by Candice Lim
“Yes, that's right, it was Dr. George.” Mom recalled.
A wave of resentment coursed through me. My mind was still reeling from everything and now two women were nagging me, pushing me to the edge.
“Why didn’t you directly ask me what’s wrong?” I lashed out. “You are always assuming it’s all my fault.”
“Blot my gel, I said, cut the call!” Vaxine waved her fists.
A pause from Mom’s end. I took in a deep breath.
“Okay honey, tell us what’s wrong.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Are you sick?”
“No, but―”
“Then why were you absent for the whole damn week?”
I sighed. Perhaps this was how an attorney cornered people into confession. “Tell me, do you still love what you are doing, honey?” Her voice now softened; she sounded like my mother again.
I turned to Vaxine, who was going to lose control anytime.
“You remember why you started?” asked Mom.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Hot tears welled up and clouded my vision, threatening to spill over anytime. “I’m sorry, Mom.” I didn’t want to talk about this. Not now especially when my feelings were muddled. “I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”
Click. I closed my eyes and let the tears slide down my cheeks.
“What’s the matter? Your parents are grounding you when you go home?” Now Vaxine’s voice was neutral, like the color scheme of the room. “First things first, your parents’ safety is now compromised. I advise them to escape to some remote location where no one can find them.”
“Running away isn’t the solution. My parents have their own lives. They aren’t felons.”
“Let’s call it a permanent vacation. The choice is yours, Roxy. Either they hide somewhere till everything blows over or they risk being Cash’s next target.”
Vaxine was right, and I hated it.
“Make the call, Roxy. Before it’s too late for them and yourself.” I looked at my phone. “Someone’s tapping your phone line now. Use that.” Vaxine gestured at the glass coffee table.
I nodded and picked up the white phone. My fingers froze on the tiny screen before looking up for Mom’s number on my phone.
“Hey, Mom. Me again.”
“Roxy? What’s the matter?” She sounded exhaustedly surprised but concerned.
“Something really bad happened. I can’t go back to CU. Some psychos want to kill me.” I bit my lip wishing I didn’t have to break the news. “I found out someone’s trying to set off a plague. Now they’re after me.”
“WHAT?”
I winced. “Calm down. I’m safe, at least for now.”
A pause. “You shouldn’t be in the program.”
“It’s too late,” I told Mom and myself. Better to focus on the solution. “George, the man who spoke to you. He’s one of the people after me. He’s trying to expel me. I’m afraid if they can’t get to me, they’ll harm you and Dad. So, I want you both to go away for a while, at least till things calm down. Somewhere like Whiteshore?”
Every time I thought of Whiteshore, my childhood refuge, certain happiness came over me. Whiteshore was where I grew up, where I made memories with my grandparents and where I could genuinely call home. Now to think of it, my grandpa used to be in the Community. Somehow, things didn’t work out and he quit. Guess it ran in the family.
“All right, I’ll talk to your dad,” Mom sighed again. “You’re freaking us out now. Will you be coming with us?”
The question hit like a shot of endorphin. If only I could go. It was an offer to escape to paradise, out from this hell of a situation. To be with people I cared about and loved.
I turned to Vaxine, who was back at work on her laptop. She glanced at me and focused on her screen. “I’m sorry, Mom.” I closed my eyes wishing for a thousand times for all this to be nothing but a bad dream. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the lab and still a prisoner. “I wish I could come, but it’ll be too dangerous. I want you and Dad safe. That’s all that matters. I promise I will be okay here.”
“Take care.” Misery was heavy in Mom’s voice, mirroring her own.
“You too. Go quickly.”
“We know what to do. We love you, honey.”
“I love you too.” I hung on to those last words for a while before hanging up. Overwhelmed, I collapsed into the nearest chair and gazed into the distance.
“Cash’s a tricky old witch. She knows which button to push. Anyway, I got great news.” Vaxine beamed. “I’ve managed to decrypt the files you got from Hershey's tablet. When we collect enough evidence, we can ride up to the Council.”
“And what will they do?”
“They’ll take care of Cash.”
“What about Hershey?”
“Trust me, Cash still needs her alive. She’ll be fine.”
“Why can’t we break in and save her?” I sighed, “Yeah, I know. Breaking into an off-limits facility is against the law. But kidnapping your colleague and setting off a pandemic, for sciencesake, is illegal too.”
Vaxine stared at me like I was out of her mind.
“My point is, we do a little wrong to make other things right. And I’ll do whatever to take Mom and Dad out of the equation!”
Vaxine took off her glasses. “That’s not how we do things. Trust me, you will be glad to be spared the trouble. Yes, life is unfair, but you don’t have to stoop to Cash’s level.”
“If you want something done, the end justifies the means!”
