by Lara Morgan
“Your breath stinks,” Rosie replied.
He looked sidelong down at her and grunted. “Tough, eh? Won’t last long.”
Rosie just glared at him. Her heart was beating so fast, she couldn’t breathe properly.
Gerry dragged her at a fast pace down a walkway and into a living dome. What looked like an ordinary home for someone flashed past as he dragged her through to an outside airlock.
He thrust a breather at her. “Put this on and don’t do anything to make me hurt you.”
It was frigid outside, the sun was dropping and a red light dressed the bare earth. A few metres away a three-wheeled vehicle was waiting, another man at the controls.
“Get in.” Gerry prodded her and she climbed into the back. He sat beside her, squashing her against the side.
“Go.” He tapped the shoulder of the driver.
The vehicle trundled up a narrow track towards the Tharsis Mountains and away from the colony. Wedged into the back, Rosie watched the massive bulk of the ranges filling the sky before them and felt a moment of panic and despair. Would Riley guess what had happened? Would he still turn up? She had no idea and could only hope Yuang believed her about the plaspaper. If anything, it might buy them a bit more time.
CHAPTER 33
Pip watched. Keeping still and silent, he moved in the background, staying in the shadows of the walls, listening in doorways and using all the tricks he’d taught himself to survive on Earth.
Being a Feral made you a target and he’d become very good at being invisible. It was amazing what people could miss. As big and muscled as Yuang’s grunts were, they were far from bright and most of them were spinning on enhancers.
Pip gritted his teeth, feeling the hatred oozing like river mud. Even Yuang was a bit stupid. He’d thought that telling him he was immune to the MalX would keep him docile, on the leash. If it was even true. He wasn’t sure what to believe now but somehow the idea that he might be immune made some sense. He’d helped Essie screw up Yuang’s plans and normally that might be enough to get him a one-way ticket through the airlock. Maybe he was special. And Yuang thought the threat of not letting him cure Rosie and her family would make him do whatever he said.
Yuang was deluded if he thought that. As far as he could tell, he didn’t think he could do much for Rosie’s dad anyway, and her aunt wasn’t looking too good either, which was a pity, because he’d liked her. But Rosie … Fury surfed cold through his veins as he watched Essie through the gap in the vent. That was not going to happen to her.
He smiled grimly as Essie spat at the grunt attaching her drip. The spit landed short but it was satisfying nonetheless. She shuddered for a while as the sedation took hold and Pip watched until she subsided then he crept away.
He’d heard they’d picked Rosie up at the colony and he wanted to see for himself when they brought her in.
Silent as snowfall, he melted into the corridors of the Enclave and into an unused room. It looked directly out onto the back area where the rovers came in. He crouched low and crooked a finger under the blind and waited for Rosie to arrive.
They threw her in a tiny room and slammed the door.
It was pitch black. For a moment Rosie panicked. She couldn’t draw a proper breath. She crawled forward until she felt the wall, then sat back against it.
The wall was hard against her back but surprisingly warm. She pressed her cheek and the palms of her hands against it and told herself not to think about what Riley said Yuang had done to him. She told herself he’d only made it up to scare her into staying behind. She concentrated on wondering where Riley was, if he’d noticed she was gone. Was it sunset yet? Was her family still alive? She thought hard about them, pictured her aunt and her dad, and after a while she could breathe again. She curled up and waited.
After what seemed like forever she heard the sound of voices. She sat up and listened carefully, but could barely hear more than a murmur.
The door opened, the light intense after the blackness and she put up a hand to block it, squinting in the glare.
“Who is it?” she said.
No one answered, but a dark shape came towards her and large hands reached out. It was Gerry again. She struggled but it was pointless. He dragged her out of the room.
Blinking, she stared around her. They were in a corridor, painted stark white, and the glare of it hurt her eyes. How long had she been in the dark? Her mouth was dry with thirst, her stomach empty.
“Come on.” Gerry wrenched her arm hard and she cried out in anger and pain.
They passed doorways: most closed, a few open, some with lights on, some in darkness. She caught glimpses of tables like a schoolroom, darkness, cupboards, darkness, blue eyes watching, darkness.
Her breath caught. Pip? She tried to turn around but Gerry swung her a casual slap to the side of her head, rocking her skull. She cried out and on instinct punched him back. It was like hitting rock and he laughed at her.
They stopped at a door. He swiped a key through the lock and pushed her through so hard, she sprawled onto the stone floor.
“Ah, Miss Black.”
Rosie looked up at Yuang standing in front of a blackened window that ran the entire length of the wall. “A pleasure to see you.”
She’d bitten her lip and could taste blood. With shaking fingers she wiped at her mouth and got slowly to her feet.
He came towards her, his arms folded casually across his chest.
“Please, you look tired, sit.” He indicated a white chair between them. It was the only furniture in the room, apart from a tall cupboard in the corner near the door.
She backed a step away and remained standing.
Yuang seemed amused. “Please yourself.”
“What do you want?” She sounded weak and scared.
He tilted his head to one side. “I think you know. Where is Shore?”
