given time. “Have to pay attention.”
“You know, I bet at this point you could do something generous, and it’d unsettle them even more. Make them work harder at staying on your good side.”
His eyes darted back to me. “If you’re trying to suggest something, spit it out.”
“Me? No.” I held up my hands. “Just rambling.” And planting a seed. He wasn’t going to take an idea directly from me—he needed to grow it himself. Give away some vaccines at half price, or free. Share some of his private stash with the other Wardens as a reward for their work. Extend a peace offering to the Strikers. All of the above. I didn’t care, as long as it made them believe I’d started shifting him in the opposite direction from where he’d been headed.
“Hmmm,” he said again, and then, “How’s this for generous? I figure we double the vaccines we can give out when the next batch arrives.”
“You want me to ask Michael for twice as much?” I said. We could probably move that many doses while they were still useable—we continued to get a small but steady stream of purchasers as people scavenged up the means to pay. I didn’t see where the generosity was in that, though.
“Let him send as much as he wants,” Nathan said casually. “I mean we cut what we get. Split the doses 50/50 with water. No one will know the difference. And we get twice the profit.”
I stared at him, knowing my horror must be showing on my face, unable to contain it. I’d pretended to be fine with an awful lot since I’d joined the Wardens, but this... Apparently I had a hard line, and Nathan had just etched it out for me.
“The people we vaccinate will get less protection,” I said. “Maybe none at all.” Only they’d think they were protected, so they’d stop being so careful.
Nathan shrugged. “By the time they realize, it’ll be too late for them anyway. Shame I didn’t think of it before we fixed up most of the Strikers—hell, we should have given them straight water—but sometimes genius takes time.”
He was insane. Not fickle or impulsive or even mildly unstable. Completely, irreversibly, insane. I saw it then so clearly I couldn’t explain it away. Maybe he’d always been crazy under the polish of his slicked-back hair and fancy suits, or maybe getting out from under Michael’s thumb had sent him spiraling, but it didn’t matter now.
I slipped my hands into my pockets, fingers curling around the grip of the pistol. There was a slim possibility that shooting him might save this. Might earn me enough respect that the Wardens would follow my lead after instead of kicking me aside. But I knew from the way Janelle had spoken to me, the way the others looked at me, just how slim that chance was. And in that moment I wanted even less to bow to the standard Nathan had set, meeting violence with more violence.
“Sudden arrival of a conscience, Drew?” Nathan said.
“I want the virus gone,” I said. “That only works if people are getting the full dose of the vaccine.”
“Anyone stupid enough to get infected isn’t worth keeping around anyway,” Nathan said. “And once they’re gone, the virus dies out on its own. Isn’t that how it works?”
A practical angle, then. “And what do you think will happen when the ‘smart’ people figure out what you did?” I said. “Which they will, probably pretty quickly. What do you think they’ll do to you?”
“Oh, you’re worried about my safety?” He slid out his switchblade, flicking it open and closed. “I can take whatever they throw at me.”
“The whole goddamned city?” I burst out. “There won’t be a single person even in this station who’ll stand up for you.” He was building his kingdom out of kindling and lighting a flame under it—how could he not see that?
“There’ll always be some who realize they’re better off with me than against me,” Nathan said. “How do you think Michael got as far as he has? The others... They
“You know, I bet at this point you could do something generous, and it’d unsettle them even more. Make them work harder at staying on your good side.”
His eyes darted back to me. “If you’re trying to suggest something, spit it out.”
“Me? No.” I held up my hands. “Just rambling.” And planting a seed. He wasn’t going to take an idea directly from me—he needed to grow it himself. Give away some vaccines at half price, or free. Share some of his private stash with the other Wardens as a reward for their work. Extend a peace offering to the Strikers. All of the above. I didn’t care, as long as it made them believe I’d started shifting him in the opposite direction from where he’d been headed.
“Hmmm,” he said again, and then, “How’s this for generous? I figure we double the vaccines we can give out when the next batch arrives.”
“You want me to ask Michael for twice as much?” I said. We could probably move that many doses while they were still useable—we continued to get a small but steady stream of purchasers as people scavenged up the means to pay. I didn’t see where the generosity was in that, though.
“Let him send as much as he wants,” Nathan said casually. “I mean we cut what we get. Split the doses 50/50 with water. No one will know the difference. And we get twice the profit.”
I stared at him, knowing my horror must be showing on my face, unable to contain it. I’d pretended to be fine with an awful lot since I’d joined the Wardens, but this... Apparently I had a hard line, and Nathan had just etched it out for me.
“The people we vaccinate will get less protection,” I said. “Maybe none at all.” Only they’d think they were protected, so they’d stop being so careful.
Nathan shrugged. “By the time they realize, it’ll be too late for them anyway. Shame I didn’t think of it before we fixed up most of the Strikers—hell, we should have given them straight water—but sometimes genius takes time.”
He was insane. Not fickle or impulsive or even mildly unstable. Completely, irreversibly, insane. I saw it then so clearly I couldn’t explain it away. Maybe he’d always been crazy under the polish of his slicked-back hair and fancy suits, or maybe getting out from under Michael’s thumb had sent him spiraling, but it didn’t matter now.
I slipped my hands into my pockets, fingers curling around the grip of the pistol. There was a slim possibility that shooting him might save this. Might earn me enough respect that the Wardens would follow my lead after instead of kicking me aside. But I knew from the way Janelle had spoken to me, the way the others looked at me, just how slim that chance was. And in that moment I wanted even less to bow to the standard Nathan had set, meeting violence with more violence.
“Sudden arrival of a conscience, Drew?” Nathan said.
“I want the virus gone,” I said. “That only works if people are getting the full dose of the vaccine.”
“Anyone stupid enough to get infected isn’t worth keeping around anyway,” Nathan said. “And once they’re gone, the virus dies out on its own. Isn’t that how it works?”
A practical angle, then. “And what do you think will happen when the ‘smart’ people figure out what you did?” I said. “Which they will, probably pretty quickly. What do you think they’ll do to you?”
“Oh, you’re worried about my safety?” He slid out his switchblade, flicking it open and closed. “I can take whatever they throw at me.”
“The whole goddamned city?” I burst out. “There won’t be a single person even in this station who’ll stand up for you.” He was building his kingdom out of kindling and lighting a flame under it—how could he not see that?
“There’ll always be some who realize they’re better off with me than against me,” Nathan said. “How do you think Michael got as far as he has? The others... They
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