Thrive in Catastrophe Chapter 70

"You may as well kill me, nothing you say will convince me to cooperate with you!"

Suddenly Xiao felt a p.r.i.c.k on his arm; Casey had injected him with something.

Xiao Yan's eyes grow unfocused and dizzy, his body drains of strength and he slumps against Jane.

Jane hugs him closer as his body gives out completely.

Through blurry eyes, Xiao struggles to remain conscious, but everything is spinning and spiraling around him.

"Let's go. What's going on with the craft?"

"They are waiting for us." Jerry sighed in disappointment. "I really thought this time I could take out the president."

Casey glared at Jerry contemptuously. "What does it matter if they lose a president? One dies and another comes to replace the last. Nothing will change."

"What about Clair? It seems she is trapped."

"Who is she up against?"

"Heine Burton's subordinates. Liv and a big man called Mark."

Jane's face tightens into a frown. "If she went against them both, then she is either dead or captured. We don't have time to go back. Major Winn will have already been notified. They will be heading this way."

"Well if Clair is alive, I am sure she will find her way out."

They reach the front of the building, where a large chunk has been blown out. From the opening, the chaos in the central square is visible. The zombies have scattered the civilians and the Special Forces were busy clearing the area as the rest of the armed military looked on awkwardly.

The presidential palace is collapsing. It took one strategically placed bomb to produce such a devastating effect.

"What did you do?"

"I just think it is in bad taste for a president to live in such luxury." Jane revealed a disgustingly satisfied smile and turned back toward the Headquarters. He saluted and mouthed some words.

"Goodbye Shire."

He entered the craft with Xiao and then contacted the Shire's main tower.

"Please return K92 aircraft."

"This is the K92 aircraft. I am the commander of the Special Task Force 3,4, and 5 teams, Colonel Jane Wallace. I have an emergency mission and must leave the Shire. I am en route to Shen Bing's base. Please open the path."

Jane grinned as he answered the tower guard in a clean and decisive manner.

"Task code."

"j207."

"The route is open."

Jane lowered his gaze head and gently stroked the sleeping Xiao's forehead. The unconscious researcher didn't stir in the slightest.

"I know how much you love the ocean. Now, I will give you your own piece of it."

Jane gently kissed his brow as the crafted exited the Shire and broke through the sky.

Jerry elbowed Casey. His teasing tone belied his very serious eyes. "I say Casey, are you really willing to leave?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Casey's eyes were shrouded in ice. His emotions were trapped behind his glacial gaze.

"He was your ideal father." Jerry continued to tease Casey, moving his palm over his head to ruffle his hair. "You injected Heine Burton with the accelerator. I am afraid that won't go over well with General Ervel. You told Xiao that you were studying accelerators, but the truth is you were researching inhibitors. The accelerators were an unintentional product of the study. Then Cole secretly sent your work to the Tide."

"Well Jane took care of Cole." Casey sternly waved Jerry's hand away and replied in a gravely low tone. "I will return. I will definitely come back and face Ervel."

Jerry sighed with a hint of helplessness. "I believe I have joined a more dangerous organization that the Shire. Casey your motivation is General Ervel. Jane's is to gain the freedom to do what he wants, and I am following you. For what reason?"

"Because you are our 'family'."
____________________________________

Three hours later, the turmoil gripping the Shire finally calmed down.

General Gordon has successfully left the Headquarters through the emergency pa.s.sage.

The stunned eyes in front of him cause his hands to clench tightly into fists. Countless bodies of soldiers and civilians are strewn about the city. The ground is covered in the debris from collapsed buildings, the twisted metal of crashed mag levs and broken holographic displays distortedly flicker and buzz loudly.

Major Winn and Ling have dispatched the zombies and returned to report to General Gordon.

His display activated and the Secretary of Defenses face appeared before him, his face twisted in disdain.

"Mr. Gordon! Do you know that the special forces you sent to protect the president arrived without a commander?!"

"What?" Major General Gordon slackened in shock. "I clearly ordered Colonel Jane Wallace to lead the team!"

"Then you should check the security logs. Colonel Wallace left the Shire on mission three hours ago."

"What? This is impossible! He hasn't been a.s.signed a mission!"

"Mr. Gordon, you should be glad that the President is safe and sound, otherwise I would recommend your dismissal!"

Gordon's face paled as the pieces fell into place. He turned to Jessica, who was standing by his side. "Where is Xiao Yan? You said that Colonel Burton was with him. Did they evacuate?"

Jessica swallowed nervously. "Major General...I tried to contact Colonel Burton several times. I haven't received a response."

"Why the h.e.l.l didn't you report it!"

Maya, who was standing nearby, cleared his throat. "I told Jessica to not report it.. I didn't want it to delay your evacuation."

