Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

“What are you doing? Get out,” I shouted, as I pushed. They shrugged and followed me, lazily. I twisted and opened the door with my back, holding the door open while the drunk students stumbled out.

“Roz! Finally,” Ash shouted, as he ran toward me. I staggered back with the force of him wrapping his arms around me. “Come on. We’ve been trying to get all these idiots back, but,” he stared at my outstretched hands, “what is that?”

I nodded for him to move as I walked. “I think it’s the toxin. I couldn’t do anything with the bomb. Is there anyone else left in there?”

He took the cylinder from me in one hand, and then grabbed my hand with the other. He took off at a run and pulled me with him. “Shouldn’t be. We’ve been trying to get them all over to the Keep. It looks to be the safest place right now, its deserted. Warwick’s in there now trying to reach someone.”

I looked through the night to see hordes of people casually walking toward the old castle. They were still laughing, some carrying bottles and cans. I watched as Bree and Jay pushed their way through the crowd to reach us.

“You took your bloody time,” Bree shouted. “Thought we were going to have to go in there and drag you out.”

“Sorry, I wanted to get this free first.” I nodded toward the cylinder in Ash’s hands. “We don’t have much time; the blinking was pretty fast by the time I was leaving.”

The four of us turned and looked at the building. The swirling orange light lit the area as the fire alarm continued to scream. We waited in silence as the crowd began to lounge on the grass. They continued to drink and talk, joking around unaware of the danger. We were the only ones which knew what was about to happen.

The alarm stopped. It was like a pause before the storm. The rumble began at my feet. Through the gravel path, I could feel the ground quake. Ash gripped me tighter against his body as we stood back, shielding our eyes as the ground floor windows exploded. The crowd around us separated. Some ran to stand with us out of reach, some ran away, screaming. The windows of the second, third and fourth floors exploded simultaneously, showering the surrounding grass. The rumbling grew deeper as a cloud of dust engulfed the building. Bone splitting crunches stabbed the air, bearing down on us savagely. We watched as the high levels fell to be swallowed by the erupting cloud of destruction.

As fast as it began, it ended. The cloud of dust lingered in the air as the first sight of the rubble came into view. We stepped forward as one, slowly walking to the edge of the dust cloud.

“We were just in time,” I said. “Are we sure everyone got out?”

Ash rubbed my arm and held me close. “They all got out. This could’ve been a lot worse if you hadn’t got this out though.” He held up the cylinder of toxin.

Bree began to laugh and sat on the grass cross legged. She sat watching the dust settle over the mountain of rubble. Jay sat beside her. I pulled Ash down to the ground as we took our place.

Jay took Bree’s hand. “Here’s to teamwork.”

Bree clasped my hand and held it up. “Teamwork.”

I held Ash’s hand as the four of us sat and watched. We had done it. The bomb had gone off, but we got everyone out and the toxin away. The people around us began to move in closer, each edging toward the mound. Dust was still thick in the air, blocking the view of the rubble.

All movement halted as my heart sank.

My hand fell flat to the floor and I felt a second quake rumble through me.

“Another?” Bree asked.

The gravel clattered on the path as the sound of rumbling grew louder. Ear splitting booms ripped through the campus. Two, three, four, the explosions seemed to surround us. Screams and panicked cries rang through the crowd as they ran in all directions. Ash pulled me to my feet, his hand tight, protectively around my shoulders. I clung to him as the continuing rumbling reverberated through my legs and up my spine. Where ever it was coming from, it was close. They were close.

A girl screamed and pointed to my left. The four of us span to see the science buildings engulfed in smoke and dust. Like dominoes, lab after lab crumbled to the ground. I gripped my arm over my stomach as a wave of dread filled me. I’d tied Fern up in there. I had restrained her.

The rumbling grew stronger from behind. We twisted again to see a dust explosion erupting from the far side of the campus.

“What the hell is happening? Do you think he’s going to blow up the whole university?” Bree shouted, over the screaming students.

