The Fledge Effect (9 page)

The click echoed through the silent
kitchen. The silence, however, made Emily twist
her face in irritation. “What?” she asked, facing
Maddie’s petrified stare.

“You need to tell me what happened,”
Maddie demanded. Letting this type of situation
go, was not an option. After Emily disappeared
the day before, Maddie feared the worse. Leaning in, and dropping to a hushed tone, she patted Emily’s hand. “Sis, where did you go?”

Emily raised her hands. “I
can’t
talk
about it.”
Maddie sighed, holding back a tight
grunt. “That was the same thing you said after
your divorce with Hank. You used to be so open
about everything with me. At least, that was
when you were with Nick.”
“Stop, right there. Nick is
nothing
special. Besides, I would
love
to tell you. Trust me.
Believe
me. But, I can’t.”
“How did you get back? You can tell me
that, can’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure. I remember everything, just not that. I just woke up in my bed,
and you were here.”
Realizing the time, she watched the
glow of the rising sun slowly clouding over.
Emily frowned, letting out a small sigh. The
missing warm glow left her feeling sad.
“Hmmm. I was really hoping for a sunny morning.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “Okay? Well
can you tell me anything else besides your failed
hopes for this morning? Please?”
“Well, maybe,” she said, shrugging. She
poured another cup of coffee. “Three other people are also conducting experiments with Project Fledge. Close to, what Marcel was working
on? But,
different
.”
“Different, how?”
“Not sure.”
“Who are they?”
“Again, same answer.”
“Man, now I want to know what they
are working on,” Maddie said, leaning in. She
twirled her thumbs, hoping her sister would realize how much she wanted to know.
Emily caught on to the slight noise
Maddie made with her obvious sigh. “Nothing
that looks sane, that’s for sure.” She wasn’t sure
how to explain it in a way to not startle her fragile little sister.
Her eyes lit up, empowering her
strength to form a smile. “You saw what they
were doing? Now you have to tell me. Please!”
“I-I don’t really think I should. It’s top
secret. Honestly, you’re not even supposed to
know about the seeds. Our lives are at stake,”
she said, shaking at the thought of losing her
baby sister.
“You weren’t supposed to know either.
Why do they think you’re in on it?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe they heard us
talking about the fruit, and knew about it. But, I
don’t think that is it. Or else Marcel would have
known about them.”
“What is there saying that he doesn’t?”
“You make a good point. I need to go.”
“I’m coming with.”
“No.”
“Please. Stop treating me like a baby.”
Emily half-grinned, remembering the
day their Mother brought her home a baby sister. Eighteen years later, she still sees that same
baby. The joy she felt having someone look up
to her is still apparent. Yet, she knew her baby
sister is now a woman. A woman she doesn’t
want to hold back. “Okay. But, please, if anything happens—”
“I know.
Be careful
,” she said with a
sarcastic tone, ending with an upward inflection.
A muffled chime released its melodic
tune from Emily’s purse. She stared at the
leather handbag reluctant to find what was
making that noise. It rang three more times, before she placed her hand upon the body of the
purse.
Maddie eyed it. “Are you going to get
that?”
“No. It’s not my ringtone. I don’t know
what it could be.”
Maddie heard the repetitive chime once
more. She dug around her sisters’ failed attempt
at purse organization. She handed Emily a purple device.
“That’s not my phone,” she said. She
took it, thumbing the black screen. On the upper left hand, side was a long black button. Next
to it was the unlock button. She placed her index
finger on it, hesitating to press down on it.
“Well, find out who it belongs to. Maybe
somebody lost it.”
The phone chimed again. This time the
screen illuminated, showing an unknown number calling it. “Okay, fine,” Emily breathed.
She clicked the green phone icon to answer it. Slowly drawing it up to her ear, she
could hear a crackle on the other end. “Hello?”
A man’s voice answered. “We told you
to forget what you saw.” It beeped, ending the
call. She trembled in silence.
Maddie, puzzled by her sisters’ expression, felt a twinge in her stomach. “Who was
that?” When it came to reading Emily’s face, she
always knew what was wrong.
“We need to leave. Bring the phone.”
She was already at the door. “Already a
head of you, sis.”

Marcel gave another bag of type O to Calista.
The only kind that didn’t make her vomit.
Humph,
he thought,
still a picky eater.
He
chuckled under his breath.

It was her third bag within twenty-four
hours. She inhaled the contents, soon before
succumbing to its taste. Metallic to any human,
but somehow satisfyingly sweet to his Daughter.
The sight made his stomach squeamish.

