Jenny Plague-Bringer: (Jenny Pox #4) (47 page)

Niklaus punched him again, then dragged him out of the hall, shouting for more guards.

Sebastian spent hours shivering alone in a dim concrete cell, terrified by every sound
that echoed through the cellblock, paranoid that they were going to punish Juliana
for his actions.  Frightened that she might already be dead, and nobody had told him.

Niklaus’ spell gradually wore off, but he was still trembling when the panel outside
his barred window opened.  It was Alise, her usually bubbly smile gone, her face hard
and cold and slathered in makeup.

“Here he is,” Alise said, to someone he couldn’t see. “Why did you have to mess it
all up, Sebastian?  Everything was going so well for you.”

“I just wanted to see Juliana.”

“That’s too bad.  Now you’ll never get to see anyone, not for a long time.  A shame,
with your children on the way.”

“I don’t have any children.”

“Oh, no one’s told you?” Now Alise’s smile was back. “Juliana is pregnant with your
child.  So is Mia.  The first two babies of our supernormal breeding project, true
Aryans of the future.”

“What breeding project?”

“You’ll never see either of the children, of course,” Alise said. “They belong to
the Reich.  They will be raised and educated properly.  One day, they might command
armies.  You’ll never know.  You’ll be down here, wishing you had never caused us
any trouble.”

Sebastian walked to the barred window, anger burning away the cobwebs of fear Niklaus
had left in him. “They’re both pregnant?”

“One day, my child will command both of yours,” Alise said. “I intend to have a son,
and raise him to lead the Reich.”

“You’re pregnant, too?”

Alise scowled at him. “You have a visitor.  Someone who wants to say good-bye.” She
stepped aside, and another face took the place of hers.  Jonathan Barrett, of Fallen
Oak, South Carolina.  Sebastian immediately wanted to spit in his face.

“What are you doing here?” Sebastian asked. “Coming to see how you’ve destroyed our
lives?”

“Are we not having a happy day today?” Barrett asked, grinning.

“You’d better get us out of here, Barrett.  This place is a prison run by crazy people.”

“You got exactly what I promised,” Barrett said. “Scientific testing of your abilities. 
I heard you were doing well here until recently, Sebastian.”

“You’re a liar,” Sebastian said. “I’m warning you, Barrett.  You get us out of here
now, or I’ll make you pay for it.”

“And how are you going to do that?  You look so cozy there in your cell.”

“I may not know how, but it will happen,” Sebastian said. “I never forget.  If you
leave us here, I will come back and I will destroy everything you care about.  Your
ridiculous idea of a legacy.  Whatever you create, I will ruin.  I’ll burn your house
right to the ground.  I’ll burn your
name
right out of history.  Nothing you do will last, and everyone will forget you ever
lived.”

Barrett chuckled and shook his head. “Sad.  Truly sad, threats made from a cage.”

“Mr. Barrett,” Alise said, “We’d better get going.  You don’t want to miss your train.”

Barrett nodded. “Nice visiting with you, Sebastian.”

“This is your last chance, Barrett.  Get Juliana and me out of here now.”

Barrett smirked and walked down the hall with Alise.

“I mean it, Barrett!” Sebastian shouted after him. He banged his fist on the door.
“I won’t forget.  Even when I’m dead, I won’t forget.”

Barrett laughed without looking. “Destroy me from beyond the grave?  You’re amusing,
Sebastian.”

They walked out of his sight.  Sebastian slammed his head against the door, furious
with himself for ever getting tricked by such a man.  His hatred for Barrett seethed
all the way into his bones, right down into his soul.

Tommy’s heart raced as he approached the narrow armorglass window looking into Esmeralda’s
cell.  She looked up at him from her bunk, her eyes widening slightly in recognition,
but otherwise her face remained blank.

“Let me in,” he told the two guards that accompanied him.

“We don’t take orders from you,” one replied, while swiping the access card the opened
the door’s electromagnetic lock.

