Avalon’s mind struggled to keep up with the information. Yet, she decided to keep peppering him with questions, desperately trying to delay the inevitable.
“So, that is why you chose the Compatios. They were the easiest targets?”
“Aren’t you the smart one,” he said rolling his eyes. She couldn’t help but notice how dark and rodent like they were behind his glasses. It was true what her father said. She could trust no one.
“Is the President in on this too?” Avalon asked.
At this, Viggo laughed.
“That idiot would never go along with my plans. He is too principled. He would rather we all die together than some of us survive and live.”
This bit of news blindsided Avalon. She always presumed that the President was the one ultimately behind everything. If the President wasn’t behind this, then someone close to him must have been.
“Well, if not the President, who?”
“Those smarter than the President. Those able to help him choose the best path.”
“You mean to lie to him?”
“Yes. If you must use such terminology. It is the only way he would go through with what he is about to do.”
What he is about to do. What is he about to do? Avalon thought, but decided to ask another question. “What about the Council?”
“You sure have a lot of questions,” Viggo said. “The Council are all part of my first successful attempt at radiation proof humans.”
“But they all look so similar,” Avalon said.
“Well, if by similar you mean they all have no body hair that was one of the side effects of the experiment.” Then his nose crinkled. “Unfortunately, I was unable to secure a female who could survive the process.”
Avalon wanted to call him all kinds of names, but at the same time, she wanted to extract the most information she possibly could from him. Although, if she died, she didn’t know how it would be of much help.
“What is Code BK Max? If you’re going to kill us, we at least need to know what we are dying for.” Avalon asked.
“Now we are headed in the right direction, asking the right questions,” Viggo said with a sickeningly arrogant smile. “Code BK Max refers to going outside. A few months ago, I asked a brave young man to venture outside on a recon mission.”
“What happened?”
“Something terrible happened to him. He was not supposed to be allowed to return to the habitat because he had been exposed to too much radiation. However, the AI somehow malfunctioned and allowed him to enter.”
Avalon continued to struggle in vain with the restraints. She wished someone knew where they were and would come to save them. But no one would think to look for them in Viggo’s lab. Why should they? Avalon decided to ask another question. “Well, where is he now? Is he Ok?”
“I appreciate how you are trying desperately to bide your time by asking all of these questions. It would work too, if my plans weren’t absolutely perfect.”
Avalon gritted her teeth.
Viggo continued. “I will indulge since all we have is time. We shut off all the rooms except one where we quarantined him. After just six hours, he was declared dead from radiation poisoning.”
Avalon knew it was a stupid question but she asked it anyway. “Are you certain he was dead?”
Viggo laughed. “Yes. He was dead. Why do you ask?”
Avalon remembered the muddy footprints in her room, and Michelle’s body.
Avalon ignored his question as she remembered what Dexter said to her in her ‘dream’ that night.
Viggo chuckled. “Go ahead and ask me. I see a question written all over your face and lips.”
Avalon didn’t want to placate Viggo anymore, but she did have one major question left. “What exactly do you plan to do with me?”
“As I said before, I do not wish to harm you.”
Confusion rose in Avalon as blood rushed and congealed in her veins, but she recognized her limitations while in restraints.
“You are very special,” Viggo said. “The funny thing is you don’t even know it. You believe that your pod was opened by accident. A result of an electrical error. But that is what I wanted you to believe.”
Avalon’s eyes widened.
“Yes, my dear. It was I. I opened your pod early because the AI assured me that a female in this habitat was already immune to high levels of radiation. That she was the missing piece.”
“Why would you do such a thing? I could have died!” Avalon spat.
“You could have died, but you didn’t, because I knew Ilium was there and would discover you in time. I also knew all about his little blood sampling project. Unfortunately, he did not sample your blood immediately upon waking.” Viggo said rolling his eyes. “I guess he was too struck by your beauty.”
“Then how do you know for certain that I am immune to radiation if you didn’t obtain a blood sample?” Avalon asked.
“Because I pumped your room with increasing levels of radioactive air at night. Shut off the other air vents to direct it to just your room. You showed absolutely no deleterious effects. It was absolutely remarkable.”
“It was absolutely crazy!” Avalon screamed. “And you have gone crazy!”
“No need to make all that fuss. Unless you want to wake your little boyfriend.” Viggo answered.
Avalon scrutinized the room behind Viggo’s face. On a long metallic table sat three plastic tubes full of blood. She didn’t fully notice the bandage on her upper arm until he mentioned sample. Her head still reeled from being hit over the head with a pistol.
“You have no right…None at all,” Avalon hissed as she began to feel woozy again. You are supposed to eat something after donating that much blood.
“That may be true. But equally true is the fact that you are what I have been searching for ever since I entered this place. You will be the wellspring from which humanity will survive.”
Avalon’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?” Avalon asked hesitantly, trying to conceal the nervousness racing through her body.
