Chapter 27
Chaos ensues. Bullets clip just above my head and a flurry of dust kicks up from the ground with each scientist that trots down the aisle.
“Get us out of here!” Kinsley shouts, sweat spilling down his forehead.
Scientists crowd us with ballistic shields, enveloping us in their shadow. I’m pressed into Kinsley’s chest as we are slowly shuffled backward; he’s shaking against me, bursting with adrenaline.
“Kinsley… what is going on?” I wheeze, reeling. The imagery of Lowell slowly falling flat hangs in my memory with each beat of my frantic heart. He looked alive before Kinsley dragged me away, but the dull pain in my chest begs me to break free to try to catch a glance at him.
I need to see him. I need to know if he’s okay.
The sound of bullets ricocheting off riot shields grows louder as we inch backward toward the horde of vehicles, cutting through my thoughts.
“Finally killing that damned monster, is what’s going on,” Kinsley replies with a breathy laugh. “We’re going to return to Nilsan as heroes. Doing what those egotistical fucks in the military couldn’t.”
My eyes go wide, nearly falling out of their sockets. “‘We’?”
We’re jostled until my back is pressed into the familiar heat of metal, a door handle embedding itself into my hip.
“Yes, we. You were loyal and allowed one of my allies to escape. They alerted me to your whereabouts — all under that monster’s nose.
I could have done without your screeching about my sniper, but I suppose I should have let you know they were on our side,” he snickers, sliding past me to open the vehicle door and crawl inside.
“I thought you were going to betray me once you found out, given your propensity for ‘the law,’ but I guess you really want that promotion.”
I don’t follow him inside.
“Found out what?” I ask, expressionless.
The poison? But I just found out about that. He can’t possibly know.
Kinsley quirks an eyebrow. “You don’t need to hide it from me anymore, May.
I know you found out about my special little cocktail of herbicide and targeted corrosive acid in your research when you petitioned for an extension to the board of ethics.
That’s why I had to ensure all your samples came up negative, even if it hurt your reputation.
You get it, right?” He says, squinting his eyes at me in a fake smile.
Samples? Which samples? I submitted my findings multiple times and all were negative.
Time seems to move in slow-motion, the sounds of bullets going quiet as color drains from my face. “What are you talking about?”
Kinsley rolls his eyes. “You’re not an idiot, but you don’t hide your feelings well. You think I don’t know about your secret stash of backup samples? You have the only incriminating sample of my creation in your personal collection, so I’ve only kept you alive because I have no clue where it is.”
I always keep a single backup, just in case, but I’ve never told anyone about it.
It takes a minute for me to digest his words, two words replaying repeatedly until I finally understand their meaning.
He said, “My creation.”
I stumble backward into a scientist. My knees feel weak.
“You created that — that poison? You?”
With a disgusting wink, Kinsley’s mustache lifts to a smile.
“One could call it a ‘biological weapon,’ of sorts,” he laughs, his tone twistful.
“I wasn’t the Director of Biological Warfare for nothing, May.
It’s a shame the others had to take the fall for me, though — I quite liked some of them.
But I couldn’t let the Board of Ethics think it was me who created the poisoned herbicide, you know?
Then we’d be stuck in an endless loop of having to reapply for construction permits that would eventually be rejected, and the whole department would shut down.
I’ve done it all for the betterment of Nilsan. ”
The words make me scoff in disbelief. I always knew Kinsley was a deplorable man, but I would have never suspected him capable of something so diabolical.
“Misya Swamp… was your doing?”
He laughs. “Of course! I couldn’t trust any of these idiots not to fuck it up.
” He points to the scientists around us.
“I had been trying to transfer to this department for years — higher pay, and a much easier workload. But that old Director refused to retire, so I simply showed the Nilsan Government how incompetent he was.” Kinsley lounges in his seat.
“And years after, here you come, always pushing the issue back to the surface. I had to demote you. Otherwise, you’d never give up on your quest. But you get it now, right?
We’re on the same team. You just needed to remember your place in the natural order. ”
I can barely speak.
Kinsley demoted me because he thought I would expose his secret to the Board of Ethics. He thought I knew about the poison the entire time but had chosen to keep quiet.
But if he’s trying to offload the chemicals on Gaia 4 then…
“Why are you dumping the chemical, then? I’m now in your debt and won’t betray you,” I ask, my voice no more than a squeak.
Kinsley twirls his mustache absentmindedly. “Yeah, but you see,” His lips curl in a sneer, “the Board of Ethics is re-evaluating your initial data.”
“But every sample I submitted was negative, so it doesn’t matter.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You don’t seem to understand me. They are re-evaluating all previous data, and I made many mistakes on my first go-around with the herbicide.”
“Oh, my Goddess.” The ground nearly caves beneath me. “That means they’ll redo the analysis for Misya Swamp.”
Kinsley sighs, shaking his head as sweat-drenched strands cling to his face. “See why I need to involve you? We’re in this shitstorm together. Both of our careers will be ruined if the truth comes out.”
