Impetus (24 page)

CHAPTER
34
 

Mick ended up in the same cell with his kids, who freed his hands from the ropes and hugged him profusely. Chester, Sandeep, and the two scientists were put in another cell. And Solomon and Laurel were put back in Ms. Stella’s cell. This reminded Solomon of how drastically things had changed and how deeply he already missed her.

“
I can’t believe this is all happening,” Chester said. He looked paler than usual. “Why would he kill Greg like that?”

“
Don’t try to make sense of it,” Mick said. “He’s obviously not all there. That’s what worries me the most. We need to get out of here.”

“
But how?” Sandeep said. He walked over to the bars on the windows. He got on his toes and peered out. He then tried to move one of the bars. It did not budge, still as strong as the day it was put in place.

“
I have no idea,” Mick said, wincing. He tried to get to his feet but could not quite manage it. His kids helped ease him back down to the floor.

In a
lucky twist of fate, the goons had put Laurel in with Solomon. She tended to Solomon’s gunshot wound, which had thankfully missed any organs. The bullet had exited cleanly from his body, only ripping through a small section of his side. She tore the bottom portion of her shirt off and used it to help stop the bleeding. The wound would need to be sewn or cauterized to heal. But this was the best she could do with what she had.

Sandeep broke into a sudden coughing fit. He bent over and put his hands on his knees. He then spit a small
amount of blood on the floor. He stared down for a moment. He looked back up with an uneasy expression on his face.

“
I must have breathed too much dust in,” Deep said.

Sid said, almost reluctantly,
“I’m afraid that is one of the first signs that CV-1 is ramping up inside you. Your lungs will be the first organ to deteriorate.”

Sandeep said nothing. He stood there, soaking in what that meant. He was the first to show signs. And he was smart enough to understand that he was probably going to be the first one to die
because of it. He nodded slowly in acceptance before lowering himself back down to the floor. Chester moved closer to comfort him.

“
The rest of you are going to start showing signs soon,” Sid said. “Expulsion of blood means your body has gone into full-out defense mode. And it’s losing.”

Sand
eep looked up. “How long do I have?”

“
A couple days at most. I am truly sorry.”

“
It’s not your fault this is happening to us all,” Sandeep said. “You came to help us. It’s more than most have done.”

“
No,” Sid said. “I don’t deserve your compassion. I helped all of this happen. I am just as guilty as everyone else.”

“
No,” Alex said. “This is on Phillip. Don’t blame yourself, Sid. We were all duped into believing him. At least we tried to make things right. That should count for something. Right?”

“
None of that matters right now,” Mick said. “The blame game is not going to help us get out of here.”

“
Even if we did escape, where are we trying to escape to?” Chester asked. “We are all going to start coughing soon. And that means we are all going to die soon.” He signed the cross and looked to the ceiling. “Whether we die here or there, what does it matter?”

“
Stop that, Chester,” Mick said.

“
No,” Kathryn said. “Chester’s right.” She looked at her dad. “The truth is the truth, Dad. You can’t protect us from that.”

Mick did not
know if there were words to say at that moment. He simply stared back at her. There was that trick of the light and, although the words came from his fourteen-year-old, he saw only his four-year-old. No one at either age should have to accept such a morbid reality as they were now faced with.

While the group talked among themselves, Solomon listened. When Laurel finished bandaging him the best she could, Solomon said,
“W-what d-d-did he p-put in me?”

“
Something that is going to make you die quicker,” Sid said bluntly. “Much quicker.”

“
S-s-so I w-will die s-s-soon?”

Sid nodded empathetically.

“G-good,” Solomon said. He had had it with this world. It had never given him anything but grief and heartache. And now that Ms. Stella was gone, he had nothing to live for.

“
Don’t say that, Solomon,” Kathryn chimed from her cell. “We haven’t known you long at all. But I can tell you’re a good person. You belong with us.”

“
And we look out for each other,” Nate added. “You’re part of the family now. Don’t worry. Dad always figures something out.” Nate looked to his father.

And then Nate be
gan to cough just as Sandeep had: a rough, hacking cough that convulsed his body. He did not spit up any blood. But all who heard him knew what it meant.

Mick reached over and rubbed Nate
’s back. The thoughts that screamed through his mind were unbearable to entertain. He knew soon they would all start to cough. And when they did, the time they had left was nearing an end.

CHAPTER
35
 

Robert brought the scientists back up on King’s command.

“
What does this thing do?” King asked them as he held the cellular scanner in his hand.

Neither spoke.

“Would you prefer we do this the hard way?”

Sid look
ed at Alex. He said, “It’s a cellular scanner.”

“
And what is a cellular scanner used for?”

“
We can see how far the virus has spread within someone by using that.”

“
Show me,” King said. He handed the device over to Sid.

