by Candice Lim
“That’s what Hershey feared most.”
He whispered to Vaxine, “And that’s exactly what I predicted.”
“You should have shown up when Cranax first broke out.” Vaxine snapped.
Axon turned away. His focus slid back to the hologram slowly spun at eye level. “When I said I’m not getting involved I am a man of my word. This pandemic and the price increase are only the beginning. People will go broke, crimes soar higher then kids end up on the street. Those who can’t beg will steal. And what about those who can’t? They succumb to Cranax. Yeah, if only the cure was as easy as taking an antiviral drug. You know what happens when they don’t finish the full course? The Cranax will return and develop a resistance to Cranatol.”
Vaxine stepped aside as Axon bent over and produced what looked like a metallic scroll. “What’s this?”
“The coordinates of the MAD facility. I’m retrieving the data. You need to catch someone with the mutant virus and tweak the anti-Cranax gene according to the mutation, then you are good to go. That’s the tricky part, though.”
Vaxine reached out to stop him. “You don’t have to, Axon. We already have the data.”
“Oh. That’s―that’s convenient.” He glanced around at every face in the room and clapped once. “So, mission accomplished. You can leave and I can go back to my hut and pizza.”
“We need your skills, Axon.”
Axon snorted. “Are you trying to be funny?”
Vaxine shook her head. “Underneath that tough shell, I know you care about Asia Nova. Why did you build all this if you didn’t?” She gestured at the walls. “And you wouldn’t be watching the newsfeeds. You know it’s illegal to keep the data so why risk it anyway?”
“It’s final, babe. Goodbye.” Axon replied and right on cue, a loud sound rumbled from above. All heads shot up in perfect sync. “That wasn’t me.” Axon rubbed his stomach.
More rumbling thundered from around us. The structure and floor began to wobble, we were no longer standing on solid ground. The first screen flickered to black. A cloud of brown smoke billowed from above, cloaking the dimming lights and the two screens. Clods of earth rained over us.
“Asia Nova is an earthquake-free zone, right?” I yelled but no one heard me over the cacophony.
“Move back to the carpet!” Vaxine shouted.
My feet were rooted to the ground. Someone grabbed me by the coat and hauled me away from the counter. Debris poured over where I was standing a second ago, burying the counter with soil. I didn’t have to be told twice and broke into a run.
The air thickened with dust, weighing us down. Breathing became labor that slowly turned into a struggle. I felt my lungs would be full of fine dust if I escaped alive. The last bulb blacked out and we were all consumed by darkness.
“Run! Don’t look back!” Axon shouted. I felt bodies close to me, wrapping me in the blanket of their heat. The carpet seemed so far away. The rush of footsteps soon replaced by deafening crash of bricks on bricks.
Someone caught me and pulled me onto the carpet. Perhaps it was Axon. The hand had been wet and sticky. I twisted my face in disgust. Two more bodies were pressed against me. Hot breaths brushed over my hair, well, at least, they didn’t reek.
“All right, is everyone here?” asked Derrick.
“Yeah, I think so,” replied Vaxine.
“And here we go!” That had to be Axon.
I felt a slight judder at my feet as we shot skyward, into the light.
“What happened?” I asked when we were back on the surface. Only the gasps of heavy breathing answered me. The cloud of brown soil particles still hung in the air, chasing us from the basement to up above. Had it been an earthquake or a freak storm? Unlikely, since the weather had been good when we arrived.
We waited, without moving. Only our chests heaved and fell as we gasped for oxygen. But the air had been dry and gritty, cutting our throats with every breath. Muscles tensed around me, even my own. Feet shifted, bodies huddling closer together. The ruffling of fabric tickled my ears. Vaxine and Derrick reached for their Zappers. I followed suit, feeling the gun at my waist and pulled it out. My senses were awake. I felt impending danger.
But it didn’t come yet. Nothing moved. Nothing sounded. Not a shadow, not a signal of life. The fog thinned and settled. The evening sun broke through a jagged hole in the roof of the hut. On second glance, a big chunk of the roof had caved in and crushed the furniture beneath.
Axon stepped off the carpet when the soil picked up again, whirling into a sandstorm. We threw our arms up to shield our faces when he stumbled backward and rejoined the group. From the eye of the storm, two silhouettes emerged. Two helmeted men in dark navy uniforms like members of a special force. Their chests and abdomens covered with what looked like exoskeletons. From head to toe, they were armored. Their gloved hands wielded rifles.
“Put your hands in the air and get on your knees!” said the leader through his visor.
Axon put his hands on his head. “Who are you?”
“Asia Nova Tactical Police. We have direct orders from the Community to arrest you.” ATP was the specialized law enforcement unit in Asia Nova, named after the major energy currency molecule in the cell, symbolizing they were the prime mover of the nation.
“What?” Axon frowned. “What the hell is this guy saying?”
“You have three seconds to get down, traitor.”
