by Maguire, Ily
“But not the same person. Look at Mom. Everything’s been AR’d, even her personality. She’s nothing like the way she was before.”
“We didn’t know Mom before.”
“Dory, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want them to replace anything. This can’t be the only answer. Not yet at least. You need to get me out of here.” The purple light on my monitor starts to pulse, then flash as I twist my body to yank myself from the machines. The restraints around my wrists get tighter still. An alarm goes off.
“Rose, don’t do this.”
“Dory, I have to. You have to help me.”
“I won’t. You need help, but not like this. I’m going to get Dr. Rush. He’s going to fix everything.”
“Dory, no!” Before my sister can even get to the door, it opens and a nurse enters. Without any sort of excitement, she plugs me back into the monitor and adds something to my drip line.
“Just relax, Miss Campbell.” The nurse’s nametag says Hara. Her mouth is set in a straight line and her eyes roll just enough for me to tell she finds me ridiculous. She glares at me like I’m some sort of entitled brat.
“What did you give me?”
She smiles. Straight, white teeth peek out behind her lips. Her face is smooth and ivory white. I can’t tell her age. Maybe she’s been AR’d.
“Just a mild sedative. It will make you more comfortable. Just relax now.” Nurse Hara checks my wrist straps. “It’ll be easier,” she leans in to whisper in my ear, “if you just relax.”
4
When I open my eyes the room is dark. The blinds are drawn. I’m still in the hospital. My arms are still tied to the bed. My monitor–
“It’s off. My monitor is off.” I fight back the panic that rises in my chest. “Help! Someone? Anyone?” The taste in my mouth is metallic. Like copper. Or iron.
Am I dead?
“You’re not dead,” someone answers. A male voice.
If I could move, I would run. It would be the automatic response. With my wrists still secured, there is nowhere for me to go.
“Who’s there?” I can’t see anyone, but can hear his breathing. “Why are you in my room?” I try not to look afraid. I’m in danger.
“My name is Pike Pelli. Hara told me about you.” A boy my age steps out of the shadows in the corner of my room. He is tall and thin, but not skinny. Athletic. Handsome. I try to discern if he is alone, but I can’t tell. No one else steps forward.
“My nurse?”
“She’s a good friend.” As he approaches the bed, I can see that he hasn’t been artificially replaced. No one with any sort of internal, or external, surgical replacement would still have even these slight creases in his forehead or around his eyes like this boy does. He’s too young for anything yet.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“Now why would I want to hurt you?” His hands are on the rung at the bottom of the bed. He lingers there for a moment, then makes his way closer to me.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m not here for that.” He unties the restraints around one ankle and then the other. I didn’t realize my legs were tied to the bed, too. Someone must have done that while I slept.
“How old are you then?” I ask.
“I’m twenty.”
Dory’s age.
“I unplugged you from your machines. I don’t think you need them right now. How do you feel?”
“Fine.” The beeping has stopped. “How come the alarm isn’t going off like it did before?”
“Hara disabled it. She’s on Rosamund-watch right now.”
“How do you know who I am? Why are you here in my room?”
“I told you–” Pike stands at the edge of my bed. Even with my eyes adjusting to this lack of light, I can tell his skin is a beautiful golden color and his eyes seem deep-blue like the ocean. He unnerves me. I’ve never been this close to a boy my age before. I try to think about what I’ve read in books, but nothing comes fast enough.
“Hara told me you were going to be here. She said you’ve got an unnecessary AR scheduled for this morning,” Pike continues.
“Unnecessary? My liver is failing. And what business is it of hers anyway?”
“Liver failure may not be the problem,” he says.
“How would you know?” Does he know something that I don’t?
He waits before answering. Then he unstraps my wrists. I pull them close and rub. It’s automatic. Instinct.
“There are a bunch of us that don’t believe in artificial replacement or any sort of unnecessary operation like this one. I thought if you could sustain life without being connected to these monitors,” he holds up a cable he’s just unplugged. “You could come with us and maybe help.”
