Chapter 16

“Brave is the one that leaves for the Conquest,

The one that takes in his hands the Tides of Fate,

The one who with Strength and Wisdom,

Uncovers the Stones in his Path.”

- The Prophet of Truth

Although she had had little sleep due to last night’s events, Sarah woke up early in the morning and silently left Alexis’ room as to not disturb him.

Back to her own bedroom she took a quick shower and put on her favorite jeans. Peering out the window she frowned at the gray sky announcing rain, and for that reason chose a warmer, dark-green sweater. Without a second thought she put on her sneakers and grabbed her suede imitation coat that reached down knee-length. She quickly checked her handbag, to make sure everything was in order, and, after tying her hair into a simple ponytail, went back downstairs, for a quick breakfast in the kitchen.

Anne was already up and around and greeted her joyfully, giving her a long head to toe look.

“Good morning, miss. Are you going out?” she asked, placing a cup of coffee milk right in front of her. Sarah grabbed the cup with both hands, enjoying its warmth before taking a sip.

“No way to postpone it any further. There a few things I have to take care of in person. Please tell Selena she doesn’t need to worry. I should be back before lunch time,” she assured and Anne served her a slice of freshly baked orange cake.

“Does the young master know you’re going out? He worries a great deal about your and your sister’s safety,” the woman added and Sarah almost choked on her coffee.

“Ah, yes … He knows,” she finally replied, certain that Anne wouldn’t see Alexis before she returned. “And since we’re talking about such things, can you please not mention our family to Selena?” she thought it better to ask, uncertain about what the young girl could unintentionally reveal, and if her story would match whatever Alexis had made up to justify their presence in that house. “She misses our parents dearly and it would only make bring about sad memories,” she explained and Anne gave her an understanding smile.

“Please don’t worry, miss. Miss Selena is an adorable child,” she declared looking out the window, at the backyard that could be seen from where they stood. “We had arranged to plant a few new plants today, but I fear the weather will force us to postpone our plans.”

“Maybe it will get better, later on,” Sarah wished, jumping from the stool she’d been sitting on and drank the rest of her coffee. “Thank you for breakfast, Anne.”

“You have nothing to thank me for, miss. And please take my keys,” she offered burying one hand into the apron’s pocket to grab a set of keys. “I won’t be needing them today,” she reinforced and Sarah accepted her offer. “Be careful and may God be with you.”

Sarah smiled, gratefully, and left the kitchen making her way towards the front door.

She stopped for a moment with her hand over the door handle.

The only time she’d left that house since Alexis had taken her in had been when Selena had called her, but then she’d had Hale with her. Sure there had been their small digression to the airport but, even then, Alexis had followed her. Taking a deep breath to gain courage she opened the door and peered outside, before stepping forward.

There was no one in sight at that early hour, and Sarah quickly marched towards the shed used as a parking lot, sighing in relief when she found her own car. There, under a straw roof, were also a modern and expensive-looking motorbike, and the black Lexus where Alexis had picked them up from the hospital.

Sarah rushed inside her small car and placed both hands on the steering wheel, a smile touching her face. It had been in there that everything had started, sitting exactly where she now sat. Placing her handbag on the seat beside her, she turned the key and put the car in reverse. A few minutes later she was deeply buried in the everyday morning traffic that to clogged the city’s main arteries.

As incredible as it sounded, it took her more than half an hour to go from Shadyside, where Alexis lived, to the University where she worked, in Oakland; a distance she’d normally make in less than ten minutes if not for the infernal traffic.

A sigh left her lips when she made a detour to drive by the apartment where she used to live, in Central Avenue, and moments later she was parking in the underground parking lot reserved for the Center of Investigation personnel. The guard at the entrance recognized her immediately, sparing her having to show her identity card, and with a polite nod raised the barrier to let her through.

Sarah parked the car as close to the elevators as possible, and grabbing her handbag walked towards their golden doors with firm footsteps. And so, moments later, she found herself inside the building that, covered by a glass ceiling, was illuminated by the pale white light of the day and had just now started welcoming its daily guests.

Making use of her access card, she made her way upstairs, to where the laboratories of investigation were located, avoiding having to pass by the main entrance where the famous monument ‘Circle of Care’, consisting of six bronze figures representing three generations of caregivers, greeted all visitors.

