Lockdown Nation

by Lim, Candice

  “Noted, Prof. Ronin, right on it,” said a female voice.

  Ronin fell on his chair and wiped his hand over his wretched face suggesting he could use some sleep. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Cranax is no longer contained. We’ve shed enough blood and lost enough resources. We’re going into Stage 2 restrictions.”

  The tension bristled the tiny hairs on my nape. Ronin stared at the hologram, weighing his decisions. “Lockdown Nation.”

  Vaxine and Axon traded glances as if Ronin had said a bad word.

  Mandy nudged me on the elbow and leaned in. “What happens in Lockdown Nation?”

  Ronin’s gaze affixed on the hologram. “The same restrictions will be enforced with the imposement of martial law.”

  I gulped. As if Panic Protocol wasn’t already stringent enough.

  “We cannot impose it without President Professor Peyton’s approval,” said a male voice.

  “The President has betrayed the Ethics by putting the lives of people at risk. We cannot afford to have an Infected lead the nation. If we collect enough evidence against him, we can impeach him. That means the ATP Unit will be back on our side. Biosecurity, do you copy?”

  “Copy that, Prof. Ronin,” the same voice replied.

  Ronin’s mind was everywhere but here. “If there are no other questions, we’ll call it a day. In reason we trust.”

  “In reason we trust, Prof. Ronin.” Once the hologram disappeared, Ronin collapsed against the back of his chair and sighed. The tension in the room burst. The rest relaxed, muscles loosened and shoulders slumped.

  I didn’t realize how tense my neck had been until now. The questions of the nation’s fate plagued my head.

  “I can’t believe we are living through such an interesting time,” said Sam.

  “To be fair, I’m not sure if we live through it yet,” said Axon.

  “Remember the history of Asia Nova and the heroic journey of Prof. Zelda Rose, the founder of our nation,” said Ronin. “She revolutionized the entire Asia Nova on her last legs when the whole world condemned her. What we’re experiencing now is far better than what she did. We cannot disappoint her and let all her hard work go to waste.”

  Axon nodded. “You’re right, Prof. Ronin. In reason we trust.”

  “Let’s see what we can get from the hard disks we got from Vector. Maybe that will give us some clues about what’s going on behind the scenes of Project Hive Mind.”

  Everybody had something else going through their mind. The conversation I had with Sam whirled in the garden of my mind. I glimpsed at Ronin, debating the right time to pop the burning question.

  Ronin and the rest were getting up when I sprang to my feet. “Prof. Ronin, can I have a word with you?” All heads snapped in my direction, the exact opposite of the reaction I wanted.

  “Sure.” Ronin turned to the rest after a beat. “Why don’t you get started in the lab first?”

  They made a beeline towards the lab. I followed their retreating backs with my eyes until the shadow of their last hair disappeared around the corner. “So what is it?” Ronin pulled a chair and sat down again.

  I sucked in a deep breath and psyched myself up. No idea why those words tangled in my mouth. “Look, I—I’ve been meaning to ask you but I couldn't find the courage. Maybe I wasn’t ready for the truth but postponing the truth wouldn’t change it either. I want to know about my parents’ whereabouts.”

  Ronin’s eyes stilled on me tickling my nape. I held my breath, wishing he would tell me the truth rather than tormenting me with anticipation.

  “I’m sorry, Roxy. I should’ve told you earlier. But I just couldn't.” Ronin looked straight into me, his eyes filled with guilt and sympathy. “I can’t make this sound any less terrible…”

  Bile rose in my throat.

  “I sent someone to rescue your folks knowing Cash went after them, but they didn’t make it to the safe house,” said Ronin. “The last thing I knew their car was jacked on the way there. I didn’t receive any news from them ever since.”

  Hot tears brimmed my eyes. Not sure how long I could hold these tears or stay in the Community with them before going completely mad. I wanted to say something but I’d lost my voice. The shock robbed me of my speech.

  “Roxy?”

  “Please…don’t say anything…” I turned around and fought with every cell with my body to pull myself together. But my heart was shattering, like the rest of me.

  “Roxy, please hear me out.” Ronin tapped me on the shoulder when I turned around and backed away from him.

  “Get away from me!” I cried out and regretted it the next moment. I shook my head, fighting to purge the information I received out of my head. Maybe Ronin was right to keep it to himself. Maybe it would’ve been better for me to cling to the false hope they were somewhere out there, safe and alive.

  “Roxy, please listen to me. This is exactly why I hesitated to tell you—”

  “Why?” I screamed, unable to hold back my emotions and tears anymore. “Because I would act out like a mourning human being instead of a fucking emotionless droid you expect me to be?”

  “Excuse me! That’s not racist at all!” Another voice came from behind me. When I looked around, everybody and Botty were there. My mind erupted in a violent whirl of chaos. It couldn't accept my folks were dead and had gone haywire.

  “Roxy. I am sorry.”

