Read Online The Variant Effect: PAINKILLER by G. Wells Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

those bastards won’t send you to hell
for losing a baby,” Borland chewed on his lip as a spasm of
pain shook him. More tears fell. “Unless...”
    “That’s enough!” She glared at him and held
the pistol at his face.
    Oh god, don’t do it .
    “Judy, I thought it was postpartum
depression, but now I think it’s just depression,” Borland said and
shrugged painfully. He was getting dizzier. “Maybe it’s the Variant
Effect too, but I think it’s mostly guilt .”
    “Quiet!” The gun shook in Judy’s hand.
    Do what you have to do .”
    “You didn’t lose your baby, Judy,” Borland
growled.
    “Shut up!” she screamed.
    “You aborted it,” he snarled.
    “Shut up!” Judy shouted and slipped another
hand around the gun to steady it. “You don’t know what you’re
talking about!”
    Just do it .
    “I don’t care one way or another. But as a
Catholic you’re damned and as a cop you’ll condemn yourself for
being human.” Borland tried to sit forward but was overcome with
nausea. His heart throbbed heavily. “I can’t see a way out for
you.”
    “Judy?” Dr. Lemington called through the
door.
    Judy looked over, and then back at
Borland.
    “See,” she said. “They turned you against
me.”
    “Jesus!” he yelled, eyes full of tears. “Judy
either put me out of my misery, murder Mr. Cumberland or do what
you have to do!” He winced rolling to his knees. “You know there’s
only one person in the room that’s got this coming!”
    Judy aimed the gun and pulled the
trigger.
     
     

CHAPTER 12
     
    That was then. This is now .
    Borland sat on his couch sipping whiskey and
watching the blue screen. Zombie’s comic book lay crumpled on the
couch beside him.
    Judy ...
    It was easy for Brass’s scientists to biopsy
her brain. She’d conveniently opened her skull for them. They found
the Variant molecule there, but in quantities that suggested it
should be dormant. And there was no sign of the new thirteenth
hybrid molecule they’d found in Parkerville.
    She was a kinderkid but had never presented.
A worrier, a bit of a nail-biter, but nothing you could put your
finger on. Nothing outside the norm or dangerous.
    Unlikely Variant, so it was guilt that
presented, that drove her to extremes.
    Judy was a uniformed Metro cop for eight
years with the dream of finding a nice fellow, settling down and
becoming a mother.
    Her dream came true.
    But not for her ambitious boyfriend, another
uniformed Metro cop. He had his eyes set on promotions and so he
declared their love-child a little premature—maybe later after the
wedding. They could try again.
    Pressure was applied—ultimatums issued. And
dreams collided.
    Judy should never have agreed to the
abortion.
    The guilt caused her to fight and ruined her
relationship before the marriage. That sent her into a tailspin
that ended with her on indefinite leave from the force riding a
psychiatrist’s couch.
    In and out of mental hospitals, some time in
there she developed an inguinal hernia.
    Then, something went right. She got the right
mix of meds. Maybe she met a fellow, but things were on the
upswing—she decided to fix the hernia so she could get back to the
gym, lose some weight and feel better about herself. Maybe grow a
new dream.
    But something went wrong at the Shomberg
Clinic. Her antidepressant mixed with shame and painkillers, and
she took a guilt trip that almost killed Borland.
    When she shot herself, Borland started
calling to the SWAT team. They rammed the lock off the door and
entered, guns on Borland and Mr. Cumberland.
    The old bugger finally woke up when they
knocked.
    He asked for a drink of water. Cumberland had
his operation while Borland was waiting for his turn downstairs.
The old man’s pain meds had kept him asleep through Judy’s assault
on reality.
    That said a lot for Borland. His doctors were
impressed, said it was remarkable that he’d been able to stay
conscious through all that pain, medication and blood loss.
    He was