“For the record,” Josephine said. “I got the file myself a week ago.”
Devon smiled and shook his head. This woman was unbelievable, he had to find a way to crush her.
“Then why pay me?” he asked.
“To earn your trust, to entice you to come a little further.”
“What’s the real job then?”
“I’m not so sure you’re the right guy yet.”
“What’s it riding on?”
“It says on your dating profile that you have two majors, but only computer sciences is listed. What’s the other?”
“It’s a secret,” Devon said with a smile.
“Yeah and it’s not in any of the school records.”
“You’re right,” Devon said. “It’s not.”
“You know I could find out if I wanted to.”
“To be honest, I don’t think you could.”
“Why is that?”
“What’s the job?”
“What’s the other major?” she asked, her voice almost angry. This was the first time she had ever lost her cool, detached demeanor.
A weak spot, Devon thought with a smile. “Tell me how you found me,” he said.
“Carlos Castillo.”
Devon accessed his memory banks. That was a job he did for a drug cartel months ago. Looks like he had a phone call to make and a network to crash.
“Don’t you want to know what the other job is?” she asked.
He kept silent. That’s where she was mistaken. It was really of no importance to him. She had given him the only thing keeping him in the game. Now that he knew where the leak had come from he could walk away.
“I need your help,” she whispered finally. “I’m in over my head.”
It was the sudden display of vulnerability that caught his ear. Devon sat up in his chair. “What is it?”
“Unicorp. It’s the pharmaceutical branch. I think I may have done something stupid.”
“Well, that is a big one,” Devon said. Of all the fish in the sea, this woman wanted to go after a damn blue whale. NYU was plankton by comparison. The pharmaceutical branch was guarded like a fortress and with the production of the Enoch Pill they had the money and the political backing to do just about anything.
“Are you afraid?” Josephine asked.
“I’m concerned,” he answered.
“You shouldn’t be. I work there.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that. What is it you want?” Devon asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. He had no intention of going any further. This fish was too big to catch. He’d most likely hang up and delete all record of this conversation from his computer and mind.
“Control of the crow program,” Josephine said.
Devon looked over at his TV, the news footage of the crows flying in their tight formation continued to play. “Why?”
“What would make you say yes?”
“Nothing comes to mind,”
“How much would it take?”
“There’s no amount.”
“I can guarantee we’d succeed.”
“I’m sure you believe that.”
“How much for your assistance then?”
“Money’s not the issue,” Devon said, using the line he learned would make the offer skyrocket.
“Is it power you want then?”
Devon was quiet. Deep down, ever since he was a child he had believed implicitly that he should be the king of the world, because he was smarter than most people and was better than most people. He shook his head and came back to reality. “Breaking through the security is damn near impossible.”
“And if you say so that makes it pretty much impossible for anyone else,” Josephine said.
“That’s right.”
“But you have a person on the inside.”
“That would be an advantage, sure. But it still begs the question as to why you would want control of the crows.”
“Things are gonna change,” Josephine said. “And in this new era the crows are going to be the most powerful thing there is. Money will be irrelevant. Oil is on the way out. Even an entire nuclear arsenal is nothing compared to the Enoch Pill. Overnight it’s become the most powerful form of currency on the planet and no one has seemed to notice. Well, guess what? Without the crows, there can be no beans, without the beans there can be no pills. Whoever owns the crows, owns the world. And I don’t trust the people in control now.”
“Why not?” Devon asked, his attention drawn into the screen.
“I don’t believe they’re good people,” she said, sounding genuinely nervous. “And I think they have evil intentions.”
“How?”
“Here’s the thing, three days off the Enoch Pill will kill a person. Can you believe no one’s been saying that? They take your money and have a fake doctor mascot tell you to take one every day. And no one questions it. It’s like going without drinking water for three days. It would kill you, but who’s going to do that? It’s not even something you give any thought to. But what if the supply chain is broken? What if there’s a bad harvest? What if the people with the power over the crows want to take the world hostage, The truth is, I think that’s been part of the plan all along.”
“Is the three days thing true?”
“It sure is, it’s just not common knowledge.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“Because I’m telling you all this. And if you help me get the crows, I’d be willing to share the power with you.”
“And why share it at all?”
“I told you that Devon, I can’t do it on my own.”
“But why me specifically?” Devon asked.
“Because you’re the best there is.”
“I don’t know,” he said, feigning disinterest. He wanted to hear the words that needed to be said before he took any job.
“Please, there’s no one else that can do it.”
Those were the words. Devon let those words hang in the air.
“Think of all the money you could make,” Josephine added, nervously, afraid she had lost him.
“Money doesn’t interest me.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s the power, like you said.”
“Why?” she asked. Devon could feel the fear in her voice. “Why do you want the power?”
Devon knew the truth of the matter. Because the people who had the power in the world didn’t deserve it. And if you have power, then money is of no use to you. He hated those born into privilege. Those who thought that their birth and everything their daddy and their family had given them made them great. Devon wanted to show them they weren’t better. They were just like everyone else and he could step on their throats and they’d have to beg him for their life. He was the one they needed to be afraid of.
