Mr & Mrs Shaw

Chapter 30

After capturing the scientist, they brought him back to his laboratory, Deckard throwing him into a chair after Hobbs got off a call with his daughter.

"Tell us everything you know about this," Deckard ordered as Hattie held up her palm to reveal the injection site.

"My god," he exclaimed. "When were you exposed?"

"About 30 hours ago," Hattie informed.

"Then the capsules containing the virus are still intact."

"So, we need to neutralize it," Hobbs said.

"No, it is not that easy. It's not programmed to any DNA sequence. It's fatal to everyone. In 42 hours, the capsules will dissolve, and she'll be infected. Then the virus will go airborne. We're talking global contamination within a week."

"Why in the hell would you create something like that?" Katrina asked.

"Because I thought I was one of them," the scientist answered.

"Eteon," Deckard muttered and Katrina slipped her hand into his, the touch comforting.

"They told me they wanted to save the world through science. I believe in their cause. I developed the Snowflake to be a carrier for vaccines, a panacea for the whole world. But they redeveloped it into a programmable apocalypse. To attack the weakest of us, those not worthy of Eteon's vision of the future."

"For a scientist, you seem incredibly stupid," Deckard remarked.

"Well, I'm a two-times Nobel Prize winner, but who's counting?"

"Alright, you said the virus is programmable. So, reprogram it," Hobbs ordered.

"I can't reprogram it in a host," the scientist, Andreiko, informed.

"Just tell us how to get this thing out from me," Hattie asked, and you could tell she was getting antsy.

"Well, there are two options. And the first, is easy."

"Go," Hobbs said.

"Finally," Deckard agreed.

"You kill her."

"Excuse me?" Deckard asked.

"Oh, and burn the body, of course."

"Of course," Hattie and Hobbs said.

"And really burn it."

"Really burn it," Hattie echoed.

"To ash."

"To ash?" Deckard repeated.

"Beyond all recognition."

Katrina then pulled Andreiko's head back by his hair as she held a serrated steel knife to his exposed throat.

"How about I burn you, to ash, beyond all recognition?" she asked.

Andreiko shook his head as best he could.

"Then option two better be good," she relented as she let him go and handed the knife over to Deckard who already had his hand out before he pulled her back to his chest, hugging her as she calmed down, really, really tired of all this drama.

"There's a machine that could preserve her life and extract the virus," Andreiko said and Deckard's hold on Katrina tightened to prevent her from going after him again.

"That should've been option number one," Hobbs said.

"For once I agree with Hercules," Katrina spat as she stopped fighting her husband.