Mr and Mrs Shaw (rewrite)

Chapter 24

Capturing the scientist was way too easy as they brought him back to his laboratory. Deckard threw him into a chair as Hobbs got off a call with his daughter.

"Tell us everything you know about this," Deckard ordered as Hattie held up her palm to reveal the injection site.

"My god," he exclaimed. "When were you exposed?"

"About 30 hours ago," Hattie guessed.

"Then the capsules containing the virus are still intact."

"So, we need to neutralize it," Hobbs said.

"No, it is not that easy. 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're talking global contamination within a week."

"What the fuck is happening inside that twisted brain of yours that you would create a fucking doomsday device?" Katrina asked.

"Because I thought I was one of them," Andreiko answered.

"Eteon," Deckard muttered and Katrina slipped her hand into his, the touch comforting.

"They told me they wanted to save the world through science. I believe 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 us, those not worthy of Eteon's vision of the future."

"For a scientist, you seem incredibly stupid," Deckard remarked.

"Well, I'm a two-times Nobel Prize winner, but who's counting?"

"Alright, you said the virus is programmable. So, reprogram it," Hobbs ordered.

"I can't reprogram it in a host," Andreiko informed him.

"Just tell us how to get this thing out from me," Hattie asked, and you could tell she was getting antsy.

"Well, there are two options. And the first, is easy."

"Go," Hobbs said.

"Finally," Deckard agreed.

"You kill her."

"Excuse me?" Deckard asked.

"Oh, and burn the body, of course."

"Of course," Hattie and Hobbs said.

"And really burn it."

"Really burn it," Hattie echoed.

"To ash."

"To ash?" Deckard repeated.

"Beyond all recognition."

Where Katrina pulled a serrated steel blade from, they would never know, but the barefooted woman moved faster than any of them could process. The knife was in her hand as she wound her fingers through Andreiko's hair and yanked his head back. She pressed the blade to the thin skin of his neck.

"How about I slit your throat and then I burn you to ash, beyond all recognition?" she snarled through gritted teeth.

The man blubbered, trying not to move or breathe too heavily as the knife scratched his Adam's apple.

"Then option two better be fucking amazing."

"Kats," Deckard said carefully after he gestured for the others to stay still and shut up. No one else would be able to talk her down. "Remember he's the only one who knows how to save Hattie. He's a squirrely little bastard. One wrong move and Hat's solution goes out the window. So, can I please have the knife?"