Finding the laboratory dedicated to the study of cellular structures where she’d been informed Deborah spent her mornings wasn’t hard at all. And a young man in a white lab coat, sitting at a desk with his nose stuck to a computer screen, raised his head and looked at her inquisitively.

“Good morning. May I help you?” he asked and Sarah recognized his voice. He’d been the one she’d spoken to on the phone, the day before.

“My name is Sarah. Doctor Sarah Wilson. We spoke on the phone, yesterday,” she reminded him and the young assistant smiled politely.

“Ah, yes, of course.”

“As Doctor Rayleigh arrived yet?” she asked, looking around, noticing that the lab was still empty, and he stood up from his chair.

“Yes. I’ll tell her that you’re here. Would you mind waiting a moment?” he asked and was already on the move before she could even answer.

Sarah looked around, gathering as much information as possible, and took a deep breath trying to get rid of the nervous knot tying her stomach. It was now or never. If Deborah had already heard her name, somewhere … If she knew that she was the Human that had helped Alexis escape, then everything would be ruined.

The young man returned a few minutes later, followed by a tall, elegant woman, her long hair meticulously tied up at the top of her head. She had blue-gray eyes and full lips painted in red. And was wearing a lab coat over what Sarah guessed to be a white shirt and a dark-brown pencil skirt, her legs covered by brownish glossy stockings that ended in a pair of red high heels. Exactly the kind of clothes and the kind of woman that had nothing to do with her, she thought, feeling slightly diminished when faced with Deborah’s feminine charm, certain that that was the perfect image of what could be considered a successful, attractive woman

“Sarah Wilson! It’s been a long time!” Deborah declared, taking a step forward, reaching out her hand in a completely professional greeting, and Sarah corresponded, forcing a polite smile to take over her lips. Although she’d noticed that lately her fear of touch had lost its intensity, it was still unpleasant having to touch other people. Especially that haughty woman with cold eyes. Because that was the same hand that had tortured Alexis for days on end.

“It’s true. Since we graduated,” she agreed and quickly cut off the contact. “It’s such a small world. I read all your books and have been closely following your career. But I only a few days ago I learned that we were working in the same building,” she declared in a lighter tone and Deborah also seemed surprised.

“You work here?”

“Since I graduated.”

“As to be expected,” the woman replied with a renewed smile, this one a bit friendlier. “You were always the best in our class. It’s only natural they’d invite you to stay. I’m here only to have access to all this latest technology for free,” she declared, winking with a mischievous expression. “Still I had to ask for a few favors, here and there. And they finally let me in, in exchange for a few data reviews and counter tests,” she admitted with fake humility. “What’s your area of investigation?”

“DNA reparation,” she replied and Deborah’s posture became a bit more cautious.

“I see …”

“And you, cellular structure, like always,” Sarah guessed, looking around, and Deborah nodded.

“And? What brings you here? In fact, how did you find out I’d be here in the first place? Since my presence here is more or less clandestine they didn’t even give me an identity card,” she added, half complaining, and Sarah hesitated for an instant.

In truth she hadn’t really planned beforehand how to lead the conversation. She’d thought she’d introduce herself as her old classmate, and maybe invite her for coffee or something, while trying to gather information on her investigation. However, mentioning the department where she worked had obviously left Deborah slightly apprehensive. And although Sarah didn’t know exactly the reason behind it, she could clearly feel the wave of distrust and self-preservation emanating from her. Now trying to gain her trust to the point that she’d feel she could discuss her investigation results with her would probably take days. And so, as things stood, there was only one way to quickly move ahead.

“Farran sent me,” she dared, facing her unwavering, and Deborah’s blue eyes opened even wider.

“Come. It’s best if we talk in my office,” she decided and her cold gaze fell on the young assistant. “Kevin, I’m not available to receive anyone else,” she declared and he simply nodded, returning to his desk.

Deborah guided her across the big lab, the workbenches filled with glass instruments and chemicals, until she finally opened another door leading to a small private office.

