by Lucy Adler
Daria looked at the reddish-brown liquid again.
“So, what does it do? How does it work?”
“We’ve been testing sleepers for many years now. Trying to figure out why they won’t respond to Sendrax like 99.9% of the population, and why they’re unwilling to resist the Dark inside them. We believe we’ve found the problem.”
She sent another image to Daria’s tablet. It was a brain, or rather, a scan showing the various pathways and structures inside the brain.
“What am I looking at?”
“The mind of a sleeper.” Miss Croft highlighted part of the image for her. “You see that purple section, just at the back? And the dark purple shadow extending from it?”
“Yes.”
“This is a common affliction of every sleeper we’ve tested. This image is of a mild case. Some have it much worse.”
Daria looked more closely. The deepest purple at the back of the brain covered a fairly small area, maybe a circle the width of a finger. The shadow covered maybe a quarter of the brain.
Creepy.
“Does anyone have it everywhere? Like, is anyone’s brain just purple?”
“No,” Miss Croft said, shaking her head. “At least, we’ve never seen one like that. And we’ve seen a lot of sleepers, that’s for sure! None have ever demonstrated more purple than twice what you’re seeing in that image, which is still less than 5% of the brain. And the cloud never extends to more than 50% coverage.”
We’ve definitely gone waaay beyond history class!
Daria held back a laugh.
“So, why show me this?”
“Like I said, you’re almost ready to get back to normal life. Are you excited?”
“Of course!”
“Well, we were kind of hoping that you might be willing to help us once you’re back out there. Would you consider joining a special training program? It would run alongside your normal school studies until you finish high school. Then you’d join our team full-time.”
“Team for what?”
“Curing the last of the sleepers. You see, Direx can eradicate this infection in their brains. But we need smart, able-bodied young men and women that can be counted on to get Direx to those who need it most.”
Special Agent Dashy, here. Excuse me, sir, step aside. This is Special Agent business.
Miss Croft turned off both of their screens, then looked her in the eye more intently.
“You wouldn’t just be normal again, Daria. You’d be helping to build the New Humanity. I can’t imagine anything more worthwhile. Can you?”
“I guess not.” As much as it was fun to think about playing a character from some old action movie, Daria still needed some time to get her mind around the idea - and the commitment. Is this really what she wanted?
I’m not even sure I totally understand what this is. But whatever it is, it sounds kinda cool.
She imagined sitting at the dinner table, her little brother bragging about his history test score while she and her dad exchanged a knowing look. “He’s studying it,” her dad would say, “but you’re defining it, Daria. I’m proud of you, kid.”
But what about Jake... or Jake? Would she even have time...?
“You give it some thought, Daria. You don’t have to decide anything right now. Besides, you’re late for gym class.”
_______________________
She was halfway through her ninety minutes.
Why didn’t he show up?
She would never have admitted it to herself, but the frustration was making her run faster. In fact, she was starting to tire way too early.
“You might want to ease up, Daria,” her coach called out to her.
“Ok!” she yelled back.
Two laps later, she was rounding the turn on the far end and came down the straight next to the bleachers. Actually, there were just three rows, one slightly higher than the other, where maybe thirty or forty people could sit if they squeezed together.
And there he was. In the back row, near the middle. Smiling, as usual.
He gave her a little wave and she smiled back. Her shoes suddenly felt softer and it almost seemed like a breeze stirred up behind her and gently nudged her along for the last thirty minutes or so.
“Ok, good stuff. Let’s end it here.”
She chatted with her coach for a minute or two, then he headed off and she and Jake Two were left alone.
“He was right. Good stuff.”
“Thanks,” Daria said, still pacing back and forth.
“Here, I brought you something.” He held out a balled up napkin.
“Oh, wow, all I ever wanted!” she teased him.
“Look inside.”
She pulled back the edges and revealed a cherry tomato.
“Uhh?”
“Yeah, I know, it’s super silly. I just saw them on one of trays in the common area and it reminded me of when we first met. You almost killed me with one of these, remember?”
Daria laughed.
“That’s right! Very funny.”
Ok, now that’s just ridiculously cute.
“I’d say I’ll keep it as a souvenir but I think it would kind of lose its appeal in a few days.”
She popped it into her mouth and felt the juices explode as she bit down. She made an “Mmmm” sound as she chewed.
“So how’d it go today? No you-know-what, was there?”
“Nope. All good,” she said happily. “Just me and the track. Nice and quiet.”
“Excellent!”
“What have you been up to today?” she asked.
“The usual. Classes and stuff. Nothing special.”
Silence followed as they both tried to think of something to say. But it wasn’t awkward. Daria thought it was actually kind of comfortable. She felt relaxed. She felt like herself - or, rather, a new self. It was liberating. And it was exciting.
Then she leaned forward with one foot and kissed Jake Two right on the lips.
