Children of alpheios, p.33
Children of Alpheios, page 33
Kiean grunted his agreement.
In the distance, a harrowing screech filled the air. She heard the timbre of a male voice bellowing.
“Who’s that?” she asked.
“Don’t know, but it’s not good,” Kiean replied.
They broke out into a sprint and shifted their direction away from the meadow. The coyote-like wailing came from the direction of the town square, and they cut through the park. She braced herself. A pained sound, a desperate tone. She strained to hear the words.
“Help me!”
On the ground near the fire pit, a man crawled on his hands and knees. Alfrid stood at the doorway of his lab, peering out.
“It’s Tony.” Kiean’s voice was breathless.
He peeled away, rushing toward the figure. As she closed the distance, she recognized the man’s shaved head. Tony, the man at Borys’s place with a blanket wrapped around him, who was ill months ago when she had first arrived in Old Town.
Tony collapsed onto his back. She arrived at Kiean’s side who was bent over him.
Tony grabbed Kiean’s jacket. “Please, help me find Macy.”
Alina recoiled when she saw Tony’s face, taking a step back. His eye-whites were filled with a neon yellow, not the yellowing of jaundice, but an unnatural serpentine color she had never seen before.
A putrid smell arose from his pores, stinging her nostrils like the stench of rotten meat. She tried to suppress a gag, looking away. Alfrid’s cane appeared on the ground nearby.
“What happened, Tony? Tell us so we can help you.” Kiean cushioned the man’s head, lifting it.
“It was…was…” Tony choked on his words. “The blonde woman.” A trickle of saliva ran down the corner of his mouth, touching his chin. “Can’t remember her name.”
“From Genodyne?” Alfrid asked.
Tony nodded, half-conscious, looking past them.
Kiean glanced over his shoulder, and his face tightened. Alina followed the direction of his gaze. By Alfrid’s doorway, Dulce stood, clutching Syriah. The base of Alina’s throat closed at the spectacle the little girl witnessed in front of them.
“Can you take Syriah? We also need Macy, now,” Kiean said.
She darted over to the lab, somewhat relieved to put distance between herself and Tony. She spoke in a low voice to Dulce. As the young woman dashed back to the mountain to fetch the midwife, Alina blocked Syriah’s view.
The blonde woman. From Genodyne. It could only be Ms. Silver.
Syriah looked up at her with large brown eyes. “What’s wrong with him?” Her lips twitched.
“Macy will help him.” Alina composed her face despite the roiling inside. She patted the little girl’s shoulder. “Back to the classroom with the others. Kiean and Alfrid will wait with him.”
She glanced back. Kiean hoisted Tony up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Kiean dragged him over to Alfrid’s lab while Tony’s head lolled back. Purplish scab-like patches covered the skin of his neck.
Her stomach rebelled at the sight, clamping into a fist. They could no longer wait—they had to move quickly protect the children.
****
Big Flint and Shannon surrounded Borys near the entrance of Alfrid’s lab. Hawk kept a mining axe in his hands, escorting Blaze and Vern. Alina rushed over when she saw Kiean enter right behind Hawk. She’d reminded herself he could take care of himself, but she still paced around the lab waiting for him to return. None of the gang members resisted, but they stopped cold when they saw Tony.
Tony lay on one of the lab cots with a cool compress on his forehead, unconscious since the morning. Standing by Alfrid, Alina watched the irregular rhythm of his chest rising and falling. He took in short, shallow breaths. Macy sat alongside him, checking his wrist pulse. Alina’s goosebumps prickled, but she couldn’t look away for long. She needed to know what was wrong with him, what Genodyne had done to him.
Alina sneezed and rubbed her nose. A fog descended over her forehead, a likely warning of an oncoming cold.
Macy dropped Tony’s wrist and motioned to her. The midwife handed over her woven bag of potions and herbs. Macy met Alfrid’s questioning look.
“His pulse is weak, and his fever is dangerously high,” Macy said. “But I’ve never seen someone’s eyes like this. Whatever is causing it must be internal.”
