The Seventh Seed

by Allison Maruska

  Charlie sat on the neighboring stool.

  “Can I get you anything?” the lady asked. With a shaking hand, she placed a napkin and a set of silverware in front of him.

  Charlie nodded without looking up. “In a minute.” He leaned towards Mattson. “You need to go home. Your mom called the cops.”

  Mattson wiped his fingers on a napkin. “I will. Later.”

  “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

  “Exactly. Maybe I want to learn. And now that you know where I am, don’t you want to make sure I’m safe?” Mattson leaned over and whispered into Charlie’s ear. “Besides, what’s going on that’s so bad the government would have to bug public places?” He sat back and raised his eyebrows before shoving half a dozen fries into his mouth.

  Charlie clenched his fist. Where did Mattson get his information? Odds were even if he got Mattson to agree to go home eventually, he’d stay in Iowa for a little while to see what happened. “All right. You can stick around for a day. Got it? One. Day. You’re heading home after that.”

  “I’ll be done when you are.”

  “Dammit.” Charlie stood and ran his hand over his head. Then a thought hit him: if Mattson stayed, Charlie could redirect the kid’s thinking, discrediting whatever nonsense Mattson read online, with proof. He might not have a chance like this again. The way Mattson was going, he’d be the next Mendez.

  Charlie reclaimed his seat. “All right. You win. You can stay. But if I find what I’m looking for, you have to wait in the car.”

  Mattson gave Charlie a thumbs-up and popped more fries into his mouth.

  Charlie looked towards the waitress, analyzing her face for the first time. She made eye contact but broke it a moment later, giving all her attention to wiping the counter.

  It couldn’t be her. Why would Mendez’s accomplice be working in a diner in Iowa?

  “Ma’am?”

  She looked up, and he gestured to Mattson. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

  The woman nodded and yelled the order through a window, all the while avoiding eye contact with Charlie.

  ****

  Get ahold of yourself.

  Liz took a long breath to control her panic. She recognized the man from the news the second he walked in the door, and she was failing miserably in her attempt to play it cool. If he hadn’t recognized her, her behavior could tip him off.

  She avoided looking at him, in case he remembered her from the photograph he’d used in the report. If this guy realized who she was, he would arrest her and possibly force her to tell him where Javier was.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Yeah.” She kept her attention on wiping the already-clean counter.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” In an effort to act normal, she placed the rag near the sink and made eye contact.

  “I’m a department head for Homeland Security. I’m looking for someone who might have come around here. If I show you a photograph, can you tell me if you’ve seen him?”

  She nodded and approached, trying to keep her arms from visibly shaking.

  The man pulled a photograph—the one of Javier he’d used in the report—from his pocket and held it out to her.

  She studied it without taking it. “He doesn’t look familiar.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She squinted, pretending to think. “Yeah, I think I’d remember him.”

  He pocketed the photo while staring at her. “All right.”

  “I’ll see if your food’s almost ready.” She retreated into the kitchen.

  He hadn’t seemed to recognize her. If he had, would he have shown her that picture?

  She glanced at her watch. Javier would be done at the lab any minute, and he’d said he’d meet her at the diner. She had to find him before he could do that, or the cop’s job would be really easy.

  Jonah was working the grill, and she took off her apron as she approached him. “I’m not feeling well. Would you mind if I left a little early?”

  He nodded. “That’s fine. Take care of yourself.”

  “Thanks.” She hustled out the back door and ran down the street towards the lab.

  ****

  Charlie couldn’t believe his luck. The woman had acted just as he’d expected she would when seeing the picture. She was definitely Mendez’s partner. All he had to do was wait for her to finish here and follow her.

  A few minutes after she’d gone into the kitchen, a guy with dreadlocks pushed the kitchen door open. He held a plate containing a burger and fries, which he placed in front of Charlie. Dreadlocks guy introduced himself.

  “What happened to the lady?” Charlie asked after he shook Jonah’s hand.

