Expansion (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 2)

by S. E. Cyborski

  “We’ll figure it out later,” she snapped, cutting into the escalating argument between Michael and Amy. “For now, put the money and valuables in my suitcase. It’s under the bed. I want you both ready for rehearsal in the afternoon, so you might want to get some more sleep. We succeeded, yes, but we’ve still got a lot more work to do.”

  Amy and Michael stopped arguing, casting annoyed glances at each other before Michael pulled out Sandra’s suitcase. A thought fluttered through his mind, quiet and nearly invisible. Sandra tended to order them around like they were servants and part of Michael was starting to rebel at that. But the thought was gone before it could fully crystallize in his mind. Still, it was a sign that Sandra’s ability may not be all-consuming as she thought it was.

  Chapter 7

  The next week was fairly uneventful. Tabitha and Wendy never came down with the same sickness the others suffered from and helped the three of us take care of the others. When I was helping the others, walking them into the bathroom or bringing water and soup for them to eat, I couldn’t help the pity that was writ across my face. Whatever ability they developed wouldn’t make their lives any different than what Billy’s and mine had become. They would live with fear and the knowledge that they were no longer the same.

  “So, what do you know about what’s going on?” Wendy asked me about halfway through the week. We were sitting in the lounge, her idly flicking through a magazine and me reading a book. This wasn’t the first time she’d asked and I doubted it would be the last.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, not looking up.

  “I mean, you’re Dr. Carnesby’s assistant, right?” Wendy persisted, dropping the magazine on the table and crossing her arms over her chest. “So he’s probably told you what we’re testing. Why is everyone else but Tabitha and me getting sick?”

  “I don’t know,” I lied, turning the page in my book with every evidence of complete interest. “Like I told you before, when you asked, Dr. Carnesby didn’t tell me anything about the drug you guys are testing. I’m here for grunt work.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Wendy stated boldly, glaring at me. “I think you know exactly what’s going on. Why else would you have such a sad expression when you’re checking on the others? I saw you coming out of Eric’s room yesterday. You looked like your heart was breaking.”

  “I was tired. I had just yawned before leaving his room,” I explained, mind working furiously to come up with a plausible lie. “I don’t know anything more than you do, Wendy.”

  She dropped the question with an annoyed huff, turning back to her magazine and flipping the pages with particular vengeance. I let out a quiet breath, relieved that she’d let it go yet again. I was having a hard time coming up with valid reasons for the points she was bringing up. I’d have to make a better effort at keeping my expressions blank and clinical. But, there was someone else who should know that Wendy was still asking questions.

  Marking my place in my book, I stood up and dropped it on the chair. It would stay there until I came back for it. I walked through the hallway to the kitchen, peeking into Billy’s room as I passed. He wasn’t in either place but I could hear voices coming from Dr. Carnesby’s office. Heading back, I found Billy dropping off test tubes of blood and the notebook he’d been recording everything in. I waved at him and gestured for him to follow me.

  “What’s going on?” Billy asked when I’d lead the way to his room and closed the door. I shook my head and tapped my temple, indicating I wanted the conversation to be silent.

  Okay, what’s the matter? Billy asked, his mental voice sounding worried.

  Nothing too terrible, don’t worry, I reassured him, shaking my head. But it’s something that might develop into a problem. Wendy keeps asking about Gnotret and about what’s going on. She doesn’t believe I don’t know anything but she let it go for now. Has Tabitha been asking you questions? I’ve barely seen her over the past few days.

  She hasn’t asked any questions, Billy replied slowly, clearly thinking hard. He had a slightly confused look on his face mixed with dawning comprehension. But she has been talking a lot about the trial. Kind of wondering about where it’s going, what’s causing the others to get sick. It’s almost passive aggressive, really. Like she expects me to answer questions she’s not asking.

