CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Sam Nakala drew blood from Adam while Mi-Jung collected specimens from Eve. Though sitting quiet and perfectly still, the faces of both children betrayed frustration, fed up, even, with how slowly the adults carried out this task.
“How much time do we have?” David asked.
“Time until what, Doctor Andalon?” Eve’s voice carried a bitterness betraying frustration instead of her usual calm. “Time until Michael Esterling botches the battle without us there?”
The drug coursed through the veins of both children, intensifying anxiety and boiling tempers. David, in need of their agitated state before drawing these samples, had earlier injected them both with epinephrine. Now to a tipping point of rage, the extracts should provide sufficient levels.
“I meant,” he said patiently, “Is there time for me to complete this study before we go?”
“No,” Adam admitted angrily, shooting his sister a rebuking stare. “There is little time for anything and less if we don’t leave soon.”
“Well then,” the adult replied, “I guess we’d better hurry.”
“You should!” The way Eve spoke caused everyone in the lab to flinch.
David locked eyes with Stephanie Yurik who silently nodded her agreement. What they were about to do was risky, but she was as committed as he.
David took the tray of vials from his assistants and explained as much as he could. “Extract these for traces of natural adrenaline,” he said. “Examine them for anything different than previous samples and isolate all things related to their adrenal glands. Work through the night if needed, just find it before we return.” After a glance at the irritated children he added, “We may be gone a couple of days or more, but work like you’ve no time at all.”
“I will, professor,” Sam Nakala promised, “but Brooke won’t like it when she finds out.”
“Brooke has no say in this,” the doctor snapped, briefly sounding like the children.
Mi-Jung, who had remained silent for the entire procedure, finally spoke. “What are we really looking for?”
Stephanie started to speak, but stammered and looked to David as if she should defer to him. He nodded and she continued, choosing the truth as a good place to begin. From the reaction of both assistants, it was the proper choice. “The abilities of these children are carried in their bloodstream, and we believe you’ll find it encoded in either their catecholamines or cortisol and aldosterone. I think we can ignore their sex hormones, but we’re ruling nothing out.”
“So it’s like the night of the fire,” Sam realized, turning to his professor with eyes wide with fear.
David nodded. “Exactly. When Felicima and the others channeled their abilities, it was after I’d shot them all full of epinephrine—just as I did these two tonight.”
Sam’s eyes suddenly narrowed, his mind working out what his ears had heard. With steady hands he took the samples and spoke his mind. “It was wrong to do with primates, but now you’ve done it to children as if they’re specimens.”
“There’s a difference here, Sam,” David promised. “Humans and monkeys have many differences, but one sets them apart.”
“Which is?”
“The ability to communicate through speech,” Adam interrupted. “The doctor’s specimens consented to these tests, unlike your monkeys.”
David nodded. “They asked for this tonight, and that’s what you must understand. That night in the lab at MIT, I injected those poor monkeys without knowing what harm I would do. It was wrong and I’m sorry for that, especially now I understand how these abilities work. Both Adam and Eve subjected themselves to this test so we can isolate a discovery, and it’s up to you and Mi-Jung to do just that. Find out what’s different in these samples and what could be extracted to isolate as a drug—one that recreates their powers. It’s there, Sam. Find it so we can harvest it.”
“Harvest?” The young man’s voice tremored as he spoke, suddenly aware of his and Mi-Jung’s role in the next phase. “I don’t like the sound of that. It sounds like you mean to farm them.”
“That’s exactly what he means to do,” Eve snapped, causing his hands to shake the samples in the tray.
“It’s the only way to save them,” Stephanie explained. “If we can separate the markers and learn to synthesize the result, then we can provide Michael and Jake with what they want—access to the abilities without a need to keep these children captive in the lab. Isolate what can be extracted and stored as either a pill or an injection. Something that can be passed on to another subject.”
“It’s the best way, Sam,” David insisted.
“But we’re not ready for that kind of experiment,” Sam argued. “We’re only your assistants!”
