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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"PART 7: /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Cosima's eyes shot open. She was used to it now, her blood pumped fast before her senses came alive. She knew this was the feeling of waking up. When she was not conscious it was just a black void, a second of time before her eyes opened again to the new scene and new time that she was in. Her head stopped banging and her vision cleared. She was in a room on her own, the walls were wooden, the two windows in the room were boarded up with planks of wood, the floor thrown over with a red rug. Tattered and littered the room smelt strongly of damp, with papers flooding a desk in the corner, books lay on the flood fallen from an old dusty book shelf. One wall plastered with papers, posters, faces, red crosses, red thread passed between what seemed like contracts, proposals, red warning letters and the same stamped logo; DYAD. Cosima's heart skipped a beat as she stumbled over, grabbing the edge of another desk to save herself. Her eyes widened as she released the ball and let the dose inject into her wrist, the pain was worse from the same vein being battered again. In the few seconds she knew she had left she trembled over to the plastered wall and tried to get in as much as she could. Her eyes were fading but she saw things, short phrases, misplaced words and one very clear message; 'PICO shut down' 'Ethical committees for Human Rights cancel PICO project', 'DYAD sued over botched experiments', 'How many are there?' one news paper clipping snatched. 'Mind control, weapons of mass destruction, a third world war?'. Cosima collapsed onto the floor, her knees hitting the wood and her tired head scratching down the wood panelled siding grating against the grain. Some papers fell down with her, in the last few seconds she clutched onto a single sheet. Her hand unfolded and she stared at the words as her mind slowly slipped out of her grasp. 'PICO.2 test subject Neihaus. C. responsive. Extended control- passed. Solar interference worsening. New implant- scheduled 13supth/sup of this month. Signed- Dr. A. Leekie.' Cosima clutched with all of her strength onto this sheet anger filling her head up so fast like a wash over of hot searing water. Then she fell. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"***/span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Gasping Cosima could feel water rushing all over her head, nose and mouth, she felt a cold fabric smothering her face and water dripping down her throat. Coughing and spluttering the water seemed to be pouring into her mouth, filtered through some flannel. Water boarding. Gasping she tried to move her hands trying desperately to hold onto that ball. She let go and could feel the injection push through her skin, breaking the surface of the vein and splashing into her blood stream, shooting up her arm. Screaming out, the fabric was removed and a bright light stabbed at her pupils. Her eyes adjusted and she could see the figure of a man standing above her, his arms gripping onto the side of what seemed like a bed. Her eyes darted around the room, she had mere seconds but she tried to get as much in. It seemed like a medical facility. DYAD was stamped on a frost glass door, a medical professional in green scrubs sat typing something onto an interface. The man above grabbed her face by her cheeks. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who are you?" He commanded an answer. Cosima was too disorientated and confused to understand what was happening. She looked helplessly around the room again and stared back at the man's face. He grabbed her face harder and repeated himself. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Cosima!" Cosima tried to scream it out but water came back up her throat. She spat it out down the side of her cheek and took a deep quick breath, trying to fill her failing lungs. She felt like she was drowning. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"No you aren't!" The man threw her face back hard onto the metal bed. The pain shocked Cosima, and her head fell faster into the intensity of the void. Her eyes blacked over, she was like that for a few long moments. Blind. They placed the fabric straight back over her face, the cold impacted her skin like she had fallen off of the golden gate bridge into the icy waters below. The water poured into her mouth, and she gagged, choking on the water as she tried to breathe. Before she could feel the sensation of drowning, she was gone. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"It felt like an electric current was slowly pulsing over her body, over her warm skin, over her toes up her feet to her slender ankles, all the way up her shins and her long thighs. It slowed over the small bump of her toned stomach and then flowed up her breasts, over her collar bones and covered her face in a comfortable tingle. This was not normal. Cosima opened her eyes, she had been conscious for a few seconds, calm and steady, she knew about the ball now. Her hand instinctively tightened over her its rubber surface instead of letting it fall. At first all she could see was a blue dull light and then her eyes began to see behind it, she saw the light bulbs casing and the stand it was attached to. She saw the signs of a glass casing around her, small scratches and a small finger prints just visible. She tried to move her body but the electricity she felt all over her was not electricity it was some sort of insulation, what seemed a warm liquid covering her body, just stopping below her nose so she could breathe. Although after her last encounter they weren't too crazy about her being able to breathe. Cosima's movements caused the water to ripple, splatters of the water touched her nose and for a second she thought was going to choke again. Trying