Chapter Thirty-Three: Caryn
“Anderson, don’t,” I say. I push myself up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. All my nerves are on fire and it takes concentration to keep from crying out.
“I’m sorry Caryn. It was always going to be this way. We all have to be committed and this is the one task all high officials are sworn to do.”
“That’s stupid,” Kai says. He stands with half of his body in front of me. Then he jerks to the right and rolls a metal cart into Anderson’s path.
“Sacrifices like this have to be made to protect the people from themselves.” In a slow movement Anderson moves the cart out of the way and takes another step closer.
“And who protects them from you?” I demand. “You won’t give them the cure unless they agree to be experimented on.”
“But we are making them better. People live longer now than ever before and with this new line of DNA modifications they can become anything.” He steps closer.
Kai slides onto my bed and pulls me across to the other side. I stand, mostly with Kai’s help, and together we inch backwards. Then I bump into the wall. It sets my skin on ice and I grit my teeth.
“I knew your trip into the city would lead to complications.” Anderson stares at me. His eyes are tired, yet they hold that same guarded look. The one where I could always tell when he was keeping something hidden, only now do I discover it was his way of keeping a distance between us. Anderson sighs. “If you hadn’t gone you would not have doubts now. Foreman is soft when it comes to you. Ultimately he remains dedicated, but you have always been his little girl. Why else do you think he would have pushed for such a harsh punishment of Second Official Whit. And you,” Anderson turns to Kai. “I believed you had died with Allia, but she was a clever one. She knew I would have found you and put you back into the candidate program. You have her mouth, but you have my eyes. That’s the problem with keeping the Official gene pool to create candidates. That is how you could access those files on the Computer we let Dr. Kendal use. Only Officials are intended to know the truth and we have passed it down from generation to generation.”
“You might have given me genetic material, but you are not my dad.” Kai shakes his head. “A real parent would have done what Allia did.”
“You argue like she did too.” Anderson takes another step closer.
“Stay back,” Kai growls. The bed is a wall between us, but it also blocks the closest path to the door.
“There is much going on that you do not understand. But Caryn, with all your lessons surely you can grasp the benefits of a single person dying over the annihilation of an entire planet’s population? It is better for you to die than for our whole way of life to parish. Come here, let me finish this peacefully.”
His words are forceful and I want to go to him. Years of working with him, obeying his instructions, cloud my mind. Yet the one thing that stands out is the people. All the people have the cure. They are saved. It’s the Compound that is dying now, but I will not save it. Not if I have a choice.
“No,” I say.
All three of us stand still watching, second guessing what the other might do. There is complete silence for a moment then Kai yells, “Run!” In the same movement, he pushes me along the wall and darts with me. Then he cries out and I turn to see his left leg bent in an awkward L away from his body. I am almost at the door, but I freeze. Anderson calmly approaches Kai. He grabs a handful of Kai’s hair, tilts his head back and points the needle at the exposed skin near his eye.
“Get up. Your knee is dislocated, but humans have two legs so you can still stand.”
Kai grits his teeth and rises on his right leg, his eyes wary of the needle inches away. Without moving his lips, he says, “Go Caryn.”
“Let him go,” I say. I brace my weak body against the door frame. I’m not sure I could take three steps unaided. Just standing makes my knees shake and threaten to buckle.
“Someone has to die, if not you,” Anderson says and he scraps the needle lightly from the middle of Kai’s cheek down to his neck. “Then him.”
“No,” I cry and I try to step closer, but I am too late. Anderson jams the needle into Kai’s neck and pushes the plunger down. Kai twists away and Anderson lets him escape. The syringe wobbles, still embedded in Kai neck. With shaking fingers, Kai pulls it out and tosses it into the corner.
Somehow I find the strength to rush to his side.
“What did you give him?” I yell.
But Anderson doesn’t answer. Tears gather in my eyes and when I glance back at Anderson I see him in a strange crippled light. He is breathing heavily and stares at Kai, his hand frozen in the air as if it can’t move.
