by Marita Smith
Robyn looked past them for Catherine. Where is she?
Ariana sniffed the air. “Are you making the fennel pasta?”
Terence smiled. “You bet.”
Robyn couldn’t hide her shock as she watched Catherine shuffle inside the doors, eyes scrunched against the harsh lights. With her blonde hair matted with blood and her arms swathed in bandages, she looked like she’d barely survived a street fight.
“Catherine.” Robyn slipped a shoulder underneath Catherine’s left armpit and guided her through to the kitchen. She wrapped her other arm around Catherine’s waist, trying to ignore the flicker of warmth that curled in her stomach. The leopard stalked silently down the hallway in front of them.
“I’m okay, just sore,” Catherine said, easing herself onto a stool. “Terence, I need you to examine them. They have chips implanted at the base of their skulls.” Catherine’s fingers flew to her own neck in sympathy. “I’m hoping the blast at the facility rendered them ineffectual, but they’ll have to be surgically removed.”
Terence moved around the counter. “Sara, right?”
The blonde nodded, lifting her hair and revealing a small box, not unlike an SD memory card. Robyn could make out the ugly scar from where she stood with Catherine.
“Ming has one too,” Sara said.
Terence cleared his throat. “Wow, okay. Can – can I touch her?” Sara nodded and Terence reached out to the leopard at her feet. The cat whined as Terence prodded the metal box, making him jump backward.
“Tomorrow, after you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll take these out. Catherine’s right, they don’t seem to be active anymore.” His voice was shaky.
“Energy blast?” Derek leant on the counter, watching Catherine. He raised his eyebrows and Robyn took a half-step back from her. Not that she was doing anything wrong.
Catherine nodded. “We only got out thanks to those two.” She pointed at Eli and Ariana.
Kate plonked a chunky box onto the counter. “Yep, I’ve got a theory about that.” She raised a wand connected to the box and waved it in the air. Nothing happened. Kate heaved the box with her, still gesticulating with the wand. It started a frantic blipping as she reached Eli and Ariana. Robyn watched the dial ram the maximum end of the scale, then flinched at the high-pitched whine coming from the box. Kate turned the geiger counter off.
“They’re emitting some sort of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation that’s even higher than gamma rays.” Kate crossed her arms, staring past the two walkers. “It’s incredible.”
Ariana raised her eyes to Kate’s. “But what does that mean?”
“It means that you have a lot more power than you realise. Jeez, this is Captain Planet meets Animorphs. It keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
Ariana sighed. “Yeah, apparently.”
Fletcher and Kara burst into the kitchen as Terence served up bowls of pasta. Ariana reddened as Fletcher dragged a stool to wedge himself between her and Eli.
“Cute.” Catherine brought a shaky forkful to her mouth. Her warm breath danced across Robyn’s cheek. Robyn said nothing. She searched the table for Derek, but he’d disappeared. If only you could cocoon yourself away for adolescence and emerge as a confident, functioning adult. If only someone gave you a stamp on your wrist that proclaimed you straight or gay. Maybe life would be easier that way. Robyn choked on her mouthful, unsure where that last thought had come from.
Catherine swayed in her chair and Robyn reached to steady her, leaning into Catherine’s shoulder.
“Thanks,” rasped Catherine, sending a shiver down Robyn’s spine.
The doors clattered open as Derek reappeared. Robyn registered the syringes.
“Derek, what are you doing?”
He held up the packets. “What does it look like?”
Robyn couldn’t believe it. They had no idea what Sara and Jacob had been through, what Fang had done to them in Beijing. Surely the gash in Sara’s neck was evidence enough that they’d been poked and prodded too much already.
“Hey, what the hell!” Sara said, scrambling down from her chair. Ming hissed, the fur on her back erect. Derek held up the syringe. “The quicker we start analysing your blood, the quicker we’ll know more.” He moved forward again and Sara mirrored the movement, stepping back into the fridge. Ming growled, advancing toward Derek.
“Derek,” Robyn yelled across the counter. It came out with more force than she’d intended and everyone turned in her direction. Robyn cleared her throat, cheeks burning. “This isn’t for you to decide. This is up to Sara and Jacob. We can talk about this tomorrow.” Robyn angled her head toward Sara. “My apologies. We’re all just eager to figure this out, get ahead of Fang.”
Sara gave her a stiff nod. “Okay.” She stuck out an arm and turned back to the fridge. “Go ahead.”
Derek hesitated, sending a wounded glance to Robyn before finding the vein. Sara grimaced as she faced the stainless steel, creating a circle of condensation on the smooth surface.
