Chapter 2: Ch 2 Mac Quits
Machiavelli on the other hand, was having a much more stressful time than Julius. He has been working to cure the disease for just over a month now, and he is starting to realize he will need the specialized tools from his main lab to finish this project, but unfortunately the lab is with his stupid brother, in his stupid bunker.
He touches the ring tattoo on his index finger. For as long as he could remember he has always had this ring tattoo, and his brother had a tattoo of a key on his inner forearm. As a man of science he has found no way to explain their origins, he only knows that they were something their parents made somehow before he and his brother could remember. He has no insights into how his tattoo can animate and become a storage ring with infinite space. Or what he can assume is infinite, as he hasn't run out of space yet. It was really like some kind of wuxia protagonist's tool. As for his brother's key that comes off of his arm, ugh he didn't even want to start to thinking about that.
"You fucking imbecile! Why would you mix those two compounds? We are trying to kill a virus, not all of us! Ugh! Utterly useless… Someone get me some reliable help! I don't want anymore trash ass know it all doctors. Get me nurses. I just need more arms that will listen, not these prescription pushers who suddenly think they're chemists! Get out all of you, go help Exner!" Machiavelli dismissed the entire group after someone almost blew them up. "These morons don't care about my life..." He was already starting to give up on the whole thing and start making his way towards Julius. He would have been gone before the cell towers went down, but they could still communicate. So long as he knew his brother was ok he could work in peace. Being conglomerate brats, the sole heirs to be specific, they own private satellites so for now they can talk regularly. Apparently, they now have a new sister as Julius adopted a little girl named Clementine. He made it clear how sad the girl was about her parents, and he had no intention of abandoning her. This could be interesting, they never had a little sister, and she didn't sound like an annoying little snot either. Machiavelli decides to make her a gift. He found himself wondering what she would like. "She's probably been tainted by Julius already…I should just make something combat related to be safe, fuck this research. Yup, I'll ditch this place and cure this shit virus from the safety of Julius's bunker." Machiavelli resolved himself to wash his hands of the facility. It fell far below his expectations, this facility was really just a fortified community college ran by government soldiers and overrun with the sick. The outside world had devolved into a poorly maintained police state with death and anarchy fighting to take over. This place was only kind of safe because the locals believed they would be the first to have a cure when the brilliant group led by Doctor Machiavelli Zoldyck figured it out, also since he was on the case the remaining government was willing to spare more resources to his work. When word that he dismissed his entire team gets out people will talk. Between the ongoing chaos outside, lack of suitable help, and overwhelming number of patients in the building, he couldn't make much real progress. Machiavelli has never been one to dawdle so he pulls out his sat phone and called number six.
"Heather, where are you?" Machiavelli asked the voice on the phone.
"Young master I am at a safe house your brother had set up just outside the city. It has a large fortified barn stocked with supplies and weapons. Do you need extraction now?" A woman's voice responded. She had red hair in long thick curls and curves for days. Despite being just under forty she had a beautiful face that looked much younger than she actually was.
"Heather we've talked about this, if you call me Young Master again, I'll start calling you mom again" he says. Heather was his mother's maid when she was alive and Machiavelli has never met his mother, so Heather was the closest thing he had to one. However, to refer to her as such could be seen as a disrespect to his actual mother. Though Machiavelli didn't care, it meant a lot to Heather so she avoided it, it just made things awkward for her.
"Okay Mac." She replies with a conceding smile.
"Alright, you know me the best. And I'm not ready to leave just, I have something I need a little longer to finish working on. Anyways I dismissed my whole team, find out if anyone versed in medicine has come to through here. I need a new assistant." he says.
"I had a feeling that would happen, so I took the liberty of checking new personnel before I left. In this newest group of arrivals I didn't see very many looking useful staff, only a handful. One woman arrived with Dr. Exner, she seems to be very active and quick to help. However, she's been distracted trying to care for an injured elderly woman and a drug addict in withdrawal. The other elderly line nurse came alone as a volunteer, she's been getting a lot more done and seems to have much more experience. A young man who had freshly finished his course in medical school before the outbreak has been assisting in many procedures, with notable success. Should I approach the line nurse or the fresh graduate?" Heather inquiries.