Gordon viciously grinds his molars and glares at Maya. This bit of news is not serious on its own, but he is unexpectedly attached to this mission.

Maya brow trembles slightly. He put the safety of Gordon first, but he was worried about Xiao as well.

Gordon pushed Jessica away and roared his command. "Winn! Ling! Find Xiao Yan! I don't care if you have to turn the entire world upside down. Find him!"

When Ling heard Gordon's reaction losing contact with Heine and Xiao Yan, he looked at Winn puzzled.

"Xiao Yan has synthesized x-2. He has been at the headquarters this whole time for his protection."

"What!" Ling suddenly understood the severity of the situation. "You mean to say, this whole attack was designed to empty out the headquarters. Their goal was never the president, it was a researcher?"

Suddenly the door opened. Mark and Liv brought a woman to face Gordon. Her wrists were shackled with high density t.i.tanium and her expression was haughty and arrogant.

"Hey! This is the witch Claire, from the Surge!" Mark roughly pushed Claire forward.

Clair's lips twitched upward into a sly smirk. "h.e.l.lo Major General. Are you still trying to figure out if Heine made it out with that cute researcher?"

"What do you mean? Why did we lose contact? Where is Xiao Yan?"

Gordon had no sympathy for the stunning woman before him. He brutally grabbed her hair, and snapped her head up, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Did you really think that Casey was researching X-2 for you? In actuality he has been enjoying the Shire's resources to complete something more interesting. He has created a serum to accelerate the activity of the x-virus in the Special Forces. It will increase the energy consumption by more than a hundredfold. That means muscles, organs...the whole body will rapidly deteriorate. I bet that by the time you locate Heine Burton he will already be dead."

"What... Casey..."

"Yes. You have always regarded him as a famed genius of the Shire. That guy is so arrogant. It was difficult for him to stay contained within the military for so many years. You better go and find Heine. If you hurry you might be able to say goodbye."

Liv stepped forward and punched Claire's face. "Where is Colonel Burton?"

Claire swayed forward and moved her mouth close to Liv. Her low voice sank deep and snaked into Liv's ear.

"A more accurate question is, 'where is his body?'"

Winn wastes no time, he hurriedly barks out orders. "Team 1! Go to headquarters with me and begin the search. Team 2, take an aircraft and look along the perimeter. Order all other craft to return to the Shire. If any refuse to comply, shoot them down!"

"Winn" Liv grabbed at his arm, alarmed by his order to destroy the craft.

"The Surge has Xiao Yan. I would rather he die than have his brain fall into their hands." Winn smiled bitterly. "That guy doesn't look diligent...he is actually quite lazy. Forcing him to think for something you hate endlessly is the same as taking his life."

Clair mouth curled up in a satisfied and arrogant grin.

"It is too late. The boss has already left the Shire with his little pet. You won't be able to catch them."

"Is your boss, Jane or Casey?"

"What are you talking about?" Clair laughs enigmatically.

Winn was already leading the search team along the channel. Winn snorted in disgust as they reached the bodies of the twins.

"Continue to move forward!"

"Sir. There is a locked lab up ahead, but from what I can see from the window, neither Xiao nor the Colonel are inside."

Winn narrowed his eyes. "There must be something inside!"
He raised his com devise and issued an order. "Restore the power system to number 2 laboratory."

A green light activated and the door slid open. Winn entered with two soldiers and continued his search.

He entered his code into the terminal and scanned the laboratory logs. Finally, he noticed there was an active reaction chamber.

The capsule slowly lifted from the floor, and they saw Heine, unconscious behind the gla.s.s.

His expression was twisted in shock and his fist was clenched tightly, his desperate attempt to grab onto Xiao Yan persisted through his coma.

"Get him out!"

A medical team rushed in for an emergency rescue.

"He is still alive! He is still alive! He has a pulse!" Winn's eyes burned hot with hope.

Heine's face is pale, his body is weak hot and sweaty.

His heart rate is too slow. It is dropping dangerously!"

"Body temperature is too high at 42.8 degrees."

"Detecting atrial fibrillation!"

"You have to save him." Winn nervously grabbed the leader of the medical team. "He is irreplaceable to our special forces."

"I know, please calm down! Major!"

Heine was placed in a special rescue device and transferred to the military medical center via air craft.

A few minutes later, General Gordon and General Ervel arrived at the scene.

"How is Colonel Burton!"

"His condition is critical. Heartbeat, brain activity, respiration...his body is in a very chaotic state. If this goes on, he won't last an hour."

"He has been in the chamber for over three hours. What are his blood results?"

General Ervel's demeanor is calm and composed, a sharp contrast to everyone else in the room.

"His tests show that the X-virus activity is rising, but the viral load is declining."