to lean up she hit her head on the glass surface, her claustrophobia momentarily coming into play before it seemed to dissipate with the glass shield opening. Her body was shivering immediately as the foreign air flooded all over her, her arms covered her chest, as she attempted to get up and out into the room. Trying to climb out of a slippery tube covered in a warm/freezing liquid, naked with a ball in your hand was not easy. Cosima managed to clamber out, her feet hitting the stone cold grey floor leaving footprints behind her as she made her way to a desk and illuminated computer screen. She was held back momentarily with pains on her back, in a panic she span around and just wrapped her self up in wires that were attached to her skin. Realising it wasn't a person handling her, she unwound herself and pulled at them. They seemed attached to her body underneath her skin, she could see the wires disappearing deeper into her. With closed eyes she winced as she pulled one out. It was a momentary pain but it still hurt like a bitch. Wincing again she grabbed the next one as close as she could to her skin and pulled it out. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Bitch." Cosima whimpered into the air, there were a few at the bottom of her back that she couldn't bear the pain of individually, she grabbed the three of them close together and yanked them. "Holy crap." Grabbing onto the edge of her table with her free hand she caught her breath. Her body was shivering now from the pain and the cold that faced her. Looking around she saw that she was in a small room, grey clinical walls a long metallic desk across one short side of the room, on the next wall the frosted glass door she saw before, the next the same style of posters and papers plastered in an organised fashion this time, the next a slender wardrobe. The message was clear this time, PICO had been shut down. A little elation filled Cosima's head, before her grin made a small pain in her neck. Her hand instinctively went to the scar she had found the last time. The bump was still there. Her eyes wide her fingers searching, her mind wild with the idea that she was ready for an 'new implant on the 13supth/sup'. It felt the same, wet but the same. Even though it was controlling her mind, she was relieved it wasn't advanced. Sighing, her fingers brushed over the bump and rough skin as she searched for her clothes. Her eyes met the thin wardrobe and she knew they would be in there. Keeping hold of that ball as her back probably bled slightly she moved over to the wardrobe. Searching for a handle came up empty, her fingers felt the crack down the middle of it, evidently the two doors to the inside. There was no dent or crevice for her to open it. The surface was smooth, cold and technical, it seemed to have a glow. She had seen it before on her interface. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Open." She asked, even now she was being polite and a little awkward as if she was talking to a person. The cupboard seemed to 'pop' and it opened enough for her to get her fingers under its door and pull it open. Inside was some grey outfit, a top that seemed like doctors scrubs and jogging pants. Not really caring much about it she got changed out of the wet cold and dried herself off with the material. Not even knowing how much time she had left, the ball firmly in her hand she headed over to the frosted glass door. As she approached two silhouettes formed coming closer to it. Doing a 360 she turned straight around without thinking heading back behind the tube case she was in, the foundation of the raised case was a thick block, perfect for hiding behind. Ducking just as the figures reached the door, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms tucking every part of her in. The door was right the other side of the case. The door handle didn't move but seemed to buzz and the door was opened immediately. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"She's got out!" Cosima knew the voice, her heart chilled. It was Leekie himself. She hoped to god he couldn't see somehow where she was the way Delphine lead her to believe he could somehow hear through her. "Dierden, search party now. This girl is dangerous." Leekie commanded to an unknown person, bodies just outside of the door seemed to be moving and alive. She didn't dare to try and get a look, Cosima just sat there still as she could begging for that solar storm to be still affecting the connection. Movement on the other side of the case, there seemed to be a pause where there were no movements, breaths or people. For a second she thought they had left. But immediately at the thought footsteps seemed to be moving to her left and over to the computer or interface or whatever it was. The person pulled out a chair from under the desk and sat down. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"We can find her, she would still have her PICO implant." It was Delphine. That women struck such pain in Cosima, one for the fact she knew all about this, two for the fact she let her wife be mind controlled and god knows whether the other Cosima knew, and three that she hated Cosima, the real Cosima so much. Cosima didn't lie to herself and say she didn't understand the hatred Delphine felt for her. But to Cosima, this was her body, her identity that was being stolen, and this was her life she was wasting unconscious. Her biology, her decision, she wasn't about to let someone else control her. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Whilst Cosima listened to the rough breathing of Leekie and the delicate keyboard tapping of Delphine, she realised what her eyes were focused on. On the floor by the case was a scalpel. It took a few long, heart breaking moments before her mind could catch up with her actions. Cosima didn't need much time to think, hoping to god know one was looking in this exact direction as Delphine typed on the device, Cosima leaned and grabbed the scalpel getting back to her position in an instant. Her breathing increased as the metal of the knife fit into her hand. She stared at it the surface reflecting the blue light in her eyes. Stopping the sound of her breathing whilst her heart raced up she felt for the bump on her neck. She was a medical student, before all this. Cosima was not trained up in self-surgery but it was the only thing she could think to do. As long as she didn't hit any major arteries or glands then she would be ok. She closed her eyes, feeling like the tapping of Delphine's fingers was a countdown. She would find whatever she needed soon, Cosima had to do this now. Getting the scalpel lined up with her finger, she made the first incision. Pain seared like hot water all over the side of her neck. She wanted to moan out or gasp but knew if she did that it would be over, and god knows where she would end up. The scalpel dragged through her skin, going deep enough so that she could get her fingers under there. She felt the warm and cold trickle of blood pour out of her incision down her neck and spoil the collar of her scrubs. She closed her eyes so tight, her breaths so fast and deep, her hand holding onto that ball as tight and she god damn could to take the pain away from her neck. Her knuckles white, her body stiff, the scalpel turned an agonising angle in her neck, leaving her skin like a pulsing jagged flap right over the bump. She knew the skin wouldn't be able to heal properly, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She needed it out now. Tears silently fell out of her eyes as she let the scalpel fall into her lap, the fall buffered where the scrubs and joggers met. With a deep breath in she dug her shaking fingers underneath the tense pale bloodied skin, her face scrunched up, she couldn't help but moan out as her fingers throbbed into her raw beating flesh. At that exact moment Delphine scrapped her mental chair across the floor and stood up. Cosima's finger sent hot flashes of pain across her neck and body, her nerves going wild like white noise inside of her. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I can't find her, her neural processor is not working." Delphine's voice was shaken her breaths were short. Leekie seemed to grab hold of the tube case, the water sloshing around above her head. Cosima's free hand washed across her tear stained eyes and cheeks with her sleeve, as her other shaking set of fingers plucked the chip out of her raw bleeding flesh. There were wires attached to it that held her back, but at this point with that much pain and blood she knew was gushing out of her she didn't care. She yanked on the wires and her stomach turned. The pain was so excruciating that her head was going dizzy, her hand fell limp as she let the chip fall to the floor beside her. Like static interference her mind was glitching, buzzing, cracking and ricochetting with noise, white noise bolting around between her ears. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"She's got it out?" Leekie gritted through his teeth. He had moved, there were noises as if he was searching his body a few steps backwards and then a noise that chilled Cosima's soul, her head cleared and her eyes wide. Leekie had just loaded a gun./span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"It was just like the movies, the noise of the the barrel and slide being dragged back by the palm of the killers hand, hammer being pulled back by his thumb. Delphine even gasped, she moved forward towards him in attempt to stop him. Cosima's hand came up to put pressure on her neck, she hadn't hit anything major, the blood loss wasn't that bad, so far. She felt a little faint but tried to get onto her feet and turn to face them but somehow manage to stay hidden. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Mon Dieu, non! She is my wife!" Delphine attempted to seize the gun. There was some movement, a struggle. Cosima took it as a chance to get onto her knees at least and see what was going on. "No!" Delphine cried out. There was more struggling, just as Cosima turned over her face pale and neck drenched, she caught sight of Delphine being pushed backwards into the desk and chair, the chair making a horrible grating sound across the concrete floor. Cosima' stared back at her as Delphine caught her eye. Delphine didn't even hesitate her eyes back onto Leekie in an instant as if she had not even seen her. But that moment was all Cosima needed, Delphine had seen the blood it was evident as the colour from her face had drained. Cosima could just see that the black pistol was pointed at Delphine. Holy watershed. All she wanted to do was get out of this place, and now she had gone way too deep. "You wouldn't." Delphine had that venom Cosima had grown used to in her voice. She recovered herself from being thrown backwards and leaned forwards, still leaning on the desk. Delphine must have hurt herself but her face was strong, pale but strong. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Oh I would Del, this project means more than you will ever know and I can't have our pilot project getting out of hand. They shut us down, but that will not stop us." Leekie paused and leaned closer to Delphine his arm straight out the threatening gun held tight in his grip. Cosima ducked a little more just below the case, she could only just see Leekie, her neck hurt so bad she would need to get it covered or treated stat. "If you do anything to hurt this project..." Leekie stopped again, he took a few steps closer to Delphine so that their bodies were almost touching. He slowly lowered the gun to his side, still poised right at Delphine. Delphine was uncomfortable, she couldn't look him in the face at that proximity, she looked to the side, straight into Cosima's eyes. Cosima's heart skipped a pained beat and she could feel the extra pressure push fresh blood out of her wound. Delphine's eyes were angry, broken, tired and most importantly fuelled. She looked like she could kill, but that she was incapable of doing so. "I will end you, your career and your life. I took you under my wing when your career was finished. Don't you forget that." He let his words hang in the air for a second, before he leaned in closer to her. His pale thin nose taking in a strong smell of her neck and hair. She grimaced and kept staring at Cosima. He kissed her hard on the cheek before he turned away and headed to the door. "I am going to get our little project back." He walked out of the room his footsteps dragging down the corridor until Cosima could no longer hear them. But she wasn't sure if that was him getting further away or herself slipping out of consciousness. Delphine took a few seconds to catch her breath against the desk. Suddenly feeling the faintness, Cosima fell to the floor on all fours. Delphine reacted immediately, she came over to Cosima and grabbed hold of her shoulders. For a second Cosima was sure that Delphine was going to kill her or hurt her more right there and then, but the grip turned soft, her thumb rubbing her shoulder in a reassuring way. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You are not my Cosima. But you look just like her and I cannot deny that. Come on you silly girl, you're going to bleed out." Cosima shook her head, her neck bare with her hands supporting her weight. She shifted so that she was sitting on her knees and stared up into Delphine's eyes. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I am sorry, I just want to get my life back." Cosima was honest and too tired to run or fight. Delphine considered her words for a second, as she guided Cosima's bloodied hand up to her neck and held it over her open wound. Biting her lip Delphine helped Cosima get up. Delphine quickly lead Cosima over to the chair, lifting it up and out so that it didn't drag on the floor and make noise. Once Cosima was propped up by the desk Delphine went back over the case and picked up the red neural processor that was inside of Cosima. Between her fingers she saw that there was still a light which would mean in any second Leekie could use an interface to see where she was. Dropping it back to the floor Delphine stamped on it with the top lift of her heel. Crushing it with a small puff of electric mist. She ground it into the concrete before brushing the remains to the side as close as she could to the edge of the case foundation. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You've changed your tone." Cosima attempted a joking reference to Delphine's sudden help. "You've been super supportive of me so far, god I can't think why you wouldn't want to help me." Cosima was weak her head twitching as her eye lids became heavier and heavier. There was a slow but worrying stream of blood down through her fingers from her neck. Delphine did not say a word, she from somewhere in the relatively empty room produced some coverings for her neck. She let Cosima take them under her hand, it was immediately soaked in blood, she could see the way the red invaded the white material. Delphine bit her lip again and stared at Cosima, not coming close enough so that she felt uncomfortable. She was standing at a distance as if Cosima was an exhibit at a zoo and Delphine wasn't sure if she was scared of the wounded animal. "Man, this is messed up." Cosima's mind was still preoccupied with the time. She probably had 4 or 3 minutes left. "I've taken the chip thing out right so that means I am like just me again?" Cosima was weak and her voice strained but she couldn't help but add extra words than necessary like she always did to any thing she said. Delphine shook her head slowly. Cosima' heart sank. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"The chip is just the main receiver, there is a back up. One I am afraid we cannot just pull out with an old scalpel." Delphine was pale and motionless her voice was dry and her eyes had fallen to the floor. "The only way to stop it is to...stop the source." Cosima knew Leekie was behind all of this...but she wasn't sure what she had to do. Stop the source?... "You need more bandages and I need to get you out of here. Delphine's eyes darted around the minimalistic room. They lingered on the wardrobe barely big enough to fit Cosima before her eyes fell back on her. Cosima looked up at her questioningly. "You need to be out of sight, if they see you they will..." Delphine came over to Cosima after taking a deep breath, Cosima felt as though Delphine was holding her breath. The way she was holding her was a little too familiar. She couldn't even understand how his felt for Delphine. "Open." Delphine commanded in a low whisper of a voice, the doors popped open and Cosima looked back at her judgementally. "You need to be out of sight." Cosima was too weak to protest, she clambered into it, falling out of weakness to the floor of it, letting her legs up close together so that she could stuff herself inside. "I will be back, I just need to get some things from the medical ward." Delphine met Cosima's eyes before she began to close the door. "Be safe, Cosima." The last words were more sentimental, they had a touch of caring and warmth to them. Cosima knew they weren't directed at her, they were for 'her'. Cosima started to feel like an outsider in her own body and she didn't like it. God she just wished this was a bad trip, her head fell back against the metal side and her eye lids shut letting the darkness of the room consume her. In one thoughtless moment her hand released he ball and her wrist felt the sting of the injection. Cosima's heart gave one last push as she realised the stupidity of her actions. Falling unconscious she stared out into the darkness and hoped to god that she