Strange New Feet

by Shannon Esposito

  Quarantine: DAY 54

  Dr. Ackers’ office is cold and silent despite the five people sitting in the small room.

  “Margaret Latch is a good doctor, Safia. She’ll take good care of her during the procedure.”

  Safia is staring out the window. Words are distant things today with no meaning. They just break up the silence like the wisps of clouds break up the October morning sky. She can feel Rita’s sorrow heavy next to her own. She can feel her protective glances and the desperation in her voice, the kind that comes from clinging to hope when all hope is lost.

  “There’s no last minute stays you can do, Caden?”

  “I’m sorry,” he clears his throat. “After the test results came back—the ones that found some of her reproductive cells to be bonobo—there was nothing more I could do.Even the people, who I had convinced to wait, had changed their minds and the vote was unanimous.”

  “So, she can have a chimpanzee child?” Dr. Candice Meeks asks. “Technically, she can pass along the bonobo genes, yes.”

  “Maybe it’s for the best then,” Dr. Meeks offers. Safia and Rita both glare at her. “Look, even if Olivia was released, allowed to live a normal life, fall in love and have a child, how much hell would that child have to go through?The world is not going to suddenly embrace the mixing of human and animal DNA, not in the near future, probably not ever.”

  “It should’ve been her choice. She is being punished for being created,” Safia answers.

  “Not only that, this sets a precedent that she is not being treated as human, under human laws.” Caden says. “Precedents are dangerous; people take them as well-founded, well-thought out and stand on them with blind faith. They become law.”

  “So, I suppose next they’ll be allowed to take brain tissue then?”

  Caden glances at Safia, his face mirroring the disgust within her.

  The phone on Dr. Ackers’ desk rings. Safia jumps and feels Rita’s grip tighten on her hand.

  “I can write you a prescription,” Dr. Meeks offers quietly, noticing. “A light sedative.”

  “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

  Dr. Ackers suddenly looks pale as he presses the phone to his ear and leans heavily against the desk. “Are you sure?”

  This gets everyone’s attention. Safia’s chest constricts.

  “Is it Olivia?” She’s almost afraid to ask, but she has to know.

  He shakes his head no. Relief floods her.

  “Thank you for letting me know.” He hangs up, a look of distaste, of horror wrinkling his pale brow. “They’ve got Dr. Vogler.”

  “The FBI?” Caden asks.

  “No, the ER. But, he didn’t make it.”

  “He’s dead?”

  “Yes. Apparently he was dumped in the middle of town, naked and bleeding. His throat was slit and he had multiple broken bones. He was still breathing, though unconscious when he was discovered. But, he didn’t make it, died before they could help him downstairs.”

  “Jesus, who would do such a thing?” Rita whispers.

  Not who, but what,” Safia answers. “Human self-righteousness. We can justify anything, that’s where our precious higher intelligence has gotten us.” She pushes herself up, feeling the need to run, to breathe fresh air. “Excuse me. I’m going for a walk.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Rita follows her out.

  Hours later, emotionally and physically drained, Safia ends up crashing in an empty waiting room. She wakes to the vibration of her phone. She sits up and braces herself as everything comes back into focus…Olivia, Dr. Vogler, the surgery, the murder. Feeling nauseated, she blinks, trying to read her incoming message.

  Olivia’s awake, you can see her now.

  Slowly, she stands feeling the blood flow into her legs. She wakes Rita who had fallen asleep in the chair beside her.

  “Hey, any news?” she asks, rubbing her neck.

  “Yeah, she’s awake. I’m going up to see her.”

  “Okay, call me later. Give her my love.”

  Safia is used to the safe suite now. What she is not used to is the fading light in Olivia’s eyes. She has moved inward, away from the pain, the confusion…drifting further and further from the world, out of Safia’s reach.Safia sits in a chair beside her cot, pushing wires and tubes out of her way, and holds Olivia’s hand as tight as her padded fingers will let her. She strokes her shaved head with the tip of her other gloved hand.