Tommy didn’t have time to fight, so he nudged past the guard and pulled the door open. 
The guards waited outside as he stepped into the cell.  Esmeralda looked him over
quietly.  She wore an orange jumpsuit so that everybody at the facility would know
she was a prisoner.

“Hello,” he said.  It seemed a little weak, since he hadn’t seen her in months, but
he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“You finally decided to come see me.” Esmeralda spoke softly, looking at the concrete
floor and avoiding his eyes. “That took long enough.”

“What do you mean?  I thought you just got here.”

“I’ve been here for weeks.  Or months.  I don’t know, it’s hard to keep track anymore.”

“General Kilpatrick didn’t tell me that.”

“Who could have guessed he was dishonest?” She looked up at him, and her eyes were
full of hate, startling him. “Lucky you, you agreed to do what he wanted.  If you’d
said no, you’d be locked up here like me.”

“The general says it’s because of national security.  They don’t want any paranormal
types like us running loose.”

“Oh, no, can’t have people running loose,” Esmeralda said.

“I just think we have a chance to use our powers for greater good, like General Kilpatrick
says.  We should take the chance.”

“Who decides what is good and what is evil?” she asked. “The guy who kidnapped me? 
Or is it you who decides?  Or is it me?”

“Just...the people in charge.  The experts.” Tommy didn’t really know how to answer
her question.

Esmeralda sighed. “You always believe what people tell you, Tommy.  You’re like a
fucking clueless, needy child.  If you don’t have Ashleigh to lead you around, you
find somebody else.  You never look at anything with your own eyes or measure them
with your own mind.  You never make your own choices.”

“You’re still giving me the same shit after all this time?”

“You’re still doing the same shit, so you don’t leave me much choice.”

“I came down here because I was worried about you.  They told me you were here, and
I insisted on seeing you.  I didn’t know you hated me so much, or I wouldn’t have
bothered.”

“I don’t hate you, Tommy,” she said. “I just can’t be what you need.  And you can’t
be what I need.”

“Don’t you care about me at all?”

“Do you love me, Tommy?”

The question surprised him. “Of course.”

“Don’t say ‘of course,’ like it’s obvious.  Help me get out of here and away from
these people.  Help me get back home.”

“I can’t do that,” he said.

“You’re not caged up.  They like you here, they let you wander around, you’re so happy
to work with them.  You’re in a better position to get me out of here than I am. 
Can’t you talk to them?”

“They won’t listen to me.”

“So you won’t help me.”

“I just don’t think I can get you out.  I’ll try.  Is there anything else I can do,
though?  To make things easier for you?”

Esmeralda lay back on her bunk and stared at the ceiling. “If you’re not going to
help me, you can leave me alone.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Esmeralda, I’m sorry.  I said I’ll do what I
can.”

She didn’t answer him or look back at him again.  After a minute, he left the cell,
feeling sick and hurt all the way through.  Esmeralda had no love left for him, and
maybe he deserved it.

* * *

“I found these for you,” Niklaus said.  He slid a pair of fashion magazines through
the bars of Evelina’s cell, and she took them eagerly.

“No books today?” she asked.

“Sorry.  Maybe next week.” He smiled as she flipped through the magazines.

“Thank you, Niklaus.  These will help.” She looked up and returned his smile.  His
heart kicked up its beat.  He’d been visiting her a few times a week, and she was
gradually warming up to him. “When are they moving me out of here?  Have you talked
to Alise yet?”

“She said...not yet.  I don’t know what’s taking so long.” Alise had originally told
Niklaus that Evelina was only being moved down temporarily, while the Party officials
and a few trusted foreigners toured the base.  That delegation had come and gone weeks
ago, but Evelina was still here.  He’d asked Alise about it, and she’d told him there
was too much “racial impurity” in the program as it was.

