Emergence Boxed Set, page 98
part #1 of Emergence Series
He tried to reach out to his alphas throughout the world, but it felt like there was an immense chasm separating him from the rest of his kind, like a jungle bridge spanning a canyon that had suddenly been torn free from its anchors in the bedrock. All he could sense was the presence of eleven alphas to the north and south within a radius of a few hundred miles. There were no more pleas for help from his brood around the world; no more visions of struggles in distant lands nor battlefield reports from his alphas; even the mental control he possessed over the redheaded hybrid was gone. His once vast mind seemed like an empty universe devoid of stars, and he could hear the haunting echo of his own thoughts. No! I can’t have lost what was mine and mine alone.
Roland leaned forward, looking at his reflection in a puddle of water, his eyes resembling cavernous sockets and his translucent skin looking like parched paper. What is to become of our kind now? Of my brood? Of me? He whispered the words aloud, but the winter wind outside was all he heard as it howled and seemed to stab through the concrete walls around him.
***
Reisner was in his berth when Selene entered, racing to embrace him. She kissed him softly on the lips as he slid his arms around her waist. “See, I told you you were stuck with me—and now maybe for good, since we are bound for Mexico.”
He smiled. “Trust me, I can live with that.” Reisner brushed his fingers along her cheeks, staring into her eyes. Suddenly, he felt his heart race like he’d been given a shot of epinephrine. He stepped back, trying to catch his breath, a stabbing sensation flooding his mind as if his brain was being cleaved in two. He pulled away from her, heading into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and began splashing cold water on his face.
“Will, what’s wrong?”
“Just another migraine.” He leaned against the wall as he gripped the sides of his skull. He saw the faint outline of a subterranean passage and felt the rush of cold air upon his face, then suddenly the image faded and was replaced by a remote shoreline laced with palm trees. He heard the shrill voices of hundreds of creatures. The pressure in his forehead was increasing, like a giant hand was squeezing his temples together. Then he saw an intense flash and the pain ceased, his heart rate slowing. Reisner forced his eyes open while blinking hard. He gulped in a huge breath of air then shook his head, staring around the room to make sure he was still on board the Lachesis.
Selene tapped on the door. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
He shoved his head back, staring up at the white ceiling. Hell, no. I’m not even sure who I am anymore. What if I am going insane? He opened and closed the cabinet and rustled around with the first-aid kit to buy some time. “I’ll be out in a second. Let me just grab an aspirin.”
He looked at his face in the mirror, recalling the sensation of peace and warmth he had felt in the tropical setting. He recalled the sound of a younger, more exuberant voice and how he felt the urge to follow it. It was different than the older, caustic voice he’d heard emanating from Abby on board the Nostromo. Something has changed.
“Will, I’m going to kick in this door if you don’t talk to me.”
He dragged a towel across his face then slid open the door, walking past Selene. “I better check in with Jonas on something—he needed me to get an after-action report over to him about the events on the Nostromo.” He hated to lie, but he had to get out of there fast before she asked him anything further and he caved under pressure in his weakened state. He needed answers, and right now there was only one person—or creature—that could hopefully provide those. “How long before Abby comes out of sedation?” he said as he stepped into the passageway outside their berth.
She canted her head, giving him a quizzical expression. “Three, maybe four hours, but—”
“I’ll see you then.” He disappeared out of her sight then trotted down the corridor, racing for the outside world—and some answers.
Chapter 29
“She’s been in your observation room since she was brought in yesterday and you still can’t tell me anything more than when I was there?” barked General Dorr over the videoscreen on Selene’s laptop.
“She’s been heavily sedated and is only now coming around, so I will be able to question her shortly.”
“Do what it takes to extract information from her, Doctor. I need answers on what she knows about the fleet and our operations here. If you don’t have the stomach to do what is needed, I have others with experience in such extraction methods.”
“This is a young girl we’re talking about, General. She’s the victim here and my patient, not an interrogation subject.”
“She’s an enemy combatant aligned with those who are trying to destroy us, whether she is a willing participant or not, so you will take the necessary steps to find out what knowledge she is in possession of or you will be relieved of your duties. This patient is yours until we arrive in Cuba in six hours. If I don’t see results by then, I will be considering a change in medical staffing on board your vessel.”
“But that’s—” She didn’t get the chance to respond as Dorr cut off the transmission, leaving her without a place to direct her fury. She glanced back at Schilling, her assistant, who had stopped moving around the room and stood frozen by the EKG readout. “Is this the same General Dorr who got us all through the battle of MacDill? What’s happened to him?”
Selene blew a strand of hair off her nose. “I think he’s immersed in his own mental version of MacDill these days. There’s no way in hell anyone is coming in here to torture that poor girl.” She paced around the room, thinking back to Reisner’s bizarre behavior in their berth. What the hell is going on with the men on this ship lately?
Schilling turned back towards the beeping on the EKG then looked through the observation window at Abby. “Speaking of her, your patient is coming around.”
Both women turned as they heard the door open from the corridor at their rear and saw Reisner enter. Selene still felt confused over his earlier state of mind and wondered if he was here for more than just scientific curiosity.
