Page 94 of Perfection

“I received an emergency notice,” he told her, his voice cracking. “More children are filing in.”

She flopped back on the bed. “Ah, fooltar.”

“Exactly. Be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

She sat up. “I’ll be out in five.”

* * *

The team gathered around York and Kindra, looking to them for answers.

“We have nowhere to put them.” Kindra voiced the state of their situation with a catch in her voice.

York, Cal, Kindra, and the Foster Cryo staff stared at one another helplessly. “We have twenty Coders, twenty-three GEIs, and no units,” Cal explained. “We’ve sent requests for help all over the country.”

Kindra palmed the back of her neck. “Any hope of additional cryo units?”

“No,” the lead tech said. “I think people are holding onto their assets in case this strikes their town.”

They had to do something or the children would die. “Think,” York muttered to himself.

Kindra pressed fingers over her knuckles. “The disease is slowed by lowering a person’s core temperature. That’s part of why cryo works. So is there another way to do that?”

York blurted out ideas as they came. “Bathtubs of ice? Meat lockers or food prep freezers? Wait, what about an ice rink?” All eyes turned to him. “It’s a shitty idea, I know, but at this point, it’s the best I’ve got.”

He had to be kidding. She couldn’t imagine it working. The only hope the children really had was if a cure was found.

“It’s better than what we have now,” Cal said.

“We can take them to the indoor ice rink on Daley,” York said. “It may not do the trick, but we won’t know if we don’t try. At least it’s something instead of simply watching them die.” He turned to Kindra. “What do you think we’ll need?”

She dug out her spot comm and dictated a list. “Plastic, ice, sedatives, and nursing staff to monitor the kids.”

“Nurses? They’re obsolete,” Cal stated.

“Give some people hand computers and train them real fast,” York instructed. “Kindra knows what she’s talking about. I trust her. If she says they are needed, they are needed.”

Kindra groaned. “This is beyond crazy.”

York nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. “But it just may work.”

“Anyone have any other ideas?” one cryo tech asked.

A long silence followed.

“Okay, then,” York said. “I’ll have Captain Avery commandeer the facility and assign staff to gather the things on Dr. B-Zaika’s list. Cal, you direct the patients to the rink. Kindra, you can help me get the necessary medications.” He started moving toward the door. “Seville just ran out of time. Once we get these kids stabilized, I’m going to be knocking their door down.”

Outside, as he and Kindra made their way to his air-car, he paused to call his mother. He explained the situation. “We could use your help, Mom. Can you put together a team of EMTs and nurses? Coders will understand what needs to be done better than GEIs, I think.”

Kindra stiffened as he spoke. She hadn’t considered there might be an area where Coders were superior to GEI, but he was right. Her people were too far removed from the situation to effectively deal with it.

York ended the call with a tired sigh. “For once, she didn’t give me any flak.”

“That’s a good idea,” she said. “It hasn’t been that long since some Coders were still battling illnesses.”

“I can vaguely remember that. In my great-grandfather’s day, there had been a few things our immunities couldn’t handle. It made me even more thankful for the genetic improvements humanity has made since then.”

His gaze slid to where Cal and some officers met with the gathering of parents and children. “We are fighting for something precious today.”