by Chris Yee
He considered living in Snow Peak. He had traveled his entire life, never stopping to rest, but now that he had a family, maybe he could finally settle down and live a normal life. He had a place to call home. In the end, home and family were all that mattered.
He also feared Jonah. Not just Jonah, but everyone else like him. There would always be an enemy. Someone so heinous that others would suffer from their actions. There would always be a Barnabus, a Greene, a Simon. And once Jonah was gone, someone else would take his place. Whoever that may be, Vince would be compelled to stop them. Just another excuse to keep draining. And once they were gone, another would arise. The cycle would never end. He would always have an excuse. These thoughts swam through his head, clouding his mind with doubt.
He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He gently nudged Izzy and whispered in her ear. “Someone’s coming. Stay put.” The tap of each step grew louder. A figure hovered into view and peered into the cell.
It stood on the catwalk, at first saying nothing, and reached for the lock around the latch. “Are you two getting nice and comfy in there?” It was Jonah’s voice. “Well, too bad. Get up. You’re both coming with me.” He opened the door and stepped back to let a squad of guards march in. They grabbed Vince and Izzy, tearing them apart. Izzy screamed a screeching cry, kicking her legs to break free, with no success.
“It’s okay Izzy,” Vince said in the most reassuring voice he could manage. “We’ll be okay. I promise.”
“Now, don’t make any promises you can’t keep, Vince,” Jonah said as Vince passed by, taking a sip of fresh hot tea from his turtle mug.
He followed behind as the guards dragged them up the stairs. They climbed a few levels and turned off to more cells. Vince saw Trish curled up in one of them. Her lab coat was dirtied with smudges of black, and red. She got to her feet, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, but did not say a word.
Jonah unlocked the cell and stepped back. The guards wrapped her arms behind her and pulled her out. She glared menacingly at Jonah at first, and then shifted her eyes to Vince. Her glare transformed to one of study. She examined his face, gauging his intentions.
They continued up the stairs. No one spoke a word. The only noise was the clang of boots on the metal grating and the occasional sip of tea.
They reached the top and exited the cell room, into the familiar halls of the vitality labs. As they ambled along the path, Vince glanced at Izzy. For the first time, he saw the resemblance to Greene. The rounded cheeks. The piercing eyes. The olive skin with freckles so faint you could barely see them at all. She was the spitting image of Greene. His living legacy.
He moved his eyes to Trish, who was also gazing at Izzy. The girl’s indisputable innocence was mesmerizing. She could capture the heart of any soul, if they had one.
“Keep walking, kid,” Jonah said with a coarse voice. He nudged her shoulder forward. “It took forever to find this new doctor. I don’t want to piss him off by making him wait.”
Izzy looked to Trish, and then Vince. There was a clear terror in her eyes, but neither of them could help. Right now, all paths led to death.
They arrived at Lab No. 88, and Jonah pointed to the operation room. “Bring them in.” He walked over to the desk against the wall, took one final sip of tea, and placed the mug on the wooden surface. Steam danced above the hot liquid.
Vince saw the bloodied body by the door. Its face was blown to pieces, but he still knew who it was. If Charlotte was dead, Alan probably was as well. He looked away until they entered the other room, disgusted by the sight of her corpse, tossed aside without a proper burial.
Jonah joined them in the operation room, and the door slid shut behind him. “Sorry, it’s so tight in here. I had to bring more guards, after what happened last time. We don’t want that to happen again.” He looked down at the streaks of blood on the floor. “Here, let me clean that up,” he said, bending over with a damp cloth to wipe it. “There, that’s much better.” He tossed the rag to the side and held out his hand to shake the doctor’s.
The man shook his head. “Sorry, I just sterilized my hands.”
Jonah looked at his now bloodied palms. “Huh, I guess the blood soaked through. No worries. I’m glad you could make it up here. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find someone qualified to do this.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’d do just about anything for what you’re paying me. What’s so special about this girl anyway? Why do you need to see her brain?”
