Subterra Heart

Chapter 49: Connor Rocha

"Damnit, Tess," whispered Connor. He wrapped his fingers tighter around the datacard that she'd tossed him just moments ago. He looked back towards the study entrance, where Marina was now trying to wriggle past the two men in suits. A hollow pit formed in his stomach. They had just found Tess, only for her to disappear again. And just like last time, she'd disappeared on his watch.

A headache was forming behind his eyes, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Marina, stay back," he said. "This place was open to the tunnels just a moment ago. I – I don't know if it's safe." He didn't see any sign of black dust in the air, but there had been something on the stairs when Tess had lobbed that burning hunk of wood down there. Connor turned to survey the room better and stopped when he heard a soft crinkling underfoot. The sound had come from the papers that Tess had left for him. They were stiff and yellowed and frayed at the edges. Tiny holes dotted them where the papers had been folded and creased too many times.

Connor bent down to retrieve them, but as soon as his fingers closed on them, another hand gripped his wrist.

"No," snarled Lenny. "Give them to me – they're mine."

"That's enough, Mr. Rocha," said an unfamiliar voice. Connor and Lenny both glanced over their shoulders. It had come from one of the suited men in the doorway. He was a tall man with sandy hair and frown lines that cut deep grooves into his face. He took a step into Lenny's study, leaving behind Marina and the other, shorter man.

"You – you dare –" sputtered Lenny, but he seemed unable to find the right words to finish his thought. He had long since lost his respirator. It lay uselessly on the ground, and Connor could see all of his cousin's emotions cross his face beneath the smeared blood from his broken nose. His mouth moved silently, like a fish out of water, and his face twisted as if he had been made to swallow vinegar.

The man strode further into the study until he was a polite distance from both Connor and Lenny. He nodded in greeting to the pair of them and folded his hands behind his back. There was nothing offensive about his stance, but Connor could practically feel the tension rolling off of Lenny. Vaguely, he realized that his cousin had released his wrist. He snatched up the papers from the ground and stepped back, grimacing. His headache was throbbing now, slowly worsening. It was high time to take another dose of his meds, but how long they'd last him with the sub-cities being locked down was anyone's guess.

"I don't believe we've met," said the man, now focused on Connor.

"Connor Rocha – Lenny's cousin from the Greens," said Connor. He bit his tongue. It was an automatic response, but if this man tried checking his identity too closely, he'd realize that Connor was still using Tess's hacked shae band illegally. It probably didn't matter though, since Lenny still had him recorded as 'technically dead.' Yet another thing that he'd failed to make his cousin fix.

The man raised an eyebrow, still ignoring Lenny. "Flores Greens, you say?" He extended his hand for Connor to shake. "I'm Dr. Tom Yarrow. Lab director for Rocha Pharmaceuticals. If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you and Miss Ritty here in private," he said, gesturing toward Marina. Connor noticed that Marina was leaning beyond the doorframe around the second man, eyes darting around the study as if looking for something. Or someone.

Connor nodded slowly to spare his aching head. "Sure, I – "

"You're fired," bit out Lenny.

Dr. Yarrow looked at him coolly. "I'll take that under consideration," he said. "Now, no one is to leave this apartment for the next forty-eight hours. If anyone here really was exposed to the spores, we will know within that timeframe. I suggest that you clean yourself up, Mr. Rocha. Connor, this way, please."