by Candice Lim
“So, how’s your project?”
“Okay, I guess.” Mandy wasn’t even looking at Tracey.
“Still grieving over Roxy?”
Mandy looked up as her lips began to tremble.
“I hate to see my friends sad. You can tell me anything if you want. I’m here for you,” sighed Tracey. “You need a lift before we start? Let’s get you a drink.” Mandy wanted to protest, but Tracey cut her off. “Don’t worry. It’s on me. What do you like? How about something exotic? Strawberry milkshake? Yup!”
She raised her hand and waved around until she caught one waiter.
“How can I help you?”
“Strawberry milkshake, extra cream.” Tracey swung around at Mandy, grinning, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Trust me. They make the best strawberry milkshake, much better than that vending machine crap.”
Mandy frowned. “I thought you said you like their latte?”
“Um, yeah. But you need something sweet to cheer you up. Trust me, I know best.” Tracey said but Mandy knew she had never actually set foot in the library.
“Oh come on. You gonna grieve forever?” sighed Tracey.
“Huh? Not the right time, Trace,” muttered Mandy, slumping over the table.
The milkshake arrived. Tracey slid the tall sweating glass over to Mandy. “Here. Trust me. I won’t spill the details. After all, we all are concerned about Roxy.”
Mandy slurped her drink before admitting, “Okay, I lied. I was with her the night she disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Frankly speaking, I don’t know what happened. We were at a café and she vanished.” Mandy’s voice was muffled with sadness. “I want answers too. I thought she was kidnapped. But after what George had said…things aren’t as simple as they seem.”
“So, you think she did that? I mean, the stealing of information.”
“No!” Mandy snapped. A couple of students threw them startled looks. “No. I don’t and won’t. I know Roxy well. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Okay, Roxy didn’t do it. And she wasn’t kidnapped either. But why didn’t you call the cops?”
“I thought she was going to be okay.” Mandy spaced out again. She stirred her drink into a messy froth. Tracey tried not to look disgusted. Mandy shook her head. “I hate to know I was wrong. And I put my friend’s life in danger too.”
Tracey put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be sad. We can’t change the past, but we can always work towards a better future. I want to help you. You need to think. Where is Roxy now?”
“You think I’m a psychic?” Mandy sighed.
“Look. I thought about this the whole day. Roxy’s MIA and George claimed she broke into a forbidden lab and stole some important data. Maybe she freaked out and went back to her parents and they were trying to protect her. That would explain why you couldn’t contact them.”
“I wouldn’t be this worried if her parents knew. They are lawyers. They will fight for Roxy. Thing is, I don’t know if they know.”
“All right, if you were Roxy, where would you be now?”
”I don’t know,” Mandy insisted.
“You are her housemate, her bro!” coaxed Tracey. “We all need to help her. Remember that.”
Mandy pushed the glass of milkshake away. “Roxy told me her parents have a holiday house at Whiteshore. Whiteshore is miles from the city. If I was her, I would be there, for sure.”
Tracey’s brows drew together. Whiteshore was a dream getaway, renowned for its pristine aquamarine sea and unpolluted beaches. Not a discreet getaway. She had always felt jealous of Roxy. Now with this holiday house at everyone’s dreamland, Tracey felt hatred.
“Granted if I was her, Roxy’s probably still groping in the dark,” sighed Mandy.
“How do you know about this Whiteshore place?”
“She told me once. Said she grew up there. Then, her parents got obsessed with work and left the place for years. She promised to bring me there one day…” Mandy left her words hanging in the air and sighed. “Guess that will never happen now.”
Tracey faked a smile. “Don’t be so negative. She’ll be fine.”
“What’s your plan now? We going to Whiteshore to get her?”
Tracey momentarily stammered. “Uh, yeah. Why not? We have to help her, right?”
Mandy grabbed her arm and smiled. “Thanks a lot, Tracey. I feel so much better now. And yeah.” She reached for the glass and knocked back the milkshake. “Thanks for the treat too. You were right. It was beautiful.”
“Anytime.” Tracey beamed.
☣☣☣☣☣☣
“Come in.” George didn’t notice the door open. His eyes scanned the exam questions on the tablet, trying to spot the smallest possible mistake. Coming up with questions was always tedious and the AI program CU had introduced was still in beta though the IT department had been working on increasing the sensitivity.
George finally looked up when Tracey glanced around the room and shut the door behind her. Unable to wait until George said she could have a seat, she pulled out a chair for herself.
“I got something you might need.”
George leaned back in his chair and indulged her. “So, what might I need?”
Tracey’s lips curled into a wry smile. “Roxy Riley.”
