The Hive (Rasper Book 2)

by Kathleen Groger

  We all got up, took care of our trays, then followed Cater back into the bowels of Zigotgen to the tanks.

  When we reached the room, the director, Dr. Morgenstern, and Dr. Collins were there. Surprisingly, Kalis was there and met my gaze. He tilted his head ever so slightly to the left. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to communicate. Had he recognized Megan?

  “You three, stay over there.” The director pointed to the right of the tanks in front of a set of shelves full of blankets. “Okay, Dr. Morgenstern, are we ready to begin?” He walked with his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped at the tank of the woman I was sure he had feelings for.

  She snapped on latex gloves. “We are. Dr. Collins, can you initiate the release sequence?”

  Dr. Collins pushed his glasses up and took a visible deep breath like he was nervous. “On three. One. Two. Three.” He typed a sequence of keys on a laptop.

  Kalis drew his weapon. The director winced before his face slid back into an unreadable mask.

  The first tank’s pink liquid bubbled, and a gurgling sound echoed around the room. Then with a whoosh the liquid level lowered, flowing out through a pipe that fed into a drain below the tank in the floor.

  When the liquid lowered enough that the woman wasn’t suspended, she dropped to the bottom of the tank. Dr. Collins typed another sequence into the computer. The seal broke on the tank, releasing it from the base. Instantly, the tank whooshed up toward the ceiling and out of sight like a rocket being launched.

  The director made a move to the woman, but Dr. Morgenstern held up her hand blocking him. “Wait.”

  She nodded at Kalis, who walked to her left side as she approached the woman with a hypodermic needle.

  She pointed at Kalis, then bent down and injected the contents of the vial into the woman’s bicep. Dr. Morgenstern then jumped back so Kalis had a direct target of the woman.

  At first nothing happened. Everyone just stared at the yellow naked body lying on the platform. Suddenly, the woman twitched and jerked. Her eyes flew open, then she was wracked by a coughing spell. When she stopped, she struggled to stand, almost falling over. That was when I noticed her skin. It wasn’t yellow anymore.

  “Dr. Hanover? How do you feel?” Dr. Morgenstern asked the woman.

  The director turned to me. “Hand me a blanket.” I spun, grabbed one from the shelf, and handed it to him.

  “Darren?” The woman choked out. She sounded like she had been breathing smoke. “Did it work?”

  “Oh, Elana.” The director unfolded the blanket and walked to her to cover her glaring nakedness.

  Kalis stopped him from moving forward. “Hold on. Look.”

  We all stared at Elana, Dr. Hanover. Her non-yellow, pale skin started to change. Black lines like cracks zigzagged across her face then snaked down her throat to her chest and arms. The lines wrapped around her belly and coiled down her legs to her feet. Her entire body was covered from head to toe. She resembled an old porcelain doll with black cracks.

  “What’s happening to me?” Her throaty voice went a number of octaves higher. “Carter, scan.”

  Carter glided forward, held up his right hand, and a blue beam emanated from his palm. He moved his hand around so the beam scanned her entire body. When he was done, the beam disappeared. “Sending her vitals now.”

  Dr. Morgenstern elbowed Dr. Collins out of the way of the computer. The director looked torn between going to the woman and reading the computer screen.

  “What does it say?” Elana’s voice cracked.

  Dr. Morgenstern tapped a few keys. Her normal pissed-off look fell away, only to be replaced by a look of alarm. “It’s showing that you are still infected. But your blood…”

  “What about her blood?” the director demanded. He twisted the blanket in his hands.

  “It, well… it seems to be gone?” Dr. Morgenstern bit her lip. For the first time ever I saw concern on her features.

  “Gone? What are you talking about? It can’t be gone. I’d be dead,” Elana wailed.

  When she opened her mouth, I spotted cracks along her tongue. Black lines flooded the whites of her eyes.

  That was when I understood. The black cracks were where her veins were. Her empty veins.

  “Carter, take a blood sample.” The director grabbed an empty syringe and handed it to the robot.

