Apocalypse - Keith R. A. DeCandido [70]
“No.” Alice got up and took a step toward the master.
Toward Cain. Not the master. You’re Matt Addison, not Nemesis!
Several of the master’s—of Cain’s—thugs raised their weapons, but Cain waved them down.
“No, no, it’s okay.” He looked at Alice. “Don’t you understand how important you are to us? That creature is one thing, but you? You’re something very, very special. Somehow you bonded with the T-virus on a cellular level. You adapted it, you changed it. You became something magnificent.”
That, Matt realized, was why she was left unchanged even as he got transformed into what Cain had so bluntly called a creature.
“I became a freak,” Alice said.
No, Matt wanted to cry out. I’m the freak, not her.
“No, far from it,” Cain said, and for once in his life Matt agreed with him. “You’re not mutation, you’re evolution.”
Mutation is part of evolution, you ignorant jackass! But Matt still couldn’t control his own vocal cords.
“Think about it. It took five million years for us to step out of the trees. You took the next step in less than five days. With our help, just think what you can achieve. Now, who can understand that? Who can appreciate that? Us—no one else. Where else are you going to go?”
Anywhere that has a conscience! This is why I’ve tried so hard to destroy you, you arrogant bastards!
“And what about him?” Alice asked, indicating Nemesis.
Cain just shrugged. “Evolution has its dead ends. Now finish this. Take your place at my side.”
My God, he’s not just a corporate asshole, he’s a fucking megalomaniac.
“I understand,” Cain said, “he was your friend.” He unholstered his Glock and held it out to Alice. “Here, do it clean.”
Alice looked down at the weapon, then over at Nemesis.
At Matt.
“It’s what he wants,” Cain said.
Like hell.
“To be put out of his misery.”
No, asshole, I want you put out of my misery! For Christ’s sake, Alice, don’t do it!
Alice raised the Glock. “Yes.”
Then she turned and pointed the weapon at Cain and pulled the trigger.
Yes!
But all that came from the Glock was a dry click.
Empty.
No!
Cain smiled, and held up the Glock’s ammo clip.
“All that strength, but no will to use it. What a waste. You’re such a disappointment to me.”
“You’ve no idea how happy that makes me.” Matt could hear the contempt dripping from Alice’s voice.
“Very well.” Cain sighed and turned toward the pilot of the helicopter. “Prepare for takeoff.”
Matt wanted more than anything else to get up and wipe that smirk off Cain’s face.
To his surprise, his legs and body responded to that thought by clambering to his feet.
Hot shit.
Then he pulled the metal rod out of his chest.
Cain was still droning on. “You may be the superior warrior,” he was saying to Alice, “but he is the superior soldier. He at least knows how to follow commands.”
We’ll just see about that, asshole.
Looking right at him, Cain said, “Kill her.”
Matt didn’t move.
“I said, kill her!”
Matt took a step toward Alice, which seemed to please Cain.
Then he went past her to where Nemesis had dropped the rail gun.
“What are you doing?”
What I’ve been wanting to do since you strapped me down in the mansion, you sonofabitch.
Cain realized what Matt was doing as soon as he reached for the rail gun. “Take cover!” And even as he screamed, he was suiting actions to words.
Matt picked up the rail gun and started firing into the troops.
Some of them dived for cover. Others tried to return fire. Even the return fire that did hit had no effect. Umbrella had done its work too well.
Matt had no idea who the prisoners were who had come with Alice, but one of them—the badly dressed black one who had been the only survivor back in the gun store—cried out, “Goddamn! He switched teams! Go, you big motherfucker, go!”
Even as he was cheering Matt on, Matt saw one of the guards standing over him take aim at Alice.
Matt was about to bring his own gun around to take him out when another of the prisoners—the one in an Umbrella uniform; obviously he, like Alice, had switched sides—leapt up and took the