His face twitched but still managed a serious face. “What do you have on her?”
“I wanna know how much the information is worth.”
George leaned towards her. “I always know you are a smart girl, Tracey.”
“You know where I come from.” Tracey winked.
George cleared his throat. “What do you want? Impress me.”
“What else does a student want?” Tracey got straight to the point. “A full scholarship to the master’s of my choice. I don’t want to ask for too much.”
“What can you tell me about Roxy?”
“I know where she is.”
George shook his head in disbelief.
“But first, I need your assurance.”
George smirked. “The best I could offer is a First Class. And I think that’s more than your current grades are worth.”
“I am offering you the information you want. Pay up.”
“My offer stands at First Class. Deal or no deal?”
Tracey pursed her lips. “Okay, I’ll take that.”
“What can you tell me in return?”
“I found out Roxy’s family own a holiday villa at Whiteshore. I believe, she’s gone there.”
George rubbed his chin. “Thank you for your valuable information, Tracey. Connor University appreciates it.”
“You promise I’ll get my reward?”
“Don’t worry.” George smiled. “I will take care of everything.”
9
PATIENT ZERO
Tommy was overexcited to be on the Moon Rider with Dr. Adenine Cash and her associates. Not an everyday offer. Especially for one who had never been on a flight, he felt a sense of pride.
But when the professionals began to talk Tommy felt like a child in his own world. At times, he wondered if the jargon they used was actually a foreign language. Anyway, he was pleased that his idol, Dr. Cash had trusted him enough to let him sit with them. It was a luxury.
Tommy gazed out of the windows into the borderless expanse of sky. He remembered his home, where his aging mother was. He missed her dearly.
After the passing of his father, she took the place of the breadwinner who slaved day and night hoping to get Tommy into a good college. Her effort paid off when he got into the National Science Program with a full scholarship ride to Connor University.
He hadn’t disappointed her, Tommy thought with a grin. She would be proud, and his dad too. The four years in the university had paid off. He earned a position at MAD, the top pharmaceutical company in the whole wide world. Now, he’d even caught Cash’s eye too.
“Hey Tommy
Boy, are you afraid of heights?” Cash teased.
“A little,” said Tommy in a low voice. He was taken aback by her sudden hospitality. Cash was seldom concerned about her employees’ welfare.
“Attention, Drs.” The screen flickered to life again. “Approaching target destination. We are starting our descent. Landing time in four minutes and eighteen seconds.”
George looked out of the window to take in the scenery. After two seconds he gestured to Edmund to put down his magazine.
Tommy went to the nearest window. The town below looked gray and dead as if there wasn’t a single person alive.
The jet closed its distance to one of the buildings clothed in thick moss and peeling paint. It landed with a small bump and the roaring engine died. The door popped open with a gentle hiss.
‘Graybridge. Population 5000’ a faded billboard read.
“This has been your pilot speaking. You have reached your destination. Again, thank you for flying with the Moon Rider..”
Tommy’s heart leaped. He had never set foot outside his birthplace. He turned to Cash, who was already on her feet. So, were her associates.
“Let’s go.” Cash gestured at the exit.
Tommy didn’t have to be told twice. He sprang to his feet and followed the scientists out. With the first breath, he immediately choked on the thick smoke. The air was shockingly bad although Graybridge was away from the bigger cities.
A large shadow fell over Tommy and strong arms grabbed him.
Before Tommy cried for help a strong hand was clamped over his mouth, shutting him up. Tommy fought back against his assailant, kicking his legs in the air. Something pricked his upper arm. From the corner of his eye, he saw a huge syringe with an amber liquid draining into him. His mind ran riot. He kicked harder, but all his efforts were futile.
Black patches clouded his vision and the floor wobbled. His body weakened, as he was losing strength. First his legs, then his arms, then his whole body. He tried to move his fingers but had lost all senses. A sickening cold filled every inch of him.
The grip loosened. Tommy lost his balance and collapsed on his stomach. In his diminishing sight, he made out three silhouettes towering over him. Something was spreading inside him and taking control.
10
ROXY
After the first news reports about Graybridge, the Health Ministry declared a state of emergency. To date, the plague had taken 155 lives within a week. Five scientists were among the victims. 30 more were at risk.
Vaxine became more withdrawn although she’d always been an introvert. She devoted herself to her laptop in the pantry in Hershey’s research facility. I didn’t think she ever slept.
After a week, solitude had become routine for Vaxine. She became more withdrawn as she threw herself into deciphering Project Cranax during every waking second. Doing nothing didn’t do favors for the people I knew.