“I am doing all I can.” Vaxine shrugged.
I rolled my eyes. I’d never felt so useless in my life. I mean, I was quite useless to be the last to finish my final year project but this situation took it to the new height. I couldn’t sit here and wait. I had to come up with my own plan.
“Care for brunch?” Vaxine asked.
“Synthetic food, again? No, thanks.”
“Nope.” Vaxine flashed the car key and her perfect set of white teeth. “I’m driving.”
6
CASH
The moment Dr. Adenine Cash strode into the control room located in one of the ubiquitous MAD branches around Asia Nova, the ambiance turned to ice. She glanced around where George, Edmund, and the five MAD employees stood still, then gave her attention to the engineer at the workstation.
“The target is 12,000 miles away.” The fear on the stammering engineer’s face was shared by the three workers standing ramrod straight near the door. If he didn’t know what he was saying, the data on the blue screen had clarified it. Only a few jets in the world could achieve such speed and none were accessible to the public.
“She knew we’re taping her line. She rerouted the signal.” That was the only thing that made sense. “That damn kid rerouted it!” George’s voice was hollow. The room was stripped of furniture, save for the monitors on the walls and a workstation. He avoided Cash’s glare while Edmund watched them from a corner.
The workers poured in. No words. Only looks and hand gestures. As if the whole event had been prearranged and Cash only had to give the nod.
Cash crossed her arms and shifted her feet, unable to ignore the rage brewing inside her. She had enough of George and Edmund’s immense incompetence. They had disappointed her in every possible way. She thought they were better but clearly, she was wrong. And Cash hated being wrong.
“We underestimated Roxy.” George spun around. “She seems much smarter than we thought.”
Cash looked away. Just laying eyes on George was enough to set off her temper. “At least, smarter than both of you.”
George’s lips tightened in a line as he turned to the workstation. Despite her putdown, he was smart enough not to pick a fight with her.
“There’s this one thing that bugs me. How did she get all these gadgets?” Edmund’s fingers were folded under his chin as a frown crumpled his brows. “Her parents are lawyers. Poss
ibly generational wealth. But this technology is accessible only to higher members of the Community.”
“That explains it!” George retorted. “Money makes the world go round. A thousand bucks is like loose change to her!”
“Not to me!” Cash hissed, glaring at George and Edmund in turn. “I have a feeling we have new company. Someone else must have come into contact with your Roxy.”
But who was this mysterious new benefactor? Cash’s brain burned for answers. She tightened her fists and the knuckles turned white and ached. But the pain couldn’t compare to the agony taunting her mind. Though Hershey was sworn to secrecy, she must have told some people about Cranax.
Everyone has their price, after all.
“Do you know if Hershey has any close friends?” Cash turned to the two men.
“Hershey’s always a loner.” Edmund shook his head.
Cash rubbed her chin with her purple-gloved hand. “I’m sure she has some favorite students.”
“Um, Roxy?” George replied.
“Other than her!” snapped Cash. “I doubt that substandard brat has any significant values in Hershey’s eyes.”
“The rest are a bunch of monkeys who think they’re so smart. They don’t even know what’s going on with their projects.” The look on George’s face betrayed his contempt for the students. “You tell them what’s coming out on the exam and they won’t read a word more than that. So, you think they care about this?”
“I was not talking about those infants. I mean, she has no postgrad students? Or lab assistants?”
George and Edmund exchanged uncertain glances.
Edmund said, “I’ll go check it out. One or two postgrads, I think. She seldom talked about her students.”
Cash nodded. She glanced at the engineer and the two professors. “It’s time for some spring cleaning.”
Time was a luxury. She had to show Cranax to the world and show the world who the true scientific genius was in Asia Nova. The show must go on. Cranatol deserved full recognition. It had been languishing in the shadows of the Community and Hershey for the past five years. Any major decision required extensive consultation and they were always frowned upon. Frowned upon due to Ethics!
Hershey was undeniably an expert in her field. She knew every twist and loophole in the law, but not the slightest idea how the system worked in reality.
Humanity was a matter of the past. To Cash, the world had always pivoted on the survival of the fittest, not the kindest. The strong had always reigned and it would always be that way.
Cash was contemplating her idea of a utopian world, albeit one where she was the leader and everybody else was her slave. When the intercom beeped and snapped her out of her reverie, she was just another regular scientist.
She barked, “Who’s this?”
“Dr. Cash, it’s Tommy.” A squeaky, childlike voice blared down the line. “We’re good to go.”
“I’ll be right there.” Cash sashayed towards the amber glass door that hissed open. Her two faithful servants in black suits had been waiting on the other side of the door. They brought Cash her silver coat and helped her put it on.
