A Trespasser

The woman was smiling gently, leaning back in her chair as a little girl clambered onto her lap, soft curls bouncing in the firelight.

“Mami! Tell it again!” The little girl giggled, eyes shining as her mother pulled her closer.

“Aspen, you’re almost eight. You hardly fit on my lap anymore.”

“Please, Mami?”

“Oh, you little devil!” Her mother laughed, tickling Aspen until she shrieked with delight. “The people who are in charge of our country have made some bad choices. Your daddy and I are helping fix the bad things so that when you grow up the government doesn't get to control your life, sweetie.”

Aspen looked up at her mother, grinning. “You and daddy are like superheroes!” Her mother smiled, chuckling… but the sound died in her throat. “M-mami?” Aspen whispered as her mother’s eyes took on a glassy sheen.

She didn’t know what caused it, but suddenly the realization that something was horribly wrong settled in her stomach. Her mother threw her off her lap mindlessly, a look of agony spreading across her features as Aspen’s head cracked against the tile floor. Then, her mother was shaking, bloody saliva foaming at the corners of her mouth. Aspen wanted to go to her, make it stop, but fear kept her rooted to the floor. Then, the screaming started. From her father’s study, first, but her mother quickly followed. It wasn’t the screaming that scared Aspen the most. It wasn’t the seizures or blood. It was the moment these things stopped, and a silence fell over the house. The moment she finally gathered the courage to crawl to her mother's side, gently tapping her arm at first, but then shaking her hysterically, screaming at the corpse to wake up. To smile. To not leave her. But it was too late. Later, the people would come, the hazmat suits and body bags would poison the memories of her childhood home, bringing with them the certainty that things would never be the same.

Aspen opened her eyes to the dark room, blinking back the tears that ran down her face. Every night she had to relive those eleven hours, even today, nine years after the event. She was seventeen. Too old for nightmares. It was five in the morning, but she knew that all that awaited her in sleep were the same dreams, seared into her memory. She dressed quickly, stumbling to the treadmill that occupied the corner of the apartment. The nightmares only made the waking world more difficult. At least in her head, she was surrounded by people. Some days, it seemed like even the corpses of her parents were better than… this.

Isolation. The only treatment for Motor Neural Shutdown. Not much of treatment at all, but Aspen tried to remind herself that she was one of the lucky ones. She had survived the disease, it was her parents she should feel sorry for, not herself.

Exposure to MNS meant that she would carry it for the rest of her life. Any contact with others and the disease would be instantly transmitted to them, killing them within moments. She was the world’s deadliest tag player. Aspen laughed humorlessly to herself, turning the speed of the treadmill up higher as she attempted to clear her head from the night's demons. A poster for MNS hung on the wall, all angry red lettering and bolded warnings. At the bottom, a phrase that haunted her deeply.

Survival Rate: 0%

The disease was supposed to be lethal, and yet, Aspen wasn’t dead. She supposed the thought should make her hopeful, but it just made fresh tears spring to her eyes. She was alone, trapped in a vacuum sealed chamber, and carried the disease that spelled an end to humanity itself. Was life even worth it? Aspen cursed under her breath, realizing that her thoughts had been slipping into dark places again. It was always worse in the morning, with the nightmare fresh in her mind. She pushed the speed on the treadmill higher, until she couldn’t think. For once, her restless mind was silent, leaving her with only the sound of her feet pounding against the rubber. She grinned as she slapped the stop button on her watch, marking the mile time in her journal. Her fastest yet. She felt her dread slip away and sighed with the kind of relief that only running could bring her.

She stumbled to the airlock, the three-stage seal that allowed the government to distribute food and supplies to her quarters without contact. Today was Monday, which meant her weekly delivery had arrived. Aspen released the rubber seal, absently thinking about how her mother could ever have disliked the government when their funding and deliveries were the only things keeping her alive. With her mind otherwise occupied, she didn’t notice the trespasser for a full ten seconds. Then, their eyes locked.

