The Hallowed Cure, page 32
My hands clenched tight around my glowing blade. “Why does he want you back?”
A bit of smug replaced Sharpe’s remaining fear and worry. “The way he sees it, I’m the only one who can help him complete his transition into God.”
I lowered Savagery until the tip was almost to her neck. She scrambled back into the corner. She gasped and visibly resisted the urge to grab the glowing blue blade with her hands.
“No more religious metaphors,” I said. “No more scientific bullshit.
Tell me, in exceedingly plain terms, what you mean by that. Dumb it down for me, doctor.”
Sharpe swallowed visibly, stared up at me, and breathed. I let her gather her wits. She and I knew both knew I wasn’t as ready to murder her as I’d been a moment ago.
“When I realized what Jack was doing, I enabled an administrative lockdown that locked him out of our panacea vats and other apparatus. He can no longer culture or create new panacea cells until I lift the lockdown, and without those, he cannot grow his power.”
“How can he know you’ll unlock it for him?”
“With panacea cells,” Lincoln said quietly. “He’ll infect her like she infected the people here. Once she’s a zombie, he can mentally control her like the others and make her do whatever he wants, just like she did with the zombies out there in the city.”
Sharpe smiled past me. “You would have made an excellent research assistant.”
“I like not killing people,” Lincoln said.
“We need her,” Hahna said. “I hate to say it, Riven, but we do.”
I pulled Savagery away from Sharpe’s neck, extinguished her blue glow, and sheathed my Hallowed blade once more. I looked to Hahna. “So we let her live? For now?”
“Until we know more,” Hahna agreed.
Beside me, Doctor Sharpe breathed a very audible sigh of relief.
It occurred to me, then, this was the second time I’d almost killed someone with Captain Sato. The other asshole had been Chief Dixon, back at Cloud Nine, except this time, it was Hahna who talked me down.
Life was funny like that sometimes.
“How’d you cut through the jamming?” I asked then. “With your communicator and Frank’s? And, I suppose, the bug you planted on my armor.”
“The bug is short range only. I couldn’t listen in until I reached the school,” Hahna said. “As for the long-range communicators, they operate on a different frequency than yours.”
“I thought Jack was jamming all the frequencies.”
“All frequencies produced by human technology,” Hahna said.
“So ... you have a way to communicate that’s not human?”
“A prototype only. One set of communicators capable of communication between linked the linked panacea cells inside them.
I’m fairly confident no one can intercept that yet.”
I needed to get me a pair of communicators like hers.
“Nine minutes,” Saul said. “That’s how long we now have to contact the clone. We can’t let him execute Miss Alexander or anyone captured with her.”
“We have to call Jack and set up an exchange,” I agreed. “If nothing else, we need to buy time to blow him up.” I considered the opportunity the raised jamming presented, then turned to Sharpe.
“Here’s one for you, doctor. How much do you know about Hallowed armor?”
“A little,” she said, eyes narrowed. “Do you plan to give me to the clone?”
“Not if it’ll let the asshole win. We’re only negotiating to buy time so we can kill him together. You know how to boost the signal on our comms?”
“You want to contact your remaining squad members.” Sharpe smiled. “I believe I can help with that. I’ve been tinkering with a transmission system to cut through the jamming since I arrived.” She pointed at the mess of Cloud Nine tech on the table, powered by the
glowing cels. “I should be able to patch your Hallowed armor comms into my transmitter, provided you instruct your suit’s internal AI to cooperate. I can easily create the same wideband transmission we heard on the PA.”
“Great, do that.” I might finally have a chance to find Mia! Jack ...
or whatever it was ... had just made his first mistake. “How likely is it the clone knows where you are right now?”
“It knows,” Sharpe said. “It simply can’t reach us here ... yet.”
“So no problems with operational security,” I agreed, and looked to Saul.
After a moment, he nodded. He wanted to find Mia too.
