“Not now. Later. We have other things to do now.”
Theena struggled to hide her relief. Rothchilde turned his attention back to Bill.
“You’re still interested in pushing N-Som through the FDA?”
“You’re still willing to part with half a million?”
Theena eyed Bill. Had Rothchilde actually been able to bribe him? Or was Bill planning something else?
Rotchilde nodded his head. “We’ll give it a try, then. Let’s gather up your things. You know I’ll need to hold you someplace until all the paperwork goes through.”
“I’d want assurances that I’d be released when it happens.”
“Of course. You’re sure it won’t bother you allowing N-Som on the market, after seeing what it did to poor Manny?”
“I’ll live with myself.”
Rothchilde’s mouth twisted. “Yes. You’re good at that, aren’t you? Gather up your things, we won’t be coming back.”
Bill nodded, and as he turned, Rothchilde shot him in the back.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
The feeling was similar to a muscle cramp, multiplied by a hundred. It hit Bill like a pick ax in the right shoulder, the pain flaring across his back and extending down his arm.
He pitched forward, vision blurring, bouncing on the unforgiving tile floor.
“I watched your extraction procedure, Theena. You’ll be able to do it yourself next time.”
Bill felt a hand on his back, directly on the wound. Theena, trying to stop the bleeding. It amplified the pain and he saw stars.
“No more killing, Albert.”
“Theena, dear, you don’t think he’s really going to approve our drug, do you? He’s just buying time.”
Bill tired to gauge how bad the wound was, but he couldn’t without seeing it. He could breathe okay, and bend his arm. His best guess was the bullet broke his shoulder blade.
“I don’t want you to kill him.”
“You said you wanted to be on the winning team. I’m the winning team.”
Rothchilde held out his hand for Theena. “Come on. You can process his brain and we’ll relive his death together.”
Bill knew it was over, and the thought didn’t bother him too much. His quality of life hadn’t ever been what it was when Kristen was still alive. He didn’t like dying at the hands of a bastard like Rothchilde, but it was probably a better way to go than being hacked to death by David.
Theena met his eyes, and he nudged her, trying to get her to save herself.
She took Rothchilde’s hand, got daintily to her feet, and punched him between the legs.
Rothchilde doubled over, still gripping the gun. Theena launched herself at him, both hands locking on his weapon, kicking frantically at his legs to get it away.
“I’M BACK.”
The voice boomed over the intercom, unmistakable. It infused Bill with a fear that made his pain seem minor. Somehow, David was still alive.
Bill rolled over and saw Theena and Rothchilde topple to the floor, his hand entwined in her hair. Bill managed to pull himself over to them, adding his good hand to the wrestling match for the gun.
Rothchilde was thin, slight, and not much of a fighter. Theena clawed at his eyes and face, and sunk her teeth into his wrist.
He screamed out a slur and let go of the gun.
Bill grabbed it and had a momentary tug of war with Theena, who was too enraged to notice he’d joined the fight.
Rothchilde, both hands free, managed to scramble to his feet. He grabbed a handful of the N-Som Theena had produced, then ran out the door.
Theena managed to pull the gun away from Bill and she fired two wild shots after him, ready to squeeze off a third.
“Save the bullets!”
She stopped, looking at Bill with confusion, and then relief. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, causing him to yelp at the pressure.
Theena relented and hurried to a medical cabinet.
Bill managed to sit up. “David’s still alive.”
“First things first.” She hurried back to Bill with a large metal case, and unsnapped it. Using scissors, she cut away the back of his shirt.
“I’m giving you a shot of morphine first.”
“Not morphine. I need to stay alert. Do you have any Novocain?”
“How about lidocaine?”
“That’ll work.”
Bill felt a prick in his shoulder.
“I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. YOU’RE IN THE LAB.”
“How long will it take to numb you?”
“We don’t have time to wait. Just do it.”
“This is going to sting.”
She emptied a bottle of alcohol on the wound, and tears squirted out of Bill’s eyes.
“Here, bite this.”
Theena handed Bill a roll of gauze. He’d barely gotten it in his mouth before something sharp went into the bullet hole and began to poke around.
He moaned, his nervous system lighting up like a Christmas tree. Theena dug deeper, and deeper, and then there was a small sucking sound and a tremendous feeling of relief.
“I got the slug. You need stitches.”
“We have to get out of here. Dress it.”
Theena slapped on some cotton pads and taped them to Bill’s skin. The lidocaine hadn’t completely numbed him, but it was taking the edge off the pain.
She helped Bill to his feet. He was woozy.
“Can you walk?”
“Watch me.”
They were halfway to the door when David filled the entrance.
“Hi, Theena. Dr. May. You’ll be happy to know that Manny and I have resolved our differences.”
He swung the ax.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
Theena jumped back. The ax cut the air inches before her face, ripping out a few stray strands of hair that didn’t move as fast as she did. Her butt hit the counter behind her, and David lifted the ax again, his eyes shining with a madness she knew all too well.
“I don’t want to kill you, David!”
Her grip on the gun was tight, certain. David advanced.
She shot him in the thigh, and he folded in half and hit the floor, still clutching the ax.
“Go ahead, Bill! I’m covering him!”
Bill had a moment of uncertainty, then he stepped around David and fled the lab. Theena kept the gun and both eyes on David, following Bill’s route. David’s eyes tracked her every step, a cobra poised to strike. He had one hand clamped over the wound on his leg, but already the bleeding was slowing down.
“We have to get out of here.”
Bill turned for the elevator. She caught his arm, holding him back.
“You need a key card.” Theena fished it out of her lab coat. He eyed her strangely when she offered it to him.
