Defiant: Quantic Dreams Book 2

by Elizabeth McLaughlin

  “Allison, are you going to be okay making it back to your room by yourself? I’d like to stay and talk with the good doctor here.” I asked.

  “Of course Jacob, I’ll be just fine. You get some sleep, okay?”

  “Absolutely.” As soon as she had left, I turned to Dr. Naylor. “Doc, can you show me how the more serious drugs are kept locked up?”

  “Sure, Jacob, absolutely. We have them locked up in metal lockers with thick key locks. The medical team are the only people who have the keys, and they’re kept on our person at all times. We keep a sparkling clean record of who is on shift at all times and if one of those keys goes missing it will be reported to you and the locks changed. If it’s all right, sir, may I ask why you’re asking after this? Do you have any concerns?”

  I fiddled with the lock. It seemed sturdy enough, and it was too thick to break through with bolt cutters. “No, not specifically. I know a lot of folks are having a rough time and I want to make sure that no one gets any funny ideas.”

  “Well, most of our supply is kept permanently hooked up to the AutoDocs, sir. The stuff in this cabinet would do a decent job of getting you high, but aside from taking the entire locker, it’d be unlikely to kill anyone.”

  “Ah, right. The AutoDocs.” I glanced at the spidery machines hanging behind us, their arms dark against the overhead lights. I snorted and rubbed my hand over my eyes. “Of course, Dr. Naylor. Sorry, I guess I’m getting even less sleep than I thought. I’ll head back to my room now. You have a good rest of your night, okay?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Good night, Jacob. Let me know how the medicine helps your sleep.”

  Chapter Four

  Everyone’s mood was high as we prepared to send out our second mouse. This one was a female, christened Athena after the ancient warrior goddess. The team called for any who wished to gather at the shelter door in four hours. Word of Athena’s release spread like wildfire; at least half of the shelter population crowded the hall behind the exploration team. I caught Allison’s eye from within the throng of people and smiled at her. She looked like she had gotten some sleep but still appeared to be a little run down. Her work must have been keeping her up late into the night.

  I brought Athena to the front of the throng in her cage, camera already attached to her body. I could see the camera’s point-of-view on a tablet screen Nicole held. Everything the lens recorded seemed larger than life, faces reflected in a fisheye lens. We paraded Athena through the gathering with great fanfare, Nicole holding her high as people clapped and cheered for the mouse. Their enthusiasm boosted my resolve. I had heard so many arguments against leaving the shelter in the past days that I couldn’t help but question the decision. Having this many people attend our second foray into the outside world snapped me out of my funk. Clearly folks wanted to go outside. I wouldn’t let the naysayers make me question that again.

  I held up a hand and waited for the crowd to settle. When the din had died, I spread my arms wide. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming to see our warrior off on her journey. As many of you know, I involved in releasing Odysseus. I can’t say that I got to see a lot, but what I saw out there gave me hope beyond hope. Athena will transmit photos to us live of the outside world. Just as Odysseus had, she has also been injected with a tracking chip should she run into trouble or cannot return to the shelter. When she returns safely, we will begin preparations for a human exploratory team. Any volunteers for the job can see me in my office. Now, how about a round of applause for the men and women who have worked day and night to make this endeavor a success?”

  The crowd went wild, clapping and roaring. Jason, Nicole, and the rest of the team bowed to the crowd with huge grins on their faces. Instead of the two of them suiting up, I saw Nicole gesture to Allison, who stepped forward. I suggested to the team that they might want to rotate out who got the opportunity to go outside. This way everyone could experience it equally, and the experience would provide valuable insight into each team member’s respective duties. I was glad to see they had taken my advice. She donned the protective suit slowly, and I could see her hands shaking a little as she buckled her boots tight. I couldn’t blame her, I was pretty scared when I went outside. I’m sure my hands were shaking too, and I just hadn’t noticed.

