The Susquehanna Virus Box Set

by Steve McEllistrem

  “Children and families,” Zora said. “I knew you’d be rational and noble.”

  Rendela laughed.

  How odd that Jeremiah would consider children to be important. It was so selfless—the kind of thing Zora wouldn’t have even considered. She wasn’t sure she agreed with him on that front, but at least she understood a little why he’d chosen the people he had. Just as she began to appreciate what it meant to be fully human, she was about to die.

  Devereaux said, “I have to disagree with Jeremiah in one respect. You have to take him with you. His blood may hold the key to defeating the Susquehanna Virus, so he should be placed in a position of maximum safety. Also, Quark and I intend to stay behind.”

  “Of course,” Zora said. “I would expect no less from the great Devereaux. But you’re the one with the best chance of finding a cure for the virus.”

  “There are many gifted scientists working on that problem.”

  “Okay,” Zora said. “I’ll let you know what I decide when we have the LTVs ready. We’ve got less than six hours. Let’s work on LB3 and LB2. I want to be able to close them off from LB1 in case the worst happens. And keeping everybody busy will distract them from what’s to come. Rendela, you get the LTVs ready. We’ll have Crazy Vigg and Wee Willie work with the Elite Ops to find the best way to seal off the two bases.” She looked at Jeremiah. “Perhaps you could help with that as well.”

  Jeremiah nodded.

  Devereaux said, “When are you going to announce who will be going on the LTVs?”

  “I think I’ll wait until the last minute—make it easier on everybody.”

  “Good idea,” Devereaux said. “That’s exactly how I would do it. Remember, no one is guaranteed survival. So no matter what you decide, we’ll support you.”

  Dr. Poole held up her hand. “I just got a transmission. Lendra overdosed on neo-dopamine. She’s in the infirmary.”

  She slid-hopped out the door.

  “Crazy old Witchy Poo,” Rendela said.

  Jeremiah sighed. “I have to check on her.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Zora said. She walked Jeremiah to the infirmary, wondering if he actually loved Lendra. Perhaps he’s falling for me, Zora thought. Part of her wanted that. Part of her found the notion idiotic. He’s Curtik’s father, she told herself—an old man. Not as old as Devereaux, but still . . . Yet he was kind and handsome and fiercely intelligent: a warrior.

  When they reached the infirmary, Jeremiah quaintly gestured for Zora to precede him. Dr. Poole studied a scanner at the foot of Lendra’s bed. Curtik and Kyler lay awake beside her. Lendra, her face tight with tension, caught sight of Jeremiah and managed an embarrassed smile as she held out her hand.

  “The great Pappolini,” Curtik said. “Are you here because you’re sick too? Please say yes.”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Hi, Kyler,” he said as he ruffled the youngster’s hair. “How are you?”

  “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore,” Kyler said.

  “I’m glad,” Jeremiah said. He turned to face Lendra. “What were you thinking?”

  “Go ahead and ignore me, Papster,” Curtik said. “Hey, Zora, I wanna get outta here. Piscine said I had to ask you.”

  “In a minute,” Zora said. She turned to Dr. Poole. “How’s Lendra?”

  “She’ll survive,” Dr. Poole said. “I’m more worried about the baby. So far, my scanner shows no significant damage, though defects may emerge later.”

  Jeremiah took Lendra’s hand. “Why would you take neo-dopamine? You know how dangerous it can be.”

  “I couldn’t think,” Lendra replied. “We’re going to die up here unless I can find a solution. And I couldn’t concentrate. They wouldn’t let me see you. I needed you to hold me.”

  “Oh, me too!” Curtik said, raising his hands as far as the restraining straps allowed. “Hold me, Pappy.”

  Kyler giggled and lifted her hands also.

  Zora bit the inside of her lower lip. She looked at Curtik and when the urge to laugh subsided, said, “What makes you think you’re ready to be released? You can’t control yourself at all.”

  “Oh, come on, Zora. That was funny. I’m just messin’ with his head. I’m not violent anymore. Ask Piscine.”