Her face relaxed, allowing her mind to
halt its spiraling rage. The headaches stopped,
as her sight fuzzed to a clearing. She gazed up to
her Father with her normal green eyes. His eyes
were scared; she knew that for sure. “Dad? I’m
so sorry. Please let me out.”

He shook his head. It pains him to see
her this way. He knew his time drew near, with
age, but he didn’t need it to come today. “You
will kill me.” Even the words sounded bizarre to
him, but he knew it as a truth no thanks to him.

She gripped the bars tight, as the
warmth of tears heated her cheeks. “Dad,
please. I won’t. I promise.”

“I-I don’t know.” He stared into her
eyes, knowing when she was most honest. He
took a deep breath in, approaching the cage
with caution.

Nick walked in, staggering at the sight
of his old friend locked up in a cage like an animal. “She’s telling the truth.”

“How do you know?”
“Well, I haven’t killed you. At least, I
won’t so long as I am kept fed. You don’t even
spark an appetite with me, anyhow.”
“Dad, it’s true. No offense, but you don’t
make me want to eat you.”
He turned his attention to Nick. “Is that
a threat? Or are you just putting me down?”
“Neither,” Nick said with a shrug. “But,
I have noticed that when I am hungry, I get
swelled up with uncontrollable rage. When satisfied, I am calm.”
“Calista,” Marcel said, meeting her
stare once more, “how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I feel okay now. I promise!”
He nodded, reaching to unlock her.
Nick’s phone began buzzing from his
pocket. He pulled out the phone, looking down
at it with a tight frown. “Emily just messaged
me. She says she had something important to
tell us.”
Marcel opened the door, allowing Calista free. “What could it possibly be?”
She hugged her Father tight. It surprised him,
but he hugged back not wanting to let go. She
pulled away, prying his arms off her and faded
her smile thin. “Why is she involved with this,
and I wasn’t?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have let you
in on it, instead of become it. I had no idea.”
“It’s okay,” she said with a half-grin.
Nick coughed, gaining their uninvited
attention. “Okay you made up. Now she said she
would be here in five minutes. Nothing else.”
The clicking of heels appeared in the
doorway. A bright, redheaded, woman poked
her way in. A man followed behind. “Who will
be here in five minutes?” Brinks welcomed herself in. “Now, Marcel, you didn’t spill the beans
I hope.”
“No ma’am. I am sorry for the mess.
Things been hectic lately. I wasn’t expecting you
though.”
“Don’t worry. No one ever expects me,”
she said, waving her hand in the air as if she
were swatting away a fly.
Nick’s chuckle was soon met with a
piercing gaze. “So you are like a missed period?”
She smirked at him. “And, who are
you?”
Calista joined his side. “He is my, uh,
date. We were about to meet up with a friend to
go to coffee. I thought I would ask my dad if he
wanted to join.”
Nick tried to argue with the lie, but was
stopped by her pinching grip in his bicep. “Yeah,
that’s right,” he said with a nervous grin.
“Hmmm.” Brinks turned to her colleague, and said, “We should get some after we
are done here.”
Carlson nodded, as she moved her way
to Marcel’s chair. She took a seat, swiveling
side-to-side. She turned her head to Marcel, and
asked, “How is the experiment going?”
Having her near him, made him jittery.
“G-Good.”
He remembers their first encounter.
Somewhat pleasant, as it was supposed to be a
meeting about a possible pay raise. But, the
meeting quickly turned sour when she told him
what it was really about. It has been three years,
since he began the experiment, and still no increase in income. In the pit of his gut, he knew
he should have said no. But, in his mind, he
thought Project Fledge would be a bust.
He didn’t expect it to go as far as it had.
Besides that, he knew saying no wasn’t an option. Unless he wanted his Daughter to hate
him. Which, that was the only family he had left.
Risking it would have killed him. Now, he thinks
risking it would have saved his Daughter.
“Marcel!” Emily said, bellowing out
down the hall as she made her way into his lab.
Breathless, after sliding into the room, she
stopped. She didn’t know who the two agents
were, and based on their unwelcoming stare,
she didn’t want to know.
Calista quickly made it to her side. “Oh,
Emily! You’re here. Ready for coffee?”
Maddie stooped between them. “I
thought you and Nick hated each other, sis?”
Calista whispered into Emily’s ear, “
Go
along with me
.”
“Sure am. I didn’t forget this time!”
Emily could hear the nervousness in her voice,
but hoped it wasn’t caught onto.
Brinks rose from the chair. “Agent Carlson. Let’s go.” Before leaving, she stopped and
said, “Oh, by the way Doctor Johnston, you
should probably change your shirt. It’s unprofessional.”
He looked down, realizing he hasn’t
changed it in the last few days. He blushed,
crossing his arms over his chest. But, before he
could say, “Yes, ma’am,” she was already gone.
“Okay, am I missing something? Who
was that?” Emily eyed both Calista and Marcel.
Calista shrugged, in response.
Marcel cleared his throat as he shut the
door. “A nightmare not to be reckoned with. She
was the one who put me on Project Fledge.”
“She was hot!” Nick smirked, laughing
as Emily punched him in the arm.
“Probably,” Marcel said. He asked
Emily, “Did you finish growing the Red Fates?”
“Yes, and you’re not going to believe
what they do. But, first, you need to know we are
not alone in this CBH experiment. I have proof.”
She handed him the purple phone.
“You think they can help stop this, before it spreads anymore?” Calista’s heart
twinges with hope. That hope was soon crushed
by Emily’s response.
“No. They seem way too happy to be a
part of it. Like mad scientist happy. Or, loony
bin happy. They are sadistic in every way.”
“Damn,” Marcel mumbled under his
breath.
“But, they did say something else,” she
said, keeping her eyes met with Marcel’s.
“What?”
“They said they are only doing it for the
same reason as
you
. Because they were
told do
so
.”
Then, Marcel knew he wasn’t alone in
this twisted game of blackmail. He did, however, feel alone in being able to fight back. To
stop the madness. Eventually he knew he would
need to tell the truth. But, right now, was a time
to build alliances. He was going to find a cure or
vaccine, even if it killed him.