  “They would’ve had a chance to live if you left them the fuck alone!” I snarled, my words spitting venom and unbothered to conceal my hatred and anger. I wasn’t even sure if I hated Adenine Cash or Ronin Yamashita more now.

  Vaxine rolled her eyes. “Look, Roxy. I’m sorry for your loss but it’s not the time for this. The fate of the entire Asia Nova is in our hands.”

  I wiped my eyes and sucked in a breath to compose myself. “Well, I’m sorry about that. I’ll schedule it in for next week then.”

  Vaxine’s face instantly turned black. She launched herself at me. I stepped back, the flashback of Infected Vaxine attacking me in Whiteshore flounced in my head before Ronin pulled her back. “Stop! No fighting in the lab.”

  Vaxine spat, “Stop acting like the whole world revolves around you, Roxy. No one owes you a damn thing.”

  “It’s mutual.” I made for the bathroom. I needed my solitude, though being alone with my thoughts wasn’t ideal for my mind frame right now. Behind me, Vaxine bitched about me and Ronin shushed her.

  I didn’t care what she said about me anymore. Heck, I didn’t even care about anything that happened in the world anymore.

  ☣☣☣☣☣☣

  Moondust shimmered on the glossy wobbles of the black sea, lulling in the night. Yet, my eyes were wide awake. My mind spiraled with thoughts, keeping me awake though I was physically and mentally worn from everything.

  Though the hope of ever seeing my parents was long lost and gone, I was still shaken by the truth. Unsure if my anger at Adenine Cash for killing my parents outweighed Ronin for hiding the truth from me all the while.

  I wanted to cry but no tears came out. I felt numb inside. Perhaps, the same fate befell my parents awaited the rest too. Perhaps, it was a good thing for them to be gone this way rather than witnessing the crumble of humanity while nothing we could do to stop it.

  I felt worse being stuck in the same place where all of this had started. My thoughts went to Whiteshore. Maybe I should’ve stayed there after all. If this was the end of the world, I’d rather spend the rest of my life in my favorite place.

  I sat up from the same white sofa I’d snuggled in. Mandy and Sam were fast asleep on the floor in the common area. No signs of Ronin, Vaxine, or Axon—they were probably still working in the lab.

  No one said a word to me since the accident. No one even asked me to do anything. I didn’t ask them either. Only Mandy and Sam came out of the lab at 8 pm to get some rest. I had no idea what the rest was up to, but whatever they were doing would be in
vain.

  It was obvious the virus was winning by far. We already lost. I found myself staring at Sam’s peaceful trance while my Whiteshore dreams were dancing in my head. If only we were in Whiteshore instead…if only we could turn back time.

  The sudden idea sprang me into action. If I wanted a chance to relive my childhood and spend the rest of my life in Whiteshore, this would be it. Before the lockdown would happen. I looked back at the lab once and groped for my phone. 4 am.

  The adrenaline rushing through me made my fingers tremble. I tapped on the e-hailing app. Closing my eyes, I sucked in a breath and tapped on ‘Book Now’.

  My stomach leaped when the message popped up. “Your ride will be here in 15 minutes.”

  I sprang to my feet and crouched next to Sam, tapping him gently on the shoulder. “Hey, Sam,” I whispered, glancing at Mandy, carefully not to wake her.

  Sam stirred. He rubbed his eyes and stretched when I shushed him. “Don’t make a noise. We’re leaving now.”

  His eyes widened at once. “What are you talking about?” Sam asked in a groggy voice.

  I shushed him again and looked over at Mandy, relieved she was still fast asleep. “Our ride will be here in 15. We should get out here now.”

  Sam stared at me trying to digest what I said. “Where are we going?”

  “There is no reason for me to stay in the Community and fight. My parents are gone…” I swallowed the burning lump in my throat. “The virus has won. There’s nothing we can do right now. I just want to go back to Whiteshore. Back to the happy old days. Just before we die…”

  I slipped my hand in his and squeezed hard. “That’s what you want, right?”

  Sam’s eyes interlocked with mine for a long time before he sucked in a breath and smiled. “Yeah. That’s what I want to do with you.” He leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips.

  Stunned but my eyes fluttered closed. I relaxed into his embrace, luxuriating each second of his lips against mine. I forgot the last time I’d paused and felt everything so deeply. The need to get out of here pulse more urgently in me.

  We pulled apart after a minute. I smiled back at Sam and checked my phone. “We’d better be quick. Our ride is around the corner.”

  Sam sprang into action. He grabbed his backpack and tossed his belongings into it.

  I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and placed the Genex and Sequencer Gun on the pantry table. I traced my fingers across the glossy white surface for one last time. The weight on my chest grew even heavier than the time I dropped out of CU.

  It was a massive dick move to ditch the group when they needed me the most. When the fate of Asia Nova was hanging on a thread. But I didn’t have the mental strength to stay any longer. I was afraid I would break. I needed to save myself first to save the world.