“I hope they hurry.  Maybe you can help.” Evelina smiled again.  She looked beautiful
to him, dark hair, eyes that were large, soft, and brown, making him think of a wild
young deer.  It pained him that there was always a wall between them, both literally
and otherwise.  She was a captive, he was one of her jailors.  How could she ever
fall in love with him in those circumstances?  He didn’t deserve such a girl, in any
case, after his incestuous trysts with his cousin that left him feeling permanently
disgusted with himself.

“I am doing all I can for you, I promise,” Niklaus said quietly. “I will watch out
for you.”

“Thank you, Niklaus.” She hesitated, holding her breath, then reached her hand to
the bars.  Niklaus touched her fingers, for the first time, and it filled him with
a simple, warm happiness.  Her eyes widened and she pulled back—he’d almost forgotten
about the fear in his touch.

“I should go,” he said. “They told me Alise was looking for me.”

Evelina frowned and backed away. “You had better go, then.”

“I’ll come back soon.  I promise.”

She nodded and quietly watched him walk away.

Upstairs, Niklaus ran into Alise as he emerged into the dormitory area.

“There you are!” She grabbed the sleeve of his uniform and turned him right back into
the stairwell. “We’re running late.”

“Late for what?”

“This way.” She walked back down the way he’d come, toward the cellblock below.  He
followed her.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“Kranzler is cleaning out the program,” Alise said. “Roza and Vilja never demonstrated
enough abilities to impress the scientists.  They know too much for us to let them
go, so I convinced Kranzler to move them over to kitchen staff instead.”

“I won’t be breeding with either of them?” Niklaus asked.

“Not as part of the program.” Alise’s voice had a cold, flat tone.  She’d apparently
given up on her attempts at pregnancy.  She’d stopped visiting Niklaus at night, which
was a relief.  A dead look had crept into her eyes and now seemed permanently fixed. 
The heavy makeup she now wore made her appear even more corpse-like.

“But not everyone can be trusted,” Alise told him as Niklaus unlocked the door to
the cellblock.  They walked past the guard station, where Niklaus nodded at the two
S.S. men on duty, their gas masks on the desk before them, ready to be grabbed at
a moment’s notice.  Alise leaned over and whispered in one man’s ear, her fingers
touching his face, and he smiled and handed over a key.

“I think I understand,” Niklaus said as the entered the corridor of cells. He approached
the door to Juliana’s cell.  The American girl with the deadly plague had spooked
everyone since her arrival.

Alise continued on past it, towards Evelina’s cell.

“Juliana is back here,” Niklaus told her.

“Juliana is pregnant with a doubly supernormal baby,” Alise said. “As everyone keeps
reminding me.  Come here, Niklaus.” She inserted the key she’d gotten from the guard
into the door to Evelina’s cell.

“What are you doing?” Niklaus asked. “She’s done nothing wrong.”

“She was born the wrong race.  There’s probably even Muslim in her, look how dark
she is.  Open the door, Niklaus.”

His heart pounding, Niklaus pulled the door open.  Evelina stood up, holding one of
the fashion magazines in her hand.  She smiled when she saw Niklaus and Alise.

“Am I moving back to my room?” Evelina asked. “Thank you, Alise.”

“Execute her,” Alise said to Niklaus.

Evelina’s eyes widened in fear, and she stopped walking toward them.

“You can’t mean that,” Niklaus said.

“Shoot her!” Alise ordered.

“No,” Niklaus said, his voice shaking.

“What did you say?” Alise’s eyes narrowed into angry slits. “Niklaus?”

“I can’t.  I...she’s a woman.”

“Niklaus?” Evelina whispered, shaking now, wrapping her arms around herself as if
cold. “Please...”

“For God’s sake!  We don’t have time for this.” Alise rolled her eyes and took the
Luger pistol from his belt.  She fired three times, missing Evelina once and then
hitting her in the stomach and the chest.  Evelina screamed, and Alise fired again,
blowing away the upper left corner of Evelina’s head.  A gout of blood splashed across
the wall behind her, and she fell to the floor, her eyes seeming to plead silently
with Niklaus as she died.