Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,170

did you come from?" I asked. Allaire's tan cheeks blushed as he looked towards the ground and smiled.

“Saberus,” he replied.

"I’ve never been,” I replied politely. It seemed odd exchanging pleasantries with a stranger. Maverick grabbed my hand and glared at Allaire, who rolled his eyes.

"May I stay here today? I seem to be in a bit of trouble," I asked softly, worry still creeping up and burning me at the edges. Cavil was vengeful, and I knew it would be just a matter of time. Maverick squeezed my hand tighter as I relaxed my shoulders.

"As long as you don’t mind a day full of bickering. It seems Maverick and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to tackling this problem." Allaire adjusted his thick glasses and tapped on his digital watch.

"I simply don't want to waste time on a hopeless sidetrack. The genetic code I'm running has a higher probability of succeeding. If we both work on it, I'm sure we'll have answers by the end of the month," Maverick said .

Allaire frowned and furrowed his brow before walking back to his desk and angrily flipping through his tablet.

"Ash, could I have another sample of your blood?" Maverick asked while placing a hand on my lower back and guiding me towards the table. The combination of his touch and being back in the lab made me shiver as I remembered Maverick's skilled fingers and Jacob's loving gaze. Maverick smirked at me. He knew what caused the faraway, dreamy look in my eyes, and he liked it.

"I'd like to see how the vaccine reacts to immune subjects," Maverick explained while adjusting the collar on his shirt. Allaire huffed again, loud enough for all of Ethros to hear. He was peculiar.

"Something you'd like to add?" Maverick asked through gritted teeth, obviously not amused with his huffing.

"Nope. Nothing at all. It's just that I've already done that with my own blood too many times to count, and the results are still the same. The vaccine has zero effect on immune subjects. Once the vaccine enters the bloodstream, it can determine if its host is immune or not. Immunity codes the vaccine to remain inactive. For one who talks about wasting time, you sure do a lot of it."

"You're immune?" I asked. Allaire's expression twisted into pride as he smiled at me.

"Yes! Aren't the odds fascinating? A year ago, they said only two percent were immune to X, but after studying it more, I think the number is closer to one point zero eight."

"It's sad," I began while holding my arm out for Maverick to take my blood. As he stuck the needle in, I mused out loud. "I wish everyone were immune. Then there wouldn't even need to be a vaccine. If it didn't have a purpose, it wouldn't be such a threat." Maverick drew my blood, but his eyes had that faraway quality that I'd grown to recognize as the look he wore while contemplating a major problem. Once he slipped it from my arm, he and Allaire spoke at the same time.

"What if we..."

"We should... "

Maverick laughed before jumping back in. "We shouldn't fight the vaccine, we need to fight what triggers it."

"If the vaccine were tricked into thinking that it’s host was immune—"

"—then there would be no catalyst for the mutation. It would just stay dormant in the body." Maverick softly kissed my hand before jogging over to the large screen in the center of the brightly lit room. They started mapping out possibilities and theories. I watched in amazement as Maverick lit up in excitement and hope. They were on the cusp of a solution.

“This means everyone will be able to contract X again, though.” Allaire’s voice was morbid as he traced his fingers over the table top.

“We better know how to protect ourselves from X now, and once we find the trigger to the vaccine, we can develop a better one that doesn’t kill everyone,” Maverick replied. “But yes, while I figure that out, I guess everyone will become”—Maverick looked to me before finishing—“everyone will become Walkers.”

I got comfortable on my stool and watched, occasionally bringing them drinks and interjecting when they argued. Halfway through the day, I went upstairs to make them lunch in the their small kitchenette. Maverick dove into work with newfound purpose, and for the first time since arriving in Ethros, I felt that there was hope. That maybe he would find the cure, and I would be gifted with a future