What legends become, p.20
What Legends Become, page 20
She hurried through and met Jason in the narrow corridor. “Turn around. Let me get it off you.”
He turned and leaned against the bars of his former cell. Sierra ran her fingers around the patch, loosening it from the skin. He jerked a bit when it pulled at his flesh. His hands gripped the bars until his bronzed skin on his left hand turned white around the knuckles and the shirt wrapped around his right hand released heavy drops of blood.
She prodded the tubing. It pierced the spine between the L3 and L4 and entered his spinal canal. “Give me your shirt. As soon as I remove this, you are going to bleed; and some spinal fluid will leak. You may get dizzy until your body seals itself.”
Jason unwound his shirt from his hand and slung it over his shoulder. His grip on the bars resumed. He began taking slow and even breaths.
Sierra gripped the patch and gave it a small pull, judging the resistance—none. With a quick pull and a deep hiss from him, the tubing slid from his back. Blood and a bit of clear spinal fluid flowed down the curvature of his lower back and into his pants. Sierra pressed the shirt against the wound and held it there.
Jason sagged against the bars. He let go with a grimace and pressed his hands against the sides of his head. She kept pressure on his back and glanced at the patch in her hand. The tubing was five centimeters in length. His body would be able to heal quickly.
“Do you have extra shirts?”
He shook his head and quickly signed. No. They are brought to me. Then he returned to grounding his fists against his temples.
“You’ll have a headache for a while. But if you are as enhanced as us, you should be fine in a few moments.”
He nodded and turned around to face her. She found herself inches from his face as she continued pressing the shirt against the wound, causing her to hold him in a slight embrace. His gaze flowed over her, studying her, and confusion crept into his eyes. Then he reached back on either side of him and grabbed his shirt, pulling the ends tightly around until he could tie them. It made a simple, yet effective, bandage.
Sierra stepped back a pace. “You said you know this place. Ready to leave?”
He gave her a small nod and signed. Thank you.
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Jason motioned to the door and led the way. Her first thought as she followed him was how they would get past the door. No control panels were on this side. And the fused-pane glass inset would be unbreakable, even for them.
But her question fell away as he stopped at the wall near the left side of the door. His fingers dug into the metal panel. With a grunt, the three-foot section popped off, revealing a narrow tunnel filled with wires, tubing, and pipes.
He looked over his shoulder at her, so she could read his lips. This runs parallel to the maintenance tunnel. It’ll be tight, and we’ll get singed; but twenty meters ahead is a junction that will lead us to an unused portion that has the hatch leading to the subterranean tunnels.
“Unused?”
They shut down that medlab years ago. Turned it into a bio-reclamation unit. He swallowed. A haunted look crossed his face as he nodded to the access hatch. You’ll understand soon.
“The initial results are promising. More tests and simulations will need to be performed in order to ensure the serum adheres to the host. There’s an 83 percent efficacy on subjects containing the T-C 574 gene, a 65 percent efficacy on the subject containing the T-C 575. Proposition Gemini may be the key we are searching for to further Sector Gray.”
Proposition Gemini. Those words stuck in Stephen’s mind. Gemini. Two. Twins.
So, she was working on two subjects—him and the one she called Alpha Zero. Yet there was something missing, buried deep within him, but he couldn’t place it. It was there looming in the dark recesses of his mind and behind the infernal red haze. A small movement broke through his thoughts.
Stephen cut his gaze toward the guard nearest the door. Medtech Bastion had assigned five guards under his command. Two more were stationed in this room. Yet the one that stood at the door was suspect. Another of Bastion’s tests? She constantly tested him—tested his obedience, his speed and strength, his aggression and rage.
He had already dispatched three guards who refused to follow his orders. They were replaced by the three who stood on the far side of the room. The fourth man, Zander, stood on the other side of Medtech Bastion—her favorite lackey, it seemed, a man who held contempt for Stephen. It was there, written in his eyes and micro-expressions.