  The gathered went silent as the seal of the inner door hissed and the huge barrier was swung back. I kept an eye on the team but I payed the most attention to the people. This was the first time in most of their lives that anyone had seen the door breached. Maybe I was imagining, but I could have sworn I saw George flinch a little. Allison and her comrade disappeared into the darkness separating the two doors and disappeared. I counted the seconds off.

  “All right folks, we’re getting the outer door unsealed now,” the man who had accompanied Allison radioed. “Can’t wait for you to see it out here. It’s one hell of a beautiful sight.”

  I counted off the seconds. It took something like three minutes to get the door open, release the mouse, and close it again. Four minutes if you were running slowly. The next radio call came approximately two minutes in.

  “Athena is on her way.” That was Allison. There was a quaver in her voice. She was a little younger than me, so she must have been too young to remember the outside world before shelter life. This must have been one hell of an experience for her. I checked the camera feed from the mouse. Athena was off like a shot, just as Odysseus had been when we turned him loose. I mentally wished her well. She and Odysseus were the keys to our future.

  “Roger that, team two. Come on back home as soon as you’re ready.”

  I felt, rather than heard, the outer door shut. When the inner door opened again, the crowd burst into applause. Cheers echoed around the hallway as the gathered gave a hero’s welcome to the second team to have left the shelter. Allison and her companion waved.

  “Okay folks, for your safety and theirs, we’re going to ask you to disperse now.” I yelled to the crowd. “We’ll keep you updated as frequently as possible, and we expect Athena to return in around a week’s time. Thank you for your attendance today!”

  Most of the assembled were happy to disperse, but a few hung around at a distance to watch the decontamination process. The suits were nearly off when Allison erupted in a coughing fit, her body wracking with each spasm. Nicole rushed forward to stand her up, and Allison bunched up her shirt to avoid spraying Nicole with spit and mucus.

  “Hey, hey, hey!” Nicole searched her face nervously. “You all right? Need a sip of water?”

  Allison nodded and Nicole stepped back, her gaze still fixed to Allison, ready to leap back in at a moment’s notice to support the older woman.

  “I am so sorry.” Allison clenched her jaw tight as another round of coughing threatened to appear. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, and it’s just making me feel like crap.” She stepped out of the rest of her hazard suit. The other team members present closed a ring around her, but I motioned them back. As sure as I was that Allison was suffering the effects of too many nights of lost sleep, we had to be careful.

  “Come on, Allison, we’re going to the infirmary.” I swept my arm to gesture down the hallway. “I don’t care if it’s just a few rough nights of sleep, we’re going to see the doctor. Right now.” Her eyes widened, and it occurred to me I was probably being a little overly blunt. “I just want to see you get checked out, okay? Humor an old man.” Allison managed a small smile at that, and we proceeded down the hall together. I directed her to walk in front of me, keeping at least six feet of distance between us. My mind flashed back briefly to when Fiona had been sick as a youngster. I stayed up with her for two straight nights, holding my little girl in my arms as her tiny body shuddered with coughing. She had spiked a fever too, high enough that my wife and I took turns wetting cloths to freeze so Fiona could keep cool. I was so scared for her.

  I was scared for Allison, too. Whatever the nature of her illness, it reflected an uncomfortable truth abou
t my future. Any illusions of immortality had been deeply shattered in my fight to kill Gabriel, but I was comfortable with the idea that I could die from my injuries. I was at least as likely to die from sickness at my age, and that thought filled me with anxiety. No one wants to die, of course, but in my mind it was more noble to die doing some great deed than sick and gasping in an infirmary bed. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. My focus now was on getting Allison seen for that cough.

  When we arrived at the infirmary, I was pleasantly surprised to see Shannon standing with Dr. Rickman as she examined Sophia Caruso’s daughter. Daisy’s worried mother was standing a couple feet away from the examination table, her arms crossed. I could see her rocking on the balls of her feet, restraint warring with the urge to go to her child and comfort her. I knew that feeling.

