by Candice Lim
“I should have asked for a seafood platter.”
“I asked you.”
“You would fail as a waitress.”
“That’s why I’m not one.” Vaxine removed my dinner from the machine.
“It even comes with a plate!” I squealed, unable to contain my astonishment.
Vaxine stopped to give me an ‘Are you totally stupid?’ look and placed the plate on the table. “Enjoy your meal.”
I clambered onto the chair like an excited child and attacked the food. I didn’t care what it was made of. Didn’t care how homely I must have looked. It did the trick. After the last bite, I felt a lot better. My earlier dizziness evaporated with every bite.
“Can the Atom Mancer make clothes?” I asked when Vaxine brought her laptop over and sat next to me. She flipped it open and pulled out a second screen before turning to give me a stern look. “Don’t even think about it.”
I shrugged and savored the rest of my food.
Vaxine looked me up and down. “Maybe we should print you something. No way you’re walking around the lab in that outfit. You should always wear long pants and covered shoes in the lab. Especially in Hershey’s lab.”
“This Atom Mancer could end world hunger,” I muttered after a while.
“Sadly, nobody’s interested in non-profit business.”
“You could be the first. We don’t always have to wait for someone else to take the first move.” I shrugged.
Vaxine regarded me. “So, you got any idea what’s happening out there?”
I swallowed. “George and Edmund captured Hershey. They going to set off a pandemic, but Hershey is against it. I think they are hoping to strike gold with it, from what I overheard.”
Vaxine shrugged. “That’s it?”
I shrugged back. “Yeah, that’s all. I told you I know nothing. You going to let me go now?”
“They have been on this project for five years already―”
“They wanted to set out a pandemic since five years ago?”
Vaxine shook her head. “Listen. Hershey and Cash are the core members of the underground Project Cranax. Mind you, it didn’t begin as some evil world-dominating plan like it has turned out now. The Cranax virus was engineered to bring an end to neurodegenerative diseases and possibly more. Apparently, they failed. All their grants were ceased, causing a major financial loss to the team. Cash came up with this super brilliant idea to mine the remnants of their botched project. Naturally, Hershey is against it. Cranax is deadly although she already has developed the cure―”
“If it’s so deadly, then how was it approved safe for treatment?”
“You really want to know? I could talk about it the whole night.” She was about to open a presentation file on her laptop.
“No.” I shook my head and fell back in my seat. Hell no.
“Okay, a brief introduction. Hershey designed Cranax with a unique feature. It can be programmed to her preference and inactivated only with the anti-Cranax gene. The gene is the cure they’ve been talking about. In a word, it’s like a biological drone. In a perfect world, Cranax will hunt and incorporate the specific genes into the host’s genome, erasing the mutations that give rise to the disorders. With the correct protocols, Cranax is the future of gene therapy. So far the in vivo trials haven’t been successful. Once in the host, it turns evil. Cash has this antiviral drug that keeps it in check, but it’s not that simple. Cranax mutates at an alarming rate. Hershey’s afraid the antiviral drug will not hold it back one day. But Cash doesn’t care. She doesn’t see this as a threat but as a long-term gazillion-dollar business.”
It sounded like a nightmare, and like an active volcano, it would erupt at any time. The thought of what could happen killed my appetite. I pushed my plate away and wiped my face. “You know where Hershey is. It’s still not too late to rescue her now and put an end to―”
“Sounds like a piece of cake, huh? ‘Barge into the lab and get her outta there!’” Vaxine snorted, contempt dripping from her every word. “I’m glad you didn’t try anything stupid. Given you’ve already made a mistake by being in the lab at the wrong time. Only George has access to the system. No one else.”
“We should call the cops.”
“What’re you gonna tell them? ‘Hi Officer, I broke into a lab and discovered an evil world domination plan?’ It’s their word against yours.”
“There must be something we can do!”
“You have no idea. You don’t know who Cash is. She is one of the key players in the Community. One wrong move and you’re dead. That’s why we need a solid plan.”
“We’re not saving Hershey? I―I mean, you are not planning on saving her?”
“Last time I checked, it’s you they want.” Vaxine smiled.
Unsettling feelings gnawed at my stomach, making it twist and turn. I wasn’t sure if it was because of what I heard or what I ate. How could someone as educated as Cash do something like this? How could she choose monetary gains over the good of the human race?
“All right, Roxy. Now, will you please hand me the tablet?”
I dug into my bag and passed Vaxine the tablet.
“Did you check it?”
I shook my head. What was I supposed to be looking for?
Vaxine nodded. “You must be tired. Get some good rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”
I stood up when Vaxine called me back. “Hey.” Her open palm was extended to her. “Gimme your phone.”
