When they pull into Sigmund Corporation, it's one in the morning.
Neil is wheeled through the parking lot by Eva, lost in thought, with Rob and Roxie leading the way to the front door. He feels himself drained of all energy to be perky or witty, especially with all things considered, and he bites his tongue nervously. It doesn't matter, however, because Roxie seemed keen on filling the silence herself with her own off hand comments about whatever she can think of.
It's only when the front doors close behind them that everyone's tension relaxes a little, and they all share a moment of silent processing. Eva presses the elevator button, and together they wait with baited breath.
"Eva… who is Faye?" Neil finally asks, feeling a little helpless for asking what seemed to be an obvious question to the rest of them.
Eva heaves a quiet, sad sigh, and then recounts their adventures with the Colin Reeds case as they ascend up a few floors in the elevator. Neil finds it very jarring to hear a story involving himself that he doesn't even remember, and tries to pay attention as closely as he possibly can. By the time they reach the top floor, Eva had just about finished the abridged explanation, and Roxie shoulders open Eva's office door, flicking on the light to reveal the machine Neil had tampered with so long ago.
"Why's it in here, and not in my office?" He inquires curiously.
"You don't have an office here anymore, Neil." Roxie points out gently, not looking at him.
For some reason, it hurts, seeing evidence of the world moving on without him.
But before he could dwell on it long, Roxie takes over. "So, I'll give you a quick recap of our experiments. After we used the machine on you, it had the same effect of brain damage that it would on anyone, just to a slower degree due to the enhancements on the machine. There were other modifications Rob and I have been experimenting with in order to counteract the effects, and they seemed promising, but we couldn't control the variables without the machine damaging us in the process. That's where Faye comes in.
"Faye was able to alter Colin's memories without the presence of any Sigmund Corp personnel. She's basically an AI. And while we're still not sure how she came about, or how a patient managed to create this program with just his imagination, we think she could pull the switch to alter your memories safely, while also repairing any damage the machine had done, without causing any of us harm, because we wouldn't be in there."
"And you think that's going to work?" Neil asks weakly. "Let me see your notes."
While the two technicians lean over the desk to discuss things far out of Eva's understanding, she sinks into the arm chair against the wall and heaves a deep sigh, while Rob sits in the one beside hers. There's a silence for a few minutes before Eva mutters, almost sadly, "I thought this was all over a long time ago."
"I did as well." Rob replies. "But a new ray of hope isn't unwelcome."
Eva replies with a soft hum of agreement, but she feels ill. She presses her fingers to her temples and gives a deep sigh. "I don't want to get my hopes up again," She mutters softly, shutting her eyes, "only for it to not work. What if we're just making things worse?"
"If we want Neil to live, we need to take that risk." Rob says softly, "Though, yes, I know this is troublesome."
Neil picks up a notebook full of Roxie's writings and then says something to her as though he were correcting something. He picks up a pencil and begins to write in the margins, pointing to it with his other finger while Roxie leans over him and presses her lips into a thin line, as though lost in concentration. "However," Rob points out, "last time, it was just Roxie coming up with the solution to save him, and now he can help us."
Roxie nods furiously as though she had understood something she hadn't a moment ago, and then takes her own pencil to scribble something onto the notebook. Eva feels herself relax a little the longer she watches the two technicians write and rewrite and rewrite. Any holes or mistakes either of them made, the other would fix it.
A long, agonizing hour goes by, filled only by the soft chatter of Neil and Roxie over the desk, as though they were working out a difficult math problem. At several points, they begin to argue, pointing desperately to the notebook until one points something out that shuts the other down entirely, and then they'd move on.
Eventually, Roxie is standing apprehensively over the table, while Neil looks ready to leap out of the wheelchair with eagerness.
"This will work." He finally says out loud, looking down at the notebook. He sounds like he's in disbelief.
