by J P Waters
“Hold on, I’ll push these to Janie before we go any deeper,” Jayson said as he tapped on his band. “Can’t be too careful.”
They moved forward the rest of the way through the garage and approached the double doors that the Sebanic had passed through. Mona crouched down and peered through the slit between the doors.
“All clear. There are no guards, Sebanic or otherwise, behind the doors.”
Mona went through first, and Olie and Jayson followed, dart guns drawn.
As they walked down the long hallway, there were no windows, no doors, just concrete walls with no decorations or adornment. They noticed a small opening that must have been a guard station about 50 meters ahead.
“Mona?” whispered Olie.
“There does not appear to be anyone in that guard station,” replied Mona.
As they slowly approached the empty guard station, Olie read an old, battered sign that hung above the window where a guard would have sat. It said Prisoner Intake.
“It’s a prison,” said Olie.
Jayson nodded, and exhaled. “Let’s keep moving.”
As they approached the end of the intake hallway, they came to another set of doors.
Olie looked at Jayson and Mona, then nodded. This time Olie went first, she kept her dart gun in ready position and quickly opened the door.
Her heart dropped when she saw it. The doors opened into a huge open room with cells stretching down every wall. Each cell had been converted from a holding cell for a man into a roke cage. All the cells were full.
Olie looked into the closest cell and saw several rokes behind fogged glass, standing or skittering over a grated floor. Beneath the grates were funnels emptying into what looked like water transport pipes.
“Are you getting this?” asked Jayson in a whisper.
“Yeah,” said Olie as she collected pictures and recorded short vids. “Wait, is that...?”
It was. The diminutive size and white stripe of the roke in one of the adjacent cells easily set it apart from the rest of the pile.
“Gerry,” she whispered.
Then everything went black.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Olie was being shaken. She was lying on a cold metal grate and her head felt like she had been hit with shovel. As her vision slowly adjusted from blurry to clear, she watched Mona stand and move away from her. She looked around and saw that they were trapped in a small room. She could see Jayson and the Seba talking in the corner, and she tried desperately to decipher where she was and what was happening, but the fog in her head made it difficult. Jayson noticed her waking up and rushed over to her side.
“You okay, Ol?” Jayson asked, helping her to her feet.
“I don’t know yet,” she said, taking in the walls around them—three cement, one glass—and the flickering lights overhead. As she approached the darkened glass wall, she said, “Where are we?”
“One of the IWS cells, by the looks of it,” said Jayson. “They must have found us. I’m sorry, Olie.”
“Have you tried calling Janie?”
“No dice,” Jayson said, holding up his forearm to reveal the smashed screen on his band. “They got yours too. I don’t think anything we sent got through.”
“Shit. Mona?”
“There’s nothing to do,” said Mona. “They’re blocking my signals, and the electromagnetic pulse used in my capture has depleted my strength significantly. The only exit to this room is over our heads, and these walls are unscalable in my current condition.”
“So, what do we do? Just wait?”
“It’s not like we have much of a choice,” Jayson replied. “We were caught trespassing, but this is a publicly traded company. They’re probably just holding us until the police arrive. In the meantime, we got all the proof we need. Once we get our phone call, it will be all over for IWS.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“What?”
“That they’ll just turn us over? After everything they’ve done to keep this secret? That they’re just going to let us walk out of here?”
Jayson laughed. “Come on, Olie. They’re pissed, sure, but they’re not going to hurt us. They tried to avoid a PR scandal, but we busted them on it, that’s all.”
Olie glowered.
“You’re being paranoid. We’ll be out of here soon.”
It was three days later when they finally heard a sound from outside the chamber. Two IWS liter bottles fell from above, and Mona scrambled to catch them as they bounced around the room. She gave one to Olie, then opened the other and helped Jayson drink. His head was on Olie’s shoulder, but he sat up and began to drink greedily.
The two of them had been huddled for warmth. They were still in the stolen guard uniforms, and the inside of the prison-warehouse was freezing. Once Olie had downed half of her bottle, she stood and yelled, “Let us out of here!” in as strong a voice as her parched throat could manage. No response. She looked over at Jayson.
“How are you doing, Jayson?”
He nodded weakly and responded in an even weaker voice, “I’m fine.” After he finished off his bottle, he looked at it and asked, “Do you think this is roke water?”
“Probably.”
“You can’t keep us down here forever!” Jayson called out before falling into a fit of coughing.
“Yes, we can,” said a voice over unseen speakers. “But we don’t intend to.”
A metal ladder began to descend into the cell and Jayson and Olie instinctually moved away from it.
The voice continued, “I wish to speak with Ms. Manning. You may bring the Sebanic if it makes you feel more comfortable.”
Olie looked to Jayson.
“Go ahead,” he said. “I’ll be okay.”
“I was actually more worried about me. Still think we’re getting that phone call?” asked Olie.
Jayson smiled faintly, then whispered to Mona, “Go ahead. Record everything you can and keep an eye out for escape.”