“That, sir, is Greene’s daughter.”
The doctor studied her face. “You don’t say.”
“It gets better,” Jonah said with a smile. “She was created in this lab. Greene grew her from a sample of his own flesh.”
“Wow, the things we can do these days. It’s amazing.”
Jonah nodded. “It sure is. Anyway, her brain has a special mutation that slows her aging. It will help us continue Greene’s work. If we can figure out how her unique brain works, we can potentially replicate it in others, and extend the average lifespan twofold. In order to do that, we need to slice open her head.”
Izzy backed into a corner and started to cry.
“Oh, don’t worry, honey,” the doctor said in a comforting tone. “You won’t feel a thing. You’ll be fast asleep for the whole procedure.” He held up a gas mask. “See?” The sight of the mask frightened her more. The doctor shrugged and turned back to Jonah. “Shall we begin?”
“Yes, we shall,” Jonah said, motioning to the guards.
They dragged Izzy out of the corner. She screamed, struggling to break free from their grip. Vince and Trish both stepped forward, but the guards raised their guns and forced them back against the door.
Jonah held up his hand. “Don’t try anything. The only reason I have you up here is because you two know more about this girl than anyone else. Don’t make me regret the decision to let you watch.”
The guards threw Izzy onto the table and held down her limbs. The doctor picked up the mask and twisted the metal knobs on the attached tank. A hissing sound leaked from the mask and into the air. He held the mask over her face and slowly lowered it down.
At first, she fought. She twisted and turned, punched and kicked, but the gas was impossible to fight. It seeped through her lips and swam down her lungs. Her movements quickly faded until she could no longer fight. Her eyelids closed and her arms fell peacefully to her sides. The doctor grabbed the scalpel and held it over her forehead.
Vince couldn’t bear to watch. He turned away, pushing back against the closed door behind. He peeked to his side to see Trish was doing the same.
The door slid open, and they both fell through. The guards stepped forward to grab them, but the door clamped back down. Vince landed on his back and slid halfway across the floor. He rolled to a crouch and scanned the room with caution, to see Alan standing over him. Relief filled his heart. He got to his feet and pulled Alan in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Alan returned the hug. “You too, buddy.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
TRISH PICKED HERSELF up off the ground and marveled at the sight of Vince and Alan together. “I can’t believe it. Two of the traitors, standing right in front of me.”
Alan looked at her curiously. “What?”
They heard Jonah’s voice echo from the operation room. His voice was muffled by the thick metal door. “What just happened?” he yelled. “What’s going on? Are we locked in here?”
Alan ignored Trish’s comment and Jonah’s calls. He tuned them out and focused on Vince. “We don’t have much time. Izzy’s still in there. We need to get her out while they’re still confused.”
“I’m still confused,” Vince said. “What’s going on?”
Alan pointed first to his ear piece, and then to a camera on the wall. “Rupert and Ella. They’re watching us.”
Jonah started to pound on the door. “Why won’t this damn thing open? Is the key card broken?”
&n
bsp; Alan handed an extra earpiece to Vince. He took it and immediately dug it into his ear.
“Hurry up guys,” he could hear Ella say. “You’re running out of time.”
“What do we do?” Vince asked, looking at Alan.
He shrugged. “We don’t really have a plan.”
“You don’t have a plan?” Vince repeated.
“We were in a rush. I tried to get down here as fast as I could.”
The banging on the door stopped. “Forget it,” Jonah said. “We don’t need them. Doctor, continue with the—Crap! Not now.”
“What’s happening?” Alan asked.
Ella replied in his ear. “It’s Izzy. She’s having another seizure. It looks like she just bought you some time. Make the most of it.”
“I can’t continue while she’s like this,” the doctor said. “We’ll have to wait for the seizure to pass.” He put down the scalpel and stepped away from the table.
“Wait a minute,” Ella said. “The doctor, he’s moving towards the door.”
