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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"PART 5:/span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Or maybe not. Cosima was immediately aware that she was being cuddled. It felt warm and natural like a perfect fit, she knew who it was and felt gross. With a turn of the head a little too sharp Delphine Cormier looked down at her, they were sat on the sofa in Cosima's, well what she now knew to be hers, living room. God knows how long it had been, the tension she assumed would be there after the other Cosima pawned her body off for contracts wasn't in the air and it made her feel uneasy. Breaking away in a faux way she tried to impersonate the other Cosima and get to the kitchen, get away from Cormier and think of a plan of action. There must be others around the world like her. Delphine let Cosima go but there was some resistant Cosima assumed was the usual want for warmth and her wife but she knew it wasn't. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Again?" Delphine said out loud in a long sigh, she was still sat on the sofa but her hand came to her temple and massaged it with her fingers. Cosima cringed she had been found out and now she was going to be imprisoned or taken away or... exterminated. When Delphine didn't say or do anymore Cosima decided to get a little farther away from her just in case and turned around to face her. Maybe there was a chance she didn't know and it was just a continuation of a conversation this Cosima wasn't conscious of. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's that, darling?" Cosima asked in that British way she had heard once. Her heart was racing which was now pretty common, it would have to beat so fast she would die before it would be considered fast now. Delphine stared at her, right into her big eyes for a long prolonged instant. In that instant Cosima saw a way out, she could pretend she was that Cosima for a little while and get more information out of her. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I know you aren't her." Delphine said, she got up with a sour face and walked towards her. Cosima braced, expected to get punched or pushed over or worse and her body naturally tensed up. But she walked straight past her. Cosima let out her inhaled breath and turned to see Delphine grabbing her things from the reception table. "We were having such a great night and you had to turn up didn't you. God damn, this interference is getting infuriating." Delphine picked up some lipstick and was trying to get her lips that red colour she liked but her hand was shaking too much. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's happening, what's going to happen to me." Cosima asked, if Delphine wasn't going to get rid of her or experiment on her then she could damn well answer some of the questions racing around her head. The answer to why she was only conscious for such a limited time and how the hell she got that way in the first place. Cosima absent mindedly scratched her neck and held onto the collar of her...she was wearing what seemed to be a poncho and by the itching on her chest and hips, not much else. Delphine gave up on the lipstick and angrily threw it back into the bowl on the surface top. Cosima just stood there like a dog that got caught eating the pack of sweets left on the side for later, head down, puppy dog eyes and waiting for something to get her out of this mess. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Such a lovely fucking evening and you have to show up. Merde!" Delphine's hand reached for the door handle but she had seconds thoughts, in her anger she ran over to Cosima and again Cosima braced waiting to be hit. But Delphine just grabbed either side of her confused head and stared right into her eyes, those intense brown eyes boring into her soul. "Cosima, if you are in there please come back to me." The words made her feel hollow. There was a lot of meaning behind them, she could tell even with what she had learned last time she was conscious that Delphine loved Cosima. The other Cosima. The switch from loving couple to angry individuals running out of the apartment was dramatic. However the other Cosima agreed to sleep with that guy for contracts was none of her business, she didn't understand it but there were bigger issues. The women in front of her with that amazing hair thin perfect lips and big eyes was distracting but-Delphine kissed the top of Cosima's head hard and with passion, for a split second Cosima melted and blinked hard at the spontaneous outburst. Delphine reconsidered and leant back out of the kiss, and rubbed it off with her sleeve and headed back to the door. "I am leaving, I will be back soon, just make sure you are somewhere safe when you...go, for her sake. My Cosima is lovely, not this...you." Delphine was sad and tired of this already, her words full of venom she didn't want to spit. Cosima panicked, she had no where to go into this room and it wouldn't lead to anything if she stayed. She had to get Delphine to open up, she had to get her to answer her god damn questions. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Hey, I'm not that bad, I can be pretty chill if you give me a chance." Cosima tried a different tactic, completely shifting the mood from weird tension to something she would attempt if she was trying to get with a girl who didn't like her. Cosima tried to picture it as if she had used a crappy pick up line and the girl walked away, she would need to get her back on side. She had 10 minutes to make this work. For a second Delphine's hand paused over the door handle, she was evidently contemplating Cosima's words. Cosima could really play on the fact she shared the body with that...other Cosima. Delphine had decided she was going to leave, her hand opened the door and she made as if to go out. In one last ditch attempt Cosima appealed to her empathetic side. "You have to help me Del, I am trapped and I have no idea what's going on. You are the only one who seems to know what is going on. In fact I know you know what is happening but you wont tell me. What harm would it be huh." Delphine stopped, Cosima stepped and inch or two closer her hands beginning to do her usual talking, her heart was loosening its grip on the edge of her ribs and her words were full of emotion. "I am just so confused. One minute I am in bed, the next time I wake up it is 12 years later and it's a totally different life. 12 years of my life has gone I don't even know who is president of the USA. You have to help me Del, for me, but for your wife's sake. You want her back don't you, well you gotta help me first." Cosima let out her breath, her words were so fast and so full of emotion she had no idea whether they had come out right or were just noises. Hell how could she be sure of anything any more? Delphine didn't say anything for another second or two. Cosima just breathed heavier and looked around the room as if to find the answers for herself. Her eyes settled on the back of Delphine's head, she could tell Delphine was in deep thought. In that new style, Delphine quickly walked out of the door and shut it behind her. Cosima could hear the footsteps leave and her heart dropped. "Bitch." Cosima whispered and quickly her adrenaline and nerves were replaced with a heart aching emptiness./span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Turning around she looked at the alien aesthetic that had taken