Plagued: Book 1 (13 page)

Chapter 13

Blood Lines

Sky's cell phone buzzed as they lingered over their empty plates talking about England. Eloise had been several times as a child and in her teens before overseas travel became impossible. The screen lit up with her mom's picture and the ringtone for video chat.

“Aunt Eloise, mom's calling for some face time.”

Her aunt backed away from the table.

Hugo stood and began to clear the dishes.“I shall wash these.”

“Shall you indeed?” Sky mimicked his accent.

He made a face at her. “Will you stop that! Anyway, leave this to me. You both can have some time with Sky's mother. I'm sure she misses you very much.”

“I won't pretend that is not a welcome and very polite offer, Hugo. Switch on the big screen, oh niece of mine.”

Sky flashed Hugo a peace sign and he winked at her.

Her mom was smiling when they opened the video screen window on the television.

“Good day?” Sky asked, settling in on the couch with Tricia on her lap.

“Great day. Got an unexpected find. Oil is flowing like water. Hi, Ellie, my dear.” Her mom looked beyond them. “Is Kara not there? I told her to stay with you until she was back on her feet.”

Sky and Eloise looked at each other, then at the screen.

“Let me guess. She's either still in the hospital or she went home with Jake.”

“She's still in the hospital,” Eloise said. “I tried to get her to come here and Jake tried to get her to come home, she refused us both. Insisted she had to stay in the hospital at least another day. She seems so angry. I'm not sure why, Emmy. The baby is fine. Kara just has to stay off her feet for at least another week. Other than that, she looks good. You need to talk to her.”

Sky had to add, “She hates me, she said so.”

“She doesn't hate you, darling,” her mom said quickly, “ I don't think she's happy about the baby. I almost got the impression she wishes she'd lost it. Though it's  too late to terminate the pregnancy, no one is going to force her to keep it. She
knows
that. And I see that face, young lady.”

Sky squirmed further into the cushions on the couch. “I think she's scared of everyone expecting her to put the baby ahead of her career. Well...you
know
Kara. She always has to be first among equals.”

Her mom made the face Sky had often seen when discussions of Kara came up. “Like Caesar. I know. I'll tell her again I think she should come home to you, Ellie. If it's okay.”

“When would it ever not be okay for me to have the girls? Now, on a lighter note, there's something I've been waiting days to show you.”

She touched the TV screen and split it into two. A few more taps on the control and a video opened up.

“What...” Sky's mom started to say.

“Wait for it,” Eloise pointed at the screen.

A news report came on showing a mixed group of maybe college-aged kids. They were wearing tight jeans, some in T-shirts, others in plaid. The boys had their hair cut in a sort of unkempt shag that Sky knew for a fact was actually a lot of work to achieve. They were smoking in the parking lot outside a coffee place. A couple of them had over-sized headphones hanging around their neck. The voiceover started talking about fashion trends. Sky heard her mother begin to moan loudly.

“No. Oh no.
No, no, no!
I survived the bird flu, blood plagues, the die off, the disintegration and subsequent rebuilding of Western Civilization only to live for the return of
hipsters?
” She pretended to cry loudly.

Eloise held up one hand. “Look at this.” She switched to an online store. There was a shot of little gold or silver necklaces with a curly mustache pendant on each.

“Oh,” Sky chirped. “Those are so cute. I saw someone at school with a necklace like that. I want one.”

“Ahhhhh!”
her mom cried. “I bet you think the way those kids are dressed is cute as well.”

Sky looked at them. She did think they looked good. Especially the way they had their shirts sort of half tucked in and half out. The big black glasses on the girls and the messy hair on the boys. That short in back, long in front look like Hugo's. “Yep,” she nodded enthusiastically.

“Spawn of the devil!” her mom shouted in mock horror.

Eloise made the sign of the cross with her fingers. “I cast thee out Satan!”

Then they both cracked up hysterically. They laughed so long and so loudly, Sky gave up on continuing the conversation with her mom and went into the kitchen where Hugo was finishing up the dishes.

“Almost done in here,” he said over his shoulder.

“Come into the living room so you can meet my mom. She's on the line.”

“That's all right,” he hung back. “Big deal meeting a girl's mum. Not sure I'm ready. Can we do it another time?”

As it turned out, he wasn't going to have a choice. Eloise came in with her tablet, talking and laughing at the screen. “You should meet Sky's new friend. He came for dinner tonight.”

Hugo backed away, he looked almost scared, Sky thought. Maybe he'd been burned by a former girlfriend's mom who hated him or something.