“You know what I mean my dear,” Viggo said as one half of his lips curled up. Avalon shuddered at the sight. Viggo laid one of his cold clammy hands on top of her upper arm.
Her gaze fixed on Ilium. How on earth am I going to get us out of this mess?
Chapter Nineteen
Viggo walked away from Avalon for a moment and grabbed a water bottle from a table beside him. After taking a sip of water, he continued, “Do you know why everyone isn’t currently awake in this habitat?”
“I am tired of playing these stupid games with you. If you are going to kill me or whatever, go ahead and do it,” Avalon said.
“My dear. You have the wrong idea. I have no intentions of killing you.”
Again, Avalon’s mind raced and she did not like where her thoughts were headed. He had mentioned several times that he did not want to harm her, but he would anyways. Yet, now he said he did not plan to kill her. So what was he planning to do?
“Because the President wanted to only wake up a certain amount of people at a time. That way, he could maintain order,” Avalon answered.
Viggo smirked. “That is what he was told. But it doesn’t mean it is the truth.”
Avalon licked her lips. “What do you mean?”
“Five thousand people are in this habitat,” he said stating the obvious. “But not all of them deserve to live.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Only the strongest and fittest deserve to live and survive. Those who come from backgrounds which historically have been deemed undesirable…well…”
“You wouldn’t!” Avalon shouted.
His words slammed into her like a freight train. Her head throbbed. The cryofluid. This freak in front of me was one of the people tasked with ensuring we were put to sleep properly. The silvery fluid we all swam in which was meant to sustain life…
“I would and I did. The others will
never awake,” Viggo finished.
Avalon’s whole body went numb.
“You sick—” Avalon began.
“Oh my dear, that is just the half of it. I think you will enjoy seeing the completion of my brilliant plans,” Viggo said.
This has to be some kind of nightmare from which I will awake soon, she prayed.
A wallscreen lit up beside them. Immediately, clips of a video played of Ilium administering the inoculation shots to everyone as soon as they woke up. At the end of the clip, the President appeared sitting behind his large desk. “My friends, I hate to interrupt your important tasks to relay some troubling news. The very man you entrusted your very lives with, Ilium, has been quietly poisoning select individuals.”
People in their workstations across the habitat gasped.
“That is right,” the President continued. He is the direct cause of at least five lives which have been lost in this habitat. The exact number is still in question.”
The President paused for effect as the blood drained from the faces of his people. Others screamed, as others cried.
Ilium shook his head from side to side, as consciousness finally returned to him. Avalon tightened her grip on her chair, trying with all her might to break free, to no avail.
“Trying to leave before the show ends, I see?” Viggo said.
Avalon leaned forward, bearing her teeth like an animal about to attack.
“Such beautiful teeth. It would be a shame to lose them,” Viggo threatened.
Avalon sat back in her chair. Ilium continued to wake up and finally asked, “Where are we?”
“Welcome to the party mi amigo,” Viggo said in a somewhat less demanding voice after leaving the President’s chamber.
“What…what am I doing here?” Ilium asked. His head swirled as he tried to orient himself to the situation. Avalon was tied up to a chair, and when he struggled to move his arms, he realized his arms were tied down as well. His chest tightened with fear.
“You are being held here for killing five inhabitants via your inoculation shots,” Viggo calmly stated.
“What? I did no such thing!” Ilium shouted, trying to break free of his arm ties.
“Are you trying to leave too? You two are so rude. No wonder you make the perfect couple.”
“Shut up!” Avalon yelled.
The President continued talking on the wallscreen. “This is not Ilium’s first strike. Along with the other two strikes he has incurred, this means that Ilium has three strikes.”
A loud cheer erupted throughout the habitat.
“The Council and I met in an emergency meeting to discuss the urgency and hideousness of these strikes. It was determined, via unanimous vote, that Ilium will not be tried by his peers, but instead would be tried by the Council. He was found guilty by the Council.”
People continued to gasp as the President surveyed the crowds gathered around the multitude of wallscreens.
“By virtue of the power vested in me, I pronounce sentence of expulsion from the habitat for Ilium,” the President continued.
The wallscreen broadcast ended, and roars continued to erupt throughout the habitat. Inhabitants screamed about Ilium, calling him a traitor, a murderer, and a liar.
That’s when it hit Avalon. Viggo wasn’t going to hurt her physically. Of course not. He needed her. He was going to hurt her by hurting Ilium.
“You can’t do this!” Avalon and Ilium yelled at Viggo.
“I can, and I have,” he answered smugly.
A guardsman entered the room, one of those that Avalon had knocked out with the baton earlier. He untied Ilium’s feet, but held his arms.
“You have really done it. Now, you are going outside to die. And all because you listened to this dumb girl,” the guardsman spat.
“No!” Avalon yelled and jerked violently against her restraints.
“Good thing this room is sound proof,” Viggo said with a look to the guardsman.
The guardsman punched Ilium in the stomach. Ilium yelled out in pain.