“Is he contagious?” Alfrid asked.
“Ask them.” Macy nodded at Borys.
Alina stiffened. She hadn’t been exposed, had she? And the children? She sucked in a breath, reminding herself the children had been sent home with Dulce once the girl returned with Macy. And Macy had reassured Alina that Ione kept watch over Mandin at home.
Kiean’s face remained like granite, and his eyes flitted over to the gang members, watching them warily.
“Well?” Big Flint asked in a demanding tone, directed at Borys.
Borys’s pallor was as nearly as pale as Tony’s. Upon scrutiny, Alina noticed the spidery veins along his temples resembled Tony’s as well.
“I didn’t think…” Borys said. “That lady…” His throat bobbed.
“Hey man, we didn’t know.” Blaze held up his doughy hands as if to guard himself. “The Guardians busted us nearly three months ago for knocking off the pharmacy. Threw us in the clink, and then a tall guy showed up, and had us released.”
“Who?” Shannon fiddled with his eyeglasses.
“I don’t know, but he works with Ms. Silver.” Vern removed his cap and rubbed his short buzz cut. “He loaded us into an ambulance and took us to Genodyne where we met her.”
“Curly hair?” Alina asked. “Mr. Hubert?”
“Yeah, that sounds like the guy.” Vern placed his cap back on. “She told us she could have all the charges against us dropped if we agreed to participate in an experimental treatment. Safety trials for a new gene therapy or something. Tony took the first round of injections.”
Bile churned in Alina’s stomach. If she ever saw Ms. Silver again, Alina’s hands would wind up around the blonde woman’s throat. That witch would never get her hands on Mandin. Ever.
“Who else took the drugs?” Hawk’s dark brows knitted together.
“I didn’t take shit.” Vern held up his palms.
“Me neither,” said Blaze. “They wanted to observe us in intervals.”
Vern and Blaze both looked over at Borys.
Borys took a step toward Tony. “Is he going to be all right?”
“I don’t know what she gave him,” Macy said. “He was in lot of pain, so I gave him something for it.” She glanced over at Vern and Blaze. “Are you two showing similar symptoms?”
Both shook their heads.
“Probably not contagious then, if he started on it several weeks ago. Sounds like it has to be transmitted through the bloodstream,” she said.
Alina breathed a small sigh of relief. She suspected her oncoming cold was from exposure to the sim pool, the weight of dealing with Chance, and being cooped up over the weekend indoors because of the rains.
Kiean directed an icy stare at Borys. “Did Ms. Silver ask you about the children?”
“Maybe,” Borys replied weakly.
“What exactly did you tell her?” Kiean asked.
“She asked about rumors that some of the kids had gifts. I said, yeah, some of them do.”
Kiean swore and kicked the bottom of the lab table. He gripped the sides of the table until his knuckles turned white. “When? When did you tell her?”
“Yesterday,” Borys replied. “Tony was getting worse. When I went back, she said she could help me if they knew who else had this special DNA. She wanted me to bring back some cheek swabs from the kids. But I didn’t do it, okay? I haven’t touched any of the children. I never meant for something like this to happen.” Borys grabbed Shannon’s arm. “Help me, please.”
Big Flint pushed him off Shannon, and Hawk held his axe in both hands out front.
“I think you’ve done enough.” Alfrid hunched over his cane, the news bearing down on his shoulders.
“I can have Aurore contact Dr. Olek. Perhaps he can help,” Alina said.
Alfrid nodded his assent. “We’re already compromised. May as well know what’s in store.”
She lowered her voice, trying to keep the tremble from it. “And I need to talk to you, Alfrid. I know what my father’s plan was to keep the children safe. He never meant for us to stay here. He found us a new habitable site.”
Alfrid trained his blue eyes on her, a curious gleam filling them.
“We must leave soon.” Now, more than ever, she knew her father had been on the cusp of choosing the correct course of action. They couldn’t stay in Old Town.
A gurgling sound escaped Tony’s mouth, like he was gasping for breath. Macy whirled her head around and hunched over him.
