by Eden Crowne
He looked at her as if she were crazy “Who told you that lie? Europe is undergoing its own sort of transformation, Sky. Back then, their labs were not having the same success as those on this side of the Atlantic. This is before the vaccine's mutation into the blood plague virus. America agreed to make the vaccine available to your allies.” He slowed down at the broken signal waiting for his turn to go. Someone had painted the words 'stop' in the center and everyone knew to treat it like a four-way stop. “The vaccine arrived in such small amounts that only those in government and vital industries could be inoculated. The Europeans and Japanese were desperate.”
'“Other countries developed other vaccines,” Sky protested as he swerved the car around several sizable potholes. “Their own version. That's what we learned in school.”
“Not really. There wasn't time. Winter was coming and with it another season of the killer flu. Several countries got the formula for the American vaccine by stealth and made their own version.”
“How did they get the information?”
Hugo glanced at her, his brows drawn together, saying nothing.
“Stop playing games,” she growled. “Tell me.”
He swiveled his eyes back on the road. “People were willing to die to smuggle the formula out to their homeland. There weren't just Americans working in those labs. Under martial law, the military could pull in anyone they wanted on American soil. Chinese, Indians, Africans, Japanese, the French and Germans, all of them utterly desperate to get what they thought was a miracle cure for their own people. The basic formula was leaked to several sources.”
“And their versions mutated into the plague as well?”
“Worse than that. Their own labs produced generic versions using local blood supplies. All the vaccines in America were actually produced exclusively from the stock available to the labs in the Bay Area. It still is. The tiny variations in the protein, I'm speaking at the nanomolecular level, caused the reaction in the generic versions to be unstable.”
“So, they didn't cause the plague?”
“Yes, they did.”
They were almost back at Redwood Shopping Center.
“Hugo, God damn it, cut to the chase.”
“The European negatives did have immunity. However, their enhancements mutated in a very different, unpredictable form. Many developed super-musculature as early as twelve or fourteen years old. Others gained hyper senses, rather like you super nose, though far beyond what Negatives here experienced. Intellectual ability turned them into genius savants at the expense of their emotional growth. Autism runs rampant.”
“That's bullshit. You're just quoting urban myths, They've been all over the internet since I can remember.”
“They're not myths.” He pounded the steering wheel with one fist, making Sky jump. “In the U.K. and Europe, the gene has started cropping up in positives as well as negatives. Children who are identified with these behaviors are labeled 'Aberrant', ABRs for short. Removed from their homes and forcibly taken to by 'Social Services'.” Hugo put imaginary quotation marks around the two words. “If they test low, they're sent back home. High, and they go to government relocation centers.”
“What do they do to them there?”
“They are assets and are trained, perverted and exploited as such. They have unique talents, after all. Other countries also seek to use ABRs to political or personal advantage. They have in-vitro fertilization for breeding programs. Berserker-style mercenaries have been cropping up in Africa and the Soviet Union.”
“Are you one of these ABRs?” she asked. “Is that how you're still alive?”
They pulled into the abandoned side of the garage at the mall.
“What do you mean?”
She pointed to his bracelet. Azure for AB positive.“We both know you should have been dead before your fifth birthday.”
“My father has continued his research on the blood proteins. You can thank the research teams he works with, by the way, for substituting a placebo for the regular bird flu vaccine given to Positives in the U.S.. Survival rates are higher without the vaccine. If they get the flu, they don't get the blood plague.”
He pulled into the same parking space as before and switched off the engine.
Sky unbuckled her seat belt and swiveled to face him squarely. “The blood plagues started over twenty years ago, Hugo. Even if the truth came out, many survivors are already Negatives. They're not going to commit mass suicide. The world is climbing back from the brink. What does this have to do with anyone we know?”
“Your view of humanity is very simplistic. Many researchers are still locked in secure labs all over the world. Just like our parents in the beginning. Giant research centers, mostly underground, that have been turned into brain gulags supplied by the government. After twenty years, people have married and had children. There are a hundred thousand Positives locked away still searching for a vaccine that might actually work. And they can't come out from these bunkers. Living in clean environments, they have not had a chance to build up even a modicum of immunity against either the bird flu or the blood plague. If they're a Negative and get the vaccine, they can't come back in and must leave everyone behind.”
“So, what are you saying? There's a plot to kill off all the Negatives so the Positives can abandon their troglodyte existence and inherit the earth? That won't work.”
He stared at her, shaking his head. “Actually you'd be shocked at what sort of plotting goes on within quiet government meeting rooms by supposedly civilized people. That scenario has been held in reserve since the start of the plagues. In case the status quo did not reassert itself. Which, lucky for Negatives, it did.”
'So they're not trying to wipe us out?”
Switching off the motor entirely, he got out of the car and walked to the shiny black sedan. “No. Quite the opposite. My government has sent me here on a covert mission. A European crime cartel has been playing the long game. Buying loyalty within your government and the Home Guard. America has more clean blood than any other country in the world but refuses to give it to anyone else. Blood is power.”
“It's against the law to sell blood overseas.”