“Yes, Jayson.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Olie was helped out of the cell by two guards in IWS security uniforms who led her through a short walkway and down a set of stairs into a large open room. A large table in the center of the room was carved from onyx and Olie couldn’t help but notice that it looked out of place here in the converted prison. Mona was held firmly by one of the guards as Olie was brought to a set of chairs placed before the black slab table.
“Please, have a seat.”
The proper-sounding voice was less amplified than it had been in the cell, but the tone was the same. It came from a figure who was seated at the far end of the table. The person was turned away from Olie and Mona, peering down at something on the floor. Two men stood on either side of a set of double doors behind her.
“Thank you for joining me,” continued the figure.
“Where are we? And who the hell are you?” asked Olie. “Don’t tell me IWS is some kind of cult.”
“Oh, my apologies. We’ve been entertaining some rather… eccentric… guests lately. You and your companions included.”
When the figure looked up and turned towards her, Olie recognized Anushka Kaif. Kaif’s expression was smug and commanding. It matched the photos they had pulled from NOVA a few days prior, but something was off. Kaif had a confidence and sharpness fitting for the captain of industry that she was, however there was something wilder about her look now. She was dressed in a suit and sat regally in her seat.
“You are in the same building you illegally broke into just days ago. Janie Belsey has attempted a number of inbound calls, and it has been relayed to her that you were never here. She seemed satisfied with the answers we sent for you. She wished you well on your vacation with Mr. Belsey. The two of you will be heading down the coast for a little R&R.”
This was beginning to feel like Parker. A much deadlier Parker, but with every ounce of his confidence and intellect. Especially in her weakened state, Olie would have to tread carefu
lly.
“I know who you are, Ms. Kaif. But that doesn’t explain what’s going on here. Why would you lie to Janie?”
Kaif ignored her question. “Where do you think the creatures come from, Ms. Manning?” She activated a screen on the far side of the room. The view was of Jayson alone in his cell—an obvious threat.
Olie looked at the screen and had a moment of internal panic as she saw Jayson sitting alone in the corner of the cell. She decided to play along with Kaif just to buy herself time to think.
“They came from the ocean. I found one on the beach and it had just rolled out of the ocean.”
Kaif smiled the smile of cruel older sibling, relishing in the ignorance of the younger.
“They do live in the ocean, that’s true.”
Olie’s mind raced. The way Kaif said it made her think… the rokes came from the ocean, but was that really their origin?
“Okay, so where are they from, originally?”
“You really don’t know, do you?” Kaif said, sitting opposite Olie. “I assumed you knew more than you do. It’s… amusing how uninformed you are. The rokes as you call them were a gift, a very important gift, and one that will dramatically aid plans to make this world a better place. Certainly, you can understand the importance of their output.”
“Yes, we know IWS is using the rokes to make water. But you really think those blood-sucking creatures are a gift?”
Kaif’s band buzzed with an alert, and she stood up and spoke rapidly.
“Yes, a gift you will thank me for one day. Their water output is exponentially more efficient than prevailing desalination processes. You can see that, can’t you? Now, Ms. Manning, I’m entertaining some very important guests and I need to be going. I think we can put this matter behind us quietly.”
Kaif started pacing the room slowly. It was then that Olie noticed a small personal communicator in her hand. It didn’t look like any tech that Olie had seen. Kaif rhythmically opened and closed its clamshell as she talked.
“Olie, these animals were gifted to IWS from a source you couldn’t possibly imagine. What you can comprehend, hopefully, is the magnitude of their blessing. These animals are humanity’s saviors. Clean water for everyone.”
She paused for a response, but Olie refused to give one. She instead stared at Jayson’s visage on the screen while Kaif continued her lecture.
“And IWS does not intend on hiding this blessing under a rock. Instead we plan on harnessing it. Already we’ve expanded from Germany to Russia, China, India, Antarctica, and elsewhere across the globe. Were you aware that there is at least one IWS facility in every state of our fair nation? We’ll soon have three in Washington alone.”
“And what about the rokes in the wild? The ones clearly outside your grasp? The ones murdering innocent people up and down the coast. Are they a blessing, too?”
“Yes! Yes, they are.” Kaif slammed her fist down on the table in anger. “Nobody seems to understand!” she said through clenched teeth.
“Those animals are capable of re-hydrating lakes, reinvigorating forests. The deaths are an unfortunate side-effect, but all part of fixing this broken planet. This ravaged, dried out globe we call home.”
Kaif paused and collected herself.
“Why tell me all this? You must know I’ve lost friends to the rokes, so you know I think they’re dangerous.” said Olie.
“I’ve been made aware that you kept a roke as a pet. You have bonded with one. This is unusual, and potentially very valuable. I tell you all of this because I want you to understand the power of what I’m doing. The animals have the power to put the broken pieces of this planet back together. To save this planet I need people on my team who can handle them. Olivia, I want you to work for me, and work with our small round saviors. I want you to help me save this planet.”
Kaif tossed Olie the communicator. “Here is my proposal. Your bands’ records show you sent a large quantity of information to Janine Belsey before your capture. The undue release of that information could set back years of work. We have been in contact with her and she currently believes you and Mr. Belsey are off on a trip to re-kindle a romantic relationship. We masked the signal and imitated your tone and message inflection. I assure you she suspects nothing. There is nobody coming for you. All I’m asking is that you take a vacation like we have told her. IWS will pay for you and Mr. Belsey to get away for a few weeks and then you will return to IWS. You will come and work with me, with the rokes, and further the mission of IWS. It is my recommendation that you comply with my request.”
