Read Online PRIME by Samantha Boyette - Free Book Online

afford to keep myself dosed out all the time?”
    “Inherited?” Cale looked interested even as he stood and began to pace the room.
    “The first bit,” Zero said. “Can’t remember how much, but I invested in stocks.”
    “Not many people get stinking rich from stocks,” Alice said, repeating his phrase. “You sure it wasn’t a dream?”
    “Not a dream. I just knew how to buy and sell, knew what was going to be big and what was going to fail. Been good at that stuff since I was a kid. When this all got out of hand, I figured it would only be a matter of time before I was killed off by it so I went on a binge. They collected my body from a homeless shelter, and I woulda been incinerated if I hadn’t woke up on the way to the place.”
    “That’s when they brought you here,” Alice said. “It was a huge deal.”
    “You don’t say?” Zero asked dryly. “Imagine how it was for me, waking up in that pile of bodies.” They were silent as that idea sank in.
    “I don’t get why they needed you to get the vaccine when tons of kids were living through it,” Cale said with a frown. “Couldn’t they have figured out their immunity?”
    “No.” Alice shook her head. “One of the doctors explained it to me once. The children’s bodies are made up differently than ours, there’s any number of differences between a child’s body and an adult’s. To pinpoint what made someone immune, the doctors needed an adult.”
    “So what makes him different?” Cale still paced. Alice had the idea he was also planning.
    “I’m not sure.” Alice watched Cale as he paced. “It’s something in his liver that doesn’t naturally occur in you or me.”
    Cale stopped pacing as he thought it over. The other two were quiet as they watched him, waiting for him to share his thoughts. Cale began to open his mouth, but then closed it. He shook his head and began to pace again. Zero and Alice exchanged a look.
    “Well good morning patient Zero.” Markus Smith entered the room with a broad smile plastered across his face. Alice didn’t like him at all. “We look like we’re coping nicely and even making friends.”
    “Yeah Doc, I’m feelin’ peachy this morning. I’m thinking of taking a stroll later on.” Zero’s answer made Alice smirk, and the doctor lost his fake smile.
    “You two better leave, I’ll be keeping him busy for a while if you don’t mind.” Markus was already pulling out his tools and needles.
    “We’ll see you later,” Alice promised Zero, squeezing his hand. “Maybe we’ll bring up some dinner.”
    “That sounds great.” Zero squeezed her hand in return. She was surprised at the shiver it gave her and turned away before he could catch her slight blush. Cale didn’t miss her reaction.
    “Later on.” Cale clapped hands with Zero a little harder than necessary. “We’ll talk more, plan this all out.”
    “Looking forward to it,” Zero said.
    Alice pulled the door shut behind them, hoping Zero would still feel up to dinner after whatever the doctors had planned for him.

    7

    Haven Medical Base

    Simon sat staring numbly into the distance as if he could see through the wooden fence that surrounded the yard. Beside him, Tessa worked on the cuts covering the side of his face. She poured water down his cheek to wash away the loose dirt and used tweezers to gently pull out the ground-in pieces of grit. Simon winced as the sharp end of the tweezers dug painfully into his skin.
    “Sorry.” Tessa grimaced. “I’m trying to be careful.”
    “It’s alright,” Simon said. He deserved worse. Noah was dead. Simon could handle a little pain.
    “I’m doing the best I can,” Tessa went on as she squeezed out a small pebble. “But it’s going to scar.”
    “I said it’s fine. Are they back yet?” He tried to turn to see if Zeke and Tech had returned.
    “Hold still.” Tessa took his jaw and tugged him back to face her. “They aren’t back yet. It’s not going to be easy getting