What the heck am I doing?!
It was as if one part of her were staring at the other part, asking it that very question, while the other part just ignored her and enjoyed the moment. It was probably a two-second kiss at most but it felt like at least an hour. Then she pulled back as quickly as she had leaned in.
“Sorr--” she started to say, but Jake cut her off.
“Don’t be!” he said excitedly. “That was really nice.”
“Good,” she said, looking down at the floor and kicking at it with her foot. “Well, I should go get changed. And get some lunch. I think that tomato got my appetite all fired up!”
Jake laughed and then they agreed to meet at the cafeteria in a little while as Daria headed for the locker room.
_______________________
Dr. Reston paced back and forth in the small cell. Its cinderblock walls and iron bars stood in total contrast to his pristine white jacket and the crystal clear tablet tucked under his arm.
“Whatever you thought you were going to achieve with that little stunt the other day, just know that it didn’t work. And it’s not going to, either, no matter how hard you try.”
The person he was talking to was sitting in a corner, barely visible in the shadows. What minimal light there was did its best to shine through the narrow tunnel outside, only ever reaching a fraction of the prison.
“She’s met someone, you know. And she has a new vision for her life. One that doesn’t include you, or your silly Resistance.”
Dr. Reston now stood still in the doorway of the cell, appearing as a silhouette to the captive huddled in the corner. The two stared into the darkness where each other’s eyes would be.
Then a new light appeared. A faint but otherworldly light. Not enough to illuminate the chamber but enough that Dr. Reston now knew exactly where to focus his gaze. The eyes of the captive began to fill with a golden glow, the light swirling slowly within them. And they were staring directly into the eyes of their captor.
Then a voice came from th
e shadows.
“You can’t stop what’s coming. You can’t stop her.”
The prisoner’s eyes faded until they were once again lost in the blackness. Dr. Reston cleared his throat and then stepped out of the cell, into the narrow corridor. He slammed shut the door of iron bars and then looked one last time into the shadows.
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, son. It’s you who won’t be able to stop what’s coming. And believe me, Jake, it’s coming.”
8
Month: 4 | Day: 1 | Year: 60
SO CLOSE
“Can you believe it, Daria? You’ll be going home tomorrow!”
“I’m so excited!”
“And have you given any more thought to our proposal?”
“I have, actually.”
Daria and Miss Croft met in a new room that morning. It was a smaller space with a table that could probably seat four at the most. There was a couch along one wall, and another table with a pitcher of water and cups set on it.
“And?”
“I want to do it.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Daria sat up straighter and nodded as she spoke. She was happy, confident, and full of energy that morning. She felt ready to do her lesson, solve some Math problems, clean the facility, climb a mountain, and run a thousand laps. When she thought back on who she was when she first arrived there, the chasm between that Daria and her new self seemed unfathomable. How could they be the same person?
“Well, this is excellent news, I must say!” Miss Croft was smiling from ear to ear. “It also means that we have some pretty important work to do today.”
They spent the rest of that morning and their afternoon sessions discussing what life would look like for Daria once she was back home. How the advanced training would fit with her school schedule, and also how much she would be able to tell her friends and family.
“Direx isn’t just for sleepers, Daria. It’s going to be for everyone. This is the ultimate solution we’ve been waiting for. The one that will hopefully bring an end to sleep forever.”
“Oh, wow.”
“And as a special initiate into the next wave of leaders who will take Progress - no, humanity - into the future, you’re going to be part of the first group to receive the treatment.”
Daria’s eyes widened.
“This is an incredible privilege,” Miss Croft added.
“Of course.”
“You see how far you’ve come without it? Imagine what you’ll be when you’re fully awakened.”
“Yeah... I mean, wow, that could be really awesome.”
“Imagine how you’ll perform in school? And your old teammates - they’ll be lucky if they can even compete in the same league with you! You’ll put them all to shame.”
Daria couldn’t help picturing the scene in her mind. Especially her coach... speechless, for once in his life. And the snorting boys now wishing she would pay attention to them. Texts from her Math teacher about how she was shattering all his expectations. Finishing her chores before her mother could even figure out what needed to be done.
And her dad... not being ashamed of her anymore. Maybe even proud.
“So when do I, you know, get it?”
“Tomorrow. It’ll be the last step before you leave.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
_______________________
“Hey.”
“Hey, how was your morning?”
“Great.”
Daria took Jake Two’s hand and their fingers interlaced as they each gave the other a squeeze. He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips and she smiled warmly in return.
“I’m out of here tomorrow!” Daria said. “How perfect is that, since you’re leaving the same day!”
“Too perfect! That’s awesome, Dary.”
“And now we’ll get to go through the training together!”
“I know! Pretty exciting!”
