Persevere

Chapter 8

"You all must have a plan already, so I'll let you get to it and once we have the man then you can bring me up to speed." I said.

"Hobbs and I are going to get him, Hattie, bring her up to date." Deckard told his sister as he walked away with my husband.

"My brother likes you." she said.

"Yeah well, he's starting to get on my good side . . . starting to." I muttered as I watched the guys.

"How exactly did you meet?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business. Are you gonna tell me what's happening?"

"We have a spot, somewhere we can go to talk to Andreiko." she said.

"Have they been difficult?" I smiled again.

"Are they always this difficult? I mean, do they always act like children?" she sighed.

"Absolutely. They were trying to kill each other just a few years ago and then we were working together. It never quite sat right with either of them but Deckard did us a big favor, so that garnered pardons from us."

"What favor?" she asked.

"That's personal, if he wants to tell you he can but I won't. I know you less than I . . . there we go." I whispered when I saw Andreiko.

"Is that him?" she asked as she got closer to me.

"You stay the hell away from me." I stated, stepping away from her.

"I'm not contagious."

"Yeah well, I'm not so sure about that. I've got two girls at home and . . . we're trying for a third. I'd rather not risk it."

"Penny!" my husband said.

"Let's go."

We looked all around us before walking over to the guys where the small man was looking around in abject fear.

"Let's go somewhere safe." Deckard said.

Very careful to save our anonymity as much as possible we made our way to their foxhole. I can't say that I have an idea where I am, or that I ever thought about coming back to London after everything that we went through, but here I am.

"Okay, tell us everything you know about this." Deckard said and his sister held out her hand with the three-needle marks.

"My God, when . . . when were you exposed?" Andreiko asked.

"About 30 hours ago." Hattie said.

"Then the capsules containing the virus are still intact." the small man said.

"So we need to neutralize it." My husband and I chorused.

"No, it's not that easy." Andreiko argued.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's not programmed to any DNA sequence, it's fatal to everyone. In 42 hours, the capsules will dissolve and she'll be infected. Then the virus will go airborne. We are talking global contamination within a week." he warned us.

"Oh, Jesus." I complained.

"Bloody hell." Deckard growled.

"Why in the hell would you create something like that?" Luke asked him.

"Because I thought I was one of them." he replied.

"Eteon." Deckard and I muttered.

"They told me they wanted to save the world through science, I believed in their cause. I developed the Snowflake to be a carrier for vaccines, a panacea for the whole world but they redeveloped it into a programmable apocalypse to attack the weakest of humans. Those not worthy of Eteon's vision of the future." Andreiko told us.

"For a scientist, you seem incredibly stupid." Deckard told him.

"Well, I'm a two-time Nobel Prize winner but who's counting?" Andreiko muttered.

"I know I'm not." I replied, making Deckard and Luke chuckle. "Right, moving on, you said the virus is programmable. So, reprogram it."

"I can't reprogram it in a host."

"Just tell us how to get this thing out of me." Hattie growled.

"Well, there are two options and the first is easy." he said.

"Go." Luke replied.

"Finally." Deckard said.

"Hallelujah." Hattie and I chorused, clapping our hands.

"You kill her." Andreiko deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" Shaw asked.

"Oh, and burn the body of course."

"Of course." Hattie and I chorused again.

"Of course." Luke repeated.

"No, I mean really burn it." the man insisted.

"Really burn it." Hattie sarcastically repeated.

"To ash." he said.

"To ash." Deckard and I repeated.

"Beyond all recognition."

"Let's assume that's not an option, shall we genius?" I asked him.

"Yeah, that doesn't work for us." Luke said, stepping towards the small man.

"Option number two?" Deckard asked.

"There is a machine that can preserve her life and extract the virus." Andreiko said and I wanted to bash him over the head.

"Well now, that should've been option number one." Luke argued.

"You really aren't all that smart, are you?" I asked. "Why didn't you mention that first?"

"Because it's impossible to get to." Andreiko quickly argued back.

"We'll decide what's impossible." Deckard said.

"So smart guy, where is it?" I asked.

"It's in the Eteon laboratory where the Snowflake was developed. A secret dark tech complex fortified by an army in the most God-forsaken part of the planet, but if you go there, all four of you will die." Andreiko said.

"Nothing new in my world." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Mine either." both Shaw siblings said.

"So basically, what you're saying is she dies no matter what?" Luke asked and all I could think about was my baby, I placed my hand on my belly quickly before dropping back to my side.

"Well, who needs a drink?" Hattie smiled.

"I know just the place." Deckard said.

"You can go now." I told Andreiko. "I'd watch your back though, it's a dangerous place to be right now."

"Where exactly are we going?" Luke asked.

"Just follow me, big guy." Deckard smiled.

We actually walked to wherever this place is and it took about 30 minutes or so.

"Um we're trying to hide, going to The Carpenters Arms and sitting at the bar doesn't sound like a good idea." I argued as we approached the doors.

"The owners know me, follow my lead love." he said, winking at me.

Luke didn't like that much. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him after opening the door for me. My jealous husband people, as if I'm interested in another man but the act was comforting in a way, unnecessary but comforting.

"Where the hell are you taking us?" I asked.

"Just follow me, Penelope." he sang and I have to admit that the man is . . . very good looking.

"I don't like this." I muttered to my husband.

"I don't like it much either but we don't really have a choice." he replied, kissing my forehead.

Deckard nodded at the barkeep and continued walking out the back door, and through another door where my heart soared. Three 2016 McLaren 570s' in orange, badass black, and white, and one '96 Mini Cooper MkVII, that one surprised me.