  Glancing in the direction of the lab for one last time, we tiptoed towards the emergency staircase. As soon as the door closed behind us, we bolted down the staircase. I looked at Sam. He smiled back at me.

  As if we were back in high school and were running away after pulling some stupid pranks. The stress uncoiled from my chest with every step away from the lab. I opened the door at the end of the staircase, the gust of chilled breezed washed away the last bit of worry in me.

  I held Sam’s hand, lacing my fingers through his. “We ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  I looked up at the shadow of the lab, illuminated by the pale moonlight. I forgot how majestic it had looked, it still impressed me like the first time I saw it. I was going down memory lane when the beep from my phone shattered my thoughts. “Your ride is here,” read the message.

  I turned to Sam with a smile. “Let’s go.”

  8

  PEYTON

  Peyton sat in his office, overlooking the wall where the hologram of the Cranax world map where the clusters of red dots were slowly growing like culture in a petri dish. On the other side of the walls, the news was showing on the TV.

  “Asia Nova has become alive again with the lifting of the restrictions and borders. Bars and restaurants are teeming with people celebrating the return of normalcy.” The camera moved from the reporter to a random civilian. “How do you feel now you’re allowed to go out and about?”

  “I’ve never felt so alive. It feels great to have my shots and see my friends again!”

  The TV became white noise as he contemplated the fate of mankind. His grand plan was slowly but surely manifesting right before his eyes. The cleansing was happening now. Soon, the entire Asia Nova would be at his mercy. A smile split his face.

  Peyton’s reverie shattered when the news channel skipped. His celebration was short-lived when a familiar face appeared on the TV. “The national news department was compromised but now we’re back online. The Panic Protocol has been re-imposed, and all citizens of Asia Nova are required to follow through the enforcement or face serious punishment.”

  The shock turned into rage. A snarl ripped off Peyton’s chest. He swung his arm over the desk, sweeping everything within his reach off the edge where they clattered loudly on the floor. “How did they get out?”

  Peyton tugged his hair hard. The pounding in his head grew stronger and unbearable. Pinching his eyes tightly, he wanted to dig his fingers into his skull and pry it open.

  The door to his office burst open and two besuited men marched in with a concerned look. “In reason we trust, President Professor, are you alright?”

  Too furious to speak, Peyton signaled them out and dropped back in his chair where he reached for the vodka, poured himself a glass, and chugged it. The fire that scorched down his throat was no match to the fury or pain brewing within him.

  9

  MANDY

  “You’re the one with them all night and you’re telling us you don’t know where they’ve gone?” Vaxine lashed out at Mandy. Ronin and Axon were at the pantry of Hershey’s lab, looking equally surprised at herself to find out Roxy and Sam were gone.

  Mandy crossed her arms over her chest. Her patience was running thin, but she managed to control her temper. “Well, I was drop-dead tired and slept like a log all night. Even an Infected wouldn’t have woken me up. Besides, get a taste of your own medicine when you kidnapped her last time!”

  Ronin raised his hand, failing to hide the disheartened look on his face. “If that’s what she wants, nothing can stop her. We should focus on the important task at hand.”

  Vaxine sucked in a breath and raised her hands in defeat. Axon gave her a consoling pat on the back when she and Mandy joined them at the pantry. “Roxy’s not in the right state of mind for this anyway. She has the right to go and grieve for her losses.”

  Though they’d changed the topic and focused on the virus right now, their distracted eyes reflected the disarray in their thoughts. Mandy hated she shared the sentiments, unable to purge the thoughts from last night out of her head.

  It was near dawn. Mandy doubted she caught any sleep at all when she heard the commotion. Roxy waking Sam up telling him to pack up before disappearing through the emergency staircase.

  The whole incident was fresh and playing like a broken record in her head. Sure she was slighted she didn’t get an invite to their adventures, but she was glad Roxy didn’t ask her to go with them. Mandy wouldn’t want to be the third wheel.

  “Right now.” Axon resting his knuckles on the pantry bench scattered Mandy’s reverie. “There’s not much we could get from the hard disks from Vector. It looks like someone else had got there first.”

  “But we’re not without hope,” said Vaxine. “We’ve run some tests on the Cranax database and found something interesting.”

  Mandy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I hope this isn’t about another special feature.”

  “Close.” Axon pointed his fingers at Mandy. “We’ve collected the sequence data and constructed this phylogenetic tree. From the tests we ran, we discovered a unique correlation between two very distinct groups
of Infected.” He flicked his smartwatch to conjure a hologram.

  Mandy arched her brow with interest.

  The hologram of the genetic tree appeared in front of them. Axon pointed at a tree branch to conjure a gene sequence. “This is a standard gene sequence of an Infected.” With a snap of his fingers, few sections of the sequence were highlighted and flashed in red.

  “We believe this set of genes cause aggression among the Infected,” Vaxine spoke as if she was presenting her thesis. “Hershey anti-Cranax gene targeted this set of genes, stopping their function until something else blocked it.”

  “What did?”