He wiped his hands on his jeans and moved quickly to where he'd left his things. “No, honestly. Another time perhaps.”

“Don't be silly,” Eloise was all smiles. She turned the tablet around so the camera was aimed at Hugo.

He froze, one hand on his backpack. That was the best way to describe it, Sky thought. His face, his eyes, his hands. A sudden and complete lack of all movement.

Her mom had almost the same reaction.

Sky looked from her mom to Hugo and back again, then at her aunt.

Eloise wasn't facing the screen and couldn't see this strange course of events.

“Mom,” Sky said cautiously. “This is my friend Hugo St. James, from school. He's here with his dad, from England.” Gesturing towards Hugo, she continued with the introduction even though they both had what can only be described as appalled looks on their faces. “Uh, Hugo, this is my mom, Emily Murphy.”

Her mom continued to stare, saying nothing.

Hugo cleared his throat. “How do you do. I've heard a lot about you.”

“Have you? From who, I wonder?” Her mother stared down her nose at Hugo, her eyes narrowed.

Sky could feel the chill right through the screen.

“Where did you two meet?” Her mom's tone was tight, like when she was angry.

She waited for Hugo to answer, but he still seemed slightly stunned.

“In the ER,” Sky answered for him. “The night I had to go in for the bump on my head. His dad is a surgeon at the hospital or something...” she trailed off. This was getting weird.

“Is he indeed?” She looked at something out of their line of sight. “Well sweetie, I'm sorry but I have to go. I'll call tomorrow, okay? Love you.”

She blew Sky a kiss and signed off without a word to Hugo.

“Well, that was sort of strange.” Sky looked at Hugo. He didn't meet her eyes.

“I have to go,” Hugo walked back to the dining room, quickly putting his book bag together. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Edwards, for dinner. And thank you for cooking, Sky.” He was out the door before Sky could think of something to say.

Wait
came to mind just a few seconds too late.

Eloise stared at the front door. “What was that all about?”

Her mother and Hugo had taken one look at each other and decided it was hate at first sight. This could not be good.

“Well?” Eloise made shooing motions with one hand. “Go on. Go after him!”

She did just that, running out the front door and jogging towards the corner. “Hugo, hold up! I'll give you a ride.”

He didn't slow down and she ran faster. “Hugo!
Wait.
”

He stopped finally, not facing her. His posture stiff.

“What's going on?”

“I'm sorry, I can't see you anymore. We can't be friends.”

She waited for the joke, the one liner to explain what he really meant. Nothing came. He started to walk away.

“You can't mean it.” She grabbed his sleeve and jerked him back. “We kissed. Hugo, look at me!”

He shook her off roughly. “No,
no,
Sky. I thought, maybe...I hoped... despite everything...our family history. Maybe if we'd had more time. Now, though.” He made a sound of despair. “Your mother and mine are enemies. We cannot be together.”

She was too surprised to feel anything yet. His words didn't make sense. “Enemies. What are we Capulet and Montague from Romeo and Juliet? Who cares about our mothers? You and I...”

“Can be nothing.
Nothing!
” His voice was fierce. He faced her, grabbing both arms and pulling her roughly to him. His face was so angry, she tried to draw back. “You have no idea what you're talking about. Stay away from me. It's a mistake, no matter what my father thinks.”

She smelled it then. That elusive spicy scent. She had encountered it before. The scent of the man in black body armor in the vault of blood.

Chapter 14

Blood Shot

The video message alert was blinking on her phone. She played it as she slowly walked back to the house and up the driveway. A message from her mother

“I want you to stay away from that boy,” she said looking so unlike her usual, smiling self. Angry and flushed. She was leaning forward on the desk, her face near the screen. “His father and I worked together long ago, at the height of the plagues and after. His mother is dangerous. She is suspected of being a member of the Victims Army. They are radicals and not to be trusted. The son will be no different.”

Sky tried to call her back for hours that night. Leaving a string of voice and video emails. What the hell was going on? 'Their son will be no different'? Who thinks like that? There had to be far more to the story than her mother was telling. A reason Hugo had reacted so dramatically.

Enemies.

He'd actually used that word. He recognized her mother but hadn't known who Sky really was. That must have been what that was about.. Her mom had kept her maiden name and the girls taken their father's. Actually their last name was hyphenated. But Murphy-Christensen was way too long for her Tactical badge and Sky never used it.

And then there was the spicy smell. Maybe that's what all men smelled like when they were really frightened or upset. Or certain blood types. Perhaps the man in black was an AB, like Hugo. That's why they smelled the same under stress. There was no way Hugo St. James was the frightening assassin she'd encountered. That would be crazy.

