Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (25 page)

He
nodded. “It’s in the car.”

Just
then we heard another car pull into the drive. “Eberhardt,
please welcome Dr. Ross.”

Eberhardt
stood and moved to open the door. When the doctor saw all of us, his
eyes went wide, and he took a step back. Eberhardt’s gun convinced
him to join the group.

-Keira-

Modified

“There’s
something you all need to see,” Guy said. He looked at me, and
I nodded. I went into the kitchen and returned with a large bowl, a
sharp knife and a few paper towels.

Then
Guy turned to the others. “Alexis, I know you brought your
camera. You’ll want to turn it on now, but I’m trusting that
you’ll keep everyone’s identity a secret. Can you agree
to that?”

“You
know I can, or I doubt you would have invited me here today.”
She removed some equipment from her bag.

Everyone
else waited in silence.

Alexis
aimed her camera directly at me, and I felt a nervous twinge. I’d
never been vid-recorded before except by surveillance cams, but this
was important.

Guy
spoke to the group and to the camera, “What you are about to
see was done without this young woman’s knowledge or approval.”

I
raised the knife and once again, cut my arm. I held the wound over
the bowl. Blood gushed, but only for a few seconds. I picked up a
paper towel and wiped away the blood. Alexis filmed for a few more
seconds, then turned off the camera and set it down. She and John
both stood up and walked over to get a closer look.

John
looked at Dr. Ross in surprise. “You’ve done it!”

“But
what has he done exactly?” I turned to Dr. Ross, “What
did you do to me?”

John
answered first. “He’s modified you at the molecular level,
using nanotech.”

“What
does that mean? Is there something inside of me?”

“Nothing
that wasn’t there before. You’re still you. He’s improved your
white blood cells so they’re better able to fight off disease
and heal after injury.”

Alexis
looked at John and said, “Can I have an interview?”

“Of
course, but later, I have a feeling there’s more.” He returned
to his seat and looked at Guy. Alexis did the same.

Guy
looked at each of us before he continued. “Does there need to
be more? Like I said, this was done without Keira’s knowledge or
approval. That’s illegal, even in Terene, no matter what her
social status. Furthermore, Ramsey Corps is trying to keep this
project secret. Why? What are they hiding?” He turned and
looked at Dr. Ross, so did the rest of us.

“We’re
not hiding anything. We’re still in the early stages. That’s
all. We’re simply not ready to present our findings yet.”
Dr. Ross turned toward me and took a few steps in my direction. He
smiled. “What a gift you’ve been given!”

“A
gift?” I glared at Dr. Ross. “People can accept or
reject a gift. They’re given a choice. I wasn’t.”

“But
my dear, had you been given the choice, wouldn’t you have
accepted this? A person would have to be crazy not to accept the
gift of healing, of life. You of all people should know that. Just
imagine if this had been available to your parents.”

I
could only stare. He had no right to bring them into this. “You
really don’t get it, do you?” My father should have been
cared for, but he didn’t need this. He’d just needed
antibiotics. And my mother…if my father hadn’t died so young, she
never would have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Dr.
Ross continued to explain. “I’m working to save people’s
lives, to help people.”

“Reliance
on citizens makes us great!” I recited the motto of the realm.
“We should all do whatever we can to help improve society.”

“Yes,
exactly!” Dr. Ross said.

Guy
moved closer and stood next to me. His support was exactly what I
needed. “Curing the sick and healing the wounded. We should
strive for that.”

Dr.
Ross smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Even
without their permission.”

“But
why wouldn’t the sick and wounded want help?” Dr. Ross
was truly at a loss.

Guy
said, “Dr. Ross, taking away free will and independence…that
is and always will be, wrong. Your tests have been done illegally
and unethically. We will stop you.”

-Guy-

Who
Else?

Dr.
Ross’s grin faded. “It’s all of you who don’t
understand. Can’t you see how this will help people
everywhere?”

Why
were they after Keira? There was something he wasn’t telling
us. “Doctor, have you given yourself the injection?”

