The warden felt a bone crack in his chest. He clenched his hands into fists and wheezed, “You stupid bitch.”
Suddenly the world was spinning. Something dug into his skin under his clavicle, and his feet dangled inches above the ground. The woman was holding him by the shoulder; he could feel her iron fingers piercing his skin.
She brought her face close to his and stared at him with black eyes. “I can get the answers from someone else. You’re only alive because you’re convenient, so I suggest you start talking.”
He glanced down at the blood oozing from his chest. “It is…hard…to speak. Like this.”
She lowered his feet to the ground and loosened her grip, but she didn’t completely let go. “Talk, or I’ll crush your skull with my bare hands.”
His lips quivered. He was trying to put on a smile, but the pain was making it difficult. “I admire you, Agent Janson, for your tenacity at the Palace. It was a thrill to watch you overcome our defenses.” In truth, the memory was fuzzy, barely imprinted on the fabric of his mind. But he could tell he had struck a nerve.
She clenched her jaw and growled, “Who the hell are you?”
This was the moment he’d been waiting for. “I am no one, though I used to be someone, and I am becoming someone greater than I once was.”
She made a fist and held it next to his face. “Any more riddles, and I’ll feed you your teeth. Just tell me your name.”
He stuck out his chest as much as his cracked rib would allow. “I…am Borya Tabanov.”
He expected her to be shocked or perhaps afraid. He expected her to stagger or cover her mouth in horror. He did not expect her to laugh.
“Stop it!” he interjected. “I speak the truth.”
She ran a hand through the short, bristly hair on her scalp. “You’re wasting my time. You’ve told me enough to make me believe you’re a member of Katharos, which will make it easier to gut you and leave you to die.”
“I am not a member of Katharos. I am Katharos. And you are nothing but an outdated weapon—a pathetic, useless relic of the old world.”
“Watch your tone, asshole. I can make you hurt much, much worse.” She released him and folded her arms across her chest. “What are you trying to accomplish? Why are you making a militia out of jerks like Ned?”
“Because—” the Warden stopped to cough for several seconds, then he cleared his throat and went on. “Mankind is driven by selfishness.” He tapped his right temple with his index finger. “It is why men like me were chosen to carry the Great Intellect. And it is why men like Ned are put in charge of…lesser responsibilities.”
The woman was still staring into his eyes, and suddenly her brow furrowed. She gripped his face with both hands, spreading the skin around his eyes. She moved her face to within an inch of his, and her eyes somehow grew even darker. “What is this stuff?” she asked.
He grinned wide enough to wrinkle his nose. “They are my teachers. Carriers of my future self.”
She recoiled slightly and let go of his face. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I think you know. You have them, too. The teachers within your own brain are the only reason you have not become one of us.”
She swallowed, and her eyes widened. “Nanobots.”
“Indeed. The nanomachines within your brain have become your curse. They prevent you from ever receiving the greatest gift a mere human could dream of. Because of this, you are no more useful to us then the meat you carry on your limbs.” He pulled back his shoulders and raised his chin. “Go back over the mountains and fade away, Agent Janson. You are no longer needed in this world.”
She paced back and forth—a cornered leopard with nowhere to run. Her hands clenched and unclenched, and she shook her head as she muttered to herself. Finally, she came to a stop and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “Then what do you want with Hillcrest?”
“What?” the response came out before he could stop it.
She took two steps toward him. “If you don’t need weapons like me, then why are there riots in Baltimore?” She moved even closer, and he took a step back. “You’re afraid of what they can do…what they can create.”
“Of course not. We cannot feel fear. It is nothing but a—”
He stopped short; she was looking at someone over his shoulder. She gave a single nod, then said, “He’s all yours, Jarrod.”
Crippling horror flooded through the Warden. He spun around and raised his hands to protect his face, backing against the woman who had taken him captive.
But there was no one there. He and Janson were alone in the woods. Slowly, he turned to face her.
She was smiling. “I know what you’re afraid of, you little coward. And you know what? I’m going to go to Hillcrest and help them make an army of monsters just like him.”
She placed her palms against the side of his head. As the pressure built, he dug his fingernails into her hands and begged her to stop. But within seconds, he found he could no longer speak. His world had become nothing but overwhelming pain. Then there was a crack, and he felt nothing at all.
15
Hillcrest Trauma and Rehabilitation Center
Baltimore, Maryland
The atmosphere inside the observatory felt like a hostage exchange. Eugene stood beside the one-way glass, hugging Susana with his left arm and resting his right hand on the heel of his pistol. San sat in a padded chair, staring through the glass and thumbing through prayer beads, and at the edge of the room, Felicity North chewed her fingernails.
Inside the operatory, Wagner moved slowly and precisely as he examined Hank Austin’s unconscious form.
“How long until we know if he’ll be okay?” Felicity asked without shifting her gaze from Hank.
San stood, tucked his prayer beads into his pocket, and moved to her side. “He’ll be okay. We’ll make sure of it.”
She didn’t seem to hear him. After a long moment, she said, “We always talk about how much we have in common.” Her voice turned bitter. “And now, we’ve both been infected by Katharos.”
“Yes. But we’re going to find a cure for both of you.” San glanced at Susana. “For all of you.”
A knot of worry soured Eugene’s stomach. He rubbed Susana’s arms and said, “the baby will be fine,” trying to echo San reassurance. She and Felicity had been infected with a biological agent designed by Katharos to cause sterility. The agent had worked as planned, ravaging their reproductive systems, and Susana, who was already pregnant when she became infected, had been in constant fear of losing her unborn child.
Eugene shared that fear, and it gave him the strength he needed to keep fighting the Afflicted outside the walls. San and a few other scientists were close to developing a cure, and if Hillcrest fell, so would any hope of healing Susana.
“Let’s not make this about me,” Susana whispered. Straightening up, she crossed the room and took Felicity’s hand. “Are you two…”
Felicity gave a slight shrug. “We’re friends. Good friends. There’s no time for anything else around here, right?” She forced a smile, and it quickly faded. Speaking softly, she added, “He’s nice to me. He really seems to care.”