Chapter 25

"T, T2! We have a problem!" I whispered. We were

completely surrounded by the dead and Joshua was missing.

The guttural wheezing of the dead was deafening as I

scanned for audial evidence of Joshua. His scent was faint, and he was last

present in a northern direction and moving swiftly.

"Dr. Harris, I presume!" came a voice over the droning

of the dead. "My how you've changed!"

A slender man in a white suit carrying a cane stepped

from a crowd of mercenaries clearing out the DCs. This man was looking at a

pocket watch. A clumsy scan of his mind revealed that his name was Greer

Nathaniel Beene. Mr. Beene was a local consigliore for various low lives in the

greater Atlanta area. When he displeased his bosses, he was often referred to

as Green Beene, a nickname he was none too fond of having.

"Dr. Harris, I work for a consortium of individuals

who, let's say, have a particular interest in what you have been able to

accomplish," he said. "We have welcomed into our midst one Mr. Cisco and one

Mr. Grundy and they have regaled us with tales of your far-reaching

accomplishments. We would like to extend a similar offer to you."

I was able to glean the location to where they were

taking Joshua from his mind and while I was there I decided to help us with our

escape by leaving a little suggestion for Mr. Beene.

"I'm afraid, sir, that I will have to decline your

most gracious offer!" I yelled over the droning of the dead. "And if you will

excuse me. Thank you, gentlemen, for the warning and your help!"

"Gentlemen, we have been betrayed!" shouted Mr. Beene.

"Your captain and your lieutenants are working for our targets! Execute them

now!"

The ensuing confusion and gun fire allowed us to make

our way to our vehicle. We headed towards the Peachtree District in downtown

Atlanta. The city was overrun with the dead. It figures the close proximity of

city dwelling would cause the outbreak to be much worse than in rural locales.

The streets were full of the dead following sounds that they have long forgot

they have heard.

As we turned onto Peachtree Street, you could see that

one of the blocks was cordoned off and heavily fortified. Mercenaries lined the

walls. Three skyscrapers jutted out from behind the wall and reached toward the

heavens. The gate slid open as the vehicle that contained Joshua entered.

"Listen, they know about the serum, but they don't

know the extent of its effects," I said to T and T2. "We have that and our

superior intellect as assets in this situation."

"So, what's the plan bro?" asked T. "Do we just run in

roughshod?"

"No!" I responded. "You and T2 are not bullet proof

and if they feel endangered, they may shoot first and ask questions later. I'll

go in alone. They know nothing about my immortality."

We parked around the corner from the sky scraper. I

took a bunch of Von-Bombs and took off on foot. Instead of tossing the bombs in

the midst of DCs, I set the alarms to go off 2 and half minutes before the

explosions to draw more of them away from my planned route. As the last bomb

exploded, I paraded right up to the gate as guns were trained on me.

"I believe your employers are expecting me," I said. "Now

do you wish to open the gate or should I leave?"

The gate opened as about 20 mercs rushed out to greet

me with guns drawn. I walked in with my hands held up. I scanned their minds

and realized that they thought I was just a fit human.

"All those muscles aren't going to help you now," said

a raspy but familiar voice. "My new partners want what's in us, in them."

It was Cisco. Although he was changed, it was minor

compared to Tank and the others. He seems to have gained a 9.038% addition to

his mass. I would surmise that he has been too cowardly to test whether or not

he was immune to bites. Based on the additional mass and cranial capacity, I

deduced that his strength and intelligence was a little above that of Joshua's,

but I could literally see that his exposure to the serum had made him immune.

"That's a real bitch move snatching the kid, Cisco," I

said. "If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was ask."

"Well, I'm asking Doc. Can we talk?" he said with a

smirk. "We have lots to discuss."

The entire trip today I had been theorizing a

supposition. I mean yes, I was engaged with T and T2, but just under the

surface of my subconscious I speculated that each person who received a dose of

the serum was a subset of me, T2, Em and the baby as a whole. The one constant

is that the baby is a subset of me and they derived their gifts from her

amniotic fluid. Therefore, should I supplicate that I should be able to

duplicate their gifts as well?