  This could be a problem, I repeated, a thread of worry worming through my own thoughts. So far, they’ve been kept away from Dr. Carnesby’s files and things. But what happens when one decides to snoop around a little bit? And since we’re talking about bad scenarios, what happens when Elyse, Darryl, Nick, Eric, Rose, and Brandy start displaying superhuman abilities like we did and Wendy and Tabitha don’t? Do you really think they’ll be allowed to just walk away even without abilities?

  Billy turned away from me and started pacing his room. He was agitated, fingers tapping against his leg as he walked. I wasn’t sure if he’d thought about the end of the trial in quite those terms before. But the worry was still quite evident on his face, worry that only seemed to grow the more he thought about it. I settled down onto his bed, leaning back against the headboard as I watched Billy pace.

  It was a bit of a load off my own shoulders to pull him into this, even as I added to the load on his own. These thoughts had kept me up late last night, unable to sleep because I was imagining all the horrible ways this could end. Wendy and Tabitha simply disappearing featured in quite a few of those ways. I knew Dr. Carnesby wasn’t the type to kill them or make them disappear but the Corporation was quite capable, I firmly believed. A group that injected an untested drug into people to see what would happen was probably capable of anything. Billy was thinking through those same thoughts, or possibly even following mine, as he turned and grimaced at me.

  Okay, we should probably tell Dr. Carnesby about this, Billy finally said, running a hand through his hair. I nodded and waited quietly while Billy spoke to Dr. Carnesby. A few minutes later, a knock sounded from the door. Billy opened to let Dr. Carnesby in, a curious look on his face.

  “Hello Billy, George,” Dr. Carnesby said, nodding at both of us. “What did you want to talk about?”

  Billy raised an eyebrow at me as he asked me whether I cared if he summed up everything we talked about so far. I nodded and hooked my arms behind my head as I reclined on the bed. However long it took, I wouldn’t be needed for a little while. I distracted myself by trying to decide if there were any possible ending scenarios I hadn’t thought through last night. I hadn’t spent much time considering the pleasanter ones as the worst case scenarios had occupied me the most. Ideally, the best ending would be for Wendy and Tabitha to go back to their own lives, richer and happily unchanged. The other six would live as close to their old lives as possible, free and safe. Of course, that was the least likely to happen as well as being the best.

  “That’s a terrifying thought,” Dr. Carnesby murmured after Billy finished explaining our conversation. “I didn’t know that they were trying to get information out of both of you. But you’re right. The Corporation wouldn’t blink at getting rid of two people. I have my suspicions that it’s happened before.”

  “So what do we do?” I asked tiredly, feeling as if there was no way we could win. “Either way, there’s a very good chance not all of us walk away from this.”

  “For now, we continue on as we have been,” Dr. Carnesby replied decisively, a determined look crossing his face. “We’ve got three more days of injections. There’s no guarantee Wendy and Tabitha will not come down with the same sickness. If they do, that would solve that problem. If not, we’ll reconsider what to do then.”

  “You’re sure that the other six are developing abilities?” Billy asked hopefully, as if he wanted to be proved wrong. “Just because they’re reacting like we did doesn’t mean they will.”

  “Of course I don’t know for sure,” Dr. Carnesby sighed and shook his head. “But their bloodwork is showing the same changes yours did. I think I might finally have narrowed dow
n a marker for Gnotret. I’m fairly certain they are developing some sort of ability.”

  “It’s a waiting game,” I cut in. “We just have to wait and see what happens. Plus, keep as much information away from Wendy and Tabitha as possible.”

  “That’s the best we can do for now,” Dr. Carnesby agreed. He looked tired and worn, as if being pulled in several different directions at once. It made me wonder whether he had already thought of what we’d brought up. Ours wasn’t the first trial he’d ever performed even if ours had been the first of his with Gnotret. Besides he’d had years of working with the Corporation. Knowing what kind of people they were couldn’t have been comforting.

  I went back to my book out in the lounge while Dr. Carnesby walked back to his office. Billy stayed in his room and rested. He’d been keeping track of the six who were sick, making sure they weren’t getting sicker than they appeared. He or Jane would be the first to alert us if they needed more help than what we’d been giving. I had a feeling it was going to be a long rest of the month, trying to keep such a big secret from Wendy and Tabitha. A long month and a trying one.

