Scarred

Confrontations

After some time Nick followed the man into a small laboratory where another, slightly older, man sat waiting. He stood as they entered and Nick's eyes widened in recognition, 'Father?' he asked, 'what are you doing here, and what the hell is going on?'

Marcus Aerton looked sombrely at his son and sighed, 'Sit, Nicholas, and I'll explain. We don't have much time.'

Nick sat and stared accusingly at his father saying slowly through teeth clenched in pain, 'you're supposed to be dead, Father, we had a funeral and everything.'

Marcus' eyes were the only things that revealed his anguish as he said, 'I know, son, and I'm sorry. The work I'm doing required me to disappear. I will explain briefly and then you need to get out of here.'

Nick looked at his father coldly and asked, 'What do you have to do with what happened to all those people in the city last night?'

Marcus answered in a neutral tone, 'The government is experimenting with a virus that causes a zombie-like state in some humans. The effect varies, but generally the frontal lobes controlling the higher brain functions shut down and the subject reverts to its most basic primal form, functioning purely on instinct.'

Nick looked at his father in total revulsion as the implications sank in and he stated, 'Bio-warfare? How could you let yourself get involved in that?'

Marcus smiled grimly as he replied, 'It's too complicated to explain everything now, Nicholas, but suffice it to say, the reason I stayed in the programme was to try and prevent them from using the virus.'

He leaned forward in his seat as he continued, 'In order to be able to use any bio-weapon safely, there has to be an antidote. It became clear early on that some people have a natural immunity to the virus and we were contracted to discover why. We discovered through various tests that active cancer cells consume the virus and mutate, causing an unexpected side effect. We found enhancement of either extra-sensory perception or certain bodily functions in the subjects. The problem was that we continuously failed to replicate the natural immunity until recently.' As Marcus paused to take a drink of water, Nicholas noticed that his hands shook slightly.

'Go on,' he said gently.

'I tried to keep the discovery from my partner and superiors but somehow they found out that I was keeping it from them. So they decided to try and force my hand...' Marcus stopped, a pained look on his face, so Nick finished for him, '... by targeting me.'

Marcus looked into Nick's eyes, the torment now clear on his face, 'Yes, they thought I would have to give in if you were affected. But I found out about their plan and sent Angel, a young lab assistant, to warn you. I inserted a vial of antidote into her leg for safekeeping.... It seemed a good idea at the time...,' he rubbed his ear nervously as he proceeded; 'she was exposed to the virus as she escaped and I heard that she ended up under your care.' He banged the table with his fist making Nick jump. 'It was so frustrating knowing she was there with you but unable to communicate.'

Nick looked gravely at his father as he said, 'I found and used the antidote on her, Father. I wouldn't have under normal circumstances, but she was always scratching at her scar and I had a feeling it was important. So when I found the capsule I injected her with what was in it.'

Marcus sighed, seeming relieved and paused, his head in his hands. 'So she's conscious at least. The soldiers didn't find her I hope?' he asked at last.

'Yes and no. At least I don't think they did. I didn't see her among the people the soldiers brought here,' Nick replied.

Marcus stood. 'Good, he said, 'now we need to get you out of here before Marius finds you.' 'Father,' Nick said softly, 'what about all those afflicted people out there?'

Marcus looked at his son sadly then, 'I know what you're thinking Nicholas, but it's impossible. We cannot take the risk.'

'We have to take the risk, Father,' Nick said softly.

*****

Nick watched the soldiers maintaining the roadblock from a vantage point nearby. He'd been watching for an opportunity to join one of the ranks entering the city for some time. At last an opening came when a troop of fresh soldiers arrived in a truck. Nick had asked a friend to shoot out one of the vehicles tyres and in the confusion resulting from this, he quietly joined the ranks of masked troopers. Staring at the silent city out of the opening in the back of the truck, Nick wondered if he'd be able to find Katelyn. His visions of her had gone completely silent since the one he'd had in the cell, and his heart constricted with the thought that she may be dead.

When the vehicle stopped and everyone got out, he quickly slipped away and made his way toward the hospital. The sight that greeted him on his arrival ripped his heart to shreds. A blackened smoking shell remained of the building and he was certain Katelyn must have been in there when it was torched. He curled up in silent agony, not allowing voice to his heartbreak.

Then, through the blood pounding in his head, he heard his name over a loudspeaker.

'Nick. Nicholas Aerton.'

He stood up; they knew he was here.

'We know you're here, Nicholas. We suggest you come out. We have your lovely fiancée, Katelyn with us. All we want is an exchange, Nick.'

Nick's heart stopped at that. She was alive! He moved closer to where the sound came from in order to see. She stood, held by a soldier, in front of an army vehicle. He almost cried out when they put a gun to her temple.

'It's your choice, Nick. She's probably infected anyway, so no real loss to anyone but you...'

Nick moved forward then, he would not let Katelyn die.

'Good boy. Now hand over the antidote.'

As Nick moved to obey, he saw movement from the trees near where the hospital had been. He gasped as he saw hundreds, thousands, of the zombie-creatures move slowly toward them, surrounding them in silence. He looked at Marius, guessing that it must be he, and saw the horrified realisation on his face. They were all going to die. Nick watched as Marius slowly indicated for the soldiers with him to ready their weapons. Then surprisingly the zombies moved to make way for someone coming through their ranks.

'Angel?' he cried out unable to control his surprise.

'Yes.' She smiled.

Then turning to Marius she said, 'I suggest, if you want to get out of here alive, that you leave now.'

Marius stared at her in shock for several long moments, and then at last indicated for the soldiers to leave. Set free, Katelyn ran and threw herself into Nick's arms. He held her tight for a long moment, watching the soldiers leave, then turned to Angel.

'How?' he asked simply.

'I'm one of them,' Angel smiled. Then, looking after the departing soldiers, 'this won't stop them, Nick.'

'I know, Angel, but I've released the story to the media outside. Once everything is out in the open I'm hoping the experiments will stop. My father will help them make sure everything is destroyed.'

Sighing, she looked around at the vacant faces waiting on them and said to Nick, 'I hope you're feeling energetic. We have a lot of work to do.'