I hesitated. ”Why? You don’t trust me?” She shouldn’t. I would find my way out tonight.
“No. I don’t trust anyone now. Now, please.”
I sighed and slapped my last possession into my open palm.
“Thank you.”
Vaxine tapped on her laptop. I staggered back when a disembodied voice blared out, “Initiating security lockdown.”
Metallic clinks and clanks began to sound. I remembered they were the latches on the vault door. They were twisting and turning, locking up this facility.
“Told ya. I trust no one,” smiled Vaxine.
4
GEORGE
George rubbed his chin as Edmund paced up and down the security room like a dog fumbling for a spot to ease itself. This agitated George even more.
“She’s just a brat. We are the professionals. Who do you think people will side?”
“It’s not about who sides with whom!” Edmund snapped. “She knows about Hershey. What if this slips out? We don’t want the Emeritus Professor paying us a visit.”
“Cash said she knows some helpful people. We’ve nothing to worry about.” George feigned calm as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. His mind was in chaos. He hadn’t been able to sleep for nights, thinking about how things could go wrong. At other times, it was the thrill of thinking about what he was going to do with his newfound wealth. Now Edmund was bugging him, as though the weight on his mind wasn’t already heavy enough.
“This kid is not dumb.” Edmund stared at the floor, where the asphyxiated guard now lay sprawled at their feet.
An hour ago, the two had barged into the room. The guard, chewing his burger, spun around as his eyes sprang open. George pointed his Zapper at him. The guard fell to the floor facedown. The burger, already half-eaten, was lodged under his belly.
Edmund was not concerned about the guard. In the morning, the unlucky guard would wake up with a nasty headache and memories of tonight erased.
“You think anyone can hack the CCTV? She must be something.” Their eyes locked. “We gotta do something about Hershey, the sooner the better.”
“I know.” George squeezed his nose harder. “That is temporary.”
“George, this is a university. We can’t be doing such a thing here.” Tension built up in Edmund’s tone. “Call Cash now!”
George slid the phone to Edmund’s side of the table. “Why don’t you call her yourself?”
Edmund’s lips w
ere a grim line when he grabbed the phone and dialed Cash’s number.
“WHAT NOW?” Cash’s voice roared over the line so loud, Edmund nearly jumped out of his seat. “Can’t you see it’s friggin two in the morning?”
“Thank you for your kind reminder, Cash,” stammered Edmund. “We lost the girl.”
“You lost what?” The phone wasn’t on speaker mode, but George could hear her words clearly.
“The student. Roxy. We lost her. She ran off.”
George could imagine Cash slapping her forehead.
“Of course she did, fools. I would run too!” She lowered her voice. “Don’t forget. She’s a student. Her future is in your hands. Where can she go? She’ll always come back. That fool probably still thinks we don’t know anything. Do what you need to do.”
“Cash.” George snorted. “That won’t work. You think she’s one of the tops?” Another snort. “She is at the other end of the social spectrum. She’s here probably because her parents wanted her to.”
“Parents!” Edmund spun to George as his eyes gleamed with hope.
The same idea had also come to George’s mind. “That’s right! We could use her parents as bait.”
George was unable to deny Edmund had got some brains.
Cash’s voice cut in. “Here’s the thing. Do what you need. Finish her off in CU. Otherwise, proceed with Plan B.”
“But, Cash, we have another concern.”
“What?”
“We have to relocate Hershey. It’s not safe here.”
“You, not us.” George jabbed his finger at Edmund.
“Roxy could have let it slip out. Underlab is now compromised.”
The room fell silent. The calm before the storm. George could imagine Cash’s face red with rage. Like an active volcano, it would erupt at any time. Except it didn’t, for now.
“All right then,” Cash said calmly. “Evacuate Underlab. Bring our guest to the holding area.”
“You mean…?”
“Yes, Edmund. Phoenix will be arriving in twenty minutes.” The phone went click as Cash hung up.
“Sounds like another sleepless night for me,” sighed George, falling back into his chair.
5
ROXY
A searing dry spell in the throat shook me from my sleep. My eyes popped open. I sat upright and scanned my surroundings. I wasn’t in my room. The air was freezing. The white quilt bundled up around me matched the furniture in the lab. Ivory furniture littered the spacious room. The morning sun pierced through the panoramic window stretched from one end to the other.
All memories came back in a flood. I barely slept. Nightmares from Underlab haunted me, like a cuckoo bird that jumped out of the clock every minute. I sat there, staring in the space. How had things turned out like this?