“I hope you haven’t come at General Dorr’s request,” said Selene.
Reisner stood at the door with a cautious look. “Uhm, no, you said she would be waking from sedation around 1630, so here I am.”
She stared at him, looking at his complexion and his pupils, which seemed normal. Why won’t he confide in me?
“Alright then,” said Selene, waving him over. She looked at Schilling while pointing to her laptop. “It will probably be better if there aren’t too many people in here while I question Abby, and I also need you to compare her bloodwork with the past records of alphas we have on file.”
“Certainly, Doctor,” said Schilling as she exited the room.
Once they were alone, Selene moved closer to Reisner. “You’re not going to believe the bullshit Dorr was just throwing my way—about using interrogation methods on her to get information.”
Reisner raised his eyebrows. “I’m not surprised. He seems beyond his breaking point, and Runa has described his staff as reaching their limits.”
He moved closer to the window, depressing the switch for the two-way speaker. “Well, let’s see what we can find out and what we can do to help her.”
Selene nodded, leaning towards the intercom. “Abby, my name is Doctor Munroe. I’m friends with Will and Jody Reisner.”
Abby’s eyes darted around the ceiling as she tried to turn her head towards the observation window. “What happened? Where am I?”
Selene gave Reisner a puzzled look then turned back to Abby. “You’re in one of my biocontainment labs for now.”
Abby blinked several times, her cheeks turning red. She arched her back and flexed her arms, tugging on the wrist restraints. “Oh God, help—get it out of me. Please, help!” Tears began streaming down her face as her mouth contorted, her body thrashing on the gurney. “Please, do something. He put it inside of me. That horrible man put this creature in my body, and now—” She strained her wrists until the shackles began to abrade the skin as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Selene stared at the MRI image on the screen, noting how the parasite attached to Abby’s spine was inert. She covered the intercom as she spoke to Reisner. “The creature must somehow still be sedated from the amount of barbiturates in her system, enabling her true self to emerge unhindered.”
She removed her palm from the speaker. “Abby, I’m trying to help you, but I need you to calm down before you hurt yourself.”
The young woman only yanked at her restraints, screaming as she flung her head back. “A thousand slivers in my mind. Please, make it stop—make the voices go away!”
Reisner moved closer, his heart racing as he pressed his hand to the window. “Abby, this is Will Reisner, Jody’s brother. Remember, I saw you yesterday morning on the Nostromo?”
The girl stopped writhing, her body going limp as she sank back onto the gurney. She turned her head again, staring at Reisner. He felt like there was an invisible tether connecting them despite the thick barrier of glass.
“You know what it’s like, don’t you?” she said in a low voice. “The voices that never stop. I know you do. I felt it on the first day we met—and again yesterday.”
He licked his lips, shooting a sideways glance at Selene before looking at Abby again. “I’m not sure what’s going on anymore.”
“He was in your blood and your mind, wasn’t he? Now there is another who has taken over?” She didn’t blink when she spoke, only continuing to look right through him. “I’ve heard his thoughts about you, whispers about the tainted one, and I knew it had to be you.”
“Who—whose thoughts?” Reisner’s outstretched hand balled into a fist.
Her voice was barely audible. “Whitmore—Roland Whitmore.”
Selene’s mouth hung agape. “Then he’s still alive, as you suspected,” said Selene.
“Where is he now? Can you tell me his location?” said Reisner.
Abby sniffled, her eyes scanning the ceiling as if scrutinizing a map.
“By the ocean—only not near here. There is snow on the ground and…and I see an old church with a green roof. A cathedral on a hill.”
Reisner and Selene turned and stared at each other. “But where?” she whispered.
Reisner pressed his face closer to the glass. “Do you see any other buildings nearby?”
Abby turned her head away, her eyelids fluttering as her clenched fists relaxed. “So tired.”
“Abby, stay with me. What else do you see?” he urged.
“Paul,” she whispered as her speech slurred. “Saint Paaauuullll.”
“Abby—” Reisner felt Selene grab his arm.
“She’s unconscious. Her vitals have dropped off slightly. Let her rest.”
Reisner reluctantly stepped back from the window, his gaze fixed on Abby, then he looked up at the image of the parasite on the screen.
“How do we help her? How can we remove that thing from her body?”
Selene moved closer to him. “I told you, I’m trying to figure that out and will do everything I can. Right now, I need you to tell me what is going on, Will—to be honest with me about what’s been happening since the infection.”
Reisner sighed, shuffling back towards the wall and slumping down in a chair. He lowered his head, rubbing both hands against his tense facial muscles. “I’m not sure, Selene. Sometimes I feel like I am alright, and then other times it’s like my mind is split in two, with this feeling…a feeling like he is observing me from within the walls of my own psyche.”
Reisner sat back, turning towards Abby’s still figure. “And sometimes the voices come—more like echoes, as if I’m listening in on someone else’s conversation in another room. I can’t always make out the words but I have this feeling.” He paused, rubbing the old wound on his forearm. “Like my body is dissolving away, flowing into this river of other beings.”