Sarah quickly looked around, her hands sweaty since her nerves wouldn’t settle down, and immediately concluded that that small compartment didn’t belong to Deborah at all. It was furnished with a white metallic desk and a bookshelf filled with tall, heavy books, all titles she knew all too well. At a corner a hanger held a red coat, clearly belonging to a woman, and a black handbag. On the desk there was a computer screen and a pile of papers filled with numbers and graphics. In the center of the desk some commemorative plaques and scientific awards had been aligned, together with a framed photo of the research group that usually worked there, during the day, Sarah guessed taking the chair Deborah had pointed to her.

“You said Farran sent you?” she asked, carefully observing her with renewed attention, and Sarah didn’t answer, sitting with her back straight, her mind completely turned towards Deborah, capturing even her faintest emotions in hopes of finding the appropriate words to answer her. Deborah frowned and Sarah felt her frustration quickly increase. “Since when? Since when have you been working with him?”

“Practically since I’m here,” she replied, forcing her rational mind to follow the dialog and Deborah seemed truly annoyed.

“He told me ours was the only team!” she accused and Sarah shrugged.

“Apparently he lied.”

Deborah folded her arms over her chest, clearly displeased with her answer, and Sarah hid her trembling hands under the desk. She’d never been a particularly good liar and her heart kept beating too fast, echoing her nervousness.

“Then, it was to you he sent some of the samples to, when he told me he’d given them to someone from the DNA reparation department,” she concluded and Sarah tried to act as normal as possible when faced with that piece of information she’d completely ignored.

“I’m already working on them,” she declared and Deborah sighed, calming down.

“And? Any news? There has to be something in that DNA that makes the cells capable of eliminating most chemicals before any of the symptomatology shows.”

“It’s still too early to say,” she reported, trying to keep things as ambiguous as possible, since she had no clue about what Deborah actually knew, and the woman frowned.

“Then why are you here? I’m sure it’s not to tell me that my toy has been recaptured, or Cedrius would have informed me first,” she stated sarcastically and Sarah took a deep breath in search of courage.

“No,” she confirmed to Deborah’s disappointment, who even after what she’d just said, still had kept a small hope that she’d been wrong, making Sarah feel sick to her stomach. “I just came to take a look at your results. It’s important that I check them so that I may better understand the causes of the resistance your team detected,” she replied with her heart beating in her throat, and Deborah squinted her eyes in a threatening expression.

“Hum, I really don’t think so. Besides the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy sharing my findings, I have explicit orders that the results from my experiments are for Farran’s eyes alone.”

Sarah crossed her arms and tried to take on a posture that would transmit self-confidence.

“No one told me about any of that. The only thing I know is that I need to have access to the results you gathered in order to proceed with my study. How else am I expected to understand the kind of genetic mutation caused by the substances you used, if any even occurred? I’m sure you understand that I must know the nature of the stimuli in order to understand the cause of the innate defense you observed. I already informed Farran about this matter, to which he replied thatI should come and look for you,” she declared, although part of her brain was baffled at how easily the lies left her lips one after another. Especially taking into account the acute state of tension she was in.

To her relief Deborah seemed to waver. Although Sarah didn’t know any of the details of that sordid investigation, she knew that the argument she’d presented was completely logic and understandable and that, as a scientist, Deborah would surely reach the same conclusion.

“Still!” she pressed on, standing up, and Sarah followed her every move as she stepped away from the desk. “I really can’t share any of my findings without Farran’s direct authorization,” she declared and Sarah saw her open her handbag and take out a cellphone, which left her on the verge of a panic attack. “This won’t take long,” Deborah told her, accessing her electronic agenda with a few flicks of her thumb, and Sarah squeezed her hands together.

My God! What now? If she manages to talk with Farran … As soon as he hears my name, everything will be lost!

Her mind rushed as her gaze wondered urgently about the room. Run away? She could probably manage to escape if she started running right now. But then, what had she accomplished by going there? All she’d managed to do was to alert her to the fact that there was someone close to Alexis that knew she was using the Hillman Center’s laboratories to go on with her personal investigation. And, of course, after something like that, Deborah was certain to disappear, probably forever. Maybe Farran would kill her. Maybe take her out of the country. And, with her, all the clues concerning the data and results of her experiments would be gone as well; and Sarah understood all too well the importance of completely eliminating all traces of that investigation. Not only because Farran hoped to use them to develop a drug able to destroy those who were like him. But also because, should that investigation fall into the wrong hands, signed by and internationally renown name like Deborah Rayleigh, there wouldn’t be enough memory erasing to keep Alexis and the other Araphel’s existence a secret. They’d probably be called aliens, she thought, and they’d want to keep them in labs for future studies. And, once more, as far as that universal Law was concerned, it would all be Alexis fault.