  “Can you hold your arm out please?” Carter asked Elana.

  He didn’t call her by her name.

  She complied. As Carter went to insert the needle, Adam tapped my arm. I glanced at him, and he took a step back, shaking his head.

  I pulled Taylor back with me.

  “There’s nothing.” Carter withdrew the needle from the doctor’s arm. “No blood.”

  “That’s not possible.” The director shook his head.

  The air in the room grew dense like it was being vacuum-sealed. My chest burned on the right side under my breast. I drew in a breath, and the pain spread to my back.

  “What’s happening?” Dr. Collins grabbed his chest. “I can’t breathe.”

  A crack like glass breaking echoed through the room. Kalis drew his gun. I checked the other tanks. They all remained intact.

  Elana screamed, and we all focused on her. The director took a step forward. With a shriek that reverberated through my bones, the cracks in the doctor’s skin broke open. Her body exploded into a pile on the floor.

  What was left of her was not recognizable. Not human. There was no body. No bones. No skin. No hair. No nothing.

  Just a pile of black ash.

  Nobody said anything. Whether it was from shock or fear, we all stood frozen, staring at what just a few seconds ago was a woman.

  Kalis shouted, “Look there.”

  He adjusted his aim to the pile of ash. I looked closer and then I saw it. The front left side of the ashes was moving. A golfball-sized silver bug crawled out of the ash. Then another. And another. And at least ten more.

  The Bugs darted across the floor toward the door. “We need to stop them,” the director yelled.

  The doctors ran. I wasn’t sure if the Bugs were trying to escape or if they were trying to catch the doctors. Shots rang out as Kalis fired at the Bugs. Dr. Morgenstern made it out the door, but Dr. Collins screamed in pain.

  He dropped to the floor, clutching his calf. “I’ve been stung!” Tears filled his rheumy eyes. Doing an army crawl, he pulled himself out of the room.

  “Carter, activate the alarm,” the director shouted. “We can’t let them get off this level.” He took off after Dr. Morgenstern.

  “Alarm activated,” Carter said in a calm voice as a teeth-jarring sound blared and red lights flashed. “Teams alerted.” Carter left the room.

  Kalis put four shots in two different Bugs. Each exploded into pieces. He reloaded and fired at one about ten feet in front of him. His bullet hit the Bug, but instead of destroying it, the bullet ricocheted off it and pierced the closest tank. It was like a stick of dynamite went off in the room. Shards of glass flew through the air. The liquid rushed out, sweeping up the Bugs and accelerating their speed to the exit.

  “Will they drown?” Taylor jumped as a Bug washed past him.

  “No. They move faster in water.” My voice was shriller than I thought.

  The door locked with the Bugs on the outside.

  “Look.” Adam pointed to the tank that had broken.

  We all watched as the guy from the broken tube collapsed and didn’t move.

  Kalis inched closer to the man, his finger on the trigger of his gun.

  “Why isn’t he moving?” Taylor took a step closer.

  “He hasn’t received the antidote,” Kalis said through gritted teeth.

  I dashed to where Dr. Morgenstern had retrieved the hypodermic needle she had used on Elana.

  There were two left.

  “Should we inject him?” Adam came closer to me.

  Without thinking, I swiped the syringes, dropping them into my pocket. “There’s only
one left. One. I think…” I didn’t finish.

  I didn’t have to.

  We both turned to stare at Megan.

  “Right. Let’s get her out.” Adam stared at the computer. “Taylor, can you figure this out?”

  Adam stepped away from the laptop with a pained look in his eyes. I knew it took a lot for him to admit Taylor would be better at executing the tank release program. But it was Megan. If there was a chance for her to live, neither one of us were going to jeopardize it.

  “Wait. You aren’t releasing anyone right now. We need to deal with him and the Bugs.” Kalis turned while keeping his gun aimed at the man.

  “Hold on.” I slowly moved toward the man, expecting his jaw to rip open any second like the deliveryman did back home. The heap of a man remained still. There was no sign of him breathing. No movement. No black lines. Nothing. I crouched down and put my fingers to his neck. No pulse. “He’s dead. Let’s get Megan out.”