“No.”
He looked at the ground, clearly uncomfortable.

“Why
not?”

“Unfortunately,
not everyone’s system accepts the treatment.”

My
heart skipped a beat, and my hands went cold. “Please
explain.”

“Only
a small percentage of volunteers have had such positive results.”

“By
volunteers, you mean soldiers, don’t you? Were they given an
option? Did they know what was in the injections they were
receiving? Were they aware of the risks?” Our earlier
conversation with Sgt. McGraw led me to believe they had not been
given an option, and they did not know the risks.

Dr.
Ross said, “They gave up those rights when they enlisted. It’s
all legal.”

“Who
else? Soldiers, Keira and April, and who else?” I pressed.

“That’s
classified.”

I
nodded at Eberhardt who clicked off the safety on his gun and held it
against Doctor Ross’s head.

He
faltered. “Curtis Ramsey. I warned him about the possible
side effects, but he insisted.”

“Side
effects? Death is one of the side effects? And you gave this
treatment to unsuspecting people? You gave it to Keira?”

“With
her it was different. We weren’t even sure the formula could
be ingested. I didn’t think it would have any effect at all.”

“What
about April?” Keira asked. “You could have killed her!”

“No,
my dear, I think not,” replied Dr. Ross. “You and your
brother had already responded so well, better than any of our other
test subjects. Coming from the same stock, April had a very good
chance of surviving the treatment.”

“Did
you ask her for permission? Did she know what you were doing?”
Keira asked.

“No,
I didn’t want to frighten her after what she’d been
through.”

A
small sound escaped Eberhardt. He’d heard just about enough.

Dr.
Ross nervously cleared his throat. “April’s injuries
were worse than either of you guessed. She had signs of internal
bleeding. It was an emergency, and knowing that her chances of
surviving the treatment were high…I really did mean to help her.
Is she all right?”

Keira
turned away. She was right. He didn’t deserve to know.

I
looked at the team. “Have you heard enough? Does anyone want
out?” The room was absolutely silent.

There
was one more thing I needed to know, for everyone’s safety. I pulled
Dr. Ross away from Eberhardt and spoke quietly. “What have you
told Ramsey about the Resistance?”

“Nothing!
I’m a doctor, not a spy. Believe what you will, but I truly value
human life. That’s why I’m conducting these studies. Ramsey Corps
is the best way to finance this project. Elaine Ramsey provides the
means to further science. We’re helping humanity.”

“You’re
lying. You must have told Ramsey something, or she wouldn’t
know that April had been given the treatment.”

“I
never said Elaine knew about that. Per our agreement, I never
document the work I do for you. Like I said, I gave April the
injection to help her. Until I checked her blood work later, I
didn’t even know…not that it would have changed
anything. Please tell me it worked. I need to know that they’re
okay.”

I
looked at Dr. Ross in surprise. “They?”

He
nodded.

I’d
have to tell Keira about this, but not now. Now we needed to focus
on Scott.

-Keira-

Infiltration

We drove southeast
toward
the city limits. Raquelle sat quietly next to me. She fidgeted with
the handle of her bag and squinted into the bright sunlight that
reflected off the hood of Guy’s silver automobile. Eberhardt and Dr.
Ross sat in back. Murphy followed with the others in Dr. Ross’s red
sedan.

I
slowed as we neared the main gates. Two guards stood silhouetted in
the windows of the gatehouse. As we approached, I recognized their
military uniforms. I pushed two buttons, and the front and rear
windows rolled down simultaneously.

I
smiled. “We’re here for a tour with Dr. Ross.” I tilted
my head toward the doctor.

“Yes,
of course,” said the younger of the two men. He reached over
to open the gates.

“What
are you doing?” asked the other. “Have you completely
forgotten protocol?”

Without
hesitation, Eberhardt shot him. He slumped against the first guard
who gently set him on the ground and then opened the gates for us.
The young soldier looked directly at me, and his gaze traveled down
to my gold pendant.

“I’m
glad to be of service, Miss. I’ll make sure the security vids
are erased and disabled. You’ll have no further trouble from
the military personnel on duty here today.”

