Outcast: A Corporation Novel (The Corporation) (16 page)

“It’s more than just the elements and Untouchables. More than just death.” He studies me before continuing. “The Corporation has been conducting experiments on the citizens of Neech. But you already know that.” His eyes flash a little hint of irritation. I have a piece of information that he thought only he had. “How long have you known?”

“Long enough,” I say.

“We need to be able to share mutual information, Ethan. If you’re going to sit here and play dumb, I’m wasting my time.” He stands up.

I need to see what else he knows. I hold up a hand. “You’re right, please, sit.” He sits back down and waits for me to continue. “We had suspicions—”

“We?”

“A name isn’t important.” He nods his acceptance of my terms. “We had suspicions that something was going on. That Maute was more than just a sickness sweeping through the city. The bodies were being confiscated.”

“Those are pretty vague clues to let you leap to the fact that something more was going on.”

“I wasn’t finished. There were two turning points. A boy contracted Maute. He was due to die anytime, but he healed. One hundred and ten percent, he healed. But then Guards came and took him. The next day, they told the parents the boy had died.”

“And you knew that was a lie?”

“It had to be.”

“And the second?”

“We found a body in the street. He died of Maute, but showed no outward symptoms. We examined it and found some irregularities in the human anatomy.”

D’mitri’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You have a body? I must see it.” I’ve never seen him dressed in anything but his crisp, tailored suits and calm demeanor. His sudden excitement and loss of control set me back and made me a little nervous. So, I lie.

“We don’t have it anymore. For safety, we had to destroy it.”

D’mitri smoothes out the front of his jacket and sits back, composed once again. “That’s a shame. I would have paid dearly for that firsthand information. What did you find? Don’t try to leave anything out. We are conducting a business deal, and in business, a respectable man is honest when he comes to the table, even if away from the table, he would be otherwise.”

I have a feeling that D’mitri knows what it is we will find. He’s obviously been following this development from within the Inner City; otherwise he wouldn’t have been so excited about the prospect of getting his hands on a corpse. 

“It would appear that the Corporation is trying to alter the human body.” D’mitri nods in agreement with what I’m saying. “But that’s all we know. What about you, what do you know?”

“That’s as far as I have gotten, myself. But I’ll let you know when I find more.”

“So will I.” But we both know the other won’t keep the promise. “It’s late,” I say, standing up. I need to get back to the house and find out what Eta’s learned. “You should get back before anyone knows you’ve gone.”

“Remember our deal, Ethan. You must bring Kayde to me. Do not think of reentering Neech unless he is by your side. I don’t care if it takes you months. If you do not keep up your end of our arrangement, I will make you wish you’d never sought me out.” He holds out his hand. I take it and we grip each other tightly. “Sometimes, I think you are a man with more secrets than I. Good luck, Ethan Hughes, and do not contact me again until you have what I want. This is all I can do to help you. And if I see you again alive, it is because you are stronger than I gave you credit for.”

I close the door after he leaves and watch him disappear into the dark.

Karis

I creep back into the house, shutting the door with controlled care, which is easier said than done because, in my state of mind, all I want to do is slam every door and break every window and throw every object I can get my hands on and the quietness of the house is a buzzing in my ears that is deafening. 

I tiptoe up the stairs, avoiding the boards that creak and groan, and into Ajna’s bedroom. The Untouchable lays there, completely still, his form outlined in the pale moonlight that spills in from the window, and for a brief minute, I'm jealous of how peaceful and unaffected he is by the storm that's exploding around me. There's a bowl of broth on the side table, next to a new water bowl and a rag. I snatch the cloth from the table top and sit down, putting the ball of my foot on the edge of the mattress to unlace my boots.

“You're lucky you weren't at the meeting tonight,” I say between hot puffs of air. “It was a nightmare.” I pull at my boot with a set it on the ground. I put my other foot up and pick at the laces.

I toss the other boot aside and take a breath. I need to settle myself. I take off my scarf and lay it on the back of the chair. I begin the ritual of taking off my duster and mask, laying them behind me with the scarf.

“I was late, again. Ethan was mad at me, again. I got in trouble for not paying attention.
Again
.” I go to the closet and grab a blanket from the shelf. “It's not that I don't care,” I say as I walk back over to the bed. “It's just that I have other things on my mind. Like getting my brother back. I can't even begin to think about taking down the Corporation when my brother isn't even here with me. Safe.” I spread the blanket over the Gandā’s body, tucking it in around his frame. “It's cold outside,” I say, as if my actions need an explanation.

