Death and The Divide (23 page)

“You can’t?” Ria had about had enough. “If you hadn’t made that virus in the first place, no one would have died. Are you missing that point?”

   “An end that should have merely culled a few eaters of raw seafood from the population. I’m confident that this research will likely prove beneficial in the future should a natural mutation of this type appear. I’m sure eventually the knowledge will offset loss of life.”

She blinked several times, trying to follow his convoluted reasoning to justify his horrendous deed. But no, she sat in the midst of madness. There was no explaining this away.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Linc said, straining against the hand she now circled through his elbow bend.  “You just ran your attempt at stopping the virus and it failed. Or did I misread the scene in your lab?”

“No. You’re correct. I did miscalculate. But after a moment of speculation, I believe I have the answer.”

“Oh?” She asked. “So you can stop this?”

“Yes. I realized that your two separate DNA’s is not the key I need. The DNA in the virus has melded in its brilliant need to survive. Therefore, I also need a blending of the two to control the virus…a master key, so to speak.”

She didn’t immediately follow, but Linc bolted to his feet, escaping her grasp and clenching his fist. “You’re insane.”

“No, I’m a genius. It took a flash of pure brilliance to interpret the results and come up with a solution so quickly.”

“You’re suggesting you need tissue from a fetus that comes from a joining of our DNA!” Linc started forward, but she stood and braced an arm in front of his chest.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” She stared at her old boss and the smug look on his face. No. Not possible. “You want tissue from our, uh, our child?”

“Not a child, Ria, a blob of genetic material.” He rose, tugging on his lapel. “Where’s your scientific curiosity?”

“You’re talking about taking tissue from our fetus, which I assume would end its opportunity to survive. I have no curiosity at all about that. Linc’s right. You’re insane!”

“If you cooperate, this will be much easier,” Manson said, plunging his hands in his coat pockets and taking a step back. “Think of the contribution as saving humanity. Isn’t it worth that?”

“I’m going to twist your fucking head off,” Linc said, advancing. “You murderous monster.”

“Linc,” she screamed, but too late. Manson’s hands came from his pockets, and he sprayed them both with air-syringes. The sickly sweet vapor hit the back of her throat, and her knees crumpled.  The last vision was the crazed, triumphant grin on her mentor’s face.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Linc fought the weight on his eyelids. He licked his dry lips. Tension and stress beat at his consciousness, but he didn’t know why. He only had an overwhelming need to open his eyes and fight. He tried to rise, but his arms and legs didn’t move. He jerked them to no avail.

When he managed to open his eyes, he squinted to clear a fog clouding his vision. White walls surrounded him, and a large light with a silver hood hung above him. He twisted his head and found his wrists and ankles strapped to the metal gurney under him.

His memory flooded in. Manson! That inhuman beast. His brother, murdered. Tears burned hot in his eyes. His brother. His only consolation at separating from him had been in the promise of a better life in the North. Here, his brother had lived unafraid as an open homosexual. This bastard had taken advantage of his friendship and killed him when he became a threat to his demonic plan.

“I will take you down, Manson. I swear,” he said, bitterness rising like bile in his throat. He should have surmised the clever maniac had a plan when he came to give them the truth.

Ria! He twisted to the other side. She wasn’t in this room. Had Manson taken what he needed? Linc’s sperm? He didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. Maybe he hadn’t extracted the sample yet.

He struggled on the bed, but it solidly attached to the floor instead of sitting on rollers. Damn. He jerked his arms and legs, but the restrictions held tight.

Now what? Stay here and let them take another part of him to play into Manson’s warped plan to win a Nobel Prize? What choice did he have? His mind ran a dozen scenarios, all impossible because he couldn’t move.

The door to the infirmary room swished open. At least he could curse this devil to hell for what he’d done. Dear Lord Jesus, give him strength to get through this.

“Yo, Dope. What’s up?” Minlo stood in the doorway, grinning.

Relief flooded through him. “Min, you’re the answer to a prayer.”

He entered the room and the door closed. “Let’s get you out of here. I think they’re coming soon to take your little boys.”

His groin tightened at the thought. “You heard Manson?”

“Yeah. The fucking bastaroid. What a nut case. Good thing he’s crazy and forgot I was in the bedroom.” He unlatched the restraints, allowing Linc to rise.

His white, disposable cover slipped from his shoulders.

“Nice gown.”

“Never mind that. Where’s Ria?” He found his clothes folded on a chair in the corner and donned them.