“Thank
you.” His response took me by surprise. Sgt. McGraw had been
true to her word. My belief that military personnel were as close to
the Gov as one could get without actually being the Gov completely
shattered once and for all.

Dr.
Ross directed me to an underground parking area. From there, we
walked. We kept our tools and weapons hidden or disguised, all
except Alexis. John pointed her camera straight at her as she
described the building we were about to enter. Raquelle stood to
John’s side. She carried her own bag of techno tools but looked like
part of the media team. It was the same for Guy, only his bag was
full of Eberhardt’s explosives.

When
Alexis finished her intro, John turned off the camera and held it
casually at his side. Dr. Ross led our entourage into the building.
Eberhardt followed close behind, and Murphy and I took up the rear.

The
doctor led us directly to the receptionist, a pretty young woman in a
blue dress. A few other soldiers were stationed at desks around the
room working at their data processors.

“Good
morning, Lisa. I’ll be taking a tour through today. Would you
please open the door?”

“Certainly,
Dr. Ross.”

Despite
what the soldier at the gatehouse had said, I couldn’t shake
the feeling that this was all too easy. That’s when I noticed Lisa’s
fingers moving toward two buttons. I spun behind her and held a
knife to her throat. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that
Raquelle and Murphy had pulled their guns and stood ready to protect
the group. Eberhardt remained focused on Dr. Ross. The soldiers
throughout the room remained intent on their work. It was as if they
hadn’t even noticed us.

I
spoke quietly into Lisa’s ear. “Which button are you going to
push?”

“The
one that opens the door,” she said.

“Good
choice!” I patted her on the shoulder.

She
pushed a button, and the door slid open.

Dr.
Ross, Eberhardt, Guy, John and Alexis passed through the open door
and into the corridor beyond. Keeping my knife at the girl’s throat,
I followed. While we waited for Raquelle and Murphy to confirm that
the soldiers in the front room were indeed with the Resistance, I
moved Lisa into the first room on our right, a small examination
room, and bound her wrists and ankles securely with cable ties from
Murphy’s bag. That’s when I saw it clearly, the detail that
had slipped into my subconscious.

“Your
name isn’t Lisa.”

She
looked at me in surprise. “How would you know that?”

I
indicated her name badge. It read, ‘H. Schmidt.’ “Lisa
doesn’t start with an H.”

A
short while later, Murphy and Raquelle joined us. Raquelle smiled as
she held up a mini data storage device. I knew this meant she had
copied at least some of the information we needed.

We
moved further down the corridor. A number of doorways led into more
empty exam rooms. At the end of the hall, we had two options.

Guy
peaked through a small window in the door on the left. “It
looks like dorms.” He spoke quietly. “There’s an open
area at the far end.”

Then
he turned to Dr. Ross and asked, “Why do you need living
quarters on site?”

Dr.
Ross looked incredibly sad. “We really don’t at the
moment.”

I
was beginning to think the man was insane.

The
door on the right required both a passcode and authorized handprint
to open. It was there that Dr. Ross finally took a stand.

“No,
I won’t open it. I really didn’t think you’d make it
this far.”

Raquelle
made her way up to the front and opened her case. She attached some
wires to the keypad next to the door and pushed some buttons.
Numbers, letters and other symbols flashed across a small vidscreen
in quick succession.

“Put
his hand on the plate,” she directed Eberhardt.

Eberhardt
tried to pry open the doctor’s fingers, but they kept curling up
again before he could press his hand against the metal plate next to
the door.

Raquelle
sighed and looked at me. “You still have that knife?”

I
nodded and approached the doctor. Eberhardt pulled Dr. Ross’s
hand up and away from his body. He slid his index finger along the
doctor’s wrist and spoke in a casual tone.

“Just
hack it off right here. We’ll need the hand intact.”

Dr.
Ross’s eyes widened with the grim realization that he was about
to lose his right hand, sans anesthesia. His fingers popped open,
and Eberhardt placed the doctor’s still attached hand to the
metal plate.