I try to forget about my fight with Ethan. “Nobody is ready to join us, they're all demanding proof we don't have and can't get, because Raj Verna decided to show up and create all this trouble.”

I grab the bowl of water and cloth beside the bed. I test the temperature first, before I begin to wipe him down. I'm glad to find it's not too cold. Papa must have put it here right before going to bed. “Raj used to live across from us, before the Corporation killed his family and took him away.” I dip the cloth in and begin to wash his face. I'm gentle and methodical in my movements, taking greater care around his eyes.

“What disturbs me more than anything, is that I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach he can't be trusted; I can't help but feel that he's here on their behalf. A spy. I can't prove it right now, but I plan to find out.  Ethan’s considering trying to find the proof Raj is demanding. He's not putting any value into what I say when I tell him that it's a trick. It's almost like Ethan’s decided I'm not worth listening to anymore.” I turn Gandā’s head towards the window, sweeping his hair away from his skin so I can wipe down his ear and the side of his neck.

“I got home tonight and Papa digs into me almost right away about the meeting and fighting with Ethan and he’s disagreeing with me about when we should go in and get Ajna back. But it’s all the time.” I sigh, rinsing the rag in the bowl of water. It turns from clean and clear to a dirty tan.

“You probably heard my fight with Papa, actually. I have this temper, apparently. Papa always says I’m just like Mama, that way. But we won't go there. Not tonight, at least.” I turn his head to the other side and start cleaning more of his neck and face.

“Anyway, I left the house to clear my head, and who should I run into? Ethan Hughes. It's like he's following me, or something.” Saying that gives me pause. “I think I screwed up things with him even more than they already were. We got into a huge fight; I don't even know what it was really about. We were arguing about me not paying attention at the meetings, and then that led to other things. It was just all so fast. But—” I choke up just a little. “But I think we might have decided to go our separate ways.”

My throat tightens and I fight the tears pushing at the back of my eyes. I set the dirty, damp cloth back in the chipped bowl and take both hands to gently turn Gandā's head so that he's centered. I tuck the loose hair around his head. I get up and walk to the dresser, rummaging around in the top drawer.

“Something hasn't been sitting right with me about him lately, though. I can't put my finger on what it is, exactly, but I think he's hiding something from me.” I sit back down, a small pair of scissors in my hand and bend over Gandā. I start to trim his unruly beard into something closer cropped and cleaner looking. I collect the chunks of hair into my palm.

I sit back and look at his appearance. His hair seams out of place, now. I take a hunk of hair in my fingers, and hesitate with the scissors. Then I cut. Once the first chunk is out of the way, the rest of his hair is easy. In a matter of moments, I’ve cut all his hair into something that is only about an inch or so long. I smile. He’s looking a little more human, now.

Ethan

Eta is still down in her hidey-hold when I get back from my meeting with D’mitri. She hates that I call it that, says it’s insulting and makes it sound like a Candidate's play room, but I kinda like the name, so I keep using it. She keeps saying that she's going to lock me out.

I lock the back door and make sure all the curtains are drawn tight before I crouch down on the floor and flip the rug back. I crack the trapdoor and call down. “You still there?” There's a distracted mutter of acknowledgment. I turn around and start down the ladder, closing the trap door and pulling the string that puts the rug back into place.

Sharabi is still lying on the table, and beginning to smell a bit. Eta's back is to me and she's stooped over, looking into her microscope that she said she acquired legitimately. But I don't really believe that.

“How’d the meeting go?” She’s still looking at whatever it is that’s on the slide.

“Interesting.”

She looks up and starts making notes on a sheet of paper before changing slides and looking at something new, scribbling new notes without taking her eyes from what she’s studying. “So,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at me, “tell me about it.”

“He was at the house before I was.” I look around for a clear spot on the counter and hop up.

“Get down.”

I slide back off and lean against the ladder, instead. “He wished me luck out in the Further with Dhevan and Raj. He said not to trust Raj, but that’s a given.”

“How did he know all this?”

I shrug, even though she can't see me, but do it anyway. “He knows everything, so I guess he would know that, too.”

“Did he have the information you were after?”

“And then some.”

She looks back at me again, squinting. “Oh?”

“He gave me a map of the Further.”

She stands up straight and brushes off her hands. “Let me see it.” I pull it out from my back pocket and hand it over. She unfolds and studies it. “This looks to be an original.”

“That's what I thought.”

“The Corporation is going to know it's missing. They won't be happy about it.”

