Torn Apart

by James Harden

  He lowered his head and was silent for a moment, like he was thinking back, remembering the outbreak, the moment the Oz virus reached Sydney.

  And I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I quickly looked back at the blast doors. They were firmly closed. And there did not appear to be any other exits. None that I could see.

  “Do you want to know why I stayed my hand?” he asked. “Do you want to know why I hesitated?” He looked away. At the cave walls, at the paintings of the rainbow snake. He shrugged his shoulders. “Powerful beings are supposed to be decisive. I do not know why I hesitated. I do not know why I chose not to use nuclear options. Maybe because I am weak. Or was weak. But I made sure not to make that mistake again. I ordered a nuclear strike the following day, on the city of Melbourne. I was sad yet defiant. I had learnt from my mistake. I was getting stronger. My convictions, my fortitude. I was doing necessary evil. They would write stories about me one day. I would go down in history. But the virus had already spread further and wider and faster. So fast. We couldn't contain it. We couldn't stop it. Nuclear weapons became useless. The wrong weapon.”

  Another long pause. Another awkward silence.

  “So now, I think that you surviving in an environment where you should not have survived, and my hesitation, my moment of weakness, my decision not to drop a nuclear warhead on Sydney, on you, was divine intervention. What else could it be? Do you believe in divine intervention?”

  “I'm not sure anymore,” Maria answered. “We were tied up, nearly killed by a priest. He had gone mad. He had changed into the worst possible version of himself.”

  “How did you get out here?” the General asked. “Why did you walk off into the desert?”

  “We had no choice,” I said. “It’s too dangerous in the cities. They’re overrun with infected.”

  “The desert is a dangerous place,” he said. “Death comes easy here. Are any of you infected?”

  “No, sir,” Maria and I answered at the same time.

  “Time will tell. Time does not lie.”

  “We’re not infected,” I repeated. “We wouldn’t have made it this far...”

  He held his hand up to silence me. “Kimberly, take these three away. Lock them up.”

  “What? Where are you taking us?” I asked. “What are you doing? Maria is immune! We need to act. We need to do something.”

  “You will be locked up. I need to make sure you are not infected. I need to make sure you are not lying to me.”

  Kim gave us a look that said she was sorry. “It’s going to be OK,” she whispered.

  Again, I wanted to believe her. But I didn’t. I was too damn scared. Scared of a General who had gone mad from pressure and death.

  He was fighting an unwinnable war. His mission was unachievable. His goals were too unrealistic.

  Like he said, he had been thrown to the wolves.

  He had been placed in a vice.

  And now the pressure had changed him.

  I mean, I felt different from killing one individual. One individual who deserved to be killed. So how did he feel?

  He ordered nuclear strikes. He ordered mass killings.

  Did he carry the burden of the dead?

  Could he feel the weight on his shoulders?

  Civilians.

  Women and children.

  Innocent people.

  Soldiers.

  I think that he did.

  And I think this weight had pushed him over the edge.

  And now we were trapped down here with him. We were helpless. We were at his mercy.

  Chapter 37

  We were locked up for six days in total. Maria, Doctor Hunter and myself. The whole time we had no food. And only a few mouthfuls of water. We were getting weaker by the minute. And every day we were locked up, we were wasting time. As we were getting weaker, the virus was getting stronger, it was spreading further. More people were dying.

  We had no idea where they had taken Ben. We had no idea if he was still alive.

  Our makeshift prison cell was a shipping container. I guess the container was once used to transport supplies. Ammunition. Food.

  A few holes had been drilled into the roof to let air in. But other than that, it was completely dark in there. It took a whole day for my eyes to adjust. It was like we were trapped in a black hole. We were cut off from reality.

  And I very nearly lost my mind in there.

  For the first few hours that we were locked up, we thought we were alone.

  But then someone coughed.

  They were curled up at the far end of the container. They were wearing black. They hadn’t moved or said a word since we had been locked up. And they were barely breathing. If he hadn’t coughed, we would never have even known he was there.

  Maria and I moved back and away from the person who had coughed.

  Doctor Hunter stayed put. He didn’t react at all.

  “Who’s there?” Maria asked.

  The man continued to cough. It was loud and violent. He began throwing up. The retching noise was awful. It immediately made me feel sick.

  “I don’t have a name,” he whispered. “I lost my name.”

  “What?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

  No response.

  “Hello?”

  “He’s out cold,” Doctor Hunter said. “He’s dying.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just do.”

  The mystery man remained unconscious right throughout the night.

  The next day Kim returned to give us some water.

  “Kim!” I shouted. “What’s happening? What’s going on? Why are we still locked up?”

  “It’s fine,” she said. “Everything is fine. He’s just being ultra careful.”

  “Look, the last time we were locked up we were nearly killed,” I said. “I don’t like this. We finally made it to a military stronghold and the guy who is supposedly in charge, or was in charge, can’t even help us? This is not good. Not good at all. And where the hell did he take Ben?”

  “He’s taken Ben to the prison. He was too dangerous.”

