The Complete Makanza Series: Books 0-4

by Krista Street

  Her plump matronly build hadn’t changed since I’d last seen her. She felt soft and round in my arms. I felt everyone’s eyes on us. It didn’t stop my tears of joy. “It’s good to see you too. What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t arriving until this afternoon?”

  She pulled back just enough to look me over. “I couldn’t wait any longer. I decided to come early. Now, where’s this drug you told me about? I hear I’m going to be the first guinea pig.” Her brown eyes shone with excitement. “Ever since you told me about the cure, I’ve been waiting rather impatiently for it.”

  Given Dorothy’s past behavior, I wasn’t surprised by her enthusiasm. Dorothy had strain 8, which meant she had pounds of brown fat that would never disappear regardless of how much she exercised or how little she ate. However, it also meant she’d never die from starvation. She could go for months without eating or drinking and still stay alive.

  Before I could respond to Dorothy’s question, Monica stepped forward.

  I tensed.

  “Come with me, Dorothy.” Monica waved the Kazzie toward the door. “We have everything ready for you in the Experimental Room.”

  Dorothy stiffened. “The Experimental Room?” Her voice sounded small.

  The rest of the researchers were already heading toward the door so hadn’t heard her question, but Dorothy hung back.

  Monica didn’t seem to realize that the Kazzie wasn’t following her.

  “Wait!” I yelled at the retreating scientists.

  All of them stopped. Monica’s hand was on the door to leave the lab when she turned to glare at me. “Yes, Dr. Forester?”

  I glanced at Dorothy’s terrified expression. “Why do we need to administer the drug in the Experimental Room? Why can’t we do it here?”

  Contempt dripped from Monica’s words when she replied, “Protocol dictates we administer the drug there. Now, do you want to take the drug or not, Dorothy?” Monica’s unsympathetic gaze turned to the Kazzie.

  Dorothy stood up straighter. “Of course, I do.”

  “Then follow us. The drug will be administered in the Experimental Room as planned.” Monica stormed out the door.

  Amy glared after her.

  Dorothy shuffled her feet uncertainly. “I suppose that’s decided then. Should we follow her?”

  I seethed inwardly that Monica was now treating Dorothy as poorly as me. Trying to swallow my anger, I replied tightly, “I suppose.”

  Amy, Dorothy, and I all marched toward the Inner Sanctum. Similar to Compound 26, the Inner Sanctum consisted of twenty cells that formed a circle around the Experimental Room. The Experimental Room was the epicenter of the Kazzie wing.

  “I never thought I’d come back here,” Dorothy joked. She waddled down the hall as we approached the first cell, her arm brushing mine.

  Despite her lighthearted words, I still caught the edge in them. I squeezed her hand. “You can back out at any time. Remember that.”

  Dorothy managed a faint smile. “I didn’t come all the way out here to back out.”

  By the time we reached the Inner Sanctum, most of the scientists had convened in the watch room that overlooked the Experimental Room. It was almost identical to Compound 26’s.

  A huge control panel sat in front of the large glass window that overlooked the four beds within. Large robotic arms hung over each bed. I remembered all too well what it was like to be placed on one of those beds.

  When I’d been exposed to Makanza and had become sick, I’d lived in the Inner Sanctum within Compound 26. Samples had been taken from me in a bed very similar to the ones before me. I shuddered remembering what that experience had been like—those spidery, robotic arms swishing and swaying above had haunted me for weeks.

  I stepped closer to Dorothy. “I’ll come in with you.”

  Dorothy nodded tightly. “Please do.”

  The door opened with a hiss. My hands balled into fists that we were making Dorothy do this, in this room. The drug we’d been working on was an injection.

  A simple injection.

  There was no reason that it couldn’t be done in an office or in the lab, despite Compound 3’s protocols. Even though the full course of treatment required a dozen injections spread out over several weeks, it was still easy to administer. There was no need for all this hoopla.

  “Please seat yourself on bed two.” Monica’s voice rang through the speakers. She sat at the control panel. The technicians who formerly manned it were nowhere to be seen.

  “I can administer the drug.” I turned to face Monica. “You don’t need to use the robots.”

  Just then, the staff door cracked opened in the corner of the watch room. Giselle slipped inside. She moved as stealthily as a panther and blended into the back of the room. I’d have never known she was there if I hadn’t been facing the door directly.

  Monica carried on, oblivious to our newcomer. “Protocol dictates all medication administered within the Experimental Room be delivered by the robots. If you have a problem with that, you may bring it up with Dr. Dornhoff. Now, do you wish to proceed, Dorothy?”

  Dorothy squeezed my hand from where she lay on the bed. “It’s all right, Meghan. I don’t want to cause any problems.”

  The only thing that made me step away from Dorothy was the quiet plea in her voice. I knew she wanted a cure as desperately as Bethany.

