The Catalyst: (Book One) Read online

No one in the room thought it was truly a request.

  Addar nodded. He watched the messenger leave and waited until his second had shut the door to grind his teeth. Ilan.

  “The assassin has been to see the commander,” Vanor said simply.

  He sent her a dark glare. “I see that.”

  “He will request your skills on the battlefield.”

  Addar took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know.”

  “I will be at your back, brother.” He turned to look at her and she raised her chin. “No matter which war you fight.”

  He stared at her. “Vanor—”

  She turned and left the room, the rest of his sentence left unsaid.

  Addar frowned at the door for a moment, before gathering himself. He ignored the small flicker of joy in his chest at his second’s pledge of loyalty. There would be time enough for them to speak later. Addar squared his shoulders and strode from his personal chamber.

  When he arrived at the commander’s rooms, the doors were already open. Beyond the doorway, he could see a sea of armed soldiers. He stepped inside and let the doors close behind him.

  “Greetings, Scout,” the commander said. He stood from his chair at the head of the table and came around to stand across the room from Addar.

  “Commander,” Addar acknowledged.

  Movement off to the left had him turning his head. Ilan stood amongst the crowd, his eyes glittering.

  “Have you killed the human?”

  Addar turned back to the commander. “Not yet.”

  “I expected better of you, Scout.”

  Addar stayed silent.

  “Do you have nothing to say? No excuse for your failure?”

  “I have not failed. I was not aware there was a time limit.”

  His reply drew hisses from several of the surrounding soldiers. They suspected something. Again, his eyes found Ilan. The assassin smiled widely, flashing his sharp teeth.

  “Impudence,” the commander murmured.

  “What is your will, commander?”

  “My will?” The commander crept closer, his eyes fastened on Addar like the predator he was. “My will is to have your loyalty.”

  “You have it.”

  “Do I?” His gaze strayed and Addar had to struggle not to follow it to Ilan. “Are you certain?”

  “Of course.”

  “Of course,” the commander echoed. He came to a stop directly in front of him. His clawed hand rose to seize Addar’s throat. “And if I do not believe you?”

  Addar forced himself to stay relaxed, coaxing his power back to sleep. “I will give you proof.”

  “What kind of proof?” the commander questioned, showing his teeth.

  “Anything you ask.”

  The commander released him with a small shove. “I ask that you kill that human.” He turned away. “But…”

  Addar tensed.

  “As that seems to be too difficult for you, I will send another for that task.” His gaze fastened on Ilan. “An assassin.”

  Hatred bubbled up inside Addar’s chest, but he kept his face expressionless. “And what would you ask of me?”

  “You, Scout, will join in the next battle.”

  Addar inhaled sharply and, from the curve of the commander’s lips, he knew his reaction had been noticed.

  “You have always refused my involvement in battle. My power removes any challenge.”

  The commander smiled. “It is true, your power is vast, but I find the thought of a universe without humans to be…pleasing.”

  His words seemed to shake some of the soldiers, as whispers broke out amongst the crowd.

  “A planet without a servile population will be less valuable.”

  “Are you questioning me?” the commander asked.

  Addar felt his power pulse, struggling to break free. He held it back. “No.”

  “I thought not. You are dismissed.”

  Addar turned and walked away. When he was at the door, the commander spoke.

  “Ilan. You will go and do what Scout has failed to do.”

  He was going to kill them. Both of them. The thought was the only thing that allowed Addar to leave the room without slaughtering everyone inside.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Robin jerked awake as the train stopped. She slowly sat up to peer over the seat in front of her.

  “What happened?” the sergeant demanded. “Why aren’t we moving?”

  A radio crackled to life and a voice answered, too soft for Robin to make out the words.

  “What the hell do you mean the bridge is out?”

  The person on the other end spoke again, but the sergeant was already out of his seat and speaking to the soldiers in the car.

  “Alright. I want a team to check the bridge and another to find me a way around. Johnson!”

  One of the soldiers snapped to attention. “Sir!”

  “Get the men ready to move on foot.”

  Orders received, the soldiers moved out, leaving Robin alone in the train car with the sergeant. He stood at the front of the car, looking out the window.

  Robin followed his gaze to a narrow canyon that stretched out ahead of them on either side of the train. She started to stand, when the sergeant eyes snapped to her.

  “Did you know about this?”

  Robin paused. “How could I possibly know about—?”

  “You think we don’t know all about you, Dr. Kay? You lived with one of those things for weeks.”

  “I don’t know what you are implying, but—”

  “Cut the shit!” He turned to face her, his face in shadows. “You and I both know you’re a traitor.”

  Robin tensed, as he took a menacing step toward her.

  “And the only reason I didn’t kill you on sight is because the ones giving the orders think you have value.” He moved closer, his voice dropping. “I don’t.”

  Robin could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She watched the sergeant approach with wide eyes. Something caught the light. The sergeant’s hand flashed toward her and she gasped at the feel of cold metal against her throat. He leaned in until she could smell the tobacco on his breath.