Sid powered the device on. He then waited for the software to initialize, which took only a few seconds. He held the flat tip on his skin and waited. A moment later the images he had grown so accustomed to seeing
were digitized on the screen. Many elongated black strands were equaled by what remained of his healthy blood cells.

King
stepped off the throne and next to Sid. He gazed at the display. “What is that?”

“
The black objects are the virus. The white ones are my blood cells.”

King
watched as one of the thin black strands wrapped itself around one of the round blood cells. It squeezed a bit at a time until the blood cell was half the size it had been. He then rolled up his own sleeve and held out his arm. He said nothing, but the gesture could not be misconstrued.

Sid took the scanner off his arm and placed it on
King’s. He pressed the Sequence button again. The same image was displayed, only with a few more virus strands present and a few more dead blood cells floating by them.

King
took his arm away. He turned his back to the scientists and walked to his seat, rolling his sleeve up while he did.

“
So it’s true,” King said. “We are all infected.”

Sid nodded.

King reached into the red box and removed the auto injector. “And this will slow it down?”

“
Yes,” Sid said.

King
studied the auto injector, stuck on the deep blue of the gel inside the chamber. He then looked to Sid. “Why are you here?”

“
Because you had him bring us up,” Alex said, looking at Robert, who stood behind them, listening.

“
Don’t be a wiseass,” King said. “You should know by now that my patience wears thin easily. Why are you here, as in outside your little utopia you’ve been living in?”

“
We came to gather those who took the serum,” Alex lied. “Like the bulletin said we would.”

“
And how do you know who took it?”

Sid pointed over
King’s shoulder. “That other device is a tracking unit. We use it to determine who has been inoculated.”

King
looked back and then reached for the device. He took the liberty of turning it on with the single button present on its handle. A few beeps later and the tracker was lit with small blue dots. King was quick with observing.

“
I see seven dots.”

Alex
nodded. “Those are the ones in the cells downstairs with us.”

“
Why do you not show up as dots?”

Sid took no time replying, already in a lying mood
. “The dots only represent those that have inoculated themselves with this batch. This was specifically designed with nanotrackers inside so we could find those that had taken the injection and bring them to The Facility.”

“
And what’s to stop me from taking you two to this ‘Facility’ and using you as my way to enter?”

“
We could take you there,” Alex said. “But they would never let you enter. Not for either of our lives. They would never risk contamination.”

King
pondered his options. He turned to Robert. “Did you notice the boy downstairs?”

“
He looked fine,” Robert said. “Aside from the bullet wound.”

King
said, “And once I take this, the virus will stop spreading within me?”

“
That’s correct,” Sid said.

As much as
King appreciated being the ruler of his band of misfits, he longed for something better, for the creature comforts he had not had the pleasure of feeling in too long. And to have a new land and people to eventually rule over excited him.

“
Inject me,” King said, handing the auto injector to Sid. He again rolled up his sleeve. “But listen very carefully. If you double-cross me, it will be the last thing you do.”

Sid did not hesitate.
He held the device to King’s skin and waited for the high pressure to deliver the accelerant. He took the device off when done.

“
I didn’t feel anything,” King said. “Are you sure it worked?”

“
It worked. These were designed for minimum discomfort. You wouldn’t feel much.”

“
How long until this works?”

“
It can take up to five days,” Sid said. “But you should begin seeing signs in a few days. Things will begin to change quickly.”

King
stared down at the small red ring left by the injector. “When do we leave for this ‘Facility’ of yours?”

Sid thought on his feet.
“They won’t even consider opening the doors unless the scans come back positive for virus progression halt. They have ways of telling.”

Robert
then stepped in front of the scientists and rolled up his sleeve. “Me next,” he said.

Sid went to inject him.

King stopped him. “No,” he said. Robert turned back. “I will decide who gets the injection and when they get it.”

“
But, King,” Robert said.

King
removed the gun from his waist holster. He pointed it at Robert’s head. “This is my kingdom. Do you understand?”

Robert backed away
slowly.

“
Now,” King said. “Take these two back downstairs. I have some thinking to do.”

CHAPTER
36
 

Day turned to night and back to day. None of them slept. All of them worried. Mick suppressed a few coughs. He found it especially difficult considering the two people he wanted to hide it from leaned against him in the same cell. He needed to be strong for them.

Robert
exited from the stairs. He apprehensively looked over the room before approaching Sid. “If you repeat this, I will deny it.”

Sid stood and walked over to the bars.
“Okay,” he said. “But what is this about?”

Robert looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group. He then walked to the stairs and peered up to make sure he was alone with them.

“Me and some of the guys were talking,” Robert said. “We don’t want to die out here. I was a plumber before all of this stuff happened. I’m no killer. I just go along with what King says to stay alive. And when he told you not to inject me, well, it made me think about my priorities.”

“
And what are your priorities?” Mick asked.

Robert turned.
“Keep it down,” he said, checking toward the stairs again. “I want to come with you.”