The fifth guard—the one in question by the door—shifted his weight and dropped his arm to his side—a newer recruit named Nelson. The man’s fingers slid into the side leg pocket. An audible yet soft click reached Stephen. The buzz of the electronic frequency filtered through the air, unheard by everyone else but him. Stephen kept his gaze on Medtech Bastion as she wound down her report and watched from his peripheral as the guard resumed his rigid stance.
“If you have dead men at Section 314 that were killed shortly after the capture of my subjects, then it is safe to assume that there is another one out there. I agree that all transports should be checked, all cards scanned. And when found, I want that subject brought here, too. Keep me informed.” Bastion closed down the communiqué and stood, leaning heavily upon her cane. “Alpha One, lead the way to Medlab Twelve. I want to run one more additional test on your blood. You may choose one man as your subject.”
His subject. She always made him choose a person to be injected with the plasma serum. And each one died. Only half a second was needed to choose, and he wanted to choose her favorite guard, whom she called Zander. The man was impudent. He never crossed the line, but Stephen couldn’t have anyone under his command question him.
He raised his hand and pointed with his index toward the door, indicating for his men to leave. The guards fell into formation, three ahead of them, Zander behind him. Stephen kept pace with Bastion, allowing her arthritic steps to control their speed.
She used her cane and pointed at the opened doorway, stabbing the air for emphasis. “When we arrive at medlab, there are a couple of things that must be completed before I begin the testing. I know, Alpha One, that you abhor being touched. Yet I must, in this instance.”
Stephen inclined his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
The treasonous Nelson stood aside, waiting until they passed to close the door and fall into formation, as usual. Once he was half a pace from the man, Stephen slid his blade from its sheath on his belt and sent it flying. It embedded into the man’s chest.
With his face frozen in shock, the guard slid to the floor in a heap.
“Alpha One!” Bastion whirled on him as the contingent of guards brought their weapons to bear on him.
“Ma’am?” Stephen ignored his team and bent over his victim, patting down his vest and pants.
“You were not ordered to kill.” Her cane slammed down on his shoulder. The click of a button sounded; and a blade appeared at the end, the tip pressed against his neck.
Stephen kept his head angled away from the blade and pulled the comm device from the side pocket. The room’s light glinted along its surface as he held it up between his fingers. “Hi-Wave band link.”
Long seconds filled the room. The blade retracted. Bastion slid her cane from his shoulder and snatched the device from his hands. Stephen stood and turned around, clasping his hands at his back as he waited.
She spun the link around in her hands, examining each side. “GFT Hi-Wave LinkSystem 9VN. Government issued. Military Division.” Bastion passed it off to the guard next to her. “Download any information you can and then destroy it.”
The younger man nodded and disappeared out the door and down the hallway with the device. Bastion poked the dead man with her cane. “When did you suspect?”
“Two minutes before you disconnected. Heard the activation of the link. Was not our frequency.”
“Frequency.” She gazed up at him and pursed her lips. “Hmm. Alpha One, I want to run one more test on you. The serum seems to be increasing more than just strength, speed, and aggression. What else can you sense?”
He looked at her. Her death? No. That, he would keep to himself. But the man next to her—the infection within him permeated through his skin. Stephen pointed at him.
“There’s an infection within him. Virus. Non-lethal.”
Bastion glanced at the guard and smiled. “Glenn, go to bio and get your next dose.”
The guard nodded and left, leaving Stephen with only two men.
“Well, Alpha One, you are exceeding beyond my expectations. Let’s continue to medlab, shall we? And we will test out these new abilities.” She swept out her arm, inviting him to lead the way.
He gave her a small nod, turned, and stepped into the corridor. Stephen grasped the shoulder of the man in front of him and pulled him back, motioning with his thumb for the guard to join Zander at the back of the line.