“So what?” Alan asked.
“So grab him. They can’t do the surgery without the doctor. I’ll open the door, and you yank him out. I’ll lock the door again, and Jonah will be trapped inside.”
“What about Izzy?” Alan said. “She’ll be trapped in there too.”
“She’s not in any danger. They need to keep her alive for the surgery. It will at least buy us some time.”
Alan looked at Vince with immense skepticism. “And what if it doesn’t work? What if you open that door and he shoots us on sight?”
“Look, we don’t have time to argue. Her seizure only lasts a couple minutes. After that, they go on with the surgery. This is our best option. He’s in the perfect position, right where Vince was standing, in front of the door. Just be quick. They’re not even paying attention. I’ll shut the door before they even know what’s going on.”
“She’s right,” Vince said. “It’s our only option. We should take advantage of this opportunity.”
“Fine,” Alan sighed, “but you better be fast.”
“Don’t worry,” Ella said. “That door will be shut in no time.”
Alan walked up and got ready, bending his knees and extending his arms. Vince joined him and did the same.
“Okay,” Ella said. “He is standing about two feet from the door. A little to the right. On three, I’ll open the door.”
Alan nodded. “We’re ready.”
“One. Two. Three!”
The door slid open. Alan and Vince reached inside and grabbed the doctor’s shoulders. They pulled back, tumbling onto their backs and smacking down hard on the floor. Jonah turned his head and the guards raised their guns, but the door slammed shut before they could get a shot.
Jonah pounded the door again. “Hey! Open up! I need him! Goddamn it!”
“We got him,” Alan said to Ella, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. “Now what?”
“We can use him as leverage,” she said.
Alan glanced at the doctor, who was still recovering from the fall. “How? Jonah’s not going to give up the girl. That’s the whole reason he needs this guy in the first place. He can’t perform surgery without Izzy.”
Ella had no answer. They stood in silence, not sure how to proceed. Vince wandered to the wooden desk, where he found his bag hanging from the chair. He grabbed it and strapped it over his shoulder. He studied the turtle mug sitting on the desk, full of hot tea, while the others considered their options.
“Give me my doctor back!” Jonah yelled.
Trish, who had stood aside and watched, stepped forward. “You could suffocate them.”
“What?” Alan asked.
“Suck out all of the air.” She pointed to his earpiece. “Whoever you’re talking to has control, right?”
Alan nodded.
“So suck out the air.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was installed to extinguish fires. If there is an isolated fire, all of these rooms are airtight. If you suck out the air, the fire goes out.”
“But Izzy’s in there,” Alan said.
“It won’t kill them. For safety, it’s on a timer. The vacuum only lasts twenty seconds, but that should be enough to knock them out. It’s hard locked for an hour after you activate it, so we only get one shot.”
The doctor backed away. “This is nuts,” he said. “I’m out of here. That sucker already paid me anyway.” He ran out the door.
“We don’t need him,” Vince said, touching the rim of the turtle mug and wandering back. “You’re sure this will work?”
“Yes. I know you’ve just met me, and you probably don’t trust me. You have good reason not to. I’ve been calling you traitors this whole time. I don’t know what you’re up to, but we both seem to want the same thing. To get that girl out safely. Am I correct?”
Vince and Alan nodded.
“Okay, then traitors or not, let’s get her out. Let’s suck out all of that air.”
Alan glanced at Vince. “That’s good enough for me. Did you hear that, Ella?”
“Every word,” she said. “How do I do it?”
Alan removed his earpiece and handed it to Trish. “Here, walk her through it.”
She grabbed it and pressed it into her ear. “Are you in the Spire database?”
“Uhh, I think so.”
“You see the camera view of this room, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so you have access to this room. If you go back to the main directory for Vitality Lab No. 88, there should be an option labeled emergency override.”
“Hold on.” There were a series of clicks as Ella stumbled through the menus. “Okay, I found it.”