  “Hi,” she smiles through the plastic mask. “How are you feeling?” She keeps talking, no longer expecting a response. Her only encouragement is the fact that Olivia is making eye contact because there is no smile from her side anymore, there hasn’t been for a long time. Just the stare. “Olivia, I know this is a terrible thing they’ve put you through but I’m so proud of you for being so brave. You’re going to make it through this, you know. They can’t keep you here forever.” If only that were true. “One day soon, you will come home with me. You have to hang in there for me, okay? Please, just hang in there. Get better, get stronger…so you can walk out of here, okay? Can you do that? We’ll go stay at the beach again. You can have your room back and no one will bother you.” Safia lowers her head, resting her hood gently on Olivia’s hand. Waves of guilt are flowing through her, she pushes them aside. Guilt won’t help Olivia. She needs to be as strong as she’s asking Olivia to be. She lifts her head and looks into Olivia’s eyes, searching for answers, searching for some sign that she can hang in there. She sees none. Anger and fear push away the guilt. “I love you, Olivia Barnes and I swear I’m going to get you out of here soon, baby. I promise.” That’s it. She’s made the promise and it’s not one she intends to break. She feels something harden within her, something sharp around the edges, something dangerous.

  “I… love you, too.”

  Safia sits up, her heart pounding. She spoke!

  “You spoke!” she whispers, gathering her up in her arms awkwardly and squeezing her thin frame as close as she could get to her own body. “That’s my girl,” she whispers, feeling both of them shaking. “That’s my strong girl.” She lays her head back down, nodding and smiling through tears and plastic. “Okay.” She knows what she has to do now. “Okay.”

  After leaving Olivia, she dials Caden West and has to leave a message. She can hear the excitement, the new hope blooming and fragile in her own voice. “Caden, this is Safia Raine. Remember when you told me to think of something to prove that Olivia is human? I think I have something. I need you to get me a meeting with the President’s Council…if that’s possible. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important this is. Thanks.”

  Quarantine: DAY 55

  The room is dark and cool; an antiseptic smell covers the smell of death. Safia sits watching Ed Marley’s chest move up and down in jagged gasps, her hands still resting gently on the sheets. She lets her eyes move to his face, the sagging gray skin, the slack mouth, eyelids as delicate as the wings of a butterfly. With the heaviness of the new cancer she has found, she wonders if he has lived the life he envisioned when he was younger. Did he fall in love, have children? She hopes so. She always hopes so.

  I’m sorry, Ed Marley.

  Her phone vibrates, startling her. She must have forgotten to turn it off. She’s been so absent-minded lately but maybe it’s Caden West. She hasn’t heard from him yet. She gives Ed Marley’s hand a final squeeze and slides silently into the hallway.

  “Safia speaking.” She rubs her eyes, trying to get them adjusted to the harsh fluorescent lighting.

  “Hi, Safia.”

  She recognizes the voice instantly, of course. Hope and surprise make her stumble, make her lightheaded. She leans against the wall. She has to be sure. “Anders?”

  “I didn’t do that, in case you’re wondering…to Dr. Vogler.”

  “I know.” She does know. He was tortured, murdered for revenge. Anders had no such feelings toward Olivia’s creator. “I know,” she repeats, because she doesn’t want him to hang up.
r />   “How is she?”

  “She is…almost ready to give up, I think.” She closes her eyes, drawing strength from him, even at this distance. “She spoke though. After her operation…you heard, I assume, that they sterilized her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, well she spoke to me...afterwards. Her first words since her mother died.”

  “What did she say?”

  “I love you, too.”

  “I…love you, too.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Yes, I think it is.” Silence. “How are you holding up?”

  “Fine. Good, actually.” Should she tell him about her plan to speak to the Council? Yes, he should know. “I’m hoping to speak to the President’s Council about her. To help them understand she’s human. They will have to release her if she is declared human, right? She would be protected then?”

