Charlie Huston - Every Last Drop

She stares farther, going away from the room, deep inside some other place. -It is so fucking cool.

She takes a big drag.

— It's like, like being a pioneer. Like none of the rules apply and you can try anything. Anything. Nothing is out of bounds. And. Oh, and I said about computer models. The good thing about having too many people here, it gives us a really good pool to draw samples from. And, because the Vyrus, it does mutate. Radically. From person to person. I mean, we've got a couple people here who infected other people here. And even then, the same strain passing from host to host, it mutates. But within a range. I think. So we can draw samples. And like I said, the Vyrus is a total puss, and if you mishandle a specimen it croaks like that, but if you do it right we have time to log the

mutation. So we're creating a database of mutations. Like, we can look and see its favorite tricks. How it hides. How it defends itself. Maybe get an idea why some infecteds get a lot stronger, and some not so much. Or healing. Like some strains seem to mutate in a fashion that really enhances new cell growth. But not all of them. And.

Her eyes slide sideways, unfocus, and someone cuts her strings and she's hitting the floor.

Sela gets to her before I do, feels her pulse, takes the burning cigarette from between her fingers and stubs it in an ashtray on the edge of the desk.

I look at her as she brushes loose strands of perfect hair from Amanda's forehead. -She OK?

Sela doesn't look at me, just lifts the girls head into her lap. -She's exhausted. -Yeah, well I guess being crazy will do that to you.

She looks at me now. -She's not crazy. She's a visionary.

She looks back at her lover's face.

— She's special, Joe.

I fish a smoke from my pack. -Specially fucked up, Sela.

I drop a match in the ashtray, see Amanda's clove still smoldering and crush it.

— She had mind-fuck parents and they mind-fucked her. She's got too much money and she's too smart for her own good and she's seen too much and she knows things that are too weird. And that's all fucked her up. She's not normal. She's bent as hell. She's crazy.

Sela rests her hand on the girls forehead. -You calling yourself normal these days, Joe?

I smoke some more.

Sela looks at me. -Yeah, I didn't think so.

She slides out from under the girl.

— She works harder than any of us. She never stops. She's here in this office or she's at the lab. I can barely get her to sleep two hours out of every thirty. She never stops. She never gives up. Everyone who shows up on that

doorstep, she says yes to. She takes them all in. -Like I said, crazy.

She steps to me, every flawlessly cut muscle on her is rigid. -She never stops working, Joe. For us. She's not infected, but she never stops trying to help us. She works harder to help us than we work to help ourselves.

She raises a finger and shows me the short, sharp, red nail at its end. -So be careful how you talk about her.

She angles the finger at my face. -You only got one eye left to poke out if I lose my temper.

Its true Sela wouldn't even know the girl if I hadn't been around. It's true I've known Sela since she was a punk-attitude pre-op tranny down with the Society, as opposed to a fashion-plate, lipstick pre-op up here with Amanda. It's even true she saved my life once.

But none of that will save my eye if she decides she's got a hankering to see it on the end of her finger.

Diplomacy is required. -Sure thing, Sela. I get it. Mean, the fact she's investing her energies in

trying to save a bunch of people who look at her like food, fact that she's filled a building with them, all of em close enough to smell her all the time, that doesn't indicate anything about her sanity. Stable as a rock, your girl there.

She pulls the finger in, joins it up with four or five others, and I get a second to wonder how far my head will fly if she decides to knock it off my neck, then she lowers her fist. -Yeah, you re right about that part. That part's a problem.

She steps back. -Those people downstairs, that's a problem.

She folds her arms.

— Think it's tough getting enough burgers in here to feed all them, imagine what it's like getting enough blood. We've got the money. We just got no place to buy from. They're starting to starve. Couple already have. Burned out. Went berserk. Want to know how good it was for morale when I had to bring those ones down? Not good at all. And last night. That thing we were getting into when you showed up. One of our members went hunting last night. Just a block away. On our doorstep. -Sloppy. -Desperate.

— Witnesses?

She rubs the back of her neck.

— Witnesses. No. Not to the act. But he left one majorly fucked-up corpse. I expect to see coverage on that the second I take a look at New York One. -Where's the guy?

— He's here. He's locked in the basement for now. We're trying to sort out what to do about him.

I take the last drag off my smoke and stub it. -Kill him.

She shakes her head.

— No. That's not what were doing here. Were making something different. -Fine. Make something different. But the smart play is you kill him. You know that. He went off the reservation. So now you kill him. And make sure everyone in the place knows you killed him. -That's what I've been telling her.

We look down at Amanda, her eyes open, fiddling her hair back into place. -I mean, I want there to be room for compassion around here, but we're on the brink. Order has to be maintained at some point.

She holds out a hand and Sela pulls her to her feet. -Easy, baby.

— I'm fine. Its just a little sugar crash. -It's severe exhaustion and borderline malnutrition is what it is.

Amanda twists her hand free. -I said I'm fine. I just need a smoothie or something. -You need a proper meal and sleep.

— Sela, back off. I love you, honey, but give me just a little space here before I positively freak out.

She turns to me.

— I mean, you don't see Joe going all flattery on me just because I got a little dizzy.

She brushes the back of her hand across her forehead, fusses her hair some more.

— That's like one of Joe's great assets. He doesn't get flattery, do you, Joe? He just sees what needs to be done and deals with it. After that, It's all just like a question of whether you do it and accept the consequences, or don't do it and accept some different consequences. Like with this problem today. Joe

gets it. I mean, you get it too, Sela, but Joe gets it in a different way. Joe sees the consequences of not handing out some kind of punishment here. Don't you, Joe?

I shrug. -If you say so.

She bunches both fists, tucks them beneath her chin and smiles wide. -Oh, Joe! I'm so happy you re here. I mean, I always knew you d come sooner or later, but its just perfect that you came when we really really need you. Having you join us, that's going to make all the difference for so many reasons. -Yeah, well, thing is.

I take a drag. -I'm not here to join you.

I take another drag. -I'm just here to spy on you for Dexter Predo. Now that I've done that.

I point at the liquor cabinet. -III be looking for a drink. After.

I point at the door.

— Ill be looking for the rear entrance.

— No.

— Can I finish?

— No.

— I mean, so, what, just out of hand, you wont even listen?

— No.

— Joe, really, all I'm asking is for you to listen for a minute. Just a couple

minutes while I explain just what it would mean to us. I mean, this is really

really important.

I toss down my drink. -And all I'm telling you is no.

She sips on the smoothie Gladstone brought her.

— What is that about? I mean, I know you dont like to be indebted to anyone, but I'm not even talking about a favor. I'm talking about a business transaction. And you just want to sit there and be all.