to do is get the cure, though, and then she can do whatever she wants with Jarid and the managers.”

  The scan ran another twenty minutes before John concluded that they had enough from me for now. Like he’d always done at the rebel lab, John reviewed the scans with me and spoke about how they were going to be used to help manufacture the cure. The spinning brain on the computer screen was lit up yellow, with only a few black spots left scattered across the surface.

  “Is this enough?” I asked.

  “More than we could get at the other lab.”

  John talking about the other lab reminded me of another threat against us, but from the other side. “The Unpaired commanders know about Jarid defecting from BioPure. They don’t believe his story.”

  John’s eyes widened. “Are they going to attack? We need to finish this work. If not, it’s all for nothing. Lora—”

  “As of now, they’re waiting, out there somewhere, for a signal from us.” John’s breathing slowed. “But Isra is out for Jarid’s blood.” I wasn’t going to discuss the fact that she had wanted mine, as well.

  “First, we need to figure out the cure; then we can worry about them.”

  “Are you closer now? The one I tested on Dad only lasted for two hours. Almost to the second.”

  “We did realize that half-life. While I can’t promise anything, with your scans, we’re going to be more on track.” John scratched his chin as he peered over at Jarid and Syeth. “Though, with the Unpaired sniffing around here, it might not be a bad idea for someone to set up a safehouse that they don’t know about.”

  The hours turned into days, with Syeth checking in with Isra at regular intervals to assure her that the researchers were indeed making progress. If it hadn’t been for the fact that more and more rebels were falling to New Zero, she might have given up on waiting and invaded the lab by now in her quest to take down Jarid.

  With the scans from my brain safely uploaded to their system, the cure came together much quicker than I’d anticipated. At the rebel lab, everything had moved so slowly because the equipment was rarely reliable. But John and I had fallen into a groove working together, and I was there every step of the way, with each new iteration of the cure. It took two weeks to create a batch that was worth attempting more human testing.

  Meanwhile, Syeth recruited our team from the prison to help supply a safehouse about fifteen minutes away from the laboratory. Harper and Yvette were in charge of getting my parents out of the camp if anything happened.

  I split my time between sleeping at the lab and our apartment, unable to leave either place for too long. With each visit, I worried about John and Jarid as much as I feared for my parents’ health when I was at the lab.

  One afternoon, I left the hospital to head back to the apartment and gather Syeth for our ride to the lab. We were testing the newest batch of the cure the next day, and I wanted to be there for it.

  I didn’t expect to find Isra at the front door waiting for me.

  Shoving back my shoulders, I walked straight up to her. “Hey.”

  “I’m here for a report.”

  “Syeth’s been giving them to you.”

  “I want to hear it from you.”

  My heart skipped several beats as I wondered how best to answer, but then I decided on honesty. “We have the cure. Well, almost. We’re testing it tomorrow.” I waited for her response. Everyone affected by New Zero was counting on this cure.

  Isra’s fingers glided over her waist, resting one hand on her gun. “How do I know you’re not lying to me and planning something else?”

  She had no idea I was planning to hide Jarid, but I needed to buy more time. “I wouldn’t lie about this. Both of my parents are affected.”

  Isra chewed that over for a moment while her tapping fingers pulled my attention to the gun strapped to her belt. As long as it stayed there, we wouldn’t have any trouble between us.

  “When will you be sure of its validity?”

  “If it’s like the temporary one, it should work right away. But the researchers set a waiting period of forty-eight hours to be sure the cure sticks and there are no side effects.”

  She checked her phone and then shoved it into her pocket. “Turns out, we need the cure more than I thought. More Unpaired and rebels have fallen ill and we’re going to need that cure to get our numbers back up to where they need to be. I’m going to give you until twelve-hundred hours three days from now to clear out of the lab before we take over. Understand?”

  “What if we need more time?”

  “The longer we allow that lab to be open, the riskier it becomes for us. We need to take down those traitors and prove to BioPure that we’re steps ahead of them.”

  “But what if more work is needed? You can’t just come in guns blazing.”

  “I can and I will.”

  I knew better than to continue arguing with her. “Okay.”

  Isra nodded and turned on her heel. “I hope I don’t see you there.”

  I understood the threat loud and clear.

  On the morning of the human trial, I was a bundle of nerves. I had barely slept the night before, bunking in the small dormitory section of the underground lab so I would be there as soon as John had the test subject ready to go.

  But when Cameron walked into the room—offering a mirror image of the blank stare my parents exhibited every time I saw them—I crossed my fingers and prayed to the great beyond that this iteration worked for longer than the previous cure. At least then we’d know if we were on the right track. Cameron was a volunteer who’d been an early victim of the mutated Zero. The researchers had taken a dozen of the
diagnosed New Zero patients with them when they’d defected for this new round of testing.

  Cameron asked questions of the two female researchers who brought him toward a folding chair next to one of the scanners. It was standard procedure to scan the human subjects after the potential cures wore off—to determine if there were any changes to their brain activity.

  Everyone in the lab gathered around Cameron, waiting for the results.

  John introduced himself to Cameron and attempted to ease his mind with calm, soothing words. Then John injected the cure into Cameron’s arm. The subject winced, but within seconds, the lines across his brow flattened and the clouded look in his eyes disappeared before our eyes.

  Cameron shook his head, dropping his chin to his chest.

  John lunged for him, thinking he had passed out, but he looked up with tears swelling in his eyes. “I remember. I remember everything.” He choked out a laugh. One of the researchers asked him questions about his past and what he remembered. Like Dad, he was able to recall the time in their quarantined section and everything in between.

  Then it was time to wait. The first two hours went by quickly since we already knew the cure would last that long. But the next hours slogged by. Two turned to four, then six and then eight. At each hour mark, John scanned Cameron’s brain. Each time, his brain function looked perfectly normal. The cure seemed to be holding steady. The scan looked almost exactly like mine, with the modified Alpha Form virus overriding New Zero. It had worked in piecing Cameron’s brain back together even after the devastating effects of Zero.

  After twenty-four hours, the researchers were ready to call it and the celebrations started. There was no deterioration of the brain in any capacity. Workers brought out bottles of champagne and passed cups all around. Everyone toasted and cheered each other for a job well done.

  The only person who seemed upset was John. Tears streaked his face, but he wasn’t frowning. He was smiling. When he noticed me looking, he swiped at his cheeks.