The Second Key
By Be Boring
Chapter 16: The Last Moments of Silence
The silence in the house was overwhelming. Ray was sitting on the couch next to Logan, who was laying stretched out on his back where Kay had placed him. She was pacing back and forth across the room, looking at the clock every few seconds. Why hadn't he woken up yet? He had even stopped breathing a couple times, but she had managed to revive him. Only one answer came to her, the Familiars wanted enough of the drug for Max which was much more than what would be needed for Logan. Apparently he'd been hit with a dart that was meant for her.
Ray sat quietly, he knew when it was time to shut up. He remembered Logan from when they had gotten him out of his school and he remembered Logan to be a nice person. He didn't know what was wrong, but he hoped it was figured out soon. He had never seen Kay look so shaken up.
Kay's head was pounding. She had no idea what to do. There was going to be an attack on Terminal City that would result in a transgenic massacre, Max was with the Phalanxes, and the only person that could help them was unconscious. If she tried to talk to anyone in Terminal City, they wouldn't listen to her. At least they might listen to Logan.
As she paced the room, Kay's eyes came across a map of Seattle. She picked it up and glanced over it, she had no idea where that football stadium was. The only thing she knew was that it was just outside of town. That was something else she would need Logan's help with, he'd lived in Seattle long enough that he would probably know where it is.
Logan's head felt like it was about to explode as he struggled to open his eyes. He could sense someone moving around, but he wasn't sure who it was. He vaguely remembered Max getting carried away by the Phalanxes after he was shot, but nothing else was clear to him. His foot moved slightly and brushed against something solid and warm. Finally managing to open his eyes a crack, he realized that Ray was sitting by his feet. The flash of red out of the corner of his eye told him who his other visitor was.
"Kay?" he asked groggily. "Where's Max?"
She hurried over to him and crouched down next to him. "I was hoping that's what you'd be able to tell me. It was the Familiars, wasn't it?"
He forced a nod, seeing a burst of color in front of his eyes as he did so. "The Phalanxes. They said something about a football stadium."
"Do you know which one they're talking about?"
"No, they weren't specific and there's a few in town."
"I've heard people say it's just outside of town. Do you know of any of those?"
Logan's foggy head slowly started to clear itself out. At least he managed to get into a sitting position, it was easier to talk to her that way. "Yeah, there's only one. It's at the south end of town, about five miles out. It was built in 2008, so it wasn't quite finished when the pulse hit. It was supposed to be huge, it could hold more people in it than the rest of the stadiums in Seattle put together. Why would they use that?"
"There's going to be an attack on Terminal City. Ordinaries are going to be dragging out transgenics and taking them to this stadium to be tortured and killed publicly. I think that's where they'll take Max, even though I don't know why they didn't just kill her right off the bat. It would be easier for them."
Logan gritted his teeth against the pain in his head. He shouldn't let himself get upset right now, it wasn't helping anything. "I don't care what their reasoning is, I just want to get her away from them."
Kay grabbed his arm as he started to stand up. "First thing's first, you have to call Terminal City and let someone know what is going on. I heard someone say it was going to be Thursday, and today is Tuesday. That doesn't give us much time to prepare to defend ourselves against the mob. Then you have to do an Eyes Only broadcast and tell people that they're in danger."
Logan plopped back down on the couch, she wasn't going to let him get anywhere until he helped her. "Why would they be in danger?"
"Because I think the reason the Familiars want this to happen is so that they can start the Coming once that stadium is full of people. Think about it, it would wipe out thousands of people and the country would most likely think it came from us. It's the perfect cover for them."
"Fine, I'll call Terminal City and make the broadcast, but you have to find out where they're keeping Max. Oh, and you have to return Tahira to Gem, she's called here several times to see if I'd found you people yet. Why the hell do you have a baby with you?"
"That wasn't planned, Joshua was babysitting her and he got dragged out with the rest of the crowd when they ran out. You can tell Gem her daughter is fine, Joshua's been protecting her with his life."
Logan sighed and held out his hand. "Could you help me to the desk so I can call them?"
Ames was rushing down the hall towards the stairs so he could get to the basement. He couldn't have just seen that, he could only hope it was the poor light playing tricks on his eyes. What in the world were they thinking? Didn't they know how to use a gun? There was no reason for it, none at all.
He had been sitting in his office watching the news just like pretty much everyone else in the building when he'd seen a van pull up outside. Watching the people get out and run to the back of the van, it was easy to recognize Isaac and Levanna. He had hoped he would be seeing 452's dead body, but instead they dragged her out perfectly alive. He'd seen her open eyes looking around, so she was definitely alive. How could they be so stupid? Why didn't they just kill her when they got the chance? That was what he would have done, they didn't need her anymore and she was their main opposition to the Coming.
