SIck

by Brett Battles

  Ash touched the bandage that covered his nose. He’d almost forgotten about the surgery. “She’s right,” he said. “I wouldn’t even want to look at me.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean that,” Janice said, then turned away. “Chloe, you are as beautiful as ever.”

  The women hugged.

  “Come, come,” Mike said. “We’ve got a fire inside.”

  Mike ushered them indoors and led them into a living room.

  “Would anyone like coffee?” Janice asked. She looked at Ash. “I can guarantee you this pot is completely harmless.”

  “Are you Olivia?” he asked.

  “Me? God, no. I’m Janice.”

  “Sit,” Mike said. “She’ll bring us coffee.”

  Ash remained on his feet. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m not here for coffee or small talk. I’m here for someone named Olivia. Matt said she’d be here.”

  Mike and Janice shared a look, then Mike said, “She is.”

  “Then I’d like to talk to her now.”

  Mike’s smile disappeared. He nodded. “Of course. This way.”

  He crossed the living room and entered a small hallway near the back corner. As Ash followed, he realized Chloe was behind him.

  “Just me,” he told her.

  “I’m coming, too.”

  “This isn’t your business. It’s mine.”

  “I’m coming, too,” she repeated.

  He stared at her for a moment, then said, “The second you get in my way, you’re out.”

  They found Mike standing halfway down the hallway, in front of an open door.

  “Inside,” he said.

  They crossed the threshold into what turned out to be a large bathroom.

  Ash looked at Mike, confused. “We’re in here because…?”

  “You’ve been allowed to come to the Bluff only because Matt trusts you. He thinks you might be able to help us someday. If that trust is misplaced, and you try to betray us, you won’t last very long. I’m not threatening you, I’m just telling you. So before we go any further, I need to know if he’s wrong about you.”

  Ash took a moment, then said, “Matt and the rest of you saved my life. And you’ve all been very generous in helping me try to find my children. I have no intention of ever telling anyone about him or his ranch or even your little house here. But if you do try to block me from getting my kids, all bets are off.”

  “Good. Then there’s no misunderstanding between us,” Mike said.

  He stepped over to a closet with accordion-style doors and opened them. Inside, there was nothing earth-shattering or unusual, just a washer and dryer and a stack of towels. Mike reached behind the washer and touched something. There was a subtle click. Then, with a simple, one-handed push, the dryer moved to the side, and a section of the wall behind it slid open. Mike motioned for Ash and Chloe to pass through.

  The space beyond was dark and not particularly large. As soon as Mike joined them, the wall slid shut. The moment it was fully closed, a light came on, and the small room they were in began moving downward.

  An elevator.

  There might have been more than a little bit of crazy in these people, but they were certainly well funded, Ash thought.

  The car continued downward for much longer than he’d expected. When it finally came to a stop, the door opened onto a brightly lit room. There were two men standing just inside, both armed.

  “Please step out of the elevator and raise your arms to shoulder height,” one of the men said, demonstrating what he wanted them to do.

  Ash was surprised to see that he and Chloe weren’t the only ones who needed to follow the instructions. Mike, too, had his arms out, as he let one of the men first use a metal detecting wand on him, then pat him down.

  When they were all through, the man who’d spoken originally said, “Follow me.”

  The door on the other side of the room buzzed and he pushed it open. They then entered a long, wide corridor that was as brightly lit as the space they’d just left. About twenty feet from the door was a see-through wall of either glass or Plexi, dividing the area in two. There was a very elaborate-looking security door inset on the right-hand side of the wall.

  Prior to this divider, there was a room off to the side that also had a clear wall along the front. Inside, Ash could see at least five more men. Two were standing right at the wall, looking out. Like the guys who’d been waiting outside the elevator, they were armed. The other three were sitting at desks looking at screens, their faces lit by their computers.

  The guide led Ash, Chloe, and Mike over to this wall, then said, “Adam Cooper and Chloe White cleared for entrance.”

  “Cleared for entrance,” one of the men inside repeated, his voice coming out of a speaker somewhere nearby.

  The elaborate security door on the large divider began to hum as locks disengaged. Finally, there was a slight sucking sound before it swung open toward them.

  “Through here,” the guide said, leading them to the other side.

  There were twenty doors in the back half of the corridor, ten on each side, paired in twos. Down the center of the space were three more armed men, walking back and forth as if they were protecting something.

  “What is this place?” Ash asked Mike.

  “I’m sorry,” the guide said. “No talking here, please.”

  Frustrated, Ash fell silent as they continued down the hallway.

  The pair of doors their guide finally stopped in front of was the second to last on the left side. He opened an eye-level panel on the left door, looked through it, then closed it again. He gave Mike a nod, then opened the door on the right.

  This time it was Mike who took the lead, with their guide staying outside.

  As if the whole facility wasn’t odd already, this new room was even stranger. The first part was a narrow passageway that took a jog to the right, then turned back to the left before opening into a wide space with five comfortable chairs sitting side by side. The chairs were facing the wall on the left, which seemed to be made of opaque, black glass.