would come back from this./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"PART 7: /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Cosima's eyes shot open. She was used to it now, her blood pumped fast before her senses came alive. She knew this was the feeling of waking up. When she was not conscious it was just a black void, a second of time before her eyes opened again to the new scene and new time that she was in. Her head stopped banging and her vision cleared. She was in a room on her own, the walls were wooden, the two windows in the room were boarded up with planks of wood, the floor thrown over with a red rug. Tattered and littered the room smelt strongly of damp, with papers flooding a desk in the corner, books lay on the flood fallen from an old dusty book shelf. One wall plastered with papers, posters, faces, red crosses, red thread passed between what seemed like contracts, proposals, red warning letters and the same stamped logo; DYAD. Cosima's heart skipped a beat as she stumbled over, grabbing the edge of another desk to save herself. Her eyes widened as she released the ball and let the dose inject into her wrist, the pain was worse from the same vein being battered again. In the few seconds she knew she had left she trembled over to the plastered wall and tried to get in as much as she could. Her eyes were fading but she saw things, short phrases, misplaced words and one very clear message; 'PICO shut down' 'Ethical committees for Human Rights cancel PICO project', 'DYAD sued over botched experiments', 'How many are there?' one news paper clipping snatched. 'Mind control, weapons of mass destruction, a third world war?'. Cosima collapsed onto the floor, her knees hitting the wood and her tired head scratching down the wood panelled siding grating against the grain. Some papers fell down with her, in the last few seconds she clutched onto a single sheet. Her hand unfolded and she stared at the words as her mind slowly slipped out of her grasp. 'PICO.2 test subject Neihaus. C. responsive. Extended control- passed. Solar interference worsening. New implant- scheduled 13supth/sup of this month. Signed- Dr. A. Leekie.' Cosima clutched with all of her strength onto this sheet anger filling her head up so fast like a wash over of hot searing water. Then she fell. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Gasping Cosima could feel water rushing all over her head, nose and mouth, she felt a cold fabric smothering her face and water dripping down her throat. Coughing and spluttering the water seemed to be pouring into her mouth, filtered through some flannel. Water boarding. Gasping she tried to move her hands trying desperately to hold onto that ball. She let go and could feel the injection push through her skin, breaking the surface of the vein and splashing into her blood stream, shooting up her arm. Screaming out, the fabric was removed and a bright light stabbed at her pupils. Her eyes adjusted and she could see the figure of a man standing above her, his arms gripping onto the side of what seemed like a bed. Her eyes darted around the room, she had mere seconds but she tried to get as much in. It seemed like a medical facility. DYAD was stamped on a frost glass door, a medical professional in green scrubs sat typing something onto an interface. The man above grabbed her face by her cheeks. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Who are you?" He commanded an answer. Cosima was too disorientated and confused to understand what was happening. She looked helplessly around the room again and stared back at the man's face. He grabbed her face harder and repeated himself. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Cosima!" Cosima tried to scream it out but water came back up her throat. She spat it out down the side of her cheek and took a deep quick breath, trying to fill her failing lungs. She felt like she was drowning. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"No you aren't!" The man threw her face back hard onto the metal bed. The pain shocked Cosima, and her head fell faster into the intensity of the void. Her eyes blacked over, she was like that for a few long moments. Blind. They placed the fabric straight back over her face, the cold impacted her skin like she had fallen off of the golden gate bridge into the icy waters below. The water poured into her mouth, and she gagged, choking on the water as she tried to breathe. Before she could feel the sensation of drowning, she was gone. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"It felt like an electric current was slowly pulsing over her body, over her warm skin, over her toes up her feet to her slender ankles, all the way up her shins and her long thighs. It slowed over the small bump of her toned stomach and then flowed up her breasts, over her collar bones and covered her face in a comfortable tingle. This was not normal. Cosima opened her eyes, she had been conscious for a few seconds, calm and steady, she knew about the ball now. Her hand instinctively tightened over her its rubber surface instead of letting it fall. At first all she could see was a blue dull light and then her eyes began to see behind it, she saw the light bulbs casing and the stand it was attached to. She saw the signs of a glass casing around her, small scratches and a small finger prints just visible. She tried to move her body but the electricity she felt all over her was not electricity it was some sort of insulation, what seemed a warm liquid covering her body, just stopping below her nose so she could breathe. Although after her last encounter they weren't too crazy about her being able to breathe. Cosima's movements caused the water to ripple, splatters of the water touched her nose and for a second she thought was going to choke again. Trying to lean up she hit her head on the glass surface, her claustrophobia momentarily