“Help what?” I still have no idea why he’s here, but I know that I feel fine without whatever I’m supposed to be plugged into. Maybe he wants to kidnap me. I’ve read about that kind of thing before.
“Well, our cause.” He states. Like I would know what that means.
“What cause is that? What do you want me for?”
“If you come with me, it would be a start. I can tell you along the way. But it wouldn’t require any sort of operation that you didn’t need now or ever. Do you have any money?”
“Oh, you mean fund your cause.” My eyebrows raise and I look him over. Having money is the reason I was pulled out of school in the first place when I was eleven: Too many threats. It’s not unknown that people who artificially replace have money. Based on the rough-around-the-edges look of him, I doubt that Pike Pelli would be able to afford a facial peel let alone an entire body overhaul. “I’m not going with you.”
“No. It’s more than that. We don’t need your money,” he almost growls at me, ignoring my protest. “But we may need money to get back.”
“Back where?” I ask. “Am I going somewhere?”
For a second I think I may have pegged him wrong. What does he really want? From me for that matter? The door opens and Nurse Hara rushes in. She doesn’t leave any space between her body and Pike’s as she speaks.
“Dr. Castrol is making the rounds. I have to reactivate the body alarm. Either reconnect her or get her out of here.” Hara’s face lingers close to Pike’s before she flees from the room. She smells like flowers.
“I want you to come with us.” His outstretched hand is large and looks rough. My hand would be lost in his.
“Us? You and Nurse Hara? Are there are more of you?” Sweat beads on the back of my neck. I wipe it off and notice the red marks on my wrists from the restraints. What am I doing? I should scream for help, shouldn’t I?
“Lots more.”
“I’m not going to go with you,” I repeat.
“We need you, Rose,” he pleads. His eyes turn down a bit at the edges.
“What if I go with you and then want to come back? What about my family? Will I see them again?” My neck still sweats.
“You have nothing to lose by coming with me. You are in a very precarious situation if you stay, however. If in fact you change your mind along the way, I will bring you back myself.”
His hand remains open.
“I don’t want to go and you can’t make me.” I fold my arms across my chest and pout. I’m acting like a baby. I am a baby. “I don’t know you. I’m safe here.”
“I don’t want to make you, Rose,” he steps closer. “But–”
“But you will if you have to.” Butterflies flutter up in my stomach.
“But you are not safe here,” he extends his hand and I take it. I have no reason to go with him other than the fear of being forced.
I jump as his touch electrifies me. A current rushes through my entire body. His hand is strong, but soft, and it doesn’t let go of mine despite me trying to get away. His grasp only tightens as he pulls me up and out of bed.
I can come back if I change my mind.
Then he lets me go, the flow of energy broken. It no longer runs through me. My body droops in exh
austion.
“Grab your clothes, Rose. You can change on the way.”
5
“Where’re we going?” I stand behind Pike. My arm automatically rests on my hip. My legs feel weak. Can I touch him again? It was energizing.
Pike pockets the vial of pills beside my bed before cracking open the door and peeking out. He closes it.
“We have to find another way.”
“Another way?” I look around the room. Dim lights shine up from the baseboards.
“Over here.” Pike opens the closet and feels around inside it. I’m not completely surprised at the clothes within. Duplicates of my mother’s own wardrobe, down to the lingerie. I redden with embarrassment.
“There’s always an emergency exit out of these rooms.” Pike pushes on the back of the closet and it slides out of the way. “Come on.”
He retakes my hand and we jump through this open space at the back of the closet, landing on a small platform. He pushes the wall back into place like one of those old-fashioned dumbwaiters. Pike pulls on a cord, lowering us down a number of feet. We fall quickly at first, my stomach lurches into my throat. Then he slows our motion down, skidding the platform to a stop with both hands around the rope.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I ask, surprised that his hands aren’t burned or bloody.