Ervel's expression tightens in preponderance. "Clair said that Casey synthesized an accelerator. If Heine was injected with that, it is no wonder that his viral activity is rising. It would deteriorate his body's condition. We should see his body temperature declining and his organs shutting down. His vitals don't quite match these symptoms. The decline in his viral load is even more puzzling."

"... you mean..."

"I will need to observe his blood samples in real time."

Ervel personally tested Heine's blood every five minutes. He would then follow up and test the viral load.

The medical team had said that Heine wouldn't last an hour, but he had been in the isolation chamber for over three.

Ervel walked out of the examination room with a stunned look on his face.

"Prepare a concentrated nutrient solution! He needs this to make it through. Maintain the dose at 3mg/min. He does not need any additional medical care. He simply needs energy!"

Gordon looked at Ervel, he knew what he had discovered.

"Gordon! Listen to me. I believe that in addition to Casey's accelerator, Heine was injected with another virus."

"What virus?"

"X-2! Xiao Yan must have completed it." Ervel's eyes sparkle with glittering wonder. "This is incredible. The x-virus in Heine is affected by the accelerator. It is continuously replicating. The x-2 is helping his body to resist the virus and its effects. It is serving as a defense. To put it simply, the two are warring. Heine needs energy to survive the battle."

"If the x virus is overwhelmed, then Heine will lose his enhanced combat abilities....but if he survives it doesn't matter.

Gordon closed his eyes and let out a relieved breath.

"What are you talking about? The X-2 will replace the x virus to provide the energy needed, except it will gather it through daily nutrition and even the sun, like a zombie. This virus won't consume his body to meet its energy needs like the x-virus. It stores the energy. The most important thing is it has integrated into his genes. The virus is becoming a part of Heine."

"You mean..." Gordon's words lodge in his throat and he is unable to complete his sentence.

I mean, I cannot estimate what his combat ability will be if he makes it through, but the decade limit on his lifespan has lifted. He will have a normal life expectancy."

"This is real?"

Gordon and Ervil both turn and smile at Winn Mark and Liv.

"If... Heine can wake up, it's all true."

Everyone looked at the isolator, they could do nothing but wait.

An exhausted Ervel has been studying Heine's test results for hours. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Someone walks up to him and removes the terminal connecter.

Ervel opens his eyes to see Gordon standing over him with a hand on his back. He is very close, but his intimidating stance does not emit any sense of oppression.

"Since it was Casey who injected the accelerator into the Heine, you feel you must save him to correct his mistake."

"Casey does not make mistakes." Ervel looked into Gordon's eyes. His gaze was level and calm.

"The accelerator he gave Heine was very carefully calculated to ensure Heine would not die."

Gordon nodded, a helpless look spread across his stern features. "Ervel, I know that when your wife and son died, due to Renault's, betrayal you were in a lot of pain. Seeing Casey look so much like Alex made you place a lot of trust in him. But he is not Alex. The Surge exploited your grief and used his DNA to carefully cultivate Casey, so that you would not look at him too suspiciously."

"He will come back, Gordon."

"Ervel, there are no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same! Casey will never be Alex!"

"I know, so what I am saying is that Casey will definitely come back."

"You will be tried for treason, Ervel."

"Is that what you came to tell me?" Ervel looked up at Gordon.

"That person will never be me." Gordon closed his eyes and turned away.

_________________________

After a long journey in pitch darkness, Xiao opened his eyes to a severe headache. Soft light diffused through the air, painting beauty with bright strokes. He feels a wonderful softness beneath him and a piece of gra.s.s tickles the tip of his nose.

"If you feel like it you can sleep as long as you want."

A distinctive voice sounds through the air, his words lazily drawn out. A beautiful face pops in front of him, pale elegant features reflect in Xiao's shining eyes.

Narrow sloping and seductive eyes sharpen into focus. Xiao instantly rouses, the vestiges of sleep are hastily thrown off.

He rapidly stands and throws his fist. "Jane Wallace—"

His fist was easily grasped and Xiao roughly retracts his hand. Jane grabs him back with no effort, he pulls his fingers open one by one, kissing them as he does so. Then he gently kisses the back of his hand.

"Dear don't be so angry. I sacrificed so much to get you out. There is so much to enjoy here."

Jane's eyes are profoundly deep, the swirling velvet pools threaten to suck Xiao into their depths.

He looks around to see a large house constructed of gla.s.s. The outside was a dense forest. The sun's rays play along the tree's shadows, forming a patchwork of light along the gra.s.s. Under the cooling arms of their foliage, several lizards sit. He looks up to see an expanse of brilliant sky stretching above him, he felt he could down in the vastness of the blue reflect.

"Dear, take a deep breath." Jane's finger sweeps over Xiao's brow and he approaches him, slowly this time.

Xiao attempts to move away from his touch, but Jane grabs him before he can evade his reach.