I also noticed a difference in Cisco's speech patterns

and diction. He was beginning to speak with an eloquence that he didn't exhibit

before. Was he evolving right before me?

"What do you and your partners want Cisco?" I asked

rather tersely. "You went through a lot of trouble and expense to get me here.

Let's skip the pleasantries and get to why we're here."

"See that's what I like about you Doc. Straight to

business," he said. "Grundy told me what you are now capable of doing. You were

dangerous before, but now it seems that your speed and strength have become

augmented like mine. By the way, where is our man Green Beene?"

"Mr. Beene has been otherwise detained," I said as I

smiled. "He ran into a bit of a tough spot back in the woods."

"In any event, my partners and I would like you to

develop more of the serum," he said. "As I stated earlier, they want what is in

us."

"But Cisco, you know that is impossible," I said. "The

last of the serum spilled back at your compound as it splashed on us. That was

the last of it and we are unable to make more due to you burning Eli's formula."

"Bullshit!" he yelled. "Either you make more or the

kid who is currently enjoying our hospitality will meet with a very unfortunate

accident!"

I decided to have a little fun with Cisco by planting

remarks in the minds of the present mercs.

"Like the one your parents made when they had you,"

said one of the mercs in the crowd which caused some laughter among his

compatriots.

"Who the hell said that?" screamed Cisco losing his

composure. "I won't tolerate any sass from you plebeians!"

As he focused his attention back on me, he continued.

"As I was saying, either you make more or junior dies,"

he stated matter-of-factly.

"Cisco, I do not believe you are capable of making

such decisions," I countered. "I would like to speak to the person in charge."

"You asshole—" began Cisco, but he was interrupted by

an opening door.

Out walked a man I immediately recognized. It was

state senator Ashur Harrington. More so, he was also a former patient of mine

and long thought to be linked to organized crime in the Greater Atlanta area.

"Is that you Dr. Harris?" he asked. "Wow! You have

changed a lot. I mean you used to be so nerdy, but you look like you've been

hitting the gym."

He then turned his attention to Cisco and motioned for

him to return inside the building. Cisco acquiesced with a scowl.

"As always Doctor, you are very astute in your earlier

assessment of Mr. Cisco's involvement in our little enterprise," he stated. "Just

between you and me, he and Mr. Grundy are no more than a means to an end. That

end being you."

I realized due to the skip in his heartbeat that Cisco

had heard Harrington's remarks, and he was not pleased at all.

"To put it bluntly Doctor, the group that I am a part

of has a very, very exclusive membership and those two are far from the right "types"

that we would consider for members," he said. "You, however, my good doctor are

exactly the type of candidate we are looking for to expand our little "club"."

"I'm flattered Senator Harrington, that you and your

fellow "delegates" would consider including me in your "club," but I have a

family and they take up the majority of my time and energy now," I said. "Besides,

I'm not sure Mr. Cisco and Grundy explained how events unfolded and how they

burned the only written copy of the formula."

"Come, come now Doctor, don't be modest," he said. "We

both know that if not for your genius, I would not be here now to extend this

most generous offer."

After Eli and a few other successes, I had an

emergency case of a politician who had collapsed into a coma and was basically

brain dead due to an overdose of narcotics. That politician was Senator

Harrington. But to his credit, or so I thought, he cleaned up his act. He

renounced drugs and that baller lifestyle that he had adopted and

rededicated himself to his constituency. There was talk of him even becoming

governor.

While he attempted to sway me with platitudes, I had

devised a plan that would work with a 78.637% probability. I could deduce that

the men that Harrington worked with would not be as susceptible to the word "No"

as Harrington and Cisco were.

"Well since you have such faith in me, how can I

possibly decline such a magnanimous offer?" I asked. "However, I will need the

young man that you all are keeping as a guest to assist me in my research."

"Doctor, he is more than just going to help you," said

Harrington. "He's going to be your test subject."