Leading the way, Stephen wound their way through the labyrinth of corridors designed to confuse a person, to keep them disoriented. Except they didn’t work on him. He had the corridors memorized from the first moment he walked them—even the dead-end areas on the west side and two levels below.
A hiss and pop sounded from the wall. Stephen froze, holding out his arm to steady Bastion as she hobbled to a stop. He held his finger to his lips and cocked his head. It had come from the walls two, maybe three, corridors over.
“Alpha One?”
He gave her a small glance and then shook his head. “Probably heat expansion in the ventilation in Area Five. I will run a quick scan after the tests.”
She nodded and reached out to hold his shirt sleeve as he resumed their march to medlab. Perspiration began to bead along her hairline, yet she refused to acknowledge her condition and give the appearance of weakness. That was his only deduction of why she would not use a hoverchair.
He turned the last corner and palmed open the door. It slid to the side. “Tomas, stay here in the corridor. Zander, with me.”
Bastion shook her head. “Zander is one of our best guards, Alpha One.”
“Then hope that he takes to the serum.”
With no more than a glance at her, he stepped across the threshold and into the stifling environment of Medlab Twelve. Stephen slipped off his vest and hung it on the hook by the door. Then he pulled his shirt over his head. He folded it and placed it on the shelf beneath. His boots slid off easily, and Stephen tucked them under the shelf.
“Weapons, too.” Bastion motioned for the guard to start stripping.
Stephen removed his belt and hung it by his vest, then pulled the various knives from his pockets. He dropped those onto his folded shirt before striding to the metal bed. He stepped up onto the platform and settled against its hot surface. Bands snapped around him. He let his head fall back and began to relax.
Zander would not survive this, and Stephen would have taken out his one threat in the unit. He needed men who would do his bidding with no hesitation, men who feared him.
Next to him, the monitor began its long checklist: serum components, vital signs, brain waves—always the same.
This had become commonplace in the last few days. Days? It felt like years, not days. But was it even days? Stephen opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling and his reflection in the polished tiles. No, it hadn’t been that many days. He had only been here for two—
A sharp jab quickly entered his spine. The serum burned into him. And whatever it was he was thinking about vanished like whisps in the wind.
“That made a full twelve hours before the next dose had to be administered.” Bastion tap-tapped her way to him. “I’ve increased the dosage once more. It will need five minutes to incorporate itself into your bloodstream.” She motioned for Zander to climb onto the platform next to Stephen. “Zander, I believe this round will be the progress we need.”
The man glared at Stephen but complied by stepping up on the platform and grunting as the bands snapped around him. Fighting would have been futile. Bastion would have killed him and chosen another. Stephen ignored the man’s bitter stare.
Bastion retreated to the far side of the room where the bank of vats bubbled, and monitors displayed their holographic readings. Stephen narrowed his eyes. One of the holographic displays showed a pairing of the T-C 574 and T-C 575 genes.
The T-C 574 was in him, yet that wasn’t his genome in the holographic. Someone else shared the same gene with him. The thought that there was someone else out there badgered him. Gemini. The word bounced around in his mind. But who had the other gene, the T-C 575?
He concentrated on that question, yet it was a flimsy thread that withered and dissolved in his mind, leaving him empty of thoughts. Stephen settled his gaze on the wall in front of him. Its metallic coating reflected himself and Zander.
Whatever he was thinking about seconds before couldn’t have been consequential. He leaned his head back and allowed Bastion to withdraw his blood, to measure his body. She shone a vital pen into his eyes. Her hands poked and prodded different areas of his body, checking muscle tone and reflexes. Then she held the new tests of what he detected in each vial at his nose—iron oxide at .001 milliliters, sulfur at .02 milliliters, and ozone.
Stephen scowled at the next one. The strong, bitter taint of a crystalline substance reached him before she held the vial under his nose. He turned his head away. “Quassin.”