  “Can you talk to him?” Maria asked. “Can you let him know that we’re not infected and that we’re not a threat?”

  “Yeah, of course. But you need to understand you don’t just talk to the General. It’s more delicate than that. It’s sensitive. He’s been through so much. He’s the last one left. The last one standing. He’s survived and he’s kept it together when the rest of the military left, when all the other leaders doubted him. When they all told him he was wrong, wrong, wrong. He stood defiant. Unmoving. He was a rock. He is the only one who has not abandoned us. That’s why we need to be careful. He holds the power. He can save us.”

  Again, I couldn’t figure out what had happened to Kim. She was speaking fast and her eyes were wide. It’s like she was on drugs or something. And the way she talked about the General, it just didn’t make sense. Once again, I got the feeling she had been brainwashed.

  “But don’t worry,” she continued. “He knows Maria is immune. He knows. And he knows that you’re the only hope. Because if he doesn’t stop it, if he fails...” she trailed off, shaking her head. “He can’t fail. He will win this war. And then he will prove to all the others that he was right. He was the only one who had the strength to stay and fight and win. He ordered the deaths of innocent people when all the other military leaders ran away in fear. He stood up to fear and darkness and uncertainty. So don’t worry. He knows.”

  Again, Kim sort of just trailed off. Then she left and we were left wondering what the hell she was talking about and why she was acting so weird.

  “What did they do to her?” Maria asked.

  “It's a side effect of the nano-virus,” the mystery man said from the corner.

  “What?” I asked. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

  He was still curled up in the far corner of the shipping container. I looked closely but I could barely see
him. He was like a ghost.

  “Early side-effects of the nano-virus,” he repeated. “Hyper speech. Hyper-activity. It’s almost like a manic episode. The nano-bots improve the neural pathways of the brain. They change it. Make it better, more efficient. More adaptable. When it first happens, it’s euphoric. It's like this endless high.”

  “Hold up a second,” I said. “Are you saying that she’s been injected with the nano-virus?”

  “I’m almost certain,” he answered. “She’s displaying all the early symptoms.”

  “The same nano-virus the military released into the atmosphere in an attempt to eradicate the Oz virus?”

  “The very one.”

  “How do you know what the symptoms are?” Maria asked.

  “I’m an Evo Agent,” he said. “I was hired by the company. Trained by the company. We were all given the injections.”

  I turned to Doctor Hunter. “What the hell did you do to her? She said you saved her. What did you do?”

  He was sitting against the wall with his head resting on his knees. He looked like a defeated man. “We did save her. We cured her. She was sick.”

  “With the Oz virus?”

  “No. She had cancer. Skin cancer. It was aggressive. The cancer had spread. It had moved into her lymphatic system. It was advancing. It was killing her. We gave her an injection of the nano-virus. It was purely an experiment.”

  “You experimented on her?” I asked.

  “There was nothing else we could do. She was terminal. We ran tests. Within days the cancer went into remission. Within days she had completely recovered.”

  “What? How?”

  “The nano-bots. When she started improving we decided to give her concentrated doses. We injected the nano-virus directly into the tumors and the affected areas. The way the nano-bots acted, the way they targeted the tumors, attacked the tumors,” he trailed off, shaking his head. “It was simply amazing.”

  “So the nano-virus cured her?”

  Doctor Hunter nodded. “For lack of a better word. Yes.”

  “But it’s changing her brain?”

  “I don’t know,” Doctor Hunter answered. “It’s a new technology. We are still learning how to harness it.”

  “Yes, it will change her brain,” the Evo Agent whispered, struggling to speak. “It’s inevitable.”

  “Will it change her?” Maria asked. “Will it change her personality?”

  “Only time will tell.”

  “But why?” I asked. “What does the nano-virus do?”

  “It makes you stronger, fitter. Smarter. It unleashes potential. It turns you into a super soldier. That was the whole point. The next evolutionary stage of warfare. The next evolutionary stage of the soldier.” The man tensed up and coughed. “But there are side-effects. Withdrawal symptoms. If you don’t get your monthly injection, your body starts to fail. The nano-bots, the injections, it’s like a drug. Your body begins to depend on it.”

  “Is that what’s happening to you now?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How long since your last injection?”

  “Thirty-eight days.”

  Maria stood up and moved over to the Evo Agent. She offered him the last of her water. “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Seven,” he answered.

  “Seven?”

  “That’s my number. We were all assigned numbers. Told to forget our names. We belonged to the company.”

  “Here,” Maria said. “Drink this.”

  He raised his head slightly. It was then he saw Maria. “Wait. Who are you? What’s your name?”

  “Maria.”

  He took out a photo from his pocket.

  It was Maria's school photo.

  “Maria Marsh,” he whispered. “The whole world is looking for you.”

  Chapter 38

  The whole world was looking for Maria. But the world was too late. We were sitting in a dark prison cell, waiting for the General to make a decision. It was up to him now to set us free, to call for help, to organize an extraction for Maria.

  The world would have no say in the matter, and if Maria stayed down here, the world would never find her.