Everyone jumped as he stormed into the main basement room. He could see Isaac and Levanna on the other side of the room, staring at him blankly. Lenore stepped in front of him before he could reach them, so he turned his wrath on her.
"What the fuck were you thinking? Why is she still alive?"
Lenore rolled her eyes. "Ames, if only you would think every now and then you would be a very bright man. 452 and 358 were close, if we exploit the fact that we have 452 we might be able to convince 358 to come out and we can get our hands on her so we can find out where Ray is. I did this for you, we had a deal and I intend to keep it. After we have 358, 452 will be killed immediately."
"Why did you bring her here?"
"They needed to pick up some equipment so that they could safely restrain her at the stadium when they reach it. They couldn't very well leave her in the van when they were coming in to get it. Relax Ames, once 358 comes for her your troubles will be over."
Laughter came from a room behind Isaac and Levanna. Ames recognized Max's voice, they hadn't even had the sense to drug her after they got her. He shot Lenore a withering look, then went to the door and opened it. Max was sitting on the other side, completely strapped to the wall. She didn't have a spare inch to move, that was for sure.
Max laughed even harder when she saw Lenore. She knew she was getting hysterical, but she kept laughing anyway. Taking a deep breath after a few minutes, she spoke directly to Lenore.
"Are you really so stupid? Wait, I'll bet Ames didn't tell you. Kay and I aren't really on good terms. I don't suppose Ames told you the reason, did he?"
Ames felt his insides go cold. The fact that she could expose what he'd done with Kay hadn't even occurred to him. Lenore gave him a questioning look, then turned her attention back to Max.
"What happened?"
Max sneered. "We're not friends anymore, that's what happened. I tend to stop trusting people who sleep with the enemy. I would have thought you'd have the same principles, so that's why I am so surprised you're still letting Ames work with you. You never know, he might have such a taste for transgenics that he might screw me while I'm here!"
Lenore's face was a picture of stunned horror. Ames reacted the only way he could, by walking to Max and punching her as hard as possible. The blow nearly knocked her unconscious, but she was still awake enough to sneer at him again.
"Ooh, you even like it rough."
He put his face far too close to hers for comfort. "I don't suppose there was ever a time that you weren't getting in someone's way? Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't touch you if you paid me, it's almost too disgusting to think about."
"Don't worry, the feeling's mutual."
He turned before she could make the situation any worse and pushed Lenore out of the room. The look on her face would have made him happy under most circumstances, but this wasn't one of those times. He could tell he was in for a rough time.
"You actually slept with one of the transgenics? Was she in heat?"
"The second time." He would have lied and said yes, but he was sure 452 would come out with the whole story later so he might as well just get it out now. Now the look on Lenore's face truly was priceless, not to mention Isaac and Levanna's expressions.
"What do you mean 'the second time'?" she asked angrily.
"Exactly what I said. I'm not someone to play around with words, you of all people should know that."
"Are you trying to bring more shame unto your family? This is one sure-fire way to do it."
"It's not what I was going for, but this has nothing to do with my family. I slept with 358 once when she wasn't in heat, then I don't know how many times once she started her cycle. All I know is the cycle lasted a couple days, so you can try to figure it out."
"Well, seeing as how it was the last thing you'll probably ever enjoy, I hope you had fun."
"Don't worry, I did," he sneered. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he was ruining any chance of a life at all by what he was doing. This might even convince her not to help him with getting his son. Not that he needed her help, he had his own plan.
Sandeman sat back wearily as he listened to the conversation going on a few feet away. He was sitting with Zack, Alec, Jondy, Brin, Luke, Gem, and some other transgenics in the Rec Center. Gem was crying because Logan had just told her that her daughter was alright, but now Zack was the one talking to him.
"What do you mean there's going to be an attack? Even if they could get past the soldiers outside, they'll never be able to drag us out. It doesn't matter that a lot of us got out, there's still enough of us to be able to hold our own."
Logan frowned at Zack's face on his computer screen. He hated using the phone like this, it seemed so impersonal. He had huge news for them and they had to talk to him through a computer connection. It just didn't seem right. "I don't care how many of you are left there, the soldiers are most likely a part of this movement and that means there's going to be weapons. The other people are getting their hands on weapons too, and I know you don't have much. From what Max had told me before this happened, the psy-ops took out all the guns that Mole made, so you guys have practically nothing."
"Maybe so, but that can change in a couple days. If everyone starts working at it, we can be fully armed in time for their arrival. They're not getting any of us out of here, and they're not keeping Max. Why don't you put yourself to better use? I don't even see why you're still trying to help us."