Sarah watched as Deborah took the cellphone to her ear and her mind forced her to act without thinking. Standing up in a single movement, she only felt the cold metal of one of the awards against the palm of her hand after she’d hit Deborah over the head with it. Still in disbelief, her gasping breathing filling the air, she looked down at the unconscious body laying at her feet.

“Hello? Are you there?”

The sound of that small voice broke the spiral of panic that, for a moment, had completely consumed her, and Sarah looked at the phone that had slid across the floor to stop by the cabinet.

“Hello! Deborah …?”

An icy cold feeling ate away at her stomach. Sarah bent down to pick it up and, with sweaty hands, turned it around just to confirm the name on the screen – Farran Andrews. Without thinking she took the phone to her hear and held her breath, listening.

“Hum, I see …” The voice from the other side said again. It was soft, and warm, and captivating, but at the same time it sounded terribly fake. Sarah squeezed the phone when she heard him sigh. “Taking into account the hour of the day and how my stubborn Brethren are obedient in all matters concerning the Lex Regis, I’d have to place my bets on our little Sarah … Or am I wrong?” Sarah felt her heart stop, for a moment. The way that voice spoke her name left her nauseated and fear surrounded her like a heavy, choking cloak. Those mere words contained much more than a simple threat. He hated her beyond what was humanely possible and she couldn’t help feeling relieved for the fact that she wasn’t able to capture his emotions at a distance. Such degree of hate and fury would most certainly have driven her half mad. “Very well, little Sarah. How about a small game of cat and mouse?”

The following intermittent sound was like a wake-up call. Farran knew she’d reached Deborah. Farran had Human allies, including someone else inside the Hillman Center, inside her own department. She couldn’t linger there, lost and frightened. She had to act and she had to be quick about it.

Tucking the phone in her pocket she looked at the unconscious Deborah at her feet. She had no time to lose with doubts and suppositions. Farran was going to hunt her down and Sarah had to be able to return to Alexis’ Territory’s safety before he could reach her.

With her legs still shaking nervously, she forced her rational, analytic mind to take over and looked around. Deborah had been using that laboratory on a daily basis, which meant that there were probably samples of her experiments somewhere in there. However, she had hardly the time to look for them. The only plausible solution was to provoke an accident that would destroy all the samples, or at least make them unusable. For a moment she couldn’t help feel guilty, since she’d also be destroying other good valid experiments, but immediately cast that way of thinking aside. She’d gone there for Alexis’ sake. Decided to protect him the only way she could. She wasn’t about to waver now. There was no time for that!

Now Deborah, on the other hand, was still a Human Being, and Sarah didn’t find it in herself the courage to just leave her there to die. That was a weight she immediately knew she’d never be able to live with, no matter how much the woman deserved it and much worse. In any case, Deborah hadn’t told her anything yet, and Sarah was sure she kept a backup copy of her results somewhere else, probably in some bank safe deposit box. The only solution was to take her along and thoroughly question her afterwords, once she woke up.

Once decided on her line of action, Sarah didn’t hesitate any longer. Exiting to the laboratory she looked inside the cabinets for the sealing tape. A smile touched her lips when she found it more or less in the same place they kept theirs, in their own lab. Running back to the office she bound Deborah’s hands behind her back, and then taped her ankles together. She also glued a few pieces of tape over her mouth, making sure she’d keep silent in case she woke up before they reached Alexis’ home. Once all the taping was done Sarah went back to the lab, looking around, until she found what she was looking for; the white cart used for residues disposal that, by the end of the day, was taken to the basement by the cleaning crew, where the bag inside it was sealed and replaced by a new one. It ran on wheels and it was big enough, reaching her waist, she confirmed, quickly pushing it back to the office, to which followed the hard task of dragging Deborah’s unconscious body inside it. Although thin, Deborah was taller than she was, and so considerably heavier. When she finally managed to put her inside the cart drops of sweat were sliding down her face and back, and she was gasping for air. Still there was no time to rest, she thought, opening the desk’s drawers with anxious hands, confiscating all the CDs, DVDs and USB drivers she found. Sarah was almost tempted to take the computer as well, but it would mean another weight to carry. Still, if she wasn’t taking it she had to at least make sure it was destroyed, she thought, quickly disconnecting all the cables and taking it to the lab, leaving it on a working bench. She went back for Deborah, now covered in CD cases and other disks, and after adding her red coat and black handbag to the lot, covered her with lab coats to hide her away.