Eloise seemed to know more than she was saying, even though she claimed innocence of the details.

“Your mother needs to explain this, not me.”

“But she said she worked together with Hugo's father. How could she? He's a doctor or something, and she's a geologist.”

Eloise shook her head. “I can't tell you. Your mother didn't talk about her work or the people she was with. I had my own worries to deal with. I was volunteering at Social Services trying to find homes for the growing number of orphans. Those were terrible times. My boys were small still. Eventually, your mom left the lab she was working in, met your father, and very soon got pregnant with Kara in the middle of all that chaos.”

The remainder of the week was miserable. Made more so by Kara moving into the house on Homer Avenue. The doctors and her aunt finally insisted she check out of the hospital and into Eloise's house for a full ten days of bed rest. No exertion. No standing except for trips to the bathroom. Eloise settled her in the master bedroom since it had its own bathroom. That way Kara wouldn't have to walk down the hall.

Sky didn't understand why her big sister didn't just go to her own house and have her baby daddy take care of her. Isn't that what partners are for? Unfortunately, Kara heard Sky bring this matter up with her aunt and the air was positively frosty between them after that. Polar frosty.

Hugo didn't even try to pretend he wasn't avoiding her. Several times she attempted to confront him over the next couple of days. Refusing to say a word or make eye contact, he would abruptly turn away and stride off in the opposite direction. Much to Andrea's satisfaction. She made sure Sky couldn't miss her look of smug satisfaction.

She had lunch with Rickey and the squad as usual. Rickey listened attentively when she told him of the strangeness with Hugo and her mom and even the kissing. He was sympathetic, yet somehow preoccupied. The boy was was not his cheery, noisy, smart-ass self. Sky was too busy dealing with her own unhappiness to look much deeper.

At lunch Friday, Rickey slipped her a note. Carefully so the others wouldn't see. She opened it down on her lap. The note said: Meet me at CBC, Saturday, ten a.m. She looked at him and he made a zipping motion across his lips.

'Why was everyone acting so weird,
' she moaned to herself.

Chapter 15

Blood Bag

She spent Friday evening in front of the TV with Tricia, a plate of meatloaf and baked potatoes. Eloise was at the Power Company so she took in a tray to Kara. Her sister was channel surfing on the TV in Eloise's bedroom, not that there were many channels to surf. Max was curled up high on the pillow. Maximilien actually preferred Kara to Sky. Stupid cat. Kara looked pale with dark circles under her eyes, her hair puffed and tangled from lying on the pillows. So unlike her usual perfectly groomed self. They looked similar, she and her sister, heart-shaped faces, big eyes and strong eyebrows, but Kara had that natural blond hair and translucent fair skin that didn't even need makeup to shine and sparkle. She didn't look very pretty today and very much the opposite of sparkling.

Sky winced at a sudden twinge of conscience. Her sister might be in pain and all Sky could do was think smack about her.

“I brought dinner. Do you want some company while you eat? Or can I get you something else?”

Kara barely glanced away from the TV. “No, I'm fine.”

“You don't look fine.”

She aimed the remote control at Sky like a gun. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“
Nothing
. God, Kara why do you have to be so mean?” She set the tray on the end of the bed. “I haven't done anything wrong. I've been keeping out of your way like you said. Trying to help Eloise make you comfortable and all you do is snap at me. I know you don't really like me but,
jeez.
”

To her horror, Kara's face crumpled up, and she began to sob. 

Kara crying was scarier than Kara yelling.

Sky took a few steps towards the bed.

“No,” her sister thrust one hand out to stop her coming closer.

Sky hesitated. “Kara.”

“Close the door and go.” Kara wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Go. Get out. I don't want to talk about it. Especially not with a child.”

Sky slammed the door on her way out. Why couldn't she have a sweet big sister who gave her make-up tips and boy advice? Like on TV.

On her way down the hall, Sky texted both her mom and Jake, telling them Kara needed damage control. Although she didn't put it exactly that way in her mom's text. Maybe her sister would talk to them. This sort of behavior was way out of character. Kara liked to be in control – of herself and everyone around her.

Sky's mom had been frustratingly offline since the 'Hugo Incident,' as Sky was calling it. A couple of texts with chatter about unimportant things or Kara's condition were all that had come in.

Jake arrived about a half an hour after she finished dinner, ringing the door bell. Coming straight from the base, still in his gray camouflage fatigues and combat boots. He was around six feet two, black hair in a military buzz cut. A good looking guy with the strong Asian features of his father.

Sky waved him through to the bedroom. “Try and get her to eat dinner, will you, Jake?”