“I want to make the world a better place,” Devon said.
“I want that too.”
13
When Kizzy awoke it was daytime. The midday sun shone through the windows and the birds tweeted outside. She was in a bedroom she didn’t recognize. It felt as if she was in a body she didn’t recognize. Her arm was connected to a monitor and a IV drip. For a long time she just laid there, staring up at the ceiling, warm beneath the blanket, her body aching. She dreamed of sleep and longed for the moment she would feel normal again.
It could have been hours before anyone came into the room or it could have been 5 minutes, she was in one of those dazes.
The floorboards creaked as steps approached. Josephine paused at the door to make sure she was awake.
Kizzy turned her head and tried to smile.
“You saved us last night,” Josephine said, entering the room.
Kizzy nodded and tried to reach for a glass of water.
Josephine raced and grabbed it for her. “Easy does it. Your body’s been through a lot. You threw up this morning. Do you remember that?”
Kizzy laid back and shook her head, still disoriented.
“What you did with the cross last night, I’m still not sure how you did it.”
“I’ve done it before,” Kizzy said. “When you sent me after it. That’s how I killed Morrigan.”
Josephine raised her eyebrows. “You killed him?”
Kizzy nodded.
“Well, that’s a surprise.”
“Should I not have?” Kizzy asked.
Josephine swayed her head back and forth. “It doesn’t matter now. I guess I’m kind of relieved to be honest. He was just… always obsessed with me. He felt as if I… as if we had some sort history together. But I never knew him before the plague. I’m just shocked to hear he’s dead.”
“It was really more of an accident,” Kizzy said.
“It’s water under the bridge,” Josephine said as she felt Kizzy’s forehead. “Do you know what that means?”
Kizzy shook her head.
“It’s nothing but a part of the past. Over and done with.” She tapped on the computer that Kizzy was plugged into. “I’m running some diagnostics on you now, brainwaves, blood work, the whole kit and caboodle. The trace amount of crow DNA that’s connected to yours seems to interact with the hardware on the transmitting USB and with the programming in the crows’ brains. Now normally it’s only meant to interact in that way with the suit that Morrigan had built. And that connection would be less intense and as a result less useful, but also less harmful for the user. But in your case it’s interacting with your entire body, and especially the empathic portion of your brain. You were able to do things, more things at once and more intensely than Morrigan was ever able to. Me on a laptop could do even less. But your body can’t take any more connection with it. It might literally short-circuit your brain. There seems be a whole lot more to you than meets the eye Kizzy... what’s your last name anyway?”
“Cartwright,” said Kizzy leaning up.
“Hmm...” said Josephine, scrunching her nose. “That’s strange...”
“Knock, knock,” said Leo as he tapped on the door frame. He had changed back into a police officer’s uniform, except this one was blue, instead of the standard city gray. Diego stood behind him eagerly peeking into the room.
Kizzy waved them both in.
“Are you alright?” Diego asked, shoving his way past Leo. He knelt down next to the bed and held Kizzy’s hand up against his cheek with a grin.
Kizzy had missed seeing his eyes. “Yeah I’m fine, at least I think I am anyway.”
“What’s the matter with you?” Leo asked, nudging Josephine.
“What’s that?” Josephine asked, becoming alert again.
“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.
Josephine tried to smile and shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”
“How’s the girl doing?” he asked.
“Oh yes, well that crow maneuver nearly gave her a stroke.”
“Oh geez, you gotta take it easy, kid,” said Leo with a smile.
“I will,” Kizzy responded.
“And once you get better you can come with us,” Leo said.
“What?” Josephine asked.
“The constable is a pretty good tracker apparently,” Leo said. “And we might need Kizzy’s help again if we get into another bind.”
“If she does this again it could be lethal,” Josephine said. “Plus, it’s much too dangerous to bring her along.”
“It’s too dangerous to leave her behind,” Leo said, he looked to Kizzy. “What do you want?”
“I’m coming,” Kizzy said.
Josephine shook her head and marched out of the room.
“Just like old times again,” Leo said and followed out after her. “Come on, you know I’m right.”
“I don’t think you should go,” Diego whispered to Kizzy, his eyes full of worry.
“No, I’m going,” Kizzy said flatly. “I’ve decided.”
She and Diego waited silently on the bed for one the adults to let them know what the plan was, but no answer came. They spotted Leo outside across the lawn and under the shade of a walnut tree, smoking a cigarette.
“Hey, where the heck are we anyway?” Kizzy asked.
“It’s Josephine’s old house,” Diego said. “From back before the plague. She said it was the only atomically-powered residence in the state.”
“My aunt Patty,” Kizzy said, suddenly remembering the woman who died at the hands of the mutants the night before. She didn’t know what else to say, she just shook her head and her eyes swelled.
“I know,” Diego said, holding her hand.
