Defiant: Quantic Dreams Book 2 by Elizabeth McLaughlin (reading list txt) 📗

“So it would seem.” Jason rubbed his hand down his face and stretched his chin. “Do we have any data on what happened?”

“No, sir.” Thomas tapped at his tablet a few times. “The tracking chip only shows us where she went. I wish we had thought to monitor her vital signs before we sent her out.”

“It never occurred to us that she would just… drop dead.” Jason pressed fingers to his temples. “If she was going to be killed by anything, we assumed it would be a predator and the camera could tell us what happened. Goddamnit.”

“Regardless of what happened, it is what it is.” I arranged my face into a mask of determination. “We’ll take what images we have and analyze them. If you feel it best, we will arrange a brief service for the mouse.” It was curious how easy it was for me to distance myself from the situation, survival instinct forcing a script not of my own making from my lips. “You’ll break the news gently, and quietly. We mustn’t cause too much of a disturbance. This doesn’t change the plan. We will move forward as intended.”

“What about-?” Nicole spoke, but I put up a hand to silence her.

“That’s all. I have duties to attend to. Please excuse me.” Though outwardly I was stonefaced, anxiety frayed at the edges of my mind. If the jubilation of Athena’s release was any sign, the news of her death would blow a hole in the morale of the people. On top of the covert campaign George had been running, I had the sinking feeling that I was about to get my ass handed to me. My mind raced through a way to ward off the coming storm, but it was rapidly becoming clear to me I was going to have to go through it.

As I walked through the halls, I felt the eyes of everyone I passed on me. Some of their gazes reflected puzzlement, others outright anger. Clearly the knowledge that Athena was dead was far more widespread than I assumed. First on my list was to stop by the infirmary. That was the wrong decision. A small group of onlookers milled around in front of the infirmary doors, their voices joining in an amalgamation of concern and anger. I ducked my head and tried to sneak by unnoticed, but no such luck.

“Jacob! What’s going on in there? Why won’t anyone let us in?” A voice from the crowd rose above all the others.

“Jacob! Why is Frank Garvey sitting by his wife’s bedside and why the hell is she on a ventilator?”

“Have you heard the mouse died? I saw it on someone’s tablet this morning.”

I shut my eyes, my hand on the doorknob. Answering them would only provoke their anger further. As tempting as it was to stick around and defend myself, no good would come of it. I turned the knob sharply and pushed the door open. The moment I stepped into the infirmary, Shannon ran up to me, a mask in hand.

“Stay back, Jacob.”

“Fuck, Shannon. What the hell happened overnight?” Allison was still on the ventilator, her breath rising and falling with mechanical precision. Frank was sitting by her side, his hand clasped around hers and her eyes fixed on her still form. He was clad in surgical personal protective equipment, looking for all the world more like a statue than a man fearing for his wife’s life. Allison looked like she was dead. Had it not been for the beeping of the machines, I would have believed it. Shannon motioned me away from the grieving man into the infirmary’s office.

“She’s got some kind of virus, Jacob. Something bad. She had another attack during the night. Thanks to the ventilator, we were able to sedate her right away and regulate her breathing, but her system is struggling. We’ve been waiting on you before telling anyone anything, but if the size of that crowd outside is any indication, I’d say that word has gotten out.”

“How bad is the virus?” If the virus was spread through close contact, who knew how many were already infected?

“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s bad. The doctors are trying to figure out what exactly it is, but what we do know is that it is at least spread by droplets. That means any body fluids that are thrown into the air will carry a viral load more than big enough to infect.”

“Like sweat. Or spit.” I felt the color draining out of my face. My eyes flicked back and forth as I tried to figure out how many people had come in contact with Allison over the last couple of days. How many people those people had come into contact with. If this was so severe it was possible we would lose the entire shelter before we even set foot outside.

“Precisely. At the request of the doctors, I’d like to do a quick exam on you.” She retrieved a thermometer and stethoscope from a drawer.

The thought hit me like a hammer blow. “Daisy.” Oh, god.

“What about her?”

“Her fever.”

Shannon paused, the diagnostic tools forgotten on the desk in front of her. “Yes. I know. So do the doctors.”

“You’ve got to tell them,” I breathed.

“No, right now I have to examine you. Look Jacob, I know that this is a lot for you but you have to understand where I’m coming from right now, okay? Right now it is my sworn duty to see that the leader of the shelter isn’t about to drop dead. I’ll figure out how to tell a mother her daughter is probably going to suffocate later.”

My heart ached for the young woman. She had clearly done so much to assume this kind of responsibility since she came back to the real world. Instead of rewarding her, circumstance had presented her with a nightmare far worse than the one before.

“I’m so sorry, Shannon.”

She shook her head. “Shut up, Jacob. Shirt off.” I jumped a little