He let out a nervous chuckle, glancing up at her. “Pff—you must think I’m insane.”
She knelt down in front of him, holding his sweaty hand. “God, I didn’t know, Will. I didn’t realize you were suffering like this all this time.”
“Ever since I fought with Roland and was briefly infected with his blood and parasites, I’ve felt my mind—the person I am, even my willpower at times—has been eluding me.” He thrust his thumb towards the biolab. “When she said there were a thousand slivers in her mind, I understood exactly at that moment what she meant. Only the horror she must be enduring is on a scale I can’t imagine.”
“Runa confided in me earlier about what happened to you on the Nostromo when you two went down below to the storage chamber—how you thought you’d been there before.” Selene stood up and moved before the window, crossing her arms. “There must be some telepathic connection between you and Roland. Whitmore’s blood is the common denominator that you and Abby share.”
He raised an eyebrow. “But you yourself cleared me. You said there were no pathogens in my system.”
“Technically, you’re right—your blood samples returned to normal after the initial exposure once you were brought back to MacDill for treatment. But, evidently, there are some trace elements miniscule enough not to register in our lab work, or”—she turned to face him—“something occurred within the structure of your brain that is enabling you to receive these voices and visions, linking you to Abby—and to Roland.”
“Only Roland is gone,” he said. “When we were back in our berth earlier, I had this burning sensation in my head, like someone was dragging a red-hot chain across my skull.” He ran his hand through his wavy hair, sucking in a deep breath. “For a moment, I could sense Roland in this cold, dark place, then his voice suddenly disappeared, and I heard another person speaking, only I was on an island down here somewhere.” He shook his head, trying to recall the fleeting images. “There is some violent shift that has occurred within the paras, and hearing Abby’s comments only confirmed what I felt earlier.” He looked up at Selene. “Roland is no longer in charge.”
“Then that boy Nick is—how can that be?”
“He’s not a boy any longer. This creature is much stronger than Roland ever was and commands legions of alphas now. I could feel them around me.”
She knelt down next to him while he rested his hand on her knee.
“Talking to you makes me think I’m not going insane.” He let out a smirk. “Either that or I already crossed over that line a while ago.” He looked into her eyes again, this time feeling like a huge tumor had been removed from his soul. “Sure glad you like damaged guys.”
“You were damaged when we first met in Taiwan.”
“Ouch—nothing like your scientific objectivity creeping back in.”
She nudged him with her elbow. “Well, maybe not damaged—just slightly warped.” Selene rested her hand on his shoulder. “And I can work with that.”
He nodded as some of the tension drained out of his face. “The real question is, what do we do about Abby? We can’t keep her sedated here for good.”
“More importantly, what about General Dorr? He seemed pretty bent on getting answers out of her at any cost.” She picked up her tablet off the table.
Reisner mulled over what Abby had hinted about Roland’s whereabouts. “Leave Dorr to me for now. I just may have enough intel to buy you some time. I’m gonna get Pacelle working on locating the church Abby alluded to.”
He squeezed her hand, smiling at her. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For trusting me—and for sticking by me so far.”
Selene clutched her tablet, pulling it in towards her chest. “Yeah, well, you’ve grown on me a little, so I’ll probably keep you around for a while.”
He let his eyes linger on hers then smiled and walked away. Her words felt like a healing balm upon his heavy heart, and Reisner wondered how long he could control what was happening to him and stay around those he loved. He felt his right hand forming into its habitual clenched fist as he walked down the passageway to the stairs, a part of him yearning to be in that tropical location surrounded by the other alphas.
Chapter 30
Five Hours Later
That evening, Selene was in her office at the other end of the BSL-4 level, poring over Ramirez’s research about alpha physiology, when she saw an armed guard enter the doorway. “Can I help you?”
“General’s orders, ma’am. I’m to make sure you don’t interfere with the procedures Doctor Coppen and his assistant are going to be undertaking with the intruder.” She saw a young man in a white lab coat in the corridor, pushing a rolling cart with an electrical stimulation device and probes on it towards the containment lab at the end of the passageway.
Selene threw her pen down, shooting to her feet. “What the hell are you talking about? Coppen is a second-year physician and knows nothing about my patient.” She went to move past him, but he blocked the doorframe with his body. “Let me by, goddammit. This is a young girl’s life we’re talking about.” She tried again but was gently pushed back.
“Ma’am, please, I’m under orders here.”
“I heard you the first time.” She peered around his shoulder down the hallway but couldn’t see anything except General Dorr’s figure as he walked towards the observation room attached to the biolab. “This is bullshit.” She stepped back, kicking the wall, then staggered back to her desk.
She felt powerless to intervene and knew that there was no way of getting in touch with Reisner or Runa unless she had access to a radio. Selene folded her arms and paced around the room, then she walked to the intercom on the wall. She depressed the red call button that activated the biolab speaker. “Doctor Coppen, if you’re already in there, I’m begging you not to go through with whatever Dorr is having you do. I am making progress with the patient—with Abby. She is a conscious, healthy young woman who is partially suffering from the effects of a parasite attached to her nervous system. But she is—”