  “She needed to head out. I’ve got you taken care of.” He took Mattson’s soda glass and refilled it.

  Shit.

  Charlie glanced towards the door, then to Mattson. “I forgot something in my car. I’ll be right back.”

  Chapter Ten

  Javier watched Brenda inject the guinea pig with the first prototype of the vaccine. When she removed the needle and let go of the animal, it darted to the corner of its cage.

  Brenda stared at it while scratching her tattooed arm. Oblivious to the importance of this moment, Trent and the other lab techs worked on the same white powder they’d been manufacturing all day, every day, since apparently long before Javier arrived and in the three weeks since. It seemed to be the only reason the lab existed. Trent had said the powder was a nutritional supplement but insisted Javier not try taking it—an odd directive, as Javier hadn’t considered ingesting the stuff. But now that Trent had said that, Javier wondered what would happen if he did take some. He’d decided to wait until after the vaccine was finished before risking it, in case there was more to it than Trent said and it hurt him somehow.

  As Brenda kept her attention on the cage, Javier frowned. What was she waiting for? An immediate reaction? “Now what?” He adjusted the translator headset, thankful she’d let him keep it today.

  “We wait and see.” She dropped the syringe into a sharps container but kept her eyes on the guinea pig. “If there’s an adverse effect, we’ll know by morning. If nothing happens, either the vaccine is safe or it’s not strong enough.”

  “Not strong enough? Are we guessing?”

  “We’re in a rush. If the animal survives, we’ll distribute to a human population and see if they continue getting sick.”

  “That sounds kind of sloppy.” And dangerous. Could people accidentally die from a problem with the vaccine? Voicing his concern might make her stop talking, so he kept his worry to himself.

  She scowled. “Creating a new vaccine the traditional way usually takes years—up to a decade. We don’t have that kind of time. Even the new protocol takes a few months, minimum. So I’m using that and cheating a little.”

  “Cheating.”

  She glared at him. “Do you want this quickly or not?”

  “What if it hurts people?” To hell with his worry. If the antidote was as dangerous as the disease, he’d have to find another solution.

  Brenda reached for the translator on his ear.

  He cupped it in his hand and stepped away. “You need to tell me the truth. Is there any risk to people?”

  She slumped and said an attitude-laced “No” in English. “Sit down.”

  After a moment of hesitation, he did so, though he leaned away.

  “The risk is minimal. Any problems will be from patients with allergies to the components. Our bigger concern is if it’s not strong enough. I’ll inject myself first if you’re worried.” She loaded supplies into her bag, clearly not waiting for Javier to respond.

  From the oldies station playing on the old stereo, a Fall Out Boy song started, and one of the techs pretended a flask containing a white substance was a guitar, making the other techs laugh. Trent scolded him with a reminder about the importance of their work.

  If it was a nutritional supplement, why
was Trent so serious about it? Maybe Brenda knew what it was. She wasn’t from the town, but she’d worked with Trent in the past. She hadn’t taken the translator, so it was worth a shot.

  “Brenda, do you know what they make here?”

  She glared at him, then focused on the bag she was loading. “Ask Trent.”

  “I did. He wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Then I shouldn’t tell you.” Her eyes shifted to Trent.

  “Just tell me. I know you don’t care about protecting him. And you know I’m here to help.”

  She zipped the bag closed. “We’ll check on the guinea pig tomorrow and plan from there.” She held out her hand.

  Javier brought his hand back to the ear piece. “Tell me first. Trent said it’s like a vitamin. If that’s true, then people ingest it, right? What if it affects the vaccine?”

  “It won’t affect the vaccine. I would know that.” She reached for Javier’s head.

  Javier pulled back. “I helped you. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to create the vaccine.”

  “That doesn’t obligate—”

  “It proves you can trust me. You know I don’t plan to hurt anyone.” He raised his eyebrows.

  She pursed her lips, moved her bag, and sat on the stool, leaning towards him. “It’s our salvation.”