“Precisely. Which is where the greedy Sergeant McNeil and Major Bromwell and others come into the story. Blood is easily traded for gold on the black market.”
“Why would the sergeant or any of them want so much money? Anyone can live in a nice house. There's enough food and jobs for everyone.”
“Human nature, of course!” he said curtly. “There are always people who want far more than their fair share. The blood vault that narrowly escaped falling to Operation Cineplex is an old Victims Army headquarters. A covert operative from our operation fell into your squad's hands that night in the eucalyptus forest. The major was unable to cover up the information she spilled under torture. He was forced to attack, though he managed to deflect the operation onto the wrong building with a decoy storage supply. The blood in the vault is just part of the theft we are trying to prevent.”
“Awfully generous of your country to help us out, seeing as how we don't sell blood to you either.”
“They don't know we're here, Sky. We are committed to keeping order in Europe, something America shows little interest in pursuing. The British Government has no desire to see the Cartels or War Lords become any stronger.”
They drove the short distance back to the hospital without saying another word. Sky's body so tightly wound her jaw ached from clenching it. He pulled up in the parking lot at the exact spot he had picked her up. Reaching over, he took her hand. She tried to jerk it away, but he kept a tight hold.
“I thought I could keep you out of this. Let you go on in your opaque, bubble world. I should have known better. The sins of the fathers. Your family is in as deep as mine.”
And damn him, he kissed her. The move took her by surprise. Only for a second, then she tried to push him away. He held tight, not enough to hurt, just enough to linger a few secon
ds more. He broke it off, exhaling angrily. “Damn it to hell, Skylar. You've ruined everything.”
Sky couldn't open the door fast enough. Her feelings so tight they were choking her. She wanted him to kiss her and she wanted to kiss him back. Even after all the revelations and the murder, Hugo St. James had become an itch that felt like heaven to scratch. She had taken no more than a step away when two cars roared into the parking lot, smashing into Hugo's black sedan. The car spun and the front bumper hit her hard. The impact sent Sky flying to the side. Men poured out of the vehicles, wrenching open the door and reaching for Hugo, trying to drag him from the car. A gun barked, once, twice and two of the men fell. Two more took their place. There was a flash of light and a shout of pain. She saw Hugo, head down, hanging between two enormous men.
Sky was realistic enough to know she had no chance against these attackers. Staggering to her feet, she shouted, “Security! Help! Help us!”
People came running out of the hospital, drawn by the noise. They were too slow to get there in time. The men in black threw Hugo into one of the vehicles and picked up their fallen comrades The driver of one car spun the wheels, reversing the engine until his window was next to her. He was wearing a knitted mask that showed only his eyes. They were sea green and he winked. Winked right at her before giving a jaunty salute and speeding out in a squeal of spinning tires and smoke, the other vehicle right on his tail.
She was mobbed by hospital security and staff just a few seconds too late. Security called in a description of the vehicles to the Home Guard hotline and several people helped her into the building. She wasn't hurt, not really. Just shaken.
What had just happened? Hugo kidnaped in the middle of the day, right out in the open. The boldness of the action was unbelievable.
Rickey and his family were only five floors above her, but she couldn't get any closer until the Home Guard took her statement. There wasn't much she could tell them beyond Hugo's name and address. Ironically, his father was right here in the hospital. She saw the Viscount, still in his scrubs, being escorted out of the building by two officers. He saw her as well, raising one hand in solemn greeting before being ushered out the doors into a Guard Humvee.
When the waiting room finally cleared, one of the nurses handed her a couple of ibuprofen, patted her on the back and sent her on her way. A security officer was more helpful. He walked her to the cafeteria and brought a large hot cafe mocha with soy milk.
“Drink that,” he advised. “Slowly. Let the sugar take effect. Can I call someone for you?”
She shook her head. “Thank you, that's very kind. My friend's parents are upstairs. I'll go to them.”
“Make sure you get something in your stomach as well.”
“I will.”
His kindness cheered her immeasurably after the strange and terrible events of the past two days. Just remembering there were nice, normal people who were not involved in spy games and subterfuge.
The cafe mocha tasted wonderful and she did as the guard advised, draining it to the last drop. Wearily getting to her feet, she checked her phone on the way to the elevator. There were several missed calls. Some from the other members of the squad, two from her aunt and Rickey's mom.
Chanting “please don't let him be dead,” over and over under her breath, she took the elevator up to ICU on the fifth floor. The nurses station checked their list and issued her a pass. Then it was through the disinfectants in the Clean Room, and finally she was at the East Wing and Rickey's.
She caught her breath, biting the knuckles of her hand to keep from crying. Tubes large and small wound around her friend's still form, a breathing tube taped into his mouth. His skin was gray. His cheeks sunken. Monitors skipped and jumped on a table next to the bed. He looked so fragile and heartbreakingly young. Almost as young as Bruno, she thought.
Taking her arm, Mrs. Antonelli gently steered her outside.
“My darling girl, what happened? You look like death!”
Sky felt her lip tremble and she tried to will herself not to cry, which never works. The tears spilled over. Instead of comforting Mrs. Antonelli, Rickey's mom tried to make Sky feel better.