  Regardless, it didn’t make it easier when the robots descended. Dorothy squeezed her eyes tightly shut as her whole body turned rigid. It was sickening to watch. For years, the Kazzies had been subjected to practices like this. Practices against their will.

  Thankfully, it was over quickly. The robots injected Dorothy with the first drug treatment. Her breath hissed in when the drug entered her muscle. It probably burned painfully since it was such a potent, concentrated dose.

  When finished, the robots placed a bandage precisely over the small puncture site before freezing above her like a suspended octopus.

  Dorothy opened her eyes. “Is it over?”

  I rushed to her side to help her off the bed. “Yes, it’s over for now. Your next injection will be in two days.”

  “They said I’ll need to stay in the Inner Sanctum while I participate in this drug trial.”

  I nodded sadly. “We need to monitor you. But remember, you’re not a prisoner here. You may leave at any time, and if you decide you no longer want to participate in this trial, you don’t have to.”

  Dorothy’s brown eyes warmed as she squeezed my hand. “I know, Meghan. I’m free now because of you. And in a few weeks, I won’t have Makanza anymore.”

  She sounded so convinced in the cure.

  I could only hope she was right.

  19 – DRUG TRIALS

  Word soon spread that we’d begun drug trials. It seemed every day more Kazzies arrived at Compound 3. All twenty cells in the Inner Sanctum quickly filled—some even held two Kazzies. However, it would still be weeks before we would know if the cure was effective.

  When I strode into Compound 3 on Friday morning, concluding my third week in California, my eyes widened when I saw who stood in the main lobby.

  His broad-shouldered frame had already captivated the receptionists’ interest. Two of them were blatantly trying to capture his attention. Between their demure grins and batting eyelashes, they were practically falling over their feet for him.

  Ian Gallager rested a muscled forearm against the desk as he chatted easily with them. He still had the same red curls and a scruffy beard. In jeans and a button-up shirt, he looked just as I remembered him.

  Handsome. Strong. And uniquely charming.

  I grinned when I approached him. “Ian, what are you doing here?”

  Light blue eyes crinkled in the corners when they alighted upon me. He straightened and took a step my way. “I heard you were working here.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

  “I’ve been roped into organizing the drug trials. With so many Kaz
zies wanting to partake, they needed somebody to oversee its management. I’m the lucky winner.”

  My mouth dropped. “So does that mean you’re working here now?”

  “For the time being, yes.”

  I wonder what Davin will think of that. The Kazzie still had no idea that Ian had previously wanted to date me. I’d turned Ian down. Despite genuinely liking Ian and caring for him, he didn’t make my heart race or cause that fluttery feeling in my stomach, not like Davin did.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the secretaries enviously looking on. One was leaning so far forward, I was worried she’d topple out of her chair.

  Giving them wan smiles, my heart rate ticked up at the attention Ian and I were drawing. I nodded toward the back corridors and said, “Should I show you around?”

  His dimple appeared when he grinned. “Lead the way.”

  I led him through the maze of corridors behind the reception area. Even though Compound 3 was similar to Washington’s Compounds, they weren’t identical. Ian could easily lose his way until he grew accustomed to the layout here.

  “I hear there are over twenty Kazzies participating in the trials.” His large feet tapped on the concrete floors as we zigzagged through the halls.

  I nodded. “That’s right. Dorothy’s getting her fourth injection tomorrow. The rest are all in various stages behind her.”

  Ian’s cedar scent fluttered to me in a draft. A large vent hummed overhead.

  His head dipped toward mine when he said, “As of now, there are seventy more Kazzies who signed up to participate. We’re planning to open Compounds 1 and 2 to accommodate them as well as Nevada’s Compound.”

  “That many?”

  He nodded. “It seems a large percentage of Kazzies don’t want to stay infected.”

  “Has someone explained to them they’ll be housed in the Inner Sanctums during the trials? And more importantly, do they all understand why?” I stopped walking as I remembered Dorothy’s panicked expression when she’d arrived. Nobody had thought to explain to her how the trials worked. She’d been caught unaware and had to learn the hard way. “Because the Inner Sanctum was their prison for so many years, as you know, but should any of them have a severe reaction, they’ll have the best medical care on hand. That’s why they need to stay here. Not to mention, we can monitor them twenty-four hours a day which helps progress our research. Still, I hate that they’re once again held within these concrete cells.”

  I twisted my hands as Ian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know, Meg. I know. That’s one of the reasons they hired me. I’ll go through all of those details with each participant individually.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. And I’m glad it’s you. I know you’ll treat them well.”

  Ian dropped his hand and nodded. “You can count on that. Now,” he said, nodding down the hall. “Do you want to lead me to the Inner Sanctum? My first task today is to meet every Kazzie here.”

  I smiled gratefully and began walking again. “Yes. Follow me.”

