Ignoring the dizzy feeling in his head, Roy hobbled forward. He felt strong, confident. His fear vanished. Everything was going to be okay. Nothing could stop him now.
Nothing could keep him from his destiny.
Chapter 71
"Time's almost up." Holly's voice sounded strangely sweet. "Since you're obviously not going to fall asleep like I suggested, you might as well know you've got about five minutes before the process is complete."
Graham shuddered.
I glanced into the room. I was amazed at the sheer amount of stuff in it. I saw tables covered with flickering monitors. Large pieces of machinery. Strange containers with brass plates mounted on their surfaces.
A large circular structure sat against the opposite wall. It looked like an above ground swimming pool. A concrete platform was positioned directly behind it. It rose six feet off the ground and appeared to be some kind of observation area.
A long table rested on the platform. Several additional monitors sat on it. Cables connected them to the vat. Other tables and desks were situated around the center table. Instruments and notebooks were piled high on them.
My eyes flew to the giant vat. It was made from some kind of thick transparent material. It blurred my vision but I could still see Graham through it. He was naked and shivering. His skin looked blue. His one good eye, from what I could tell, was glazed over.
Holly stood next to one of the computers. Her eyes studied the monitor. Rupert knelt near one of the cylindrical containers. He seemed to be working on it.
As quietly as possible, I extracted my pistol.
"Pete?" Trotter jumped off the ladder. He dashed into the room and skidded to a halt in front of one of the containers. He studied its brass plate. Then he pounded on the container. "Pete? Are you in there?"
Holly's eyes widened.
Rupert spun around. He rose to his feet, wrench still in hand.
So much for surprise.
I lifted my pistol and pointed it at Holly. "You okay, Dutch?"
"I'm …" He swallowed. "I'm fuckin' freezing."
"Warm him up." I aimed at Holly's forehead. "Now."
She recovered quickly. "I need you to trust me."
My finger tightened around the trigger.
"I'm not a killer, Cy. I think you know that."
"Then what the hell are you doing to him?"
"I'm preserving his life."
"You're insane."
"He's old, brittle. He won't last forever, not in this condition. You know that. That's why you asked me those questions about cryonics." Her eyes took on a strange sort of warmth. "But I can extend his life. I can make sure he lives to see the distant future. I've already lowered his body temperature. His breathing, heart rate, and metabolism have slowed to a crawl. Just let me complete the process and load him into one of my cryocontainers. Someday, when old age is finally cured, I'll revive him."
"Unless you can't."
"I can. I just need time to figure it out."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trotter sink to his knees. Tentatively, he lifted his hand to a cryocontainer. His fingers touched its polished surface. His shoulders started to quiver. Sobbing noises escaped his throat.
I twisted my head slightly. Beverly lay on one of the tables. She looked unconscious. Jenner was sneaking to her side. I quickly looked away, hoping Holly hadn't seen him.
I nodded at Trotter's cryocontainer. "Who's in that one?"
"Pete Cook," she replied. "He used to work here."
"Why?" Trotter turned toward her. His eyes were red and puffy. "Why him?"
"We didn't have a choice. Once he found his way down here, he threatened to expose everything. We couldn't let him leave." Holly studied Trotter's visage. "You knew him, didn't you?"
Trotter wiped his face on his sleeve.
"You're the one he called," she said.
"That's right."
She glared at Rupert. "This is your fault."
"How is it my fault?" Rupert retorted. "You're the one who dropped the needle."
Her eyes softened as she swiveled back to Trotter. "We were going to inject him with a drug, something to keep him calm and docile during the process. But he escaped."
Trotter stood up. His face was bright red.
"Look, I know you're angry with us," Holly continued. "And I don't blame you. But Pete's not dead. He's in suspended animation. Someday I'll revive him along with Dutch and Jim."
I glanced at her in surprise. "Jim is down here too?"
She pursed her lips.
I turned toward Graham. He was no longer moving. "Reverse whatever you did to him. And do it now."
"I can't."
"Do it." I thrust the pistol in her direction. "Or I swear to God I'll kill you."
"I don't want to die," she said. "But like you, I'm not afraid of it either."
"Maybe you don't fear death." I twisted the gun toward Rupert. "But I doubt you want to go on without your husband."
"You won't do that. You're like me. You could never kill someone in cold blood."
I looked around the room. My eyes happened to fall on one of the cryocontainers. It looked a little different than the rest, thanks to a couple of pillows situated around its base. But otherwise, it was identical to the other containers.
It was constructed from shiny metal and outfitted with a small control panel. Four sturdy wheels separated the container from the ground, allowing for easy mobility. Numerous cables extended from it to the ceiling.
Looks like I was right. This place is leeching all of Kirby's electricity.
I hiked over to it. "Who is this?"
Holly didn't answer.
"Someone important to you?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
"He died?"
"He's in suspended animation."
"What happened to him?"
"Stage IV pancreatic cancer."
"All that talk about saving lives was bullshit. The truth is you only care about reviving one life." I stared at the cryocontainer. "His life."
"That's not true," Holly protested. "I don't want anyone to die. Why do you think I go to all this trouble?"
"And you're sure it'll work?"
"Of course."
"Then here's the deal. Let Dutch go." I grabbed some of the cables. "Or I'll shut this thing down."
A look of pure horror came over her face. "You'll kill him."
"He's already dead."
Holly's face twisted into something horrible.
"Last chance."
"If you do that, I won't cryopreserve your friend here. I'll just let him die." Her face relaxed. "The way I see it, we're at an impasse."
I glanced at Graham. His cheeks looked sallow. His eye was now closed. His head sagged toward the vat's icy waters. "Maybe not." I raised my pistol. Took careful aim.
Holly dropped to the ground and rolled under a table.
A couple of blasts reverberated in the room.
"You missed. An easy shot and you missed it." She stood up, clutching a pistol. "We've got guns too you know, courtesy of our corporate partner. I'm going to send you straight to hell."
On the right side of the vat, water started to trickle out of the fresh bullet holes. The acrylic material cracked. Spider webs appeared across the surface. The vat bulged.
I smiled. "You first."
Chapter 72
The vat exploded.
Rupert tried to scramble out of the way. But the rushing water caught him first. It swept his feet out from underneath him. His head slammed into the middle cryocontainer and he sagged to the floor.
A wall of water crested through the room. I hopped onto the nearest table and knelt down, steadying myself.