“We can get out through here.” He doesn’t answer my question, but stops us at the number 19. Our suite was number 59. Pike pushes us through another closet and we tumble into the room. A musty odor overpowers me and my hand covers my nose. Dried out and dead plants and flowers are on a tall bedside table that we pass on our way out of the room. It surprises me that they aren’t synthetic. I didn’t know anyone made organic flowers anymore. They look greyer than green and smell sickly sweet. Decay.
“Is this how you got in? I want to go back.” The room is empty and the air is even more stale as we reach the door. I sneeze.
Pike laughs and shakes his head, ignoring my request. He unlocks the door from the inside and drags me into the low-lit corridor. The woman at the nurse’s station barely notices me, though she does glance at Pike. He nods to her. My head swirls in this whirlwind of activity.
“Where’re we going?” I ask again. I’m still weak and a little scared.
“Once we get outta here, I’ll explain.” He rubs his hands on his pants.
We hurry down the vacant hallway, passing room after room. These look much smaller than my own. All of them are the same, or at least not different enough to tell. Pike’s pace has slowed down as we approach a set of double doors. It is dark on the other side except for an illuminated red exit sign.
“Are we lost?” I ask, glad for this momentary break, but nervous about going any further.
“No.” Pike shakes his head. The doors open and I jump behind him. A large, dark man steps out of the shadows and waves us through. Pike doesn’t hesitate.
No one says anything and the doors close behind us. This isn’t a man, but another boy around Pike’s age. He wears the same kind of clothes that Pike wears – army green cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and combat boots.
Pike nods his head once.
“Are you military?” This doesn’t feel right. My stomach flips and the copper taste reaches the back of my mouth. I swallow it down. My throat burns. Should I have stayed in my room and gone through with the surgery? What’s the big deal if everyone does it, eventually?
“Naw. We’re not military,” the new person answers, breaking my contemplation. “Did you tell her anything about us, Pike?”
“Just what she needs to know right now. We’ll tell her more later.” He takes my hand and I get another surge of electricity. We’ve taken the stairs down to the underground.
“Are we taking a car?” How are we going to avoid being seen? Unless it’s still so early that no one will be out. What time is it?
“We’re going to blend in. Next car that comes down these rails, we hop onto,” the other guy answers. I don’t know his name, but I can’t take my eyes off him. There’s just something about him that makes me want to stare. Pike has released my hand. I’m not even looking for the train car that should be arriving at any time.
“Wait, I dropped my clothes somewhere back there.” I point behind us, though I don’t remember grabbing my clothes like I was instructed in the first place. My designer hospital gown would be sure to get us caught. I must look like a headcase in this getup.
“Here, put these on.” The boy tosses a camo rucksack at my feet. I unzip it and look inside. The same cargo pants, black shirt, and boots are within, but all in my size.
“Who are you? Some kind of cult?” I demand, regaining my strength. “I won’t wear these.” I hear a car in the distance.
“You will.” The boy steps closer. He isn’t much taller than Pike, but much stronger with bulging arm muscles. His arms are covered in tattoos that have lightened to blend in with his skin.
I do as he says. The boys turn away as I dress. I don’t get an answer. We are the only ones underground and there are no cameras where we stand. I wonder why; there are cameras everywhere.
“Rosamund, this is Ezekiel,” Pike introduces. “He’s one of us.”
“I can tell,” I grumble wearing these disgusting clothes. I look like one of them now. What synthetic materials are these made from? Not synthetic, but organic. Something decomposing and plant-based. Like the flowers in Suite 19. I smell like them, too. Sour. Can these clothes be animal based? I don’t like it and I don’t know that this will help us to blend in.
“Here one comes,” Pike points down the tunnel. Two small beams of light shoot through at lightning speed, stopping before us. My hair blows back with a gust of hot, fetid air and then settles over my shoulders. The car must have come from one of the public platforms. At least it’s empty, though I had kind of hoped it would be full.
