by Coralee June
“Where is that trial serum you made earlier?” Emperor Lackley asked Maverick.
“I put it in the refrigerator. I haven’t run any tests or even checked for toxicity. You told me to come up with something, so I did, but I doubt it works.” Maverick words were rushed as he worriedly scanned the room.
“Let’s test it!” Lackley said with a smile while walking towards the fridge and pulling out a tray of vials.
“It has at least forty stages to go through before its even ready for animal trials!” Maverick yelled as Emperor Lackley prepared a needle and walked towards me.
“Please, please, it’s not ready. I’ve only had a day, don’t—" Maverick cried out until the guard punched him in the mouth.
“Watch his head, Number Three. We need that brain of his to work,” Lackley said. He tapped the tip of the needle and a bead of liquid came out.
“Oh, pl-please!” I begged while putting my arms up to block my face. The guard behind me gripped my waist against him, and I struggled to break free from his hold. It felt like I was back at Stonewell. Hopelessly fighting against those more powerful than myself.
“Stop whining, you fool,” Emperor Lackley said with a snarl before waltzing over to Josiah. He yanked Josiah’s arm out and stuck the neon blue liquid into his protruding vein.
Josiah didn’t fight Emperor Lackley. His eyes met mine in severe desperation. He looked at me like someone that understood his limited morality and wanted to burn the image of me into the last pounding breaths of his existence.
“You knew when I caught you trying to escape with her that I had to punish you, Josiah,” Emperor Lackley said while sliding off his gloves and placing the now empty vial of liquid on a tray. “I simply can’t tolerate keeping people around that I don’t trust. It’s nothing personal, boy.”
“I know,” Josiah said softly. The injection spot where Lackley put the serum in was turning an odd shade of green and black, his veins a purple swirl of color against his shadowy skin.
“I love you,” Josiah whispered to me as the blackness of the serum spread to his neck.
“Oh Josiah,” I cried out in agony. The last hateful words I said to him on our call flickered through my mind as his legs collapsed from beneath him. “Jo!” I sobbed frantically while he started convulsing. His breathing became shallow, and I pulled against the guard holding me. Pain like I’ve never experienced before drummed beneath my skin, burning me out of existence. My cries of distress echoed throughout the Clinic as Emperor Lackley furrowed his brow.
Josiah continued to convulse and Emperor Lackley punched a code on his Tablet, releasing Maverick from his chains. Maverick then rushed over to Josiah and turned him on his side, just as Josiah threw up. Foam formed at his mouth. After a few moments, Josiah stopped convulsing and his breathing evened out.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked in a whimper.
“I don’t know. I don’t even completely understand what he was injected with,” Maverick replied while balling his fist and staring at Lackley.
“Number three, please send someone to clean this up,” he said while walking over towards Maverick. “That’s your first warning. The next serum you create is going in her,” Emperor Lackley said while pointing at me. “And once you’ve killed her, I’ll bring in each member of your little makeshift family one by one until you figure it out. Get it done. Get it done now,” he growled out while stepping over Josiah’s passed-out body.
The guard and Emperor Lackley left and locked us in the Clinic. I kneeled by Josiah as Maverick cleaned up his vomit. Swirls of black peeked through his skin, and occasionally his face squinted in pain.
“What are we going to do?” I sobbed. Everything hit me at once, and despite wanting to be strong and hold my emotions together, I couldn’t help but shake with fear and distress over all that had been revealed to me.
“You’ve all received the vaccine, haven’t you?” I asked, fearing the answer.
“All but Kemper. He’s immune,” Maverick said in a sad voice.
Everyone I knew and cared about was in danger.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I spent the next hour wiping Josiah’s brow. Sticky sweat rolled down his face, and he alternated between shivers and shouts of pain.
Maverick ran a multitude of tests on the central computer to see what within his trial serum was causing such a horrible reaction. “I don’t even know where to begin looking, Ash,” he said in a defeated tone while typing furiously on the keyboard. “I don’t know if he needs a cure, or if this will run its course. I don’t know if I created a brand new fucking disease!” Maverick screamed while thrusting a fist on the keyboard, causing it to break.
