by Lim, Candice
“Okay, how’s this different from using a gene gun? It’s the same damn thing, isn’t it? Except, this is gonna cover a wider range. A gene gun can’t hold back the whole horde but this will.”
Botty slumped. “I suppose. What’s on your mind?”
My eyes on the box. The plan slowly formulated in my head when the urgent footsteps followed by Sam’s voice derailed my train of thoughts. “Roxy, we gotta go now. We’re under attack!”
My heart cinched. “What?”
“We gotta go now!”
A fresh dose of adrenaline surged through my veins and catapulted me into action. I dropped the disk into the box and carried it out of the lab. “What’s going—?” The loud bang shuddered the backdoor as Mandy and Carlisa piled furniture to block it. A chill ran down my spine. “Blot my gel, we’re under attack!”
“Peyton!” Carlisa spun around, her eyes lit on fire. “Ronin would’ve told him about our hiding place!”
Bile rose in my throat as the puzzle pieces fell into place. Ronin would be the only one who knew about Hershey’s lab.
“Botty, initiate security lockdown!” I cried.
“I can’t. The generator doesn’t have enough power to lock down the whole facility. You have to get outta here ASAP!” cried Botty. “The ATP is here, I believe, to end you all.”
“How did you know they’re the ATP?” cried Carlisa.
“I have access to the cameras.” Botty hopped onto the pantry bench as we traded urgent looks. “That door isn’t gonna hold up for any longer. You have to get out right now!”
I held the box tighter against my chest. I could use a Gene Blast but I doubted it would penetrate through the ATP exoskeletal armor. “But that’s our only way out!”
“Not really!” Botty gestured at the elevator when all the flashbacks of the time I was here with Vaxine came whooshing back.
A tired sigh slumped my shoulders. “No way.”
“It’s the only way out and it’ll lead you straight to the underground carpark.” Botty hopped off the bench and went for the elevator. It bopped its head at the electrical panel. A metallic arm extended from Botty’s head and connected to the starter motor.
The elevator clanked and opened the door.
“You have to leave now! The generator isn’t gonna last!”
We traded dubious looks. Carlisa and Mandy first stepped into the elevator.
Sam put his hand on my shoulder. “Come on. We have to go!”
I sucked in a breath and followed suit. The door closed when I reached a hand out to stop it. “Wait! What about you? Are you coming with us?”
“No, I can’t. I have to get you to the underground carpark. Then, you’re on your own.” Botty sounded sad. The guilt swelled in me for leaving behind something perfectly capable of exhibiting human emotions, like the rest of us. “It’s time you stand on your own feet and as a member of the Community, to find a way to save humanity from the brink of extinction.”
A wave of nostalgia and sadness swelled in me. “But…I can’t leave you here—”
A loud thump burst through the door. My heart jumped when Sam pulled me back. “We have to go now!” The box weighed me down and pushed me back. I staggered back and fell into Sam’s arms.
Advancing footsteps crescendoed as the elevator door snapped to close, sealing away the cacophony. Through the slit of the closing door, I could see the ATP kick Botty.
My heart shriveled. Botty, the only connection I had left with Hershey and Quillon was ripped from my hands. Cranax’s victory and threat became more evident and the last bit of my hope slowly died away. Now my only emotional blanket that had been Botty was gone.
The elevator descended and trembled to a halt. The door opened to the underground carpark where Genom had parked in the same position. The memories of the fateful night flounced in my head, taunting me with the better past. I hated myself for thinking that was the worst time of my life when I wished so badly I could go turn back in time right now.
“Let’s go back to my place.” Sam’s voice echoed through the basement as we made for the exit to the beach.
“I wouldn’t lead them back to your place.” Mandy turned to me. “And I wouldn’t go back to Whiteshore either.”
“What do we do now?” Carlisa asked.
“We should retrace our steps and get to the bottom of where everything has started.” Mandy held the door for us to go through.
The crashing waves reflected the state of my mind. The wind picked up and blustered through my clothes. “That’s right. We have to go back to where we’ve started.” I turned to Mandy. “We’ll go back to our apartment.”
☣☣☣☣☣☣
There was a certain strange feeling about going back to a place you never thought you would return. Like meeting an old friend who’d parted ways. Like going back in time, except things weren’t quite the way they were but there weren’t many changes either.
I pushed the elevator button of the Alps. I half-expected to see some familiar faces only to remember my university batch mates would’ve graduated and moved out of the Alps to chase the next step of their scientific pursues.
The elevator opened up. A group of five of our peers glanced at us and walked out. Never seen any of them before but I bet they were the new batch of CU students. The faces changed like seasons passed. The place I used to call home felt so foreign to me now.
Mandy who had the keys led the way up to our door as the muffled music blasted from next door. “I miss Yvonne so much.”