“I released her first. She’s waiting in the library.” Min crossed his arms. “This place is completely fucking tight, by the way.” He pulled a folded piece of paper from one of his many pockets. “I looked up the plans and made a sketch of what’s on each floor. Then I took a little tour before you guys came back. That pool is mondo crazy. It’s like a beach with—”

“Let me see that.” Linc scanned the levels and Min’s labels for each floor. This bunker formed a complete city, from living quarters to a movie theater. Crazy to think people built this so many years ago and it had survived wars and government changes. He tucked it in his pocket to study later. “We should go. Do you think we can get out of here?”

“Well, I haven’t tried the outer shields yet, but if we make it as far as the upper levels, I’m sure I can lower the security there.”

“All right. Take me to Ria.”

Min peered out of the door then motioned him to follow. They entered a circular hall with plain white walls and unmarked doors. “We’ll take the stairs.”

After several levels, Min paused and opened a door on the side of the stairwell marked with a nine. “Clear.”

They entered a room furnished with plush couches and chairs and rows of shelves containing packages for book chips. A faux fireplace glowed with cheery holo-flames. A dozen small egg-shaped pods lined one curve of the outer wall where people could enter and close off from the outside world. No doubt they had programs for different environments and music to provide a background for the reading experience or an outlet for audio book play. Given a different set of circumstances, he would take a more active interest.

The room appeared empty. He turned in a circle, heat rising to his face. “Where’s Ria?”

“Douse your jets, Dope.” Min led him to one of the pods and knocked on the shell three times then two.

The curved door slid open and Ria sat in the reclining seat, her eyes bright and expectant.

“Linc!” She launched into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. “You’re okay.”

“Yes.” He nearly went limp from relief, nuzzling his face against the curve of her neck. Strength slowly returned to his body knowing she was safe. “How about you?”

She released him and stared in his eyes, regret shining in hers. “I’m so sorry. I wish I’d figured this out before now. I had to have missed signs of his deterioration.”

“It’s okay. He’s a consummate liar. I didn’t pick up on his devious plan, either.”

“But your brother… How devastating for you to hear that. I wish I could have stopped it.” She cupped his cheek with one hand, her eyes green pools of sympathy.

“I can’t blame you for that. I was as duped as everyone else.”

“If you guys are finished with the mutual guilt-fest, I suggest we get out of here.” Min jerked a thumb toward the exit.

“Yeah. Right.” Although Linc liked the feel of Ria’s arms around his neck, he had to focus on escape.

Min opened the door to the stairway, and they headed up. “Most of the soldiers are on the first level where the security and computer stations are located. Manson is probably still in his lab.”

“How are we going to get past the first level if it’s occupied?” Linc asked.

“We’re not going to go through the first level. I hacked into the blueprints and found a second emergency exit on Level Three where the kitchen and dining facilities are located. It opens on a tunnel that leads to the surface about a half mile from here.”

Linc’s heart thudded against the walls of his chest. “But once outside, we’ll face cannibals.”

“Which brings us back to our original problem, the virus.” Ria paused on the stairs, facing them. “We still have to do something about it.”

“Is there any way we could take over the lab from Manson and work on a solution that doesn’t require killing our embryo?” Linc rested a hand on the rail. A moral compulsion urged him to continue the quest to save the world from this disaster.

Minlo shook his head. “There are only three of us. They have the weapons. This place is made to withstand uprisings and invasion. In the first floor control room, they can seal off any floor. They’ll cut us off the minute they detect us.”

“There’s no way you can go into their system and disable some of their defenses?” Ria asked.

“Nope. This is a first-rate crypt, built to anticipate attacks and shut them down fast. They have at least three backup systems.”

Linc rubbed the back of his neck. “So we try to escape and what? Go to Omaha? I have to tell you, I’m against giving them a cure they plan to withhold from the South.”

“If we share it with the European and Asian countries, the South will eventually have access to it. It seems pointless to withhold it,” Ria said.

“The lag gives the parasite time to cause more devastation in the South, even if it’s a day or two,” Linc said bitterly. “What a bunch of assholes.”

“I agree,” Ria said. “But if we go south, we don’t have the data that’s in the lab in Omaha. We’d lose time recreating it.”

“Just find the cure,” Min said. “I’ll make sure everyone has access. Anything to foil the plans of those fucks that killed Lola.”

Linc hesitated, playing different scenarios in his head. Finally, he nodded. “We go north.”

***

At Level Five, Ria’s thighs burned from climbing, and sweat dripped from her face. She wished they could take a chance to collect their bags from the apartment, but it was too big a risk. Any minute, Manson would discover they’d escaped and the silo would go into lockdown. They had to reach the third level before then.