  Kalis grabbed me by my bicep and pulled me up. I almost whipped out the Glock, but he released me. “No. She’s safe there. We can get her out after. If we release her now, you might not be able to deal with the consequences.”

  Adam grimaced. “I hate to admit it, but he’s right. We should wait.”

  I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to save her. Save my family. Then get the hell out of Zigotgen.

  20

  “Val?” Adam tilted his head to the side, reminding me of a sad puppy.

  I licked my lips and tried to keep my twitchy fingers from the gun because I wanted to blow away the glass prison that Megan was locked in. “I can’t leave her here.”

  “She’ll be safe. We know where she is, and we will get her out.” Adam glanced at Kalis. He nodded back.

  “She could be fine, or she could be like—” Taylor waved his hand at the dead guy and where Elana had turned to a combination of ash and Bugs. “You don’t want to do this rushed.”

  I sighed. They were all right. My brain knew it, but my heart didn’t want to concede. I dashed to her. Her blonde hair undulated across her face. I put my palms on the glass. I will save you.

  I turned to the guys. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  “We need weapons.” Adam pocketed a pen. I hoped he didn’t plan on stabbing the Bugs.

  Pressure pushed behind my eyes and on my temples. “Help us.” The words ripped through my brain and seemed to be drawn out in an almost wail.

  “What did you say?” I rubbed my head.

  “I said we need weapons.” Adam gave me a quizzical look.

  “Right. Kalis, where can we get some?” I shook off the question that no one else seemed to hear.

  “Sorry, the director would need to authorize you three having weapons.” Kalis’s tone said he was anything but sorry.

  A loud banging on the door cut off my smartass reply. We all turned to the sound.

  “What?” Kalis yelled while he aimed the gun at the door.

  “It’s Carter. The director needs you in his office. The facility is in complete lockdown. You’ll need to override the system to get out of there. I can’t do it from this side.”

  “Does that sound odd to you guys?” Adam whispered.

  Taylor squinted. “Carter should be able to open the door, unless the director or someone else locked him out of this room.”

  “Go ahead, open it. I have the door covered.” Standing in a wide stance, Kalis aimed his gun.

  Taylor typed on the computer, and the door clicked, then whooshed open.

  Carter hovered there.

  “Why didn’t you contact me through the comm?”

  “Mine’s shorting out.” Carter’s voice was flat and hollow. “Hurry.” He glided away.

  Kalis walked forward, military style. “Follow me.”

  I wanted to pull out my gun. To be ready to shoot. But I had to be smart. If I did it now, Kalis would know I have weapon.

  Taylor and Adam followed. I swiped the laptop and tucked it into the back of my pants through the belt, hoping it would keep it there.

  Adam turned back. “Val?”

  I gave Megan one last look.

  My heart caught and seemed like it held its breath while a piece broke off. Then I left her there, imprisoned in a tank as I tried to cauterize my bleeding insides.

  We followed Carter back up to the director’s office. Since the building was locked down, he had to use the manual panel to override every door. I kept one hand on my lower back, holding the pilfered laptop in place looking like I was in pain if anyone were to notice. I looked everywhere for signs of the Bugs, but didn’t spot the silver creatures anywhere. Where had they gone? What had I been thinking about stealing the frigin’ computer?

  The director was in Taylor’s face as soon as we entered the room. “How many of the Bugs did you see?”

  I was about to say something that wouldn’t make me look very cooperative, but then I remembered Taylor told me he had a photographic memory.

  Taylor closed his eyes for a second. “Eighteen.”

  “Kalis shot seven.” I cracked my fingers to keep myself under control. I needed to find somewhere to hide the laptop. I had to seem calm. Appear like I was helping, while all I wanted to do was get Megan out of the damn tank.

  “So, we have eleven rogue ones. Does anyone know if they can multiply by themselves?” The director ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles.

