Brave New World
Chapter 10: When Life Gives You Lemons
Dr. C. rubbed at her bleary eyes with the thumb and forefinger of one hand. Her clipboard was cradled in the grasp of the other, as she strode down the spotless white hallway. The billowy trail of her lab coat swished around her legs with each step, and her sharp-toed uniform shoes click-clacked over the luminescent tile. Her mouth opened wide in a yawn, and she made a mental note to have a second coffee after she made her rounds.
The familiar scent of rubbing alcohol and cleaning product pushed itself into her nostrils.
She glanced at her reflection in the glass of the empty cells she passed as she strode along. The white drape of her coat and the translucent image of her face under the harsh lighting gave her a ghost-like appearance.
She cast her eyes downward at that thought. Despite her limited knowledge of the history of the corporation she served, she knew the halls she paced were not free of death. She had walked in on enough hushed conversations held behind half-closed doors to know that the institution's reputation for deception ran far deeper than outsiders might guess. There were times when she found herself wondering what was uttered in those hurried whispers, what information was so secret it needed hiding, even within DYAD's own facilities. She shook her head under the guise of shaking her bangs off of her forehead. She knew better than to dwell on such things.
She rubbed a hand over her face and took a moment to compose herself.
By the time she reached the cell of her only real subject, Dr. C.'s usual good-morning-grin was set in its place across her cheeks. It fell as quickly as it had been forced onto her face when her eyes met with a body sprawled in such a manner that did not align with mere sleep.
She scrambled to pull her ID tag from the clip on her pocket and swipe it over the keypad next to the door. The thin bungee cord to which it was attached stretched then snapped back to its un-taut place at her hip. She winced as it connected with her skin with a thwack.
When she tried again, the door opened sideways, hissing as it disappeared into the wall. Dr. C. rushed inside and knelt beside Cosima, who lay with her legs flung at odd angles and her shoulders curled in around herself. Dr. C. noticed distractedly that her hands trembled as they rose with uncertainty over Cosima's head. She hesitated, then dropped them back to the floor.
Dr. C. leaned over her and held her ear over Cosima's mouth. She sighed and physically relaxed when she heard the faint huff and puff of breathing. Speaking mostly to herself, she muttered, "Can't do that to me, man. I thought you'd quit on me."
Cosima's eyes flew open.
Dr. C. gasped and fell backward.
"Sorry 'bout that. Totally my bad."
Before Dr. C. could think to move, Cosima snatched the ID tag from its place at the good doctor's side. Her dreadlocks flew behind her as she sprung to her feet. She dashed through the doorway and jabbed at buttons on the keypad until she spotted the big one labeled "Door: Open/Close". She rolled her eyes at herself for missing it at first.
She took a fraction of a moment to cough into her elbow, taking care to subdue its severity so as not to hack up blood.
Dr. C. gaped at her as the glass door slid shut, locking her in. Cosima halted for half a second to shoot her an apologetic shrug. She held the intercom button on the keypad. "Nothing personal, Doc."
She turned away before she could see the doctor's nod of resignation.
Cosima flew to the cell next door, where Delphine was curled in a similar state of faux-sleep. After a couple of tries, Cosima successfully swiped the stolen ID card and punched the button to open the door. Delphine looked up immediately as the glass pane gave a soft shush and jumped to her feet. Her eyes were wider than Cosima had ever seen them. Cosima's chest tightened. She was overwhelmed just seeing Delphine at all after being cooped up for so long in her own cell.
Delphine stepped cautiously through the doorway and glanced around the hallway. Her voice evidenced her disbelief when she mumbled, "Mon dieux. It really worked."
Before she knew what she was doing, Cosima's arms were around Delphine, her face buried in the space just below her shoulder. She breathed deeply, inhaled that mildly sweet Delphine-smell. Her mouth was pressed into Delphine's chest, so her words were muffled when she spoke with a half-relieved chuckle. "Wasn't hard. The doc didn't put up much of a fight."
Delphine let out a short, watery laugh as they disengaged from their embrace. She slipped her hand into Cosima's and traced a finger along her jawline.
"Let's go."
Finding lab coats to wear as they made their way through DYAD's halls was surprisingly easy. Delphine and Cosima both worried that the latter's distinctive hair style might give them away, but they encountered next to no one. The merciful few they did pass, their hearts palpitating in their chests, had their heads bowed unwaveringly over clipboards and files. The two were not given a second glance.