“Every time your girlfriend opens her mouth, you will be punched.”
Avalon shut her mouth as Ilium grimaced. Avalon’s heart sunk as the guard escorted Ilium out of the room, leaving Avalon alone with Viggo.
Chapter Twenty
Skylar and Xin’s eyes grew wide with disbelief as they listened to the President’s address on the wallscreen in stunned silence.
“I can’t believe that Ilium would do such a thing,” Skylar said.
“Me either,” Xin said.
“But then again. He was hanging around Avalon a lot. I never did trust her,” Skylar said.
“Stop it,” Xin said.
“Stop what?” Skylar asked, lips poked out.
“Stop being jealous of that girl. She has done nothing to you. Except make the mistake of being nice.”
Skylar’s mouth fell open. “Surely you don’t mean that?”
Xin didn’t say anything for a few minutes.
“All you have done is look at Ilium and Kael. You were too blind to see that someone liked you for who you are already.”
“I won’t listen to anymore,” Skylar said backing away.
“Yes, you will,” he barked. “Something is wrong. I can’t find Avalon and I also can’t find Brody.”
“That sounds like your problem. Track them if you are so concerned.”
“That’s just it. Avalon’s smartwatch isn’t picking up, and Brody’s is…”
“Brody’s is what?”
“He was showing up as in the infirmary.”
“Yeah, that’s where he was last,” Skylar said with her arms folded over her chest.
“But now he isn’t there. He isn’t showing up anywhere.”
Ilium was marched through the hallways as people jeered and shouted at him with disgust. Ilium did not hold it against them, however, as he knew they had been misled. The march through the corridor was deliberate, meant to humiliate him and break him down.
Everyone watched on wallscreens as Ilium entered a room where he was fitted into a radiation suit. Ilium tried to appear brave, for Avalon’s sake. His face was covered by a full face mask, and he was fitted with a very large cylinder of filtered and compressed air to be carried on his back.
“You are ordered out of the habitat by decree of the President. May you find peace on the other side,” the guardsman said.
Ilium often wondered why and how the guardsman could blindly follow the President’s commands. And then, he remembered, they were paid the Accipio rates in credits. Money always did have power. Even in the world after impact.
A countdown to open the airlock began.
Ten…..
Nine…..
Eight….
Seven….
Six……
Five….
As his life flashed before his eyes, he contemplated his home life. Or lack thereof. He was raised in an orphanage. However, he was made of strong stock, and due to his intelligence, earned a spot in the habitat.
Four….
Then he thought about how he went to the same high school as Avalon, but she had never noticed him because he was afraid to take a risk and say hello. How she still had not recognized him when she woke up and after all of the time they spent together. The way her hair flowed down her shoulders when she took it out of the ponytail. The way her smile lit up the room and made his heart beat faster while his stomach flipped. Of all the time they could have had together, as friends or more than friends, if he had more time.
Three….
He thought about how she was always the smartest person in the room. How beautiful she was. What is that crazy psychopath going to do to her? But it was too late. He was in the airlock. He could not help her from here.
Two….
He thought about the patients who might not receive the cure in time, or at all. The horrible fates they would suffer.
One…..
Ilium tried to regulate his breathing as he th
ought about what he might see when he stepped outside of the habitat for the first time. Would there be anything left at all? Any ruins?
He would make history as being the first person to see Earth in a hundred years. It was a record he could do without, but a record none the less. At least something good may come of his death.
Ilium’s lips formed a straight line. The airlock door opened, evidenced by the grinding noise of metal gears twisting and he was blinded by the flood of sudden light as he held up his hand to shield his eyes.
Avalon was growing tired of listening to Viggo regale her with how much of a genius he was when she jerked at the sound of a knock on the door.
Maybe whoever that is can save me. Avalon breathed a sigh of relief as her heart leapt.
Grabbing a syringe sure to be loaded with something nasty, Viggo looked at a security camera view, and after a slight pause, let the person inside.
“What brings you here today? Are you here to see the fulfillment of my plan in person?” Viggo asked.
“Yes,” the figure said as it entered the room.
Avalon’s head spun. She knew that voice anywhere. It was Kael. Of course, he is on it! The formula was found in his smartwatch after all. Blinded by his charm, I wanted to believe it was his father so badly.
“Excellent,” Viggo answered. “I was just about to give Avalon something. But now that you are here, I think it would be better if you administered the shot.”
“I think that is a good idea,” Kael answered.
Viggo handed Kael the gleaming needle. Kael tapped out the air bubble and walked over to where Avalon sat squirming in her chair. Her eyes widened with fear and she screamed through the duct tape covering her mouth. Terror rose within her chest as she stared at the needle. Her life was going to end today. Right here in this terrible little room, stuck to this chair. All of the effort she and her father took to ensure her a spot in the habitat so she could live was about to be in vain. She would never see Ilium again, or be held by his caring arms.
After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 Page 14