Her hands shaking nervously Sarah pushed the cart back to the lab. With a last thought she too put on a lab coat to better blend in, and then opened all storage units, turning on the gas on every busen burner she passed by, spilling reagents and liquid chemicals all over the working benches and floor. Stopping by the door she lit the last busen burner, and turned on the red light that told outsiders that a dangerous experiment was being conducted and that no one should enter.

She took a deep breath, straightening her hair with shaky hands, and opened the door pushing the heavy cart in front of her, to where Kevin was still working. Seeing her, the young man lifted his head and gave her a polite smile.

“Leaving already?” he asked and Sarah made sure to return his smile, although the nerves were opening a burning hole in her insides.

“Yeah. Have to go back to work,” she declared and the young man seemed to notice the red light now blazing over the door. “Oh, Deborah asks that no one should disturb her. But I think she won’t be long,” she told him, trying as hard as she could to keep her casual tone, and Kevin offered her a new smile.

“She’s very dedicated, isn’t she? Just wish our cleaning crews were like that as well,” he added with a critical tone as his gaze landed on the cart. “Have they forgotten to empty it again?” Sarah smiled nervously and nodded.

“It happens all the time. We have the same problem in our lab,” she declared, which was hardly a lie, and then Kevin stood up, leaving her heart beating hard against her chest.

“You can just leave it there, I’ll take it downstairs,” he offered politely and Sarah shook her head, immediately refusing. She knew he didn’t suspect a thing and that he was just trying to be helpful, but knowing that wasn’t enough to calm her nerves.

“It’s fine. It’s no bother at all. I still have to go by my car. It’s on the way. And you won’t have to interrupt your work,” she assured, anxious to get out of there as soon as possible, and Kevin smiled again.

“If that’s how it is then thank you.”

She nodded and pushed the cart to the door.

“See you around, then.”

“Have a nice day.”

Sarah nodded again and exited to the corridor, almost running towards the elevator. Her mind was a hurricane of thoughts and tension. She just wanted to go down to her car and get out of that place as soon as possible. But, as she reached for the elevator buttons, she pressed the one that would take her to her laboratory.

Nervously checking her watch she calculated she had about fifteen minutes until her team members started to arrive. She had to be quick, if she wanted to cause a similar accident at her working place. If Deborah had sent samples there then someone in her team was working for Farran, and, once again, there wasn’t enough time to figure out who. If she didn’t act now all samples and results would probably have disappeared by the end of the day. And that was something she simply couldn’t risk. Even if it meant destroying her own investigation.

A sigh of relief left her lips when she verified that no one had arrived earlier. Leaving the cart outside, Sarah opened the door to the lab using her own identity card. There was no escaping something like that, she thought. After that day she’d probably be a wanted person, if she somehow managed to escape at all. Maybe they’d just commit her to some psychiatric facility again, and her mind turned to Selena, whose guard would certainly be granted to their Aunt Marie.

No use thinking about that now! What’s done is done. There’s no turning back.

The sound of the alarm only came to confirm her own thoughts and Sarah clenched her teeth hard as she run all over the lab, executing the same plan that had just caused a major fire outbreak a few floors below. The flame of the last busen burner would grant her enough time to escape, before it ignited the gas from the others. The spilled chemicals would do the rest. And then, even if the fire and explosions wouldn’t destroy all the samples, their expose to such an unrestrained source of heat would certainly render them unusable. Sarah only hoped that the anti-fire system installed in all the labs would really work, preventing the fire from spreading. It was bad enough that she was to blame for the destruction of two investigation units. She didn’t want to be the cause of the destruction of the entire building.