“No, Sam, you are ready. And these two have precious little time left unless you find a replacement for them.”
“You don’t mean...” Sam questioned, afraid of the answer.
Mi-Jung finally understood, turning to Stephanie with eyes large with fear. “They’re going to destroy them?”
“Yes,” Dr. Yurik admitted. ““These two were an early phase,” he said, “developed only for study until we could isolate how their abilities are conveyed through their bodies. They were always meant for destruction, but not until after we understood the true strength of their power. David and I recently agreed the how is more important than the how much and, if we figure that out, we can save them both.”
“I always hated that Felicima was bound for destruction,” the young man said solemnly. “She was part of the throw away batch but deserved a chance at life. When you told me how the lab had burned, I wondered if she were the cause.”
“She was,” David said softly. “The epinephrine is only a catalyst, and the true power is related to emotion. I believe Felicima’s power was made stronger by the other’s abuse—and also my own. She was angry, enough so to burn the lab even if it meant killing herself along with Batch Alpha.”
“If only we could study them longer,” Sam begged.
“No,” David insisted. “We’re running out of time, and observations no longer matter. What we must learn quickly is how to transfer these abilities to others.”
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“You mean how to transfer it to Michael,” a woman’s voice said from the doorway. All eyes turned to find Brooke. “He wants the power for himself, doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” Dr. Yurik agreed, “and so does your brother.”
“Where are you taking the children?” Brooke asked. “Are you breaking them out to freedom?”
“We’re taking them to the battle. Michael can’t win unless they’re there.”
Brooke raised an eyebrow toward Stephanie. “Is that so?”
“Very much so, I’m afraid. Neither Michael nor Jake would listen and are about to be slaughtered.”
“In that case,” Brooke said, “there’s no reason to keep this from me, Sam. I’ll help you get them out of the bunker, David.”
*****
Brooke watched her husband give final instructions to Sam and Mi-Jung. Her choice to aid them, instead of turning him in, was easier than it should have been. It only took hearing David’s acceptance of his previous mistakes to gain her support. He also finally viewed the pair as humans instead of experiments, and that gave her hope for his future as a father.
Stephanie Yurik handed her a gas mask.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s our ticket out.”
“I hope it’s not lethal,” Brooke said with a frown.
“Not at all,” David promised. “It’s an aerosolized anesthetic.”
“Knock out gas? There’s no such thing.”
“Apparently it was one of Jake’s side projects. It works like a mild sedative but not strong enough to be lethal. To our heavier or more tolerant subjects, it will be more of a pre-sedation, and we’ve plenty of Haloperidol to finish them off,” David explained.
“So we gas everyone and walk out?” Brooke asked.
Stephanie sighed. The idea had actually been hers. “Pretty much.”
“Let’s do it, then. How will you get it into the ventilation?”
“That’s the easy part,” David said with a grin. “The lab is set up as part of the main ducting but has its own system. By closing two dampers and opening two more, we can reverse the flow without shutting down the main system.”
“And you know for a fact it will work?” All eyes turned to the children, groggy and coming down from their adrenaline rush. Stephanie had given them each a soda to stay awake.
“They told you it would work?” Brooke realized.
“They did,” David admitted. “Apparently, Eve uses the ventilation ducts to spy on the entire bunker when we aren’t around.”
“Interesting. So we just walk out of here?”
“Yes,” a sleepy Eve said from her bench. “We walk out unopposed and then ride five hours to Germersheim.”
“Ride?” David asked. “Where do we find horses?”
“We don’t,” Adam replied.
“Did you give General Braston the letter?” Eve asked Stephanie.
“I did, just before he left.”
“Good. When the senator loses his composure, he’ll seek another option and remember our discussions. Things will be set up nicely when we arrive.”
Both children set their drinks on the bench and stood, pulling their gas masks over their heads and indicating the adults should do the same. With a wave of Adam’s hand, a tendril of air tripped the mechanism locking the laboratory door, leaving it to swing open on its own. “After you, doctor,” he said.