I ran to him and wrapped my arms around Maverick’s back. He shook with unshed tears and the punches he couldn’t throw. “We can do this, Mav. I hate to say this, but your priority is going to have to be fixing the vaccine. Jo seems to be okay.” He was currently curled up in the fetal position, clutching his stomach as he slept. “I think I can take care of him while you work on the serum,” I said, even though it felt like daggers in my gut to even consider not doing everything in my power to save Josiah. There were too many unknowns. Despite everything, I knew that prioritizing the greater good had to take precedence. We couldn’t sacrifice all for one.
“Ash, I would never do anything to hurt you. If I had known for one-second he was going to inject Josiah with that, I wouldn’t have even made it. I felt pressured and just threw something together to make him happy,” Maverick said while thrusting his hand into his hair and closing his eyes.
“I know, I know. We can grieve and cry and cuss later, right now we have a job to do. What do you need from me?” I asked in a surprisingly calm tone. Every fiber of my existence wanted to break apart into despair, but a mature determination wove its way around my heart, numbing the pain until I could process it all.
“Take care of Josiah and look for a way out of here. I’ll be able to focus once I know that they aren’t threatening you,” Maverick whispered while covering his mouth and looking intently into the corner.
I saw a blinking camera fixed on us and nodded in understanding.
Maverick looked at me like there was an ocean between us. I wanted to swim across it to make sure we were okay, that somehow we would figure it out.
“Make sure you keep his fever down. Keep him cool with wet rags. Let me know if he starts showing any new symptoms or if the black poison marks spread anymore,” he said, looking Josiah with an expression of pure guilt. My heart broke for Maverick. He truly valued all life.
Maverick dove into work, and I spent the day logging any and all changes within Josiah. He slept the entire time, but I noticed that his eyes moved rapidly beneath his closed lids. He no longer had a fever, but still emitted sharp grunts of pain occasionally while clutching his stomach.
A guard brought us lunch, but Maverick didn’t stop to eat. I watched as he fluttered frantically between his microscope and the computer. He muttered to himself and took notes now and then. I kept reticent. I learned from our mornings together at the Clinic that Maverick needed silence to work proficiently.
Three days passed in the same way. I looked after a deteriorating Josiah while Maverick worked himself thin. When he wasn't reconstructing the makeup of the faulty X vaccine, he was analyzing blood samples from Josiah. He only slept briefly. We didn't talk much, for fear of being overheard. We were trapped in an unwinnable scenario.
On the fourth day, it was eerily silent. The door opened mid-morning, which was unusual for the guard schedule. I covered Josiah with a towel and turned to face whatever brutal mind games Emperor Lackley threw at us next but was incredibly surprised to see a nervous-looking guard. He eyed the camera in the corner of the room then quickly motioned for me to come closer.
Maverick, who hadn’t even noticed that someone had entered the lab, was trying to stay awake while observing a gene sequence in a vaccine reject’s blood sample.
“Can I h
elp you?” I asked while mentally kicking myself. I sounded like I was back in the Stonewell Manor.
The guard widened his eyes then looked back at the camera. He oozed tension and fear.
Once I was close enough, the guard grabbed my hand and dropped a note into my palm before whispering. “Tell Tallis to let my sister go. I did what he asked.” My chest heaved in shock. Tallis had his sister?
I nodded yes insistently, and the Guard ran out of the room after glancing down at Josiah with a look of pity in his eyes. I clutched at the note in my palm and nonchalantly turned my back to the camera, ensuring that my hands were hidden from its sight. Taking a deep breath, I opened my hand and smoothed out the crumpled note before reading it.
We’re coming for you. Unscrew the vent in your room. Tell Maverick to hack the central air unit and turn off the main fan. One hour.
I nearly dropped the note, then checked the clock. I couldn’t leave within the hour. Josiah wasn’t up for travel. I made my way over to Maverick and tentatively put a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to jump. I casually eyed the camera which made Maverick squint his eyes in curiosity and stand up. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into his chest so that no one could hear me or read my lips.