The air smells refreshingly of leaves and Xiao remembers the first time he saw one. He had picked it up to pressed it against his nose, inhaling the new wild scent.

"The air here is so different from the Shire. I know you Xiao, you were never one to be content as a captive lamb. You desire a boundless world, to be unfettered and free."

His heart trembled slightly and Xiao clenched his hands into fists.

"I will give you everything that you love."

Janes arms tightened but his grip wasn't severe or threatening.

"Who are you?"

"I am Jane Wallace."

"You know that is not what I am asking."

Jane chuckles lightly and then leaned on Xiao Yan's shoulder. "That question is not romantic at all."

"What is your relationship with the Surge organization?"

"Before you ask this question, let me answer one question first. In your heart, What do you think the Surge is?"

"A Terrorist organization, the public enemy of the human race. It was the Surge bomb that attacked the Crimson Star Virus Management Committee, the facility that stored the comet virus. It was the Surge attack that led to this whole catastrophe!"

"The Shire has taught you well." Jane suddenly leaned close and loudly smacked a kiss onto Xiao's cheek. "But there is much they didn't tell you. The government had discovered there was another side to the virus other than its lethal nature; there was hope. They wanted to monopolize the virus, to research the immortality aspect themselves."

"So in order to break up the monopoly you decided to unleash the virus onto all of mankind?"

Xiao didn't bother to dodge Jane's intimate gestures. The x-2 has long metabolized, he is now at Jane's mercy. He does not have the ability to resist.

He still remembers the lesson Heine had taught him. When the situation is beyond control, wait patiently for an opportunity.

What he needs now is an opportunity. That moment will be based on his ability to completely understand the situation he was now in.

"Well it is a futile effort to reverse your world view in such a short amount of time, but I believe that smart head of yours will be able to come to a rational conclusion."

Jane turned his face towards him, tilting his head up in a rather romantic posture. Xiao did not move as Jane's lips grazed his cheek. Jane is not angry at his lack of response, he simply enjoys the close contact with Xiao Yan.

"Come. I will take you around for a tour. Then you will know the efforts I have gone through to please you."

Jane pulled Xiao Yan up his expression was rather mysterious.

His wish coincides with Xiao's, as he needs to figure out where he is.

They reach the gla.s.s door. The sliding mechanism senses their presence and automatically opens.

Xiao's steps. .h.i.t sand and small blades of gra.s.s moved along his feet. He looked up to see birds flying through the sky. He plucked some leaves and smiled as he turned them around in his hand. The sun glinted through the s.p.a.ce between his fingers, haloing along the veins of the leaf.

Without thinking he started to back up, but was pulled hard against Jane. He grabbed a green worm from his hair.

Xiao reached out and caught the chubby insect. Its soft body was slightly cool and squirming. It felt strange against his skin, there were no such creatures in the Shire.

"It will grow wings and fly. It is very strange, two different forms of the same creature."

Jane pulled him forward and they continued on. Xiao carefully carried the worm until they pa.s.sed a small patch of grove. He leaned down and gently placed it on a plant.

"You expression right now is so reverent."

Xiao Yan ignored him.

"Let's go, we haven't' even completed a third of our journey."

Xiao walked along behind Jane, the air gradually gathered moisture and a slight salty taste bit at his tongue.

He remembered when Heine pa.s.sed over the ocean when they were on a mission...

They exited the woods and sand now covered the entirety of the ground. He saw a large body of water in front of him. The blue sea stretched into the horizon, until it merged with the sky.

Xiao Yan's expression went blank, step by step he walked along the edge of the water. He knelt down, but did not tread into its depths.

Jane squats beside him and the sound of the ocean crashed against his ear until the breeze carried it away. "I know that you like the sea, so I brought you here."

Suddenly, Xiao is acutely aware of something. He stood up abruptly. He stumbled and ran desperately along the sh.o.r.eline.

Why the sea?

Why the sea!

A series of footprints are left on the beach.
Jane puts his hands in his pockets and moves forward, following Xiao's steps in the sand.

Finally Xiao reaches the end of the beach. He sees a large reef in front of him, the waves lap against it. In the distance, the blue continues on endlessly.

Xiao stood by the side of the rocks and felt his body drain of strength. He sways dangerously close to the edge.

"What are you doing?!"

Jane roughly jerked him back, and clamped a hand on his waist as he guided him down.

"This is an island...it is an island..."

"Yes, this is an island."

Xiao Yan closed his eyes tightly.

Jane's move his face close and kisses his lips. His mouth moves against his as he speaks. "So you can't go anywhere."

"Let me go."

"I can't let you go. But if you try to repeat what you just did, I won't allow you to even leave the room. I will make sure that you feel my presence."

Xiao Yan understand what he is intimating, he has had so many similar threats that he is now numb to them.