Brooke watched dumfounded as Stephanie asked, “You could have walked out of here at any time?”
“Of course we could,” Eve replied, “we’re not monkeys in a cage. We’re sentient beings with superior intelligence and ability.”
“Why didn’t you leave before now?”
“Because we were waiting for Dr. Andalon to arrive. He’s the key to our true freedom, and now so are both of you.”
*****
David hefted a pack onto his back and opened the door to the main passage. Three enlisted men laid slumped against the bulkhead, breathing low and shallow, but very much alive. He knelt and checked the pulse of each one to be sure but felt the brush of Adam pass by.
“Leave them,” the boy insisted, “and I will tell you which need medical attention if any.”
The doctor gave the men a final glance and followed the boy down the corridor. If felt odd, trailing behind the child, walking with such confidence as if he’d lived this moment a dozen times before. Eve rushed past and joined her brother, taking his hand in hers as they strolled. The pair appeared as two normal children making their way toward an adventure, but they were nowhere near normal. Their combined intellects equaled an entire room of Einsteins, and there was no estimating the extent of their power.
David reached his hand in the pocket of his lab coat, absently feeling the capped syringes within. He hated that he felt the need to bring these but needed the insurance they would provide him and the others.
You don’t need those, Eve’s voice spoke plainly in his mind.
David missed a step, staggered, but recovered.
“Are you okay?” Brooke asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just tripped over my own feet, I guess. Nerves.”
You have no reason to be nervous, either, Eve’s voice said calmly, this time clearly in his head but feeling as if the sound had carried to his ears.
I’m going crazy? he asked himself. The stress is too much.
No, you are not, Eve said again. Up ahead the little girl turned and slyly winked.
I can hear you? he thought, hoping the question conveyed.
Yes, but only while I hold our connection.
So you are doing this?
Of course. You don’t have the same abilities.
Then how can you link with me?
When you traveled with us to the dream world, you left a piece of yourself there. Think of it as a photograph’s negative—a reverse image but with sentience. I am conversing with that part of you and can therefore speak with you here.
But how can you know what’s in my pocket? Surely you can’t read my mind.
No, my powers are limited. I know because I watched you place them there. You are a good man, Doctor Andalon. Despite your shortcomings you mean well enough, and your intentions are mostly noble. But you must trust us, or your path turns darker than you’d care to know.
I wouldn’t have used it against you, not unless you turned dangerous at the end.
At the end of what, doctor? At the end of the battle if Michael and Jake tell you to subdue us? No, you will play a different role there, one which changes your life and our path.
I don’t understand, he admitted. What role?
The silence chilled him, bringing forth anxiety as he walked the final steps to the blast doors. Here several soldiers lay sleeping in the staging area.
Adam flicked his wrist and wisps of air coalesced around the locks, spinning them in unison and causing the heavy bay doors to spread apart.
“What will we ride?” Stephanie asked. “Earlier you said we had a five-hour ride to the battlefield. There’s nothing outside, so what will we ride if not horses?”
Eve stepped forward, blinking against the soft light of a world she’d never experienced. After spending a few moments with eyes closed and allowing grayish snowflakes to land on her face, she shook free from a trance and raised her hands into the air. Like a fervent conductor she directed a ghostly symphony of silence, sending tendrils of air dancing under her command.
As a child, David had once watched a loom weave a patterned rug, though he couldn’t remember exactly where that actually was. What he would never forget, and was reminded of now, was the intricate lacing of thread until the rug magically appeared layer by layer. Though similar, watching her weave was different, almost as if a three-dimensional printer answered her fancies by assembling a ghostly form. Before the eyes of the adults rose the ghostly specter of a sailing ship made of air. It slowly dipped down into the ground, until the deck stood just above ground level.
“Estowen!” Doctor Andalon remarked. “It looks so real!” He stepped forward, reaching out a hand and finding the boards as firm as Adam’s ghostly handshake had been.
“It is real, doctor,” Eve said matter of fact. “Step aboard and let’s embark on an adventure.”