I flipped off my external comm. “Nine, once Sharpe hooks you into that transmitter, I want you to send the following message on repeat. Begin recording ... now.” I gave it a beat. “Attention Red Two and Four. Red One, Three, and Five are alive at the following coordinates. It’s safe here.” I paused. “End record. Append our current coordinates to the message as spoken numbers.”
“Done,” Nine said. “An Operational Security Suggestion! Are you certain you wish to directly state your current coordinates through an unsecured communication method?”
“Yes,” I said, since the AI probably wouldn’t understand if I said Obviously. “Sharpe already said Jack knows where we are, and his zombies won’t care. If any other survivors remain lost on the island, Saul’s people and the locals will want them here anyway. So hopefully, we’ll get to everyone.”
I grabbed my helmet, twisted it sideways with a crack, and pulled it off. The air in the building smelled more ... wet ... than I’d expected.
I’d been breathing through filters since I arrived, and the change made my nose itch.
I slapped my helmet on the table and looked to Sharpe. “Get to work.” I looked to Lincoln. “Stay with her, keep an eye on her, and thump her if she tries to escape.” I turned to Saul. “Radio?”
“There’s one in the building,” Saul agreed.
I looked to Hahna. “Coming?”
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
[ 29 ]
NO ONE’S BE OMING A GOD TODAY
Saul led the way out of the room with me behind him and Hahna behind me. I wasn’t entirely sure Lincoln could actually deal with Doctor Sharpe if she tried to escape, but I saw no reason she would now. She couldn’t get back into her facility without us, and she really did want her research.
We soon reached a cramped room in the back of the school that was filled with what I assumed was radio equipment, though none if it looked new or shiny. It certainly wasn’t Cloud Nine tech, but that probably wasn’t available to the average school. Saul slid into a seat before a panel with a bunch of dials and sliding buttons. There was also a microphone.
As I watched Saul flip switches and turn dials, he seemed quite confident in what he was doing, which was good, because I had no idea how to operate an old school radio. Once several red lights were on, with switches flipped and dials turned, Saul stood and motioned to the seat.
“Sit there,” Saul said. “Depress the foot pedal to transmit. Unlike with older radio systems, the system will automatically notify the other transmitter once you’ve released the pedal, so you need not say ‘over’ after each transmission. It is still traditional to say ‘Over and out’ once you’ve—”
“Fine, great, I’ll be polite,” I interrupted.
I thumped into the seat in my bulky armor. I barely fit, and the chair creaked with the weight. I felt around with my armored boot for
the foot pedal and remembered to feather my pressure just in time.
Wouldn’t do anyone much good if I crushed the foot pedal before I got in touch with Jack’s clone—or the original. I didn’t honestly care.
I gently depressed the pedal. “Hey, old man. You there?” I lifted the pedal and readied myself to wait.
“Hello, Mister Riven. It’s a pleasure to finally speak with you.” A subtle but noticeable beep followed those words, which I took as my signal he’d finished transmitting.
I pushed the pedal down once more. “Eat shit and die, you rancid bag of dicks.”
Saul thumped my armor.
“What?” I glanced at him. “This is how I negotiate with assholes.”
“You remain as colorful as ever,” Jack said, audibly amused. “Is Doctor Sharpe alive?”
“Yes,” I said, then sighed. “And the first thing you’ll want is proof, isn’t it?”
“Please. In return for allowing me to speak with Doctor Sharpe, I’ll allow you to speak with Miss Alexander. Once I know Doctor Sharpe is alive, our negotiations can begin.”
I looked to Saul. “Go check on Sharpe. Make sure she gets the transmission looping first. I’ll keep Jack on the line until you get back.”
Saul nodded and hurried out. That left just me and Hahna in the radio room. I glanced at her. “Any idea how to keep him talking if we can’t get Sharpe in here immediately?”
Hahna moved close. “May I talk to him?”
“Not sure he’ll like that. You did toss him off a building.”
“For which he actually thanked me,” Hahna reminded me. “Why not let me give it a try?”
She was making sense, sort of. I carefully eased myself out of the chair, doing my best not to crush it. “Go ahead. Just don’t make any more bad puns.”