He ruffled her hair like she was a kid and went in.

Eloise came home about ten, blew a kiss to Sky and went upstairs to the master bedroom. Tricia went as well, dancing at her mistress' heels. Even the shadowy wiener dog – who refused to be exorcised – trotted along.

After that, Sky just gave up and went to bed. Kara had made it clear she didn't want or need Sky for much of anything. Particularly comfort.

Sky walked to the Redwood Shopping Center the next morning to meet Rickey at CBC. The trees were changing colors, but the weather had suddenly warmed up again trying to make liars of the fall foliage. Carved pumpkins and Halloween decorations on the houses seemed out of place. Surely with this weather, it was only the fourth of July coming up?

Halloween meant the end of school and the beginning of vacation. It also meant the approach of flu season. Sky did not want to think about that, not today. She had to unzip her coat after a couple of blocks it was so warm. Today she had liberated a mid-thigh length army green cotton jacket from her mom's closet, wearing it over a navy long-sleeve t-shirt, skinny jeans, and her slouchy walking boots.

Daphne and Sara Anne envied the access to her mom's stock of vintage clothes. Daphne was too busty for her mother's stuff and Sara Anne too petite. Plus, Emily Murphy had the enviable foresight to shop at brands that were making a huge comeback now in resale stores.

She covered the mile and a half to the mall quickly, stomach growling, thinking about what she would order. Maybe a carrot cake muffin today and an espresso like the very charming Quill. That seemed like a grown up sort of drink.

Rickey waved from an outside table. Sky went in and waited for her order before joining him, taking a bite of her warm muffin on the way over.

“Hey, Rickey!”

He shook a finger at her. “Don't talk with your mouth full.”

Sky laughed and held her cup up. Rickey pretended to clink it with his own. They always toasted each other like this. She took a sip and decided she liked this strong, bitter taste. Rickey had a sweet tooth, his was a soy cafe mocha. His family's love of cheese meant he had to take tablets to offset the side effects of all that lactose. On his own, he stuck to soy.

Settling in at the table, Sky took the time to look carefully at Rickey as she ate her muffin. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell something weird was going on. He looked almost as bad as Kara, pale with dark circles under his eyes. Barely sipping the coffee, his eyes flitted restlessly over the crowd as though expecting to see someone.

Sky looked out at the noisy, coffee drinking group with him. On the edge, sitting alone at a table, she saw the drop-dead gorgeous boy, Quill. He was dressed more casually today in black turtleneck and hunter green jacket. Meeting her eyes, he waved. Sky flushed, surprised he even remembered her and waved back.

Rickey gave a shuddering sigh and Sky turned her attention to her friend. Reaching out, she put her hand over his.

“Tell me. Something's been going on all week and I've been preoccupied over my non-existent, only-in-my-own-mind romance with Hugo St. James. You're not happy. Is it Kyle?”

“What? No.” He looked surprised. “God no. Kyle is great. My mom is going to drive me up to San Francisco next Friday and we'll spend the weekend together. Then he'll bring me home and Dad will barbecue.”

“
Of course
your dad will barbecue.”

“Dad likes Kyle because Kyle loves football. Along with Bruno, they pile on the couch after dinner and watch classic games from college ball on DVDs. It makes Dad happy.” He waved one hand in the air. “Not why I asked you to come.” He took a shaky breath. “Remember the Stealth Bikes and the Catz 'bots at Operation Cineplex?”

“Yeah, yeah, you said you lost them. Which was too bad. That could have turned into a good lead for our side and maybe erased my demerits from Operation Cineplex. ”

He leaned close, speaking very quietly. “I didn't. Lose them, I mean. Sky...I don't want to involve you, but I need to tell
somebody
. I'm just a kid. This is  too much for me. I don't know what to do.”

“Tell me,” she spoke just as quietly, remembering she'd been saying that to herself since the night of the raid as well. 

“The Catz kept close enough to the bikes for me to track them. The bikers headed south on 101 towards Mountain View, so they didn't go very far. Which I thought was weird. Why not go
far
away, right? They got off the freeway and rode randomly around the streets for a few minutes before heading to their final destination.”

“Where?”

Rickey looked around again and whispered in her ear, cupping both hands over his mouth.

Sky stared unseeing around her, trying to analyze what he'd just said.

Rickey nodded. “I swear it's true. I went to Sergeant McNeil to tell him I tracked three stealth bikes that tried to escape unseen from the multiplex. Instead of being pleased, he started acting strange. Wanted me to repeat everything and show him all the data. He became seriously angry, even though he tried not to show it. He ordered me to download the data stream and any info from our exchange including recordings of the request to dispatch the Catz onto a flash drive. After that, I was to erase it from the mainframes and any backup files. Made me swear an oath to keep quiet. Said it was a matter of national security.”