Ezekiel opens the door and holds it as Pike and I get in. The air in here is warm and stuffy and nothing like the hospital. Is this what fresh is supposed to smell like?
Once inside, Ezekiel lets it slide shut with a soft shushing sound. He types our destination in on the keypad inside the door and waves his wrist in front of a scanner imbedded on a wall panel. The door locks and the car accelerates. We pass through a tunnel and then into the open. It’s light outside.
“I’m surprised the hospital hasn’t gone into lock-down mode.” Ezekiel states matter-of-fact.
“Lock down?” I ask.
“They will soon,” he continues. “If the hospital had gone into lock-down, all cars would have stopped and there would be a red-light alert throughout these tunnels blaring announcements and flashing lights. It’s been too long and this was too easy.”
“I hope nothing’s happened to Hara,” Pike adds more in thoughtful reverie.
“The nurse? What could happen to her?” I look from Ezekiel to Pike. Bigger and way more rugged, Ezekiel isn’t nearly as handsome as Pike. I wonder about Dory and my family. Would they know by now that I’m gone? I hope they aren’t too worried. Would they be?
Pike looks out the window. “Zeke, change our destination.”
“We can’t risk getting caught,” Ezekiel says.
“If something happened to her–” Pike begins.
Still, no one answers what could happen and I’m left wondering.
Without another word, Ezekiel gets up and moves toward the keypad at the door. “Where to?”
“To see Tithonus.”
6
“Tithonus as in Greek Mythology?” The lover of Eos, the morning dawn. Jenny has taught me well in a variety of subjects, mostly covered in University. Dory wasn’t allowed to attend public schooling and I doubt that I’ll be able to either. She has her own private professor.
I don’t know how long we’ve been travelling, but it’s much brighter outside. The yellow light of early morning is different than the white light of night and I may have dozed off for some unknown amount of time. I’m more tired than anything else and
I try not to think about my failing liver. What will I do if something goes wrong with it? We’re very far from the hospital.
Ezekiel looks from the navigation panel on the side of the car to the electronic pad he has embedded in his own forearm. His is more of a search engine whereas mine is a tracking device implanted when I was an infant. Any time I tried to leave the grounds, it would alert my parents. As I got older, it was programmed to sound an alarm for Jenny to respond to. It only went off once or twice in my life.
“Can’t yours be traced, too?” I ask.
Instead of answering, he waves a magnet over both my wrists to scramble them, leaving them dead. A short zap of electricity and they go numb. I could have used that when I was strapped to the hospital bed.
“It can, but it will take much longer,” he says. “No one’s looking for me.”
Pike stops staring out the window. He hasn’t said anything since mentioning Nurse Hara.
“Yes. And no,” he finally says.
“Yes and no what?” I ask.
“Yes and no Tithonus.”
“The Tithonus of poetry is eternally old,” I mention, looking to fill the space between us. “While his love is eternally renewed. It’s such a sad story.” I glance out the window. The sun feels warm on my face. What I know about love is only what I’ve read.
“Tithonus is pretty old,” Pike answers.
“What does he do?” I ask.
“He’s got the Sight.”
Ezekiel glances up at Pike’s mention of this.
Pike continues, “he can retell the past and see the future, even though he can’t physically see. He’s been known to tell people what is going to happen days, weeks, years down the line.”
“If you believe in that sort of thing,” Ezekiel snorts.
“It’ll give us direction, Zeke. We should know if Hara is okay.”
Looking out the window, the terrain is rugged, but the car runs above it on seemingly invisible tracks. The ride is smooth. There is lots of dirt and rocks in the distance. It’s unfamiliar to me and we’re moving so fast, it’s hard to discern where we are. My guess would be on the outskirts of the city, somewhere in the desert. Every major city is surrounded by this kind of scrubby environment with rubble and occasional ruins. Atrophied towns of times past. No one lives out here now clearly. I haven’t seen a single soul.
