Lawrence had seen the toxin in action enough to know what was happening as he watched Shane in the gas chamber. Although the toxin was invisible to the naked eye, Lawrence could almost picture the gaseous tendrils as they snaked around the figure trapped inside the small enclosure. Lawrence chuckled as Shane tried to look so stoic, and then grinned as Shane began to show the first signs of exposure. Shane probably was not even aware of the way his eyes blinked and then seemed to stay half-closed. His words came out raspy and slurred as he called out, first with some bizarre statements to Johnson, seemingly to assuage the man's guilt for choosing this option, then, as Lawrence spotted the first tremors shake Shane's body, he called out some final words to his family.
It was all almost so perfect, one might think they were playing according to a script.
Lawrence laughed aloud as Shane begged Johnson to take a final message. Unable to stop himself, Lawrence gave a mocking cheer. "Oh how dramatic. . . . The dying man's last request."
His eyes never left Shane. He was trying to talk, but the toxin was causing the muscles on his face to go slack. Lawrence saw Shane's hand shudder as he choked out another request that Johnson give a final message to Shane's family. It was all so wonderfully cinematic.
Gasping, Shane begged, "Steve. . . please tell. . . ."
As Lawrence chuckled, he barely heard Steve's response. It sounded like some guttural creature, barely worth noticing. Lawrence ignored Steve at first, but he saw an expression cross Shane's face - surprise. Then Lawrence registered Steve's actual words.
"Sorry, Larry. You forgot about Option Three."
Lawrence had been so focused on Shane that he had forgotten to watch Steve. He turned, but Steve had already moved.
No! Lawrence yelled silently.
The breath rushed out of Lawrence's lungs as Steve's shoulder slammed into his chest. The force sent him falling backward. The gun flew out of his hand. Where it landed, Lawrence had no idea. He jerked his head around, hoping it might be nearby, but he could not see it. The only gun he saw was the one Steve had kicked aside earlier. It was sitting on the ground near the sealed, plexiglass door of the gas chamber, too far to be of use. Lawrence caught a glimpse of Shane, now on his knees, leaning heavily against the clear wall, but the glimpse lasted only momentarily, because Steve grabbed Lawrence's collar and pulled his head off the floor.
"Where's the antidote, Alamain?" Steve's voice was little more than a growl. He was now on top of Lawrence, his knee pressing into Lawrence's ribs, making it hard to breathe. Steve's words came through gritted teeth, as he snarled at Lawrence. "You're finished," Steve said. "So tell me where the antidote is."
Finished? Lawrence heard the word, but he would never believe it. He would never let this . . . this insect defeat him. In his hand, Lawrence felt something, then realized he was still holding the remote.
Lawrence began to smile. "I'm hardly finished," he wheezed. He could not see the remote, but he felt along the device for the buttons.
"I don't think so," Steve snarled. He raised his arm and smashed his elbow down on Lawrence wrist.
Pain flared through Lawrence's hand and arm. He heard shrieking, not realizing at first that the shrieks were coming from him. He tried to clasp his injured wrist with his other hand, but Steve had it pinned. Then, in one swift movement, Steve lifted Lawrence from the floor.
"You broke my hand," Lawrence whimpered, still in disbelief.
Steve sneered. "That's the least of your worries, Alamain. Tell me where the antidote is."
Lawrence remembered the remote. He looked down and saw it sitting near his feet. Too far to reach.
"Tell me!" Steve shouted.
Over Steve's shoulder, Lawrence could see the gas chamber. The toxin had taken full effect. Shane was curled on his side. His body was still, but then shuddered violently as it convulsed. A sound followed, not a human scream so much as the cry of a wounded animal. The painful convulsions continued as Shane's body writhed in pain.
Through his own pain, Lawrence managed to smile. My father is avenged.
An open palm flashed across Lawrence's view and he heard the sound of the slap as it struck his cheek. "Give me the antidote," Steve said. "You've got five seconds to tell me where it is."
Lawrence laughed, even as the searing pain made him nauseated. "Five seconds won't matter," Lawrence said. "He's already dead."
Steve shook his head. "Wrong answer."
His arm wrapped around Lawrence's neck in a choking hold. "What are-" Lawrence gasped, as he was dragged forward, toward the gas chamber.
"You're going to tell me where the antidote is," Steve said, shoving him against the plexiglass.
Lawrence looked down. On the ground, seemingly powerless to raise his head, Shane stared out at them through eyes that could barely open. Another convulsion wracked his body.
"You think showing me his death up close will make me change my mind," Lawrence said. He laughed. "This is my victory, Johnson. And when an hour passes without my pushing the other button, Ivan will release the toxin at the school. You've stopped nothing."
"Oh, I'm going to stop you," Steve said, his voice low and tight. He reached for the lever on the panel of controls.
Lawrence's eyes widened. "No," he said. "Don't touch that." It would open the chamber and release the toxin without going through all the fail-safes. "You'll kill us all."
Steve grinned like a crazy man. "You think so?"
Lawrence's could not believe it and struggled to pull away, but Steve was too strong. Steve kept grinning as he reached out and raised the lever. The door immediately flew open, releasing a loud hiss as the seal broke. Steve pulled Lawrence close to him, almost in a bear hug and moved to the open door only a few feet from where Shane's body continued to convulse.
"Guess you didn't see that coming, did you?" Steve's grin never faltered as he pulled Lawrence into the chamber, which was still filled with the choking gas. "This is your party, Alamain. We can't have you miss out on all the fun."