Mandy and my phone beeped at the same time. I checked the new message.
Dear Roxy Riley,
Notice is hereby given within 5 days after service of this notice, you must surrender possession of the premise located at the No. 703, The Alps.
Your failure to vacate the premise within 5 days will result in legal actions against you to recover possession of the premise and to seek judgment for the damages for each day of occupancy after the expiry of this notice.
Mandy and I exchanged a knowing look.
“Is everything alright?” Carlisa nudged Mandy who opened the door and showed us in.
“We’re getting evicted in 5 days so this won’t be our safe haven for any longer.” Mandy craned her neck into the hallway to check the coast and locked the door after us.
My first breath reeked of stuffy air. I spluttered and groped for the switch. The lights flickered on. A certain relief washed over me to find everything has remained the same like a time capsule, except for the thin film of dust settled on every surface.
I placed the box on the floor. My muscles ached in protest once the weight was lifted off my shoulders. I didn’t realize how heavy the box and how tired my arms had been until now. I massaged my sore muscles and plopped on the sofa.
Mandy returned from the kitchen with cans and joined the rest in the living room where we sat in a circle.
Cans popped. I chugged the whole can of diet coke and looked at them in turn. “Now what?”
Mandy shrugged. “Nothing much we can do, is there? Probably pack up and evacuate the place soon.” She went into her room.
Sam put his hand on my shoulder. “We did all we could, Roxy. There’s nothing else we can do. It’s over.”
Carlisa hung her head and propped against the back of the sofa.
“Why don’t you guys get some rest? Have a shower or watch the TV if you wanna.” I went back to my room and turned on the light. My eyes fell on the trash can filled to the brim with my lab coat from CU and the shreds of Adenine Cash’s poster, untouched since the day Mandy and I left for Whiteshore.
I plopped onto my chair and looked at the place I’d stayed for the past three years for the last time. My attention drew to the trash can again. I picked up and dusted my lab coat. The logo of CU struck me with an idea.
Putting the lab coat aside, I pulled out the tablet and looked at the Cranax distribution map. The red grew and spread so
much more across the nation like a time-lapse of bacteria colonies. I zoomed into the map.
The recollections of Graybridge came flooding back. Vaxine and I had done it. We cured the Infected there, well, most of them. I could do it again. The plan was mapped out in my head.
I went around the room, sorting out which clothes to donate and which to send back to Whiteshore. It helped me think better whilst doing something else. I didn’t realize how much stuff I’d accumulated during my stay here until I filled the two boxes to the brim with my stuff.
I sealed the boxes, marked them as ‘To Donate’ and ‘To Deliver’. I almost forgot how the room had looked like when I first moved in. I plopped back on my chair. My eyes fell on my lab coat. I picked it up, about to open the donation box when I hesitated.
I couldn't give up now. Ronin, Axon, and Vaxine could be waiting for us to rescue them. I couldn't disappoint them, not again. My thought went to the Gene Blast—I had to do the test run. I had to make sure they worked before I could go and save them.
I stuffed it into my backpack and walked to the living room. “Guys, I have a plan.”
Sam and Carlisa, in the same spots, turned to me in sync, then exchanged glances.
Mandy poked her head out of her room with a frown. “Are you sure? We’re at a dead end. You saw the Cranax map recently? Everybody’s got it now. Soon, we’ll join the statistics.”
Carlisa arched a brow. “So, what’s the plan?”
“It’s time we spread some herd immunity.”
20
VAXINE
The cab dropped Axon and Vaxine off at the bus stop next to the beach. They hiked up to Hershey’s facility when Vaxine pulled up abruptly. Axon turned to her with a frown. She shushed him and gestured at the black armored vehicles unique to the ATP unit lined up in front of the lab. They dropped into a crouch behind a bush.
No life signs sighted. The only source of activity came from the flashing red and blue lights. It made Vaxine wonder what they were up to.
A mix of frustration and fear rippled through her as her thoughts went to Mandy. “Blot my gel. That’s Peyton’s goons. They must’ve known Mandy’s here.”
Axon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “We have to go get her!”
“No!” Vaxine pulled him back. “We can’t. They outnumber us. And if we get caught, it will do no good to anyone. Let’s see what they’re up to first.”
“And let her die?”
“Any better ideas?” snapped Vaxine.
The cacophony cut them off. The ATP marched out through the emergency door of the underground carpark and returned to their vehicles they swiftly drove off.
“I’m not sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or I’m getting older. I didn’t see any of them.” Axon got up first when the last shadow of the vehicles disappear with the revving of the engines.
Fear cinched Vaxine’s heart. The logical side of her reasoned Mandy was probably not in the facility to start with but the mental images of them walking into her body danced in her mind. She bolted towards the backdoor, followed by Axon.
