Specimen (25 page)

“Relax, everyone.”  Merle holds his hands up, palms down, signaling me to sit.

I glance at Riley, and she pulls at my hand.  I return to my seat slowly, eyes on Cross the whole time.

“And you’re saying he’s just going to get
more
aggressive?” Cross mutters.  “He’s already a danger.”

“He’s not,” Riley says.  “He’s just…protective.”

Her voice trails off as she looks at me.  My stomach knots up like it did when I attacked Dr. McCall for insulting Riley.  Cross is being obnoxious, and I don’t understand why
I’m
considered the aggressive one.

“He needs that drug,” Anna says.  “The problem is, we’ll have to get into Mills territory to get it.”

“Do we have any intelligence operatives in that area?” Merle asks.

“Two,” Cross replies.  “Neither of them have direct access to Mills Pharmco though.”

“I do,” Riley says.

“Your access has presumably been revoked since you left,” Merle replies.

“If she has her access card,” Errol says, “I should be able to hack it and come up with a working alternative.”

“If I have a sample of the drug itself, I may be able to break it down into its simpler components,” Riley says.  “If you have someone with the right background, they should be able to make more.  We just need enough to keep Galen going until we can start processing it ourselves.”

“We still have to get in there.”

“We take a small team,” Cross says.  “Four soldiers to help get everyone over the border and to the pharmaceutical lab, and two with Errol’s hacked IDs.  One of those has to be someone with enough medical knowledge to retrieve the proper drug.”

As they continue to talk about the appropriate route to get into Mills Pharmco and who should be on the team, I process their plan in my head.  I go over the route in my internal map, see the hidden dangers, calculate risk, recalculate, and adjust the route.  I see the facility in question in my mind—the entrances and exits.  I process it all and realize a fatal flaw.

“They’re going to figure it out,” I say quietly.

Everyone stops talking and looks at me for a moment.

“Why do you say that?”  Merle looks from me to Cross.

“They’ll know what we need, and they’ll be waiting for us.”

“I’m not sure we have a choice, Galen.”  Riley shakes her head.  “We need that medication to complete the formula.”

“We’ll be ambushed.  They’ll know exactly what route we’ll take and how to counter it.”

“Galen, why do you say that?”  Riley places her hand on my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Because the other specimens think like I do,” I say.  “They’ll know exactly what route I will take.  I can counter for that, but they’ll know I’m going to counter.  I can adjust for that as well, but the facility itself is the problem.  They’ll know we’re coming, and they’ll be waiting.”

“So what do we do?”  She looks from me to Merle.

“Let me go alone,” I say, and Riley turns her head quickly to look at me, her eyes wide.

“Out of the question.”  Riley smacks her hand on the table.  “Do you realize what they’ll do if they catch you?”

“And the alternative is what?  Wait until I go berserk?”

“You are not going alone!”

“It’s exactly the kind of thing you designed me for.”  She doesn’t seem to appreciate my reminder.  “You know I’m right.”

“He does have a point, Dr. Grace.”

“No!”

“I don’t think he should go alone the whole way,” Merle says.  “There should be a group up until they reach the facility, but you know Galen needs to lead the team.  He should be the one who enters the building and retrieves what is needed.”

“He won’t be able to locate the right drug.”

“I will if you program it into me.”

Riley looks like she’s about to break down, and I don’t know what to say.  I have no idea what to do.  I’m the logical choice—the only choice—but I can’t stand to see her so upset.

“They’ll be able to locate you.”  Her voice drops lower and she doesn’t meet my gaze.

I turn in my chair and reach over to take both her hands in mine.  I stare into her eyes, trying to fathom the notion that I could do her harm in some way if I don’t get that drug.

There is no choice.

“It has to be me, Riley.”

The next few days are spent moving to Carson City and planning a raid on Mills Pharmco.  I make the argument that I should go it alone, but there are two checkpoints to pass before reaching the facility itself.  The CA intelligence people don’t trust me on my own, and we are going to need people at each checkpoint in order to be successful.

We make our final plans in a small meeting room at the head government office in Carson City.  Aside from the usual group, there are new people here, and the room is nearly full.

“We have two of our intelligence people able to assist,” Merle tells the group.  “Elissa Garden is relatively new but working in a border patrol facility near Marra—a small town close to the border.  Most of the team will stop there as Galen moves on to Milton.  Taylor Wick, who has been operating in the area for three years now, will be at the second checkpoint.  He has access to multiple areas and will direct Galen around the Milton city limits.”