He seemed to be about her age, with greasy black hair that hung over his black eyes… eyes that locked onto hers like an animal, violence glinting just under the surface.

Aspen’s jaw dropped at the impossible sight of him, freezing her in place for what seemed like an eternity before her instincts kicked in. She stumbled backward, slamming the airlock door behind her, panting in relief as she considered what a close call that had been. It would be all right now, though. She could call the emergency number and the government would get him far away from her deadly skin. She glanced up at the boy and froze. His eyes were still locked on her, and as she watched he braced himself and slammed into the door.

What was going on? The question pounded in her head as she fumbled for the emergency phone, desperately trying to reach the government so they could spare the life of this foolish, foolish boy. A muffled creak sounded from the other side of the airlock as the boy slammed into it again, the seal protesting at the sudden onslaught of pressure. Realization hit Aspen suddenly. He was going to break down the barrier between them. She would be forced to watch him die, just like her parents all those years ago.

“STOP!” Aspen screamed, her voice cracking as her shaking fingers attempted to type in the emergency number. She was a digit away when the groaning seal finally gave way, and the boy crumpled on top of her, knocking the phone from her hand.

She felt the moment it happened, the moment his knuckles brushed across her ankle as he struggled to his feet, and dread seized the pit of her stomach. The boy looked at her with wild eyes, and Aspen braced herself for the disease to take root, glancing at her hands in shame. They were the hands of a murderer now.

Moments passed, and she watched the boy sadly, waiting for his eyes to glass over.

“So, do you talk?” The boy’s voice was haughty, and he glanced down at her like she was some kind of animal. Unease began to settle in Aspen’s chest.

“Why aren’t you dead?” She whispered, shakily climbing to her feet. “Why hasn’t MNS killed you?” The boy sighed and straightened his clothing casually as if her panic was boring him.

“Why would I be dead?” He remarked, taking the phone from her shaking hand.

“Because I’m contaminated,” Aspen whispered, meeting his eyes as she stood. It occurred to her belatedly that perhaps she should be terrified of this stranger, the boy who had the nerve to break into the room of someone carrying Motor Neural Shutdown, but curiosity won out.

“I’m sure you knew I was diseased, though” Aspen muttered, “seeing as you broke into the government's only quarantine unit. Why you are here?” Aspen’s voice cracked with desperation on the last note, and she chided herself for sounding so naive.

“For your information, Aspen,” the boy hissed, seeming to take delight in knowing her name without her telling him. “I did know you were contaminated, but that isn’t why I’m here. I have a favor to ask.”

“Allright,” Aspen growled, disliking her impostor more by the moment.

“I need you to hack the government firewall for me.” Aspen froze, fear racing up her spine for the first time. When Aspen had first been sealed in the chamber the government had given her a computer. They thought to be able to hold conversations with people digitally would keep the isolation insanity at bay, but as time progressed Aspen grew sick of talking to the same three government-approved people. So, she learned how to bend the rules of the system. It was simple enough at first, finding loopholes, tweaking code, but in nine years her abilities had improved. Now, she had the means to access any source on the web, and as helpful as the government may be, the freedoms they allowed Aspen were minimal. With her computer, she could at least pretend for a few fleeting moments that she was just another kid, hopping on her computer to play. But this stranger, whoever he was, shouldn’t know about the hacking. He couldn’t know… unless…

“Darn. CJ squealed on me, didn’t he?” Aspen rolled her eyes, chiding herself for trusting someone over the net, but she had known CJ from practically the beginning. If there was one person she trusted, it would be him. And if CJ had even the slightest belief in this maniac, she would hear him out, as much as it pained her to do so. “Fine. Talk.”

“I already said it,” the boy snapped, pointing to the computer. “Hack the government firewall, and I’ll be on my merry way.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Aspen growled, done with this stranger's high-and-mighty attitude. Answer my questions, and I’ll decide if I’m going to hack the firewall for myself.

For the first time since he had entered the room, the boy looked uneasy. He stood, fuming for a few moments before he began.