“Tallis is coming for us. He needs you to hack the central air unit and turn off the main fan,” I whispered. Maverick tensed, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he heard me.
“Okay,” he said before letting me go to return to his computer.
I made my way towards the far wall where the giant vent was located and propped up a chair behind me, to inconspicuously hide what I was doing. Then, I used the tips of my nails to unscrew the small metal screws from the vent face to the wall. My nails bled, but I continued working on unscrewing the vent, only stopping to wipe my hands on my dress.
“Josiah doesn’t seem to be doing well,” Maverick said loudly, and I stopped my work to turn quickly and check on Josiah. He wasn’t doing well, but his condition hadn’t worsened. “I think he’ll need to stay here and rest under observation for at least a week; I hope they don’t move him,” Maverick added, and I immediately understood what he was trying to say. Josiah couldn’t come with us. Once Tallis got here, Maverick and I would have to leave without him.
I wriggled the last screw loose, then went over to Josiah. I had about fifteen minutes left before Tallis would be here, according to his note. I placed my hand on Josiah’s forehead and sighed. I spent a lifetime worrying, loving, and caring for this man. There was so much pain. So much dysfunction and unanswered questions still. Did he kill his Father?
Despite all of this, my heart broke at the unknown. I knew that this could very well be my last moment with Josiah. I knew that the odds of him surviving were slim, and it felt like a boulder was breaking through my numb barriers and making me feel an onslaught of fear and grief.
I leaned down and whispered into Josiah’s unconscious ear. “Josiah, nothing about this is right,” I began. “I’m not sure what hurts more; the pain of all that's happened between us, or the ache of what never will be,” I choked out as a single tear danced down my cheek. I reached out and grabbed his clammy hand. “All my life I admired you, Jo, and I think admiration is as close to love as we ever got. Please get better.”
I didn’t say goodbye to Josiah, but I felt him squeeze my hand. It was our last unrequited conversation. The last one-sided piece of affection I’d ever give him.
The minutes of the clock clicked by as Maverick’s exhausted fingers typed away tirelessly. “I shut it off, they should be here any second,” Maverick whispered. I expected a huge commotion or war to erupt, but instead, to my surprise, Jules slinked through the opening of the vent wearing an all-black, leather suit that looked identical to Mia’s usual get up.
She waltzed through like she owned the place, and I frantically waved and pointed at the camera flashing in the corner.
“Oh, don’t worry, we interrupted the feed ages ago, Lackley is mighty cocky, this was easy,” Jules said while slumping down in a chair and picking her nails as if she made it a habit climbing through the Emperor’s vents on rescue missions. But there was a slight tremor in her voice, and her eyes shifted around the room. Josiah grunted, and she peered at him with diluted concern.
“He looks like shit.” She scrunched up her face in disgust. “You all ready to go? We have about ten minutes till guard shift change,” she said nonchalantly.
Maverick and I exchanged curious glances. Surely it couldn’t be that easy.
“Tallis is getting the guys, we need to go soon,” she said while standing up, stretching, and sauntering over to the vent.
“How did you even—" I began before she cut me off.
“Oh, little Walker. Can we talk about this later?” Jules asked in a patronizing tone. “My brother looks like he’s about to do something heroic and stupid, so I suggest you use the next sixty seconds to talk him out of it, so we can get the fuck out of here. I’ll be in the air duct.”
I whirled around and peered at Maverick. He looked like he swallowed a porcupine. “Ash, I’m staying here," he said while walking towards me.
"No, you aren't," I replied simply. "Aren't you the one that always calls me on my martyr act? You're not staying here. End of discussion." I crossed my arms over my chest. Maverick grasped my elbows and yanked them from me. He folded my arms around his waist and pulled me close.
"Emperor Lackley is crazy, but his lab is far superior to mine. I need to stay behind and figure this out. There are a lot of lives on the line. Plus, someone needs to keep an eye on Josiah," Maverick added. We both turned to look at Jo, who was heaving deep breaths. It looked like he just sprinted a mile.
