Chapter 4: A Call

The phone on the desk next to Aswynn started to ring. Caught off guard, she put her pen down and peered at the caller ID. Restricted.

Interesting. She thought. It can only be one person.

“Hello, this is Aswynn Pritchett speaking, head of TRAKKER,” she answered.

“Yes, hello. I know who you are,” the voice on the other end brought a smile to her face.

“We seem to be having an international crisis and you seem to be the only person we can turn to.”

“Tell me more, Mr. President.” The smile on her face grew wider with the seconds. Her plan was going according to plan.

*

Eve stood up and threw the empty ice cream cup over Brodie’s head and into the trash can. “Score.”

“Pretty good,” he said, bored. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to be talking about here

because it seems like we don’t know anything.”

“Seems?” she asked. “We don’t.”

“Okay, thanks for clarifying,” he said, a hint of sarcasm.

The noise of clanging dishes and silverware surrounded them. Eve sat back down and put her chin in her hands.

“I can’t remember the last time I sat around doing nothing for this long,” she muttered.

She thought for a moment before she spoke again. “Maybe Aswynn can give me a new assignment until the Converts come. Maybe the world finally realized that the Subjects had been released.”

She stood up and walked for the door.

“Wait, Eve!” Brodie called after her. She didn’t stop though. She heard the scrape of his chair on the floor as he stood up to hurry after her.

“What?” she asked.

“Converts, Subjects, what are these things?” he asked, falling in step next to her. Zion pushed the doors open for them and followed after them.

“You seriously do not know anything do you?” she laughed. “You probably don’t even know that your mom has released what will probably be the extinction of mankind.”

“Um, what?” he was confused. “My mom runs the biggest medical corporation in the world.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “Then ask her why she already has all of this planned? What are you second in command of? What do I command? How did I get here and why am I here?”

Brodie stopped walking and watched as Eve walked away. She was right. Something was going on with his mom.

Eve continued down the hallway, Zion still behind her. A ton of questions bordered her thoughts, but she didn’t have answers to them. All she needed right now was something to take her mind off the crazy world she now called home. Unfortunately, she couldn’t have that. She quickened her pace and soon arrived at Aswynn’s office. She didn’t stop for the guards to open the door, she just walked by them.

Aswynn looked up as her doors were flung open. Eve walked up to the desk and sat down in one of the chairs.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “One, how long am I gonna have to sit around hanging out with that low-life Brodie and two, how long till the world actually realizes that there’s a bunch of maniac’s wandering the streets?”

“I only have one answer, but it should answer both of your questions,” Aswynn stood up and walked to the big glass window behind her. “I just got off the phone with the President of the United States. He asked me, the head of the biggest medical corporation on the planet, to come up with an antidote for this ‘virus’.”

“Oh, really?” she asked. “How long are you going to ‘work’ on that for?”

“I told him we had one of Subjects wander into the building and, after seeing it’s deranged state, we decided to run some tests on it,” she answered.

“Didn’t he ask why you didn’t let him know about it immediately?” Eve questioned.

“Oh, yes, he did” she nodded. “I told him we were certain and that it had only been a week ago.”

“So, back to my original question, how long is it going to take you to come up with this antidote?” she asked.

“Not very long,” Aswynn turned around to face her. “It’s very similar to another virus we’ve treated, rabies, so not very long.”

She smiled but Eve scowled.

“You’re lying to everyone, you know that right?” Eve stood up and walked up to her. “Your own son doesn’t even know what a devil you are.”

“Sometimes it’s better he didn’t know,” she said, staring sternly at her. “If you tell him anything outside of what he needs to know, I will punish you.”

“The worst you can do is kill me and that would be a win-loss situation you see, ’cause then I’d be dead and gone and out of this whole cruddy situation and you would be without me. You wouldn’t have anyone to train your Converts, no one to boss around, no one to tell you how to survive in a dystopian world,” Eve snarled. “You need me. You can’t risk hurting me. I will tell Brodie whatever I feel he needs to know, and you can’t stop me.”

“Like you said to Max, ‘You’re getting a little too big for your britches,’” she quoted.

The air went out of Eve at the mention of her past life, but she didn’t say anything but rather turned and walked out, shoving Zion out of the way. Aswynn signaled Zion to stop her. He attempted to grab her arm, but she pivoted out of his reach, gave him an icy-cold stare and continued to walk away. As she did this, Brodie walked past her into Aswynn's office.

“Mom, you’ve got some explaining to do,” she heard him say. Despite the hate welling up inside her, she smiled.

**

Eve sat on the floor in her room. The dark grey walls around her set her on edge. No windows, one door, and a bunch of questions in her head was enough to drive her crazy. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Peter. As much as it pained her to do, she did. The heartbeat in her ears became louder.

“Why didn’t they block this?” she wondered.

Drew’s words came back to her. You and Peter have a mental connection. If they couldn’t block it then, why would they be able to block it now?

Peter? She sent it out tentatively, not sure if she wanted a response or not.

Eve? The word came into her mind. It was happy, excited, and there was something else, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.

Are you okay? The happiness that filled her was abundant. A smile crept onto her face.

I am but I’m afraid I’ve got bad news. He paused. Drew killed Dee.

The words came out fast as if they were scalding hot. Eve could sense the pain that came with it, a circle of red that grew bigger and bigger as the words settled in. The words burned her mind.

What? A tear slipped down Eve’s cheek at the thought of losing her best friend. The one that had been with her from the beginning of this living hell was gone? That’s not fair.

Eve, I know. I’m sorry. The words were filled with emotion.

Sorry doesn’t reverse everything that happened, Peter. She snapped. Drew killed her?

Yes.

Why did I save him? Why did I even try to go back in and get him? Why did I put everyone else’s lives on the line for HIM! And this is what I get? He kills my best friend after everything that we’ve done for him? Anger welled up inside of her. It boiled up and over the top.

She stood up and walked to the wall, railing her fists against the white drywall. The pain she felt in her heart was excruciating.

Peter, feeling her agony, didn’t say anything.

WHY? She kept screaming it over and over again as she pounded on the same spot. She’d already punched through the wall and leaned back, sobbing uncontrollably.

Eve. I need to tell you something. I miss you. The words were soothing to her hurting soul.

I miss you too. The tears continued to flow but she sat down on the floor, defeated and tired.

And—I, he hesitated. Don’t know what to do.

If this is about you not knowing how to lead, I’ve got a tip for you. She sniffed. You just gotta have faith in yourself. You just gotta believe that you are capable of it.

Okay.

I have faith in you, Peter. You’ll do great. She sent.

I just want you to know that no matter what happens from now on and forward, I’m glad it all happened. He told her.

Why? She asked.

Cause I would never have met you. It was a whisper, almost as if he was scared to say it.

Thanks.

She then ended the connection