by Blou Bryant
Lewis stared down at him. “You promise to get out of the way when the time comes? I can’t have your death on my hands, not like Wilbur.”
Wyatt experienced a wave of pain at the memory, the gun pointed at his face, the sound of the gun firing behind him, the feel of blood on his hands, the lifelessness of Wilbur’s eyes, staring at him accusingly. “Wilbur was my fault, not yours. I didn’t get out of the way.”
Lewis shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself, blame Golde. Blame him and Frankie. They did this. But you need to let me do this, you need to trust me. You need to work with me.”
Trust is a hard thing, thought Wyatt, but he nodded. The memory of Wilbur wouldn’t leave him anytime soon. “I will.” He gently moved Lewis’s hand from his chest and walked forward. “Open up,” he whispered to his online friend.
The doors clicked open, and they strode into the Center.
Chapter 9
The main hall gleamed, white on white walls and ceiling, the floor a uniform marble that extended from the glass wall that looked out on the parking lot to the single furnishing, a small curved counter. It was under a large electronic wall board that displayed the company motto, ‘The True You, by Mennar’ over alternating images of beautiful people walking, hiking, swimming, all smiles and perfect teeth.
Lewis came in second and muttered under his breath.
“What?” Wyatt asked.
“I don’t like it. Anything this clean and perfect, isn’t.”
Wyatt agreed. He looked left and right for clues to where Jessica had gone, but there were no hallways or even doors to try. “There has to be a switch or passcode to open a door.”
Joe’s voice came through his ear-buds, “The doors are set into the walls, I’ll give you a code, you need to enter it on the…” Wyatt put a finger to the bud in his ear and turned off the phone. Thanks, but I’m not interested, he thought, I’ll use you when I need you. The phone buzzed immediately. He ignored it.
“Ford,” he said, “There’s probably a computer behind the desk, see what you can do to find a door.”
“Already on it,” Ford said, behind the counter. “Let’s see if we can find out what’s going on here,” he said, and accessed the computer with a swipe at a recessed display. He fiddled for a few moments. “Got it.”
“Got it?”
“First rule of security. ‘Password’ isn’t a good password,” said Ford, before making a final swipe across the screen. The white wall under the banner shimmered and changed to display Jessica, Hannah and a short, balding man. They were in a large laboratory filled with steel tables, fridges and a variety of machines, large and small. The feed was silent, Wyatt couldn’t hear, but was certain they weren’t discussing the weather, as Jessica waved a gun in his face.
She really is something, he thought with what was close to admiration. He always had thought she was hot but at the same time, sorta vapid. It turned out that she was hot and completely insane. To Ford, he asked, “Can you get sound?”
“With a few minutes’ work…”
Lewis had unholstered his weapon. “I need to get wherever they are before someone gets hurt. A few minutes won’t do.”
“OK, forget the audio, how about you find us a door.”
“There are three in the room and the account I’m using doesn’t have full access, so it may not be the right door. I can get us further in, or I can try for another account with more mojo.”
“Just get us in,” said Lewis.
“Done,” replied Ford, “Watch,” he said, pointing to their left. He played with the display and with a faint hiss a door appeared and swung open.
Lewis ran on ahead without waiting. Wyatt followed, although he had no idea where the hallway went, where Jessica was or what they’d do when they got there. There were doors spaced in what appeared a haphazard manner along the corridor which curved to the right.
Lewis said, “Stay back,” with a glance back at Wyatt.
Yes, I know I got in the way last time. I know what happened. Wyatt held out a hand to keep Ford behind him and made sure there was at least ten feet between them and Lewis, who had already opened the first door.
The athlete and police officer bent down, gun in hand, and quickly glanced into the room. He darted to the other side of the door and looked in again. “Nothing,” he said and moved on to another one. Wyatt watched with respect at how the man walked, almost flowing with a dancer’s grace. Wyatt and Ford slowly followed.
Lewis had already cleared the next two rooms before he stopped at the foot of a staircase. He looked behind him, said, “Stay down here where it’s safe,” and took the stairs two at a time.
