Am I? When I see how scared Seth is, part of me wants to say I’m terrified by the possibility. But then I think about how great it would be to see my own reflection in a mirror, and I smile. There’s only one answer: “Yes.”
Allie smiles back. “Then let’s go.”
Chapter 36
The beating of helicopter propellers fills the air as we head for the back field, and my hair whips around in every direction. The helicopter isn’t the small kind, but one of those big ones that have propellers in every possible place. My ears hurt as we get closer, and I glance at Hector. He crams his hands against his ears, clearly in pain.
When I climb into the nearest open door, Graham’s right there strapping me in. Usually I’d protest, but I’ve never been in one of these and he makes me feel safe. He hands me a set of headphones and moves on to the others.
My fingers dig into my knees as the helicopter lifts into the sky. I close my eyes, figuring I already know where the factory is so why freak myself out more? What really matters is seeing what they’ve done to the place in the weeks since they’ve been here. My bet is we won’t even recognize it.
The descent is awful but quick. By the time I open my eyes the helicopter hits the ground with a jolt.
An extremely tall—abnormally tall—woman in uniform heads straight for The Major and Allie, who listen intently while the woman speaks in hushed tones. Allie comes towards us. “Let’s get you comfortable while the Major deals with the escalation of violence in town.”
The word “violence” hits me, and I begin to panic. Sure wish the mic on my glasses worked both ways. “Will you get my family out? What about the Navarros? They’ll probably both be main targets for The Phantom if we’re gone.”
Major Norton stops his conversation with the crazy tall woman. “Don’t worry, Fiona, that’s what I’m about to do. Graham, if you could come with me—we’ll probably need your help.”
“Yes, sir.” Graham puts his hands on my shoulders. “Allie will take care of you, okay, sis? There’s nothing to be afraid of now.”
I nod, though I still feel uneasy.
“This way,” Allie says. We walk past dozens of tents, which I assume hold at least a handful of men apiece. Clearly they’ve continued to bring in more forces as things have gotten worse. I had no idea there were this many under Major Norton’s command, and it makes me feel small and silly with my little band of friends.
Once we get past the tents, there’s a big clearing. In the center is a metal structure that is squat and round, like an armored turtle buried in the sand. Armed guards surround it, and as far as I can see there’s only one small door on it, directly in front of us.
This must be the entrance to the excavated factory.
I hold my breath as Allie shows the guards her badge. They part, but she still has to put her palm to a scanner. Then she sticks her face up against a machine to scan her retina. Finally, a mechanical voice says, “Name, please.”
“Allison Porter.” The door opens after a whiff and a clank. “Welcome to the Radison Manufacturing Company, everyone, birthplace of Radiasure.”
The stairs seem to go on forever. Sickly yellow lights guide our way—they’re just enough to make sure we don’t kill ourselves falling down the endless steps. The air smells like the desert after a storm, when the ground is fleetingly damp before the sun comes out again.
“You know what would be nice right now?” Carlos’ voice sounds too loud in the cavernous dark space. “An elevator.”
Allie smirks. “There will probably be one in the future, but it wasn’t exactly the first priority when there was so much more to restore down here.”
“Just how big is this place?” Brady asks. There’s an enthusiasm in his words I didn’t expect. Then I realize he might be as excited by the idea of a cure as I am—he’d never have to worry about hurting someone by accident again.
“I’m not sure,” Allie says. “They’re still digging. The Major seems to have a good idea of what this place is like, though—maybe he’ll explain it to you now that you’re here. I’m sure curious about it.”
“He hasn’t told you?” I have to admit I’m surprised.
She seems annoyed, but pushes it aside. “I’m not privy to all top secret information. Just the things that involve my experiments.”
“Huh,” is all Seth says. I glance at him, sure he’s thinking a lot more than that. He hasn’t said anything since we left the office, and I can’t tell whether he’s happy to be here or not.
Finally the lights below are close enough that I realize we’re looking at the floor of a giant hallway. The tiles are midnight blue, as are the walls. Thick cables run along the baseboards, a smaller chord diverging from the bulk to a light every twenty yards or so.
“We’ve just barely gotten this place in workable order,” Allie explains. “The rooms were mostly intact, but all the wiring and plumbing has been damaged by age or the blast that destroyed the above-ground portion of the factory. That’s why we couldn’t initially set up my lab here.”
We make a left when the hallway forks, and after another right turn the place is suddenly alive with workers. Some are cleaning, while others seem to be rigging more wires and pipes. The distinct sound of machinery can be heard, so I figure if we keep going we’ll find the place where they’re still excavating.
But what’s most interesting is that there are doors along the hallway. They are numbered crudely with spray paint. Offices? Testing rooms? Workers’ quarters? I don’t know what they used to be, but for some reason they make this place more real. People used to work here, making this drug that changed the world. Did they know what they were doing? Were they proud or ashamed? Or maybe it was just a job like any other.
Seth grabs my arm out of nowhere, stopping me as our group goes forward. His lips brush against my ear as he says, “Fiona, there are people in those rooms.”
I force myself to remain calm despite Seth’s clear worries. This is where I’ll be when I take the first dose of Allie’s cure. “That makes sense.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say? That I’m backing out?” I pull away from him. “If you’re still so upset about it, why are you even here?”
He purses his lips, glaring at me so hard I have to look away. “Because I don’t have a choice. What, did you think I’m here as a show of support?”
“No.” But I hoped. I walk quickly to catch up with the group.
Allie opens a door with the number twelve painted on it. “This will be your room during testing, Fiona. Since the equipment is still being unloaded, you’ll have to wait here until then.”
“Okay.” I walk forward as confidently as I can, but then stop at the door. “Um, Allie?”
“Yes?”
“Would it be okay if I could wait until my mom and Miles get here? I don’t want them to miss it. You know, if it happens.”
Allie purses her lips, seeming reluctant. “We really need to start all the testing at the same time, but hopefully we’ll have word from them before that. Don’t worry too much—I’ve projected that at this stage of development, the cure, if it works, should last several days.”
“Oh.” My heart soars at the thought. I didn’t dare hope it would last that long. “Okay then.”
I head into the room, which is sparse to say the least. There is only a bed and a chair, plus a small nightstand stacked with medical stuff. The wall to the right is a mirror, ceiling to floor. I worry it’s one of those observation windows where you can see through on the other side, but I’m still glad for it. I want to see everything I can if this works.