Each second felt like an eternity and I was imprisoned here. Trapped without a purpose or even a basic internet connection, there wasn’t much left to life. The only thing I anticipated was the meal times when we could leave the research facility for a while but sometimes when Vaxine got too absorbed in her work, we ended up printing our own food.
I watched the news footage of emergency medical teams in overcrowded hospitals with a sort of morbid fascination, during short breaks from looking for new epidemiological research in scientific journals. I was glad I could at least use the hologram projector at the common area of the research facility. I suspected the outbreak in Graybridge was the first step in Adenine Cash’s grand plan.
“Vaxine?”
Vaxine stopped typing and glared through the dark circles around her eyes. “You’d better have something important to say or I will kill you.”
“Get some rest. You’re not a robot.”
“Not when every second counts.”
With a heavy sigh, Vaxine fell back in her chair. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Empty cups were stacked in a tower next to the pile of journals. The state of the desk reflected her mind, overwhelmed by recent events.
“Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t unleash the virus. It’s not like you are the only scientist in the whole world. Let them do their jobs!”
“Don’t lecture me. Did you forget that Cranax is your dear supervisor’s creation?”
“Just because somebody steals your gun and kills someone with it doesn’t mean you’re also a killer.”
Vaxine snapped. “It’s not about whose fault it is. When a problem has risen, it becomes the responsibility of all of us members of the Community to find the cure.”
I couldn’t believe those words had fallen from her lips. I thought only scientists in movies would throw themselves into danger in the name of science. I suppressed my laugh. “You are an extremist!”
“Better than being a wanted fugitive like you, right now. I hope you reassess your priorities, Roxy Riley.”
I wanted to retort when a voice broke out from the radio, cutting me off. We turned to the white pill-like device at the coffee table as one.
“Breaking news: The Health Ministry have announced the first reported cases of Cranax in Whiteshore.”
Alarms went off in my head as all blood drained from my face.
Vaxine did a concerned double-take at me and turned up the volume.
“Residents are dying at an unusually high rate although the exact number remains unknown. The antidote still has not been developed. President Prof. Peyton held an official press conference this morning.”
Another voice came on air; male, confident, and assured. “To the citizens of Asia Nova, I assure you that there is no need to panic. The Community is working around the clock on a cure and they inform me that they’re very close to creating it. In reason we trust.”
The newsreader’s voice returned. “A state of emergency has been declared in Whiteshore. If you or anyone around you are suspected to be infected, please proceed to your nearest medical facility.”
The fanfare announcing the end of the news bulletin took over.
My mind ran riot. I tugged at my hair hard as hot tears welled up in my eyes, not believing what I heard.
Vaxine turned off the radio. “Calm down.”
“How did they know about Whiteshore?” I screamed. “You said they wouldn’t find out! They tapped my phone, didn’t they? Are they listening to us now?”
“Roxy, listen to me.” Vaxine raised her voice and drew closer, trying to grab me, but I flinched away.
Vaxine crossed her arms. “Throwing a fit won’t fix anything. Control yourself.”
“Control myself? I am past controlling myself. You friggin kidnapped me and ruined my plans! Now they are after my parents!”
As my mind raced in all directions. I had to leave Vaxine now to be in time to rescue her parents in Whiteshore. The house was far from the city. My eyes moved to my phone on the table.
“Don’t,” commanded Vaxine, as if she could read my mind.
I darted towards my phone and was inches away when Vaxine yanked me back. Vaxine grabbed my shirt and shoved me against the wall. “I took a leap of faith and saved your ass from Cash. You are not going on this suicide mission. Can’t you see it’s bait to lure you out there?” Vaxine’s blood-shot eyes bored into mine.
I couldn’t think of anything else at all. I wrestled to free myself from Vaxine’s grip. Instead, I was wriggling like a fish caught in a net. I hated to admit it; Vaxine surpassed me in strength and height.
It was not the first time I’d felt small and weak. Warm tears coursed unchecked down my cheeks. I hated to admit my own limitations had cost Mom and Dad their lives. “You didn’t have to rescue me,” I gasped. “I’d rather die than see my parents sacrifice their lives for me.”
Vaxine loosened her hold, her glare softened. “I understand how you feel. I really do. Even I would’ve done the same thing. If something’s gonna happen to your parents,
it’ll happen now. They probably think you’re already dead. Stay here until everything calms down. In that way, you earn your freedom.”
“But it’ll never calm down, right?” Every piece of the Cranax puzzle I discovered was interconnected and had formed an unclear if not full picture in my head. “It will only get worse. That’s what Cash wants. She’s not a hit-and-run kinda person.”
