The infinity cure, p.4
The Infinity Cure, page 4
“Um, what?” Hiroe found her voice, inwardly mocking herself for letting a mere boy have such an effect on her.
He stood and cocked his head toward the side aisle of the auditorium. She rose and followed him as he walked quickly and quietly up toward the doors at the back of the room and out into the hallway.
There he leaned against the wall. He was dressed in loose, light-colored pants and a baggy shirt; his feet were in sandals. She hadn’t even noticed how casually he’d been dressed when he was on stage, his presence and performance had been so captivating. He carried a shapeless, bulging rucksack that hung from a strap over his shoulder and across his chest.
“I saw you get shut down by security,” he told her. “Did you get anything out of them?”
She shook her head. “They wouldn’t even talk to me. What did you say earlier?”
“I asked what she meant by ‘they,’” Louvin replied. “Did you hear what that lady said, right before the sound cut out?”
Hiroe replayed it in her mind. The young man didn’t wait for her to reply. “She started to say ‘they’re’ trying to—I don’t know, do something.” Now he did wait, watching Hiroe until he saw understanding dawn on her face. “If she was alone at a security station, trying to call for help, who were ‘they’ and what were ‘they’ trying to do to her?”
She tore her eyes from his mesmerizing face and looked at the ground again, shaking her head as her mind raced. He was right; it didn’t fit with the official explanation. She looked up. “What do you think?”
He grimaced. “I don’t know, but I do know there’s something going on that they’re not telling us.”
“And what made you decide to tell me about it?” she asked.
“Because you were the only person trying to get information in there,” he said. “Everyone else was milling around like a scattered school of fish. And because”—his eyes suddenly looked much older than the rest of him—“if I’m going to go snooping around where I’m not supposed to go, I’d like to have a human with me. Adds respectability, you know? Things’ll go better if someone catches me.”
Hiroe scoffed. “You don’t really think security here would treat you—that’s ridiculous. You’re a VIP here!”
Now Louvin looked mildly disgusted, and it bothered her more than she would have thought possible. She thought she’d long ago stopped caring what people thought of her, but she felt a pang of shame.
“You don’t believe me. Shocking,” he said with quiet but bitter sarcasm. “Well, I don’t have time to convince you that bigotry is a real thing, so … does that mean you won’t come with me or what?”
“I didn’t say that,” Hiroe shot back. “Where are you planning to go, anyway?”
“The infirmary, to try and find out what really happened to that lady. I think I can find it—the speakers who got here early today got a tour. We didn’t actually go into the building but the guide pointed it out.”
Hiroe hesitated, but she already knew she was deciding to do it. She’d miss part of the program, possibly get kicked out of the estate (although no one had expressly forbidden guests to explore the place, so she thought that was unlikely). But she was charmed by the idea of playing a fiftysomething Nancy Drew in a giant mansion.
And she couldn’t shake the thought that something else really was going on. Lottie hadn’t sounded in pain to her on the sound system—she’d sounded terrified. And when she’d stopped talking, it didn’t sound like she’d fallen unconscious so much as been interrupted. Possibly by someone else turning off the microphone.
And, Hiroe reluctantly admitted to herself, she didn’t mind being close to Louvin. It was ridiculous, but his effect on her was undeniable. Even Demonte had noticed it, much to her chagrin.
“I’m a reporter. I can’t pass up a chance for a story,” she said with a little laugh. She liked the way his eyes lit up, like a little kid who just talked his way into getting some candy.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The moving walkway automatically came to life in the other direction as they started making their way down the hall. Louvin stepped off it halfway toward the main house, into an alcove with a door, and Hiroe followed his lead.
Once on the other side of the door, her heart sank. She recognized the capsule as similar to the one she’d taken from the surface down to the estate. “No tunnel to the infirmary, huh?” she said.
Louvin shook his head. “There might be, but this was the way they took me on the tour.” He opened the door with a tap and held out a hand as if to help Hiroe in. She felt a flash of indignation despite her trepidation and brushed aside his assistance, climbing in on her own. He followed her in and pressed the button to close the door.
The interior was comfortable but small. The seats were close enough together that their elbows brushed against each other whenever one of them shifted even slightly. “Let’s see if I can figure this out,” Louvin said with a grin. He tapped the control screen lightly. It didn’t take long for him to find and request the infirmary as their destination.
The craft barely made a sound as it left its dock and slid into a tunnel that sloped down into water. They were out in the ocean in less than thirty seconds. Hiroe gripped the sides of her seat; she hadn’t been prepared to face this again so soon.
“You okay?” Louvin asked with solicitous concern, and her irritation helped overcome her stress.
“Fine, I’m fine,” she muttered. “I’m not some delicate old lady. You don’t have to treat me like I’m fragile.”
“I didn’t mean to do that,” Louvin said with a shrug. She felt slightly embarrassed for her outburst. “It’s just a couple of minutes away.”
He didn’t need to tell her that. The screen showed their progress and their estimated arrival. She kept her eyes glued on it and focused on keeping her breathing steady. “So,” she said, trying to take her mind off her fear, “do you think Faith Benedict is as devoted to this cause as she makes it seem?”