Kaif leaned forward and looked into Olie’s eyes with confidence.
“And if I say no?”
“Ms. Manning, that would be… unwise.”
Olie shot a glance at Mona. Mona met her gaze and nodded ever so subtly. Olie couldn’t be sure, but she thought Mona was thinking the same thing. Escape.
Olie turned back to Kaif and spit in Kaif’s face, the projectile landing just left of her eye. “You’re sick. People are dying out there. My friends have died.” Olie growled, “No deal.”
Kaif wiped the saliva from her face and scowled, “That was a mistake, Olivia. I offered you an opportunity to rewrite history.”
Kaif stood up and nodded at a guard, and the guard tapped on a control panel. Olie could see the hole in the ceiling of Jayson’s cell opening.
“No!” Mona shouted, wrenching herself free from the guard in a burst of strength. The second IWS guard immediately pushed Olie off her chair and to the ground as Mona leapt on the table, headed straight for Kaif. Before Mona could leap onto Kaif, Olie saw a bolt of electricity flash and strike Mona from behind. She let out an ear-splitting scream unlike anything Olie had heard before. It was fully digital but unmistakably human, somewhere between a cry and a shriek filled to with grief. Mona fell forward onto the table, and then tumbled off the side, falling lifelessly to the ground.
“Mona!” cried Olie.
Kaif shook her head.
“Fine. Ms. Manning, please know you had every opportunity to prevent this. Release the animal into Mr. Belsey’s cell.”
“No, no, no! I’ll do it, I’ll help you!” Olie yelled from the ground.
“That deal is no longer on table, Olivia,” said Kaif.
No, no, no! Olie’s mind scrambled for a course of action but came up empty—the guard had easily overpowered her and was keeping her pinned to the ground. Her choice to save Jayson had been taken away from her. All she could do was watch as a lone roke was dropped into Jayson’s cell. She watched the screen as Jayson moved to a far corner and began to push up against the wall, prepared to kick at the creature who was now inside the tank with him. She could see that he was shouting, even though no sound came from the video feed.
Then Olie recognized Jayson’s attacker. There was the unmistakable white stripe on the roke. It was Gerry, hesitantly creeping toward him.
“Recognize your friend, Ms. Manning? Nothing hurts worse than to be betrayed by the ones we love,” Kaif said.
Gerry was clearly emaciated from hunger, but he wasn’t leaping the way other attacking rokes did. Instead he was circling Jayson like a hunter confused by the nature of its prey.
Jayson quickly recognized Gerry, too. He raised his hands and started mouthing words at the creature. What he was saying, Olie couldn’t tell, but he was crouching to make himself appear as little a threat as possible. Gerry responded by darting back and forth with gusts of air, coming in for an apparent bite one moment, but then retreating the next before committing. Did Gerry recognize Jayson?
Finally, Jayson lay on the grate floor of the cell, eyes averted from the roke and body completely prone. Whatever happened next was up to Gerry. Please don’t eat Jayson, Olie pleaded mentally. She’d finally found Gerry, and now she would be forced to watch him kill one of the last meaningful relationships in Olie’s life.
Gerry approached Jayson’s body and lifted one of his appendages towards the top of Jayson’s head. He sniffed, d
arted backward, approached and sniffed again. Then he turned around, choosing instead to investigate the rest of the cell for other potential food or escape.
“Thank you,” Olie choked out, tears running down her cheeks. “Thank you, thank you…”
“What the hell is going on in there?” Kaif yelled, perplexed by the events unfolding before her. She turned to a guard and pointed to Jayson’s cell. “Just shoot him! We’re running out of time.”
Just then a photon blast of another kind of electricity lifted Kaif off her feet and threw her against the glass wall, fracturing it.
The guard who had been holding Olie down let her go, rising to face the attack before similarly being blown away. Olie ducked under the table and crawled to Mona’s crumpled body.
“Mona! Mona, get up!”
“Jayson,” the Seba gurgled.
Clamoring to her feet, Olie saw that the guard who had dispatched Mona was running towards a control panel. Looking to the doorway, it took her a moment to recognize their rescuer. A large man with blond hair was fully decked out in tactical gear and had his gun drawn. He fired on the last guard, but not before the guard had already punched something into the control panel. Olie looked at the blond-haired man and noticed the lack of any expression on his perfectly symetrical face. It was Luca, Janie’s Sebanic attendant.
“We need to leave, Ms. Manning,” he said in a forceful monotone. “They’ve released the rokes.”
Chapter Forty
After releasing Jayson from his cell, Luca effortlessly carried Mona over his shoulder as he, Olie, and Jayson made their way down a long damp hallway that ended at a wide stairwell. They hurried up the steps to a set of metal doors that opened on the upper walkway of the converted prison facility. A dull light shone in through the skylights of the building’s flat roof. Peering over the railing, Olie saw rokes squirming in a massive heap on the ground level.