The White Lilac

  Chapter Thirty-Two: Kai

  Something was not right. Kai could tell from the low murmurs of the people sitting in the stands. He had entered the building and was standing by the back wall near the platform that overlooked the Aquarium. There was a screen displaying Caryn’s progress, but the angle wasn’t meant for Kai and he couldn’t tell exactly what she was doing. He moved along with his back to the wall to get a better view and saw a close-up of Caryn hovering over an anemone patch. She must have stayed that way for a minute and then she blinked and moved to gather the eggs.

  She swam to a gate that separated the anemone patches and fiddled with the latch. Then she opened the gate and tried to swim through, but the strap of her bag held her back. It was twisted around a metal spoke sticking out of the gate. No matter how Caryn turned she couldn’t reach it.

  One of the containers popped out of her bags and floated to the ground, but she didn’t notice and kept trying to reach the gate. Her movements slowed down and he could tell from the glazed look in her eyes she needed air. And the strap tightening around her neck, cutting off the oxygen supply to her brain, was not helping. She would pass out if something was not done soon.

  Kai glanced at the people in the stands, but they made no effort to go to her aid. Everyone seated in the room watched the screen transfixed. They would not help. Caryn’s head began to bob, her eyes rolling back. He couldn’t watch anymore. They would let the water kill her and blame it on the poison. He half walked, half jogged to the platform and saw a narrow, metal walkway along the edge of the Aquarium. No one yelled for him to stop or even noticed he had gone. Once on the walkway Kai ran past the first four sections until he came to the partition between five and six.

  The walkway railing was easy to climb over and Kai dove as close to the partition as he could without risking injury. With strong strokes he arrived at the underwater gate in seconds. He pulled closer to the gate and untangled the strap. Caryn’s body jerked a bit and her eyes half opened, somewhat revived. Kai pointed to the surface and pushed her up. Her legs half-kicked and she continued to rise.

  He was about to follow her when he remembered the container that had fallen out of her bag. Quickly he spun back and searched the ground for it. It wasn’t anywhere near the base of the partition. Then Kai saw it near the base of the anemone patch. It must have rolled there. The anemones had not surrounded it, yet. Kai squeezed his hand shut and threw his body in a downward slope.

  His fingertips were inches away from the container when he saw the anemone tendrils move like a huge wave about to curl under. He was moving too fast to stop now. He grabbed the container, planted his feet on the floor and pushed off. He waited to feel the pain, but it didn’t come and he broke the surface and gulping for air.

  “Caryn?” he said, looking for her.

  But she was already climbing over the partition and with a deep breath she dove under again before Kai could tell her she was in danger, or give her the container that had fallen out of her bag.

  He swam back to the walkway. Two men in white clothes were waiting for him. One was tall, and younger, with a thick head of medium brown hair. The other was Dr. Vos.

  “What did you think you were doing?” the younger man asked. His mouth was set in a disapproving line.

  “Be nice Stevens, he was doing your job,” Dr. Vos said.

  Stevens still frowned even when he held out a hand to help Kai out, but Kai placed the container in it and climbed up by himself.

  “Were you stung?” Dr. Vos asked. He watched Kai now with a penetrating gaze.

  “No.”

  “Are you lying?” The doctor’s eyes narrowed. “The video angle made it too close to tell.”

  Kai lifted his chin and glared back. “You can check me if you like.”

  But Dr. Vos seemed satisfied for the moment. He turned back to Stevens. “Where is she now?”

  Stevens pointed to the section beyond the sixth. “She might collect from all the sections at this rate.”

  The men moved down the walkway closer to the section Caryn was in and Kai followed them. As they got closer he could see a small white figure moving beneath the water. She wasn’t moving very fast, but there was only one more section left. She surfaced briefly to swim over the last partition and Kai could see the strain on her face. Her nose was wrinkled and her eyebrows knitted together as if that would help her concentrate. But there was a sluggish element to her motions, her arms would swing wider than necessary and her legs hung limp, except for the moments they would jerk like they suddenly received a delayed message from the brain to do so. Even though he knew the anemone poison was not deadly, it couldn’t be good to have that much poison inside her body.

  Kai watched her form sink deeper and drift over the last anemone patch. She seemed frozen in the same spot for a long time, the motion of the water made it difficult for him to see if she was even moving at all, but the two men monitoring her seemed content to let her be. Then her white form began to grow bigger.

  “She did it,” Stevens said. He let out a small laugh.

  Caryn’s head parted through the water and she used a side stroke to head for the walkway’s ladder. What would have taken her several strong strokes to do when they were in the lake, now took closer to fifteen. By the time she reached the walkway Kai wanted to jump in and help. Instead he leaned out as far as he could and held his hand out for her to grasp. She did not smile, but her eyes lingered on his a moment before their hands met then they glazed over as if he were too far away to focus on.

  He was surprised by how cold she felt and how weak her grip was. Her pale skin was covered in bright red welts. He felt like he was yanking her arm out as he helped her climb onto the walkway. She rolled away from the water and pulled her equipment bag over her head. Stevens took it and handed it to another man arriving behind him. The other man took the bag and disappeared.

  “Caryn,” Dr. Vos said. “You are the best White Lilac we have ever had. No one has been able to collect from all the patches before.”

  “Will everyone be all right?” Caryn asked.

  “Yes, everyone will be just fine.”

  “Caryn I need to tell you something,” Kai said. He pulled her arm and body closer.

  She nodded.

  “It’s time for you to go, boy, my patient needs her rest,” Dr. Vos said.

  Kai found a quick retort, but Caryn beat him to it.

  “No,” she said, quick and loud. “I want him to stay with me.”

  Then her eyes rolled back and she passed out into Kai’s arms.

  “Get a stretcher,” Dr. Vos said. “We need to take her to the patient room.”

  “I’ll carry her,” Kai said. His eyes challenged anyone who would look at him.

  Dr. Vos shrugged like he didn’t care and jerked a thumb at the rustic, open elevator at the end of the walkway. As Kai leaned to stand up he almost wondered if this was a bad idea. She was heavier than she looked and her clothes were soaked, but as he straightened he didn’t have to strain as much. He walked slowly, being careful to keep her head and legs from bumping into the metal railings on either side.

  Dr. Vos and Stevens joined Kai in the elevator and when they reached the ground both went ahead. Stevens opened the doors to a building called Science Station 4 and Dr. Vos pointed at the nearest room where a made bed was waiting. The room was bright white, well-lit, with two chairs and a cabinet lined up against the wall and a metal cart on the other side of the bed. Kai hovered over the bed so he could lay her down gently, but even so she groaned as the stings on her arms and legs touched the sheets.

  “Bring me the ointment,” Dr. Vos said to Stevens, already pushing Kai to the side.

  “No!” Kai pushed back. “You’re not giving her anything.”

  “I am her doctor and I will do what is best for my patient.” Dr. Vos’ eyes narrowed.

  “Well she wants me here, and I don’t want you, or anyone else, touching her.”

  “I will call securit
y and have you removed--”

  “Fine, get out. Both of you get out and leave us alone.” Kai stepped toward the doctor and both Dr. Vos and Stevens walked to the door, although their expressions were anything but pleased.

  As soon as they were in the hall Kai slammed the door. The room had a medicine cabinet and he tipped it over blocking the door to keep anyone from getting in. It fell with a crash and he heard Caryn cry out.

  Her eyes were open and watched him with confusion.

  “What are you doing?”

  Kai tossed one of the two chairs on top of the cabinet and brought the other next to Caryn’s bedside. He sat down and wondered how much time he had before they broke into the room and threw him outside the gate.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Caryn said, her voice was soft and kind.

  “Last night I was with Dr. Kendal, you know him?” Kai paused long enough to see her nod. “We were looking over some of the old DNA files from the Compound and other people who have been stung by the anemone. It’s a long story, but we found out that the anemone’s poison doesn’t kill. You’re not going to die.”

  She didn’t move as if the words had frozen her. Then her eyebrows wrinkled. “But everyone who touches them dies.”

  “That’s because all of those people are given a poison later that kills them.”

  There was a calm knock on the door and a muffled voice asked, “Caryn? Are you all right?”

  “It’s Anderson,” Caryn said. She started to sit up, the confusion on her face melting into relief.

  “Who?”

  “My trainer. You have to let him in and tell him what you told me.”

  Kai paused. “The doctor I just kicked out said he was bringing security.”

  “Anderson can fix that,” she said. “He will fix everything once he knows the truth.”

  “Caryn?” the voice of Anderson asked again. He sounded a bit worried now.

  “Please let him in. He’ll help us.”

  Kai got up and pulled the cabinet and chair away inch by inch from the door. Silently he cursed himself for giving in to her so quickly. When there was a two foot gap between the cabinet and the door, he turned the knob and Anderson peeked in. The first thing that Kai saw was Anderson’s eyes, which were a similar dark brown to his own. Anderson blinked when he saw Kai, but then he turned his attention to Caryn.

  “Are you all right considering your circumstances?” he asked, stepping into the room. His voice no longer muffled by the door triggered Kai’s memory.

  “Tell him,” Caryn prompted.

  “I think he already knows.” Kai crossed over to Caryn’s side, standing between her and Anderson. Letting him in had been a very bad idea. “I told you I spent last night with Dr. Kendal, but I didn’t have time to tell you that Dr. Kendal went up to his office alone and met another man. I heard them talking and Dr. Kendal yelled. There was a struggle but by the time I got there it was too late. Dr. Kendal was lying on his desk and all the information we had found was destroyed. This is that man who did it. I recognize his voice.”

  “He wouldn’t do something like that. Would you?” Caryn asked, almost pleading.

  Anderson didn’t reply. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a syringe and vial, methodically drew out some of the liquid and said, “Like this, it had to be done. What we do is more important than anything or anyone.”