over her room. There was nothing she could just go and be with that was hers. Her life was different. It wasn't 'her' life, she was sharing what she could of it with someone else. Someone totally different and she didn't like it at all. She started to well up and a tear slid out of her left eye onto her cheek. She brushed it away and remembered her attire. She felt so vulnerable and walked over to her bedroom, she couldn't let herself cry. She wasn't about to cry over this. It wasn't right. Opening up her wardrobe she rummaged around the piles of clothes. That was the most shocking thing she had seen, colour coded clothing folded neatly into their own stacks ordered in some obvious way that Cosima couldn't bare to think about. It was so foreign and unnatural. So she destroyed it in search of some underwear some pants and a goddamn top. She was fed up of not being properly clothed. Finding the pyjama pants she wore the first time and the same black tank top she got changed and wondered back into the living area. She heard some footsteps coming towards her door, at this point she didn't know whether it was Delphine or some body else, someone she didn't know. The way the person didn't even see if it was locked and just walked in made Cosima relax, Delphine had been obviously upset and her cheeks were puffed out. She wiped away the evidence and walked over to the 'DYAD' stamped coffee machine, her hand under the sensor and in seconds she was drinking the perfect temperature coffee. Cosima in silence walked over to the women, standing a little too close and rested her hand on the taller women's shoulder. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You came back huh, couldn't resist me?" Cosima tried to joke around a little even if she really didn't feel like it, she didn't have long and she needed answers. Delphine relaxed under the touch, when she remembered it was not her wife it made her seize up again. It was just as hard for her, Cosima assumed, she wasn't used to this as much as she was. Whatever happened to make her loose her consciousness had just started to mess up now, there were potentially 12 years that Delphine and herself...no the other Cosima were together. 12 years that she had just come along and destroyed. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I will give you some answers, but you have no time." Delphine took the coffee and moved out of the usual comfort zone of their bodies. "Look don't try to...try to be her. It's...what do you want to know?" Delphine asked, as if that wasn't obvious, how about telling her what the hell she was doing here?! /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"How about starting with why I only just woke up from-" Cosima began before Delphine butt in, her eyes wider. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"-Interference. Next question." Delphine was very quick to respond to that, she didn't want to answer. Cosima's natural scientific curiosity took over, that wasn't an answer. She had been saying that for so long now. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who am I? No, no, I mean who is the 'other' Cosima. Who am I when I am not 'me'?" Delphine took another step, she didn't want to look into Cosima's eyes. It was frustrating to hell, the little amount of time she had to find new information out and Delphine was messing around with sad looks and stern expressions. Cosima itched her neck again before crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for a response. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You are, you...'She' is the Director of the ISRO, the International Stem-Cell Research Organisation." Delphine paused and sounded defeated. "She won't even remember this, there is no point-" She more said this to herself. "-Well. You play a vital role in the corporate ladder." There was a conflict evident on Delphine's face, she seemed to decide to give in and explain. "Cosima's role is to head the organisation, whilst 'Topside' our..urr...overseers, get others of...like mind, to get to the top of other institutions. We are a global cause." Cosima knew it! She knew there had to be others like her, this couldn't be the only occurrence of missing consciousness. It had to happen somewhere, the balance of scientific probability in over 7 billion people would say so. Ok so there were others at the top of other organisations just like Cosima? /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What global cause? What, no who are you?" Cosima stepped a little closer her hands playing with themselves, the thing she did when she could see a breakthrough coming closer but not close enough to reach it. Delphine massaged her temples again, her eyes flashing to the time. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"World domination." Delphine laughed in a really sad way, her eyes were full up and her face hollow, her arms wrapped around herself in comfort. "That's the joke we say. It's not world domination as such. DYAD just want the control of foreign markets." DYAD? Cosima's eyes looked around the room, literally everything in it bar the two of them was stamped with the DYAD logo. The coffee machine, the fridge/freezer, the sofa, the bed, the curtains! This was way bigger than just herself. Delphine's tears broke her eye, sobbing slightly she pushed past Cosima with no warning whatsoever and burst out of the front door, locking it behind her and trailing off into the distance. Cosima shocked watched after her and ran over to the door. Her hands went for the handle, it was rock solid, she had locked it! What a bitch! She shook the handle in attempt to open it a few more times, before realising that she had no time. She didn't even know what was on the other side of that door. What if she was in some kind of prison, and this was her cell? Brushing her own stress tears from her eyes she darted over to the interface and brought it up, quickly in the little time she had left to search for an answer. Ok, ok, ok, Cosima thought to herself, even her mind was panicked. She nudged her glasses up her nose and settled in front of the screen. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Search, 'Mind Control DYAD'." Cosima voiced aloud, her hands her shaking she was so nervous, she had to find this out now. God knows how many times she would be conscious again. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Access denied." The words spread across the screen and it felt like she had just been punched in the gut. "Override codes." Cosima couldn't remember a thing about the codes. She had to try something else. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Search, 'DYAD' 'Delphine Cormier' 'Dr. Aldous Leekie'." Cosima had to try. All three seemed to work so she let the screen load with all of the information on the three of them. There were many sources which included DYAD, Delphine or Leekie individually, but not one of the three- Cosima ordered the interface to load up the last source, it was some sort of video file including the three of them in tags. The clip takes up the whole interface, it is black at first before the DYAD silver logo fades into existence, as it solidifies the names of the two of them appear underneath. Delphine is an assistant? The logo screen fades and reveals Leekie, Delphine and a metal table, all very staged, but all very sinister. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"PICO technology, the future." Leekie begins, he walks in front of the metal table and leans up against it, he carries something under his arm, the sight of it makes Cosima's neck itch. "No longer is it a distance idealistic wish, now a reality. With recent encouraging testing we are now able to put this out on the market." Cosima checks the date, this video was uploaded a few days before she was first conscious. "Through DYAD satellite enhancements we are able to control the mind with a very simple...'addition' to the human body. A neural processing chip which can be inserted here." He pulled out the mounted poster, and Cosima felt her stomach turn. It was a women, her body pale and cold. It didn't even seem as though he tried to hide the fact that her body was laid out on a morgue slab. His white finger points to the neck just under the jaw, a minute line just visible to the naked eye. Cosima again itched her neck absent mindedly before her hand froze. Her eyes widened at the screen and paused it. Her fingers tips brushed her hair again and felt over the same area on herself. There was a rough patch of skin, the same texture as the scar she had just under her knee from falling off her skateboard when she was thirteen. The video seemed to start playing by itself as she fell back on herself. She could feel something just under the surface of her skin and her whole body ran cold. "From the reset the controller can merge the mind of his new 'device' with his own, allowing the total control, to every whim, desire or rampage." He puts the poster down on the table and invites Delphine over to the front, she looks controlled, reserved and obedient. There was no way she had one. Cosima remembered back to one the sofa when they were cuddling, Cosima couldn't see a scar on her anywhere. Delphine stuttered as she began talking, however confidence soon grew over her. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Thank you Dr. Leekie." There was a glance of eyes that again made Cosima sick, their glance was more of a gaze, longing and hidden, something no one would notice unless they are looking for it. "PICO technology is the forefront of modern day weaponry. Available on first order of 10 devices for just $250million. This is cutting age technology which can revolutionise the world. It has certainly revolutionised mine." There was that look again between the two of them! "DYAD and its affiliates require the first order to comply by contract to the fulfilment of DYAD's main aim. The eradication of-" Cosima felt the pain in her head. She collapsed into herself, her hands grabbing her head as she breathed heavily through the pain, gritting her teeth she stared up at the interface. It got rid of the video and replaced it with 'breaking news'. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"The solar storm that has been raging just outside of orbital contact as now grown stronger, this will mean more delays in traffic, the sub way will be facing further train cuts and power outages until it passes. The National Organisation of Solar Energy have-" Cosima waved off the news channel and let it all click in her head for a second. Solar storm? Maybe this was what Delphine meant by 'interference'. For a second Cosima forgot about the pains and braced herself for another...but it didn't come. Her eyes stared around the room and checked her watch, the seconds clicked over. She had been conscious for 9 minutes and 56 seconds. From fear of falling into the void again she frantically searched the interface for leads to the others in her situation. After access being blocked a further 5 times, she found a way around the system. Videos of leaders all around the world having 'lapses', 'fainting', 'astonishing recoveries' and even her own stumble at the conference where she had to talk, the other 'her'. She sees someone who to her at least seems familiar. A women, head of the Department of Defence in England. Sarah Manning. Sarah goddamn Manning could be her saviour. Finding her contact details Cosima didnt even hesitate or thinks things through she just knew she had to get into contact before it was too late. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah Manning, I need to talk to Sarah Manning." Cosima blurted out as soon as she got through to someone. It turned out to not be 'anyone' it was an automated machine. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"-Press 2 if you would like the Department of Defence of expression. Press 3 if you would like the Department of Defence of rights. Press 4 if you would like anything else." Cosima couldn't have hit that glass any harder before it broke, jamming her finger onto the 4 button and waiting for a response. This was 12 years in her future how were automated device still a thing! "Hello you have reached the department for-" Cosima knew this was not automated. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah Manning, I need to talk to Sarah Manning please this is of the utmost-" Cosima was cut off, there was a ringing and a disorientated voice answered the other end. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Urr..Hello." Sarah Manning it seemed, picked up the other end. Cosima's heart leaped, she had been conscious for 10 minutes and 40 seconds now. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah I need to talk to you, which Sarah am I talking to, actual Sarah or Sarah Manning head of defence in England?" How else would you ask someone you had never talked to before if they were only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds without sounding like a freak. There was a pause and a grunt. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"This line isn't secure, hold on." There was hope in the disorientated voice, but the line rang dead. Cosima let the phone away from her ear and her hand felt up her neck line, over the tiny bump almost missing it but feeling the rough skin under her touch. Her blood ran dry. The phone vibrated in her hand and lit up, a secured line with a withheld number. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Hello, Sarah?" Cosima was desperate, she could feel the seconds ticking by as if someone would hitting her inside her head as they passed. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who is this? Can you help?" Sarah seemed desperate as well, but she seemed further gone, maybe the interference was bad over in England. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Are you only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds, do you pass out and wake up days later and not know what's going on?" Cosima shook her head, she felt like she was about to sell Sarah some life insurance or something. Life insurance for people on the wrong end of mind control. "Do you have a scar just below your jawline on your neck?" Cosima waited and she knew Sarah was thinking on the other side of the line. "My name is Cosima Neihaus, I am only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds and I know why." Now it was turning into some AA meeting, 'Hey I am Cosima and I have been under mind control for 12 years **everyone applauds**'. "DYAD, the organisation in..wherever I am are systematically controlling the minds of those in the top positions across the world. Sounds crazy, but it is for some sort of foreign market dominance. The last time I checked the time it was 12 years ago and I was going to sleep, now I wake up and I am someone completely different in a different life and time. I don't know, I just need to know that someone is going through it too." Cosima had said everything she could possible say in a few seconds, blurting out all of the words in one breath just t get it across as fast as she could. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"This is happening to you too?" Sarah's voice was quite it wasn't ecstatic and nervous as Cosima's and it seemed very close to the phone, muffled even. "I am 9 minutes 57 seconds. Time lag huh?" Cosima was half upset that Sarah wasn't freaking out as well, she was too collected for her liking. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Look just use the interface or whatever you have there and search for sources including DYAD, Dr. Leekie, and Delphine Cormier, the last source will be a video. Watch it, I don't know how much time we have left!" /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I can't right now,I am currently underneath my desk in my office, it's the only place no one can see me, if they can't see me or hear me they won't come in. Right now I am pretty sure everyone here is out to kill me if I step a toe wrong." Cosima thought for a second and another thing slipped into place./span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Do you have a monitor? Do you have someone that shadows you and knows about your 'interference', does someone the other 'Sarah' knows know that you aren't 'her'?" Sarah seemed to be moving on the other end of the line. Cosima suddenly felt like she was being watched, was her phone being monitored. "Is this line secure for both of us?" /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I have a guy, Hendrix, he is this 'best friend' of Sarah, he works in the department. I think they have a thing going on, I am not sure. He could be her monitor! This line is secure for me, I can't guarantee no one is listening on your end." Cosima's heart leaped. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Get to somewhere secure, get to that video and you will understand." Cosima could hear Delphine's foot steps returning to the room. "Do you have a scar under your neck, Sarah." Sarah seemed to be moving. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Yeah I do, bloody hell, what is this?" Cosima felt her own and her head dropped, this really was mind control. She remembered some of the headlines before she got to Sarah's details, 'New Movement on English defence'. 'England separatist party take over Department of Defence, Sarah Manning leader of the party takes new post as Defence minister." /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I have to go, watch that video and you will know, call me when you are next conscious." She cut the line dead as Delphine unlocked the door and opened it slowly. She hid the phone n her pyjamas pocket and turned her arms on the back of the sofa her face smiling. "I was wondering where you go off too, I was awfully lonely." Cosima imitated the voice of the British version of her. Delphine's face was more collected, her lipstick was perfect and her cheeks only slightly puffy. There was a moment where it was evident Delphine was testing the waters. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I got Eskimo pie, sorry I left you a sleep on the sofa you just looked so beautiful." The words Delphine used killed her, she let her wife sleep with the man for contracts she didn't get. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"It's ok Darling, I was just worried about those contracts. The ones for the expansion, I was worried we didn't get them." Cosima turned to face the closed interface as Delphine walked over to the sofa. 13 minutes 24 seconds. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Oh." Delphine said, for a second Cosima thought she had blew it. "Your head must still be a little tired, we didn't get the contracts no, but we go something better." Delphine sat next to her taking out their ice cream and eating some of it. Cosima didn't want to say anymore, she didn't know enough and now she had the opportunity to find out more. They ate their ice cream in silence and Cosima kept looking over to Delphine. Even though she feared for her life and was watching the seconds like a predator on prey, couldn't help but see how beautiful Delphine was. They finished off their ice cream and Delphine wrapped her arm around Cosima. Cosima cuddled into her side, "Cosima we need to talk. I need to tell you something and I am not sure that you will like it." Cosima stayed where she was, she knew that Delphine could tell which Cosima she was just by looking at her, so she just wrapped her arm around Delphine's arm a little tighter and let their fingers intertwine. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Yeah Delphine." Cosima almost let a little of her won accent through, but brushed it off. "What is it darling?" She continued. Delphine was tense, but not in the same way she was with her before. She was tense over what she had to say. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"There it was, her first pang. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I just...there is something I cannot hide from you anymore. Delphine turned to look at Cosima, the warms from her arm and fingers leaving. Delphine turned to face Cosima head on and her hands came up to her shoulder. "Dr. Leekie I know you are listening. I cannot do this anymore, this is tearing me apart." Tears started to well up in Delphine's eyes, her hands moved from Cosima's shoulders up to her neck, her finger brushed over that thing in her neck and it made her wince. There was a noticeable shift in Delphine's eyes but she wasn't going to stop whatever she was about to do. Her hands lifted Cosima's jaw and she leaned in. At first it was a hard solid kiss straight onto her lips. Delphine's watery eyes were closed but Cosima stared at the shut lids and all around the room. The pangs coming again this time straight to either side of her head. She saw the weather outside, it was turning for the worse, maybe the storm here was stopping the interference from the solar flares. Pang, this one felt like a hot rod was poking quickly at her brain, not enough to sear in pain but enough to know the real pain coming. The kiss turned more passionate, Delphine's lips were trying to part Cosima's to get a reaction. She had to at least play the part, Cosima thought. Her own hand came up to Delphine's neck and then her jaw and the back of her head and entangled itself in her hair. Their lips were pressing hard at each other, Delphine's tongue traced its way over her lips before pressing inside. Another pang, although her eyes were closed she could tell her vision was fading. In a last ditch attempt she kissed back hard, her tongue dancing with Delphine, her lips caressing hers, her body pushing Delphine back on herself until she was on top of her on the sofa. Her body was in such pain but she had to fight it to know more. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's happening to me Delphine, what has Leekie got to do with this?" Delphine opened her eyes, Cosima thought she was doing to accent thing well, except forgot her pain couldn't allow that. She had blown her cover. Delphine stopped kissing and pushed Cosima up off of her, wiping her mouth. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"a name="tw-target-text"/a "span style="font-size: medium;"I cannot do this! You are not her, she hasn't been herself for years. Fuck you Leekie. Seriously span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"vas te faire encule!" /span/span/span /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"PART 5:/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Or maybe not. Cosima was immediately aware that she was being cuddled. It felt warm and natural like a perfect fit, she knew who it was and felt gross. With a turn of the head a little too sharp Delphine Cormier looked down at her, they were sat on the sofa in Cosima's, well what she now knew to be hers, living room. God knows how long it had been, the tension she assumed would be there after the other Cosima pawned her body off for contracts wasn't in the air and it made her feel uneasy. Breaking away in a faux way she tried to impersonate the other Cosima and get to the kitchen, get away from Cormier and think of a plan of action. There must be others around the world like her. Delphine let Cosima go but there was some resistant Cosima assumed was the usual want for warmth and her wife but she knew it wasn't. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Again?" Delphine said out loud in a long sigh, she was still sat on the sofa but her hand came to her temple and massaged it with her fingers. Cosima cringed she had been found out and now she was going to be imprisoned or taken away or... exterminated. When Delphine didn't say or do anymore Cosima decided to get a little farther away from her just in case and turned around to face her. Maybe there was a chance she didn't know and it was just a continuation of a conversation this Cosima wasn't conscious of. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's that, darling?" Cosima asked in that British way she had heard once. Her heart was racing which was now pretty common, it would have to beat so fast she would die before it would be considered fast now. Delphine stared at her, right into her big eyes for a long prolonged instant. In that instant Cosima saw a way out, she could pretend she was that Cosima for a little while and get more information out of her. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I know you aren't her." Delphine said, she got up with a sour face and walked towards her. Cosima braced, expected to get punched or pushed over or worse and her body naturally tensed up. But she walked straight past her. Cosima let out her inhaled breath and turned to see Delphine grabbing her things from the reception table. "We were having such a great night and you had to turn up didn't you. God damn, this interference is getting infuriating." Delphine picked up some lipstick and was trying to get her lips that red colour she liked but her hand was shaking too much. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's happening, what's going to happen to me." Cosima asked, if Delphine wasn't going to get rid of her or experiment on her then she could damn well answer some of the questions racing around her head. The answer to why she was only conscious for such a limited time and how the hell she got that way in the first place. Cosima absent mindedly scratched her neck and held onto the collar of her...she was wearing what seemed to be a poncho and by the itching on her chest and hips, not much else. Delphine gave up on the lipstick and angrily threw it back into the bowl on the surface top. Cosima just stood there like a dog that got caught eating the pack of sweets left on the side for later, head down, puppy dog eyes and waiting for something to get her out of this mess. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Such a lovely fucking evening and you have to show up. Merde!" Delphine's hand reached for the door handle but she had seconds thoughts, in her anger she ran over to Cosima and again Cosima braced waiting to be hit. But Delphine just grabbed either side of her confused head and stared right into her eyes, those intense brown eyes boring into her soul. "Cosima, if you are in there please come back to me." The words made her feel hollow. There was a lot of meaning behind them, she could tell even with what she had learned last time she was conscious that Delphine loved Cosima. The other Cosima. The switch from loving couple to angry individuals running out of the apartment was dramatic. However the other Cosima agreed to sleep with that guy for contracts was none of her business, she didn't understand it but there were bigger issues. The women in front of her with that amazing hair thin perfect lips and big eyes was distracting but-Delphine kissed the top of Cosima's head hard and with passion, for a split second Cosima melted and blinked hard at the spontaneous outburst. Delphine reconsidered and leant back out of the kiss, and rubbed it off with her sleeve and headed back to the door. "I am leaving, I will be back soon, just make sure you are somewhere safe when you...go, for her sake. My Cosima is lovely, not this...you." Delphine was sad and tired of this already, her words full of venom she didn't want to spit. Cosima panicked, she had no where to go into this room and it wouldn't lead to anything if she stayed. She had to get Delphine to open up, she had to get her to answer her god damn questions. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Hey, I'm not that bad, I can be pretty chill if you give me a chance." Cosima tried a different tactic, completely shifting the mood from weird tension to something she would attempt if she was trying to get with a girl who didn't like her. Cosima tried to picture it as if she had used a crappy pick up line and the girl walked away, she would need to get her back on side. She had 10 minutes to make this work. For a second Delphine's hand paused over the door handle, she was evidently contemplating Cosima's words. Cosima could really play on the fact she shared the body with that...other Cosima. Delphine had decided she was going to leave, her hand opened the door and she made as if to go out. In one last ditch attempt Cosima appealed to her empathetic side. "You have to help me Del, I am trapped and I have no idea what's going on. You are the only one who seems to know what is going on. In fact I know you know what is happening but you wont tell me. What harm would it be huh." Delphine stopped, Cosima stepped and inch or two closer her hands beginning to do her usual talking, her heart was loosening its grip on the edge of her ribs and her words were full of emotion. "I am just so confused. One minute I am in bed, the next time I wake up it is 12 years later and it's a totally different life. 12 years of my life has gone I don't even know who is president of the USA. You have to help me Del, for me, but for your wife's sake. You want her back don't you, well you gotta help me first." Cosima let out her breath, her words were so fast and so full of emotion she had no idea whether they had come out right or were just noises. Hell how could she be sure of anything any more? Delphine didn't say anything for another second or two. Cosima just breathed heavier and looked around the room as if to find the answers for herself. Her eyes settled on the back of Delphine's head, she could tell Delphine was in deep thought. In that new style, Delphine quickly walked out of the door and shut it behind her. Cosima could hear the footsteps leave and her heart dropped. "Bitch." Cosima whispered and quickly her adrenaline and nerves were replaced with a heart aching emptiness./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Turning around she looked at the alien aesthetic that had taken over her room. There