Jack Carlson stood by his daughters’ bedside.
Her hair was gone, and her complexion
faded to a dull white. He knew she didn’t have
long, which made every second with her even
more precious. At only ten years of age, she
knew her own demise as well.
She opened her eyes halfway. “Daddy,
why were you gone so long?” she said, with a
crack in her voice.
He brushed back her hair, choking back
tears. “I’m sorry sweetie. Daddy had to work.”
She started having a coughing fit, so
forceful that her bed moved an inch away from
the wall. The scraping noise on the wood floor
didn’t bother him as much as the bloody tissue
she handed him did. “Did you have enough for
my medicine this month?”
She’s too young to worry about money,
but when growing up poor, she grew up faster
than needed. Mentally, she feared not ever having enough money for her medicine. He never
wanted her to worry about such things. In fact,
he tried everything to not let it be known by her.
Until one day when she overheard her parents
arguing about it.
The coughing fit started again. He
feared it would never end. But, in his mind, it
was a relief that she is at least showing signs of
life.
He reached into his coat pocket,
thumbing for his latest item swiped from Marcel’s lab. “I have something of the sorts. I got it
from a lab in Connecticut.” Despite Marcel’s
messy lab, he knew it would be noticed if missing.
“What is it?”
He rubbed his knee, and then brought
his hand to his mouth, trying to find the right
words. “Eh, well, it’s an experimental drug. It is
new, and I believe it may help.”
Her eyes lit up, giving her enough
strength to sit up with excitement. “Is it a cure?”
He wanted to tell her that it probably
will not cure her, but the light in her eyes made
him hopeful that it could possibly be the answers to their prayers. So, he nodded, hoping it
wasn’t a complete lie. “Yeah, maybe.”
Christine came up behind him, placing
her hand on his shoulder. “Jack, are you sure
about this?”
He turned, giving his wife a stern look
as if she were doubting his efforts. He lowered
his voice, matching his icy stare. “Have faith.
Because, I do.”
She knelt down beside him, reaching
for his shaking hand. She smiled, knowing the
number of times they have had their hopes
crash to the ground after numerous doctors
promised them something that, simply, did not
happen. “I know how badly you want this to
work… Sweetie, just please do not get mad if it
doesn’t. I mean, what do we know about this
drug? Has it even been tested?”
“My partner was vague about what it
does. She just said that it enhances the body, or
something.”
She watched as he rolled the syringe between his fingers. “Jack.”
“I’m doing this. Anything to help my little angel not be an actual angel yet.”
“How safe is it?”
“Well, the person it was used on seemed
just fine when my partner and I visited the lab.
She seemed, almost, too healthy.”
“Are you sure he used it then?”
“Yes. If he hadn’t, my partner would
have said something.”
She sighed, nodding at him as he placed
the cool steel to Katie’s skin. She didn’t even
wince at the time of injection. He noticed her
pulse was not apparent. “Katie? Katie!”
He stood, hearing his heart thud loudly
against his rib cage. He grabbed her shoulders,
shaking her violently. “Katie!”
He stepped back, shaking, fearing the
worse happened. He hoped he wasn’t too late.
Jack covered his eyes, covering his tears. A
piercing wail came from Katie, making him
jump out of his skin in shock as he saw her flop
around like a fish out of water. He pointed to the
other side of Katie. “Christine, grab her! I’ll get
this side! Hurry, before she flops off the bed.”
Christine rushed to her Daughter’s side,
holding down her arm and leg. “What is happening?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
The flopping stopped, and Katie ceased
her screams. They backed away, hesitant to the
transformation that happened before their eyes.
Katie had hair again, flowing like a chestnut waterfall from her scalp. Her eyes were shut, but
the glow of natural skin color covered her face
and then lingered down her ashy skin. Her face
became fuller and thick with life. Jack grinned,
approaching her side once more as her chest expanded and compressed with each breath she
took.
Christine covered her agape mouth.
The ecstatic rush she endured from such a sight
left her near speechless. “She looks—”
Jack cut her off, and finished her sentence, crying, “—beautiful.”
He joined her on the bed, gently gripping her hand. Nothing could compare to this