  “You make one wrong move-” he pressed the knife against her skin hard enough to cause a twinge of pain.

  Their eyes locked. Only when Robin broke eye contact, did he pull back from her. His upper lip curled in disgust.

  “I’ll kill you and say you tried to run.”

  Robin grit her teeth, her whole body shaking. She did not dare move until the sergeant turned away from her and walked to the front of the train car. After sending her another look, he stepped off the train and the door slammed closed behind him. Robin let her breath out raggedly. She sank down to the floor.

  Her fingertips found the mark on her neck and when she pulled her hand away, it was smeared with blood. She balled her hand into a fist and raised her head to look out the window. Addar was wrong. She was not safer with her own people. Robin grabbed the edge of the seat beside her and pulled herself to her feet.

  For a moment, her legs did not want to hold her. She squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep breath. She would not let this be the thing that broke her. She was stronger than that. Robin checked the cut again to see that it had stopped bleeding. Just a shallow cut. She raised her chin and moved toward the front of the train.

  The soldiers hurried from car to car unloading supplies. Several bright lights lit the train and the area surrounding it. Robin scanned the controlled chaos to see the sergeant standing with the group of soldiers from the first train car. She ducked into the crowd and hurried along the side of the train to find Shannon and George. Breathing hard, her breath fogged up the cold night air.

  She finally reached the correct car and squinted up at the train windows. The car appeared to be empty. Robin turned to search the crowd with her eyes.

  “Robin?”

  She jumped at the sound of her name. Robin turned to look over her shoulder to see Shann
on standing in the doorway of the train car. The woman gave her a curious look. Robin could see the moment Shannon noticed the blood on her throat. Her brows knit together into a frown.

  “What happened?” Shannon descended the steps to stand in front of her. “Did you cut yourself on something?”

  Robin winced as her fingertips grazed the scratch. “Yes.”

  Shannon snatched her hand back at Robin’s show of pain. “Really?”

  Robin did not answer.

  “What’s going on, Robin?” she whispered.

  George chose that moment to open the train car door. He took one look at them standing close together and hurried down the stairs.

  “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know. Robin was just telling me.” Shannon gave her an expectant look.

  Robin looked back and forth between the two of them. They wore matching expressions of concern. For a moment, she was going to tell them. Everything. The government’s plans, the sergeant’s actions toward her, her involvement in the whole thing. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again.

  It was not fair of her to bring them into the situation. They were good people. She forced a smile and shook her head.

  “I nicked it on something. It’s nothing.”

  Shannon still looked unsure, but she nodded. “If you’re sure.”

  Robin nodded. “Perfectly fine. Don’t worry about anything.”

  She waited until the couple was led away by a soldier, before she turned back toward the front of the train. The sergeant was standing half a car away from her, watching her. He gave her a cold smile and gestured for her to come with him. Robin only allowed herself a moment of hesitation.

  “What did you tell them?” the sergeant demanded when she was walking ahead of him.

  “Nothing.”

  “I hope so. For their sake.”

  Robin tensed at the clear threat, but continued to walk. They joined up with the soldiers from the first car and followed the rest of the group along the canyon to the north. Robin lost track of how long they walked through the dark with only flashlights to light the way. It was long enough that her feet went numb from the cold and the sun lit the eastern sky. Finally, they came to the edge of what had been a town.

  “The map says there’s a bridge on the other side,” one of the soldiers muttered to the sergeant.

  He nodded. “Let’s go.”

  Robin staggered along behind him, trying to avoid looking at the burnt out husk of a town. Every building they passed was a collection of blackened wood and remains. A loud crack sounding from the front of the group and the sergeant cursed under his breath.

  “For the love of God, step over the bodies!”

  Robin’s gaze lowered to look at the ground beneath her feet and she stumbled. What she thought were scraps of wood were brittle human bones. Robin jerked her eyes back up. They were only bones, something she dealt with every day for years. Yet, it was not the same. They were not fossils, not thousands of years old. Days ago, they had been people.

  “Problem, doctor?”

  Robin sent the sergeant a quick glance.

  He sneered at her discomfort. “Take a good look,” he said, just loud enough for her to hear. “This is all your doing.”

  …

  Robin looked up at the school, as she was led down the sidewalk by armed guards. A sign out front declared it the West Bend High School. She had caught a glimpse of the city map when the sergeant had unrolled it on a table in the operations tent. The two story, red brick building and grounds took up two blocks in the small town.

  “Lab’s in the gym, Dr. Kay,” one of the soldiers muttered.

  Robin nodded in acknowledgement.

  None of the other soldiers were as actively hostile as the sergeant and the six he kept close to him. While the rest were detached, they were not rude. One of the young women guarding her gestured toward the side of the building.

  Crossing the gravel parking lot, they entered through the large gym doors. Inside, it was set up like a clean room. The familiarity eased a knot of tension she had not realized was there. Robin let out a soft sigh.