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  Katrina slipped into the little room the Council held their meetings in, fully expecting to see Lucian and Aaron sitting in their customary chairs. The room was the same as always, white walls lit by the lights in the ceiling. The wood table was empty except for Lucian’s hands, fingers tapping an irregular cadence against the glossy surface. He was the only other person in the room and Katrina’s heart skipped a beat. There was no way he wouldn’t have included Aaron in the meeting unless something was terribly wrong.

  Even as she settled into her own customary chair, Katrina’s mind was thinking frantically and had produced three likely scenarios: either Lucian was going to discipline her, possibly making her disappear, the same was going to happen to Aaron, or something had happened in the trial. Katrina hoped for the latter two even as she prepared for the former, a healthy sense of self-preservation kicking in. She’d been following the trial carefully, especially now that it had gone into the second week. Wondering what abilities the students who’d gotten sick might develop had occupied quite a few dull moments in Katrina’s time. All carefully from a distance, though. Wouldn’t do to get too close, after all. Not again. Now, she was glad that she usually sat across the table from Lucian. It might give her a few extra seconds to bolt from the room before Lucian could start after her.

  “Sit. We need to discuss a problem,” Lucian started with no preamble once Katrina had closed the door behind her. He let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth when he saw Katrina swallow nervously but didn’t allow any more expression onto his face. Too much could be learned if one wore their every emotion on their sleeve. “And you can relax. It’s not about you.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Katrina said cautiously, relaxing just a fraction into her chair. Yet there was still a tension in her shoulders, a readiness to spring up should it be needed. This wouldn’t be the first time Lucian had lied about something nor would it be the last. She hadn’t lasted this long on the Council without watching her back and her fellow Council members. “What problem do we have?”

  Lucian didn’t respond right away. Instead, he sat back in his chair and laced his fingers together on the table. A far-off look came into his eyes, as if he was watching events that were taking place far away. Or events that hadn’t happened quite yet. Katrina was quite used to that look as Lucian tended to adopt it whenever he was thinking through something. The only thing she could do was wait until he was ready to talk. Katrina had learned how to deal with the elder Council member, had learned when it was prudent to push and demand and when it was prudent to sit quietly and patiently. After all, as the senior member, Lucian had more power than she did. Particularly, the power to remove her from the Council without chance for appeal. And removal often meant that there would be no need for appeal. Or anything else for that matter.

  Katrina busied herself with making a list in her mind, all the places Aaron could be at this moment. He’d become even more unstable and seemed on the verge of a complete breakdown. It was time, and long past time, for his removal from the Council. The only problem Katrina could see with that was neither she, nor Lucian as far as she knew, had a replacement in line just yet. The woman Katrina had her eye on still needed seasoning in her current position. There was drive there, yes, but not the ruthlessness being on the Council demanded.

  “Have you been following what the scientists downstairs have been discovering?” Lucian finally asked, breaking into Katrina’s thoughts and pinning her with flinty eyes.

  “Not really, no,” Katrina shrugged, for once telling the truth. After all, she didn’t want to end up on Lucian’s list for removal if things with Gnotret went wrong. The only thing she’d seen since that meeting was the teleporting rat. Studying the trial was much safer, though, as it was more remote. “Why? What’s happened?”

  “One of the rats has been granted the ability to teleport,” Lucian explained dryly, shaking his head. “While another can apparently create whatever it wants. Food appears in its cage whenever it seems to be hungry. Also, some of the others show advanced intelligence. Aaron has followed these developments despite his aversion to Gnotret itself. While the rats are a problem, one that can be dealt with if need be, Aaron is far more of a problem. I think the time has come to remove him from the Council.”

  “There are procedures for it,” Katrina offered, a touch of hesitance in her voice. Pointing out things that go against what Lucian wanted was dangerous at the best of times. Lucian could very well be setting a trap for her right now and want the complete opposite of what he was saying. “Even though it is only the two of us, you have to provide proof and convince me that he needs to be removed. What we do is recorded for future members. How do you want to look in history?”