Roxie picks it up and scans over it, proofreading for mistakes. "I'll make the adjustments to the machine and make sure it processes correctly." She says, turning back to the equipment and pulling up the control panel.
Eva watches, slightly fascinated, yet slightly lost. While Roxie works, Neil wheels himself over to shadow her and make sure it's going well. Eva watches as Roxie attaches Faye's chip to the machine.
"Okay," Roxie says over her shoulder, while still working. "In order for this to work, Eva, I need you to go in and direct Faye on what to do. And then you'll pull out before she makes any changes."
"Why me specifically?" Eva asks curiously.
"Well, it could be any of us, but I figured you'd jump down our throats if it wasn't you." She replies nonchalantly, reaching into another open panel of the equipment. "Neil, hand me the screwdriver."
Eva ponders this, and then decides that was probably fair. But still, her apprehension multiplies as she bounces her leg, now leaning forward in her seat. Her mind plays every possible scenario in her head; good and bad ones. It's making her feel nauseous. Eventually, Roxie straightens up with her hands on her hips, opening her mouth as though to say they were ready, but Eva cuts her off. "Neil, I need to talk to you before we do this."
All three heads swivel around to look at her, including Roxie's shocked expression, who had just been cut off, but understanding dawns all at once. Neil cocks his head slightly before nodding, allowing Eva to open the door of the office and escort the both of them into the hallway.
Without the lights on, and only the moon filtering through the windows, it seems very eerie to be standing here, where there were usually people filtering in and out. Eva had never been in the office building while it was dark outside, let alone at this hour, and she ignores the chills creeping up her spine.
Eva has her back to Neil when the door shuts behind them, and she clenches her fists to hold herself together. "Neil…" She says, fighting to keep her voice from wavering. She turns around, her expression watery. Neil looks on, for once in his life, completely and utterly silent. "I need to…" She loses her words. "Just in case… just in case this doesn't work, I…"
Neil does something that Eva wasn't ready for. Slowly, and with as much strength as he could muster, he picks himself up out of the wheelchair and stands at full height with her, towering half a foot above her. It looks like it's taking a lot of energy to do this, but neither of them speak. Eva has been stunned into silence.
He opens both of his arms and pulls her close to him, and the sudden warmth spreads ease throughout her. She feels her walls begin to crumble again, and she hates the way her arms begin to shake. Hates the way her eyes begin to water over for what seems like the millionth time. "Don't say that." He says under his breath, squeezing her tighter as she returns his embrace. "It's going to work. I know it will. Because you told me so."
"Neil, just because I-" She sniffles. "Just because I-"
"I know." He cuts her off. "I know you were just trying to be brave for my sake."
"So many things could happen." She mutters, now feeling her fears come to surface. She reprimands herself internally for voicing such concerns to the one it affects the most. If anything, she should be giving him hope. Assuring him that it will work. And here he is, comforting her, because she can't keep her mouth shut.
Distantly, Eva feels Neil's form shaking ever so slightly.
They don't let go.
"I don't want to die." He whispers under his breath, so soft that she almost doesn't catch it. She squeezes him tighter, feeling her heart sink.
Eva wants so very badly to say, I won't let you, but the words catch in her throat, and she feels herself refuse to say it aloud. Because what if she messes up? What if the machine malfunctions again? What if there's no coming out of this one alive? Her mind becomes a beehive of loud sorrows, wailing as though she were falling to pieces.
"But I know that I won't." He suddenly says, "Because you won't let me."
Silence.
The noise in her brain subsides, leaving only echoes.
Warmth spreads throughout her.
"You're right." She says, her voice stronger. "I wont."
When they release, Eva feels a piece of herself split apart and pull away with him, leaving her emptier and at a loss, but then Neil smiles at her with such a familiar expression that it rocks her to her core. She doesn't have to say goodbye to him anymore. After months of readiness to let go, she can hang on to him once more with an iron grip. When they enter back into the office, and air of determination floods in with them, filling the room with life.