  Javier internally groaned. Plenty of “magic pill” companies had sprung up since LifeFarm took over everything. They promised to cure illnesses or even prolong life, but they always proved to be snake oil. But Brenda was smart—why would she fall for that? “I think you mean our salvation is there.” He pointed at the guinea pig.

  She shook her head. “Not from the virus. From LifeFarm. It’s how we’ll resist their power. Overtake them.” She stopped speaking when the song on the stereo ended, and she drummed her fingers on her bag while she waited for the next one to start. After a quiet instrumental introduction played, she continued, still in a low voice. “It’s how they came into power, and they think they control the entire supply. They don’t know we have it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Four loud bangs came from the door. After a few seconds, four more sounded.

  Trent headed to the door, where he pressed the button for the intercom. “Can I help you?” His tone was sarcastic, likely in response to the disruptive hammering.

  “I need to speak to Hector. It’s an emergency.” Liz’s voice echoed from the speaker.

  Javier glanced at the clock—he was a little late meeting Liz at the diner, but that certainly didn’t warrant her tracking him down.

  “Just a second.” Trent eyed Javier, who took off the translator and made his way to the door.

  Javier cracked it open and stuck his head out.

  Liz yanked him into the front room. “Come on. They found us.”

  ****

  Liz pulled Javier onto the path, but he forced his arm away. “Wait. Who’s ‘they’?”

  “That Homeland Security guy. From the news. He showed me a picture of you asking if I’d seen you.” She eyed the front door. Where should they go? “Would it be safe to hide here?”

  “No. We might have already said too much here.” He continued down the path.

  Liz followed him towards the dark street—it wasn’t dark enough to hide their presence. “Let’s go behind the buildings.”

  “The cop didn’t recognize you. We have time to get to the van. This way is faster.”

  As they hurried away from the lab, a yell stopped them. “Hey!”

  Holding her breath, Liz turned.

  Trent stood on the porch, holding up the thermal bag Javier used to bring lunch to the lab. “You forgot this.”

  Javier dashed up the path while Liz kept her eyes on the diner. We don’t have time for this!

  Lunch bag in hand, Javier ran back to her. The lab’s door slammed closed behind Trent. Liz winced and stole another glance at the diner.

  ****

  Charlie stopped on the sidewalk, looking up and down the street. Which way would she have run? If Mendez was in a lab, she’d head there, but what does a lab in the middle of Iowa look like from the outside?

  He picked a direction and as he passed the loud buzz of a bug zapper, a door slammed shut a few buildings down. A woman—the waitress—peered back at him then grabbed the arm of the bearded man standing with her. They took off, running along the dark side of the street.

  Mendez.

  Charlie yanked his pistol from its holster. “Freeze!”

  The two kept running, ducking into an alley between a house and a convenience store. Charlie quickened his pace and caught up.

  Mendez was standing atop a closed dumpster and pulling the woman up, apparently heading for the roof. “No, Liz! Put your foot over on that ledge. It’s how I got up.”

  Charlie aimed his weapon. “I’d stop right there if I were you.”

  Mendez froze, holding Liz a foot off the ground by her arm.

  She kicked and swayed. “Let me go. We’re not gettin’ up there now.”

  Mendez released her, and she dropped to the ground with a grunt. He stayed on the dumpster and glanced at the roof.

  Would he leave her behind?

  Charlie approached the dumpster. “Come on, young man. I can shoot you down from there and be a hero.”

  “So why don’t you?” Mendez moved to the edge of the dumpster, the metal banging with each step. “What do you have to gain from keeping me alive?”

  “Good point.” Charlie centered the weapon on Mendez’s torso and wrapped his finger over the trigger.

  As he fired, someone yanked his arm. A bright flash and echoing boom filled the dark alley.

  The bullet hit the dumpster with a ping, and Charlie glared. “Dammit, Mattson! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He yanked his arm away from his nephew’s grip and resumed his stance.

  Mendez darted for the other side of the dumpster.

