Drool gathered at the corner of Dr. Kendal’s mouth and his eyes still stared at the same point they had moments ago. Kai shook his head. Small grunts came from Dr. Kendal and he was still breathing despite the damage already done. There wasn’t anything Kai could do for the doctor now. But he could save Caryn.
He dashed back to the elevator and pressed the call button. The elevator was still busy, most likely with the man who had just left and when it arrived for a brief moment Kai wondered what he should do if the man was still on it. The urge to hide was strong, but if he did that he would miss the elevator again. He had to get to the Compound, nothing mattered as much. Even his own safety.
The elevator dropped to the ground level and he started running as soon as the gap in the doors was big enough. His adrenaline kicked in and he ran down street after street able to keep a fast pace. Darkness covered the sky in a way that said he still had time, but he didn’t know how long the darkness would stay before it gave way to light.
All the shops, buildings and most of the streets in the city looked abandoned, but once Kai moved beyond the city the silence of the country hit him like a wall. The only noise was his worn shoes against the pavement and the sound of the wind in the trees. A sweetness filled the air and lacked the familiar scents of the city. It was clean, fresh.
The sky was growing lighter and lighter and Kai’s adrenaline was wearing off. He had to slow to a walk or risk coughing as the different air tickled his throat. Soon the crest of the far sun could be seen on the horizon. He could make out a domed structure in the distance and began to walk faster. The trees faded leaving only one or two left between him and the Compound. But Kai’s lungs were not working as well as they used to and he had to keep a slower pace. Each time he breathed he was afraid he would start coughing and never stop. He worked at breathing slowly, in and out. Just put one foot in front of the other. Just make it to the next tree. Just make it to Caryn.
His eyes were tired from staying awake all night and his stomach was empty again. With the quietness around him, his ears quickly picked up the snap of a branch. He focused his attention on the tree he was approaching and noticed a sleeve poking around the far side. The command to run hit his feet right when a burst of noise came from the tree. A familiar figure emerged, raced to the path and blocked his way. It was the T-Man. He wasn’t arrested with the rest of the gang. The T-Man grabbed at Kai’s arm but Kai leaped back out of reach.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” the T-Man said and he pulled out a gun from the back of his pants.
“How did you leave the city?” Kai asked. Then it hit him. “You were never tagged, were you? So, they can’t trace your movements.”
The T-Man laughed. “Why should I put myself in danger when others will do it for me?”
“Why are you here?”
“I knew you’d come this way eventually,” the T-Man said.
Kai took another step back from the T-Man. He didn’t have much time. “Are you going to kill me?”
“The Compound has to pay for what they did,” the T-Man said a cold smile on his lips.
“But I’m not from the Compound really. They don’t even know I exist, so they won’t care if you kill me.”
“I’ll know. And when they perform an autopsy on your body then they’ll know it too. They will see how compromised their system is. Besides you have been a pain to--”
Kai didn’t let him finish. He pushed off the balls of his feet and rammed into the T-Man’s midsection. He wanted to get as close to the gun as possible. Kai grabbed at the gun and for a second he thought he might be able to rip it out of the T-Man’s hand, but the T-Man quickly recovered from the surprise and his grip tightened. With his free hand he tried to push Kai away. Kai could feel himself falling, but he twisted his legs around the T-Man’s and they both fell to the ground.
There was a clatter and the gun fell next to them. Kai could see it, but it was too far for him to grab so he kicked it. The gun scrapped across the pavement and then Kai heard it bounce into the grass. Instead of going after the gun, the T-Man jumped on top of Kai and began punching him in the ribs. Kai didn’t bother blocking. He waited until the T-Man was starting to slow and then he punched him in the throat.
Immediately the T-Man gagged and Kai pushed him off. His ribs hurt, but the playful punches Kai had received from Red had hurt worse. He stood up and leaped out of reach.
“Killing me is not going to help you,” Kai said, his words spilling fast and hot. He held up a hand, but the T-Man was still lying on the ground. “Not if you want to see the Compound go down.”
“I’ll take my chances.” The T-Man rolled his eyes. He coughed once and slowly began to rise.
“What about your sister?”
The T-Man’s head snapped up. “Don’t you talk about her, ever!”
Kai took a step back to put more space between them. “Would she want you to kill a kid like me, or would she want to see the Compound lose the power it has over the people?”
“I said don’t talk about her.” The T-Man lunged at Kai, but Kai was expecting it and stepped to the side at the last second. Kai gave the T-Man a push as he passed and the T-Man fell to the ground.
“Stop. Think,” Kai said. “If you really want to destroy the Compound, I can tell you how.”
“No,” the T-Man said. He stood to his feet again, but it took him longer. The T-Man wasn’t used to fighting himself; he’d had too many guys around who were willing to do it for him. He didn’t have the same confident air Kai had always seen him carry and now Kai could sense weakness. This might actually be a fight he could win.
When he stood up the T-Man swung at Kai’s head. Kai ducked and punched him in the stomach. The T-Man bent over coughing and didn’t see Kai’s swift kick aimed between his legs until it was too late. With a groan, the T-Man sank to the grass his face twisted in pain.
“Listen, collecting the cure doesn’t kill anyone. The anemone isn’t deadly, but everyone who touches it dies because they are given a poison later, a poison called gangerious which is fast and deadly. Tell this to the mayor and she will shut the Compound down and keep them from controlling the cure. It’s a better revenge than killing someone nobody will care about.”
The T-Man didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look at Kai.
“Oh, and tell the mayor that Dr. Kendal needs medical help. He’s in his office,” Kai added and he broke into a trot back toward the Compound.
It was only after he’d gone fifty paces that he realized the gun was still in the grass by the T-Man, but it was too late to go back. Kai watched for any movements out of the corner of his eyes as he continued down the road. He half expected the T-Man to come lumbering after him or to fire at him, but once the Compound’s main gate appeared he forgot everything else. The sidewalks and grass behind the gate were empty. Several buildings had light shining through their windows, but most of the light was coming from a large aquarium at the far end. He checked the gate and it was locked. Kai took a running leap to grab as high on the iron bars as he could.
“Hey! What are you doing?” An old man stuck his head out of the guard house.
Kai dropped to the ground and said. “I’m trying to see Caryn. She asked to see me.”
“You could have just said so,” the old man said. “But you’re late. The ceremony has already started.”
“Can you open the gate?” Kai asked.
“Sure thing.”
A loud buzzer sounded and the gate began to roll back. Kai didn’t wait for it to open all the way. He squeezed through and ran down the path leading to the giant aquarium. The building connected to the Aquarium was brightly lit and Kai could hear someone speaking through the inside speakers, but he couldn’t make out the words.
Then he saw Caryn step out onto a platform overhanging the Aquarium.
“Caryn!” he yelled, but she didn’t turn. He ran harder, his chest making him wheeze. But he was too late. As he
watched, Caryn dove into the Aquarium. She swam down through the greenish water toward the batch of anemones near the corner closest to Kai. He raced to the thick glass and pounded on it. Caryn stopped. She looked, her eyes rested on him and she smiled.
“I tried to get here as soon as I could,” Kai said.
She smiled and swam up to the glass. The bag on her shoulder slipped and she readjusted it. Then she reached out her hand and spread her fingers on the inside of the glass. Kai raised his hand and placed it in the same spot.
“Thank you,” she mouthed the words.
“They’re going to kill you,” Kai said, but she smiled and nodded. He mouthed each word slowly. “You are not safe.”