coming into play before it seemed to dissipate with the glass shield opening. Her body was shivering immediately as the foreign air flooded all over her, her arms covered her chest, as she attempted to get up and out into the room. Trying to climb out of a slippery tube covered in a warm/freezing liquid, naked with a ball in your hand was not easy. Cosima managed to clamber out, her feet hitting the stone cold grey floor leaving footprints behind her as she made her way to a desk and illuminated computer screen. She was held back momentarily with pains on her back, in a panic she span around and just wrapped her self up in wires that were attached to her skin. Realising it wasn't a person handling her, she unwound herself and pulled at them. They seemed attached to her body underneath her skin, she could see the wires disappearing deeper into her. With closed eyes she winced as she pulled one out. It was a momentary pain but it still hurt like a bitch. Wincing again she grabbed the next one as close as she could to her skin and pulled it out. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Bitch." Cosima whimpered into the air, there were a few at the bottom of her back that she couldn't bear the pain of individually, she grabbed the three of them close together and yanked them. "Holy crap." Grabbing onto the edge of her table with her free hand she caught her breath. Her body was shivering now from the pain and the cold that faced her. Looking around she saw that she was in a small room, grey clinical walls a long metallic desk across one short side of the room, on the next wall the frosted glass door she saw before, the next the same style of posters and papers plastered in an organised fashion this time, the next a slender wardrobe. The message was clear this time, PICO had been shut down. A little elation filled Cosima's head, before her grin made a small pain in her neck. Her hand instinctively went to the scar she had found the last time. The bump was still there. Her eyes wide her fingers searching, her mind wild with the idea that she was ready for an 'new implant on the 13supth/sup'. It felt the same, wet but the same. Even though it was controlling her mind, she was relieved it wasn't advanced. Sighing, her fingers brushed over the bump and rough skin as she searched for her clothes. Her eyes met the thin wardrobe and she knew they would be in there. Keeping hold of that ball as her back probably bled slightly she moved over to the wardrobe. Searching for a handle came up empty, her fingers felt the crack down the middle of it, evidently the two doors to the inside. There was no dent or crevice for her to open it. The surface was smooth, cold and technical, it seemed to have a glow. She had seen it before on her interface. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Open." She asked, even now she was being polite and a little awkward as if she was talking to a person. The cupboard seemed to 'pop' and it opened enough for her to get her fingers under its door and pull it open. Inside was some grey outfit, a top that seemed like doctors scrubs and jogging pants. Not really caring much about it she got changed out of the wet cold and dried herself off with the material. Not even knowing how much time she had left, the ball firmly in her hand she headed over to the frosted glass door. As she approached two silhouettes formed coming closer to it. Doing a 360 she turned straight around without thinking heading back behind the tube case she was in, the foundation of the raised case was a thick block, perfect for hiding behind. Ducking just as the figures reached the door, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms tucking every part of her in. The door was right the other side of the case. The door handle didn't move but seemed to buzz and the door was opened immediately. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"She's got out!" Cosima knew the voice, her heart chilled. It was Leekie himself. She hoped to god he couldn't see somehow where she was the way Delphine lead her to believe he could somehow hear through her. "Dierden, search party now. This girl is dangerous." Leekie commanded to an unknown person, bodies just outside of the door seemed to be moving and alive. She didn't dare to try and get a look, Cosima just sat there still as she could begging for that solar storm to be still affecting the connection. Movement on the other side of the case, there seemed to be a pause where there were no movements, breaths or people. For a second she thought they had left. But immediately at the thought footsteps seemed to be moving to her left and over to the computer or interface or whatever it was. The person pulled out a chair from under the desk and sat down. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"We can find her, she would still have her PICO implant." It was Delphine. That women struck such pain in Cosima, one for the fact she knew all about this, two for the fact she let her wife be mind controlled and god knows whether the other Cosima knew, and three that she hated Cosima, the real Cosima so much. Cosima didn't lie to herself and say she didn't understand the hatred Delphine felt for her. But to Cosima, this was her body, her identity that was being stolen, and this was her life she was wasting unconscious. Her biology, her decision, she wasn't about to let someone else control her. /span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Whilst Cosima listened to the rough breathing of Leekie and the delicate keyboard tapping of Delphine, she realised what her eyes were focused on. On the floor by the case was a scalpel. It took a few long, heart breaking moments before her mind could catch up with her actions. Cosima didn't need much time to think, hoping to god know one was looking in this exact direction as Delphine typed on the device, Cosima leaned and grabbed the scalpel