  IAN AND I spent the morning together. I introduced him to the Kazzies who were currently participating in the drug trials. Most of them I’d only met in the previous weeks. However, Dorothy wasn’t the only one from Compound 26.

  Garrett occupied cell nine. Since he had strain 19, his eyes were as large as eggs, and his brow was unnaturally thick and protruded. He had only just begun the trial, but it wasn’t going well for him. He was only two injections in and had been screaming in pain for the past three days.

  Ian grimaced when we stepped into cell nine’s watch room. Garrett was visible in the corner of the cell. He cradled his head in his hands. Loud moans came through the watch room speakers. He didn’t seem to know we were there.

  An image of Davin sitting like that, in the corner of a cell, writhing in pain flashed through my mind. It wasn’t the first time I’d thought about what Davin would experience if he entered the trials. So far, I hadn’t brought up the subject with him. I was too terrified of how the drug would affect him. But more than that, I only wanted Davin to enter the trials if he chose to.

  The guard stationed in Garrett’s watch room swiveled around in her stool. The loud squeak from her chair, intermixing with Garrett’s wails, made me wince.

  Crossing her arms, the guard shook her head. “He’s suffering again.”

  I swallowed tightly. “Yeah, he looks like he’s really hurting.”

  The guard frowned. “They’ve tried everything. Narcotics, numbing cream, anti-anxiety medications, heat, ice, you name it, but none of it works.”

  “None of it?” Ian’s brow furrowed.

  I shook my head, my expression grim. “It was the same when he Changed the first time. They couldn’t help him then either.”

  Ian raised his eyebrows so I explained further.

  “When he’d contracted Makanza, strain 19 enlarged his skull to accommodate his egg-shaped eyes. The bones around his eyes Changed as did his actual eyeballs. It was a slow process. And now, the cure reverses that. It’s the same process all over again, except this time, it’s backward.” I frowned. “We knew this was a risk going in, that the reversal could be just as painful, and unfortunately, that seems to be exactly what’s happening.”

  “How slow will this process be?” Ian asked.

  “We’re assuming it will take several weeks, since that’s how long it took for him to Change.” I stepped closer to the watch room glass.

  Garrett had fallen to his side and was rolling back and forth on the floor.

  My stomach sank. “Susan’s right.” I nodded toward Susan, Garrett’s guard. “We’ve tried everything, but no amount of morphine or fentanyl will control his pain. Most days, he lies on his bed, cradling his head and alternates between screaming and whimpering.”

  Garrett sat back up again. At that moment, he lifted his head. Our gazes connected.

  He gave me a pleading look. “Please!” His word came out in a wail. “Please, Meghan. Help me!”

  My insides chilled at the agony in his voice.

  I turned to Susan. “Will you call the Experimental Room techs? See if we can sedate him for a few hours, just to give him some relief.”

  Susan nodded and picked up the phone.

  I stepped over to the control panel and leaned into the microphone. Pushing the button, I said, “I know you’re in severe pain, Garrett. We can sedate you for a few hours if you’d like.”

  His large, egg-shaped eyes shimmered with tears. All he managed was a slight nod before he winced again and returned to moaning.

  Ian and I stayed in Garrett’s watch room until the lab techs arrived. They helped Garrett to the Experimental Room where he’d be sedated and monitored.

  As we stepped out of the watch room, Ian raised an eyebrow. “Why not keep him sedated the entire time? Surely anything’s better than what he’s experiencing.”

  I shook my head regretfully. “It’s too dangerous. We’d have to use powerful anesthetics to keep him under which compromises his breathing even if he’s intubated. If he’s under for too long, it’s possible he won’t wake up.”

  Ian sighed. “I had no idea a cure would make them suffer.”

  I held my hand up to the scanner when we reached the next access door. “They’re all experiencing side effects, but it’s not excruciatingly painful for everyone. While every Change, and likewise its reversal, has some degree of pain, not all are unbearable.”

  We stepped into the hallway outside cell ten. The floor to ceiling windows showed the bustling activity within.

  Dorothy’s eyes shone with excitement as two lab techs escorted her out of cell ten’s back panel. When the back panel door slid open, she grinned and waved at me before following the technicians.

  I lifted my hand in farewell as she waddled through the panel. The door slid closed behind her.

  Turning to Ian, I nodded toward where Dorothy had gone. “Dorothy’s on her fifth injection today. Tomorrow’s her sixth. She�
��ll be officially halfway through treatment.”

  Ian put his hands on his hips. “And the results so far?”

  A smile spread across my face. “So far, the drug seems to be working. She’s still overweight, but the PET scans show a 40% reduction in brown fat. Her DNA also appears to be Changing. However, it’s too soon to tell if it will be 100% effective.”

  “That seems promising.”

  “It is. We withheld water from her for the entire day yesterday. Near the end of the day, she complained of feeling slightly thirsty. That’s a promising sign. Before, she never felt thirst.”