  “Hey, Sophia. Everything all right with Daisy?” I pointed Allison to an examination table opposite Daisy’s and looked for a mask.

  “I’ll get that, Jacob.” Shannon left her place at Dr. Rickman’s side and pulled a fresh mask out of a drawer. She handed it to Allison.

  “Yeah.” Sophia smiled crookedly, knowing full well that she was suffering from a parent’s tendency to worry too much. “Daisy just spiked a bit of a temperature and I wanted to get her checked out.”

  “Probably just the product of an overly exhausted child,” Dr. Rickman called to me as she finished examining Daisy’s throat. She took her gloves off and tossed them in a biohazard bin next to the examination table. “Did you go say goodbye to Athena earlier?”

  The little girl giggled. “Atheeeeeena. Athena. Yeah. I said ‘bye to her.”

  Dr. Rickman smiled and turned to Sophia. “I think she’ll be just fine, Ms. Caruso. Plenty of rest and plenty of hydration, and she should be right as rain in the next day or so. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. Sorry to waste your time, Doctor. You too, Shannon.”

  Shannon looked up from her examination of Allison and waved dismissively. “It’s never a waste of time, Sophia. We love to see you and Daisy, and we want both of you to be healthy!” Daisy giggled and hopped off the table.

  “Now, Daisy, did you know that the doctors a long time ago used to give good little girls candy when they were done with their visit?” Dr. Rickman said. Daisy’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “Now I don’t have any real candy just yet, but I managed to get some brownies printed up earlier today. Would you like to take one for the road, as long as your Mom says it’s okay?” Daisy nodded emphatically and Sophia rolled her eyes but acquiesced. Dr. Rickman disappeared and returned with a brown square the size of her palm. Daisy snatched it the moment the doctor offered it to her and scampered off, chocolate staining her cheeks as she took huge bites of the brownie.

  “When she gets a stomach ache later, I’m holding you responsible Phoebe!” Sophia followed her daughter and Dr. Rickman turned her attention to us.

  “What’s going on, Allison? Did that sleeping medicine not help?”

  “She’s got a cough.” Shannon handed Dr. Rickman a mask and offered me one as well, which I took. “I’ve listened to her chest, and it seems like a dry cough for now, but I’m a little worried about how violent they are.” On queue, Allison erupted in a coughing fit. I stepped back instinctively. I didn’t want to seem rude to Allison, especially after all the valuable work she had done, but I didn’t want to suffer my way through a week of being exhausted and coughing my head off.

  “Hm, that’s not the best. I checked Dr. Naylor’s notes from your previous visit and it seems as if you haven’t been feeling your best for a little while now?”

  Allison swallowed hard and nodded. “The price of hard work on an old body, Doc. I just figured that I was having trouble adjusting or working too hard. I’ve only been coughing for maybe a day now. I was content to limp back to my quarters and try to sleep through it, but Jacob insists that I come for another examination.”

  “And right he should!” Shannon took a thermometer from underneath Allison’s tongue. “You have a fever, ma’am. Nothing so high that I think it’s an emergency, but you seriously, seriously need to rest. At your age this kind of thing can turn serious, and quickly.”

  “Forgive my overeager trainee, Allison.” Dr. Rickman said, uncoiling her own stethoscope and motioning for Allison to lift her shirt so she could listen to her lungs. “I’m sure everything is fine, but she has a point.” She waited a couple moments until she was content with what she heard and put the instrument back around her neck. “I’d like to keep you here at least overnight for some observation. Call it an abundance of caution, but Shannon is correct. I would prefer it if we made sure you were okay before we returned you to the general population.”

  “I’ll get your tablet, Allison.” I volunteered and left the infirmary. I arrived at Allison’s quarters to find her partner frantic.

  “Jacob, have you seen Allison? I came back her to wait for her after she released the second mouse, but I haven’t seen her since.”

