Thirst No. 4 by Christopher Pike Read Free Book Online Page A

mortals?”
    Matt turns to our resident scientist. “Charlie?”
    Charlie is so hyped, he’s close to pulling out his hair. “I don’t know. I could stumble on a cure in an afternoon. Or it could take six months.”
    “When does Haru plan to release the virus?” Seymour asks.
    “No one knows for sure,” Matt replies.
    “We heard it was going to be soon,” Charlie adds.
    “We’re screwed,” Seymour repeats, not afraid to look Matt in the face when he says it. Yet it’s Charlie’s last remark that deflates the room. Our timetable for stopping the virus appears to be a fantasy.
    It’s time for me to speak what’s on my mind.
    Time for me to sound dangerously like Sita.
    “We can’t stop the Telar without the IIC’s help,” I say.
    “I disagree,” Matt says. “We have vials of T-11 and X6X6. We have Charlie, who helped create the virus and the vaccine. The IIC has nothing.”
    “Then we should give them what we do have,” I say.
    Matt studies me closely, alert to my tone, my choice of words, my way of thinking. There are so many ways for him to penetrate my disguise. But I’m careful; I’m good at mimicking Teri.
    “Explain,” he says.
    “The IIC and the Telar are already enemies. When it comes to power and influence, they’re about equal. More important, the IIC already know about the Telar. We don’t have to prove to them how dangerous they are, or their virus. The IIC will take one look at X6X6 and understand the threat it represents.”
    “They’ll also immediately take it out of our hands,” Matt says.
    “Maybe they should. They have resources we can’t imagine. I say we warn them about the coming plague.”
    “That’s insane,” Matt snaps.
    “It sounds reasonable to me,” Seymour says.
    Matt stands and the force of his presence seems to fill the room.
    “Are you forgetting the IIC is every bit as evil as the Telar?” he asks. “They have the Array. They have even used it on us a few times.”
    “So?” Seymour says. “If they force us to jump off a building, what does it matter as long as they’re able to neutralize the virus?”
    “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” I say quietly.
    “That’s bullshit and you know it, Teri,” Matt says. “If Sita was here she’d agree with me. The IIC may have the means to alter the vaccine and manufacture enough of it to save the world. But they’re the last group we should put in charge.”
    “Why?” Seymour asks.
    “Because we can’t trust them,” Matt says.
    “You don’t like them because they forced you to shoot Sita,” Seymour says, in a slightly mocking tone. I wonder at his motives. Throughout the meeting, I have felt he’s trying to push Matt’s buttons. I know Seymour well enough to realize he must have a reason. But I fear for him. Like his father, Matt has a temper.
    Matt stares at Seymour. “Maybe you’re right. Until you’vehad your free will ripped from your grasp, you can’t imagine what it’s like. Trust me, if it had happened to you, you’d want nothing to do with them either.”
    Seymour meets his gaze. “How did they get their hooks in you?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Did they have a sample of your blood?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt says.
    “I’m sure you don’t,” Seymour says. “Let’s move on. The danger of this virus is too big for us to handle. If we have to make a deal with the IIC or the devil himself to make it go away, then so be it. No offense to Charlie and his pals, but we can’t rely on them to alter the vaccine and spread it all over the world in time to stop this plague. It’s not going to happen, not in the real world.”
    “Seymour,” Matt says, “the vials of virus and the vials of the vaccine all represent power. We can’t just hand that power over to the IIC when we have no idea what their ultimate goals are. We would just be strengthening their position while we weaken ours.”
    “Will that matter if millions start dying?”