“If it’s even from them. Whoever the owner is, they'll want to get it back fast and they won’t be forgiving to whoever holds it.”

“It would appear the Corporation, or whoever, has been out to the Further several times. What are the symbols? And what’s the blank spot?” She hands it back.

“I'm not sure. D’mitri didn't go over the translation. He did say though, it's where the Corporation has been going every time they venture out. It's a project to expand their empire.”

“More cities like ours?” she says.

I pause. I hadn't thought about it, but it would make sense, in a way. My father’s too ambitious and the Corporation too power hungry to stop at just two cities if they had the option of acquiring more. “Could be,” I say, a new hope rising in my chest.

“Anything else?”

“He gave me a present.” I pull the knife out from the back of my pants and show it to her.

She looks at it with nothing more than a curl of her lip, refusing to take it. “Good. You'll need something out there to protect yourself, if it comes down to it.” She isn't the least bit surprised by D’mitri's offering. “What is the payment?”

This part makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I remind myself that I'm going to make things right when I get back and free Kayde from whatever it is D’mitri will have him bound by. “D’mitri says there’s a person out in the Further he wants me to bring back.”

“You're dealing in human lives now, are you?” Her sudden fire and disgust make me press my back into the ladder behind me. My instinct is to try and escape her presence. But like I've said before, she's a spry old woman, and she’s up in my face too fast and her finger is poking my chest, leaving instant bruises, I'm sure. “You have no right to go and pluck a man from his life to give him to a cretin like D’mitri! You are no better than your father, if you do.”

Her comment angers me, and not because I'd been trying to talk myself out of that same realization. “I am nothing like my father, because I'm doing this for the greater good. I had no other choice. Once D’mitri names his price, there is no negotiating.” I look at her microscope. “You should know that. How much did that cost?”

The line of her mouth thins out. “That is none of your business. I trade for
things
not people.”

“It's not like I'm going to leave Kayde with D’mitri for long. As soon as I can, I'm going to get him back. Besides, if I don't bring him back to Neech, D’mitri will take payment from somewhere else, and it will be far more expensive.” Like the lives of those I care about.

“Kayde?” She straightens up.

“Yeah, that's what D’mitri said he goes by out there. Although, I don't know how he would have any idea about what he would call himself or where he would be. He said if I follow the map, I'll get my answers and find this Kayde fellow.”

Eta sighs and turns back around. “I'm not happy about the price you agreed to pay—”

“Like I said, it's not as if I could have negotiated.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Don't interrupt. It's rude.” She makes a note on her sheet back at the microscope. “I'm not happy about the price, but if you don't make it right when you get back—as soon as you get back—I will make your life hell.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” I say, walking up next to her. “Have you finished the autopsy?”

She looks over her shoulder and raises a brow, but doesn’t ask what I mean. “Just finishing up, and what I found is
very
interesting.” She pulls her glasses from her nose and sets them down. “How much do you know about the human body?”

I raise my eyebrows and smile with the right side of my mouth. “About the female body? Not as much as I’d like.”

She gives me a disapproving frown. “Talking like that in front of me? Where are your manners?”

“You’re right, I'm sorry. It's a default mechanism I have. I'm working on it. I know the basics, but if you're implying about what goes on in there,” I wave a vague finger in the air above the corpse and its exposed insides, “not very much. So use small words.”

“The human body is made up of anywhere between sixty and seventy percent water. It's stored in various parts of the body—between the skin, cells, blood, organs, muscles, et cetera. Everything in the body is surrounded by water. When the body becomes dehydrated, it’ll pull what it needs from any of those areas to keep the vital functions going to prolong survival for as long as possible—the heart, brain, lungs, liver, kidneys. They're roughly sixty five to seventy five percent water.

“In ideal conditions, the body can survive for only a few days, a week at the most, before critical functions start to shut down. In a hostile environment, such as the Further, the body would only be able to last for a matter of hours; possible a day or two.”

“What happens, when the body doesn't have enough water?”

She takes a breath. “A lot of things, but not all at once. At first, a person would notice muscle fatigue, cramping. The joints would become stiff and grinding. Skin loses its elasticity and becomes papery and stiff. There's the risk of heat stroke, the throat and lungs get dried out. Finally, as the brain begins to shut down, disorientation and hallucinations descend. Or, at least, that's how it's supposed to work.”

“And Maute has changed that normal process?”

“Very much. It would seem that the Corporation is trying to design a new human. One that could survive days—possibly weeks—in non-ideal situations.”

“What have they changed?”