moment he was feeling now, as the warmth of
her glow reached to every inch of her. Though,
as strange as it seems, she felt cool to the touch.
He kissed her hand, and whispered, “
Katie,
baby girl. Wake up.
”
Her eyes fluttered open. A breeze of relief sided with him as her gray eyes filled with
color. It’s been so long; he had forgotten what
color they once were. He didn’t care, however,
because now they illuminated his heart with
hope. He hugged her expressionless face, laughing. “You’re better! Oh, God!
Thank you
.”
Katie growled, pushing away from his
grasp. “What’s wrong, Katie?”
She shook her head, growling as she
hopped out of bed. The force of her pulling out
of bed knocked him to the ground. He yelled,
“Katie,” as Christine rushed to his side.
“What did you do to our Daughter?” she
scolded.
He was lost for words, stuttering over
different syllables. Katie ran out of the room by
jumping through her window.
“Go after her!” Christine demanded.
He jumped to the window. “I don’t see
her,” he checked the ground beneath the windowsill, “not even a trace of footprints....”
“Well, go!”
He swung around, tightening his fists.
“How the hell can I go after someone when I
have no idea where the hell they went? Or what
direction they took? It’s so easy? You go after
her!”
Christine hushed her tone, realizing
there wasn’t anything she could do that would
be better than anything he could do. Unless she
gained the nose of a Doberman, she knew her
only option would to place a missing person’s
report with the police.
After seeing the glistening drops of
worry in his wife’s eyes, he steadily wrapped his
arms around her shoulders. He pushed his
cheek against her temple. “
We will find her. We
will. I promise.
”
“Are you sure?” she whimpered.
“Yes. I don’t care if it takes me forever,
or kills me. I will make sure she is safe.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The wooded area, surrounding his
backyard, he felt it was a good place to check.
After checking the backyard, he walked
a mile up the side of the road. But, just as he
feared, there still wasn’t a trace of her anywhere.
He stood, hypnotized by the movement of
leaves blowing in the misty air.
Dammit,
he
thought.
What was that green liquid, exactly?
His phone buzzed. He checked in his
pockets, reaching inside his coat. The caller ID
read: JANE BRINKS.
“What now? It’s my day off, and I am
really busy.” It was the first time he ever talked
up to her like that. But, at the moment he could
care less. He got what he worked for; his Daughter’s life. Just, he didn’t anticipate on losing her
physically
as if he had.
“Whoa, now, is that the proper way to
talk to your boss?”
“I’m sorry. Now, what is this call
about?”
“You need to come to the office. Now.”
“Why?”
“Less questions, more driving. Now get
moving.”
The phone beeped in his ear, signaling
she hung up. He didn’t want to go, but this
might be what he needs to find Katie. He went
back to the house, treading through small puddles.
“Did you find her?” his wife, wiping
away tears, stood wrapped up in her cardigan.
“No, but I have a plan to,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I have to go. I’ll be back
soon.”
She watched as he pulled away from the
drive. Christine half-expected to see Katie
curled up into a ball, somewhere deep into the
woods, but sighed when she didn’t notice anything. Kids played across the street, running
freely through the rain. She smiled, hoping
someday she could take Katie and splash in
some puddles. To give her back the childhood
she writhed in pain in, but more pleasant. More
laughter is all she wanted to hear from her
Daughter.
•••
Jack took a deep breath, while unlatching the
door to her office.
This is it. I will tell her I quit.
No need for me to be here anymore,
he told
himself. But, he felt the only way he could truly
convince himself is by doing it.
“Finally you are here. We have a problem,” she said, standing by a projector connected to her desktop.
“Uh, well, you mean
you have a problem
.”
“What the hell is that supposed to
mean?” she said, meeting his eyes from across
the room. She moved her way to him, knowing
what he implied. “Look, you can quit on your
own time. But, unless you want me to tell the
police that you stole top secret government substances from a lab, then I suggest you pipe down
and do your damn job!”
“You know?”
“Oh, yeah. I saw you eye ball that syringe and snatch it up. For your Daughter, no?”
“Yes,” he said, biting his tongue.
