Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

RILEY, WHO WAS drinking a cup of coffee full of spliced together insect-mammal-Bub-salamander DNA that morning, was nominated to go and check on Jonathan.

She'd had her first cup of it in her cabin the next morning. She'd sat in her perfectly decorated living room, clutching it, wondering what the hell had even happened to her. How could she have come to work in a place that was so quickly falling to shit?

A man had died yesterday.

She had hardly even processed that.

She'd been captured by a creature, had his weird needle-like protuberances stuck into her, been rescued, and then watched everyone in the whole place get into a big argument. She was too blindsided to even know how she felt about this.

If a helicopter had set down and said she could go home, she would not have said no.

No helicopter was coming, however. So, at this point, she was in survival mode.

She finished her coffee, then left her cabin, looking for anyone else. In the mess hall, there was breakfast. It was prepackaged, frozen, and she had to heat it herself, but it had been created by some big-deal chef, and it was actually pretty good. She was in the middle of eating it with Angela when Harris and some of the other guards came in and everyone started wondering about Jonathan.

That's when they said she should go check on him.

So, she did, leaving behind her second cup of coffee.

On her way to Jonathan's cabin, however, she was intercepted by Nancy, whose eyes were bloodshot and who looked as if she hadn't slept or showered. She was coming down the dirt path, clutching her elbows.

Riley stopped and called out to Nancy, asking if she was all right.

Nancy, blank and listless, stared through her. "He destroyed everything. It's all gone. I thought I wanted it, but now, in the wake of it, I wonder. What's Anderson going to do with me now? Maybe he'll find me somewhere else. There's nothing left here."

"Who destroyed what?" said Riley.

"You want to see?" Nancy turned and walked up the path.

Riley hesitated, looking back at Jonathan's cabin, and then went after Nancy. They went into the lab, and Riley realized she still didn't have a keycard. She wasn't sure what had happened to Dr. White's body. Was it in this building somewhere? Would it be shipped back to his loved ones so that they could bury him? Why was there so little communication with the outside here?

It didn't make sense. They all had access to the internet, after all. Of course, her own phone had been waterlogged and ruined when Bub had captured her, so she was going to need a replacement, but she had her laptop back in her cabin and a tablet as well.

At any time, they could tell anyone what was going on here.

But she was pretty sure everyone was keeping their mouths shut.

For the sake of Anderson Scott? Because of that NDA they'd all signed? Were they just crazy?

Then they entered the back room, and she let out a little whimper.

She hurried to the middle of the room where Bub was motionless and dead. He'd been bludgeoned to death. Her breath came in wheezes. "Jonathan didn't do this!"

"Well, who else?" said Nancy. "None of the guards have access to this building."

Riley stood up. "You have access, I see."

"Me?" said Nancy. "Why would I do this?"

HARRIS'S LIPS TWISTED . "Everyone knows you want out of here, Nancy."

They were all back in the mess hall, everyone except Jonathan, because Riley hadn't gone to get him yet. She'd marched straight back here to announce the news, and it seemed everyone agreed with her. Nancy had killed Bub.

"I did not do it!" Nancy threw up her hands. "I'm not even strong enough."

"Oh, well, Dr. Greyson there, he's Hercules," laughed Harris.

"I'm surprised you can even make a mythology reference," came Jonathan's voice. He stepped inside the door. He hadn't shaved, and his stubble was dark on his chin. He sauntered into the room.

"Tell them!" Nancy said. "Tell them that I didn't do it, you did!"

Jonathan raised his eyebrows.

Riley hurried over to him. "Jonathan, you'd best come with me. There's something you need to know." She didn't think the scientist would want to hear the news in front of Harris or the others. It would be cruel to do that to him, because he'd likely be emotional. It was complicated, certainly, but she knew that Jonathan had indicated yesterday that Bub was his friend.

It was all disgusting right now, and she knew that, but she felt oddly detached from her emotions. I'm overwhelmed, she decided. Anyone would be overwhelmed after going through everything she'd gone through.

Jonathan gave her an appraising look. He looked at Nancy and then back at Riley. Then he shook his head. "Nancy started it," he said darkly. "I had to finish it. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but I had no choice."

Riley was stunned. "Y-you did that to Bub?"

"Nancy came into the lab with a bat and started destroying tanks," said Jonathan. "Bub got free, and with that glass broken, there was no other place to contain him. I tranqed him first. He didn't feel it." His face twisted, and he looked away. "He was too dangerous to be free."

Riley put her hand to her chest. "Well, then… what does this mean?"

"It means it's over," said Jonathan. He nudged his way past her. "I hope someone's started a pot of coffee."

Everyone was silent.

Nancy lifted her head. "I guess everyone's going to want me to apologize, but I didn't know. I didn't know that thing was trying to mate with—" She broke off. She stalked across the room and snatched the mug out of Jonathan's hands. "It stuck things in my stomach." She pointed at herself.

Jonathan took the mug back. "Yes, I'm aware of that."

Angela spoke up. "It did that to me, too."

"What was it doing?" said Nancy. "What did it do to me?"

"I have no idea," said Jonathan, pushing past her and pouring himself some coffee.

"Wait," spoke up Harris in a wary voice. "What are we saying about… about mating?"

"Bub was an amphibian," said Jonathan. "We're mammals. His kind doesn't have live young. They lay eggs. There's no compatibility, and there's no reason to worry."

"Except you don't know that," Riley spoke up.

"So, it could have done something to me, to my… uterus or something?" said Nancy.

"We'll get back to civilization and I'm sure Anderson Scott will pay for the best doctors to make sure you're all fine," said Jonathan. His eyes were dull. "If not, that's just one more awful thing I've done." He took a drink of coffee. "I think I want to get drunk. Back to my cabin to put a nice dollop of something stronger in this." He raised the mug and started to walk toward the door.

Nancy stepped into his path. "No."

"No?" He squinted at her.

"I'm not contacting Anderson Scott until you figure out what that thing did to me." Nancy put her fists on her hips.

"How am I supposed to do that?" said Jonathan.

"Figure it out," said Nancy.

Jonathan let out a sigh. He backed up and took a drink of his coffee.

"Nancy, you want out of here," said Harris. "You're going to hold all that up? Keep all of us here?"

"Yes," said Nancy. "Because I can guarantee you that Anderson Scott only cares about himself and his bottom line. If we've killed his little lizardthing, he's done with us. He won't look after us."

"He will if he thinks it'll make him look bad," said Jonathan.

"Maybe," said Nancy. "Or maybe he shuts us up. I was never going to kill it, Dr. Greyson. I can't believe you killed it."

"Had to," said Jonathan.

"Shuts us up how?" said Harris.

Nancy shrugged. "He has all kinds of ways."

"You're not saying that he'd hurt us," spoke up Peter Mann.

"Oh, Anderson Scott would never do that," said Nancy, broadly sarcastic.

Harris pressed his lips together. "All right, all right, well look. You, Miss Manes, are going to bring all of your electronics here right now to me."

"No, I'm not," said Nancy.

Harris drew his gun and pointed it at her head. "I'm taking command of this place. No one's going to ask questions, because I've got a gun. That clear?"

Jonathan sipped coffee, looking nonplussed.

Riley looked down, squeezing her hands into fists. Somehow, she wasn't entirely surprised. Maybe, it only seemed like a natural progression at this point.

"I will decide when we contact Anderson Scott," said Harris. "I will decide what we say. I will decide all of it. And everyone will do exactly what I say. That clear?"

It was clear, Riley guessed. Because no one said anything.