Sky took a sip of her coffee and looked cautiously around the terrace expecting a squad of uniformed men to be watching them now. “The sergeant knows the request came from me, not you Rickey. I'm the one who saw the Stealth Bikes.”

“I know. He spoke to me at my party. Remember, he came?”

“Yeah, with the major, who is, by the way, my sister's C.O.”

“This is just getting too connected in a scary way. I didn't invite him and neither did my parents. He just showed up. Later, he spoke to me alone. Wanted wanted to know if you'd been asking about the Catz.”

“What did you say?”

“The truth. That I told you I lost them. He made some vague threats that if I wanted to keep my friends and family safe, I'd forget about the whole incident. Can I have a bite of your muffin? I'm still hungry.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sky pushed it towards him.

Rickey picked it up, only to nibble a microscopic bite before handing it back. As Sky took it, she felt something hard and small on the bottom of the muffin. Taking a bite of it herself to cover her movement, she reached for a napkin to wipe her mouth. Behind it, she transferred whatever it was to the napkin and tucked it into her jacket pocket.

“The Catz picked up some chatter over the riders' radio when they got close.”

“Did you use that new eavesdropping program for encrypted cell phones?”

“Yes, and now I'm sorry I ever learned it.” He grasped her hand with both of his and quietly told her how he controlled the Catz manually from the mobile command center. Each 'bot had a wide angle lens with a close-up focus
built into their head. He'd watched as t
he bikes went back to the base. Home Guard Base 51. Watched as the riders keyed their way through two security gates and into a warehouse that required all three riders to pass retina scans and facial recognition protocols before the doors swung open. “They called a burner phone number. They were talking about a warehouse full of cold bloodstock. They said the name Bromwell, Sky. Twice. That's the major's name. I'm scared.”

The first shot took out a woman at the table next to theirs. She fell without a sound. Another shot hit the man with his dog standing and talking to a pregnant lady with red hair. That's when the screaming started. Chairs and tables fell clattering as people scrambled in all directions.

Sky reached over to grab Rickey, pull him out of his wheelchair to the ground. She heard the retort of a gun and Rickey gave a little gasp of surprise. His body went limp, and the two of them fell in a tangle of arms and legs. Everything was suddenly chaos. Screams and frantic shouts. For Sky, the world narrowed to the space in front of her and the deep red stain spreading over the sidewalk. Rickey's eyes were wide and frightened. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

Sky caught the scent of something familiar. She looked up to see Quill standing boldly in the line of fire. He had his jacket wadded up in his arms and a thick, white pad in one hand.

“Here, the pad has a clotting agent. Put it on the wound.” He gave it to her with his jacket. “Take this, keep him warm. I'm sure you know the drill.”

And he ran in the direction of the shots.

She ripped open the package and pulling up Rickey's shirt, pressed the pad to the bleeding wound. She knew what this type of field dressing was. Just like Quill said, it contained a clotting agent that would stop any more external blood loss. Internally, though, he could still be drowning in his own blood. She took Quill's jacket, laid it over him and applied pressure with both hands against his chest.

More gunshots popped, loud and sharp from other directions. She didn't know if there were now more attackers or the Home Guard had arrived. Scooting around, she placed herself between Rickey and the direction of the first shots. He was breathing in quick gasps.

“Hold on Rickey, hold on. “

He moaned, and she pressed harder.

“Stay with me, buddy. Remember, you and Kyle are going to get married. You're going to adopt four babies, two boys and two girls. Or three babies. I can't remember. You can't die. You
can't!
”

“Sky, don't let them...hurt Mom, hurt Dad. Sky, please.” He clutched her arm.

“I'll watch out for them, okay? All of us will. Kyle loves you and you love Kyle and you're going to get your legs. Only four-hundred something days and you get your legs. Rickey, Rickey,
please!
”

His eyes closed and he panted rapidly, his face turning gray.

Sirens whined from the direction of the parking lot. There were uniforms swarming the area now, she saw guns out.

“Medic!” She yelled, waving one hand wildly. “Man down!
Here!
”

Two soldiers ran to her, one calling in on his mic. Paramedics followed a few minutes later, though it seemed like hours to Sky. Like the world was moving in slow motion. They pushed her aside, getting Rickey's vitals, ripping off the blood-soaked jacket and quick-clot wound sealer, applying a clean one.