Botanicaust (14 page)

Again the man spoke, his nostrils flaring. Then he laughed and pointed at the gamma pad on the floor of the cell.

Levi picked up the pad. He offered it to the man.

Again the man laughed. Taking the pad between thumb and forefinger, he disappeared up the stairs without another word.

Minutes after Tula found the girls, Burn Operatives had located Jo Boy stumbling drunkenly across the Burn. He had refused to come peaceably. The Ops had followed procedure and taken him down.

Sitting numbly by the hospital beds where Rhomy and Nika lay unconscious, Tula kept picturing the blackened body in Bats
’
s arms. Jo Boy hadn
’
t even had someone to hold him in his last moments. The hollowness in the pit of her stomach threatened to consume her.

Luckily, the girls were alive. Barely. Between the UV exposure and being surrounded in plant matter, their systems overflowed with alkaloids. They
’
d strapped each girl to a gurney. Tubes and monitors snaked every which way around them
—
but not the most important tube.

“
They
’
ll die without treatment,
”
Tula argued.

The Medical Operative in charge nodded.
“
Policy on Reversions is no excess resources. Telomerase treatments are out of the question.
”

“
So, you
’
re saying if these were native Haldanians, you
’
d help them.
”

“
Of course. Their parents could foot the bill. The Conversion Department is very strict with funding.
”

Tula rubbed her face with trembling hands. She could not bear any more death.
“
I
’
ll pay the bill, then. How much?
”

The Med Op twisted one side of his mouth and shook his head.
“
You don
’
t want to know, Dr. Macoby. One of them, maybe you could afford.
With two year
’
s salary.
Both? We couldn
’
t allow it.
”

“
You can
’
t let them die!
”
Rhomy had already been through a bout of seizures, and her brain waves were erratic.

“
Even if I were to treat them, at this point they likely have irreversible brain damage. They
’
d be a drain on Protectorate resources for the rest of their lives.
”

Tula
’
s voice trembled.
“
They might survive without telomerase therapy.
”

The man
’
s eyes shifted away.
“
That
’
s a matter for the Conversion Department.
”

She knew what he meant. Euthanization. She stroked Nika
’
s tiny green hand. Blisters from the plants dotted the once smooth surface of her clammy skin.
“
I
’
ll pay for Nika. I want to save at least one.
”

“
This is highly unusual,
”
the Med Op sputtered.

“
Just do it!
”
Tula spun and glared at him. His gaze drifted to her scar and his lips clamped shut, but he nodded. Tula could barely breathe over the tightness in her chest.
“
Yes, I
’
m a convert, too. It doesn
’
t make me less Haldanian.
”

“
I
’
ll get a gene tech in here immediately.
”
He scurried away without making eye contact.

Taking Rhomy
’
s hand, she shuddered with repressed tears. After a few controlled inhalations, she put her fingertips to Rhomy
’
s tiny, naked chest. The girl
’
s heartbeat fluttered under her breastbone, and her breathing rose and fell almost as quickly.
“
I
’
m sorry, Rhomy.
”

Unstoppable tears ran down her cheeks. Letting Rhomy go hurt so much. But Nika was the more stable patient, the better choice to save. Tula would have given her own life to save them both.

A female tech arrived and began setting up the telomerase cocktail. She looked between the girls and then at Tula.
“
Which one?
”

Tula hesitated,
then
lifted a trembling finger toward Nika.

Levi normally marked the passage of time by the arrival of his food canisters. The supply so far had barely been enough to keep away his hunger, but now his stomach growled in full complaint. The usual feeding
time came and went, and still
no Tula. The horrible man who
’
d confiscated his gamma pad had not reappeared, either, and Levi
’
s concern for Tula grew.

With no gamma pad, no food, and nothing to do but pace, he curled up on the too-small cot and closed his eyes.

He woke from a dream of chewing sweet blades of spring hay while basking in the sunlight with Tula. At the foot of his cot, she sat with her hands in her lap and her head bowed.

“
Tula!
”
All escape plans
forgotten,
he lurched upright and threw his arms around her in a relieved hug.

Her arms slid around him in return. The warm scent of her hair, the silky texture of her skin beneath his fingers stirred him as if he were still dreaming. Her shuddering breaths against his bared shoulder smelled lightly like evergreen, reminding him who and what she was.

Jerking away, he adjusted the blanket to hide the obvious rise in his lap. Self-disgust overrode his concern for her. He was afraid to touch her.
To go through with his plan.
You have to do it.

She didn
’
t move from her spot. Her shoulders sagged as if in defeat, and again his compassion threatened his resolve.

He counted his breathing. In. Out. In.
Think of Josef
. His courage strengthened.
But not enough to act.

“
Where is your gamma pad, Levi?
”
Tula looked around the cell, her eyes listless.

His head nodded toward the stairway.
“
Man.
”

She frowned.
A sad frown.
“
Vitus.
”
Looking at her hands folded in her lap, she fell silent.

Why are you hesitating?
Now was the perfect time to act. Josef needed him. But Tula already looked wounded. Betraying her now might break his heart.

He cleared his throat.
“
Vitus? Cannibal?
”
He didn
’
t know the word for bad.

Tula barked a laugh. The sound drummed against his heart, weakening his growing determination.
“
Yes. Bad.
”
She reached over and covered Levi
’
s hands with hers, her eyes sincere.

His entire body tightened for action, but he couldn
’
t move.

She tightened her fingers around his.
“
Vitus wants Levi
…
”

The rest of the words were foreign, but her face gave away her meaning. The green man intended to harm him. But he
’
d already figured that. All the Blattvolk wanted to harm him.

With that thought, he twisted his hand to grasp both of hers in a vice and yanked her close, his other arm around her throat. She choked off a gasp. For a split second he loosened a bit, worried he was hurting her. Then his resolve tightened along with his arm.
“
Let me free,
”
he growled in her ear.

Rising, he pulled her length against him. Her toes skittered across the cement floor as he all but carried her to the door. With his arm still wrapped around Tula
’
s neck, he released her left hand and pushed the right through the bars toward the locking pad. Her free hand scrabbled against his bicep as she struggled.
“
Levi, no. Levi
—
”
she gasped, then went limp. He pressed her hand to the pad and heard the familiar click of the lock releasing.

In awe of his own force, he stood motionless a few heartbeats, her hand hovering over the lock, palm open. His fingers almost completely covered the pink mark on her forearm. The bones beneath his fingertips were fragile in his grasp. Trembling so hard his legs barely supported
him,
he could barely support her weight sagging against him.

Lowering Tula until her feet connected with the floor, he let her arm go and jerked the cell door open.

With both hands free, she didn
’
t fight back. She stood and sobbed convulsively. Her head fell back against his chest, soft hair catching in the stubble on his chin.
“
Stop crying.
”
His voice was a raw, low growl in his throat.

Why did this feel all wrong?
He should be striding up the stairs, right now. But his feet remained frozen in place.
“
Move.
”

“
Levi,
”
she whispered.
“
Levi, no. Vitus will kill you.
”
The same words as before.
Now, he knew the meaning.

He hadn
’
t realized, but he
’
d loosened his grip around her neck. She twisted to face him, not trying to break free. She looked up into his face with red-rimmed blue eyes and pleaded with her soul.
“
Please.
”
Her hands slid up his chest to cup his cheeks.
“
You are not cannibal.
”

She was right. He wasn
’
t this person. Swallowing, Levi let his arm drop. His breathing barely kept up with his need for air.

He stepped backward into the cage.