  “I realize that and I have the proof required,” Lucian snapped, glaring at her. “I know the rules and precedents better than you, Katrina. I’ve been here far longer and this is not the first removal I’ve presided over. And as for your question, I don’t care how history remembers me. All I care about is what’s in my sphere of control, right now.”

  Katrina shivered under the sheer anger in Lucian’s voice. It wasn’t often the normally cold and reserved man showed so much emotion. That, coupled with the anger being directed at her, was terrifying. Katrina raised her hands in surrender, adopting an innocent and attentive look. Lucian took a deep breath, face smoothing to cold aloofness quicker than Katrina would have believed. Yet, Lucian was a master of his emotions. She’d seen that quite often before. Not wanting to incite his ire again, Katrina merely waited silently for Lucian to continue speaking. She’d bearded the lion once in his den and got out alive. There was no need to try it a second time.

  “Now, there are a couple reasons that might necessitate the removal of a Council member and each of the other members has to agree with the reasons stated,” Lucian said, voice taking on a lecturing tone. In another life, with different inclinations, he might have become a professor. Maybe a professor everyone was scared of but a brilliant one nonetheless. Lucian never gave less than his full attention and determination to something. “The first being mental illness. I think this would be one of the reasons to remove Aaron. He’s become manic and often speaks nonsense when confronted with anything connected to Gnotret. The second is incapacitation through sickness or injury. Not quite fitting, I think, since Aaron is physically still healthy. The third, and most controversial, is being a danger to the Council.”

  “You believe Aaron is a danger to the Council,” Katrina stated flatly when Lucian stopped speaking. “I can understand why this one might be the most controversial. What constitutes a danger and who gets to decide?”

  “Exactly,” Lucian nodded, pleased and not at all surprised at Katrina’s quick grasp of the situation. He’d have to watch his back around her. None of them got to where they w
ere without ambition and a certain desire to do anything to achieve that ambition. “As to who gets to decide, that would be the two of us. If Aaron snaps, as he’s likely to do, he could reveal our existence. He may also cause damage to the Corporation and the scientists working on Gnotret. While I don’t care about them individually, they are the best in their respective fields, handpicked to work on this. I don’t want to have to find more people who may not be as good or as dedicated. As his madness centers around Gnotret itself, he may try to destroy the cells. That must be avoided unless and until Gnotret proves to be a danger to us.”

  “I can’t argue with any of your points. Though I do wonder, are we pressing the issue?” Katrina asked, playing devil’s advocate. “It is possible for Aaron to pull out of this tailspin, to push past the madness that’s threatening him and come to his senses. We’d lose a valuable member without a competent replacement. While it’s been done in the past, as the numbers in the Council are changeable, having only two people could deadlock us on everything.”

  “It could, yes,” Lucian agreed, nodding with respect towards Katrina. He wasn’t sure if she was going to catch that and the fact that she did merely proved that he was ridding the Council of the less-desirable member. Katrina was intelligent and she thought quickly, something one didn’t find often. “Yet we’ve worked through difficult decisions when the three of us each had differing opinions. How will this be any different? Indeed, two people might have an easier time working through difficulties without the added complication of a third party. Besides, the Council has survived before with only two members. Once, historically, there was only one member for about six months. You and I are both reasonable people who work towards a common benefit. Would that change without Aaron?”

  Katrina considered that carefully, turning the idea over in her mind. Removing Aaron from the Council would put more power into her hands, power that she could use to shape events to her own desires. After all, from what she’d gathered in the reports, the telepath was extremely useful. Dr. Carnesby had explained how Billy had been the one who’d discovered the rogue’s plans. Though it had necessitated three of the subjects fleeing, that didn’t subtract from the telepath’s value. And if she could get the man on her side, there were plans within plans Katrina could follow through on. Not least of which was gaining the seat Lucian now held.