was nothing she could just go and be with that was hers. Her life was different. It wasn't 'her' life, she was sharing what she could of it with someone else. Someone totally different and she didn't like it at all. She started to well up and a tear slid out of her left eye onto her cheek. She brushed it away and remembered her attire. She felt so vulnerable and walked over to her bedroom, she couldn't let herself cry. She wasn't about to cry over this. It wasn't right. Opening up her wardrobe she rummaged around the piles of clothes. That was the most shocking thing she had seen, colour coded clothing folded neatly into their own stacks ordered in some obvious way that Cosima couldn't bare to think about. It was so foreign and unnatural. So she destroyed it in search of some underwear some pants and a goddamn top. She was fed up of not being properly clothed. Finding the pyjama pants she wore the first time and the same black tank top she got changed and wondered back into the living area. She heard some footsteps coming towards her door, at this point she didn't know whether it was Delphine or some body else, someone she didn't know. The way the person didn't even see if it was locked and just walked in made Cosima relax, Delphine had been obviously upset and her cheeks were puffed out. She wiped away the evidence and walked over to the 'DYAD' stamped coffee machine, her hand under the sensor and in seconds she was drinking the perfect temperature coffee. Cosima in silence walked over to the women, standing a little too close and rested her hand on the taller women's shoulder. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You came back huh, couldn't resist me?" Cosima tried to joke around a little even if she really didn't feel like it, she didn't have long and she needed answers. Delphine relaxed under the touch, when she remembered it was not her wife it made her seize up again. It was just as hard for her, Cosima assumed, she wasn't used to this as much as she was. Whatever happened to make her loose her consciousness had just started to mess up now, there were potentially 12 years that Delphine and herself...no the other Cosima were together. 12 years that she had just come along and destroyed. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I will give you some answers, but you have no time." Delphine took the coffee and moved out of the usual comfort zone of their bodies. "Look don't try to...try to be her. It's...what do you want to know?" Delphine asked, as if that wasn't obvious, how about telling her what the hell she was doing here?! /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"How about starting with why I only just woke up from-" Cosima began before Delphine butt in, her eyes wider. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"-Interference. Next question." Delphine was very quick to respond to that, she didn't want to answer. Cosima's natural scientific curiosity took over, that wasn't an answer. She had been saying that for so long now. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who am I? No, no, I mean who is the 'other' Cosima. Who am I when I am not 'me'?" Delphine took another step, she didn't want to look into Cosima's eyes. It was frustrating to hell, the little amount of time she had to find new information out and Delphine was messing around with sad looks and stern expressions. Cosima itched her neck again before crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for a response. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You are, you...'She' is the Director of the ISRO, the International Stem-Cell Research Organisation." Delphine paused and sounded defeated. "She won't even remember this, there is no point-" She more said this to herself. "-Well. You play a vital role in the corporate ladder." There was a conflict evident on Delphine's face, she seemed to decide to give in and explain. "Cosima's role is to head the organisation, whilst 'Topside' our..urr...overseers, get others of...like mind, to get to the top of other institutions. We are a global cause." Cosima knew it! She knew there had to be others like her, this couldn't be the only occurrence of missing consciousness. It had to happen somewhere, the balance of scientific probability in over 7 billion people would say so. Ok so there were others at the top of other organisations just like Cosima? /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What global cause? What, no who are you?" Cosima stepped a little closer her hands playing with themselves, the thing she did when she could see a breakthrough coming closer but not close enough to reach it. Delphine massaged her temples again, her eyes flashing to the time. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"World domination." Delphine laughed in a really sad way, her eyes were full up and her face hollow, her arms wrapped around herself in comfort. "That's the joke we say. It's not world domination as such. DYAD just want the control of foreign markets." DYAD? Cosima's eyes looked around the room, literally everything in it bar the two of them was stamped with the DYAD logo. The coffee machine, the fridge/freezer, the sofa, the bed, the curtains! This was way bigger than just herself. Delphine's tears broke her eye, sobbing slightly she pushed past Cosima with no warning whatsoever and burst out of the front door, locking it behind her and trailing off into the distance. Cosima shocked watched after her and ran over to the door. Her hands went for the handle, it was rock solid, she had locked it! What a bitch! She shook the handle in attempt to open it a few more times, before realising that she had no time. She didn't even know what was on the other side of that door. What if she was in some kind of prison, and this was her cell? Brushing her own stress tears from her eyes she darted over to the interface and brought it up, quickly in the little time she had left to search for an answer. Ok, ok, ok, Cosima thought to herself, even her mind was panicked. She nudged her glasses up her nose and settled in front of the screen. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Search, 'Mind Control DYAD'." Cosima voiced aloud, her hands her shaking she was so nervous, she had to find this out now. God knows how many times she would be conscious again. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Access denied." The words spread across the screen and it felt like she had just been punched in the gut. "Override codes." Cosima couldn't remember a thing about the codes. She had to try something else. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Search, 'DYAD' 'Delphine Cormier' 'Dr. Aldous Leekie'." Cosima had to try. All three seemed to work so she let the screen load with all of the information on the three of them. There were many sources which included DYAD, Delphine or Leekie individually, but not one of the three- Cosima ordered the interface to load up the last source, it was some sort of video file including the three of them in tags. The clip takes up the whole interface, it is black at first before the DYAD silver logo fades into existence, as it solidifies the names of the two of them appear underneath. Delphine is an assistant? The logo screen fades and reveals Leekie, Delphine and a metal table, all very staged, but all very sinister. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"PICO technology, the future." Leekie begins, he walks in front of the metal table and leans up against it, he carries something under his arm, the sight of it makes Cosima's neck itch. "No longer is it a distance idealistic wish, now a reality. With recent encouraging testing we are now able to put this out on the market." Cosima checks the date, this video was uploaded a few days before she was first conscious. "Through DYAD satellite enhancements we are able to control the mind with a very simple...'addition' to the human body. A neural processing chip which can be inserted here." He pulled out the mounted poster, and Cosima felt her stomach turn. It was a women, her body pale and cold. It didn't even seem as though he tried to hide the fact that her body was laid out on a morgue slab. His white finger points to the neck just under the jaw, a minute line just visible to the naked eye. Cosima again itched her neck absent mindedly before her hand froze. Her eyes widened at the screen and paused it. Her fingers tips brushed her hair again and felt over the same area on herself. There was a rough patch of skin, the same texture as the scar she had just under her knee from falling off her skateboard when she was thirteen. The video seemed to start playing by itself as she fell back on herself. She could feel something just under the surface of her skin and her whole body ran cold. "From the reset the controller can merge the mind of his new 'device' with his own, allowing the total control, to every whim, desire or rampage." He puts the poster down on the table and invites Delphine over to the front, she looks controlled, reserved and obedient. There was no way she had one. Cosima remembered back to one the sofa when they were cuddling, Cosima couldn't see a scar on her anywhere. Delphine stuttered as she began talking, however confidence soon grew over her. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Thank you Dr. Leekie." There was a glance of eyes that again made Cosima sick, their glance was more of a gaze, longing and hidden, something no one would notice unless they are looking for it. "PICO technology is the forefront of modern day weaponry. Available on first order of 10 devices for just $250million. This is cutting age technology which can revolutionise the world. It has certainly revolutionised mine." There was that look again between the two of them! "DYAD and its affiliates require the first order to comply by contract to the fulfilment of DYAD's main aim. The eradication of-" Cosima felt the pain in her head. She collapsed into herself, her hands grabbing her head as she breathed heavily through the pain, gritting her teeth she stared up at the interface. It got rid of the video and replaced it with 'breaking news'. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"The solar storm that has been raging just outside of orbital contact as now grown stronger, this will mean more delays in traffic, the sub way will be facing further train cuts and power outages until it passes. The National Organisation of Solar Energy have-" Cosima waved off the news channel and let it all click in her head for a second. Solar storm? Maybe this was what Delphine meant by 'interference'. For a second Cosima forgot about the pains and braced herself for another...but it didn't come. Her eyes stared around the room and checked her watch, the seconds clicked over. She had been conscious for 9 minutes and 56 seconds. From fear of falling into the void again she frantically searched the interface for leads to the others in her situation. After access being blocked a further 5 times, she found a way around the system. Videos of leaders all around the world having 'lapses', 'fainting', 'astonishing recoveries' and even her own stumble at the conference where she had to talk, the other 'her'. She sees someone who to her at least seems familiar. A women, head of the Department of Defence in England. Sarah Manning. Sarah goddamn Manning could be her saviour. Finding her contact details Cosima didnt even hesitate or thinks things through she just knew she had to get into contact before it was too late. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah Manning, I need to talk to Sarah Manning." Cosima blurted out as soon as she got through to someone. It turned out to not be 'anyone' it was an automated machine. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"-Press 2 if you would like the Department of Defence of expression. Press 3 if you would like the Department of Defence of rights. Press 4 if you would like anything else." Cosima couldn't have hit that glass any harder before it broke, jamming her finger onto the 4 button and waiting for a response. This was 12 years in her future how were automated device still a thing! "Hello you have reached the department for-" Cosima knew this was not automated. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah Manning, I need to talk to Sarah Manning please this is of the utmost-" Cosima was cut off, there was a ringing and a disorientated voice answered the other end. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Urr..Hello." Sarah Manning it seemed, picked up the other end. Cosima's heart leaped, she had been conscious for 10 minutes and 40 seconds now. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Sarah I need to talk to you, which Sarah am I talking to, actual Sarah or Sarah Manning head of defence in England?" How else would you ask someone you had never talked to before if they were only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds without sounding like a freak. There was a pause and a grunt. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"This line isn't secure, hold on." There was hope in the disorientated voice, but the line rang dead. Cosima let the phone away from her ear and her hand felt up her neck line, over the tiny bump almost missing it but feeling the rough skin under her touch. Her blood ran dry. The phone vibrated in her hand and lit up, a secured line with a withheld number. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Hello, Sarah?" Cosima was desperate, she could feel the seconds ticking by as if someone would hitting her inside her head as they passed. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who is this? Can you help?" Sarah seemed desperate as well, but she seemed further gone, maybe the interference was bad over in England. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Are you only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds, do you pass out and wake up days later and not know what's going on?" Cosima shook her head, she felt like she was about to sell Sarah some life insurance or something. Life insurance for people on the wrong end of mind control. "Do you have a scar just below your jawline on your neck?" Cosima waited and she knew Sarah was thinking on the other side of the line. "My name is Cosima Neihaus, I am only conscious for 9 minutes and 47 seconds and I know why." Now it was turning into some AA meeting, 'Hey I am Cosima and I have been under mind control for 12 years **everyone applauds**'. "DYAD, the organisation in..wherever I am are systematically controlling the minds of those in the top positions across the world. Sounds crazy, but it is for some sort of foreign market dominance. The last time I checked the time it was 12 years ago and I was going to sleep, now I wake up and I am someone completely different in a different life and time. I don't know, I just need to know that someone is going through it too." Cosima had said everything she could possible say in a few seconds, blurting out all of the words in one breath just t get it across as fast as she could. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"This is happening to you too?" Sarah's voice was quite it wasn't ecstatic and nervous as Cosima's and it seemed very close to the phone, muffled even. "I am 9 minutes 57 seconds. Time lag huh?" Cosima was half upset that Sarah wasn't freaking out as well, she was too collected for her liking. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Look just use the interface or whatever you have there and search for sources including DYAD, Dr. Leekie, and Delphine Cormier, the last source will be a video. Watch it, I don't know how much time we have left!" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I can't right now,I am currently underneath my desk in my office, it's the only place no one can see me, if they can't see me or hear me they won't come in. Right now I am pretty sure everyone here is out to kill me if I step a toe wrong." Cosima thought for a second and another thing slipped into place./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Do you have a monitor? Do you have someone that shadows you and knows about your 'interference', does someone the other 'Sarah' knows know that you aren't 'her'?" Sarah seemed to be moving on the other end of the line. Cosima suddenly felt like she was being watched, was her phone being monitored. "Is this line secure for both of us?" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I have a guy, Hendrix, he is this 'best friend' of Sarah, he works in the department. I think they have a thing going on, I am not sure. He could be her monitor! This line is secure for me, I can't guarantee no one is listening on your end." Cosima's heart leaped. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Get to somewhere secure, get to that video and you will understand." Cosima could hear Delphine's foot steps returning to the room. "Do you have a scar under your neck, Sarah." Sarah seemed to be moving. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Yeah I do, bloody hell, what is this?" Cosima felt her own and her head dropped, this really was mind control. She remembered some of the headlines before she got to Sarah's details, 'New Movement on English defence'. 'England separatist party take over Department of Defence, Sarah Manning leader of the party takes new post as Defence minister." /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I have to go, watch that video and you will know, call me when you are next conscious." She cut the line dead as Delphine unlocked the door and opened it slowly. She hid the phone n her pyjamas pocket and turned her arms on the back of the sofa her face smiling. "I was wondering where you go off too, I was awfully lonely." Cosima imitated the voice of the British version of her. Delphine's face was more collected, her lipstick was perfect and her cheeks only slightly puffy. There was a moment where it was evident Delphine was testing the waters. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I got Eskimo pie, sorry I left you a sleep on the sofa you just looked so beautiful." The words Delphine used killed her, she let her wife sleep with the man for contracts she didn't get. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"It's ok Darling, I was just worried about those contracts. The ones for the expansion, I was worried we didn't get them." Cosima turned to face the closed interface as Delphine walked over to the sofa. 13 minutes 24 seconds. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Oh." Delphine said, for a second Cosima thought she had blew it. "Your head must still be a little tired, we didn't get the contracts no, but we go something better." Delphine sat next to her taking out their ice cream and eating some of it. Cosima didn't want to say anymore, she didn't know enough and now she had the opportunity to find out more. They ate their ice cream in silence and Cosima kept looking over to Delphine. Even though she feared for her life and was watching the seconds like a predator on prey, couldn't help but see how beautiful Delphine was. They finished off their ice cream and Delphine wrapped her arm around Cosima. Cosima cuddled into her side, "Cosima we need to talk. I need to tell you something and I am not sure that you will like it." Cosima stayed where she was, she knew that Delphine could tell which Cosima she was just by looking at her, so she just wrapped her arm around Delphine's arm a little tighter and let their fingers intertwine. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Yeah Delphine." Cosima almost let a little of her won accent through, but brushed it off. "What is it darling?" She continued. Delphine was tense, but not in the same way she was with her before. She was tense over what she had to say. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"There it was, her first pang. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I just...there is something I cannot hide from you anymore. Delphine turned to look at Cosima, the warms from her arm and fingers leaving. Delphine turned to face Cosima head on and her hands came up to her shoulder. "Dr. Leekie I know you are listening. I cannot do this anymore, this is tearing me apart." Tears started to well up in Delphine's eyes, her hands moved from Cosima's shoulders up to her neck, her finger brushed over that thing in her neck and it made her wince. There was a noticeable shift in Delphine's eyes but she wasn't going to stop whatever she was about to do. Her hands lifted Cosima's jaw and she leaned in. At first it was a hard solid kiss straight onto her lips. Delphine's watery eyes were closed but Cosima stared at the shut lids and all around the room. The pangs coming again this time straight to either side of her head. She saw the weather outside, it was turning for the worse, maybe the storm here was stopping the interference from the solar flares. Pang, this one felt like a hot rod was poking quickly at her brain, not enough to sear in pain but enough to know the real pain coming. The kiss turned more passionate, Delphine's lips were trying to part Cosima's to get a reaction. She had to at least play the part, Cosima thought. Her own hand came up to Delphine's neck and then her jaw and the back of her head and entangled itself in her hair. Their lips were pressing hard at each other, Delphine's tongue traced its way over her lips before pressing inside. Another pang, although her eyes were closed she could tell her vision was fading. In a last ditch attempt she kissed back hard, her tongue dancing with Delphine, her lips caressing hers, her body pushing Delphine back on herself until she was on top of her on the sofa. Her body was in such pain but she had to fight it to know more. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"What's happening to me Delphine, what has Leekie got to do with this?" Delphine opened her eyes, Cosima thought she was doing to accent thing well, except forgot her pain couldn't allow that. She had blown her cover. Delphine stopped kissing and pushed Cosima up off of her, wiping her mouth. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"a name="tw-target-text"/a "span style="font-size: medium;"I cannot do this! You are not her, she hasn't been herself for years. Fuck you Leekie. Seriously span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"vas te faire encule!" /span/span/span /p