“Traitor? I’m a scientist―”
The leader hit Axon in the jaw with the butt of his rifle. His partner cocked his gun at the rest of us. A clear ray shot out from Vaxine’s Zapper. She shoved me to the back of the group as they advanced. Axon kicked the partner in a gap in the exoskeleton at the knee, making him stumble.
“There must be more of them. Get to Raptor now!” Vaxine shouted at me. I didn’t have to be told twice and broke into a run. Vaxine and Derrick had turned and headed for the door. Axon waited for me.
“Hurry!” Sweat beaded his face and matted his hair and shirt. His palms felt sticky and disgusting as they held my shoulders. I shook them off, picking up my pace as an excuse. Luckily, he didn’t touch me again.
Vaxine and Derrick stopped at the door. Derrick gasped, followed by me.
The Raptor was gone. A scorch mark of its size marked the field where the helicopter had been. It was like a shadow and Raptor was invisible. But twisted helicopter blades and metallic debris littered the ground.
“Blot my gel,” said Derrick, though I had expected something harsher. Though it didn’t show on his face, I knew how sad he must have been. The Raptor was the only thing left over from the trip with Prof. Juan. Now the last memento was gone, destroyed by the ATP.
The wind blustered, replaced by a familiar beating of helicopter blades. Eyes half-squinting, we looked up to find a camouflaged helicopter hovering low in the sky. Across the hull, ‘ATP” was emblazoned in bold gold letters. “You are surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender. You have three seconds to comply,” a voice blared out.
“Screw these guys, man!” yelled Axon. He bent over as though he was turning himself in but broke into a run. Like an arrow, he shot back into the devastated hut. The three of us raced behind him as the ATP fired at us, stirring up clouds of dust in their wake. Deafening blasts filled the air.
“Get back!” Axon yelled from the hut.
I took a deep gulp and tasted dirt in my mouth. I spat and made an abrupt turn back into the hut. The wall was crumbling on all sides, filling the living room like an hourglass. As if reminding us time was running low.
“Gotcha!” Axon caught me with filthy hands. I grimaced in disgust. But Axon could not see me in the commotion. I heard him loud and clear. The room held up, then the walls gave in and came tumbling down.
It was pitch dark here and the sudden flashing of light startled me. Vaxine and Derrick reappeared. They were in the garage at the back of the hut and inside what looked like an ancient jeep, coa
ted with decades’ worth of dust. Vaxine was behind the wheel and trying to get the dinosaur back to life.
“Um, you sure it can still move?” I asked.
“Hey, my baby never disappoints me,” Axon replied.
The sky rained bullets around us as Vaxine turned the engine again. When it screeched and spluttered to life, the jeep shook so violently I was afraid loose parts might fall off.
“It’s alive. Let’s go!” Vaxine pulled out her twin Zappers. I thought she was overconfident as Zappers were puny compared to the ATP array of weaponry.
“Get in!” shouted Derrick from the backseat as he swung open the door.
“Let’s go for a joyride!” Axon whooped although I didn’t share his thrill. When he hopped into the driver seat, I knew it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing. I threw myself into the backseat, next to Derrick. He brandished his weapons, ready for a show.
I fumbled for my Zapper when the roaring of the engine picked up. With a jolt, the jeep lurched forwards. I held on for support as the vehicle crashing through the wall. The jeep sped over the sea of weeds stretching as far as we could see. The ATP helicopter hung low in the air, bombarding us with gunfire.
“Do not attempt escape!” A voice commanded from above.
Axon swerved the wheel. His tension manifested in the bulging veins on his biceps. The jeep made a sharp turn and the wheels screeched in protest. He stamped on the pedals, bringing the front wheels up. The jeep sped forward, pumping up a cloud of brown fog in its wake.
“Blot my gel, Vaxine! You led ATP to my doorstep!” snarled Axon. He gulped mouthful after mouthful of breath and threw his head back at the event bustling behind them.
“Why would I? You think I like getting killed for fun?”
“You knew they’d follow you like frigging hounds!” As Axon spoke, he stomped the pedal harder, venting all of his anger on the poor jeep.
“No, I didn’t!”
The helicopter flew in our direction, firing at the field around us. Axon veered left and right to dodge the attack. However Axon stamped the pedal, the jeep was not moving any faster. It was impossible to escape the helicopter out in the field, an ocean of flat grass and weeds. From the increasing proximity of each shot, ATP would deploy another rocket in no time.
“Take the wheel, Vax!” Axon hollered. She grabbed it and the car swerved to the left when Axon let go and jumped into the backseat. My heart leaped and hit my throat.
Vaxine regained control, steering us back on the right path. “Axon, this is not your first time trying to get us killed!”
Axon was too engrossed with rummaging in the stash under the seat. Perhaps, he knew better than arguing with Vaxine, which was never going to end happily ever after.
“What are you doing?” This time Derrick sounded like he was offering help than reprimanding Axon.