His chest deflated and came to a rest.
Macy grabbed Tony’s wrist again. She waited a few seconds, counting. Everyone in the room grew silent, watching. Macy leaned over Tony’s face, and she straightened up.
“His heart has stopped,” Macy said.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
They buried Tony under a large tree at the edge of the woods not far from the mine. Dusk crept up on them, and the men leaned on their shovels. Macy recited a prayer, and they all bowed their heads, including the gang. Alina tucked her chin down and closed her eyes. A small doubt flickered in her mind about the existence of a deity. But if there was a higher power, she asked it to accept Tony in whatever boundary he needed to pass through. And more than anything else, she pleaded with it to give them the strength to protect the children.
After the prayer, the men picked up their shovels, but they lingered at the gravesite, taking care to give the gang some room. Blaze knelt in front of his friend’s grave, closing his eyes. Vern stared at the small pile of rocks that marked the head of the gravesite, holding his cap in his hands. Alina noticed Borys remained listless, staring out into the grove with his arms hanging down by his sides. His long arms trembled ever so slightly.
Macy walked from the mound of fresh dirt over to Alina. “I’ll check on Mandin and the rest of the children.” She placed her hand on Alina’s shoulder. “You should stay here.” A pause. “And tell them whatever it is you have planned.” The old woman walked off in the direction of the village.
Alina watched Macy’s receding back. She had never mentioned to Macy why she burst in earlier, frantically looking for the holograph. Macy had watched as she searched under the bed but said little after she found the globe and ran out. She wanted to accompany Macy home and embrace Mandin close. But she stayed, the idea too fresh and trapped within, straining to be released.
She turned her attention to the circle of men. They traded glances and kept looking at Alfrid. She had hoped to talk to the physicist alone, but now, she’d have to discuss her father’s plan with the rest of the men listening.
Big Flint stepped forward. “Alfrid, we need to take action. Now.”
The elder struggled to sit down on a nearby boulder, bending his body painfully. Alina held his arm, and he lowered himself. She took in a deep breath, but before she could form the words, Alfrid directed a question to Big Flint. “Is the mine ready?”
“Yes, we have the food supplies, and the water pipe is complete now,” he replied.
Hawk, who was so vibrant on his wedding day, spoke in monotone. “The blast doors seal. Both entrances are complete. Once we’re in, we’re in.”
Shannon glanced at Kiean. “What about the ammo?”
“It may not come to that. Alina has another place for us in mind.” He gave her a small nod.
Alina reached in her bag for her holograph. She projected the image, and the men shuffled closer to see her map.
“My father found a place for us, Alfrid. A place far away from here, out of reach of Genodyne.” She showed him their location on the green glow of the image, then moved the map to the south, pointing to the shining outlines of the canyons. “There’s a hidden cavern here where all the families could live. It’s what his message meant. To stop Phase Three is to no avail. He knew that, and he died trying to prove there’s water at the new site. I know there’s water underground there, but we’ll have the satellite readings for confirmation tomorrow.”
Hawk peered intently at the projection. “That’s past the great desert, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s site B79.”
“Have you ever been out there?” he asked.
“No, but I’ve studied this place and know every turn of it.” She double tapped the image showing them the cavern schematics. “And while it’s too hot to be outdoors during summer days, it’s a steady temperature in the cavern all year around. We can walk around outside the rest of the year. We’d be free to live our lives as we please.”
They shifted their feet, and some of men avoided looking at her. Their faces remained unconvinced. Her fingers reluctantly shut off the globe.
Big Flint frowned. “We can’t just run away to some desert place we’ve never been before. We need to stand our ground here. This is our home.”
Kiean said, “I’ve seen what she’s talking about at the academy.” He leveled his steady gaze at the rest of the men. “They have readings of the cavern, and the water flows to it from our mountain range underground.”
“It sounds very risky, son,” Shannon replied.
“How would we even get there?” Big Flint asked.
“You can leave that to me.” Kiean’s jaw set into place.
“How?” Flint stared back, a deep crease appearing between his brows.