A few days ago, I only had to complete my final year project before I could earn my bachelor's. The PCR problem seemed menial now that a fresh crisis was thrust upon me. If I hadn’t found out about Cranax, I would still complete my project and graduate on time. Some red tapes would have been required but I would be assigned to a new mentor. I would be over the lab in less than a year.
The lifeless look on Hershey’s face flashed back into my mind. Hershey was pale as a ghost. As if she was dead. But, she wasn’t. She couldn’t die. The Queen of Genetics was strong, confident and immortal. She would survive this. George’s raucous laugh pealed, making my hairs stand on end.
I looked away to the windows that had become tinted, filtering the glare of the morning sun. In the common area of the lab, Vaxine was asleep at the bench where she had been working since last night. All night, she slaved away. Her eyes locked on the laptop and fingers on the keyboard. Now her face was on it, next to her hands. She must be drop-dead tired. After all, she was human.
I kicked the quilt off. A stream of cold air found its way and filtered through my clothes. I got to my feet quietly. With a smile, I inched forward. My phone was beside the laptop.
Even when I was beside her, Vaxine hadn’t budged an inch. I steeled myself to reach for the laptop.
A sharp pain stung my fingers. I pulled back and muttered a cuss.
“Intruder alert! Intruder alert!” A warning sign flashed across the screen.
Vaxine woke up, but her accusatory glare bore into my face.
I shoved my hands behind my back. “I was checking if you were still asleep.”
Vaxine looked away and I sighed in relief.
“In reason we trust, Roxy.” Vaxine stretched and popped her knuckles. “I hope you slept well.”
“Not really.”
“Not surprising. You’ll get used to it.”
“You face this kind of situation every day?”
Vaxine shook her head. “Only if you get your hands dirty. AKA getting involved with the politics.”
I tried to look nonplussed, but I knew my unease was still obvious.
“Don’t worry. It happens a lot. You’ll be surprised how people are willing to do anything to get what they want.”
“You mean it’s normal you guys do whatever to get money?”
“If you mean the Community, then no, we don’t. Hershey doesn’t. Many of us don’t. In fact, it’s against the Ethics.” Vaxine’s shoulders tensed. “There’s always one bad apple that spoils the basket.”
I still couldn’t stomach the idea of selling out one’s own class for greed. What more, someone so highly educated.
“Hey!” Vaxine broke into my train of thought. “Don’t freak out. We are all good people.”
My phone rang. I turned to the table. Mom.
“Don’t answer!” Vaxine shouted, stopping me in my tracks.
Mandy must have told my parents that I’d gone missing. If Mandy went missing, I would do the same. Call up everyone until I knew she was safe and sound. Isn’t that what friends were for? If Mom and Dad joined the commotion, there would be a big scene. I had to answer this call now. The last thing I wanted was my face plastered on missing person posters and broadcast on TV.
“It’s my mother.” I pleaded. First, Vaxine locked me out of civilization, now from my family. This was like a friggin house arrest.
“You answer that call, this place is finished.” A hint of a plea in Vaxine’s voice. “If Hershey found out, she would kill you first before turning your body over to me.”
“I’m not gonna talk about what we’re cooking for National Day! I’ve been gone since last night. People are worried about me. Mom and Dad might think I’ve kidnapped. And they’d be absolutely right.”
“If Cash wants you, she’ll stop at nothing. I’m afraid she’ll come for your parents too.”
I couldn’t contain a laugh. “You think too much.”
Vaxine shook her head. “And you don’t think at all.”
The phone was still ringing.
Vaxine sighed. “Don’t touch it.” She went to look in the cabinet and returned with a silver disc. She stuck it into one of the ports on my phone. It stopped ringing.
“Your location has been rerouted. Choose your words wisely.” It was probably tapped now too.
The phone rang again. Click. “Hey, Mom.”
“Where the hell are you, Roxy Riley?” When Mom called my full name, I knew I was doomed. The relief at hearing Mom’s voice after the night’s ordeal was soon undercut by her fury.
I scrambled for words as I turned to Vaxine for help.
Vaxine mouthed, “Say you’re with your friends.”
“I’m out with my friends,” I stupidly repeated.
“ALL THIS TIME? You’re hanging out with your friends while skipping a week’s worth of lectures?” Her voice thundered down the line so loud I winced.
“Where did you get that from? I only missed one lecture, which was Dr. Hershey’s lecture today.”
“How dare you lie to me! And your professor, this Dr. Joe said you got an F for Genetics.”
“An F? W
ait, who’s this Dr. Joe? You mean, Dr. George―?”
Filled with dread, I shot a look at Vaxine, who got the message. She was right. He had already got to Mom and Dad. Bile rose in my throat.
“Cut the call.” Vaxine’s tone was stern, but the look in her eyes betrayed her fear.