"What if Lackley punishes you for my escape?" I questioned while looking back at the clock with tears in my eyes. Jules said a minute which meant I had twenty seconds to convince him to come with us.
"Lackley won't punish me, he needs me." Mav began rubbing small circles on my back. “Once you get the rest of the guys out, they’ll find a way to get to me. Until then, it’ll give me more time to crack this mutation and look over Jo.”
I felt a massive sense of regret build beneath my skin. I needed more time. Maybe it was the pressure of the last few days or the fear of never seeing him again, but I tentatively raised up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against Maverick’s. I refused to let another moment go by without allowing him to know just how much he meant to me.
At first, he was tentative; his lips moved cautiously against mine as if he was afraid I would break under the pressure building between us. But then he leaned over more, and we met in the middle of fear and wistful promises. Our kiss was like a wave. It crashed to the shore, and we wanted to walk along its intensity before the ocean claimed it back. This wasn't the last time I'd see Maverick. This wasn't the end of our story.
Maverick's lips trailed along my jaw and towards my neck. His exploratory kisses ended just at my ear, and I felt the flick of his tongue before he whispered against me, “Your kiss tastes like the rest of my life.” He hummed out a low baritone moan. "I can guarantee that I’ll see you again. Go, before I change my mind and do what I want to do instead of what I need to.”
I made my way over to the air duct, not caring that my first kiss with Maverick was in the Emperor's lab with Josiah and Jules, or that thousands of lives were in his capable hands. Before entering the duct where an angry Jules sat impatiently, I turned around and saw Maverick loosen his tie and clench his jaw. His fists were balled, and I wondered if he, too, was struggling to keep still, to not forget the world and the heavy weight upon our shoulders.
"Bye," I mouthed. I love you, I thought.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I struggled to keep up with Jules as her slinky movements navigated the tight, humid air ducts with ease. Occasionally, she referenced her watch for directions, but otherwise, she appeared to be confident in her directional capabilities. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that it would be Jul
es to head up my rescue mission. Although I was learning that Jules was made up of many parts, some good, some bad, I didn't necessarily trust her not to lose me within the complex ventilation system.
A massive fan at the end of the duct was stationary, and we snaked our way through its dusty wide-set blades and out another vent. The crawl space was small and suffocating, and I briefly wondered how the guys were going to fit through the duct. Once outside, Jules placed a perfectly manicured finger to her peach lips and crouched low. It was dark out, and the air smelled of pinewoods with the hint of burning plastic. The static in the air made my hair frizz. We crawled towards a waiting transport cloaked in darkness about five hundred feet away.
Once the door slid open and we were safely inside, the empty transport took off. "Where is everyone?" I asked, but Jules stayed quiet. She studied the dash and adjusted the settings while imputing our destination. She furrowed her arched brow in seriousness and kept looking out the windows to ensure we weren't followed. Something wasn't right.
"Jules, what’s going on," I whispered while entertaining the notion of jumping out of the moving transport and escaping whatever Jules had up her sleeve. Where was Tallis? Where were the guys?
“Tallis is at a non-disclosed meeting point seventy miles outside of the Confederation of Dasos," Jules said quietly. She didn't meet my eyes as she gathered her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. Thick black tendrils fell in her eyes, and she brushed them away.
"Will the guys and Mia meet us there?" I asked. I felt eager to see them and devise a rescue mission for Maverick.
"No," Jules replied in a tight voice that made my stomach drop.
"They couldn't fit through the duct, Ashleigh. Anyone with half a brain could have inferred that. I can't believe you just thought we could magically rescue them; you're lucky you made it out of there alive,” Jules chided with a grin while picking at the black paint on her nails. “Tallis wanted Mia to stay behind; he said she had some fucked up code of honor shit to fulfill. Maverick promised me the job at the schoolhouse if I agreed to help, so here we are." Jule's words crushed me. I had unknowingly left them all there. What sort of fate would meet them?