“We fly there. All of us, in the hovercraft they take up to the glaciers. It’s in the city hangar, and it should fit everyone from the village onboard.” Kiean’s posture was loose, but steel underlined his words.
Shannon asked, “Won’t they see us?”
“Once we reach the lava fields, we’ll be out of radar range. The ship has the range to get there, but the hover-jets don’t. They can’t follow us across the magma,” he replied.
“I say we stay and fight.” Big Flint puffed out his chest.
Blaze rose to his feet and joined them. “I’m up for a fight.” He slammed a pudgy hand into his palm. “For Tony. Count me in.”
Vern added, “Me too.” He replaced his cap on his head, and his wiry arms balled into fists by his side. He looked over at Borys who still stared out at the grove.
The moment slipped away from her. Her plan evaporated like it never existed. Like her voice played no role in what they decided.
Borys’s lurching build slowly turned around, and he faced them. “I’ll fight the fuckers. I’m not going out like Tony.”
Alfrid gripped the curve of his cane. “It may come to that. We’ll give you shelter in the mine. We’re all in this together now.”
An inner voice commanded her to make him listen. Alfrid’s plan was even riskier than what she proposed. The Guardians would show them no mercy once they rooted the Origins out of the tunnels. And before she could voice her doubts, Hawk spoke.
“I don’t know…” Hawk’s pessimistic tone trailed off into the fading light. “How long will it be until they starve us out, Alfrid? We’ll take casualties when they storm the mine. Eventually, they will. People will get killed.”
Big Flint jutted out his chin. “I’m not scared.”
“Use your head, not your cock for once, Flint,” Hawk replied. “We have kids with us. We’re going to knock over a beast, and you don’t think they’re going to come for us? And then they’ll take the kids, arrest you and me if we don’t die, and then what? Where will we be?”
She witnessed the worry etched on Hawk’s face, the flare in his magnetically dark eyes. How he thought of Ione, his very pregnant wife, and their first child, due any day now.
Shannon took in a deep breath. “If you believe this can work, I’m with you, son. Tell me what you need.”
A small sheen of gratitude showed in Kiean’s eyes.
Big Flint started arguing with them. Kiean intervened, urging him to listen about the cavern. The gang members ached for a fight, swearing revenge. They all shouted at one another as night descended.
She observed no unity, a bad omen. They’d never succeed if they remained divided.
“Silence!” Alfrid’s voice thundered over the din. “This is no way to make a decision!” The men quieted down. “I can’t think like this.”
Alina placed her hands on her hips. “Alfrid, we’ll have the satellite readings back by tomorrow. Aurore and Talley have already programmed it to image the area.” She heard her voice come through calmly and clearly and rolled her shoulders back to stand tall. If she had to play the nonsensical game of puffing out her feathers like a bird to gain attention among the men to make them listen, she’d carry on the motions.
“It will confirm there’s water there, and we can leave without anyone getting hurt. Now is our chance to make a new life for everyone, without the council, without Genodyne. We’ll form our own government. We were never meant to have only one colony on this planet. It was the academy’s charter, and my father’s hope, to find a new place for us to live so humanity could flourish. Genodyne has led people to believe they must depend on it for survival, playing on their fears, but that’s not true any longer. We understand Eamine much better now.”
She noticed the men fell silent, waiting to hear more.
“The hovercraft has a sophisticated command system and is made to house crews for weeks at a time,” Kiean pointed out. “It also has a water purification system, and a reactor onboard for energy. As long as we can cultivate some biomass, we can use the food reproduction system onboard. We’d have what we need to survive.”
“What if your high-tech aircraft breaks?” Big Flint’s voice rumbled.
“Then I’ll fix it,” Kiean snapped back.
Alfrid stared out thoughtfully in the direction of the village. Other than the soft chirping of insects from the nearby grove, quiet filled the lull. The nightfall obscured his expression from her.
Finally, the elder spoke. “I need those satellite readings by tomorrow, Alina. After that, I have no choice. We’ll proceed to fight for our independence.”