Hahna’s frown, my way, looked genuinely unsettled. “You haven’t told anyone else about that, have you?”
I immediately thought of Saul. “Nope.”
Hahna thumped into the seat and leaned forward. “Mister Griffyn? Are you there?”
“Captain Sato!” Jack said. He sounded pleased. “How are you?”
“Alive,” she responded. “A question, if you’ll entertain it.”
“Are you bringing me Doctor Sharpe?”
“She’s on her way now to verify she’s still breathing. While we wait, I am more than a bit curious about you. Doctor Sharpe described you as a clone of the original Jack Griffyn, yet you seem cognizant of things only Jack himself knew. How did you obtain that information?”
“You talk as if I’m simply a copy of a magnificent man,” Jack said.
“I am no mere copy. I am who I was then, except vastly improved and nigh indestructible. I have unlocked the secret to immortality, my dear Captain Sato, whether you believe it or not.”
“I believe it,” Hahna lied smoothly. “I have direct evidence you’ve beaten death and seized control over an entire city full of people. I recognize you are brilliant, but this is beyond even that. Was this your intent from the moment you realized you were going to die?”
I understood at once. By asking Jack’s clone to talk about how awesome it was, Hahna was playing to its ego. If this thing was anything like Jack, it was just as full of itself as he’d been. I only wished I’d thought of asking Jack to talk about himself for twenty minutes.
“Recognizing my resurrection was the only the first step,” Jack replied eagerly, and I knew at once Hahna had him. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what was happening at first. My awareness was limited and hazy. It was only after I first heard the whispers of the living cells that I began to...”
I tuned out Jack’s insane resurrection babble and edged toward the door to the radio room. I opened it quietly and peeked out. No sign of Doctor Sharpe or Saul or Lincoln, so they must still be trying to get our message out to Mia and Caley. This was the only chance we’d have to speak before Jack restored the jamming that he’d activated from the research station.
Minutes ticked by as I glanced between the hall, which remained empty, and Hahna. Jack was still going, set off by the occasional
questions from Hahna, and I wondered if she might actually keep him going longer than ten minutes. Even Jack’s clone was a pompous windbag.
Finally, a door at the end of the hall opened. Saul stepped out with Doctor Sharpe behind him. I beckoned them over then slipped back into the radio room. Jack was now going on and on, spewing a bunch of big words I assumed were random philosophical bullshit.
“Sharpe’s on her way,” I told Hahna.
She stared down at the console. “He really does seem like the Jack I knew.”
“Great, that’s nice,” I said, and motioned for her to get up. “This time, I get to kill him.”
I’d no sooner safely seated myself before the door opened and Saul entered, followed immediately by Doctor Sharpe. Jack was still going, but I ignored him and looked to Doctor Sharpe, who looked rather pleased with herself. “You do it?”
“Your transmission is looping and has now reached every receiver on the island,” Sharpe said with satisfaction. “I told you I could be useful.”
“I’m sure the thirty-nine thousand people you turned into slavering zombies approve.” I turned to the radio. Jack was still talking. “How do we shut this asshole up?”
Thirty seconds later, the console finally beeped. I depressed the pedal. “That’s great Jack, thanks for sharing all that, really fascinating stuff. I’ve got the doctor for you now.”
“Put her on, please.”
I beckoned Sharpe over. “Talk.” I depressed the pedal for her.
“Hello, Mister Griffyn,” Doctor Sharpe said smoothly. “Or may I call you Jack?”
“Emilia. It’s so wonderful to hear your voice. I worried you’d been killed.”
“Your worry seems odd since you tried to kill me yourself.”
“Not at all, my dear!” Jack actually sounded offended. “I could tell you were frightened, that you didn’t understand what I was. I merely sent my Hallowed to detain you until I could explain my intentions.” A beep sounded, suggesting he was waiting for a response.
“Which are?” Sharpe asked.
“I intend you no harm. In fact, I wish to collaborate with you, and I’m willing to share the secret to immortality in exchange for your cooperation. We can become as gods. The first gods of a new world order, looking over our new flock with care and pride.”