“It looks bad, I know.” She hugged Sky, which wasn't easy seeing how pregnant she was. “He's stable for now. The next few days are critical.”
“Can I sit with you guys or do you want to be alone?”
She kissed Sky on the forehead. “My dear, you are family. Sit for a little while. Then I want you to go home and rest or study or whatever you want to do, all right?”
Rickey's parents eventually dozed off in their chairs – they'd been at the hospital for over twenty-four hours straight – and Sky decided to have a look at the media Rickey had given her. Maybe she could find a lead on what the hell was going in with Hugo and her unit. Everything he said had a terrible logic she could not just dismiss.
Delusions had not built the blood vault, shot Rickey or murdered the Victims Army woman as a coverup.
The secure connection at her house was suddenly looking not quite so safe in the light of today's revelations. That meant the hospital wouldn't be any safer. She switched off the camera and the WiFi connection on her tablet before putting the media in a reader and plugging it in.
The screen opened immediately to the files. It wasn't even password protected. Maybe because he was afraid she wouldn't be able to read it if something happened to him. As it did.
With her ear buds in, she watched and listened to the file with the stealth bikes. Everything went exactly as Rickey said. Right down to the retina and facial scans of the riders.
She found several audio files labeled 'Major Dick'. That made her laugh. Those must belong to Major Bromwell. What she found sent her running to the car as soon as she could get away. Raj and Chase came together and offered to sit with Rickey's family, so she did not feel so guilty about being forced to leave.
She had to talk to her sister. Talk to her in person now.
Because Captain Kara Christensen was a traitor.
Chapter 18
Blood Ties
After finally reaching home, Sky ran up the stairs to the master bedroom, threw open the door and yelled at Kara, “You traitor!”
“What the hell, Sky?” Kara was propped up with pillows and wrapped in blankets, Max a big furry lump on her stomach.
“Traitor!” Sky yelled even louder. “Admit it. You and the major are in it together. Schemers. Liars.”
Kara stared at Sky, scooting back in the pillows and shoving Max off. “That's impossible. You can't know anything.”
“I have proof. Rickey has you on audio talking about 'the package' and 'operation rendezvous' with your C.O. Over your cell phones. Dates and times. Evidence!”
“No,” Kara had her hands in front of her as though to push Sky's words away.
“Yes. Tell me everything or I swear I will call whoever it is you call on base for this.”
Just like before, Kara's face crumpled in upon itself. Her lips trembling, she threw herself into the pillows and began to cry. No, not cry. Wail.
“I tried to lose the baby. I admit it, I did it on purpose.”
“Your baby? What about the baby? Jake...”
“Is not the father.”
Oh crap. Sky had not expected that. “Whoa, Kara, no way. Then who?” Sky came to the bed and tried to get her sister to look at her. “And what does that have to do with the major.” Then the realization hit her. Operation Rendezvous. “Oh my God, Kara, you didn't. Not with your C.O.”
She wailed louder.
In between the tears, Kara told Sky she was pregnant with the major's child.
“I wanted to lose the baby. I had to lose the baby. Daniel, the major, didn't know I was pregnant. He couldn't know. He's married. He would have had me transferred to some outpost in the middle of nowhere to protect himself. Derailed my career. And Jake, I didn't want him to know I'd been cheating.”
“Why try to lose it? No one is going to make you keep it.
You could go to the medical center.”
“Records, you idiot,” she said with some of her old bite. “Everything would come out on the medical record. When I came up for my next review, it would show I had been pregnant. There'd be questions.”
“But Kara, your commanding officer?”
“He was someone I admired. I wanted to please him.”
“In bed?”
“You don't know. You're a child.”
“A smart child. The smarter one who doesn't cavort pants-less with her commander, Major Dick.”
Kara slapped her across the mouth. In retrospect, she should have slapped her back, but Sky was too surprised. Then to make things worse, Kara put her head on her knees and began to cry harder. Big heartrending sobs that shook her whole body. Tricia came running out from the back of the house, jumped on the bed and tried to lick away the tears. Kara pushed her back several times then gave up, wrapped her arms around the poodle, and began to cry more.
“What am I going to do? I waited too late. I took some pills. The kind that make you spontaneously abort.”
“So you tried to give yourself a miscarriage? I thought you fell when the bomb exploded.”
“Not really, I wasn't actually close enough to the explosion to be hurt much. In the dust and confusion I cracked myself on the side of the head with some concrete and pretended to fall. It was just a couple of feet actually. Not very far. The pills though. That's what nearly killed me. I figured if the major found out after I lost the baby, I wouldn't get in trouble. The medicine I'd gotten was meant for the first couple of weeks, not the end of the first trimester. The stupid doctors at the hospital saved us both and now, here I am, back with my toes hanging over the edge.”
“Well, you're going to have it, him, her. Mostly because you could kill yourself if you try the pills again and you're too late to get it medically induced anyway. If something were to go wrong, think what it would do to mom, to lose you. Can you even imagine how her heart would break?”
“My career.”
“Screw your career. Okay? Military is not your only option. And screw the major.”