Every time the whizzing sound of the lift passed them, she jumped and her heart raced. She imagined each pass took Manson to the infirmary. Anger twisted with fear when she thought about the famous parasitologist. She’d nearly worshiped the man, postponing her career to serve as his assistant. The faith she’d placed in him crashed around her in agonizing shattered shards when he’d admitted creating that virus.

When an alarm went off and a red light flashed in the stairwell, she missed a step and nearly fell. She sucked in a breath.

“Hurry,” Linc said.

Pushing her aching legs, she ran as fast as her depleted energy would allow. She used the handrail to help, pulling on it with her waning strength. Linc and Min panted as they passed Level Four. The snap of a door closing brought them to an abrupt halt. She leaned over, hands on knees, breathing hard. Listening.

Linc motioned them forward after a few seconds passed with no sound.

One more flight and they reached the door with a large black three painted on it.

“This is it,” Min whispered. “If the door isn’t locked, we still have a chance.”

She wrapped one arm around her stomach to brace her heaving chest. “No point waiting.”

“Here goes.” Linc pressed the lighted pad beside the door and it slid open.

She clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise and relief. It opened.

They hurried into a dining area. Linen covered tables and fancy, upholstered chairs filled the majority of the room. A lovely polished mahogany and brass bar stretched along one side, well stocked with liquor bottles. Sparkling crystal glasses dripped from an overhead rack.

“The kitchen is through those doors.” Min pointed. “The passage is in there behind a standing frozen storage unit.”

“Only, it’s been blocked due to the threat of outside infiltrators,” a gravely voice said behind them. “You know, the cannibals?”

Ria muffled a shriek and spun. She hadn’t even heard the lift open.

Damn it. Manson and four soldiers pointed blasters at them. The big man’s eyes shone glassy and fevered, his face haggard.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Annaria,” he said. “I counted on you to help me stop this disaster. Isn’t that what you always did? Assist the great Dr. Manson? You ran away when I needed you most.”

“Why? Why?” She raised her arms, shaking her hands. “You selfish, inhumane savage. You think I would help you after you devised this whole debacle? The great Dr. Louis Manson, direct descendant of Patrick Manson the father of parasitic discovery? You think the world owes you a Nobel Prize? We don’t owe you anything. I looked up to you. You were my mentor. I hate you!”

Linc caught her as her legs gave out, and she sobbed. Her whole life seemed like a facade, a lie. Every minute she’d spent with Louis Manson was a waste. “I…hate…you.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Ria.” Manson tucked his chin, staring down at her with an inscrutable expression. “I thought of you as a daughter, someone to be proud of in your accomplishments. I watched you develop into a fine researcher. That’s why I made you part of the virus. It’s my tribute to you. Don’t you understand?”

“I understand you’re completely mad,” she shouted. “You egotistical murderer.”

“Hey,” Linc said to the soldiers. “Did he tell you what he did? He started the virus that caused this cannibalism outbreak. You have to stop him.”

The two men and two women stood firm. One of the women said. “He says he can find a cure. Our orders are to make sure that a cure is found and we have orders to assist Dr. Manson. I’m afraid you’ll have to do as he says.”

“No!” Ria pulled from Linc and lunged for her former mentor, her hands curled into claws. An intense burning sensation entered her side, and she fell to the floor on her hands and knees, her body jerking. Then she passed out.

***

When she woke, she lay in the sterile white-walled room of her worst nightmare. Webbed restraints held her arms and legs immobile. Her side ached where a stun blaster beam had hit her. She winced as she twisted her torso. Her head hurt on the left. She worked her jaw to ease it, but it didn’t help.

The door slid open, and Dr. Manson entered wearing a light blue sterile jumpsuit.

“Don’t worry, Ria. This won’t hurt. I can insert the collection tube using a nano-scanner. With local anesthesia, the most you’ll experience is some cramping. Very slight discomfort.”

He pulled on gloves and lowered a sterile field lamp. When he lowered the wide silver hood and turned it on, a warm brightness infused her.

“A few more straps to keep you stationary.” He pulled more webbing over her torso and her head then lowered the sheeting over her bottom half to expose her lower abdomen.

She whimpered. This was happening. He would stick that probe in her, take an egg from her ovary, and make it part of his monstrous plan. The head web sealed her mouth, making speech impossible. Her helplessness against this invasion caused tears to leak from the corners of her eyes. He was taking a precious part of her very core! He moved the clear scanner plate over her and lowered it until it rested just above the bare skin of her pelvis.