As Sharpe opened her mouth to speak again, I lifted the pedal and snapped my fingers at her. “That’s enough god talk. No one’s becoming a god today.”
“How fascinating,” Doctor Sharpe said. “I may have misinterpreted the clone’s intentions in taking over my facility. It seems it does genuinely with to collaborate with me.”
I pushed the pedal again. “You heard her. She’s here and alive.
Now put Caitlyn on.”
I waited longer than I was comfortable with. I was just about to ask again when Caitlyn’s voice came over the radio, clear and a bit worried.
“Hello, Grant. I’m fine, but I’m not pleased.”
I pushed the pedal. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m alive. So are Reese and Amber, but Grant, we all entered this mission prepared to die. No more negotiations. Let me handle this.”
“Little late to not negotiate,” I said. “We’re saving you, end of discussion.”
“Please don’t assume we came here expecting to be saved from anything,” Caitlyn said. “I have the situation here handled. Do not under any circumstances—”
From the way her statement abruptly ended, I knew someone had cut her off. I should have expected that. Yet she’d sounded so confident that I hesitated before talking to Jack again.
She had this handled? How the fuck would she have this handled? She was stuck in a facility with a bunch of Hallowed clones and an insane clone of a sociopathic windbag.
“Interesting,” Doctor Sharpe said. She tapped the bridge of her nose.
“What?” I demanded. “What’s interesting?”
“I am now prepared to exchange hostages,” Jack broadcast, before I could press Doctor Sharpe about her interesting comment.
“Obviously, I’ll only exchange Miss Alexander for Doctor Sharpe. I’ll expect additional accommodations for Reese Alexander and Amber Mason.”
I almost crushed the pedal before I caught myself. “That wasn’t our deal.”
“These are simply details, Mister Riven. I will deliver Caitlyn Alexander, Reese Alexander, and Amber Mason to you. In exchange, you and Captain Sato will surrender yourselves to my soldiers. You will accompany Doctor Sharpe to my facility, where you will be treated as honored guests. We will continue negotiations that will conclude with me taking administrative control of Neo Tao Payoh.”
“You turned this whole island into zombies, and now you want to be their mayor?”
“Please don’t think of me as a malevolent presence,” Jack said. “I don’t intend to harm any of you if I can avoid it, and I will treat my new subjects fairly once I’ve solidified my control. In fact, I intend to offer you both the chance to join me as I am now. Immortal. With my help, you and Captain Sato will stand beside we gods as the generals of our new world order.”
I didn’t push the pedal this time. “Great, he’s just as insane as the last one.”
“This is perfect,” Hahna said eagerly.
I glanced at her. “What is?”
“It’s our way into the facility,” Hahna said. “If we agree to this, we’ll bypass the vast majority of the clone’s security and get a direct audience. Better yet, it may become so focused on us it won’t realize the others are entering through the VIP escape tunnel. Even if we can’t eliminate the clone ourselves, we can distract it until the others can destroy the facility.”
“That could work,” Saul agreed. “We’ll rescue you once we’re inside.”
“You’ll rescue all three of us,” I agreed. “Including Doctor Sharpe.”
Sharpe gasped. “You said you weren’t actually going to give me to the clone!”
“That was before I knew he was going to ask for us as well,” I said evenly. “Think about it, doc. You want your research. We want Jack’s head, or whatever he has now.”
“So you no longer intend to kill me?”
“Not if I don’t have to,” I lied. “This method of getting us into that facility is as good as any other. Once we’re all back inside your secret base, just betray whoever’s holding us captive the same way you planned to betray us once we were all inside.”
“You still believe I’d betray you?”
I huffed and raised both hands. “How dumb do you think I am?”
Doctor Sharpe cocked one eyebrow. “For the sake of our future cooperation, I won’t answer that. But very well. We’ll surrender to Jack together. Yet because I don’t fully trust you, after I deal with our captors we will go our separate ways. I will secure my research using methods known only to me. You will go off to eliminate the clone.”