  “Take a seat,” Mike said.

  “Where is she?” Ash asked.

  “You’ll see her in a moment.” He gestured at the chairs. “You should take the one in the center.”

  Once they were seated, Chloe to his right, and Mike to his left, Ash said, “So what now?”

  “Now we talk to Olivia. But I want to warn you first, don’t buy everything she tells you. Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready.” Though ready was probably not the right word. He had no idea from which direction she was going to enter. And where would she sit? Down at one of the ends? How could he talk to her there?

  Mike pushed a button on his armrest.

  A voice came out of a speaker. “Station one.”

  “This is Mike. We’re ready.”

  “Copy that, Mike.”

  Suddenly, it was as if the wall in front of them melted away. The opaque black was gone, replaced by clear glass, a window into another room.

  Not just a room, Ash realized. A cell.

  There was a bed in the back and a sink on the wall next to a toilet. Hanging from the ceiling in the corner, enclosed by a wire cage, was a television that was currently off. But the most striking thing in the room was the woman sitting on a plastic stool just a few feet on the other side of the wall, facing them.

  Her blonde hair was short, maybe no longer than half an inch. She had an angular face with high cheekbones and eyes that seemed to smirk. She’d barely moved since the wall became transparent, staring at it, a smile resting on her lips.

  “Can she see us?” Ash whispered.

  The woman suddenly laughed. “Yes. I can see you. Hear you, too.”

  “This is Olivia,” Mike said. “Olivia, we have some guests who need to ask you a few questions.”

  “So I’ve been told.” Her gaze shifted to Chloe. “You look kind of familiar. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

  Chloe said
nothing.

  The woman shrugged, then turned her attention to Ash. “You’re one ugly son of a bitch, aren’t you? Someone throw you in front of a train?”

  Ash ignored her comment. “I’m looking for a location, and I’m told you might know where it is.”

  “Hold on. You know my name. I don’t know yours.”

  He paused for a second, then said, “Ash.”

  “As in cigarette?”

  “Do you know the location of something called NB7?”

  Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch, as if he’d actually surprised her. “What are you? One of their hunters?” she asked, nodding toward Mike. “Out to bag you a big-name baddie, is that it?” She smiled, then leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “Have you ever considered for a moment that maybe you guys are the black hats?”

  “I don’t care about sides,” Ash said. “I'm just trying to find…some people who are important to me. I’ve been told they’ve been taken to NB7. I just need to know where it is.”

  “Look, honey. You might as well stop what you’re doing right now. If they’ve been taken to NB7, then they’re probably already dead. Time to move on.”

  Ash tried to maintain his composure. “Just tell me where it is.”

  “Out of the goodness of my heart? I don’t think so.”

  Ash couldn’t hold back. He jumped up and slammed his fist against the wall. “Tell me where it is!”

  “Oh, touchy. Who’d they take? Your girlfriend? Wife, maybe? Your mom?”

  “Dr. Karp took my kids!”

  Olivia stared at him, once more looking a bit surprised.

  “Please,” he said. “Where is this place?”

  “Even if I told you, do you think they’d just let you walk out with them?”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  She leaned back. “Really? Because that actually makes it interesting. Whatever it takes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hold on,” Mike said. He pressed the button on the armrest. “Cut audio.”

  “Audio off,” the voice from earlier said through the speaker.

  Ash twisted around. “What?”

  “She’s tried to make deals before,” Mike explained. “The one time someone actually took her up on it, it was a trap.”

  “I don’t care. If it gets me close to my kids, that’s all I’ll need. I can take it from there.”

  “If you’re dead, that’s not going to help your kids at all.”

  “And if they’re dead, there’s no reason for me to live. Switch the sound back on.”

  Reluctantly, Mike did.

  “Can you tell me where my kids are or not?” Ash asked.

  “Oh, you’re back. Mikey there telling you not to trust me?” Olivia said.

  “Answer my question.”

  She held up her hand and wagged a finger at him. “You know very well how this works. Trade-off.”

  “There’s nothing I can do for you.”

  “Isn’t there?”

  He stared at her for a second. “You obviously have something in mind. What is it?”

  Her upper lip curled in a faux pout. “I get so little entertainment in here, and you deny me even a little negotiation. Fine. Here’s all I want you to do. When you find the fabulous Dr. Karp, just before you put the bullet in his head, because I know that’s exactly what you want to do, I want you to tell him hi from me, and ask him why he gave up on me. One more thing. If he says anything after that, tell him he’ll be heading to the afterlife before me.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you want?”

  Her smile was back. “It would mean the world to me.”

  “That, I can do.”

  “I thought you probably could.”

  38

  The only thing that kept Ash from speeding down the mountain was the fear of skidding off the side and plunging down the slope. Not only would he and Chloe die, but he’d be effectively killing his children, too. Still, it was hard to keep from pressing the pedal to the floor.