The rapid pounding of her heart submitted the dead silence of the night. Sweat dotted on her forehead as she inched her way up, balancing between getting up there in the shortest time possible while making the slightest sound. Vaxine and Axon glanced back every now and then as they moved.
Vaxine held her breath on the top floor. The door hung on its last hinge, splinters popping out of broken wood. The sight amplified her fears and the fresh wave of adrenaline catapulted her into the lab.
She forgot to check the coast. She was too afraid of finding a body. She scoured through the rooms, bursting through the doors until she searched the whole lab, and was relieved she didn’t find anyone dead. Mandy’s disappearance remained a mystery but at least she could hang onto the hope she was still alive. At least for a while.
The laboratory had been stripped bare. The equipment was destroyed beyond repair. She was angered but not surprised. It was about time they found Hershey’s secret lab. She took a long hard stare at the lab she spent most of her life in, now reduced into an electronics graveyard.
It fueled her resentment, her hunger for revenge. She clenched her fists as the fire scorched through her veins. Sucking in a breath, she spun around and left the lab for the last time.
Axon, crouched next to the elevator turned to her with a sullen expression.
Her eyes fell on the familiar metal scraps scattered on the floor. The wrath suddenly disappeared, melted into grief and despair.
“Blot my gel, Botty!” Vaxine broke into tears and fell on her knees next to Axon. Even the last connection to Hershey was destroyed. It was the first time she lost all control and spiraled into a meltdown. She wasn’t holding back anymore. All the frustration she’d bottled up inside exploded in a cathartic release.
Axon patted Vaxine on the back, though his eyes were red and glassy. “It looks like Botty tried to operate the elevator.”
Closing her eyes, Vaxine took a deep breath and looked at the panel. Her head became clearer and her chest lighter after unloading. She glanced at the pantry, where the half bottle of wine and four Erlenmeyer glasses sat. “Mandy might be here after all.” She nodded at the pantry. “She probably had her friends over too.”
“The elevator last stopped at the basement carpark.” Axon cracked his back. “My guess is they managed to get out before the ATP got in. And Botty helped them escape.”
Vaxine made for Hershey’s office. “If they’re still alive, we need to get to them before the ATP does. We don’t have much time. Especially if our hypothesis is true the masterminds behind Project Hive Mind can control the other Infected.”
She groped for a torch in the bookshelf and thrust it into Axon’s palm. “Shine it on the books! I need to find something.”
“What are you looking for?” Axon followed her with the light.
“Ah-ha!” She pulled out a book and shook it hard until a key dropped out of it. She searched for the wooden box in the bookshelf, stuck the key in the hole, and twisted it until it popped open. She pushed the red button. A click.
Nothing happened. An awkward silence fell over them.
“Um, and now what?” asked Axon.
Vaxine muttered a cuss. Without electricity, the trapdoor wouldn’t work. “Move aside!”
Axon sidestepped.
Vaxine grabbed onto the bookshelf and pushed it. It shifted sideways. A smile grew on her face. “Need some help right here.”
Axon put the torch away. The two pushed the bookshelf until it revealed an arched doorway. He picked up the torch and shone it into the smaller room. Axon arched his brow in awe. “How did you know about this?”
Vaxine shrugged. “By chance.”
“See, you were her favorite.”
Vaxine rolled her eyes. “She’s dead. It doesn’t matter anymore.” She stepped into the room, overlooking the same weapon display. The only thing missing was the ceremonious announcement.
“I always thought Hershey was a pacifist.” Axon browsed through the displays as if he was in a museum.
“Let’s grab what we need and get outta here.” Vaxine retrieved the spare keys to Genom and a couple of Zappers.
Axon followed suit. “What’s the plan?”
“No plans.” Vaxine shoved the Zappers at the back of her pants and grabbed the half bottle of wine when her eyes fell on the phone on the bench. She picked it up to investigate. “This looks familiar.”
Axon took her side. “It’s Assunta’s.”
Muttering a cuss, Vaxine swooped a metal rod on the floor and smashed the phone. She picked up the memory chip and breezed past Axon. “We track down Mandy and maybe crunch some data again and see what we can work out from there.” She cranked open the first aid kit by the door and tossed the packet of Cranatol at Axon. “Remember to take them on time.”
They exited through the same staircase to the undergro
und carpark. Vaxine sighed in relief at the sight of Genom still parked at the same spot where she left it. Passing the bottle to Axon, she hopped into the driver's seat car while Axon rode shotgun.
Genom shot out of the basement and sped off into the night, leaving the facility where Vaxine had spent most of her life for the last time.
☣☣☣☣☣☣
Axon checked the hotel room door again and put a chair against it. “It should be fine for the night.” He removed his shirt, bits of it crusty with dried blood, and draped it over the chair. Looking in the mirror, he investigated the wounds dotted over his torso.