“I had no idea what you were doing at that time. I’m not complicit like you are,” I bark back. I want to smack the pompous smile off his face.
“Good luck proving that to the Board of Ethics. You won’t be far behind if you try to throw me under the bus.” He clicks his tongue. “I’ve been synthesizing this herbicide for decades; one doesn’t have to look far once they find it. Once they trace it to me, they’re bound to find you.”
“Then why come to save me? I could expose you even though it would burn me in the process,” I say, pulling my lips into a thin line.
“You idiot, I didn’t come to save you. When I got word of the Board of Ethics revisiting the case, I knew I had to offload this shit before they found it in my storage,” he laughs, patting the seat next to him to urge me to get in.
“It’s a gift you’re still alive. I thought you were long dead.
Having you aid me in another coverup to save our careers is much more persuasive than just doing it myself. ”
I don’t get in the seat beside Kinsley, which sours his expression.
“You must be crazy to think I’d ever side with you. I’d rather spend the rest of my life in prison than aid and abet you,” I snarl, my brows furrowed.
“I thought you’d say that,” Kinsley sighs as he slumps his shoulders.
“So I slide some of your old Misya Swamp research samples into the boxes the Board of Ethics will review. Oh, and I added some of the herbicide, so it’ll be clear as day that you were involved, and if I’m lucky, they’ll just pin it all on you!
” His smile makes my skin crawl. “If they never suspect us of wrongdoing, they can’t investigate us, can they? ”
Fury doesn’t begin to describe the white-hot rage I feel.
“Then why try to dump it on Gaia 4?”
He holds up two fingers with a wink. “This is the second part of our plan if we’re found out: blame it on Gaia 4. Quite simple, but effective now that we have eyes on their base.”
“I don’t know why you’re even bothering to involve me. You say you need my help, but I know you’re more than capable of doing this on your own.”
I’d never admit it, but Kinsley is more charismatic than I’ll ever be. He’d have the board bending to his will by the end of the day.
A slight shrug pinches his shoulders. “Honestly? I can’t lose my best scientist. We work with some real idiots, you know. While I hate that I had to shorten your leash, you left me no choice.”
The sequence of events connects in my head, and my shock and horror quickly turn to anger. “Don’t drag me into this!” I shout, pointing a finger at him. “I’m not your damn lap-dog, Kinsley. I had no idea you were sabotaging my research.”
He shrugs again, knowing he is in total control of the conversation.
“It doesn’t matter, really. Either this all gets pinned on you or we figure it out together.
Everyone in the Department of Biological Warfare wants your job, so no one will come to save you if you’re alone, no matter what you have to say.
I’d be sad to lose you, but the gears are already in motion.
” He leans forward, a satisfied look on his face.
“But it’d be better if you did what you’re told. ”
I take a step back. “So, what happens exactly if I go with you?”
“After the investigation finishes, you’ll get a nice promotion and raise,” he says.
“You think I’d betray my morals for a promotion?” I spit, bumping into one of the shield-holding scientists.
“What, you want to stay a surveyor forever?” Kinsley prods, his tone curt. “Get in the vehicle and I’ll make sure when we’re back in Nilsan, you’re running the whole damn show.” He smiles, but not with his eyes. “With my guiding hand, of course.”
I’m sick to my stomach, but I can’t ignore Kinsley’s enticing offer. Being a lab manager would grant me a lot of power that could be used for good, just as I wanted. I would have to forego some of my values, but the end result would be more than ideal.
Kinsley is offering me what I’ve always dreamed about. Even though it comes with caveats, I’d never expected anything less from an unjust government. Still, he is handing me what I’ve wanted for years so plainly in exchange for allegiance to him.
I always thought this moment would be gratifying, like reaching the top of a mountain after a treacherous climb. Finally squeezing out of Kinsley what he has stolen from me. But for some reason… I feel nothing. Sadness prickles tears in my eyes, a hollowness boring a hole inside me.
I don’t think I want this.
It’s no longer about what would make Grandma proud or what would be right to do.
It’s now only about what will make me happy, like Lowell said.
Spending Goddess-knows-how-long under Kinsley’s thumb to complete a fraction of what I could accomplish on my own seems foolish.
And the thought of knowingly doing his bidding raises my blood pressure like a kettle.
Somehow, I know Grandma would agree. She did what made her happy, even if it was difficult.
Now is not the time for logic or planning. I need to react on instinct and go with my gut — something I’ve never done before.
I squeeze my eyes shut, allowing tears to slide down my cheeks.
“Tears of joy, I hope,” Kinsley snickers.
When I open my eyes, it’s to bash the back of a scientist’s head. When they crumple to the ground, I quickly take control of their ballistic shield.
Without a second thought, I burst through the crowd and sprint directly for the Gaia 4 entrance.
In the distance, I can hear Kinsley cursing after me.