Free Dreams in the Tower Part 2 by Andrew Vrana Page B

out.
    “Good,” she said. “Get in here.”
    She closed the door long enough to slide the chain off then opened it fully to let him inside. He made sure the door closed completely and followed her in. The room was small but ornate and colorful, and it looked like she had hardly touched anything in the time she had been here. “Izza said you were on our side even though Skexka and the others sent you here.” She led him to a soft armchair and gestured for him to sit. “That’s why I let you in.” She sat on the bed and crossed her arms and legs, facing him.
    After studying him severely for some time, she said, “I’m Dellia Thomas. But you know that already. Who are you? I mean, who are you really?”
    “Jason Delaney. From San Jose. I’m pretty much in the same situation as you, only maybe Silte doesn’t want me dead quite as bad.”
    To his surprise, she chuckled. “Oh great,” she said. “They sent me someone to commise rate with.”
    “You’re not afraid?” Jason didn’t feel like this was an appropriate time for laug hter.
    “I was for a while,” she said, “but after a week or so of living on the streets you start to a ppreciate what you have and stop worrying so much about what you might lose. And anyway this is sort of bigger than me now, isn’t it?”
    “It’s true then, right? That you have a cure?” She only stared at him inquisitively, so he ad ded, “I have a friend…”
    Looking away toward the curtained window, she sighed then looked right at him with soft eyes as she said, “I’m sorry, Jason, but I don’t have a cure. What I have is a vaccine. It won’t help if your friend is already sick. Nothing I know of will.”
    A small part of whatever it was deep inside him that was keeping him sane died just then. It wasn’t all that surprising; he had begun thinking of Steph as dead as soon as Seito told him she was sick. Not a permanent death, though; more like a temporary death that he didn’t have to a ccept because eventually it would be fixed. He realized, now, how stupid that sentiment had been. He didn’t know anything about this mind virus, but considering it was Silte’s work it probably wouldn’t be undone easily. Word of a cure had given him a small hope. That was gone now, just like Steph.
    “I’m really sorry,” Dellia said, obviously uncomfortable in the somber silence. “If I had had more time…” She lapsed into silence for a moment then said, “So do you know the plan? For tonight?”
    “Nobody told me anything. The only orders I got were the ones the AC people gave me. My friend told me not to follow those orders and to get away from them and go with you to the CDC instead.”
    “Go with me?” Her eyebrows rose bewilderedly. “We’ll see,” she said. “Anyway, you’ll take me at least as far as the dock. I can get us there. Once we’re down there we’ll meet up with a certain freighter ship captain, and he will get me secured aboard his ship. Hopefully I’ll reach the CDC in a week or two.”
    “When should we go?”
    “Now is good,” she said. “Let me just— fuck .”
    The bone-shaking blast that must have come from just outside the window sent both of them diving to the floor. For several seconds they sat on hands and knees, hunched up and sta ring at each other, inches apart; Jason smelled the soap of a recent shower on her skin and saw the dim lamp’s light reflected in her eyes, which he didn’t seem to be able to look away from. Moments went on for hours in the tense silence. Outside of that room the world might be burning away and neither of them could move or speak or do anything to stop it.
    When it finally became clear they weren’t going to die at that moment, Jason got up and went to the window, pulling back the curtain slightly. The opposite sidewalk was littered with broken glass; all around there were people running, shouting, screa ming. About three blocks away towards the city center there was a column of thick, dark