“How could you do that to--to your son?” Although I ask it aloud I don’t believe he will answer me. I am struck by how quiet he appears, but then his eyes grow softer, like a rock changing from granite to marble.
“I knew when I applied to become an official that I would face difficult decisions. When I saw the footage of Allia dying and thought he was with her I was a bit relieved. I would never have to prove my loyalty. It would have been better if he had stayed away, but I will do my job and I will keep the Compound safe.” Anderson stands straight, completely confident that he is doing the right thing.
My whole body begins to shake and as one Kai and I sink to the floor. Kai grunts and would have continued sliding, but I wrap my arms around him and hold him close. He looks up at me and opens his mouth.
“I--I’m sorry,” he says, “about what I said earlier.”
Then his face flushes, he rolls away and vomits. Even when his stomach has emptied he continues to heave until he lays still, his breath shallow, his skin white. I stroke his hair away from his face. Water blocks my vision, although the blur of Anderson stays in the same position. Kai lets out a slow sigh and is quiet. I can’t feel his chest rise or fall and I can’t see him. I wipe tears away, but new ones rise almost immediately.
“What happened here?” I hear Dr. Vos ask from the doorway.
“It appears that this boy was stung after all. Caryn is delirious from the affects of the poison. We should strap her in bed to keep her from harming herself.” Anderson says. His tone is completely rational. “I would also like to spend a moment with her alone after you are done securing her.”
“Of course,” Dr. Vos says.
Two hands grab my arms and though I try to resist, try to hold tighter to Kai, they pick me up and pull me back to the bed.
“Stop, he’s going to kill me too,” I say, but my voice sounds as strong as my legs feel. I’m not even sure if they hear me.
I am laid back down on the bed. My wrists and ankles are secured to raised, metal bars intended to keep me safe. My eyes dry up and I feel nothing.
“You can leave the body,” Anderson says referring to Kai. The men Dr. Vos brought with him nod and leave, but Dr. Vos hovers over me. He shines a light in my eyes and checks my pulse.
“Do I look like I’m dying to you?” I ask quietly. I keep my voice calm and rational and hold his gaze until he looks away.
“Looks can be deceiving,” is all he says. Then he leaves too and I am alone with Anderson.
Anderson walks around the pool of vomit over to where the syringe fell and picks it up. Just like last time he draws liquid out of the vial and stands over me. I strain against my bonds, but to no avail. They hold me tight and I only succeed in scratching and irritating the hives where the anemones stung me.
“I am sorry it had to be like this,” he says.
I shake my head. “No you’re not. Not really.”
He taps the skin of my arm waiting for a vein to show itself. Every sensation is electrified as if my body knows the danger coming.
I look away, down to where Kai is, but he is not there. I let out a small gasp and try to look around Anderson to see where they might have moved him. Anderson must have heard me because he pauses too, the needle inches from my skin.
And that is when
Kai tackles him from the side. They both fall out of view, but I hear the sound of fists hitting flesh. Anderson grunts. Then I see the syringe skitter across the floor and shoot up the wall toward the door. More grunts and Kai screams. He rolls into view clutching his injured knee. This time Anderson is on top holding him down.
“When will you learn there is a time to give up?” Anderson asks through gritted teeth.
Kai throws two more weak punches at Anderson’s ribs and then lets out half of a cry as Anderson places all his weight on Kai’s legs. He glares at Anderson and spits.
“I don’t quit until I’m dead.” Kai says, and then looks out the room as the main door to the building slams open.
“That will be remedied shortly.” Anderson leans all of his weight onto Kai’s chest.
High heels clip down the hall followed by faster feet trying to catch up. The mayor appears in the doorway, not a strand of her white hair out of place. For a moment I think I see the T-Man lurking behind her, but then his face is gone and I think I must have imagined it.
“I don’t think so,” Kai says and he pushes a distracted Anderson off.
“Place that man under arrest,” the mayor says, her gnarled finger pointing at Anderson.