getting back to her position in an instant. Her breathing increased as the metal of the knife fit into her hand. She stared at it the surface reflecting the blue light in her eyes. Stopping the sound of her breathing whilst her heart raced up she felt for the bump on her neck. She was a medical student, before all this. Cosima was not trained up in self-surgery but it was the only thing she could think to do. As long as she didn't hit any major arteries or glands then she would be ok. She closed her eyes, feeling like the tapping of Delphine's fingers was a countdown. She would find whatever she needed soon, Cosima had to do this now. Getting the scalpel lined up with her finger, she made the first incision. Pain seared like hot water all over the side of her neck. She wanted to moan out or gasp but knew if she did that it would be over, and god knows where she would end up. The scalpel dragged through her skin, going deep enough so that she could get her fingers under there. She felt the warm and cold trickle of blood pour out of her incision down her neck and spoil the collar of her scrubs. She closed her eyes so tight, her breaths so fast and deep, her hand holding onto that ball as tight and she god damn could to take the pain away from her neck. Her knuckles white, her body stiff, the scalpel turned an agonising angle in her neck, leaving her skin like a pulsing jagged flap right over the bump. She knew the skin wouldn't be able to heal properly, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She needed it out now. Tears silently fell out of her eyes as she let the scalpel fall into her lap, the fall buffered where the scrubs and joggers met. With a deep breath in she dug her shaking fingers underneath the tense pale bloodied skin, her face scrunched up, she couldn't help but moan out as her fingers throbbed into her raw beating flesh. At that exact moment Delphine scrapped her mental chair across the floor and stood up. Cosima's finger sent hot flashes of pain across her neck and body, her nerves going wild like white noise inside 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 can't find her, her neural processor is not working." Delphine's voice was shaken her breaths were short. Leekie seemed to grab hold of the tube case, the water sloshing around above her head. Cosima's free hand washed across her tear stained eyes and cheeks with her sleeve, as her other shaking set of fingers plucked the chip out of her raw bleeding flesh. There were wires attached to it that held her back, but at this point with that much pain and blood she knew was gushing out of her she didn't care. She yanked on the wires and her stomach turned. The pain was so excruciating that her head was going dizzy, her hand fell limp as she let the chip fall to the floor beside her. Like static interference her mind was glitching, buzzing, cracking and ricochetting with noise, white noise bolting around between her ears. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"She's got it out?" Leekie gritted through his teeth. He had moved, there were noises as if he was searching his body a few steps backwards and then a noise that chilled Cosima's soul, her head cleared and her eyes wide. Leekie had just loaded a gun./span/p
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p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"It was just like the movies, the noise of the the barrel and slide being dragged back by the palm of the killers hand, hammer being pulled back by his thumb. Delphine even gasped, she moved forward towards him in attempt to stop him. Cosima's hand came up to put pressure on her neck, she hadn't hit anything major, the blood loss wasn't that bad, so far. She felt a little faint but tried to get onto her feet and turn to face them but somehow manage to stay hidden. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Mon Dieu, non! She is my wife!" Delphine attempted to seize the gun. There was some movement, a struggle. Cosima took it as a chance to get onto her knees at least and see what was going on. "No!" Delphine cried out. There was more struggling, just as Cosima turned over her face pale and neck drenched, she caught sight of Delphine being pushed backwards into the desk and chair, the chair making a horrible grating sound across the concrete floor. Cosima' stared back at her as Delphine caught her eye. Delphine didn't even hesitate her eyes back onto Leekie in an instant as if she had not even seen her. But that moment was all Cosima needed, Delphine had seen the blood it was evident as the colour from her face had drained. Cosima could just see that the black pistol was pointed at Delphine. Holy watershed. All she wanted to do was get out of this place, and now she had gone way too deep. "You wouldn't." Delphine had that venom Cosima had grown used to in her voice. She recovered herself from being thrown backwards and leaned forwards, still leaning on the desk. Delphine must have hurt herself but her face was strong, pale but strong. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"Oh I would Del, this project means more than you will ever know and I can't have our pilot project getting out of hand. They shut us down, but that will not stop us." Leekie paused and leaned closer to Delphine his arm straight out the threatening gun held tight in his grip. Cosima ducked a little more just below the case, she could only just see Leekie, her neck hurt so bad she would need to get it covered or treated stat. "If you do anything to hurt this project..." Leekie stopped again, he took a few steps closer to Delphine so that their bodies were almost touching. He slowly lowered the gun to his side, still poised right at Delphine. Delphine was uncomfortable, she couldn't look him in the face at that proximity, she looked to the side, straight into Cosima's eyes. Cosima's heart skipped a pained beat and she could feel the