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

from my office. I had been tossed around in a sea of hopelessness so often these days that the very notion of an advantage felt like a monumental victory. It also gave me a way to defend myself. If I continued conducting myself as the bigger man, Gabriel would eventually blow his stack. I had to doubt that even the people who thought they wanted to be plugged in again would be comfortable with the idea that he could take over their minds in the real world.

Fantastic.

I unlocked my personal tablet and sent a ping to Dr. Rickman, asking her to come see me as soon as she could. While I waited, I went in search of paper and ink. There was a limited supply of it in the shelter. Even in the time of The Founders, personal tablets and slates had been ubiquitous. It was beyond imagining that anyone would have to return to such an arcane form of communication. I had no doubt that I could scare up a thousand pieces of paper, but people might have to write their choice tiny. After only finding a couple hundred sheets, I gave up. I was too old school. We could print something faster than this.

I tapped a couple buttons on my tablet to call up a 3D modeling program. In it, I designed four long sticks with flat bases that would let them stand on a surface. After that, it was as easy as making two simple shapes. A triangle for Gabriel, and a circle for me. After I sent the job to the printer, I typed out a quick note warning anyone who came near the project not to touch it. Voting problem solved, I heard a knock on my door. Through it came a very bedraggled looking Phoebe Rickman.

Without saying a word, I pressed a button to dispense two cups of tea from a machine on a wall and passed her one. She took it gratefully and shut her eyes as she sipped what was probably her first hot drink in days. I let her sit there and waited. The woman deserved a moment of peace, even if I hadn’t gotten one myself. When she set the cup down, I got a full view into how much this was affecting her. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and her hair was disheveled. I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. She exhaled sharply and rested her forehead in her other hand.

“Phoebe.” I was worried that even the simple touch of another person would break whatever facade she was keeping together.

“I know, I know. I’m a mess.” She cracked a weak smile. “It’s been pretty hellish, Jacob.”

“I can only imagine. Is there anything else I can get you? Something stronger to drink?” I knew a couple of the guys were hard at work on a new still, but I had kept my stash of shelter wine.

“Thank you, but no. After I speak to you, I’m going to bed for as long as possible.”

“Let’s get moving, then.”

“Allison is stable, for now. Her body has taken quite the beating from whatever this is so we’re keeping a close eye on her heart rate and respiration. Sophia’s daughter Daisy has developed a slight cough, but at this juncture I’m loath to label that as anything other than a childhood ailment. Sophia is, understandably, worried out of her mind. I’d like to keep her calm until it’s otherwise called for.”

Hearing this news made me join Sophia in her apprehension. It may seem cruel or cold, but Allison was an older woman and already at higher risk of serious illness. That a child could catch this was nothing short of terrifying. There were something like fewer than a hundred young children in the shelter. The population was nowhere near ready to support pre-natal care and birth yet. Keeping those children safe was paramount to supporting a colony on the surface.

“I understand. Can you tell me anything about what we’re dealing with?”

Phoebe sighed. “I’m working on centuries old diagnostics at the moment, if I’m being honest. Our lab equipment is up and running for the most part, but neither myself nor anyone else completely understands what we’re seeing under the microscope. For now, I’d treat it like a droplet spread virus-and we do know it is a virus. Obviously close personal contact will spread something like this as well.”

Shit.

“What have we got for PPE?”

“I’ve got a few hundred masks, gowns, et cetera. I can get the lab’s printer working on a few hundred more right away, but it’s going to be a little while. PPE isn’t our major problem, Jacob. Quarantine is. The infirmary is big, but it’s not big enough to hold more than… maybe two dozen patients. Obviously we don’t know the infection rate yet, but even if it’s one percent of the shelter…” She looked over her glasses at me.

“We’re left with seventy-five people too many. Got it. What else?”

“I need help. There are only three of us formally trained as physicians. Shannon is an exceptionally bright young woman, but she’s already burning out. She’s been taking on the lion’s share of the burden with the everyday care of patients. I need someone who can tap her out.”

“All right.” I ran through possibilities in my mind. There wasn’t an abundance of people who fit the bill, but I came up with a couple possibilities. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Phoebe took her glasses off and started cleaning them on her t-shirt. “Can you explain to me why you’re letting that asshole George push you around?”

I barked out a laugh. “That is a long and complicated story. I’ve got a handle on it, Phoebe. I promise. We’ll look after the sick and don’t even worry about George.” I would tell her the truth about what was really going on someday, but there was no use in worrying the doctor any further.

“Okay, if you say so.” She stood