She didn’t answer and Yuang sighed. “I’m disappointed, Rosie. I know you’re smarter than that. Top of your class in astrophysics in fact. You scored ninety-seven per cent on your last semester test.”
“So what?”
“So, a corporation like Helios is always on the lookout for bright new minds.”
“Why, have they run out of people to kill?”
“I’m sorry you think that, Rosie. We are scientists, not monsters.” He came closer. “Did you doubt me when I told you your family is alive?”
Rosie’s heart jolted. “Where are they?” She was annoyed to hear the fear and desperation in her voice.
“Would you like to see them?”
“Yes.” She could feel tears forming and angrily tried to stem them. She was finding it hard to stay on her feet now and swayed slightly.
“Come.” He put a hand out to her but she flinched away. “Look at this window, it’s a view port.”
She noticed then he had a small device in his left hand. He pressed it and the black window became transparent. She could see through it into a lab, full of complicated equipment and screens. In the middle of the room was a sealed bubble and inside that two beds, one with her aunt and another with her dad. They lay still and were hooked up to monitors.
She went to the window and put her hands on the glass. They were barely dressed and there was a red rash on their legs and arms. It was worse on her dad. Something dropped inside her and she felt cold and sick. She’d seen that before. The MalX.
“As you can see, they are alive – for now,” Yuang said behind her.
“You did this!” She turned on him.
“Why are you surprised? I assume Riley told you what we do here, or what he thinks we do. Normally, I would not have bothered using either of your relatives as a test subject. They are, after all, not within the gene pool of those whom Earth society so quaintly calls, the Ferals.” He smiled as though it was a good joke. “But I thought it necessary this time, as insurance.”
“But they’ll die!”
“That depends on you. Where is this plaspaper you say you
have?”
“Why would I tell you?’ she said. “There’s no cure!” She could not fathom how he could be so cruel, so uncaring. Her idea to try to manipulate him with the imaginary plaspaper seemed foolish now. She was going to lose her whole family and there was nothing anyone could do. She began to cry and he watched her unmoved.
“You are right, of course,” he said. “We don’t have a cure – well, not one that can be administered like a vaccine. But I can cure them.”
“What?”
“We have been testing subjects for some time now, looking for that special combination of genes and DNA. We were successful; we have a subject who is immune, a subject who, with a simple blood injection, could save lives.” He came up to her then and whispered in her ear. “It’s Pip.”
Her heart felt as though it missed a beat. “I don’t believe you.”
He shrugged. “But are you willing to risk the lives of your father and aunt on it?”
Pip? She stared at her dad. She wanted to smash the window and run to him. How could Pip be the cure? Why hadn’t he told her?
“I know, it’s hard to accept,” Yuang said. “But it is true. Pip has developed a remarkable immunity – one he can pass on to others. To your father and aunt.”
Rosie wasn’t sure she could believe him. It seemed so unreal. But Pip had lied to her. He had betrayed all of them. Why wouldn’t he lie about this as well?
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and said, “What do you want?”
“Just tell me where this plaspaper is and what Riley is planning. I can’t believe he would just give himself up. Tell me everything and it will all be over. You can go home – with your family.”
Rosie didn’t know what to do. She felt overwhelmed, in way over her head. “Is it such a hard decision?” Yuang said, leaning close.
She flinched away from him. “You’re a murderer,” she whispered.
“Perhaps to you, but consider this: if you don’t tell me, your family will die. And what guarantee do you have that Riley will succeed in his paltry attempt to stop me carrying out my orders? He will most likely die trying and then what will you have achieved? Not to mention that what we are doing is trying to save people. We are trying to find a cure for the MalX, Rosie. Surely you of all people can appreciate that?”
She couldn’t answer him. She put her forehead against the glass; she was so tired.
“Wanting your family to live doesn’t make you a bad person,” Yuang said. “And what we are doing, we’re doing for humanity. The people we test are martyrs, giving their lives to ensure the survival of the human race. They are heroes. Who are you to take that away from them?”
He was insane. How could he call the people he was murdering heroes? Why had she thought she could reason with him?
“There’s no plaspaper,” she said quietly. “I made it up.”
“Really?” His tone was dry.
“Yes, and Riley really is coming to give himself up to you – as long as you let my dad and Aunt Essie go first. He’ll be waiting for you near the north gate like I said.”
“So no plans to use them as decoys, perhaps with something from his sister’s diary in the box? No plans to get in while my back’s turned and ruin everything?”
“I told you, he wants to save lives, not end them.”
Yuang appeared disappointed. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rosie. I just find this all hard to believe. I’m not sure about your plaspaper claim, but Shore has been trying to find a way to bring down Helios for ten years and, believe me, people working with him have died before in the process. And now, he’s just going to give it up for two people he barely knows?” He turned to Gerry. “Take her to the cells.”
Horror filled her. “But I told you the truth!”
“You told me what you thought you could get away with,” he said. “I know Shore, far better than you think.”
“No! I told you everything.” Rosie tried to avoid the guard’s hands. “Please.” But he ignored her and Gerry’s fist smashed down on her temple, turning the world to black.
