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

and sleep. It was made clear to them that disobeying this rule would not be tolerated. A few protested, but I reminded them that they had a choice. Keep themselves healthy so they could save lives, or risk falling prey to the virus and not being able to help anyone. That certainly made any would be heroes think twice. I admired their spirit but it was imperative to take care of their own physical and mental health as well. Reflecting on how few hours I was sleeping a night these days, I could relate. I vowed to follow the same schedule, telling myself it was for the sake of convenience, but it was really for my sanity.

Gabriel had retreated from his campaign of harassment for the time being. His loss in the election had no doubt frustrated him into putting together some ridiculous scheme. All the better for me, I had enough to fill my time without looking over my shoulder. Work was being done on how to best isolate individuals and families from exposure. My rudimentary filter idea had caught on and high thread-count cloth was at a premium. Some suggested putting the printers to work making filters but I passed on the idea. Installing proper filters in the air circulation system would take too long and on consulting the doctors, wouldn’t properly protect most people. In addition to protection, research into how to treat the virus accelerated at a rapid pace. It was established that the virus was indeed airborne, but that surface transmission appeared to be very low. Thus, thousands of years old measures were implemented. Masks and hygiene were the best defenses we had to offer.

There was a limited supply of UV-C robots so they were dedicated to the high contact points in the shelter. Restrooms, the mess hall, and the area around the entrance to the infirmary were subjected to regular baths with the powerful lights. To my inexperienced mind it didn’t make much sense as to how shining a light on something could make it any safer but the logic was sound. If the sun outside could cause a sunburn, it made sense that UV light could kill viruses.

By and large everyone seemed to be happy to follow instructions, but as time passed I became more aware a degree of unrest. It was getting difficult to ignore the murmurs and glares I was getting anytime I passed Gabriel’s remaining fan club. After the results of the election I expected the opposition to settle down. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was wishful thinking. Every day I heard whispered epithets. Rumors were started about a secret hoard of food and supplies I was supposedly keeping for myself and my family. Questions about my real motivations in freeing everyone from the virtual world turned into accusations. On the rare occasions that I encountered Gabriel in person, he never spoke but only grinned and tapped his left wrist with his index finger.

Tempis Fugit. Time is fleeting. Didn’t I know it.

The day came when I could take sitting in my room no longer. It wasn’t possible for me to get a run in like I used to, but I could at the very least go for a walk. I donned the thick mask that had been allotted to me and picked a random direction. With each step I concentrated on my breathing, filling my lungs as much as I could. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Soon I entered a meditative state. The cadence of my steps played in synch with the beating of my heart. My breath added its own tune. I was a one man symphony of concentration.

“Wish we could go back.” I heard a voice float down the hall. I stopped dead in my tracks and flattened my profile against the wall. The voices sounded like they were coming from the front door of someone’s quarters. Great. More people breaking quarantine. Just what we needed.

“This is some real horseshit.” The speakers sounded vaguely familiar to me but I couldn't quite place them. Someone I had encountered before but not frequently enough to leave an impression. “I’m still not convinced that idiot Alvaro had any right ending the simulation. It's not like Gabriel couldn't have just killed us without letting him know. Something doesn’t add up.”

“I don't know about you but I'd rather be dead in there than waiting to choke to death on my own spit out here. Did you see the body they brought out the other day? Thing looked like someone had picked it up and wrung out every drop of blood.”

“Yeah, I saw it. I never really thought about it too much, but if I’ve gotta go, sign me up for any way but that. Look, that guy George says that if he won the election, he would have put us back.”

“Damn shame he didn't win. Hell, it’s a shame he didn’t beat Alvaro to a pulp and just take the spot.”

“Never too late, my friend, never too late.”

I rolled my eyes. First they had broken the only minutes of peace I had garnered for myself since this ordeal began and now this crap? Anyone who thought that Gabriel could crush me like a flower had another thing coming. Perhaps that was the plan. Wait until I could be found alone in a dark corner and take out his rage with his fists. How unoriginal. Still, I had to be on my guard. Gabriel’s grasp on reality was tenuous at best when he was confined to virtual reality. No doubt the experience of being human hadn’t made that grip any firmer. We had to leave this place before he lost it completely.

Eliza tracked me down later in my walkabout. She wasn’t happy.

“We have a problem.”

I sighed. “Of course we do. What is it now.”

“Food production. With the increased demand for medical staff and the lack of regular food distribution, we’re having trouble keeping up production. The healthy need to eat