“Select fire.”
“Okay. The options are sprinklers and vacuum.”
“Good. Vacuum is what we want. Let us get ready before you activate it.” She turned the Vince and Alan. “Once the twenty seconds are up, the door will automatically open. When that happens, you can pop in and grab Izzy. Everyone will be knocked out, so it should be a piece of cake.”
“Are you ready?” Ella asked.
Vince and Alan nodded.
“Yes, we’re ready,” Trish answered.
“Here we go.”
The three of them stood by the door, listening to the sounds from inside. They heard the rumble of a vent. It grew to a loud roar, whirring with intense ferocity, and then immediately stopped.
“What’s that?” Jonah said, with concern in his tone. His voice grew raspy as he spoke, and he started to cough and pant. The guards did the same. “Hey! Let us out!” he yelled, pounding on the door.
They heard many sounds as they waited. Guns clanging on the tile floor. Desperate wheezing. Hopeless clawing against the walls. One body dropping. Then another.
Alan looked intently at the clock against the wall, counting down the twenty seconds. “Will it be enough to knock all of them out?” he asked.
“It should be,” Trish answered, watching the clock as well.
Another body dropped. And another.
“Twenty seconds is almost up,” Trish said. “Get ready.” They moved closer to the door, ready to charge in.
The door slid open, and a loud pop blasted their ears. A strong force sucked them forward into the room. They slammed into Jonah, and flew across the room, hitting the opposite wall and falling to the ground. The push of air ripped Izzy from the table, tearing the mask from her face and sending her into flight.
Vince rolled over and oriented himself, getting to his feet. He ran for Izzy, passing by Jonah, who was gasping for air. Trish and Alan jumped to their feet and kicked the guards who were squirming on the floor.
Vince bent down and held Izzy in his arms, carrying her like his own child. “I have her,” he said, nodding to the others. “Come on, let’s go.”
They nodded and jogged to the exit, with Vince following behind. Jonah leaped through the air and grabbed Vince’s foot. Vince near
ly fell, but managed to keep his balance.
“You’re not going anywhere with that girl,” Jonah said.
Vince shook his leg, but Jonah’s grip was too tight. Alan charged back and kicked Jonah square in the jaw. Jonah let go and rolled onto his back. Alan glanced at Vince. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They ran through the door and into the hallway. Trish seemed to know her way through the maze. She led them to the main corridor, and back to the elevators. They eagerly waited for the lift to arrive, glancing over their shoulders with a paranoid sense of urgency. The doors slid opened to the sight of Ella and Rupert, standing side by side. Ella smiled. “It’s good to see you, Vince.” They entered, and Trish pushed Level 0.
Alan shook his head. “Not the docks. They’re swimming with guards.” He reached out and pressed Level 1 instead.
They rode down and came out to a deserted lobby. Vince found the emptiness disturbing. The last time he had seen the lobby, it was full of angry Crowns storming up the Spire. The stark contrast was somehow both calming and haunting at the same time.
They pushed through the front doors to the outside. The sky glowed a fiery orange as the sun began to rise. They climbed over debris to get through the walls and into the streets.
“Thank you for your help,” Trish said. “Now, would you like to explain why you’re helping this girl?”
“What do you mean?” Vince asked.
“You betrayed Greene. You stabbed him in the back and went to work for Simon. You know who this girl is, right?”
Vince reached into his bag and pulled out the monitor journal. “She’s Greene’s daughter.”
She tilted her head, now even more confused. “Right. So why did you kill Simon? Why did you save her?”
“We were never working for Simon,” he said. “We were never working for Greene, either. We were only trying to survive, and both of them wanted us dead.
“Why are you trying to save her?” Alan asked. “Jonah is continuing his work in the labs. Isn’t that what you want?”
“We didn’t want this. Yes, we plan on starting up the tests again, but we have limits. We follow Greene’s principles. One of those principles was no children, especially not this one.”