“My name is Parker, and MNS hasn’t affected me because I survived it.” Aspen froze the heart in her chest racing like a caged animal.

“That’s impossible,” she interrupted, “the government told me I was the only survivor.”

“Which brings me to why I’m here. The government lied to you… and the lies don’t stop there.” Parker hesitated for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to continue, but in the end, he went on, his whispered voice barely audible. “The government. They created Motor Neural Shutdown.”

“You’re lying,” Aspen whispered, the word sounding hollow in the small room. It made sense, though. She had known that her parents were enemies of the government. They had wanted change in a system that hadn’t been altered in hundreds of years. Even as she shut Parker out it seemed like the last piece to the mystery of her parent's death had clicked into place. Of course. Of course, the government wanted to control her parents. Bile rose in the back of her throat as she thought of the years she had spent praising the government for saving her. Now, she just felt like a glorified lab rat, sealed away because she somehow defied the disease that allowed them to control the country.

“Look, I couldn’t care less if you believe me or not,” Parker snapped, the haughty tone back in his voice. “The only reason we’re alive is that our brains weren’t fully developed when the virus was deployed on our families, so we built up antibodies to fight it more quickly. We’ve been given a second chance at life, princess, and while you rot away in your safety bubble, I’m out in the real world trying to change things.” Aspen froze at this, turning towards Parker with murder flashing in her eyes, but for as much as she loathed this boy, she knew he was telling the truth. Every fiber of her being wanted to refuse him, but this was about more than his foolish attitude. There were lives hanging in the balance.

“Fine. What do you need from me?” Aspen whispered, her tone tipped with venom.

“I need you to hack the government mainframe so that I can find an antidote to the disease,” Parker said matter of factly as if he was part of some cliche spy movie. Aspen took a hissing breath between her teeth as he glanced at her, gesturing to the computer impatiently.

“You think I haven’t tried that?” Aspen whispered, her words scathing. Parker cringed, the hope behind his eyes flickering out, but Aspen wasn’t done. “What, do you think I spend all day in my room, dreaming about the prince charming who’s going to rescue me?” She was practically screaming now, her face inches from his. “I am as interested in finding a cure as anyone else. I don’t stay in this bubble because it’s safe, my lord,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper as she gave him a mock bow. “I stay because I don’t want to kill anyone. I stay because my parents died at my feet, and if I can’t help people by being alongside them, at least I can do something here. I have searched every database. Shattered every firewall. There.Is.No.Cure.”

Parker slumped onto the bed, a guttural moan escaping his throat. Immediately, Aspen felt awful. MNS wasn’t his fault. He was just another scared kid, trying to stop the disease that controlled the country, even though he was immune to it himself. “Look, I’m sorry,” Aspen mumbled, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. “It’s just not possible… oh my god. We’re immune to the disease.” Parker turned to look at her, rolling his eyes.

“Eureka,” he mumbled sarcastically, but Aspen hardly heard his answer, her own thoughts pounding in her ears.

“Parker, we’re immune because we have built up antibodies. Any contact with our skin and the disease gets passed on, but if we were able to analyze our blood…” Parker shot off of the bed, eyes going wide as he caught onto her train of thought.

“The antibodies in our blood can make others immune,” he interjected, already running to the airlock… just as it hissed open. The woman on the other side Aspen had only seen in news broadcasts, addressing the nation behind two feet of bulletproof glass. The Empress.

“Smart, smart kiddos,” She giggled as two guards rounded the corner, guns trained on Aspen and Parker. “You figured my little trick out, and I commend you both, but it just won’t do to release your antibodies to the public, would it? How would I keep my people in line?” She motioned for the guards, and time seemed to slow as each safety was clicked off, but Aspen didn’t freeze. She ran forwards, taking some small measure of delight as she tapped the Empress on the shoulder gently.

The Empress writhed to the ground, closely followed by her guards. “Tag. You’re it,” Aspen whispered, taking Parker’s hand in hers as she turned to race down the corridor.