Cash ran her hands over the glimmering synthetic skin of her overcoat. Her most faithful assistant Cooper, garbed in an immaculate white suit and aviator shades, handed her the scarlet leather purse. Tucking it under her arm, she gave him a nod and they both made for the elevator.
They stepped into a translucent capsule. It soared skywards after the double doors hissed shut. They were overlooking the magnificent skyline of Corn City. Shimmering rays streamed through the sea of clouds that submerged the taller buildings. Despite the hustle in the metropolis, it looked peaceful from up here.
“How long is it going to take?” Cash checked herself in the diamond-studded purse mirror.
Cooper glanced at his watch. “About six hours, Dr.,” he said in a deep, throaty voice.
Cash checked her silver nails. “Hope they have magazines.”
“Do not worry, Dr. Cash. They have plenty of inflight audio-visual entertainment for your use.”
“Good.”
A ping announced they were eighty-eight floors above sea level, at the top of the MAD building. The door opened out to the helipad where a metallic monster loomed over them. Glistening titanium wings spread majestically, its glorious shadow cast over them. This was the Moon Rider.
Cash’s smile waned when George and Edmund came to greet her. They wore dark suits. Their eyes were shielded by mirrorshades. Tommy was in a lab coat, a dress code observed by all research positions in MAD. This custom was adopted after Cash took over the administration, as a part of the new policies.
“Nice ride.” George gestured at the jet behind them.
Their clothes danced in the blustering wind and Cash’s hair was whipped around like flames.
“It’s a recent purchase,” Cash bragged. “No regrets. High class, low maintenance. Powered by Thorium. Know what that means? No refueling needed.” With a hiss, the door in the side of the aircraft opened and the carpeted aisle stretched ahead in welcome. Cash strutted into the Moon Rider, followed by George and Edmund, and Tommy last.
The smell of leather and martinis scented the lounge as the three scientists waltzed in. Peach-colored sofas curved around the coffee table stacked with magazines. A minibar was set into the opposite wall, where orchids drooped from black porcelain vases.
Cash glanced around the lounge and turned to Cooper. “Is the baby on board?”
“Yes, Dr. Cash. Everything is going according to plan.”
Cash nodded, and Cooper retreated. She preferred dealing with Cooper than Edmund and George. The latter two were too feeble and incompetent. Now they even lost the parents, the only leverage they could use against Roxy. She couldn’t rely on them for something more important.
The door descended to close, sealing away the passengers. The scientists and Tommy took their seats on the sofas. The men sat opposite Cash, Tommy picked a spot near the minibar.
Cash gestured at an attendant. “I’ll have a mimosa.” A boost after a long day at work was all she needed.
The blonde girl, dressed in a tight-fitting stewardess uniform, nodded. She went to the galley at the rear of the cabin.
“Well gentlemen, we have to bear with each other for the next six hours.” Cash turned to her intern. “So, Tommy, how’s everything?”
A hint of nervousness crossed Tommy’s face. “Everything is going as well as predicted, Dr. Cash. All the test results are out and they’ve been positive. Safe to say it’s good news.”
Cash nodded with a slight smile and turned to the scientists. “And how about you two?” A hard edge slipped into her tone. “Got any news about Roxy Riley?”
Edmund glanced at George. “We made a report. Gave CU what they needed. They promised to take care of it. I hope they do.”
George snorted and gazed out of the windows.
The attendant returned with a cocktail glass. A pink orchid adorned its rim. They observed in silence as she sipped her drink and asked, “Is there anything else you need, Dr. Cash?”
Cash signaled the attendant away. Once she was out of sight, Cash broke into a laugh. “CU always says they will take care of things and end up doing nothing! You gotta be forceful. That’s how you get things done.”
The screen in front of them flickered to life. After the dissolving golden pill logo, a bearded face appeared. “In reason we trust, esteemed Drs. I’m Merck, your pilot today. The security checks have been completed. Moon Rider will be taking off. Please fasten your seatbelt while the countdown begins. In five… four… three… two… one.”
The jet shuddered and blasted off the helipad. Ten minutes later, the pilot announced, “We are now forty-five thousand feet above sea level, traveling at two thousand miles per hour heading north. Expected travel time: six hours fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds. Thank you for flying with Moon Rider. Hope you have a ple
asant trip.” Jazz music drowned out his voice as his face faded, replaced by the MAD logo.
“I have good news,” beamed Edmund.
All heads turned to him. Cash and George shared a curious look.
“Spit it out.” Cash raised an eyebrow. She was hardly convinced that any good news could come from him.
“Hershey is not as straightforward as we thought.” Edmund passed his tablet to Cash. Flashing red and green dots pulsed on a world map. “These represent all of Hershey’s subordinates.”