  Jeremiah sat on the edge of Lendra’s bed. “You’re not going to die up here,” he said, raising his voice to include Curtik and Kyler. “You’re all going on the LTVs. It’s still going to be dangerous, but you’ll survive. Zora will see to that. Won’t you, Zora?”

  Zora nodded. “Rendela and I will fly the LTVs. We’ll make sure you’re safe.

  “Oh, now that’s too much,” Curtik said. “I should be one of the pilots.”

  “If you were healthy, maybe,” Zora said.

  “I am.” Curtik looked at Dr. Poole. “Tell her.”

  Dr. Poole said, “He seems to have stabilized. I don’t see any further nanotech deterioration. No psychotic rages. No delusions. And I see improvement in a few areas. Jeremiah’s blood is doing its job in conjunction with the new nanobots we implanted.”

  Zora glanced at Jeremiah, who was caressing the back of Lendra’s hand with his thumb. Lendra smiled at him, seemingly content now that she had his attention. She glanced at Zora and a hint of smugness touched her expression. Zora fought the urge to grab Jeremiah’s hand away and slap Lendra’s face, instead focusing on the problem of Curtik. “So is he safe?” she asked Dr. Poole. “Or is he going to go on a murderous rampage?”

  “Oh, please,” Curtik said. “I don’t want to kill anybody anymore. Not even Paprika. That was just the devolution. You have to let me out at some point. Besides, I’m the best pilot you’ve got.”

  “Rendela’s better.”

  Curtik held up his hands. “Okay, fine, she’s better. But she’s a freak. And I’m better than you. So are you gonna let me outta here?”

  “I’ll leave that up to Jeremiah. Ask him.”

  “Oh, that’s cruel. Putting my fate in his hands.”

  “Where it belongs,” Zora said. “After all, he’s your father.”

  Jeremiah had been following their conversation with a small frown, as if bemused by the whole thing. He released Lendra’s hand and got to his feet. He walked toward Zora and for a moment she thought he was coming to her. But he paused for only an instant before veering over to Curtik’s bedside.

  “We’re all in this together,” he said. “We’ve only got a few hours left to figure out how best to save everyone.” He removed Curtik’s straps. “We could really use your help, son.”

  Curtik sat up. “You expect me to thank you?”

  “I expect you to help us figure out the best way to isolate safe areas so that if the rocket reaches us, we’ll have pockets of air that will allow us to survive.”

  “Okay, just so you know, I’m not gonna thank you.” Curtik swung out of bed and stepped over to Kyler’s side. “And you. You get better or I’m gonna send in the tickle monster, okay?”

  He made a fierce face, scowling and growling until Kyler began giggling again.

  “I will, Curtik,” Kyler said.

  “Good.” Curtik turned to Zora. “Where do you want me?”

  “Help Wee Willie and Crazy Vigg.”

  “Right.” Curtik straightened to attention and saluted Jeremiah. “Pampolicious!” He waved furiously at Lendra. “Witchy Poo. Later.”

  As he slid-hopped out the door, he sang out, “Here I come to save the daaaay!”

  Lendra said, “Are you sure about this? He seems crazy to me.”

  “I think it was the right move,” Jeremiah said. “Besides, how much worse could things get?”

  “Can you sit with me a while?” Lendra reached out her hands again. And again she glanced at Zora with a slight smile. Did Jeremiah see the obvious manipulation? Was this how all women behaved when they targeted men
? Or was Lendra playing her?

  Zora shook her head and watched Jeremiah. When he edged toward the door, Zora felt a lightness infuse her whole being, as if she weighed nothing at all. She almost felt as if she could fly.

  Jeremiah said, “We’ll get Colonel Truman in here to sit with you if you like.”

  “I want you, Jeremiah,” Lendra said. “I’ve always wanted you.”

  “I’ve got work to do. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine on the LTV.”

  “Are you staying behind?”

  Zora said, “That hasn’t been decided yet.” A small lie, but she wanted Lendra to suffer.

  “I’ll do whatever you do, Jeremiah,” Lendra said.

  “You’ll go on the LTV,” Jeremiah replied. “As you’re so fond of reminding me, you have a baby to think about now.”