“You saw her hit that tree,” Kizzy said. “And the rock…”
“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Kizzy swallowed back the tears. She had to keep moving forward. “Help me get out of here,” she said.
With Diego’s help Kizzy was able to get her legs out of the bed and her feet down to the floor. With a groan she stood, but was immediately exhausted. Her head swayed and before she knew it she was falling over. Diego held her by the arm and Kizzy grabbed the bed frame.
“I’ve got this,” she said. “I have to do it on my own.”
With great effort, as if her legs weighed a thousand pounds each, she moved across the floor.
She collapsed onto a chair on the other side of the room.
“Are you sure you got this?” Diego asked.
She nodded. “You don’t have to watch me you know.”
“Hint taken,” he said with a pained smile and left.
“Sorry,” she shouted out into the hallway, unsure if he heard her at all. She sighed.
Walking was the first order of business. She set goals for herself: the bed, the dresser on the far side of the room, the bathroom across the hall. As she hauled herself down the hallway, she passed by Josephine’s lab and rested her body against the wall. She looked back to see how far she had come and through the open door of the lab she caught Josephine staring at her, a suspicious look on her face. Instantly, the woman looked down. Kizzy was confused. Why would Josephine be staring at her like that?
By the end of the day, Kizzy was moving freely about the house, but was still left fatigued by just crossing a room.
Josephine hadn’t come out of her lab the entire day until it was time to prepare dinner. She was running tests on the mutant finger she had taken from the busted-up police vehicle.
Everyone gathered in the kitchen for dinner and Josephine shared the news of her findings.
“It looks like the process that caused the mutation can be reversed,” she announced proudly.
“How can you tell?” Leo asked.
“It does no damage to the host’s cells, the way that, say, freezing would do. This acts more like a cancer that grows all around and among the human cells.”
“Really?” said Leo surprised. “Cancer. I can’t believe it.”
Kizzy and Diego sat quiet on the other side of the table, completely lost.
“Cancer was a really shitty disease that killed a lot of people back before the plague,” Leo said.
“Ah, okay,” Kizzy said.
“Do you know how to reverse it?” Leo asked.
“Me? No. That’s a question for Uncle,” Josephine said. “Added to the long list of questions we already have for Uncle. But we have a savior,” Josephine smiled and raised her glass to Kizzy. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “No matter what happens we’re going to be okay.”
Kizzy forced a smiled and looked down at her plate.
Leo had cooked up some canned goods and added a side of edible leaves he had found growing outside. Josephine had also prepared a walnut salad that Kizzy hadn’t eat any of.
“What’s a matter Kizzy?” Josephine asked. “Don’t you like walnuts?”
“Oh I’m sorry,” Kizzy said. “I’m sure they’re good, it’s just that I’m allergic to them.”
She looked up across the table and saw the same suspicious gaze coming from Josephine. What was her problem?
“Don’t worry a
bout that,” Leo said. “I’m allergic to them too.”
Josephine looked down and didn’t say a word the rest of the meal.
“Well that was oddly unsatisfying,” Leo said, as he wiped his mouth and stood up. “Maybe we should make a quick check of the perimeter.”
Diego nodded and got up as well.
Kizzy was about to join them when Josephine grabbed her by the arm.
“That might not be the best idea,” she said.
“Why?” Kizzy asked.
“For some reason the mutants seemed to be attracted to you,” she said to Kizzy, a stern tone to her voice. “And it has something to do with sound. I’m not sure how it works, but I recommended you stay inside.”
Josephine took the dishes from the table and brought them to be washed in the kitchen. Kizzy silently glared at the woman. What was her issue? She decided to meet the problem head on. She got up and stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Josephine was at the sink. She didn’t even seem to notice Kizzy standing there.
“Have I done something to upset you?” Kizzy asked.
“What?” Josephine responded, as if the question had caught her by surprise. “No. Not at all.”
“Are you sure?” Kizzy asked. She was going to get to the bottom of this before leaving.
“Kizzy, you haven’t done a thing.”
Kizzy sighed. “It seems like you have something against me.”
“Well, that’s totally not the case. You heard what nice things I said about you at dinner. You’re our savior, I mean that.”
“I want to be honest with you Josephine,” Kizzy said. This seemed as good a time as any to bring up the big issue. Josephine stopped what she was doing and listened. “I don’t want to be a savior. I don’t want to be a mother, at all.”
Josephine went stiff. Was she angry or shocked?
“And if getting to Uncle means that I don’t have to, then I’m definitely coming with you, to help in whatever way I can.”
“What made you decide all this?” Josephine asked.
“Nothing specifically, I’ve just felt like this for a while now.”
“Let’s just think about this first. You have nothing to compare it to, right?”
“I don’t need to compare it to anything,” Kizzy said. “I don’t want it.”
“But you said there’s no specific reason. If there’s no specific reason for a feeling, then you really can’t trust that feeling, can you?
The Enoch Plague (The Enoch Pill Book 2) Page 14