Merle and Donald Cross go over the details as I take it all in.  My head has been infused with much of the information, and I’m confident I can get the job done.  Riley isn’t happy with the whole situation, but she knows I need the drug, and this is the only way to get it.

A tall, lanky woman enters the room as we’re discussing the particulars of the mission.  She’s in her late fifties, dressed in a sharp suit, and walks with squared shoulders.

“So it’s true,” the woman says.  “We are harboring Dr. Riley Grace.”

She strides up to the table and shakes hands with Riley.

“I’m Dr. Emma Charles.”

“Your name sounds familiar,” Riley says as she clasps the woman’s hand briefly.

“We’ve met before,” Dr. Charles says.  “You were very young then.”

“You knew my father.”  Riley places her hand over her mouth and blinks a few times.  “You worked with the synthetics group.”

“I was the head of the synthetics group.”  She tilts her head as she makes the distinction.  “While your father was off chatting with all the bluebloods funding our projects, I was doing the actual work.”

The smile on her face is genuine, and she means no ill will in her statement.  Riley smiles as well, nodding her head emphatically for a moment but then frowning.

“I remember,” she says.  “But wait, I thought you were killed.  There was a monorail incident—a fire in your compartment.”

“Faking my own death was the only way to avoid it.”  Dr. Charles sits down near Merle.  “When your father was assassinated, I dug a little deeper than I should.”

Riley stiffens beside me, and I tense along with her.  She quickly wets her lips and looks pointedly at Dr. Charles.

“You believed what they told you,” Dr. Charles says gently.  “Most everyone did.”

“He was assassinated by those who didn’t support his viewpoints,” Riley says.  “At least, that’s what I was told.”

“As was I.”  She clasps her hand on the table.  “But something happened two weeks before his death—something I couldn’t ignore.”

“What?”

“We were close, your father and I.”  Her smile turns sad.  “We worked together for so long, how could we not be?  We talked to each other, confided in each other.  When he discovered civilians living in Mills occupied territories were being experimented on against their will, he started collecting evidence to take to the Mills administration.  I don’t know who found out what he was doing, but he was designated a threat to the Mills Conglomerate.”

“They had him killed.”

“Not only would it keep him quiet, but blaming the act on the Carson Alliance turned him into a martyr for the cause.”

“How did that make you a target?  Did you confront them?”

“No.”  Dr. Charles takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.  “I was digging deeper into it, using his notes as a jumping-off point.  One day, I came into my office, and the notes had been removed from my locked desk drawer.  I knew they would be coming for me soon.”

“She found me,” Merle says.  “I was a young man then and working closely with intelligence in Milton.  We arranged for the monorail fire and enough biological information inside of it to make it look as though Emma was in the car at the time.”

“I’ve been supporting the Carson Alliance ever since.  In fact, I’m here to offer my support now.”

“Emma is in contact with all our operatives in the major cities,” Merle says.  “She’s worked closely with Taylor Wick for many years.”

“I’ve been in touch with him,” she says.  “He heard a rumor that they’re starting to mobilize the specimens from Project Mindstorm.  I think it’s a safe bet that they’re going to attempt to retrieve their runaways.”

“We’re going to have to move quickly.”

Dr. Charles hands a data chip to Errol, and he loads the additional information into my head via the blocking chip he installed.  Donald Cross has handpicked four soldiers to accompany me to the first checkpoint, the small town of Marra.  From there, I see the route to the next stop where I’ll meet up with Taylor Wick and be led to Mills Pharmco.

“It’s straightforward enough,” I say after going over the data.

“I’ll go with you to the first checkpoint,” Riley says.

“The hell you will.”  I glare at her.  “You’re staying right here.”

“It’s a two-day trip, Galen.  You’ll need injections so you can stay at peak performance.”

“You can give me what I need, and I can inject myself if you really think it’s necessary.”

“You’ll need me if you have a reaction to it.”  Riley turns and narrows her eyes at me.  “You’re still not at your maximum dose, and you know what kind of side effects there can be.  You’ll need me close to keep you centered.”

“Then I’ll go without them.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.”

I take a deep breath, well aware that the entire group is watching our exchange.  I keep waiting for Merle or Anna to speak up and join my side, but they say nothing.

“I have to be there anyway,” she says.

“What for?”

“I can verify the drugs you get are the right ones,” she says.  “If you end up with something else, at least we’d still have a chance to correct it without having to start all over again.”

“If you provide me with all the information I need, that won’t be necessary.”

“I’m going.”