“That’s impressive. Now, let’s try the auditory.” She slipped the headset over his ears and backed up to the unit nearest him. When she activated it, Stephen raised his finger. Her eyebrows furrowed. “That’s five hertz below normal. What about—”
He raised his finger again when she turned the dial.
“Again, impressive. That’s 250 percent above normal.” Bastion deactivated the test, stepped up onto the platform, and studied his face before removing the headset. “You are so much like him.” With a tsk-tsk, she smoothed her hand across his head and cupped his cheek. “But you are so much more, Alpha One. Let’s see if the plasma will work on a non-enhanced. Go ahead and dress.” With a small pat on his cheek, she eased down off the platform and pressed the controls that released his bands.
Stephen stepped down and strode to his clothing, acutely aware of Bastion administering the plasma serum into Zander. The man’s guttural cries of agony rose in volume as the serum flowed through his system. Stephen quietly dressed and watched. As he buckled his boots, Zander’s yells finally died. With a stamp against the floor, Stephen reached behind him, grabbed his vest, and shrugged into it.
Zander was a bag of sweaty meat when Stephen approached Bastion, who stood before the guard. Red lines traveled across the man’s body, branching out from the injection site on the left side of his neck—a blood infection. His body was rejecting the serum. Bastion slid past Stephen and retrieved a hypospray from the medical tray. She pressed it against Zander’s neck. Immediately, the man sagged against the bands. His head lolled almost lifelessly on his neck.
“Alpha One, release him and place him on the medical bed. I want to run a scan on him.”
Stephen did as she requested. Even when he dumped the larger man onto the hard bed, the guard never responded. His dilated eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. His breathing was shallow. Stephen leaned over him. The man was as good as dead—no life, no reactions.
Bastion placed her hand on Stephen’s arm and pushed him aside. He glanced down at the spot she touched, but there was no rage this time. Wasn’t he supposed to fall into a fury at the slightest touch?
Stephen stood at the head of the medical bed studying her movements as she pulled the scanner over Zander, slipped a neural relay over the man’s head, and hooked a monitoring device onto his wrist. She kept the monitors from displaying the results, reading them on her datapad instead; but her gaze said enough.
Would Zander die, or would he become zombified like the rest? No matter, she always had him dispose of the people, anyway. And he had run the equations through his head the last time she’d had him choose a subject. The plasma serum would not work on anyone but an enhanced. They had to have the genes or traces of Serum Seventy-four in their genetic code.
Serum Seventy-four . . . no, he had Serum Seventy-seven in him. Right? That was what she gave him. Where had the other thought originated from?
Stephen remained still as she worked over the guard. The man’s heartbeat slowed even more. The space between breaths lengthened—then, nothing. Bastion collected blood from his right arm and vitreous from the eye. She waved her hand at the body and walked away.
For a second, Stephen stood gazing down at the lifeless man. He caused this. He needed the man eliminated, but the reasoning behind it was lost to him. Stephen hoisted the dead man over his shoulder. The bio-reclamation had seen a lot of additions the last two days. Now, it would have one more. And while he was there, he could study the vats one more time. Although, why the urge to do so still escaped him. And there was another thought, there on the edges of his mind. Its shadowy arms flicked around the edges of his consciousness. Something important—or someone important.
“Wait, Alpha One. I will join you.”
He suppressed his grimace. What was her game plan? She never accompanied him to the bio-reclamation unit. Was she sensing a change in him? Stephen blinked against the red haze that seemed to be a permanent addition to his vision as he waited for her hobbling gait to catch up to him. He palmed open the door, ordered the guard to remain, and escorted his owner and her latest victim to the other side of the facility.
Jason swiftly wormed his way through the tangle of wire and tubes. A junction box at his elbow sparked when he accidentally brushed against it. Small sparks slammed against his cheek, yet he ignored their burn and continued his steady squirm. Ahead of him, Sierra slithered through. Unlike him, her thin frame gave her ease of movement.