  Mattson grabbed Charlie’s arm again. “You can’t kill him, Charlie.”

  “Watch me. They’re resisting arrest.”

  Mendez jumped to the ground and stood next to Liz, who struggled to her feet. Charlie kept the gun trained on Mendez’s chest. He could get the kid and spare the woman, though it wouldn’t be hard to concoct a story explaining why she was in the line of fire.

  As Charlie brought his finger to the trigger, Mattson stepped in front of the gun. “Ask him why he’s here.”

  Charlie’s breath caught—half a second later and he would have shot his nephew. “You know why he’s here. Move.” Charlie shoved Mattson’s shoulder, but Mattson didn’t budge.

  “No, I don’t. Because I only know what the news says. He doesn’t look like a child killer or drug pusher to me.”

  Charlie looked over Mattson’s shoulder at the two fugitives. Liz eyed the street.

  Mattson leaned into Charlie’s line of sight. “Ask him!” He ran to Mendez and stood directly in front of him. “I’m not gonna let you shoot him if you don’t. You’ll have to shoot me first.”

  “Let me?” Charlie focused the weapon on the few inches of Mendez’s face that was unprotected by Mattson’s neck. The vile taste of rage sat in the back of his throat. He glared at his nephew, his hand shaking as he clenched the gun. He could end this in a second, eliminate the threat, and be a hero in the eyes of anyone who mattered.

  Why was Mattson willing to die to protect this kid?

  “Fine.” With irritation knotting his stomach, Charlie lowered the weapon and made eye contact with Mendez. “Why are you here? Why Iowa? You could have run off to Mexico.”

  Mendez remained silent.

  Charlie raised the weapon again. “I suggest you answer. I’m a good shot.”

  “Just tell him.” Liz pulled away from Mendez’s grasp.

  Mendez gave Mattson a gentle push to the side and pointed to the street. “You saw the bug zappers.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Someone has
to stop the virus. I’m close to a vaccine.”

  “The virus is a fabrication. Your bees proved nothing. Scientists and firms have been making that shit up for years to bring down LifeFarm.”

  “Did they tell you to say that?” Mendez stepped towards Charlie. “You know the truth. You have to.”

  “I know you want to damage the progress we’ve made. To irreparably harm LifeFarm’s image. This virus is nothing. It will go away.”

  “It won’t go away. It can’t go away. LifeFarm made sure of that. How much are they paying you to protect them?”

  “Boy, you better watch your mouth.” Charlie tightened his grip.

  ****

  “If you were gonna shoot me, you would have done it by now.” Javier ignored the metallic taste in his mouth. “You can believe what LifeFarm tells you, or you can believe what the science says. If left unaddressed, the virus will wipe out thousands of people. And because of your bosses, we can’t kill the carrier insects. They can’t let that information get out. That leaves us to create a vaccine.” He forced himself to take another step towards the man about to shoot him. Mattson was close by but wasn’t acting as a shield any longer. “I don’t know what LifeFarm has to gain from killing its customers, but that’s exactly what’s happening. The best I can figure is they’re waiting for the virus to reach crisis level so they can charge exorbitant amounts for a cure. Isn’t that why you have to stop me? They can’t extort anyone if we also have the vaccine.”

  “See? What’d I tell you?” Mattson ran to Charlie and held his arm towards Javier. “The news says this guy’s a killer, and he’s trying to save everyone!” He grabbed for the weapon.

  Charlie pulled it away. “Don’t.” He holstered the gun and stared at Javier, as if weighing his options. “I want you to show me.”

  “Show you . . . the vaccine?”

  “You’d better be smarter than you sound or this vaccine will be worthless.”

  Javier’s heart raced as hope invaded—maybe he could get this cop on their side. “Yeah. I’ll take you right now.” As he brainstormed how to get Trent to let them into the lab, the other possibility hit him—Charlie wanted access to destroy the vaccine. “Or in the morning.” That would give him time to figure out a plan.