Louvin glanced at her with a sly half smile. “You’re a reporter, right? On the record, Faith Benedict is the most devoted human to the cause of aquean rights and aquamycosis eradication there is.”
“And off the record? You think it’s just for show? Something she can pat herself on the back about? Maybe to justify building her home so close to the Infinite Water Trench?”
“Wow, Ms. Reporter, those are what I’d call some leading questions,” he said with a teasing note in his voice. Then he turned serious. “Look, I don’t pretend to know anyone’s true motivations—no one does. All we can do is assess people by their actions. And I don’t know anyone—human or aquean—I approve of one hundred percent. But if you look at the totality of Faith’s actions, she’s done more for aquamycosis awareness and research than any other human who’s not a scientist or a doctor.”
The silence between them began to grow again but was interrupted again, this time by the craft.
The progress map on the screen was replaced with a black circle. A female voice said, “Please confirm identity to continue.” An illustration of a hand appeared and animated to show the thumb pressing a black circle similar to the large one in the middle of the screen. Hiroe and Louvin’s eyes met, surprised.
Louvin shrugged and pressed his thumb against the screen. It beeped and flashed red. “Please try again. Please confirm identity to continue.” Hiroe looked outside and realized the craft was slowing.
“What’s happening?” she said, trying to stifle the instant alarm she felt.
“I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t recognize aquean fingers or something. Try yours,” Louvin said tensely.
Hiroe reached for the screen and pressed her thumb against it. Her heart sank as the screen reacted the exact same way.
“Are you a guest?” the voice inquired sweetly.
“Yes,” Louvin and Hiroe said simultaneously.
“Please enter your guest code to continue,” the voice said. A numerical touchpad now replaced the black circle.
“Did you get a guest code?” Hiroe hissed.
Louvin shook his head. “Why is it only asking now?” he said in frustration. “Why did it let us get started?” The craft had now drifted to a stop and settled on the ocean floor. They were in the middle of one of the typically well-tended aquatic gardens, but the lacy seaweed and staring fish surrounding them now felt oppressive instead of picturesque.
“Fuck!” Louvin slammed the heel of his hand on the screen. The voice came back on.
“Do you want to call for assistance?”
“Yes,” Hiroe said. Louvin glared at her but didn’t say anything. The screen flickered.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Do you want to call for assistance?”
“Yes!” There was a hectic edge to Hiroe’s voice this time. Her chest began to tighten and she started to breathe too fast.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get …” the voice became sluggish and stopped. The craft shuddered. With almost a sigh, the door unsealed and slid open. Air escaped in a rush of bubbles as water pushed its way in with sudden force.
Hiroe’s uncontrollably fast shallow breathing didn’t allow her to fill her lungs with fresh air before the water was upon her. Her throat closed before her mouth; she looked wildly around, her eyes stinging from the salt water. The seatbelt hadn’t released and she clawed at it, unable to find a button or buckle.
Her panic began to be replaced with a heavy dread as she recognized the futility of her efforts. Her lungs were already burning, black spots swimming in front of her eyes. She wondered how long it would be until her throat surrendered and allowed the ocean to take full possession of her body.
Her hands fell away from the seatbelt and she curled up as tightly as she could in the seat, burying her face in her arms. Her head swam and she squeezed her eyes shut.
So she would finally find out how it felt. It was long overdue.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hiroe had been swimming since she was an infant, essentially, and had Olympic dreams. She trained to become fast and competitive, but her real love was spending long periods of time in the water, especially underwater.
Her parents were fond of island vacations and she spent most of her time snorkeling or diving on every trip. She often thought if her competitive swim career didn’t pan out, she’d end up a scuba instructor or tour guide.
So it was especially exciting when her school swim team took a field trip to go diving off the coast of Mexico for three days. Her best friend Elise had listened to her tales of previous vacations with envy, and Hiroe was looking forward to showing off her knowledge. She promised to take her somewhere special that only the two of them would get to see.
On the first day of the trip, the team did a series of guided dives in a highly populated area. Hiroe stifled her impatience, but that night she and Elise got worked up planning their adventure, and she started the second day more determined than ever to give her friend a one-of-a-kind experience.
That morning they were allowed to explore a designated underwater area with buddies, and she and Elise paired off. It was pretty but didn’t satisfy their need for excitement. As soon as their coaches and the instructors were occupied with other pairs, the girls swam off from the group.
A tunnel rimmed with waving anemones beckoned them on. They swam together, past stunning rock formations and strange sea life. The tunnel swooped and turned a few times, and they followed happily, wondering where it would come out.
They turned a corner and it dropped downward into darkness. Hiroe, flush with excitement from their adventure so far, tugged on Elise’s hand. She saw the girl’s hesitation on her face but wordlessly coaxed her into following.
Almost immediately they were lost. Bumping against walls and one another, they panicked and lost their sense of direction. Then Hiroe didn’t feel Elise bumping against her anymore. She swam wildly, scraping her arms and legs against the walls of the tunnel as she flailed to find Elise. She thought she felt her air supply dwindling and started to give up on ever finding her way out.