CHAPTER 34
She woke in a different room. This time she was lying on a thin mattress and it wasn’t dark, but the light was dull. Her head throbbed and she pushed herself up slowly, wincing with the effort. She was in a cell. Three grey walls surrounded her, fronted by floor-to-ceiling bars. There was a toilet, a sink and a bottle of water near the bed. Beyond the bars the room continued into shadow. But someone was there, watching her.
She stiffened. “Who is it?”
“Only me.” Pip stepped into the light. “I saw them bring you in.”
She stared. His dreadlocks were gone, his head shaved to leave only a dark fuzz. Without his hair the bright blue of his eyes seemed to blaze in his face. He looked beautiful, and her heart faltered. “Go away,” she said weakly.
He didn’t move. “They’re coming for you soon.”
“So why are you here, to make sure I don’t get away?”
A barren smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Do I look all right?”
“No. They’ve hit you.” He came closer and curled his hands around the bars and a pained expression crossed his face as he gazed at the bruise on her temple, the cuts on her cheek. Such a great actor.
“Don’t pretend you care, Pip,” she said. “Shouldn’t you be with Yuang? He says you’re the cure for the MalX. His golden boy.”
“Yeah, weird, isn’t it? He just told me too.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t.”
“Sure, like you don’t know what Helios is doing here, like you didn’t know what would happen when you stole the code key. Do you feel guilty for what you did, is that why you’re here?”
“I’m sorry, Rosie. I really didn’t know.”
She shook her head. He just couldn’t stop lying. “Go away, Pip.”
But he stayed there, watching her closely. It unnerved her. “It doesn’t matter what you told him, Rosie. They’re not planning to cure your dad or aunt.” He paused. “And he’ll inject you too.”
Rosie kept her face turned away so he couldn’t see her fear, and willed him to leave.
“Rosie–”
“Go away!” She raised her voice. “Just leave me alone.”
“Okay. Get some sleep. I’ll be back later.” He reached a hand through the bars. “I’m not lying, Rosie. I’m going to help you. I promise.”
She couldn’t look at him.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and then he was gone.
Rosie lay down, curling in on herself. She didn’t want to think about Pip or his promises. She didn’t want to think of anything at all.
They came for her a few hours later. Three guards for one small girl.
Rosie couldn’t stop shaking when Gerry dragged her out of the cell. His fingers wrapped around her upper arm and she felt light-headed and nauseous.
Adrenaline raced through her, trebling her heart rate so she was almost dizzy with the need to run. But there was no escape.
They took her to the lab she’d seen before. Yuang was waiting for her and her dad and aunt still lay unconscious within the plastic bubble. Rosie felt herself slipping into a kind of numbness. She couldn’t feel her feet moving but she knew she was getting closer to a narrow bed set up outside the bubble.
“Strap her in,” Yuang said.
Gerry picked her up and dumped her on the bed. The mattress was hard and Rosie watched as though from outside herself as Yuang approached. He began fiddling with a machine on wheels.
Gerry pushed her down and she didn’t fight him. Her limbs felt heavy and detached from her body and all around was the steady beeping of the machines.
She knew she should be resisting. A small part of her brain was shouting at her, screaming that this wasn’t good, that she should do something, but the message wasn’t getting through to her body. The two other guards snapp
ed straps over her ankles and wrists.
“All right.” Yuang’s expression was bland. “Now this won’t hurt – not at first, but it is necessary. Riley will be here soon and when he arrives you will explain to him what has happened.” Yuang smiled. “I’m sure he won’t let you die.”
Rosie couldn’t speak. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. It was all a mistake and soon she would wake up again in the cell, or at home, or somewhere else where there wasn’t a madman and machines and the terribly loud sound of her thudding heart.
“Go get him.” Yuang glanced at one of the guards.
The man grunted and turned to go, but a voice called out, “I’m here.”
Rosie strained to see past the bulk of the guard. Pip was in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of a pair of dark green pants. His eyes seemed to reach across the room to her like a flare in the dark. Something contracted in her chest and for a millisecond she thought maybe he’d come to save her like he’d said he would. But he only stared at her for a moment then looked at Yuang. “Let’s get this over with.”
Yuang frowned. “Keen, aren’t you?”
Pip shrugged and came towards them. “It’s not like I have a choice.”
They watched each other for a moment in silence then Yuang said, “It’s on the desk.”
Pip went to one of the desks against the wall. When he came back he had a pump syringe filled with clear liquid. He stood calmly, a metre from her, waiting for Yuang.
“Get her ready.” Yuang nodded at Gerry.
Something snapped and a great wall of fear swept over Rosie’s body like a wave, washing away the inertia. She began to struggle. “No!” she cried out. “Don’t touch me.”
But everyone ignored her.
Gerry swabbed her arm then wrapped a soft tube around her bicep and slapped her skin, searching for a vein.
Pip stepped up beside her, the needle in his hand.
“You bastard,” Rosie screamed up at him. “You backstabbing bastard!”
He gazed down at her but he wasn’t looking at her eyes, only her arm. His lips were tight as he pushed the needle slightly and a drop of liquid came out of the tip.
