The Volkov Daughter
1645 Words
The woman stood at the edge of the garden, her breath fogging in the cold night air. She was young—mid-twenties—with dark hair and Elena Volkov’s sharp cheekbones. But her eyes were different. Softer. More afraid.
“You’re Katerina?” Marcus asked.
“No. Katerina is my sister. I’m Anya. Elena never told you about me because I was the one who volunteered to be a test subject. I have the code in my blood. The evolved version.”
Marcus stepped off the porch. “You’re infected?”
“I’m a carrier. The code is dormant in me, but it’s active in my blood. Anyone who comes into contact with my blood—or other fluids—can be infected with the new strain.”
Claire moved closer to Sophie. “Why are you here?”
“Because my mother sent me. She found a way to create a vaccine for the new strain. But she needs a sample of the evolved code to finish it. I’m the only source.”
Marcus looked at her. “You’re volunteering to be a test subject again.”
“I’m volunteering to save people. The new strain is already spreading. Not through the air—through blood contact. A single cut, a single transfusion, and the code transfers.”
“Who’s spreading it?”
“A group of survivors from the consortium. They’ve been infecting people in hospitals, blood banks, clinics. They want to create a new generation of carriers. People who will spread the code without knowing it.”
---
Marcus called Elena.
“Your daughter is here.”
“I know. I sent her.”
“You sent your own daughter as bait?”
“I sent her as a messenger. The consortium survivors are hunting her. They want her blood. They want to replicate the evolved code.”
“Where are they?”
“I have a location. A warehouse in Baltimore. The same one where Victoria Kane was arrested. They’re using it as a lab.”
Marcus looked at Claire. “We go to Baltimore.”
---
They left at dawn.
Anya went with them. She sat in the back of the SUV, her hands wrapped in bandages to prevent accidental contact.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” she said. “The code doesn’t transfer through the air. Only through blood.”
“I’m not afraid,” Marcus said. “I’m cautious.”
“Same thing.”
The warehouse was the same. Steel door. Keypad. Cameras.
Kay’s replacement—a young man named Leo—disabled the security.
Marcus pushed the door open.
Inside, the warehouse had been converted into a lab. Rows of microscopes. Centrifuges. Racks of vials filled with dark red liquid.
A man stood at the center of the room. Grey hair. Lab coat.
“Marcus Cole. I was wondering when you’d come.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Dr. Viktor Petrov. I was the consortium’s lead geneticist. I created the evolved code.”
“You infected Anya.”
“She volunteered. As did many others. The evolved code is the next step in human evolution. It grants immunity to disease. Enhanced healing. Longer life.”
“It also turns people into carriers who can infect others without their consent.”
Petrov smiled. “Consent is overrated.”
---
Marcus raised his Sig. “Shut down the lab. Turn yourself in.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me? I’m the only one who knows how to create the vaccine. Without me, the evolved code will spread unchecked.”
“Elena can finish the vaccine.”
“Elena doesn’t have the complete formula. Only I do.”
Marcus lowered the Sig. “Then you’re going to help us.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a black site. No sunlight. No human contact. No hope.”
Petrov’s smile faded. “You’re bluffing.”
“Try me.”
---
Petrov gave them the formula.
Anya provided a blood sample.
Elena worked through the night.
The vaccine was ready by morning.
Marcus watched as Elena injected herself with the first dose.
“If it works, I’m immune to the evolved code.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then I become a carrier.”
They waited.
An hour passed. Two.
Elena’s blood tests came back clean.
“It works,” she said. “The vaccine is effective.”
Marcus let out a breath. “Then we start mass production.”
---
Petrov was taken into custody.
The lab was destroyed. The vials of evolved code were incinerated.
Marcus stood outside the warehouse, watching the sun rise.
Anya was beside him.
“You saved a lot of people.”
“We saved a lot of people.”
“My mother wants to see you. Before you go.”
Marcus looked at Claire. “We have time.”
---
Elena’s lab was quiet.
She was sitting at a desk, exhaustion etched on her face.
“You did good work,” Marcus said.
“I did what I had to.”
“Anya?”
“She’s going to stay with me. I owe her that.”
Marcus sat across from her. “The evolved code. Are there other carriers?”
“Dozens. Maybe more. Petrov infected people all over the country. Some of them know they’re carriers. Some don’t.”
“How do we find them?”
“I have a list. Names. Addresses. The FBI is already reaching out.”
Marcus stood up. “Then we’ve done all we can.”
“For now.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Catherine was waiting on the porch.
“You’re back.”
“We’re back.”
“The evolved code?”
“Neutralized. The vaccine is ready. The carriers are being treated.”
Catherine hugged him. “You did good.”
“We did good.”
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You’re thinking about Anya.”
“I’m thinking about how many people have been used as weapons. As carriers. As test subjects.”
“It’s the nature of the war.”
“It shouldn’t be.”
She sat beside him. “But it is. And you’re fighting it.”
Marcus looked at the stars.
“For now.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Elena.
“The vaccine is being distributed. The carriers are being treated. The evolved code is contained. You’ve won, Marcus.”
Marcus typed back: “Will there be another?”
“There’s always another. But not today. Rest.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “What was that?”
“The end.”
“Of what?”
“Of this chapter.”
She leaned against him.
They watched the stars.
The woods were quiet.
The world was calm.
And for one moment, Marcus let himself believe it might last.
---
The next morning, Marcus received a visitor.
Not a threat. A friend.
Sarah Vance—the real one, not the traitor—walked up the driveway.
“I heard you stopped another outbreak.”
“We stopped it.”
“The network is impressed. They want to know if you’ve decided about the job.”
Marcus looked at the garden. At Claire. At Sophie.
“I’ve decided.”
“Yes?”
“No. I’ve decided to stay here. For now.”
Sarah smiled. “That’s fair. The offer stands. Whenever you’re ready.”
She walked back to her car and drove away.
---
Claire came up beside Marcus.
“You turned her down.”
“I postponed.”
“Same thing.”
“No. Postponing means I might change my mind.”
She took his hand. “Will you?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s honest.”
“I try.”
---
That afternoon, Marcus planted more roses.
Yellow ones. For Olga. For Anya. For all the people who had sacrificed.
Sophie helped him dig.
“Are these for the brave people?”
“Yes.”
“Will they grow?”
“They’ll grow. With water and sun and care.”
Sophie patted the dirt. “Like us.”
Marcus looked at her. “Like us.”
---
Catherine came out with lemonade.
“The garden is getting full.”
“There’s always room for more roses.”
“Like people?”
Marcus took the lemonade. “Like people.”
---
That evening, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him a blanket.
“You’re thinking about the future.”
“I’m thinking about the past. All the people we lost.”
“You saved a lot.”
“Not enough.”
She sat beside him. “It will never be enough. But it’s something.”
Marcus looked at the stars.
“It’s something.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
“The evolved code is contained. The vaccine is distributed. The carriers are being treated. You’ve done it again, Marcus.”
Marcus typed back: “Who is this?”
“Someone who’s been watching. Someone who’s proud of you. Someone who hopes you finally find peace.”
“Will you ever tell me?”
“Someday. When the time is right. When you least expect it.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “The texter?”
“Still anonymous.”
“Do you think they’ll ever reveal themselves?”
“Maybe. When the time is right.”
She leaned against him.
They watched the stars.
The garden was quiet.
The world was calm.
And for one moment, Marcus let himself believe it might last.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD