Z 2135 (28 page)

“Why kill tens of thousands of innocent people? That doesn’t
make sense! We can go after those in power. That will be enough to open the
doors to City 1 so you can do what you want, just like you said. I’m on board
for that, Sutherland. I’m a willing soldier, and you have all of me. I’ll do
what’s right, and not just because you’re holding my daughter. You’re right,
this
must
end, and
power must be returned to the people.

”But you can’t ask me to kill thousands of innocents, not
even to save my daughter.”

Jonah looked down, drew a deep breath, then stared at
Sutherland from across many miles and through the cleanest wall screen he’d
ever seen.

Sutherland frowned, “There
are
no innocents. Every person in City 1 is a direct descendant of the monsters who
murdered the world. Each deserves to die.”

“You can’t expect me to do it. I won’t. I could never live
with myself.” Jonah said. “You’re not evil, Sutherland. I don’t believe that.
You know Ana’s innocent, and you know I’m innocent too. We’re good people
trying to do the right things. I’ve looked into your eyes, and I don’t believe
you’ll kill my daughter.”

Sutherland said, “You would be making compelling points if
any mattered. But they don’t, Jonah. Your thinking is small. When you’re
speaking of a species’ future, tiny numbers matter not at all. You must think
only in terms of future and past. The moment you decide you’re unwilling to
help safeguard our future, you are part of the past and an impediment to all
that is coming, Anastasia included. We don’t have food to feed what won’t be
here tomorrow.

“Besides—there are worse things than killing her.”

The old man cleared his throat.

“You’re wasting time, both of you,” Sinclair said, looking
at Sutherland through the screen, shaking his head as if disappointed. “We’ve
taken time for granted, and now it’s no longer our ally. Of course Jonah will
do it—stop stretching the argument and let’s get this thing going.”

“Fine,” Sutherland said. “You’re right. You don’t do what
needs doing; we’ll see how many men are interested in a pretty young woman like
Ana—and then she gets a bullet in the forehead. You get to watch. After that,
we’ll find someone else to deliver the poison. Either way, it happens. The
question is, Jonah, would you like to save your daughter?”

As Sutherland finished his sentence Jonah felt a sharp
puncture at his neck. He turned to see Sinclair holding a needle.

Sinclair said, “Enough dillydallying. I just injected you
with the antidote. You will get on the train, as instructed. If not, I will
personally see to it that your daughter dies even more harshly than Molly.”

Jonah was about to take a swing, wanted to take a swing,
more than anything he’d ever wanted.

But he couldn’t.

Jonah was at their mercy.

They had played him, no different than Keller.

Now he would follow their orders, like a good little
soldier.

Liza was sitting in the lab, staring into a microscope at a
slide with a sample from the latest blood drawn from Ana.

The virus was gone.

No sign of it in her blood whatsoever.

Osborn stood beside her, smiling—as best he could.

“Wow,” she said.

He’d been the first to notice that the virus was gone. He’d
brought her over to look, and was as excited as Liza had ever seen him.

The door suddenly opened, and Sutherland entered.

“Well, well, why is everybody so happy?”

“Come look,” Oswald said, leading Sutherland to take Liza’s
place at the microscope.

Sutherland looked through, and then up at them, perplexed.
“Forgive me, but I’m not sure what I’m looking at.”

Oswald said, “It’s Ana’s blood. There’s no sign of the
virus, an amazing change from just two days ago.”

“So, she’s cured?” Sutherland asked, eyes wide.

“I would say so,” Oswald said.

Sutherland looked at Liza. “And can we extrapolate this to a
cure for the virus? For a vaccine?”

“Well, we had nothing to do with her cure,” Liza said. “But
I believe that she holds the key. It’s early, too early. I feel great about it,
but I’ve felt great before, so I’m trying to temper my thrill. Having said
that, I don’t know if it’s this lab, the genius of Dr. Oswald, Katrina, you, or
any of this,” she made a tiny loop in the air by twirling her finger, “but I’ve
never felt more confident that we’re close to something big. Something world
changing.”

“And Oswald,” Sutherland smiled at the cyborg zombie, “he is
helpful to your efforts?”

