324B21. Cosima.
She hadn't known. Not back at DYAD in Toronto. Everything was so compartmentalized. No one knew what they were working on. Not really. She looked at blood samples, health test results. All with tag numbers; no names, no details. She compiled reports on the health of her subjects. Charted their test results and forwarded anything troublesome directed to Dr. Aldous Leekie. She knew that they were human. She wasn't blind to what she was working with. She wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything. When Aldous demonstrated interest in her, she jumped at the chance. And fell not only into his bed but far deeper into DYAD that she had ever imagined. Access to his office, access to more information about the clones but not, unfortunately, access to everything. The only reason she knew their names was Cosima's file. Perhaps it had backfired.
Nevertheless one day Aldous had invited her into his office. "How would you feel about," He hesitated looking at her, "Leaving the lab?"
She'd looked delighted, "And go where?" She hoped this wasn't just another vacation offer, although if he was paying it might be a way to better ingratiate herself.
Leekie stretched back in his chair before tapping the file in front of him on his desk. "Minnesota. Undercover. With me. Cosima needs a new monitor. And we want her here at DYAD."
"But... monitors report back on the clones. I'm a scientist, not some-"
Aldous laughed, once again waving Cosima's file, "A scientist is exactly what we need, someone who can meet Cosima on her own level. Her last monitor was a disaster." He shakes his head.
Delphine reached out for the file, "Is this a promotion?" "Yeah. It's a promotion. Recruit Cosima. Bring her to me." Leekie smiled and handed over the file.
"Which one is Cosima?" Delphine asks as she takes hold of the file. 324B21. Cosima Niehaus. She leafs through the information, Leekie smiles at her as she finally sees a photo of her subject.
The woman currently staying in her apartment doesn't feel like a test subject anymore. She's a complete person and a marvel of science. It only serves to draw her in deeper, to heighten her attraction to her. She blushes slightly at the thought. Recent memories of Cosima flit across her mind, a subtle smile playing on her face.
"Delphine," She starts with a playful tone of voice, "What's in my file?"
She sighs looking over at the woman lounging on her bed with one hand on her laptop and a pot brownie in the other. She'd asked Cosima not to smoke in her apartment. She never did - only on the balcony. But her reasons were more to do with the blood Cosima was coughing up. Cosima tried to hide it, but she noticed. She didn't want her irritating those lungs anymore. Cosima had simply smiled, grabbed a small plastic bag from her luggage and spent the next half hour in the kitchen. The results were currently being enjoyed.
"Dr. Leekie knows more than I do, chérie." She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over Cosima's shoulder. The curtains were pulled shut, there was nothing much to see anyways. Cosima rolled to her back looking up at her, "But what do you know? Do you know who my monitors were?"
The pot brownie was placed, half-finished back on the plate on her beside table as Cosima ran through a list of former lovers, "Adrian was a dolt. Doubt he was smart enough. Kate might have been. Megan was just weird with me..." Cosima trails off making some sort of count on her fingers.
"I don't know chérie. I never met your former monitors." She doesn't make eye contact. It's true what she says but it's not everything she knows. Cosima doesn't need to know that she tells herself. She could try to explain that she overheard Leekie. She could try to make the details vague but Cosima would probably ask her more questions. Another memory comes to mind, Aldous in her bed, his cell phone ringing on nightstand in the middle of the night. Hushed voices speaking from next to her in bed. The sex had been mediocre, but it had had its advantages.
"But not my parents." Cosima reasoned, breaking Delphine's train of thought.
Delphine shakes her head, "No they wouldn't have been aware the embryo wasn't theirs."
Cosima stretches out on the bed, "She thinks they might have used donor eggs."
"What?" Delphine is lost for a moment.
Cosima gestures vaguely towards her with her left hand, "My mom said that they'd been talking about it."
Delphine pauses, "Well she was nearly 40 years old when you were born."
"Are they on file too?" Cosima sits up.
"Little things. Names, occupations, date of birth. Nothing detailed." Delphine shrugs. "Most of us at DYAD do not have access to the files."
"But you do." Cosima said rolling over onto her belly, she catches Delphine's hand in her own and pulls her down enough to kiss her neck sloppily. She hums contentedly into Delphine's skin.
Delphine smiles and laughs, "How many of these have you had?"
"Just one. And I'm not high yet, and neither are you." Cosima grins and takes off her glasses, "It's time to get you baked." She puts them to the side besides the plate.
She considers for a moment, then eyes the plate on the beside table, "How strong are they?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Cosima strokes her arm. She doesn't seem high right now.
She reaches for the brownie and brings it to her mouth. It doesn't really taste different to her. Soon she's relishing the chocolate and licking the crumbs from her fingers. She feels nothing different, "I think I need another one."
Cosima raises an eyebrow, "No, just wait." She pulls herself up and kisses Delphine. She's still getting used to this, how soft she is, how arousing. Cosima moans slightly into their kiss and she feels herself respond to it with a throb. Finally Cosima breaks the kiss, flopping back down on the mattress beneath her. She seems completely unfazed by the kiss they just shared. She hovers over Cosima breathing heavy for a moment.
Finally she smiles, "Still nothing." Maybe it won't work on her. She knows people respond differently to drugs. Hell, she knows how Cosima's body responds to drugs, at least on a biological level. There was usually a level of cannabis in her system whenever her blood was taken in the past. She knew about them all, not names but substance abuse issues in two other subjects and illnesses. But who were these women? Would they all remind her irresistibly of this woman in her arms? What did she really know about them. And what would she find out? She'd been assigned to Cosima now, that was her job. Working on Cosima and working to cure Cosima. Living with Cosima, she supposed that was part of it now too.
Her life had been utterly consumed by DYAD even before she'd met Cosima. She just kept falling deeper into the rabbit hole. She hovered over the marvel of science, currently looking up at her. She didn't think she'd ever be able to get out of this, even if she wanted to.
Authors note: I own nothing except plot. It is unbetaed (on a side note if you are interested in betaing for me feel free to PM me)