With a last look at what had once been her working place, and where she had no hope whatsoever of ever returning, she turned on the red light and took a deep breath. Years and years of work, she thought. Hours of dedication. And not only hers. Of all those who worked there. Of all those who had believed in the projects developed there. Sarah clenched her fists hard and frowned, allowing the door to close.

No use feeling sorry. Even if I didn’t do this Alexis would certainly do it, as soon as knowledge of people working for Farran using this labs reached his ears. At least like this I’m sure they’re caught off guard. Farran and the idiots that believed in him are the ones to blame, she told herself, pushing the cart, practically running down the corridor again. Idiots like the one she carried in there, she thought. But who, in her working team, could also be connected with Farran?

The continuous alarm echoing all over the building made her press the elevator’s button more than once. She had to get out of there, as quickly as possible.

When the elevator finally arrived there were three men in lab coats already in the cabin, and Sarah couldn’t help noticed that the button to the floor where Deborah worked had already been pressed. Without hesitating she pressed the one to the car parking floor and pushed the cart to a corner.

“It seems there was an explosion,” one of the men was saying and her heart jumped nervously.

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“Don’t know. The firemen are already on the way.”

The sound of a blast made the cabin shake and Sarah curled her fingers around the cart’s handle, searching for some sense of security as she remained alert.

“What was that?” a frightened voice asked.

“Another explosion?”

“It sounded like it came from above.”

The elevator stopped on the floor she’d just left a few moments ago, and the doors opened to a corridor piled with speculating people. The men that had kept her company left, sharing worried questions with the others, already on site. Were there terrorists in the building? Shouldn’t they be evacuating? The smell of burning reached her nose and Sarah urgently pressed the button to close the doors.

“Sarah! Wait!”

Sarah raised her head and her heart sunk.

“John …”

To her panic she watched as he pushed people aside, trying to get through, trying to reach her, his set expression rather scary, but then the doors were closing and Sarah found herself sighing in relief.

Okay, stay calm. Everything’s going to be okay. As soon as the elevator stops we’ll dash for the car, parked on the right. We’ll open the backseat door and get Deborah inside. The trunk is just too complicated. We’ll cover her with the lab coats and get out of here, she told herself, running her sweaty, nervous hands over her face, forcing herself to organize her own thoughts as she fished the car keys from her handbag.

She exited as soon as the elevator stopped, pushing the cart in front of her, and still managed to wish a good morning to the people taking the elevator up. She was by her car a few instants later, opening the backseat door like planned, urgently fighting to get Deborah out of the cart and into the backseat as droplets of sweat slid down her forehead. Hope no one comes! Please make it so no one comes!

By the time she finally managed to push her inside Sarah was drenched in sweat, and, with nervous gestures, covered her unconscious body and threw all the other stuff into the car floor, before closing the door. She ran to her own seat, sorting out the keys, urgently starting the car as she checked by the rear mirror that Deborah remained unconscious and completely covered. She was about to put the car in reverse when the elevator’s door opened again, and John stepped out of it with a crazed expression, looking all around, searching for her. She didn’t hesitate and, stepping on the accelerator, quickly turned the car around, the squealing tires giving her away.

“Sarah! Wait! You don’t know what you’re doing!” he shouted, running after the car, and Sarah pressed the accelerator even harder, turning the steering wheel just in time to make the curve.

Nervously biting down on her lower lip, she noticed she’d been able to put some distance between them, and stopped by the parking gate to greet the guard working there.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked and Sarah forced herself to smile as she nervously controlled the rear mirror.

“Yes. It seems there was an accident, upstairs.”

“Ah, yes. The firemen went in just a few minutes ago,” the man told her and Sarah saw John appear at the end of the lane, running full speed towards her. “It would seem you earned a day off,” he added and to her relief, pressed the button to rise the barrier.

“Sarah!!” John’s shout reached her forcing her to act.

“Have a nice day,” she wished the nice man, that looked at her with an inquisitive expression, and darted out of the parking lot before the gate was even completely opened. The car’s top scratched the chains hanging from the barrier and the motor jumped as she forced it to accelerate up the ramp. Without slowing down she turned left, reaching the main road, forcing other drivers to suddenly step on their breaks, which gained her a few well deserved honks. But then she was back on the road and the Hillman Cancer Center was slowly left behind.