  “It’s all right, Frank.” I held up a hand and smiled. “She has a nasty cough, so I’m afraid I’m the one responsible for her disappearance. She’s with Shannon and Dr. Rickman right now in the infirmary.”

  “Christ, Jacob, you could have given me a heads up! I’ve been here nearly an hour worried that something serious happened to her.”

  “I’m sorry, my friend. I wanted to see her get care as quickly as I could. I should have gotten in touch with you first, but I was worried. The doctor is keeping her for observation overnight and I’m here to grab her tablet and anything else you think she might find comforting.”

  “Sure, just give me a second.” Frank disappeared and returned with a small stack of objects consisting of a pillow, a blanket, and Allison’s tablet. “Can I see her?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’ll be sure to let her know that I saw you. The doctors are treating her cough with an extra dose of caution. It’s most likely something minor, but they want to make sure. If they tell me that you can see her, I will come straight back here and bring you to her myself, okay?”

  Frank pursed his lips. He looked like he was ready to object, but apparently changed his mind. Maybe he knew that I wasn’t going to let him see his wife, doctor’s advice or not. We had some medicine at our disposal, but it wasn’t possible to synthesize everything yet. If Allison had something contagious, it was imperative that she remain isolated. “All right, Jacob. Just..just make sure she knows that I’m here for her?”

  I took Allison’s belongings from him. “I’m sure she knows that, my friend. Don’t worry, I’ll have her back to you as quickly as I can.”

  I arrived back to the infirmary to find Allison hooked up to an intravenous line and wearing an oxygen mask. The change from Dr. Rickman’s nonchalantness to this was jarring. I stopped in my tracks for a moment before continuing. Rather than letting me hand Allison’s belongings to her, Shannon rushed over to me and took them. “She’s fine, Jacob, but we’re treating this like it might be contagious, just in case. We have her on the extra oxygen just to prevent complications.”

  “That’s fine, I understand your caution. Hey Allison, I told Frank what’s going on and he’s okay. He says he misses you and can’t wait until you are back with him so he can take care of you himself.” I called across the room.

  “Thanks Jacob.” She lifted the oxygen mask from her face, but Dr. Rickman pressed it down again.

  “Listen, I’ve copied your designs onto my personal tablet.” I raised it to demonstrate. “You’re the best one we’ve got Allison, but until you’re feeling a little better I’m going to find someone to take over, all right?”

  Allison nodded weakly at me as another coughing fit took hold. I waved goodbye to her and left. It was dinnertime, and I’m sure that my absence was being noted. She would be fine in the morning, I told myself. She would be just fine and we would keep going.

  Chapter Five

  I hadn’t gone more than fifty feet
when I heard George’s heavy footsteps behind me.

  “What’s going on with Allison?” He jogged to catch up with me and stood in front of me to block my path.

  “For fuck’s sake, George, I’ve had a long day. It’s none of your business what’s going on with Allison, or anyone other than yourself.” I tried to shoulder my way past him, but he moved to stop me again and again.

  “I’m just concerned, Jacob. No need for such hostility.” He smirked down at me, enormous arms folded across his chest. The man I had liked so well in the psychiatric hospital was gone. I felt an unexpected pang of sadness well up in my chest and pushed it away.

  “She’s not feeling well. As you might think was made obvious by the fact that she’s in the infirmary.” I was getting seriously sick of this routine. If I had known that George was going to be such a prick in the real world, I might have wanted to leave him plugged in! The first prickling of a headache started in my temples, and I took a deep breath to lower my blood pressure.

  “If she’s sick with something contagious, you have a responsibility to inform the rest of us, Jacob.” George’s voice held an unusual snap to it. It eerily reminded me of the way Gabriel used to talk when he was feeling impatient with me. I pushed the comparison out of my mind. I couldn’t go the rest of my life seeing his ghost everywhere.