Chapter 22 Dr. M
Footsteps were heard coming in to the room. They sounded light. The person checked on the IV drip and then left.
Ami kept her eyes closed until the room was quiet again. She slowly opened her eyes and winced. She touched the back of her head and felt the bump. They were attacked. That was the last thing she remembered…
Ami sat up on the bed and looked around the small room with strangely white walls. All four walls were padded and the room was void of any furniture, besides the bed. She could see a window to her right, small and barred. Ami looked down and saw that she was wearing a hospital robe. The IV was attached to her arm, which she promptly ripped out, leaving droplets of blood on the meticulously white tiles.
She shivered as she got up and her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her clothes and shoes were nowhere to be found. She tip toed across the room and peaked out the window. She could see some soldiers patrolling outside, a few army convoys, and some people walking around in white lab coats…
Suddenly, the lock turned and the door was pushed open. Ami spun around and came face to face with someone she thought she would never see again...
The words were almost out before the woman made a signal for Ami to be quiet. She then smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I am Dr. Mizuno."
Shakily, Ami took her mother's hand. The questions came crashing through in her head, but she swallowed them back. There must be a reason why her mom just silenced her now.
"I am Ami..Kyoko." The first surname that came to mind was her father's. She saw her mother widen her eyes and then regained her composure.
Ami knew she was staring too much, but tried as she might, she couldn't take her eyes off the woman. If she blinked, would the woman disappear?
When the city first ordered the evacuation, Ami tried to get to save her. When she got there, the hospital was already overrun need by zombies.
Ami ran and ran and never looked back. She presumed her mother was dead.
"So sorry for the incarceration. All new comers must be quarantined and checked. Don't worry; all of your friends are safe. In the mean time, sit back and try to relax." Dr. Mizuno smiled.
"Wait. Can I see them? Please?"
Dr. Mizuno thought for a second and then nodded. "Okay. As long as you promised to let us put that IV back in you. It's just nutrients. You girls are all severely malnourished." Her eyes softened and her motherly concern shone through.
Ami nodded emphatically. She then put on the slippers that were offered and followed her mom out. Once she was out, she recognized that the building used to be a mental hospital.
"Here are the first three we brought in. I have already talked to Setsuna and she will soon be cleared. She will join us in the lab. She also said you have helped a lot with the research and vouched for you to get a job here too." Dr. Mizuno looked at Ami proudly.
Ami didn't hear the rest past the first sentence. Mako was alive! Then her heart sank. Mako was captured too.
"She is someone special?" Dr. Mizuno could tell as soon as they got to Mako's room. Ami cling to the window on the door, her eyes teary. She made a small nod but continued to stare into the room. Mako was sleeping soundly.
"We have to keep her sedated. She was pretty upset when we first brought her in. Granted, Colonel Demande's method was questionable, but we had to be sure..." Mom trailed off and looked down.
Ami nodded slowly. Her brain was turning at a million miles per hour, as she tried to process this. Her mom's alive. Mako was alive. Everyone seemed safe but the unrelenting unease was growing inside of her. Plus, mom's weird behavior was a dead giveaway. Nothing was as it seemed.
"M..Dr. Mizuno, when will you release everyone?"
Her mom's eyes turned dark for a brief moment. Her face was still smiling though. "Just hang in there. We will let you out soon."
Somehow Ami doubt that...
"Okay, now that you know your friends are safe, let's get you back to your room." Dr. Mizuno put a hand on Ami's shoulder.
That night, Ami laid in the cold room and curled herself into a fetal position. The tears came, inevitably. She looked up in the sky and saw the moon shining brilliantly outside. Somehow, it soothed her a bit, allowing herself to calm down enough in order to think.
One clear thought punched through all others. They had to get out of here. Her mother was as much of a prisoner as they were and she needed to be rescued too.
Dr. Mizuno didn't think she could do it, but she did it. All she wanted to do, when she first laid eyes on Ami in the chopper, was to pull her daughter into her own arms. It felt like spears going through her heart when she coldly introduced herself, pretending she didn't know her.
Luckily, she could always count on Ami figuring things out in record speed.
"Dr. Mizuno, how are the newcomers? Are the results back?" Colonel Demand sat in his chair and slowly sipped his precious wine.
"Yes, Colonel. Usagi, the girl with the blonde hair, is the one with the antibodies. The others' blood came back normal." The doctor could feel her heart beat increasing, as she anxiously waited for her next order.
"Good. How long till you can cook up the first test batch?" He poured himself another glass of wine.
"Perhaps a week? Or longer? It's hard to say." Dr. Mizuno reported falsely. A plan had already hatched in her mind.
Colonel Demand swirled the wine in his glass and looked thoughtful for a while. "Last time it only took three days."
"Well, we failed, didn't we? Lost 10 subjects that day. With this one, we need to be sure. It might be our last chance to save humanity." The doctor paused, and then added, "in the meantime, maybe we should integrate the girls into block A? Let them out of the cell, reunite with each other..."
"Why? They are here to serve a purpose, not to party."
Dr. Mizuno cringed. Was that all they been doing? Treating people like that? It was easy to be objective when you were sticking needles into strangers. With Ami here, the doctor made a different choice.
"Well, if we can perhaps make them feel safe, they might even volunteer for the testing. Some of these girls were unlike our past subjects. They were exceptional fighters. Makoto, the tall one, took out two more guards yesterday. We can't risk having our staff getting hurt. If they cooperate, our jobs will be so much easier." She held her breath as she waited.
After a long pause, the colonel finally nodded. "Alright, we will try your way first. If they cause any trouble, they will be punished. Understood?"
Dr. Mizuno stared into his cold eyes and felt hair standing on her back. She offered a weak smile and then thanked him. "I promise they will be good."
