Vagabonds

Chapter Forty-One: The Best of Intentions

Everyone had a different idea about what to do next.

"I think we should shoot the fuckers," Otto said, punching a fist in the air.

"That's not what the guns are for," Tori said, folding her arms. Otto ducked his head at her baleful glare.

"W-w-we should t-t-think this through."

"Naw, man," Moose injected, "We gotta be spontaneous."

"T-t-that's a t-terrible idea."

Aquila hadn't said a word since Eliza settled Joe on the couch in the far corner. There had been a harrowing moment when Joe stumbled sideways into Tori, bumping her into the wall. Luckily, it had passed without incident, but the others had been shooting looks into the corner ever since. Even though Joe seemed quietly settled, Eliza had caught Aquila staring at her, throwing her sidelong glances every time he thought she was turned away. The guilt was as obvious as the bruise blooming on his face, making him clench and unclench his fists. But she didn't have the wherewithal to comfort him.

"We need to know more about this Superman Virus," Eckelson said, spinning away from the monitor and pacing in front of the screens, stroking his jaw in thought. "If it really is as dangerous as you say —"

"It is," Eliza said.

Eckelson ignored her.

"We can't just let them continue with it."

"Yeah, we don't want them to stabilize it and make more of us," Moose said, goggles glittering excitedly. "Then we wouldn't be special anymore."

"More importantly, you wouldn't be safe," Eckelson said as Daisy edged closer to the circle like a moth drawn to the flame of people. "Imagine if news of this got out. It would be infinitely harder to remain hidden."

"What about my brother?" Tori asked.

"What about Joe?" Eliza added.

The way Ian looked at her could have lit a wet log on fire, but she met his gaze with the steel spine she'd cultivated from years of staring down angry adults. She hadn't told any of them about Amile's offer. The words kept rising, drifting to the tip of her tongue, but every time the old man glared at her, her request for DNA samples withered. She knew how he'd look at her when she asked. How they'd all look at her. Conspiring with the enemy, agreeing to help the woman who had tried to kill them? It sounded bad even in her head.

But Joe was rocking on the other side of the cavern, his arms wrapped around his middle as he closed his eyes against the flood of information his brain was struggling to process. As he fought the urge to attack everything that moved.

Eliza gritted her teeth, stepping up to Ian Eckelson.

"We need to do something soon. Martin, Joe, they don't have much time."

"I'm afraid they aren't my main concern. My sons need to stay safe, and now that you know the ins and outs of my home..." His voice trailed off, the threat obvious.

"Dad, we talked about this," Aquila said in a tired voice. Eliza jumped at the sound of his voice, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "If you want to be involved, you have to be nice."

Eckelson sniffed but didn't answer. Tero moved around him, dark fingers flying over the Braille keyboard.

"F-from the information I g-gathered during our b-break-in, I've d-deduced that it's a m-modified r-retrovirus. It a-attacks all the c-cells in the human body, c-changing them all at once."

"Is that how we were made?" Otto asked.

"N-no," Tero said, his milky eyes reflecting the screen in front of him. "W-we were b-born with m-modified DNA. This is an a-attempt to c-change pre-existing g-genetic m-m-material."