The four of us stood closer together, not knowing which direction to run. I watched, speechless, as students pushed and shoved each other out of the way as panic took them. A girl tripped to the floor as a mob of guys rushed past her. She screamed as people trampled her in the rush to escape. Jay lunged forward and pulled her to her feet. Streaks of blood crossed her tear lined face. She gripped his jacket, clinging to safety.

I turned slowly, taking in the scene of destruction. The row of science labs were now a smoking line of rubble. Fires were beginning to push through the dust and bricks. In the distance, black smoke billowed toward the sky. From where, I had no idea. I jumped as a loud boom once again echoed through the campus. It had come from the direction of the far smoke.

“How many has he set?” I shouted, over the chaos.

“That sounds like explosions,” Jay said, “but, not the same as the bombs. What do you think it was?”

Ash dropped his head into his hands. “That’s the direction of the garages. I think that’s the cars exploding.”

I looked to Bree as her face paled. She had locked Levins and Teresa in there. Her eyes met mine as tears welled. I turned away, unable to see the reflection of myself.

We were murderers.

Dawn was still fresh when the first signs of help arrived. We all stood in groups, helpless, clueless of what to do next. The helicopter arrived first. It lowered over our heads as we scrambled to clear the grass. Its heavy rotating blades stirred up dust, forcing us to shield our eyes. We stood with the mass of students in a circle surrounding the vehicle.

Before the slats touched the ground, soldiers filed out of the open doors, guns in hand. I scrambled back, my trembling hands covering my mouth. The soldiers were dressed in the now familiar stealth black. They stood in position, equally spaced and facing us, holding their guns threateningly. One made his way forward toward me. I sucked in a breath, but held my chin firm. As he approached, my eyes couldn’t help but fixate on the gun. It was matt black, covered in switched and notches. It looked nothing like I had ever seen on films. He held it with two hands, swinging in motion like it was a part of him. Ash pulled me close as the soldier passed, followed by three identically dressed teammates. On the other side of the circle, the rest of the soldiers filtered out in every direction. 

Once the soldiers were clear, two men emerged from the helicopter. Both were dressed in similar uniform. They took a few steps forward and looked around the crowd.

“Where are the officials?” One of the soldiers shouted. The crowd silenced. He looked around as no-one replied. “Where are your tutors?” Murmurs broke out through the crowd. I hadn’t seen any tutors since all this began.

Ash squeezed my hand and pulled me through the crowd with him. He nodded to Bree, Warwick and Jay to follow. The five of us entered the no-man’s land between the crowd and soldiers. The sound of our feet crunching on the glass strewn grass emphasised our solitude. We came to a stop a few paces from the men. I saw that they were wearing similar gear to the other soldiers, but without so many extras.

“Sir,” Ash said, and saluted. The man nodded his head in return. “We haven’t seen any tutors other than Doctor Levins tonight.”

“And, where is Doctor Levins now?” The man asked.

“I killed him,” Bree said. “I locked him in the garage myself. That was the last bomb to go off.” She held her head firm. I could see the determination in her face not to falter.

“You locked him in? You admit this freely, why?”

I took the cylinder from Ash’s hand and held it toward the soldier. “Because, Doctor Levins is the one who set the bombs. He’s the one who’s been infecting people with his biological weapon.”

He reached out and took the container. “What is this?”

“I managed to disconnect the toxin before the bomb exploded,” I said.

“And, how did you know where the bomb was?”

“After he attacked us, Levins said it was going to be bigger than the village massacre. So, we figured it would be somewhere near the most people.”

The soldier nodded to his partner and handed him the container. The soldier ran back to the helicopter.

The man stood back and held his hand toward the helicopter. “You five need to come with me.”

“One of our team is still in the hospital dorm,” I said, not wanting to leave Owen behind.

“He won’t be left behind,” he said, as he took my arm gently and pulled me forward. Ash kept hold of my other hand, his fingers laced firmly through mine.