Logan's jaw was set. Kay could see his anger, but she couldn't move forward to calm him down. She couldn't let anyone in Terminal City know she was here.
"You know why."
"Oh right, because of Max. I can't believe you've stuck around this long, but you're a very stubborn person. I would say 'man', but I have my doubts about that. You would think a Manticore-made virus would be enough to keep you away from my sister, but your mind doesn't work like everyone else's."
Logan glared at the screen, not noticing Sandeman slip off in the background. "Don't bite the hand that saves your ass, Zack. If I didn't call you, you would never have found out about this."
"Maybe so, but I don't have to burst into tears and tell you how grateful I am just because you gave me a call when something was going down. We'll get something done about this, just so you know your efforts haven't gone wasted."
Logan nearly slammed his fist through his computer screen as it filled with static. It just went to show what happened every time he did something to help. Kay walked up behind him and tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. She could feel him shaking under her fingertips, his anger was just continually building up.
"I know you're mad, but just remember that Zack is nothing more than your average genetically-engineered asshole. Why don't you get started on getting ready for that broadcast? I'll head out and start looking for Max, and Ray can stay here to keep you company. Just don't do anything you're going to regret, okay?"
He scowled at her. "You mean like what you did? Don't worry, I like to think I have a little more common sense than you do when it comes to choosing my bed partners."
Kay withdrew her hand from his shoulder, feeling like he had physically hit her. She felt the pain in her gut return again. She had to stop letting herself get so damn upset. Lowering her voice so Ray couldn't hear them, she hissed "Not in front of Ray."
Standing up to face her, his eyes chilled her to the bone. "I forgot, it might be better if he didn't know about his father's extracurricular activities."
Kay turned and stormed out the door, almost wishing she could cry but not being able to get the tears out. Logan slammed his fist down on the desk in the house, making Ray jump and making Kay feel worse as her sensitive hearing picked up on it. The only person who didn't jump sat back to watch Kay saunter off down the sidewalk. He slid away from the edge of Logan's house, staying far enough back so Kay couldn't see him. It was too early to come out, he knew better. Glancing at his watch, he pulled out his cell phone and pressed redial. It was time for his hourly check-in.
Sandeman felt his legs burn slightly as he reached the Advanced Recombinant Genetics lab. He wasn't used to walking around so much, especially in such a hurry. When Zack had said that Max had a Manticore-made virus, it had stunned him. She had never said a thing to him and neither had anyone else. He was surprised, it should have occurred to them that he was a scientist and could help them. In fact, he was only one of three people who could.
The thing that he had thought was brilliant at the time he created Manticore was that all of its viruses were based on the cult's snake pathogen. Since normal people had no cure for it, that meant there was no man-made cure for any of Manticore's biological agents except for the one made by the combination of Max's blood and the blood of the anti-key. Since Max already had her own blood, all that was needed was the blood of the anti-key, who had to be alive when the blood was taken. Sandeman smiled to himself as he pulled out a vial. He could help her with that.
Brin sat back as she watched the hustle and bustle around her. It seemed like no one was ever going to stop moving. How could this all have happened so fast? Max had just been with them a couple hours ago, and now she was in the hands of the enemy being tortured or possibly already dead. She walked out of the room, feeling her head start spinning. She wanted to go lay down, but instead of heading to the house she shared with Zack, Sandeman, and Chelsea, she went to Max's apartment. She still had the key, so she let herself in and lay down on the bed. The whole place still smelled like Max, it was just so hard to believe that she might never come back to it.
Zack poked his head in the open door. Brin saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and raised her head to look at him. "I didn't think anyone noticed me leave."
He smiled gently as he walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it, resting a hand on her leg to comfort her. "I notice everything you do."
She forced a smile back. "Does this mean I should consider you a stalker?"
"Not quite, just more of a concerned friend."
Brin turned her head away from him. "Which is it? Are you my brother, my friend, or something else? Not all of the things that have happened between us have been able to fit under those categories."
He sighed, she would never let this go. "What do you want me to be? I keep telling you that I didn't mean for those couple days during your heat cycle to happen."
"That's the problem."
Now he was confused. "What's that supposed to mean? First you want me to be your brother, then you change it to a friend, now you're telling me that the fact that it was an accident that one time bothers you?"
Brin struggled to hold back her tears. She wasn't sure what he'd say to this, but it was time to get it off her chest. "Did it ever occur to you that it hurt me? I don't mean physically, but the fact that you viewed that time as a mistake. Didn't you ever think it might have been because I wanted it to happen and you didn't?"
