The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(45)

Dr. Curran appeared increasingly tired as the procedures wore on, her staff looking a bit haggard as well. Maria noticed a few taking stim-shots more than once. She didn’t feel physically weary at all. Omondi didn’t show any signs of waning energy either.

“I miss coffee,” he whispered to her at one point, his dark keen eyes watching a few techs sipping some of the hot liquid.

“You’re thirsty?”

“No, no. I was an addict. I always had to have coffee throughout the day. I think it’s the habit I’m missing.” He hovered over her shoulder, leaning over to whisper to her. Already there was camaraderie between them, a sense of us and them as they watched the doctor and her techs. “Do you crave food or drink at all?”

Maria shook her head. “No, no.”

“Do you miss anything?”

She gave a short nod. “Dreaming.”

“Dreaming?”

“Yeah. I miss sleep. Dreaming. Have you had the blackouts yet?”

“Three times.”

“It’s not like sleep at all, is it?”

Omondi frowned. “No, it’s more like being dead.”

“Exactly.”

“But then again...” Omondi shrugged “...we are.”

The procedures continued for hours. The only breaks were when the newly-transformed Inferi Boon were transferred to the testing rooms. Maria glanced at the clock on Dr. Curran’s pad, discreetly noting the passage of time. When her designated time to speak with Dwayne passed, she sighed. She missed him so much.

Gideon Lanning entered the room in a white tech jumpsuit. Shoving his dark hair out of his face, he glanced around the room at his colleagues. If he was hoping for some reassurance, they gave him none. They treated him just as they had all the other volunteers. With a detached air about them, they strapped Gideon down as they had all the others. Because he was a lot smaller and leaner than the soldiers, the cuffs adjusted several times to capture his thin wrists.

“Gideon, you know what comes next,” Dr. Curran said, leaning over him.

His eyes darted toward Maria, searching her face. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he seemed not to find any comfort. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

“You volunteered, Gideon. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Dr. Curran asked.

“No, no.” Gideon shook his head. “It just feels different being on this end of the procedure.”

Omondi laughed heartily. “It’ll be okay, Gideon. Just a little prick and the world goes dark for just a little bit. You’ll come back and feel like a new man.”

The big man’s laughter alleviated some of the tension that had been brewing in the room. Even Dr. Curran smiled one of her rare genuine smiles.

“Let’s begin,” Dr. Curran said.

Gideon opened his eyes, nodding.

Maria and Omondi retreated to a corner out of the way to watch. The techs finished preparing Gideon, then stepped back as Dr. Curran did a final check of his vitals. Looking up at the robotic arms retracted into the ceiling, Maria was glad that the transitions were now much more personal. With a nod of her head, Dr. Curran motioned to the lead tech who promptly administered the sedative.

Omondi bumped Maria’s arm lightly with his elbow and indicated with his eyes Gideon’s tightly clenched fists. Gradually, the fingers of the restrained tech unfurled and Dr. Curran did a read of his vitals.

Another injection resulted in all the monitors ceasing activity. As always, the moment of death made Maria uncomfortable. It was strange watching someone die willingly.

“Let’s bring him over,” Dr. Curran said.

The one thing Maria truly respected about Dr. Curran was that she didn’t ask of her techs anything she was not willing to do herself. She had administered the last few injections of the Inferi Boon Virus, but this time deferred to the lead tech. Stepping forward, the man bent over Gideon and the hiss of the injector slithered through the quiet room.

“He’s a little guy. He’ll be back fast,” Omondi whispered to Maria.

“How many do we have to go?” Maria wondered.

“About eight,” Omondi answered. “Tired?”

With a smirk, Maria said, “No, you?”

“If not for this damn feeling of being wrapped in cotton I would say this is the best I’ve ever felt in my life.”

“I know what you mean.”

The ungodly howl of an Inferi Scourge ripped through the room. A tech dropped a pad and leaped from the table as Gideon thrashed upon it. More clamps erupted out of the table, locking over his limbs as the man fought against his restraints. Bloody foam flecked his lips as he gnashed his teeth, his eyes locked on Dr. Curran. She stood close to the table, her eyes wide, a stunned look upon her face. One of her techs pulled her a few feet away from the table as the large robotic arms unwound from the ceiling. They immediately began to take samples from the howling man.

“What the hell is going on?” Omondi demanded, stepping toward the chaos.

Dr. Curran regained her senses and began to quickly tap away on her pad.

Though the sight of the rabid Scourge that had once been Gideon terrified her on some primitive level, Maria advanced toward him. His gaze jumped from one tech to the next as tears rolled down his cheeks, his teeth snapping. Reaching Gideon, she laid her hand on his shoulder. Consumed with the need to spread the virus and kill, Gideon continued to fight his restraints. He ignored her touch and her presence completely.