“I think the better question is what haven't they changed? Dangers for survival include exposure to the elements, lack of water and food.” She walks over to the body. “Come over here and look at this.”

I stand next to her. “What am I looking for?”

She picks up Sharabi's arm. “Look at his skin.”

I bend down and look closely, making a point not to touch it. His skin has taken on a gray, waxy appearance. “That's because he's dead, right?”

Eta shakes her head. “What else do you notice?”

I look at the hair. It's dark and thick. But that could just be him. Against my better judgment, I reach out and lightly brush the hair with the pads of my fingers. It's coarse, and something else. I furrow my brow and run my fingers over his forearm back and forth. It's familiar, in a way. “Is his hair
thicker
than normal?”

She nods. “It is. It's very similar to wool.”

“Is that...normal?”

“For an animal, yes. For a human, not in the slightest. Wool is an excellent insulator. It protects from the heat, keeping the skin cool, and at night, it prevents heat from escaping the body. And the skin is leathery, tougher than normal, which you would know if you weren't afraid to touch it. I can only assume it's for protection against the elements—sun, wind, what animals might be out there. It also hinders perspiration, keeping much needed water inside the body. And look at this,” she takes a small, sharp knife and pressed it into the skin. It indents, but doesn’t cut. It takes a considerable amount of pressure on her end for the blade to pierce the skin.

“That's disturbingly impressive,” I say, a bit cautiously.

Eta sets the scalpel down and lifts up a flap of skin that would normally cover the chest cavity. “Our skin is made up of three layers, the top layer of skin, a second layer of made up of nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, and a third, fatty layer. The second layer is the thickest.” She holds the flap up. “Look at this, the first layer is the thickest layer.”

She's right. It's about a quarter of an inch thick. “How thick should it be?” I ask.

Eta holds up a few sheets of paper. “This thick. That's one of the reasons it was so hard to move him, the increased weight of the skin.”

“That can't be the only reason, though.”

“No, it's not. He also has increased muscle mass. Quickly obtained, too.” She points to a section of exposed muscle in his abs. “They're torn from rapid growth. Here's where it's started scarring and building up again.”

“This is getting kind of creepy.”

“You have no idea,” she says. “Among having a set of double eyelashes—”

“
Double
eyelashes?”

“What have I said about interrupting? When I autopsied the brain, I noticed an intricate latticework of veins and arteries encasing the brain. To keep it cool in extreme heat. This is amazing. Genius, really.”

When it all comes together, I look up at Eta, my eyes so wide it feels like I'm trying to push them out of my skull. “They're not just making a human that can withstand The Further, they’re engineering a super human. A better soldier.”

“One that’s faster, stronger, tougher, more resilient. Is that close to what D’mitri told you?”

“He knows about the experiments the Corp is doing with Maute, but he didn’t let on to knowing anything more than that. Although I’m sure he knows as much as, if not more than, we do. My father's plans are bigger than I thought. I never could have imagined he'd be capable of this much....”

“...Ingenuity?”

“Insanity,” I say, appalled. “Don't tell me you agree with what he's doing? Human experimentation? You just got after me for the deal I made about Kayde.”

“I don't agree with how he's going about doing it, Ethan, but our world is changing, and in our current form, we are not well equipped to survive without being dependent on something like The Corporation or abundant resources.”

“But people are dying for this experiment! And worst yet, they're not even being given the chance to agree or disagree with what my father is doing to their bodies.”

She holds up her hands. “I don't agree with how this is being done, and it needs to be stopped. But that doesn't change the fact that this is important work that’s being done.”

I know where she's coming from, but I'm still disgusted. “So this is what was happening to Kalaen? And he's survived, a success. And now the Corporation has him, to do who knows what with, to find out why he's a success.”

“We can't focus on that right now. We need to focus on what we're going to do with this information. We know, now that whatever it is your father's after, it’s definitely out in the Further. Use this information we've gathered to help yourself.”

“How?”

“I don't know yet. It's probably going to be something that you realize when you're out there. Just make sure you have your wits about you.” She turns her back to me and I hear her rustling with some of her notes and paperwork. There's the sound of vials being wrapped and clinked together. When she turns back around, she has a small pouch in her hands, filled with the things she was just working with. “I want you to take this with you.” She puts it in my hands. “It may help.”

I look at her in confusion. “I don't think a vial of blood will do me much good out in the Further.”

“It’s rumored that outside the Corporation’s control, there are colonies. Communities that are fighting some of the same things we are. If those rumors are true, they'll need this. And maybe they can figure out what we cannot.”