Zack had no clue what to say. That idea had never come to him, why would it have? As far as he could tell, she had never given any signs that she thought of him as more than a brother or a friend. He reached up the bed and took her hand in his, feeling her trembling from how nervous she was. "What are you trying to tell me?"
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, no matter how hard it was for her. "I'm trying to tell you that I think about that heat cycle almost every day, but not because I hate myself for it. It's because I had been waiting for something with you for a long time and I knew you would never do that again. Is it wrong to love someone you grew up thinking of as your brother?"
He pulled her up into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her. "When did you start feeling this way?"
The fact that he wasn't pushing her away because of her feelings made Brin feel a little better about it. Maybe she wasn't as disgusting as she thought. "After I came to live with you at the farm, you were the only one who really worked to bring me back to reality. You didn't baby me like everyone else, you treated me like you would treat any other disobedient soldier. The fact that I had gone through reindoctrination didn't faze you at all. You only treated me friendly after I started recovering. The only reason I even started getting better was because a part of me was hurting over the fact that you weren't trying to help me like everyone else. I hated that you weren't being the big brother I remembered, but that started up my emotions. After that, everything else just sort of came naturally. Once I was better and understood what you had done, I loved you for it. You were the only person who knew enough about me to know what would make me get better."
"You always hated not being the center of attention."
Brin couldn't help but chuckle, but her mind was brought back to the conversation. "I guess I really don't know when it happened, but by the time my heat cycle came around I was in love with you. You don't hate me, do you?"
"How could you even think that? I could never hate you no matter what happened."
"Then why did you regret what happened between us?"
Zack sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. "I guess because I figured you regretted it. To tell you the truth, I don't know how I really feel about it but I definitely don't regret it."
Brin made a split-second decision that she was sure would earn her his fist in her jaw, but she acted before she could fully think it through. She pulled away from his embrace and grabbed the back of his head, then pulled his face to hers. She could feel his surprise as she pressed her lips against his, but he didn't try to get away. In fact, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. That was the last thing she would have expected, but she wasn't unhappy about it.
When they sat back from the kiss, they were both completely breathless. After several moments of silence, Zack leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Brin. I know it seems wrong, but you're not the only one who's been dealing with a lot of feelings lately."
Brin didn't know what to say. The only thing she could feel was pure ecstasy that she wasn't the only one feeling this way. Still, the events going on had to come first, this could be continued later.
"Should we get back to the Rec Center?"
Zack sighed, then nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
Max rolled her eyes as Isaac and Levanna shoved Ames into the room and heard them mutter something to him about remembering who he was before they left.
"Why are you in here?"
"They decided it was punishment for me. Under normal circumstances they would be right, but this time it's different."
Max felt a slight chill, that didn't sound too good for her. "What are you talking about?"
He smiled coldly as he walked towards her. "They have all their plans laid out to start on Thursday because I told them that was when the last of our supplies would be in, but it has actually already arrived."
She frowned, leaning as far away from him as her restraints would allow. "Why would you keep that from them? Aren't you all working for the same thing?"
"Mostly, but not quite. Their plan would get my son back, but it wouldn't get me vengeance. Kay told me that my son was dead, looking straight into my eyes the whole time. I trusted her, I didn't think she had a reason to lie to me about that. Apparently I was wrong. I want her to pay for making me suffer over my son's death when I didn't have to. That's where you come in. They just gave me the best way to get everything over with without having to wait."
Max didn't know what to say, but every part of her wanted to know his plan. The other thing that was in the back of her mind was what she had picked up on in the conversation. He may not have noticed it, but she sure did. He hadn't called Kay by her number, he'd called her by her name.
Watching as Ames pulled out his cell phone which they had unfortunately not taken away from him, she only heard two words come from his mouth. "It's time."
Kay stepped over a piece of glass on the floor, being careful not to make a peep. She was so close to the soldier she could smell his breath, despite the fact that he was facing away from her. After trying to decide where to head first, she figured she would go to the people that Logan had indicated when he was talking to Zack, the soldiers that guarded Terminal City.
Dashing around a corner as the soldier started to turn around, she felt a huge rush of relief as the soldier's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open, completely oblivious to the woman standing not even five feet away from him. Kay strained her hearing as hard as she could, trying to hear the person on the other end of the line. The only thing she heard was "It's time." She immediately recognized Ames's voice. Even though she couldn't be sure, it was pretty obvious that he was talking about the attack on Terminal City.
After she heard the click on the other end of the line and the soldier hung up, Kay snuck away to head back downstairs, not noticing who else followed her down. He watched her take off down the road, smiling to himself. He knew what was going on and he had no doubt that it would be interesting. It appeared that the game had begun.