  “We will be out here.”

  Robin was not sure if it was a threat or simple statement, so she just nodded to the young woman and walked into the decontamination area. The doors slid closed behind her and she went through the motions of stepping into a suit and passing through another decontamination area. Finally, she stepped into the main area of the lab.

  Dozens of scientists roamed the large gymnasium. The space was enclosed inside white plastic sterile sheeting, but the main area was broken up into curtained sections. Robin took a moment to look around, before she moved toward the closest lab space. She started to move aside a plastic sheet when the panel was ripped back.

  “I don’t know how I am expected to work in these conditions! We only have two microscopes and those are substandard at be—” The rant cut off when the man caught sight of her.

  “Robin?”

  Robin blinked at Ken, not believing what she was seeing. “How…?”

  “Renon shipped me here as soon as the evacuation order came through,” Ken explained, still looking her over. “I heard…” he trailed off. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter what I heard.”

  “It’s good to see you, Ken,” Robin said.

  He reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “You, too. Did they tell you about your parents?”

  Robin froze. “What about them?”

  “Relax, Robin. They’re here. At the settlement a couple blocks away.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “They are?” Robin whispered.

  Ken nodded. “They came with me. The ethics board evacuated all of the members.” He paused. “Even your parents.”

  Robin winced at the look he gave her. “It was the second one.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The second organism, the one we made at Renon. That’s the one that caused this.”

  Ken looked away. “Be that as it may, the blame has already been assigned.” He straightened up and stepped around her. “Now, you just need to help us fix this.”

  He knew she was not wholly guilty, yet he willingly let her carry all of the blame. Robin narrowed her eyes at his back. She was still glaring when he turned to look at her.

  “Don’t be like that, Robin. You got sloppy. It’s done. Let it go.”

  After she helped them they would toss her aside. Kill her. She could see the certainty in Ken’s face. And he would not do anything to stop it.

  “What happened to you?”

  Ken let out a hollow sounding laugh. “I just learned how to play the game. That’s your problem, Robin. You were always too much about the science and not enough about the politics.”

  She watched him walk away with a frown.

  “Hey!”

  Robin turned around to see a slim Asian man scowling at her. “Yes?”

  “Dr. Kay?”

  She nodded.

  “Good, come with me.” He walked into the curtained off section Ken had left.

  Robin followed him and let the sheeting fall closed behind her. Inside the makeshift lab, two large tables were set up with room to move around each one. Half a dozen scientists filled the room and all of them looked up when she entered. Robin tried not to let her nerves show. She could see the same mix of judgment and annoyance on each face.

  “I’m not sure what there is for you to do here, Dr. Kay,” one of the women said. The sneer was obvious in her tone, even though she looked away before she spoke.

  Robin did not comment.

  “Right. Well, your assistant has already given us most of the clarification we need. They did tell you the situation, correct?” At Robin’s blank stare, the Asian man continued. “You are here on a consultation basis only. You are not to touch any of the equipment.”

  Robin barely held back a flinch. All those years of education and she had been relegated to something less tha
n a lab assistant. She tried not to show how much it hurt.

  “I understand,” she said, once she was sure her voice would not waver.

  Suddenly, one of his comments struck her. “My lab assistant?”

  He paused in the act of turning away and gave her a small frown. “Amber Wyatt.”

  Amber was there, she had made it. Mention of the bubbly young woman made her sweep the room with her gaze.

  “She is not here.”

  “Where—?”

  “She fell ill yesterday,” he cut her off. “She is in the infirmary.”

  Robin fought the urge to scowl at his rudeness. “I see.”

  He turned away without comment, leaving her standing in the middle of the room. She watched the scientists go back to work. The knowledge that they were pawing through her notes and data chaffed, but there was little she could do about it. She was only a spectator.

  The sheeting moved behind her and Ken reappeared. He glanced around and gestured for her to follow him. None of the other scientists bothered to look up when she left. Robin followed Ken into the decontamination area and shed her suit as he removed his. When they were in the second area, he turned to face her.

  The glare of light off of his suit helmet had hidden the dark circles under his eyes. Without it on, she could tell he had not had a decent night’s sleep in days, if not longer. He stopped her from walking from the building by grabbing her elbow.

  “I know you’re mad at me.”

  Robin raised an eyebrow at him.

  “I know. I understand, but you have to see it from my point of view.”

  “No, Ken,” she said, tugging her arm free of his grip. “I don’t.”

  “Just listen to me for a minute,” he said when she started to walk away again.

  Robin clenched her jaw and spun to face him. “Talk.”

  “The virus they made is unstable.”

  “Virus? I was lead to believe it was still in production.” And she had a chance of stopping it.

  Ken shook his head. He glanced around, before he leaned in closer. “It’s finished, but one person has already gotten sick.”

  “What data did they use?”

  “Yours. From Renon labs.”

  Robin frowned. “But the growth rate of the second organism was greatly increased. The metabolic data is not accurate.”