“Anna can do that, can’t she?”  I look to her, pleading with her to help me make my case, but she’s not going for it.

“Oh, hell no!”  Anna points a finger at me from across the table.  “Are you crazy?  I’m not going.”

“Anna’s not trained for anything like this.”  Cross folds his arms over his chest.

“And Riley is?”

“I have been,” Riley says.  “All the doctors at the Mills Conglomerate have had similar training.”

“No!”  I stand up.  I can’t take any more talk about her putting herself in danger.

Riley stands right along with me, her hands balled into fists and placed on her hips.

“Galen, please…”  Merle starts to speak, but one look from Riley, and he closes his mouth.

“Galen, come with me.”  Riley speaks the words directly to me and then turns and walks out of the room.

I comply without thought to her order.

“Holy shit,” Errol mumbles as the door closes behind us.  “I guess that puts the whole relationship into perspective, doesn’t it?”

I follow Riley into the hall where she turns to face me.

“I don’t want to argue about this,” she says.

“Good,” I say.  “Don’t.”

“I’m going.”

“It’s insanely dangerous, Riley,” I tell her.  “How can I protect you if you’re going to insist on putting yourself in that kind of situation?  You’re supposed to guide me into combat, not participate in it!”

“Is it more dangerous that jumping out a helicopter right before it explodes?”

“We didn’t have a choice then!”

“And we don’t have a choice now!” Riley takes a deep breath.  “We’re only talking about me going to the first checkpoint.  Marra is four miles into Mills territory.  It’s a rural area with no military presence.  I’ll be fine.”

It’s clear she isn’t going to give in, and my chest aches at the thought.

“How am I supposed to do this when I’m going to spend the whole time worrying about you?”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“The fuck I don’t!”  I turn around, grabbing my head with both hands.  I can feel the violence and rage building inside of me, and I have nowhere to direct it.  My hands and legs shake, and I try to regain some control.

I feel Riley’s fingers on my left arm and give myself to the calming effect.  It still takes several minutes before I can speak again.

“I need you to be safe,” I finally say.

“I’ll be careful.  It will all be fine.”

“You don’t know that.”  Inside of me, all the conceivable complications run through my head.  If she’s captured, I will be destroyed—either by the Mills Conglomerate or by the simple fact that she’s gone.  Either way, I won’t survive.

“We have the potential for a whole new life here,” Riley says gently, still stroking my arm.  “I know it’s frightening right now, but it’s all we have.”

“
You
are what I have,” I tell her as my frustration and fear grow.  “You are
everything
I have.  Nothing else makes any difference.  Not the implants, the drugs, or some stupid fucking war I don’t give a shit about—nothing.  I have no family, no friends, no life without you.  I have nowhere to go and nothing to do unless it centers around you.  I’m only doing this because of you, because I won’t risk going psycho on you!”

She stares at me, opened mouthed, for a long moment before she steps forward and places her hand on the side of my face.

“I understand, Galen,” she says quietly, “but you need to understand me, too.  My life has also been turned upside down.  I found out everything I thought I was working toward was based on a lie.  I found out my father may have been assassinated by the people I worked to advance.  His death is the reason I fought against CA in the first place.  I forfeited my career, which was the only thing I really cared about, in order to help you—to correct my mistakes.  I don’t regret any of it, but it leaves me in the same position as you.”

She runs her hand over my face and presses up against me.

“All I care about is making sure my mistake doesn’t end up killing you or causing you to be killed.  I need to be there to make sure it’s done right.  You’re all I have left, too.”

I close my eyes and lean my forehead against hers.  I haven’t thought of all this from her perspective, but I can’t deny that she has as big a stake in this as I do—maybe more so.

“We need to stick together,” she says.  “It will take two days to get from Carson City to the first checkpoint.  You will do better with me there, close to you.  More importantly, I don’t want to ever be apart from you—not ever.”

“Will you be able to guide me?”  If I could talk to her the whole time, maybe it would be all right.

“Not with the blocking chip Errol installed, no,” she says.

I close my eyes and shake my head.

“I don’t like it,” I say softly.

“I don’t like anything about this,” she replies, “but we’re out of options.”

Pressing my lips to hers, I give in completely.  I know I can’t talk her out of it, and if she decides she’s had enough of my arguing, she can always order me to stop.  I deepen the kiss and envelop her in my arms.

An overwhelming sense of foreboding collects in the pit of my stomach.  Even as Riley strokes my arm once more before we go back to join the others, I can’t shake the feeling.