Then she saw a grayish blue hue in the water. A hint of daylight. She swam toward it until she reached familiar scenery, but Elise wasn’t there and didn’t follow. Hiroe clawed her way back to the rest of the group. Search parties found Elise later that day, trapped near the dark dead end, her foot wedged between two rocks.
* * *
Something touched her cheeks, then gripped the sides of her head. She opened her eyes and stared uncomprehending at Louvin, whose own face was just inches away from hers. She’d forgotten where she was.
He came even closer to her and his lips touched hers, which were clamped tightly together. She felt something light on her mouth, spreading around it, a widening area that grew to encompass her nose as well. Louvin drew slowly away from her. She saw him mouth a word: Breathe.
Her burning lungs obeyed, though it made no sense. She exhaled a little stale air first, then inhaled, expecting water to flow into her mouth and nose.
It did not. She breathed air. She gasped raggedly and her body greedily demanded more and more oxygen. Louvin leaned toward her again and did something again, not touching her lips this time. She glanced down and thought she saw the edge of some kind of bubble or clear sphere covering her nose.
Louvin spoke in her ear, his voice sounding muffled in the water. “Try not to take such deep breaths; it’ll last longer.” He reached behind him to an outer pocket of his rucksack and withdrew a knife. He cut her seatbelt easily, then his. He left the capsule, and turned with his hand outstretched to make sure Hiroe was following him.
She was not. She sat frozen in her seat. Louvin ducked back into the capsule and pulled her out by her shoulders. She actually struggled at first, her breath quickening, but he put his arms around her and held her close against him. Something about the solidity and slight warmth of his body compared with the water made her feel safer. She stopped struggling and he refilled her air supply. Then he pulled her from the car.
Her limbs still felt frozen with fear, but Louvin kept his arm wrapped around her slender frame. She could feel his powerful kicks as he propelled them through the water. She began to feel hope that they would survive, but wondered how they would reach safety. She was completely disoriented and lost.
Louvin seemed to swim with purpose, though, and she soon saw what he was aiming for: one of the tunnels connecting two buildings. She realized it was raised off the ocean floor about four feet, and as they approached, Louvin dove lower.
As he brought them close to the ocean floor and swam under the tunnel, Hiroe squeezed her eyes shut again, a wave of claustrophobic fear rushing over her again. She felt Louvin straining to do something and opened them again cautiously.
He’d found a circular seam on the underside of the tunnel, like a portal. With the arm that wasn’t holding her fast against him, he alternated banging it with his fist and running his hand around it to look for a latch or button that would open it.
Hiroe felt the edge of her air bubble touching the tip of her nose, getting close to her mouth as it filtered out her exhalations and she depleted the breathable air within it. She elbowed Louvin—it was the only way she could think of to get his attention in the awkward position she was in.
He stopped trying to open the hatch and focused for a few moments on replenishing her oxygen supply. Even in the midst of oppressive terror, she felt a wave of gratitude as her lungs once again filled with air.
Louvin redoubled his efforts, but he appeared to be making no progress. She saw his jaw muscles tense. He looked around as if considering swimming somewhere else. She wondered how long he was able to breathe underwater while sharing his air with her, and a pang of guilt cut through her fear. She wanted to ask him. She said his name but the bubble and water muffled her voice and his pounding on the tunnel drowned it out.
He paused again to check on her, then reached in his shoulder bag—possibly searching for the knife he’d used earlier, she guessed, but he came up empty.
He’d managed to look admirably calm up until now, but she could see desperation dawning in his eyes. Her own temporary hope had all but dissipated by now. Would she die like this, locked in his arm? Would he find his way to safety? If not, when would their bodies be found?
She didn’t want to cause his underwater death, even if she wouldn’t be around to shoulder the guilt. She tried to tell him to leave her, struggling weakly to get away, but he didn’t seem to hear her or notice her trying to break free.
She felt her eyelids growing heavy. Reality receded. She couldn’t tell if she was going into shock, fainting from the stress, or dying. In any case she couldn’t move her limbs anymore. She gave up and closed her eyes. I didn’t deserve to live this long, she thought.
Suddenly the arm around her waist tightened, and she was being pulled upward.
CHAPTER NINE
Hiroe’s eyes opened to see the circular portal gone and light shining through the hole it had left. By the time she’d taken that in, Louvin had hauled her halfway out of the water, and she collapsed face down on the floor of the tunnel. The lifesaving bubble evaporated from her face and she breathed deeply for the first time in several minutes.
Her legs were still submerged in water. She wasn’t sure why it didn’t flood the chamber she was in, but she didn’t have the energy to ponder it for long. She struggled to crawl the rest of the way through the opening, and rested as soon as she was all the way in. Her clothes felt heavy, and her short bobbed hair was plastered against her skull.
“Villanna!” Louvin said with surprise, and Hiroe sat up and turned to look at him. She saw with a little shock that he was now standing beside the portal holding the hands of a stunning young aquean woman.