“Oh definitely! Oswald is fantastic. He knows what I’m going
to say before I say it, and has already suggested several things I would never
have considered.” Liza giggled like a little girl. “This is just
such
a different
environment for me than working in secret.”

“Ah, yes, I imagine it was tough working in the shadows of
City 6,” Sutherland said. “Lonely too, I’m sure. Did anyone ever help you with
anything? I mean beyond the regular doctor stuff, did you ever have help with
actual testing, or with the creation of the medicines you used on your
subjects?”

“I had a few assistants who helped me in the field, but none
were doctors, or even medically trained. Just a few members of The Underground
I could trust.”

Sutherland turned to Oswald. “And? Are you up to speed? Are
you confident you can continue Dr. Goelle’s work alone after the good doctor
returns to City 6?”

“Yes,” Oswald said. “Absolutely. I have everything needed to
start right now.”

“I was thinking,” Liza said. “I do need to go back to City 6
and take care of a few loose ends, but I would love to come back, perhaps
permanently if there’s a position for me? I could do so much more good here.”

Sutherland’s face turned blank, charm gone missing.

He said, “I’m afraid that’s not possible, doctor.”

“Oh,” Liza blinked, confused. “Why not?”

“Because we no longer need you.”

“Oh,” she said, offended, but not wanting to make a scene.
Sutherland pulled one of the blasters from beneath his coat and pointed it at
Liza’s face.

She stepped back and suddenly realized precisely what he
meant.

Because
we no longer need you alive.

Oswald started to say something just as Liza opened her
mouth to scream, but Sutherland’s blaster tore through her first.

Liza was dead before she hit the floor.

Liam’s agitation was swelling.

It had been three days since their arrival, and he couldn’t
help but feel like he and Ana were prisoners below the fields of flowers.
Everything was nice. They were taken care of. Comfortable. Safe. Eating better
than they had since leaving Paradise. Liam felt rested and strong.

And, according to Oswald, Ana might be the first person
cured of the infection.

He should have been happy, but wasn’t.

It was probably a childhood spent at the Rock, but the
thought of such constant confinement rankled Liam like little else. Even soft,
Hydrangea’s sheets still felt like shackles.

“You don’t see it—at all?”

Liam had already asked her the same thing a dozen times,
once every couple of hours over the last two days.

Ana answered, “No, I don’t see it. At all. I think you’re
paranoid. Even if you’re right, I don’t care, let them keep us prisoner. I’m
tired of running, and this is the best life I’ve had,
we’ve had
, in a while.”

“What if Sutherland is like the witch in
Hansel and Gretel?
Stuffing
us fat to serve us at a big feast?”

“Oh please, do you realize how crazy you sound?” Ana said,
laughing. “I just want to be happy until my father gets back.”

“What if he’s not coming?”

“He’s coming, Liam. And I wish you’d stop reminding me of
how many things
could
go wrong. I appreciate your concern, I truly do. I know you’re looking out for
me. And I love that about you, Liam. But let’s just enjoy this moment for what
it is. My arm is healed,” she held it up, skin fresh pink like a baby’s, “and I
feel like I could maybe be happy,
we
could be happy
, if you would stop worrying so much.”

She picked up a fat pillow and threw it at Liam, giggling.

Liam finally relented, and allowed himself to smile. Her
laugh was infectious.

“OK, OK,” he said. “I’ll stop doomsaying and try to lighten
up.”

“Liam,” she said excitedly and then paused, as if trying to
finish the thought in her mind before she said it out loud. “Do you think that
if there really is a cure, and everything works out, well, do you think we can
leave here after my dad comes, and maybe build a life together, the three of
us, you know out in The Barrens? Or heck, maybe even stay here, if we like it
and we’re welcome?”

Ana then drew a deep breath, as if trying to work up to
adding something more, something she wasn’t sure she should say. She then
exhaled her final thought. “You and me, do you think we could ever have a life
… like the one you wanted with Chelle?”

Ana fell silent, her wide open eyes staring into his,
waiting for a response.

Liam didn’t know what to think. Of course he wanted that.
Somehow an obligation to protect Jonah’s daughter had turned into something
more. He wasn’t sure if it was the shared hell they’d suffered through, or
nearly losing her a few nights before, but Liam was coming to the startling
realization that he was in love with Ana.