With the crowd of students watching, the five of us were loaded in to the helicopter.

My knuckles were white. Fingers locked together like an anchor as I watched the TV screen. Six days ago, I stood and watched as buildings exploded around me. I watched, as the roof came crashing down on my housemate. A housemate I had tied to a desk.

My friends, the officials, they all told me it wasn’t my fault. But, those simple words could never cover the screaming guilt; the blame I know should be held over my head. I had saved us from the toxin, yes. But, I couldn’t save us from him.

I watched as he leaned back in his plain wood chair. His wrists handcuffed to a bar on the table. A single man sat in front of him. His interrogator. The leaders of the Consummate ordered me to watch, to confirm his truths, to contest his lies. They, the men and women who arrived after the screams, after the chaos, couldn’t understand what looking at him made me feel. They couldn’t comprehend that watching the smirking face of a killer, who I wished had truly perished within the garage blast, stirred murderous feelings of my own.

“I would ask you again, Doctor Levins, to take this seriously. You are being charged with terrorism. It would benefit your position to cooperate.”

The interrogator’s voice was emotionless, cold. He had been firing questions at Levins for over an hour without once breaking his composure. Levins seemed to be happy to cooperate, with no regard to the consequences.

“Of course I am taking this seriously, Timothy.”

“My name is Agent Irons. Attempting to form a personal connection will not influence your case.”

“Influence my case? What is there to influence? I have denied nothing.”

“Indeed. You have admitted to,” I watched him read from a sheet in his hands, “knowingly creating a biological weapon of mass destruction; manipulating the course of justice whilst restricting the procurement of a cure, and the murder of six hundred and nineteen people.”

“Don’t forget robbery of military weapons, contaminating public facilities, and instructing accomplices to commit criminal acts. I guess you wouldn’t be interested in the speeding ticket I failed to pay?”

“You will tell me where you have stored the remainder of the toxin and the plans to create it. You will describe to me the method of delivery and targeting. You will tell me what I want to know.”

“Or what, you’ll send me to solitary confinement? You know as well as I how long that would last. The first sniff of trouble from state enemies, I will be pulled out and begged to provide the biological weapon to destroy them.”

“You will never see the comforts of prison. You know we work below the radar of the government, of procedure. When I say you will suffer, you should believe me.”

“What if I told you the plans were destroyed?”

“Then I will ask you again, where is the remainder of the toxin?”

Levins bowed his head and chuckled. “The remainder of
my
toxin? You know, it took years to perfect. Years in the planning, and you want me to simply give it away, freely?”

“We are asking you to insure no more people suffer from its effects. We are asking that you give up this pointless game of yours.”

“Game? You think I’m playing a game? Far from it, Timothy. I am a scientist.”

“A scientist who refuses to bring an end to suffering; who refuses to stop experimenting on innocents?” Irons folded his arm and glared, the first show of emotion I had seen.

“Bring an end to suffering?” Levins leaned forward, smiling. “Tell me, if I handed over my research, what would the Consummate do with it?”

“We would destroy it.”

Levins roared with laughter. It crackled through the speakers and made me jump.

“Please, you take me for a fool? You want the toxin for yourselves. You want to hold it over your enemies, maintain the power you so desperately crave to control.”

He stood, his handcuffs clattering as he slammed his hands on the table.

“The toxin is mine. Mine to use and mine to sell. You cannot force my hand or threaten my resolve. The testing period is complete. The world has witnessed the power of my creation. They will come for me, and when they do, you will be sorry you failed in offering a deal. This is the new age of defence, and I am the designer.”

I ripped the plug from the wall and the screen went blank.

He was right. People would come for him. They would fight for him. The world knew what he had created, and it was only a matter of time before they charged this compound to get to him and his deadly weapon. His plan had worked: every bomb, every death had been a part of his marketing campaign. He had a product to sell, and the buyers would fight for it.

The world would die for it.

My fight wasn’t over. It had just begun.