Mick
had spent the entire night trying to devise a plan to free themselves. He thought it was a lost cause. Now this? He could not help but feel this sudden turn in events was a little convenient.

“
How do we know King didn’t send you down here to toy with us?” Mick asked.

“
You don’t,” Robert said. “But what other choices do you have? None of us want to be living here. If there is some place better than here, then that’s where I want to be.”

Sandeep had another coughing fit at that moment. This one was louder and longer, and it prod
uced more blood from his lungs.

“
Is he all right?” Robert asked.

“
What do you think?” Mick answered.

“
Is he coughing because of the virus?”

Sid looked at Sandeep and then back to Robert.
“Yes,” he said softly. “That is what will happen to you. It will happen to all of you.”

Robert
’s eyes grew wide with fear.

Mick saw an opportunity. All his faulty plans involved using force to escape. That was why none of them worked in his mind. H
e had not thought of persuasion. He’d never thought of that as a valid option until that moment.

“
And then what do you think will happen?” Mick said. “Do you think King is going to stick around and take your temperatures? Feed you chicken noodle soup and tuck you in? Come on, man,” he said. “You’ve seen what he is capable of. You know how little he cares about anyone but himself. His own kid was killed and he couldn’t care less. He’s not right in the head.”

“
Just stop,” Robert said. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“
And what is that?” Mick said. “Have I said anything untrue? Or are you just having a hard time accepting what is right in front of your eyes? We are all going to die. So tell me. What exactly am I trying to do?”

Robert soaked in what Mick said. He then reached into his jacket
, after again looking toward the stairs, and removed the cellular scanner. He handed it to Sid.

“
Test me,” he said. He rolled up his sleeve and held it through the bars.

Sid went through the routine. The image displayed was the same as all the others.
Robert clearly had the virus. And he longed for the very thing that would kill him quicker.

“
Damn,” Robert said after seeing his blood. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“
How about you do for us first?” Mick said.

Robert turned.
“Do what?”

“
Get us out of these cages.”

Robert shook his head.
“I can’t do that,” he said. “I’m a dead man if I let you out.”

Mick stood, wincing more as he did. He then coughed quickly. It was too violent to stop from coming out. He took a second to compose himself, reassuring his kids that he was al
l right.

“
You’re a dead man either way. You let me worry about that douche bag upstairs. Just get us out of here.”

“
Okay,” Robert said. “Let’s do this.” He removed Clyde’s key ring and fished along the row until he found the cell key. He opened each cell only after checking the stairs one final time.

Mick coughed again, in chorus with Sandeep.

Sid walked past the group and scanned Sandeep with the cell scanner. The resulting display was dire. He then approached Mick and repeated the procedure. Mick, too, was closer to death than life. He scanned them all one by one. Each had telltale signs of an accelerated virus.

But when he scanned Solomon everything changed.

Sid looked up from the screen. He took the device and popped out the fusion chip from the battery pack. He waited a minute and put the battery chip back in. A hard reset was in order.

“
What is it, Sid?” Alex asked in a whisper.

Sid said nothing. He waited for the cell scanner to finish its boot sequence.
“Come on, come on,” he said impatiently. He then scanned Solomon again. “I can’t believe it.”

Alex
looked over his shoulder. “It can’t be,” he said. “Are you sure?”

“
You just watched me reset it,” Sid said.

“
Can someone please explain?” Mick said. “We don’t have a lot of time here.”

“
Actually, we may have more time than we thought,” Sid said. “There is no trace of the virus in Solomon’s system. Not a single strand.”

“
How is that possible?” Sandeep asked. “We all saw him get injected.”

“
Yes,” Sid said. “But injected with an accelerant specifically designed to work with the CV-1 virus. If the virus is not present, as in Solomon’s case, then it’s harmless. After an hour the solution will flush from his system.”

“
I’m n-n-not d-d-dying?” Solomon said.

“
No,” Sid said. “In fact, you’re the key to saving everyone. You are the most important person on this planet right now.”

Mick knew Solomon
was special. From the first second he’d set eyes on him, he’d known something was different about him. It was nothing he could feel. Just something he knew in his heart. There was still a small glimmer of hope to hang on to. His children could live. They all could. But they did not have time to simply hang on hope.

“
You guys can make a cure then?” Mick asked.

“
I think so,” Sid said. “But we need to get back to The Facility. We need the instruments there to extract and synthesize a cure. There is no way we can do it out here.”

“
Wait,” Robert said. “I thought the stuff upstairs was to stop the virus or something?”

“
Not exactly,” Mick said. He understood he had no choice but to trust that Robert would not go telling King about what was transpiring. “Are you still in with us?”

Robert looked around at the group. He appeared utterly confused.
Finally he nodded. “I’m in. What do I need to do?”

Mick thought for a moment. He then said
to Robert, “Be quick and quiet about it. Tell those you trust that change is coming.”