  “That would seem to be how things work, yes.” A long pause. “This is what you feel the next step should be then?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” It is definitive somehow, for him. She wishes she could see his face, look into his eyes, see what he is thinking. Does he think she’s wasting time? Time Olivia doesn’t have?

  She wants to ask him this, but suddenly he’s gone. Okay, I’ll be in touch and then the line is dead.

  An hour later, she finds herself standing in front of the window, watching Olivia on the cot. She doesn’t know if she’s sleeping, but probably she is, probably she’s sedated. This is the life they’ve decided she is worthy of…deserves. The life of a sedated lab rat.

  Placing her hand and forehead against the glass, she rolls the word “soon” over in her mind. It’s a nice word, a comforting word. Soon, but not soon enough.

  Her phone vibrates.“Safia Raine.”

  “Hi, Safia, it’s Caden.”

  Her heart speeds up and sinks at the same time.

  “I’ve got good news this time,” as if he can feel the anxiety his calls create. “I haven’t called you back because I just couldn’t give you any more bad news, you know? The Council wasn’t taking personal interviews, they’re only reviewing the facts as I was told and I just couldn’t tell you. But then miraculously, about fifteen minutes ago, I received a call. They’re going to hear what you have to say!”

  “They are?” Safia feels the world lighten, fill with helium and threaten to lift her off the ground.

  “Yes. The first meeting will be held on Monday at the Washington Hotel. You have an appointment to go before them on Wednesday at eleven o’clock. You’re going to Washington.”

  “I’m going to Washington,” she repeats. “Okay.” This is it, she thinks. I can do this. “Thank you, Caden. I owe you one.”

  “I’m not sure who you have to thank for this, but I don’t think it’s me,” he laughs. “You need anything else?”

  “I really don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, just go in prepared, my two cents. You call me if you need anything. Good luck.”

  She presses the phone against the window.

  “I’m going to Washington, Olivia,” she whispers. “I’m going to Washington, Sue.” She closes her eyes.It was all becoming real. What exactly was she going to say? And was it going to be enough to convince them?

  “You want to go grab a bite to eat?” Rita asks, suddenly beside her. Or at least she thinks it’s suddenly, though she does realize sometimes people stand beside her for a while before they speak as though they don’t want to startle her.

  “Sure,” she says, offering a tired smile. She’s also learned to force herself to eat even when she’s not hungry. Olivia needs her to be strong. Safia is all she has now. She blows Olivia a kiss and presses it to the window before turning and leaving with Rita.

  “What’s new?” This is Rita’s way of asking about Olivia while keeping things light and airy, more like gossip.

  “I have a flight to book. I’m going to Washington.” She feels herself really smiling.

  Chapter 27

  “Yes, I’m watching, Kat,” Safia feels a slight irritation at her sister’s call. Her attention is focused on CBN’s Special Report. “No, I don’t want company, thanks, though.” She turns up the volume. “Okay, I’ll call you later…it’s coming on.”

  The familiar opening music fills her small, dark living room. The blinds are closed to the city lights beyond them. She sips at a cup of chai tea, pulls a blanket over her legs, and nervously begins to rub her temple. Gil Harley is hosting the special.

  “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I’m Gil Harley and tonight we have a special report for you on the first meeting held this morning in Washington by the President’s Council of Bioethics. As you all are aware, this Council has been given the charge of deciding if Olivia Barnes, the human-chimpanzee child, should be given human status—with all the rights and freedoms that would come with that status.”

  The picture of Olivia biting the nurse pops up in the right corner of the screen. Safia feels her gut tighten. Gil motions toward it.