extra pressure push fresh blood out of her wound. Delphine's eyes were angry, broken, tired and most importantly fuelled. She looked like she could kill, but that she was incapable of doing so. "I will end you, your career and your life. I took you under my wing when your career was finished. Don't you forget that." He let his words hang in the air for a second, before he leaned in closer to her. His pale thin nose taking in a strong smell of her neck and hair. She grimaced and kept staring at Cosima. He kissed her hard on the cheek before he turned away and headed to the door. "I am going to get our little project back." He walked out of the room his footsteps dragging down the corridor until Cosima could no longer hear them. But she wasn't sure if that was him getting further away or herself slipping out of consciousness. Delphine took a few seconds to catch her breath against the desk. Suddenly feeling the faintness, Cosima fell to the floor on all fours. Delphine reacted immediately, she came over to Cosima and grabbed hold of her shoulders. For a second Cosima was sure that Delphine was going to kill her or hurt her more right there and then, but the grip turned soft, her thumb rubbing her shoulder in a reassuring way. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You are not my Cosima. But you look just like her and I cannot deny that. Come on you silly girl, you're going to bleed out." Cosima shook her head, her neck bare with her hands supporting her weight. She shifted so that she was sitting on her knees and stared up into Delphine's eyes. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"I am sorry, I just want to get my life back." Cosima was honest and too tired to run or fight. Delphine considered her words for a second, as she guided Cosima's bloodied hand up to her neck and held it over her open wound. Biting her lip Delphine helped Cosima get up. Delphine quickly lead Cosima over to the chair, lifting it up and out so that it didn't drag on the floor and make noise. Once Cosima was propped up by the desk Delphine went back over the case and picked up the red neural processor that was inside of Cosima. Between her fingers she saw that there was still a light which would mean in any second Leekie could use an interface to see where she was. Dropping it back to the floor Delphine stamped on it with the top lift of her heel. Crushing it with a small puff of electric mist. She ground it into the concrete before brushing the remains to the side as close as she could to the edge of the case foundation. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"You've changed your tone." Cosima attempted a joking reference to Delphine's sudden help. "You've been super supportive of me so far, god I can't think why you wouldn't want to help me." Cosima was weak her head twitching as her eye lids became heavier and heavier. There was a slow but worrying stream of blood down through her fingers from her neck. Delphine did not say a word, she from somewhere in the relatively empty room produced some coverings for her neck. She let Cosima take them under her hand, it was immediately soaked in blood, she could see the way the red invaded the white material. Delphine bit her lip again and stared at Cosima, not coming close enough so that she felt uncomfortable. She was standing at a distance as if Cosima was an exhibit at a zoo and Delphine wasn't sure if she was scared of the wounded animal. "Man, this is messed up." Cosima's mind was still preoccupied with the time. She probably had 4 or 3 minutes left. "I've taken the chip thing out right so that means I am like just me again?" Cosima was weak and her voice strained but she couldn't help but add extra words than necessary like she always did to any thing she said. Delphine shook her head slowly. Cosima' heart sank. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"The chip is just the main receiver, there is a back up. One I am afraid we cannot just pull out with an old scalpel." Delphine was pale and motionless her voice was dry and her eyes had fallen to the floor. "The only way to stop it is to...stop the source." Cosima knew Leekie was behind all of this...but she wasn't sure what she had to do. Stop the source?... "You need more bandages and I need to get you out of here. Delphine's eyes darted around the minimalistic room. They lingered on the wardrobe barely big enough to fit Cosima before her eyes fell back on her. Cosima looked up at her questioningly. "You need to be out of sight, if they see you they will..." Delphine came over to Cosima after taking a deep breath, Cosima felt as though Delphine was holding her breath. The way she was holding her was a little too familiar. She couldn't even understand how his felt for Delphine. "Open." Delphine commanded in a low whisper of a voice, the doors popped open and Cosima looked back at her judgementally. "You need to be out of sight." Cosima was too weak to protest, she clambered into it, falling out of weakness to the floor of it, letting her legs up close together so that she could stuff herself inside. "I will be back, I just need to get some things from the medical ward." Delphine met Cosima's eyes before she began to close the door. "Be safe, Cosima." The last words were more sentimental, they had a touch of caring and warmth to them. Cosima knew they weren't directed at her, they were for 'her'. Cosima started to feel like an outsider in her own body and she didn't like it. God she just wished this was a bad trip, her head fell back against the metal side and her eye lids shut letting the darkness of the room consume her. In one thoughtless moment her hand released he ball and her wrist felt the sting of the injection. Cosima's heart gave one last push as she realised the stupidity of her actions. Falling unconscious she stared out into the darkness and hoped to god that she would come back from this./span/p