  “We have not seen them do that.” Dr. Morgenstern took a seat on the arm of the closest couch. She ran a hand across the tear in her skirt.

  “They can if they inject someone.” Adam said the words so low I wasn’t sure if anyone but me heard him.

  I searched the faces in the room. The director, Dr. Bitch, Rollins, Kalis, and the three of us. “Where’s Dr. Collins?”

  Rollins gave me a side-eyed look and crossed the room to where I stood.

  “He yelled he had been stung.” Taylor dropped onto the couch opposite Dr. Morgenstern.

  “Please tell me he’s right-handed.” Adam cracked his knuckles as Dr. Bitch shook her head. “He could have already turned into a Rasper. And if he has, he can…”

  “Contact the rest of them,” Rollins finished.

  I glanced at Taylor. He knew how to find anyone in the complex. Was it worth revealing that to find Dr. Collins? He seemed to be weighing the same issue.

  “Director?” Taylor stood.

  “What is it?”

  “If you let me into the main system, I might be able to find him.” Taylor shifted his weight back and forth.

  “How?”

  “Does it matter? Let the kid find him so we can keep Collins from calling the rest of them. Val and I can go to Level 1 to search for him while Kalis and Adam take Level 2. That way we each have someone who’s immune. You stay here with Taylor while he works his magic. Radio when you find him.” Rollins tapped me in the back on the laptop.

  The man missed nothing. I wasn’t opposed to searching with him, but didn’t like being split from Adam.

  The narrowing of Adam’s eyes told me he felt the same way. Yet, it was a solid plan. We would cover more ground in two teams.

  “And run a diagnostic on Carter’s comm. He said it was shorting out.” Kalis looked part ready to salute, part ready to go rogue.

  “Uncle, we may be immune, but we can still die.” Adam squared his shoulders. “We need weapons.”

  “Absolutely not.” Dr. Morgenstern crossed her arms over her chest.

  “No, Sheri. He’s right. They need to be able to protect themselves.” The director opened a locked cabinet behind his desk. He handed Adam and me each a gun. Taylor was right. They thought we were too valuable to lose.

  I popped the magazine of the gun. Full. I slammed it back into place. “Thank you.” I imagined myself pointing it at Dr. Resting Bitch Face but denied myself the pleasure and gave her a smile of satisfaction instead.

  She narrowed her eyes and stared at me. Her look communicating as clearly as if it was coming fr
om her mouth. She would kill me if she could.

  “Okay. Let’s go.”

  The four of us left the director’s office. Adam turned and gave me a half smile, half frown, then followed Kalis to Level 2.

  Rollins led me through one of the doors to an empty corridor that I didn’t think I had ever been in.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something.”

  Rollins’s statement made the little hairs on the back of my neck vibrate like fork tines scraping against teeth, but I followed him. He had given me the gun and didn’t rat me out for stealing the laptop. My head said to trust him, yet my heart still struggled in violating rule number one.

  The hallway turned and split in two. Rollins took the right fork. I tried to picture where in the facility we were but had no clue since the damn thing spun all the time. “How do you figure out what way to go if the place has moved?”

  “It’s a secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

  I stopped walking and gripped the gun the director had given me tighter than necessary.

  Rollins paused, turned, and laughed. “Jeez, I’m kidding. If I wanted to kill you, I could have shot you a long time ago. Seriously, this building is like a funhouse maze. I have the map in my mind and know the rotational directions of each ring, so I can sort of work it out.” He started walking again, turned a few more times, then stopped in front of a door.

  What was he going to show me, and why?

  He typed a code into the electronic lock to override the system. The door slid open. He waved his hand for me to enter. I stepped in. Pressure pushed against my ears like I had entered into a vacuum lock.

  It was a laboratory of sorts. Exactly like the one with Megan. Except instead of normal-looking people in pink-liquid-filled tubes, the liquid resembled starchy pasta water and the people were a sickly gray.

  21

  There had to be at least two dozen tubes.

  “What is this?”

  A hard look clouded Rollins’s features. “Experimental trials one through four.”