  The next day, General Spears returned. He opened the door to the shipping container slightly. He was accompanied by two heavily armed soldiers.

  “Are any of you infected?” he asked.

  “We already told you,” I said. “We’re not infected. Please, we need food and water.”

  “Water you can have,” he said. “No food. Not yet.”

  He was making us weaker and weaker. He was doing this on purpose. He was torturing us and trying to break our spirits.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. “Why are you keeping us prisoner? Why are you keeping Maria prisoner? She can help. She is the only one who can make a difference.”

  “Nobody wants to help,” he answered. “Not anymore. They are afraid of the virus. They are afraid of this weapon because they do not understand it. But I understand it. Don't you see? They are brain dead. They are dead. They feed on the living to spread the infection. The dead feed on the living. And we the living, feed on the dead. Don't you see how perfect that is? It is Simple. It is pure. It is genius. That is why they are afraid.”

  “They have a right to be afraid,” Maria said. “Of course they do. That is why we need to help. We can stop this.”

  “There was a meeting,” he continued. Right before the military left. Operation Homefront. The situation in Australia had been assessed. They said it was beyond the point of no return. Massive casualties had been suffered. Project Salvation had failed. It was recommended that all military personnel fall back to home soil in preparation for domestic defensive purposes. The probability of an outbreak of the Oz virus on American soil was considered highly likely. Therefore, all military resources would be required in domestic defensive and containment roles. Australia was a non-priority. The remaining population was expendable. The remaining soldiers were expendable.”

  He took a deep breath. “They left us here to die. So who is the enemy? Who are we fighting? Who are we fighting for?”

  “We can’t just give up,” Maria said.

  “I agree. And I won’t give up. That is why I am still here.”

  He retrieved a small book from his back pocket. “This book was a gift. It is the ‘Art of War’ by Sun Tzu.” The General flicked through a few pages. He found the section he was looking for. “Sun Tzu states that in order to become invincible. Immortal. To become a God. You must know your enemy as you know yourself. The first rule of war is know yourself. Know your weaknesses. Know your strengths. Know your limitations. Once you know this, then you must know your enemy.”

  He put the book back in his pocket. “We do not know our enemy. The virus changes and adapts. The cure, Project Salvation, the nano-virus, for all its potential, was a false hope. It became a weapon of unimaginable horror and consequence. It was sophisticated, elegant and supremely advanced. And it morphed, it changed into something evil. In the end, it became a weapon. And that weapon was in the hands of children. But the real enemy, the real enemy is within. Know yourself. Know your enemy. But what if you do not know either? There would be no hope. No hope.”

  He left suddenly. Once again, we were alone in the dark. Confused and angry and desperate.

  The Evo Agent cleared his throat. “The rest of my squad was killed by the General,” he whispered. “It’s like he knew what we were going to do even before we knew. For all our physical abilities, he out smarted us. And now I think he has been taking the nano-virus injections as well. It’s the only possible explanation. He’s old. He’s got to be pushing sixty. But he possesses the strength of a prize-fighter. The rest of my squad was in here with me. And the General killed them one by one. Every few days. He comes back. He takes one of us. I am next. And then he will kill you.”

  “Excuse me?” Maria asked. “Why? Why would he do that?”

  “It’s warfare. Kill or be kill
ed. One by one. We are next. You are next.”

  “No. He wouldn’t just execute us,” Maria said. “He wants to stop this plague. He wants what we want.”

  The Evo Agent was silent. His breathing was labored.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said. “We need to escape.”

  “There is no escaping,” he said. “We are deep underground. We are locked in a cell. In a secure cave. We are in a prison within a prison within a prison. There is no escape.”

  “Doctor Hunter,” I said, “Surely you can help. There has to be someone else down here. Your staff, other doctors in the research facility. What about Doctor West? They can’t all be dead? Ben said this place was bigger than Manhattan. So where the hell is everyone!?”

  “Doctor West fled. He Disappeared. When it got real bad. He deserted us.”

  “Well, what about the rest of your staff?” I asked.

  “There is no one left. Not here. They ran. Or they committed suicide.”

  “Suicide?”

  “They knew there was no escape from Australia. The military had set up their blockade. The infected had taken over. The virus had spread from coast to coast. Australia is now hell on earth. No escape. That's why they did it. That's why. The ones who stayed behind, were eventually murdered by the General and his men.”

  “So we should just commit suicide?” I said. “Is that what you’re saying? We just wait here to die?”

  “Maybe it’s the better option,” he answered. “Quick. Painless. The soldier is right. We are trapped in a prison within a prison within a prison. There is no escape. No escape from death. No escape but death.”

  Chapter 39

  We were waiting to be executed. It was a weird form of psychological torture. The end of it would be the end of us.

  Two days passed.

  We were so weak. We were dehydrated and starving.

  I began hallucinating. My vision was blurry. I could barely stay awake.

  Suddenly, the General returned again. He opened the doors to the shipping container. He opened them as wide as they could go. His bodyguards stood behind him. The light from their torches poured into the shipping container, sending me blind.