“Well, then maybe you can explain my
problem then.”
“What?”
Brinks clicked on the projector. It
showed a map of the town Middletown, Connecticut next to their city of Amherst, Massachusetts. Several red dots crowded the two cities. “This shows my plan becoming intact. Just
one problem: It’s not supposed to be here! Now
I know you didn’t mean for it, let alone, I was
not very honest about what that green liquid
was. It was meant to be tested elsewhere.”
“What are those dots?”
“Everyone that has been infected with
the CBH virus. I am able to track it, because anyone who becomes a Fledge is instantly trackable. Inside the blood of a Fledge is Nano transmitters. They are tiny tracking mechanisms.
When activated, they send out frequency waves
making it possible to track them here with my
Tracking Software. Only I have the equipment
to know if someone gets the disease, and the
ability to know who is who.”
“So, the dots,” he coughed, “are people.”
“They are no longer people.”
“My Daughter?”
“A Fledge now. A blood-thirsty monster
as result of the Cure for Being Human virus.”
He slammed his back to the chair.
“Dammit. Why didn’t you tell me?” he
screamed.
“You were never supposed to know.”
“Can we save her?” he held out his
hands like a beggar on the streets. Desperate for
answers, she told him nothing. She kept her
nose in the air, mocking him with her eyes. All
she said was, “No. You gave her a life.”
The word, more piercing than being
shot down by some crush, came out icier than
he had hoped to hear it as.
She doesn’t care. She
just wants money, or something. I just want
my baby girl back.
With a distraught tug in his
voice, he said, “Please?”
“Nothing can undo what you did. You
may have cured her cancer, but you put your
whole family on a death sentence.”
He squared his shoulders, masking his
pain with a stern expression. “What can I do?”
“What do you mean?” The sudden
change in his demeanor threw her off.
“To help enhance your plan. I want to
take this position permanently.”
She grinned menacingly. “I knew you’d
like this job. Just took some time to warm up to
it is all.”
He watched her giggle at her own joke.
“I have to go home.”
Two flickering dots flashed over the
area he resided. Only Brinks noticed it. “I
wouldn’t if I were you.”
Without looking back, he hollered
down the hall. “I’m keeping my family close to
me. Only I can keep them safe.”
She crossed her arms, and retreated
into her office.
•••
S ilence took over the large one-story home as he
took a few hesitant steps through the open door.
“Christine, are you home? You do know you left
the door open, right?” He waited.
He was soon answered by a soft voice.
“Daddy? You’re home!”
He swung around to the breathless vision of Katie. “Where is your Mother?”
She grinned, showing her teeth. He
gasped at the sight of her canines abnormally
enlarged. “Katie, are you okay?”
“Just a little hungry.”
“Christine!” he said, whipping his head
around.
“She’s
sleeping
.”
A chill ran up his spine. He didn’t want
to believe what happened. But, now, he knew
his partner wasn’t lying.
I thought she was joking!
He pulled his gun out. Katie stared at
the barrel with puppy dog eyes. “Daddy, you
aren’t going to hurt me are you? All because I
am hungry?”
“You’re not Katie!”
Brinks stood between them. “Oh, she
very much is your Daughter.”
“You told me she is now a monster!”
“Yes, she is. She just needs to be
trained.”
“What do you mean?”
Brinks laughed. Katie jumped on her,
baring her teeth and ready to attack. Jack fired
a shot, hitting her dead in the head. He dropped
to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Oh buck up,” Brinks said, dusting imaginary dirt from her shoulders.
“I should kill you next,” he threatened,
aiming the gun between her eyes.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Shoot.”
Without much thought, he pulled the
trigger. It clicked. He pulled it again, hearing a
click after each press on the trigger.
“Ha. I only allowed you to carry one
bullet. Sorry. I’m not dying today.”
“Fuck you!”
“Come on. We need to go somewhere.
At least you won’t be tied down by some family.”
He dusted his knees off, rising from the
ground. He put aside his feelings, curious as to
where she wanted to go this time. “Where are
we going?”
“I have a garden to tend to.”
“Really?”
“Really, really.”
He got into the car with her, seeing his
home of twenty years disappear behind them in
the side mirror. More than anything, he just
wanted to forget this entire week.