Wyatt didn’t want to get in the way but at the same time, he wasn’t willing to just wait for Lewis. What if there was a gunfight, what if he waited here and did nothing and someone got hurt? His decision was made for him as Ford pushed past and ran up the stairs.
Wyatt followed, skipping the second step – of course. At the top of the stairs he paused again, despite the fact that the two others were well ahead of him. He recognized the hallway from the video feed he’d seen downstairs. On the left were a series of tables with various research equipment, but it was the right side he concentrated on. A long glass wall extended the length of the hallway. On the other side of the wall was the laboratory. Lewis and Ford had run forward, and Wyatt could see their targets on the other side of the glass at the end of the hall.
Wyatt ran forward but didn’t need to. The door to the enclosure was locked and despite Lewis’s efforts to open it by slamming into it with his shoulder, it didn’t budge. Jessica was talking, but the room was soundproof and he couldn’t hear a sound through the thick glass. She smiled at him, gave a small wave and then turned back to the man in front of her.
“What now? Can you open the door?” Wyatt asked Ford.
“I don’t know,” said Ford, sounding as frantic as Wyatt felt. There was a small pad next to the door, which Ford activated with a quick swipe. Two more motions and he shook his head. “It’s just a reader, we need someone with the right DNA to activate it.”
Lewis shouted at Jessica, “Drop your weapon and open the door.”
“No point,” said Wyatt. “It’s soundproof.”
“We’re stuck, I have to call this into the Detroit PD, they can figure out a way to get in, they’ll have legal access with a quick warrant.”
Ford looked up with alarm, “No, you can’t.”
Wyatt hesitated briefly and wondered at how emphatic Ford was, and asked, “Why not, Ford?”
“By the time police get here, people will be dead. She’s got the gun. I’ll find a way in,” Ford replied as he redoubled his efforts to hack the doorway.
Wyatt wondered at Ford’s insistence and sudden, unusual interest in the well-being of others but mentally moved on, there wasn’t enough time for reflection. He glanced up and down the hallway for ideas. On the other side of the door was a small box. He stepped closer, figured out what it was, and pushed a green button. “Jessica,” he said.
She turned. “Wyatt,” she said, a broad smile on her face. “You’re just on time, thanks for coming. I’ll be out in a moment; we’re almost done here.”
He wondered why she was acting so nice, given how she’d first regarded him at the house, her eyes dead at first and then mocking. “You’re in a bad position, Jessica. Your dad doesn’t have power here, and the Detroit Police will arrive soon.”
Lewis interrupted their discussion with a shout, “Put your gun down.”
Jessica ignored him and winked at Wyatt. “Tell your Wookie that shouting won’t make me give up any more than your handsome smile will.” She pointed the gun back at the man in the room with her, and said, “I’m sorta busy, honey, we have to make this fast, I’m fine, thanks for worrying. How are you, Wyatt?”
“How do you think I’m doing? I have blood on my hands thanks to you.”
“I didn’t get you into this, you did. Don’t blame me, Wyatt. I didn’t a
sk for you to get in the middle of things, you were the one who wanted to be a hero.”
She kept using his name, a simple tactic to make someone like you. The awful part, he thought, is that I already like her and even now, a part of me still does. He didn’t say that, and instead asked, “Who is the guy?”
“My name is Nick Johannes,” the man answered.
“Are you OK, Nick?”
“I’ve got a gun on me, so no, I’m not.” the man said.
Jessica brushed the muzzle of her gun gently against his temple, “You’re fine, quit whining and pretend you have a pair. I’ve not even shot you yet.” The man shut his mouth.
Wyatt moved closer to the wall and put both hands up. “So, Jessica, what’s next? You’re in a locked room with two hostages, a police officer at the only door and more on the way. Are you going to share your grand plan now, like the evil mastermind that you are? I assume this is where you were going all along, so why are we here?”
Rather than answer, she asked, “Did you know, Wyatt, that this building houses the premier human re-engineering facility in the world?”