  “As you can see, there are some valid concerns for public safety if she is indeed declared human and freed from quarantine.” The picture fades and a video is cued. “Dr. Zottenburg is on the Council that will decide Olivia Barnes’ fate. If you remember during my last debate, the doctor was undecided on her status and concerned about the dangers she poses to us. If you missed it, here is his response to the question ‘should Olivia Barnes be declared human.’ ” He nods, and a clip of Dr. Zottenburg’s response during the debate is replayed:

  “I’m not prepared to make that judgment yet. But I will say that I don’t think it’s going to be possible to afford her total human rights. As we’ve discussed here, she does pose real dangers to the human race. The actions we may have to take to protect ourselves may violate current human rights.”

  “I’m going to share with you now an exclusive interview with Dr. Zottenburg after the meeting ended this afternoon.” More music, new graphics.

  Gil Harley is now standing off to the side in the hotel lobby; a large glass window is behind them. There is new noise, the static of people milling about in the background. He is turned slightly toward Dr. Zottenburg, but mostly his attention is on the camera. Dr. Zottenburg is looking down, his scalp showing through gray hair, his shoulders rounded in as if some invisible weight is being carried. Safia can only hope he feels the weight of what is at stake here.

  “Dr. Zottenburg, can you tell us how the first day of deliberations on this very important matter went?”

  Dr. Zottenburg gives a small head shake. “Well, I have to tell you, Gil, I’m not happy to be involved in this decision. It’s a difficult and confusing one, as you know from just the few considerations touched on in the debate. No one is pleased that this kind of decision has to be made in the first place. There’s a lot of tension, a lot of emotion involved here.”

  “So, what are some of the considerations being taken into account?”

  “Well, some arguments, like intelligence were already thrown out because of the problem of the mentally handicapped. When we really tried to pin each other down on what makes us human…as ridiculous as it sounds…we just couldn’t agree. Of course, things came into play like reasoning, language, culture, and art. But, there were examples brought up of these things in the animal world that just didn’t make it that black and white. So, what we have been able to agree on is a process of trying to answer that question. We will explore all aspects of humanity—biology, philosophy, theology, etc. We’ll try to fit what we know about her into each category and see if she fits. That’s about all we know to do.”

  “Sounds like a large task ahead. What does the panel think about Olivia’s recent sterilization?”

  “Everyone here seems to agree that it was for the best, no matter what the decision is.”

  “I think that opinion is shared by the majority of people watching. Can you tell us, Doctor, was there anything brought up today that you would like to throw out
there to the public? Maybe a question that we could use to take a poll and give you some insight into how the rest of the world would respond?”

  Dr. Zottenburg purses his lips and gazes over his shoulder, out the picture window for a moment. “Yes, a question was brought up that really stumped us.” He clears his throat. “It was this: What if she was birthed by her bonobo mother?”

  “Hm,” Gil nods. “Wow. Yes, that…would that even be possible?”

  “Theoretically, yes.”

  “Okay,” Gil shudders. For effect or for real, Safia can’t tell but she’d bet on theatrics. “So, let’s do that. Let’s ask the viewing audience to answer that question.” He turns fully to the camera and the camera moves in on his concerned expression. “If Olivia had been born to her bonobo parents instead of her human ones, would that make a difference in this decision?”

  The screen switches back to Gil live. A number and website begins to crawl across the bottom of the screen. “Okay, folks, it’s time to hear from you. Call in or log on and we’ll read some of your responses at the end of the show. We’ll be right back.”

  Safia pulls the blanket tighter around her. She feels the need to be safe, to hide from the public as if she’s the one on trial, as if it’s her humanity in question. She waits like that through the commercials for dish soap, restaurants and a clothing line that slims your waist and fades your sun spots. She wonders if given enough time someone could come up with a product to reduce fear and hysteria in the masses. Maybe they could pump it right through the television during the evening news, though she can’t imagine the news stations allowing that.

  “And we’re back. I’m Gil Harley and if you’re just joining us we are bringing you first hand accounts of the meeting held today by the President’s Council of Bioethics. We have a caller on the line right now who was an active member of Animal Rights Now for over a decade. She knew Dr. Vogler personally and is going to share some of her insight with us tonight. Mary, are you there?”