"Neither, let them keep doing what they're doing. I don't need a good Samaritan right now I need someone with something to lose and a reason to live. Something I can easily manipulate. I'll handle the rest ping me your location and whatever you can find about our new associate, then standby for further orders." Machiavelli says as a plan starts to form in his head. He decides to personally see to these two patients that would be good leverage to get her to help.
Later Machiavelli was alone in the lab, if it could be called that, looking into a microscope when someone knocks on the door. "You may Enter," he says without looking up from what he was doing. Agent Charles opens the door with the nurse in tow.
"You asked for a nurse to help you right? This is nurse practitioner Elizabeth Ortiz who's been helping Dr. Exner." Agent Charles introduces her.
"A nurse practitioner? Thank you, Agent Charlie," Machiavelli says. "Who'd have thought you'd last longer than a month? If only Agent Wilson could see you now, rest his soul…anyways you can go now, I'll call if I need anything else."
"Alright," Agent Charles nods and excuses himself.
"Well, Nurse Ortiz was it? It's a pleasure to meet you," he finally looks up and turns to face his guest with a faked friendly smile.
"Umm Dr. Zoldyck right?" She starts off carefully.
"You're the person Dr. Exner brought back right to help right? I'm in dire need of capable extra hands."
"Yes…I was told you were looking for someone new to assist you in making a cure for this wildfire virus?"
"Yes, you were probably told that but no, that's impossible here. We're undermanned, underequipped, and overworked. I wouldn't really call this the safest work environment either. Doctor Exner is putting up a valiant effort to save as many as possible, but it isn't going to make much of a difference in the end. This place is only going to get worse until they bomb the city, or those things overrun us. Both eventualities I've overheard the officials preparing for. Also, I don't think they like me too much, sooooo I'm getting out before this place goes to hell." Machiavelli sums up.
"E-excuse me, are you serious?" Elizabeth was trying to process what she just heard, the brightest mind she'd ever met just told her he was leaving everyone to die. There was no hope. "Why would you tell me this?"
"You see I have a plan, but there are a few elements I need a capable helper to assist me with since I don't have much freedom around here. But a nurse assisting with the patients and research? This entire facility is open to you, and that's where you come in. While I'm working on some personal projects, I'm going to need you-"
"Wait a second, who says I'm going to help you abandon all these people?" Elizabeth asks.
"Because you lied your way in here, I know you're not even a nurse yet. Still studying right? The addict and the old lady, you only came to look out for those two if I'm not mistaken. This place is essentially a death sentence for most people brought here." Machiavelli answers the question casually.
She is alarmed someone important there already knew about her before they had even met. "How did you know all that?"
Machiavelli knows he has her attention now. "Don't worry about that, the thing is I understand why you did it. I respect that loyalty and dedication, so I'm offering you a deal. If you help me, I will personally guarantee that the two of them will walk out of here with us much better than when they arrived."
"And then what?" Elizabeth isn't fully convinced but Machiavelli didn't mind sharing that much.
"You can do whatever you want. I have arrangements to fly to one of the fortified estates my family built for events like this. You would be welcome to join me or get dropped off somewhere of your choosing…I'm filthy rich, well, was I guess. Money is useless at this point, but you get the idea. Now it's all about how useful an individual is, and what they're willing to do to protect their interests." Machiavelli continues. "Would you do whatever it takes to protect your interests, Nurse Ortiz?"
Machiavelli's words stuck with her for a moment. She was here because she was trying to protect her interests. What was the harm in going a little farther to escape if it got them two top quality medical treatment? "Alright. I'll help you. You promise you can help Nick and Griselda?"
"On my life," Machiavelli says with a more genuine but sinister looking smile. "You should know I value my life quite a lot."
"Also, I have to find my son after we leave. I won't leave without him or his father either." She adds.
"There's room for them too, trust me." Machiavelli assures her, he figured she would come with an extra person or two he hadn't met. That's just the cost of business. Plus
"Ok, what do I have to do?"
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