“I didn’t. To be honest, I’m not sure what that means. What’s that got to do with you? Was Hannah part of this, did you need her to get into the center?”
Jessica waved the gun at Hannah. “I did. And see how good I’m being, she’s also still alive.”
Ford had given up on hacking his way in and had stepped back, between Lewis and Wyatt. “Jessica, what about me,” he asked.
“Hi Ford, you’re looking good See, Wyatt, I left him with all three limbs intact, how’s that? Hannah will stay alive too if this goes well.”
“I’m not surprised. I’m sure you wouldn’t hurt her unless you needed to,” said Wyatt, playing for time. “So, you said something about this place being a science center?”
“It is, and Dr. Nick here has some science stuff that I need.”
“And what’s that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. This is fun, Wyatt, but I should get on with it, as you mentioned, we’re a bit short on time.” She turned Nick’s chair around so it faced a monitor. “Unlock it.”
The scientist shook his head, “I’ve told you, I won’t do it. This version of the virus isn’t coded to you. It’s not safe.”
Wyatt looked to his friends for help, but both appeared to have no idea what to do. He stalled for time, “Hey, Jessica,” he said. “So, Nick is a doctor?”
Jessica laughed. “He’s not a doctor, he’s THE Doctor! A certified genius.”
“What do you mean?”
Jessica said, “Don’t you recognize him? He was on the cover of the People website, their man of the year.”
“I don’t read much, enlighten me,” he replied.
“You’re stalling, handsome. I told you, it’s time to get this done with, before the rest of your friends arrive.”
“Perhaps I am, but Dr. Nick can work on unlocking it while you talk, right Nick? I’m sure it’ll take a while.”
The Doctor looked terrified and replied, “No, it’s just a single step to unlock the container.” Wyatt cringed, genius, my ass, he thought.
“So, do it,” Jessica said, stroking his neck with the barrel of her gun.
“You picked a bad night to stay late, Dr. Nick,” said Wyatt.
“Oh, he sleeps here. The article mentioned how he’s always here overnight, alone, working on his creation. It’s how I knew he’d be here.”
“And what’s this creation?” He clicked the ‘talk’ button off and tried not to move his lips as he turned to Lewis, “Have you called this in yet? I can’t stall her for long.” Lewis nodded in reply and Wyatt clicked the green button again. Jessica was still talking.
“… change DNA, make you faster, stronger, change your eye color, you name it, it can change it. Awesome, isn’t it? You know I have to have it.”
Dr. Nick turned and spoke to the three men on the other side of the glass. “That’s the problem, the virus she wants can warp any living creature into anything, perhaps everything. The ones we have here are blanks, they need to be engineered elsewhere, and are targeted to specific individuals. As they are now, they’re not controlled. If I let them loose, we have no idea what they could do.”
“Sure you know, you invented them,” said Jessica.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, I don’t know, and I didn’t really invent them.”
“That’s not what the Web says. Does the Web lie?”
Nick snorted, “Everything is a lie. All I did was plug a lot of data into one of the new AI machines and ask it some questions. Just because I asked the question doesn’t mean I understand the answer.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Jessica. “Open it up.”
“I won’t. It could kill us. It could kill everyone. I won’t do it.”
Jessica let out a long sigh, rolled her eyes, lowered the gun and shot him in the knee. He screamed, and she said, “Do you care more about your possible death or your actual death, which will happen in ten seconds, if you don’t do what I asked.”
He continued to scream, his hands clutching at his leg, blood pouring between his fingers. Jessica put the gun to his head and said, “Ten.”
“Jessica, don’t do this,” yelled Wyatt.
“Nine.”
Ford pushed forward past Wyatt, “Jessica, you promised!”
“Sorry Ford, eight,” was her reply. “Seven,” she continued.
Promised? Wyatt looked at his friend and then to Lewis. The officer banged on the glass door, but it didn’t move.
“Six.”
Wyatt took out his phone and clicked on redial. Joe answered. “What’s happening in there, Wyatt?”
“Five.”
“You can’t see?” I thought this guy was the uber-hacker. “I need in, I need in now, don’t talk, just do it.”
“Four.”
“I can’t, Wyatt. I don’t even know where you are. Ford locked me out, he shut off all external access.”
Wyatt turned back and saw his friend grab a large class beaker from a nearby table. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Ford shrugged, “What I have to do,” he said, and took two steps so he was behind Lewis, who was fully focused on Jessica, one hand on the glass door, the other holding his gun out to the side.
Ford raised the beaker and smashed it into Lewis’ head, shattering it and driving pieces of glass into the football star, who screamed as the liquid in the glass splashed across the back of his head. He fell to the floor, blood spurting across the hallway.
Jessica paused her countdown, “Ford, what the hell?” she asked in a relaxed tone.
Wyatt bent over Lewis, and put his hands on the big man’s head in an effort to staunch the flow of blood, but recoiled as the liquid from the vial burned his fingers. The big man didn’t move or respond, smoke rising from his head, blood pooled around him.
Ford stepped past the two of them, and said, “I can’t let you get the virus, not without me.” He picked up the gun Lewis had dropped.
Jessica gave a wicked smile at Ford and turned back to Dr. Nick. “Three,” she said.
“You were at four, four!” yelled Nick.
“Nobody likes a know-it-all, sweetheart. One, last chance.”
“I’ll do it, don’t shoot, please don’t,” he said, and started to weep. He typed a few strokes on the terminal and Wyatt heard several clicks as various locks through the rooms were released.
Ford tried the door, but it didn’t budge. “Jessica, you can’t leave me out of this.” He stepped back, leveled the gun and fired at the door, the bullet leaving behind a spider’s web of cracks. He fired again and then again and the door shattered.
Wyatt expected Jessica to shoot him, but she didn’t, having already moved to open the closest fridge. “Where is it?” she said to Nick.
“Green vial, third fridge to your left,” the man said, his voice hoarse, tears still streaming down his face, and blood
down his leg.
Ford ran into the room, directly for the fridge that Nick had indicated, and was about to put his gun down and open it up when Jessica pointed her gun at him. He looked at the fridge with regret and then at Jessica, leveling his gun at her in turn.
“Oh, the poor one armed man can’t pick up a vial and point a gun at the same time. Are you going to shoot me, Ford? My gun’s cocked, I bet reflex gets you a bullet to your remaining parts, even if you shoot me.” She stepped forward.
Ford took a step to the side and then another towards her, their guns close enough to touch, and “You won’t be pretty anymore if my bullet hits where I’m aiming. What do you say, can we share?” he asked.
Jessica raised an eyebrow and leaned against the counter, her gun still pointed at Ford. She said, “When you put it so sweetly, how could I not?”
Ford didn’t trust her, “Funny, you weren’t so agreeable thirty seconds ago, what’s changed?”
“True, I wasn’t, but you’re here now, and you were outside before,” she replied.
As they talked, Wyatt noticed Dr. Nick attempt to get his attention. When their eyes met, the other man pointedly looked to the left, behind Wyatt. He followed the man’s gaze and saw that a part of the wall had opened.
Wyatt reached the recess in three strides, and looked in to see a small vial, labeled V32. Was this the virus they were looking for? Wyatt looked at it with fear, it was the last thing in the world he wanted to touch. On the other hand, if he left it here, the possible devastation that Jessica and Ford could cause was too much to even consider.
Things were going way too fast for him, he hesitated to take the vial. He looked back to the Doctor and saw that Hannah had managed to ease her way out of the room while the other two were focused on each-other. Hannah whispered, “Let’s go, fast.”
He didn’t respond to her and looked back to Dr. Nick, who mouthed what looked like, “Please.”
“Shit,” said Wyatt. He didn’t like to swear, but this seemed like the ideal moment. Hannah grabbed his arm, but he pulled away looked back to the box. Here’s my good deed for the year, he thought and grabbed the vial. In a low voice, he said to Hannah, “Let’s get out of here.” She didn’t wait for him and took off down the hallway.