“I think we’ll be quite a team, eh?” She nudged his side with her elbow as the two of them walked slowly through the common area. They stopped at one of the couches and sat down together.
“So did you get your shot yet?” Jake Two asked.
“No. Tomorrow, before I leave. That’s what Miss Croft said.”
“Oh, right.”
“Why, did you get yours already?”
“Uh, no, no. Not yet. Same - I think it’s coming tomorrow.”
Daria felt such a mix of pure excitement and utter contentment that she hadn’t noticed the awkwardness of his reply. He quickly covered it with more encouragement.
“I can’t wait to see you on the outside!” he said.
“Me too!” she replied. Then she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t wait to see us on the outside.”
Jake Two put his arm around her and held her tight. They stayed there for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company, until Daria had her next appointment for the day.
_______________________
Alongside the massive amount of time spent studying and doing work between lessons, Daria had also been assigned some chores around the facility. It wasn’t unusual for her, since all students, everywhere in Progress, were expected to fill up the little bit of time that remained each day with some kind of work.
For the past three and a half weeks, Daria had been assigned to various cleaning jobs, some organising, even a few days of food preparation in the kitchen, which she particularly enjoyed. It always makes a chore more bearable if you can eat your work.
But today, she was back to cleaning. It was a large office space, with desks and screens, and wires snaking this way and that. It looked like it hadn’t been used in quite a while, so there was a thin layer of dust over most of the surfaces. The job wasn’t that difficult and she thought she’d be done pretty quickly, until she discovered a nasty stain beneath one of the desks.
What is that? Actually, I don’t want to know.
She rummaged through the box of cleaning supplies that had been left for her but couldn’t find anything for carpet stains.
So should I just leave it?
She contemplated tucking the chair under the desk and pretending she never saw it. Then she started thinking of Miss Croft and the “incredible privilege” she was about to be granted the following day. To be on the cutting edge of the New Humanity. To be a leader. To be a hero.
Ok, maybe she didn’t say ‘hero’... but we were both thinking it, right?
The weight of her new calling suddenly inspired her. She should really clean this floor right. Would a true leader of Progress do any less?
Daria went into the hall and started looking around for some more supplies. Most days, what she needed was left out for her, just like today. She had never had to find a supply closet or anything like that, so she wasn’t sure where to look.
She wandered down the hall and around the corner. It was a part of the facility she hadn’t explored before. She tried a few of the doors, waving her wristband over the locks and giving them a push, but nothing opened.
Hmm.
She walked as far as she could down the next corridor, until it dead-ended at a set of double-doors that wouldn’t open.
Oh well. Maybe today isn’t a heroic kind of day after all.
She turned around and started to walk back to the office.
But then she heard it.
Dashy!
She froze. And listened.
Dashy! Dashy, can you hear me?
She tried to block it out. But she couldn’t ignore the next words.
It’s Jake.
Her heart began racing almost instantly. Her lip quivered as a wave of warmth and adrenaline washed over her entire body.
“Jake?” she asked into the air.
“Yes! Yes! Dashy, it’s me!”
She closed her eyes.
No no no, this isn’t happening. Death pangs, dying breath... I’ve beaten the Dark, I’m past this. I c
an’t be hearing voices now. Not now!
Daria took off down the hallway as fast as she could, and didn’t look back.
_______________________
She was plowing through her salad with an almost mechanical efficiency. Jabbing a leaf of something here, a chunk of veggie there, even the cherry tomatoes were no match for her fork skills that evening. Then she chewed each bite like she was hoping to win a prize for dealing the most damage to her food.
“You ok, Dary? You seem.... I don’t know, tense or something.”
“I’m fine.”
The chicken now paid the price as she suppressed her anxiety in front of the other girls at the table. She shredded it with the serrated knife, as if it had just hurled curses and insults upon her entire bloodline.
“You don’t seem fine. What’s up? You can talk to us, you know.”
“I know. I’m good.”
The girls looked at each other and then tried to act like everything was normal.
“So, I heard you’re getting out of here tomorrow,” one of them said to her. “Is that true? You must be so excited!”
“Yeah, definitely. I can’t wait.” Even though she was agreeing with them, her tone and facial expression didn’t change. She was just... flat.
Just then, Jake Two started approaching the table. The girls looked at each other again and then at Daria, all of them smiling now.
“I bet we know who you’ll talk to!” they teased her. Then, as if they had been planning it, the girls all got up at the same time and left her alone with the newly arrived Jake Two.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“You ok? You seem...”
“Tense?”
“I guess, yeah.”
“Well, probably because I am tense. Very tense.”
Jake reached out and rubbed the back of her hand as it came down for another round of violence on what remained of her salad.
“What is it?”
“I don’t even want to tell you,” she replied, dropping the fork on the plate. She rested both elbows on the table in front of her and let her head fall into her hands. “This can’t be happening.”