  “I’d wish you good luck,” Olivia had said after she gave them the location of NB7, “but I’m guessing you’re already too late.” She stood up and walked right up to the glass, directly in front of Ash.

  “Stand away from the wall,” the voice from the speaker ordered. “Stand away from the wall.”

  She locked eyes with Ash, her feet firmly planted where she was.

  “Stand away from the wall.”

  “But just because they’re dead,” she said, “doesn’t mean you can’t deliver my message to Dr. Karp.”

  She obviously hoped that whether his children were dead or alive, Ash would want Dr. Karp to pay for what had been done to his family. And though he wasn’t about to accept the possibility that Brandon and Josie were gone, she’d been right.

  The biggest problem now was that NB7 was in Eastern Oregon, 370 miles away from the Bluff.

  The jet Matt had sent them west on wasn’t an option. Mike had checked. The plane was apparently somewhere in Texas, and wouldn’t be able to get to an airport close to them for nearly four hours. Add on the flight time, and the fact that the closest place they could land would still be an hour away from NB7, and the balance decidedly tipped in favor of driving.

  Mike had suggested they get at least a few hours’ sleep at the Bluff before they left, but that was out of the question. Every minute saved could be the difference between Ash’s kids living or dying.

  According to the car’s GPS, the trip should take them six and a half hours. Ash planned on slicing at least an hour to an hour and a half off that once they hit level ground.

  “You going to hold the steering wheel like that the whole time?” Chloe asked.

  He shot her a quick look. “What?”

  “You’re gripping it like you want to tear it out of the dash. You’re wasting energy.”

  He glanced at his hands. His fingers were wrapped around the wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel the stress running up his arms and into his shoulders. He forced himself to relax, then looked back at the road.

  “I can drive, if you want,” she said. “I’m pretty good.” She paused. “I didn’t forget how, if you’re worried about that.”

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  “Sure, whatever you want. I’m here though, okay? ‘Cause, you know, I think you’d want to be at your max when we get there. But that’s your choice.”

  He didn’t respond, but he knew she was right. It would be after midnight when they arrived and he’d need to be sharp. Maybe after they got out of the hills, he’d let her drive for a couple of hours while he slept.

  “What did you think of Olivia?” Chloe asked.

  Ash shrugged. “I just wanted the location from her. I didn’t think about her otherwise.”

  “Last time I saw her she was mad as hell because we’d just caught her, like a cornered wild animal.” She paused. “She used to work with Dr. Karp on the experiments. Yours wasn’t the first, you know. Not even close. But probably their most successful, huh? Not only did they find something that worked, they found you and your kids, too.”

  Without looking at her, he said, “What do you mean?”

  “The experiments. You know about that, right? Matt told you?”

  “He just said we were part of a test.”

  “Oh. Well, then…maybe…I shouldn’t…I mean it’s not my place. Oh, dammit. Just forget it.”

  The silence lasted for nearly a minute.

  “He was going to tell me,” Ash said. “Back at the ranch, but I just wanted to focus on getting my kids. That first day, he started talking about things that were bigger than I could imagine, like I’d been caught up in some sort of…of…”

  “Conspiracy?” she asked.

  “Conspiracy,” he said, nodding. “That’s exactly what it sound like to me. Some nut-job theory like NASA faking the moon landings or the U.S. Government being behind 9/11.”

  “
NASA landed on the moon?” she asked.

  He looked at her, his eyes narrowing in concern.

  “I’m kidding,” she said. “I forgot about who I was, but things that I learned, things that weren’t about me, I remember most of those.”

  “How is that possible?”

  She shook her head and shrugged. “Maybe we can ask Dr. Karp when we see him.”

  “He did this to you?”

  “Not him directly. One of his colleagues.”

  “Now we’re back to the conspiracy theory,” he said.

  “Yeah, except this one isn’t a theory. It’s conspiracy reality.”

  Once Ash had realized his kids were still alive, the only thing he’d concentrated on at the ranch was them. He hadn’t cared one way or the other what Matt and his friends were really involved in, but he was beginning to think maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he should care, maybe there was something to whatever it was they seemed to think was happening.

  “Who are they?” he asked.

  “Who are who?”

  “These people you all seem to be fighting, who are they?”

  “I…I don’t know. It’s not my place.”

  “Maybe it’s not, but Matt’s not here.”

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

  “I already think you’re crazy.”

  They glanced at each other, then she laughed.

  “All right,” she finally said. “Are you buckled in?”

  He rolled his eyes, then smiled. “Yeah. I’m buckled in.”

  “I’m serious.”

  He held up a defensive hand. “Okay, sorry.”

  She was quiet so long that he looked over to see what was wrong. She had twisted in her seat and was studying him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’ve never been the one to tell anyone before. I’ve only listened as others have done it, so I want to get it right.”

  “Okay,” he said, drawing the word out. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

  He heard her take a breath, then she said, “I’m ready now.”

  Outside, the mountains had finally started to fall behind them, and the road started to straighten out.

  “The end of our world is coming. And it’s happening on purpose.”