But he couldn’t say it.

Not now.

Not yet.

To do so was to tempt fate to snatch her from him. Just as
it had done to his baby, and to Chelle.

Bad things always happened when Liam answered love’s
knocking.

He held her gaze, not wanting to shy away and send the wrong
message. He wanted to let her down easy. To tell her that she was thinking
foolishly, like a child.

But then his mouth surprised him.

“Yes, Anastasia. It’s what I want more than anything.”

His heart felt as if it had stopped, along with his breath,
waiting for her to respond in some way.

Her cheeks blushed, and she looked down.

And then she looked back up, their eyes locking.

He thought about how he could stare into those eyes forever,
if fate allowed him to be so lucky.

She moved closer, her lips parting.

And then the moment was shattered.

The door to their quarters clicked, then hissed open.

Oswald hurried inside.

Oswald often came to check their blood and ask Ana
questions, but he always knocked. This time he didn’t; the door opened and he
barged right in as if the place were on fire.

He stopped when he reached them and stared, his good eye
focused on neither, while the one that was lazy and mottled was unmoving and
dead.

Liam had never seen Oswald without his lab coat. Today he
wore some sort of jacket, half fabric with strips of metal and small blinking
lights. The mixture of metal and worn fabric reminded Liam of Oswald himself.

“Did you need more blood?” Ana held out her arm.

“No, I need to talk to you both.”

“What?” Ana looked from Oswald to Liam. Her face flinched in
worry.

Liam said, “Go on.”

The cyborg zombie swallowed. And Liam swallowed
involuntarily as Oswald’s Adam’s apple moved up and down the withered and
charred tube of his neck.

“I don’t have long. My jacket will disable the camera, but
not for long so I’ll need to be quick. If I say the words
thank you
that means I
sensed the camera is back online, and I need you to say nothing. Just return to
normal conversation. Understand me?”

Ana looked confused. Liam understood immediately. “Yes. Go
on.”

Oswald said, “You’re both in danger. Dr. Liza hasn’t drawn
your blood because she’s dead.”

Ana gasped.

Liam said, “What?”

“Dead. Sutherland killed her.”

Liam gasped.

Ana then said, “What?”

“Sutherland’s not who you think he is. If someone can cook
up a cure to what he’s making, he wants that someone dead. Dr. Liza could. He
had to get her here, learn what she knew, then kill her.” Oswald’s good eye
moved to Ana. “You’re a bargaining chip for Sutherland to use with your father.
Once that no longer has value, you won’t either.”

Liam said, “So we have to leave, right?”

“No,” Oswald shook his head. “We
can’t
leave. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’ll be dead for sure. We’ll have an hour, if
we’re lucky, before Sutherland would know we’re gone and sends people after us.
There’s nowhere we could go in time. He’s got too many people out there. We
wouldn’t make sunrise if we left at dawn.”

Ana asked, “What makes you think he won’t kill you anyway,
or us?”

“Because he can’t. I’m the only one who can manage his vaccine.
He needs me alive, at least for a while. He needs you alive as long as I need
you alive, which I keep assuring him I do.” Oswald turned to Liam. “You’re
alive because of her.”

No shit.

“So what do we do?” Liam asked, sobered from his
irresponsible dreaming just minutes before.

“There’s not much we can do. Your father’s in danger, but
that will end soon. When he returns, we’ll leave. Once Jonah’s here, I’m
confident Katrina will come. She too has grown uncomfortable with some of
Sutherland’s plans.

Liam wasn’t so sure. “What if we take our chances in The
Barrens? Leave Hydrangea anyway?”

“You could do that,” Oswald said, “but you would leave me
here to die. Sutherland would know I told you, and would kill me immediately.
Then he would kill Katrina since Sutherland is a man who likes to be certain
that every loose end is tied. After we’re gone, he’ll wait for your father and
execute him the second he sets foot in camp. And
you
two
still won’t see sunrise.”

Liam took Ana’s hand.

“Just promise us we’ll leave the second Jonah gets here.”

“I’ll have everything prepared,” Oswald promised.