“Aha!” Axon pulled out a strange cylindrical tube.
Even someone as collected as Vaxine couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Where did you get a friggin bazooka?” screamed Derrick.
Axon hoisted the weapon on his shoulder and aimed it out of the jeep. I slumped down lower into the seat and brought my hands over my ears.
“Take this, bitches!” Axon fired the missile launcher with the backblast blowing out the front windscreen. Vaxine shielding her face with one hand as the other held the wheel. The rocket shot towards the helicopter. It went up in a sudden blinding explosion and a thunderous roar shook the ground. The helicopter was no more, just wreckage falling to earth. As it crashed, a black column of smoke rose to greet them.
Vaxine pressed the pedal harder, driving them away from the wreck.
Axon lowered the spent launcher and dropped it on the floor. He slumped into the seat. His chest rose and fell rapidly. The rest of the journey was silent. Everyone was exhausted and trying to digest what happened seconds ago.
The wreckage was a dot in the distance, but Vaxine was still behind the wheel, trying to get us to the end of the field. I couldn’t bring myself to ask Vaxine where we were going. It didn’t matter as long as it was safe, right?
A stray thought flitted through my mind. The ATP, they were looking for me. No reason for them to hunt down Derrick or Vaxine, or a recluse like, Axon. They wanted me. Tree Man could have sold me short to get the reward. Half a million! It could easily turn his peasant life very pleasant.
“Maybe they came for me,” I whispered, but in the silence, it sounded too loud. Axon and Derrick turned to me. “Tree Man. He knew about the Raptor.”
“Who’s Tree Man?” Axon asked.
“An ungrateful savage back in Graybridge,” I said sadly. “I’m sorry, Derrick. I’m sorry, everyone. Maybe I shouldn’t be here. I’m only going to get you guys killed.”
“So, you are the culprit! Great!” Axon let out an exasperated sigh as he threw his head back. “Why is it always the cute ones that mean trouble?”
“You will die quicker out there on your own.” Vaxine’s eyes were on the road, as though there was one. “What are you going to do? We are in this together. We stay together.”
“Well, at least, you won’t die alone.”
☣☣☣☣☣☣
Axon pulled up short at the entrance of Hershey Research Facility as though an invisible hand held him back. We had abandoned the jeep that finally gave in at the countryside and called a cab. We stopped at the beach and walked the five miles distance back to the research facility.
It was late at night. The lights on the street glared bright around them. At the entrance, Axon glanced around and wrapped his arms around himself. Then, he reluctantly followed the group into the common area. “This place hasn’t changed much. I’m surprised.”
Derrick drank in all the splendor the facility had to offer. He was in awe, like the first time I’d stepped into this place.
“Some things never change, contrary to popular belief.” Vaxine took a seat at the pantry and gazed at Axon. “Hungry? You want your pepperoni or pineapple pizza now? Or maybe both?”
Axon cringed. He already knew what Vaxine usually served her guests with. “No, thanks. Something killed my appetite.” He added, cutting Vaxine off when she started to protest. “Oh, and don’t worry. I wasn’t talking about you.”
I stifled a laugh.
“Well, I am hungry,” Derrick chimed in, trying to take the tension out of the situation. “What do you have for your guests, Vaxine?”
“What do you want? I can make anything under the sun here.”
“Really?” laughed Derrick, his eyes big and wide in disbelief.
“Yup, Vaxine has something called the 3D Junk Maker. But she likes to make dinner with it,” teased Axon.
“Really? You have an Atom Mancer?” Derrick was impressed.
Vaxine folded her arms over her chest as a grim expression crossed her face. “Well, technically it belongs to our mentor.”
“Our?” Axon arched his brow. “Since when?”
“You know you can’t live in denial forever. We are in the same boat now.”
“We are in the same boat because you have to do things your way!” Axon launched into a tirade. “The only sensible thing you should have done was saving your mentor! What is the point of rescuing all the Infected who are going to die of hunger anyway?”
“If we hadn’t saved them they would have ended up in an incinerator. You know how the Community works; they don’t give a damn about the peasants.”
“So should you!” Axon glanced at Derrick and me. “Even if you cured all of them, this place will end up becoming a refugee camp in no time. Nip the problem in the bud: Cash is the mastermind. Destroy her and there’s no need for all this fuss.”
“People are dying out there every day, Axon. What about them?” pled Vaxine.
“Let them die!”
Vaxine and Axon glared at each other while Derrick and I were shocked by his outburst.
“Uh, guys.” Derrick br
oke the silence. “Arguing won’t solve anything now. We should stay on track.”
“There is no ‘we’!” Axon snapped fiercely, his finger jabbing at Derrick. “Don’t stick your crooked snout into my business!”
“Hey!” Derrick shot back. “Don’t start with personal attacks! What is wrong with you, man?”
“You’re a traitor, Axon.” Vaxine didn’t have to raise her voice. Her every word stung like a whip, hitting Axon right in his soft spot.