Delphine strode half a pace in front of Cosima the whole way. She was vaguely familiar with the schematics of the facility and thus, took the lead, hand still wrapped up in Cosima's.
She stopped them just short of a corner and turned to Cosima with an intense whisper. "D'accord. The lab containing the synthesized illnesses, as well as their antidotes, should be right around this turn."
Cosima nodded and swallowed. "How will we know which one to take?"
Delphine answered, voice hushed, as she poked her eyes around the bend to make sure the way was clear. "The vials should be marked with your tag number."
Cosima frowned and leaned back a bit. "Tag number?"
"Oui. 324B21."
"Oh."
At her deflated tone, Delphine whirled around to face Cosima with I'm sorry written all over her face. She reached a hand up to brush her thumb over Cosima's cheek. "Hey-"
Cosima waved her off even as she heaved a cough from her lungs. "No, it's fine. It's whatever. Let's just get this thing and get gone."
Hand-in-hand, they rounded the corner and jogged through the deserted hallway.
Cosima expertly swiped the ID card, and Delphine pushed the door to the lab open and lead the way inside. She went immediately to far wall, which was lined with built-in refrigerators, each filled with shelves of vials.
Cosima hung back. She was anxious in there, more so than she had been in the halls. This was the room where the threat on her life was born.
Delphine searched through the rows of vials, thumbing along the labels, seeking the one that would bring Cosima's suffering to an end.
Cosima glanced uncomfortably around the room until her eyes fell on a whiteboard in the corner. Her own face stared back at her. Her passport photo, as well as three near-identical others, was taped to the glossy, clean surface. Listed below her picture was her date and place of birth, height, weight, and the phrase "under treatment". Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the three others hailed from various European capitals. A chill made its way down her spine when she realized that hers was the only name listed without a date of death.
"Ah!" Cosima whipped around when Delphine emitted a short cry of victory and held up the vial for her to see.
Cosima bounced back forth from her left foot to her right. "That's the one?"
Delphine's head bobbed up and down furiously. "Yes. Now let's blow this lemonade stand!"
Cosima couldn't help but chuckle as they ran from the room. "You mean 'popsicle stand'."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Delphine crept just ahead of Cosima through the halls, vial clutched tight in her hand. They'd entered the more populous area of the building's wing, so their likelihood of being noticed was far greater. "Alright, unless I am mistaken, we will be able to get out through the door at the end of this hallway."
One last deep breath each, and they were off, speed-walking with as much nonchalance as they could manage down the hall. The fluorescent exit sign that hung over the door loomed closer and closer, and Cosima finally let herself feel the excitement of their daring escape. It was real, the exit from this awful place was right there-
A door to their left flew open and a pair of security guards came bursting through it.
Cosima felt as though her chest was deflating. Delphine's breath stopped altogether, and she froze where she stood. Cosima narrowly avoided walking right into her before she froze as well.
The guards didn't seem to notice them. Delphine started to release a slow, calming breath, when one of the guards did a double-take. "Hey!"
They glanced at the guards, then at each other, and half a second later they were sprinting down what remained of the hall between them and the exit.
Delphine and Cosima slammed into the door at the same time and stumbled through it together.
The guards took a minute to react, but their strides were long, and the distance was closed fairly quickly. They were halfway down a back alley when the security guys caught up with them.
The strain was not doing Cosima's lungs any favors; she began to lose her ability to stifle her urge to cough. Her throat burned. Delphine took Cosima's wrist with her free hand and willed her onward. Blood pounded in her ears.
One of the guards, out of shape and gasping behind them, grabbed at Delphine's free arm.
She tried to shake him off, but in doing so, lost her grip on the vial.
Delphine watched, horror-stricken, as the little glass container hit concrete. It shattered in what felt like slow motion. She stared at the twinkling glass shards and the liquid miracle that was then staining the blacktop.
The guards seemed unsure of how to proceed. In their moment of uncertainty, Delphine allowed her fury - frustration, devastation, disbelief over having come so close to curing Cosima and breaking away from DYAD for good - take over. In a shocking display of emotional and physical gall, Delphine curled her hand into a fist and punched the man whose fingers were still wrapped around her forearm. He was caught on the side of the head and thrown, stumbling backwards.
Cosima, Delphine, and the remaining security guard all stared down at the man who lay flat on his back, clutching at his head with his eyes shut and teeth bared in pain.
By the time his companion helped him back to his feet, Cosima and Delphine had disappeared into the city.