  When Jeremiah walked out, Zora stayed behind for a moment. “Actually, I’m leaning toward leaving you on the Moon and taking Jeremiah with me.”

  “You can’t do that,” Lendra said. “He belongs with me. You think you’ve won? You think he could love you? You’re a child.” She gestured toward Kyler. “You’re no older than her.”

  “I’ll send in Colonel False-Girl,” Zora said as she slid-hopped out the door.

  This is so weird, she thought to herself. We may all die up here in the next few hours and I’m worried about whether some man loves me or not. And yet she couldn’t deny the power of her emotions—the anti-gravity joy, the rage-inducing jealousy, the gut-wrenching anxiety. No wonder Dr. Poole was worried about bringing them to full adulthood. How would Curtik handle all this?

  Still, whether they lived or died, whether Jeremiah chose her or not, at least he hadn’t returned to Witchy Poo. It took all her effort not to laugh as she entered the main hangar.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Colonel Truman directed the transportation of emergency stores to LB2 and LB3: ready meals, portable oxygen generators, medical equipment, backup batteries, spacesuits, heaters and all the water they could carry. But his mind kept drifting to Lendra Riley. He’d gone to visit her at Jeremiah’s request a few hours ago and found her scared and alone in the infirmary. Even Kyler Verloren had been released from her bed, reunited with her family. Truman had sat beside Lendra and taken her hand as she struggled to maintain her composure.

  “I realize it’s silly,” she said, “pining over a man who no longer loves me, if he ever did.”

  “I’m sure he did,” Truman said. “I’m sure he does.” Lendra squeezed his hand, making his heart jump. God, he longed to hold her. How idiotic to fall in love now!

  “No, he doesn’t,” Lendra replied as her hand retreated. “Not anymore, anyway. You’ve seen the way he acts around Zora. You’ve seen the way he’s pushed us together.”

  Truman didn’t know what to say to that, but something must have shown in his face, for Lendra said, “I didn’t mean to imply that I found your company tiresome. Far from it. You’ve treated me far better than Jeremiah has this trip. It’s just that . . . I thought if he knew I was pregnant, he might change his mind about us. But that’s not going to happen.”

  She reached for her glass bulb necklace, which reminded him of one he’d given his daughter McKenna a few years earlier.

  “That’s a pretty necklace,” Truman said. “You wore it in Minnesota last year, didn’t you?”

  “You remember that?” Lendra held the necklace out for Truman to see. “Jeremiah barely notices what I wear.”

  “Does it have a secret compartment that twists open?”

  Lendra’s eyes widened as she pulled the glass bulb away.

  “My daughter’s necklace does. She keeps lip balm in it.”

  Lendra reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace. She pushed it toward him. “Here, you take it.”

  “Excuse me?” Truman asked.

  Lendra said, “I keep my emergency supply of neo-dopamine inside. And I can’t take any more without harming my baby.” She pressed the necklace into his hand. “Am I a terrible person?” she asked.

  “Of course not.” Truman covered her hand with his. He noted her strong fingers and the smoothness of her skin. “You’re just under a lot of stress. We all are.”

  “You really are the sweetest man.”

  Truman felt the warmth of blood rushing to his face. “Why don’t you get some rest?” he said. “I’ll stay here until you fall asleep.”

  As she closed her eyes, Truman studied her face. She was a beautiful woman. But there was more to her than that. Intelligent, inquisitive, caring—no matter what her troubles with Jeremiah, Truman was certain she had only good intentions. And if Jeremiah couldn’t forgive her minor transgressions, whatever they were, then he was a fool.

  “Hey, Laaady!” Crazy Vigg said in a nasally voice, interrupting his thoughts.

  “What?” Truman said.

  “The last of the water containers,” Crazy Vigg said. “To LB2 or LB3?”

  “Oh, sorry,” Truman said. “LB2.”

  “What’s your problem, lady?”

  “I don’t like that,” Truman said.

  “I don’t like being called crazy either. But everyone does it just the same.”

  “Have you told them you don’t like being called crazy?”

  “You don’t know much about kids, do you. Why are you so distracted? Is it Witchy Poo?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Truman said.

  “She likes you,” Crazy Vigg said, “even though she’s still into Jeremiah.”

  “You think?”

  “They call me crazy because I see things they don’t. I’m not always right, but . . . Like you’re into Witchy Poo, who’s still into Jeremiah. And Wee Willie’s into Rendela, but she’s into Zora, who’s also into Jeremiah. And Piscine is into Quark, but Quark is into Devereaux in a weird, protective, brotherly way. And Shiloh’s into Curtik, but she can’t deal with it so she pretends she hates him. Now she’s on her way to Mars and she doesn’t have to worry about Curtik because she’ll never see him again. He’ll survive, but he’ll never leave Earth.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I’m into you, lady.” Crazy Vigg laughed. “I’m totally into you. And rockets.” He looked up through the plas-glass ceiling.

  Truman followed his gaze. The approaching missile loomed large, magnified so that it looked much larger than Earth—as if it would be here any minute. Stay calm, he told himself. Yes, you’re probably going to die. So are we all, one day. Your day just happens to be today.

  “Are we going to survive, Vigg?” Truman asked.

  Crazy Vigg just smiled.

  Jeremiah made his way over to the military desk, nodded at Crazy Vigg and said, “How we doing?”

  “We just finished moving the last of the supplies,” Truman replied.

  “Good. We’ve got about an hour before the rocket hits. The first LTV leaves in ten minutes. You’d better get Lendra. She’ll be on the second LTV.” Jeremiah raised his hand as a signal to Zora, who stepped onto the staircase leading to the first LTV. Elite Ops troopers and a group of cadets formed a wall between the staircase and the crowd.

  “Now boarding,” she said as Truman headed toward the infirmary, “Rendela, Wee Willie, Roze, Salma, Doctors Nakamura and Srinlangshiran . . .”

  Her voice tailed off as Truman entered the tunnel leading to the infirmary but he knew his name wasn’t on the list. He stepped into Lendra’s room and sat beside her on the bed, touching her shoulder. She awoke, frowning until she saw his face. Then she smiled. God help him, she smiled.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “Time to go,” Truman said. “You’ll be on the second LTV.”

  “Really?”

  Truman nodded, and Lendra sat up, hugging Truman fiercely. He put his hand on her back, inhaling the flowery aroma of her hair. He couldn’t help but r
ecall that he and Emily hadn’t made love in years, and he realized now that although he had blamed her for the loss of their physical relationship, it had been just as much his fault for belittling her protests as a desperate search for meaning.

  When he stiffened, Lendra released him and sat back, staring into his eyes. “What is it?”

  “I just realized that I sort of abandoned my wife. Ever since my brother Ned disappeared during a CIA mission fifteen years ago, I’ve been sinking into my work, withdrawing from my family. Maybe that’s why McKenna moved to Portland.”

  “Well, it’s not too late,” Lendra said. “It’s never too late for love.”

  She smiled, a sad smile that acknowledged the falsity of her words, and Truman returned it. Is it too late, he wondered, when you realize that you’re in love with someone else? We’ll both love people who don’t love us back and we’ll go on with our lives as if it doesn’t matter.

  “We should get you out to the main hangar,” he said.

  “Are you coming on the LTV?”

  “No.” Truman kept his voice calm. “All military personnel and lunar workers are staying on the Moon.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Lendra’s necklace. “Here.” He tried to hand it to her, but she shook her head and pushed it back.

  “You keep it. If people start to panic, it will serve as a relaxant, keep them calm.”

  “What about your claustrophobia?”

  “It’s not so bad on the LTV. There are windows and screens to look at. I’ll be fine. I don’t think I could handle being stuck in one of those tunnels. Besides, I can’t take any more.”

  “Thank you,” Truman said. He pulled Lendra to her feet and guided her out the door. She was a little unsteady, so he held onto her arm above the elbow. When they reached the main hangar, the first LTV door was already closed, the ship’s engines humming as it prepared to depart. Almost everyone on the Moon stood watching as the airlock sealed off the ship, although Crazy Vigg remained seated at the military desk, muttering to himself as he checked the screens before him.