Jacob hopped down and held out his arm. Derek brought out a new syringe and Robyn cringed at the resigned look on Jacob’s face. These were people, not research subjects. They weren’t the MRI.
Catherine stared daggers into Derek’s back as she chewed. Robyn studied her plate as Derek left the kitchen, Catherine’s shoulder a reassuring weight against her arm.
Sara rubbed the crook of her elbow as she climbed back onto her stool and resumed her dinner. “Nice guy,” she said.
Jacob grunted into his mouthful, shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Look, I’m sorry about that.” Terence sighed as he spooned more pasta onto Ariana’s plate. “Derek is just kind of driven.”
Robyn pushed her plate away, suddenly not hungry. She didn’t get Derek – one minute they were chummy, the next he was pulling some stunt like this. Where was the real Derek? Somewhere in between?
Terence let the serving spoon clatter against the pot. “We’re just trying to figure this out. We’re not the MRI. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. Once I get those chips out in the morning, we can work out how to get you home.”
“I think I’ll stick around for a bit,” Sara said. Robyn couldn’t place the slight lilt to her words. Scandinavian, or Dutch maybe.
Jacob nodded through a slurp of pasta. “Me, too. I want to learn how to send out energy blasts.” He moved his arms around his head, making whooshing noises.
Ariana looked up. “Lenti said they might be part of the answer,” she said. “I asked them to stay for a while.”
24
Oxytocin
“I’m okay, really,” yawned Catherine as Robyn helped her to the bottom bunk. “Just tired more than anything.”
“Sure,” said Robyn. “Not injured after fighting Fang while a building collapsed around you. Ariana filled me in.” She knelt by Catherine’s feet and started undoing her shoelaces. Catherine gasped as Robyn’s hand clasped around her ankle.
“Are you okay?” Robyn looked up, worried she might have hurt her.
Catherine shook her head, voice strained. “No, I’m fine.”
Robyn eased off the other boot and Catherine sighed.
“I’m sorry about your jeans,” Catherine said, rubbing a dark stain on her thigh.
“Catherine, honestly, it’s not the jeans I’m worried about.” Robyn got to her feet. “But speaking of … can you take them off yourself? I’ve got some old clothes you can sleep in.”
Catherine nodded and Robyn turned around. They had the room to themselves; Ariana and Sara were sharing next door, the boys further along the corridor. Robyn felt her cheeks grow hot as she listened to Catherine undress. She’d never felt like this with Kara – her friend was always raiding her closet and peeling shirts off without a second thought, as if she’d grown up in a nudist colony. This was different.
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br /> “What was Xiaofang like?” Robyn asked. She heard something drop to the ground, the clang of a belt.
“Intense,” said Catherine. “I thought maybe I could talk to her, but she didn’t seem interested.” She paused. “She tortured Sara without a second thought.”
Robyn was silent for a moment. “So she’s not like us.”
“No,” breathed Catherine, her voice momentarily muffled by fabric. “She couldn’t be more different. Fang is scary, Robyn.”
Robyn shivered. Fang. Even the name was scary. Robyn couldn’t help imagining a vampire, snarling with exposed sharpened teeth.
“You can turn around now,” said Catherine. Robyn managed to execute a stiff pivot, pushing vampire-Fang out of her mind. Catherine was seated on the edge of the bed, wearing a faded pair of Robyn’s bike shorts and a baggy shirt. The shorts made her legs look even longer. Robyn averted her gaze, trying in vain to stop the flush from spreading to her neck.
“Robyn?” Catherine shuffled backward and leant against the wall, stifling a grimace. “Could you stay with me?”
Robyn froze, the question echoing in her mind. Could you stay with me? She couldn’t decide if it was a terrible idea, or a terribly good one. Her heart hammered in her chest as her mind whirled through possibilities. Catherine was injured, she just needed a friend. That made sense. But Catherine was gay, and Robyn’s head turned to mush whenever she was around her. What did that mean?
Gay, gay, gay.
Seventh grade. She’d rather have been holding Lyndsay’s hand than Sean’s. Sean’s was clammy and gross, but every girl was tethered by a boy as they navigated their shiny lunch boxes.
In ninth grade, Lyndsay came out. The subsequent witch-hunt ended only when Lyndsay changed schools. Robyn learned that it was a Very Bad Thing to be gay. She’d locked those thoughts away, immersed herself in textbooks and assignments. She’d tried to traverse the dating pool of university, she really had – but after Travis she’d focused all her energies on her research. And those thoughts? They’d stayed away, until she’d met Catherine.
She realised Catherine was staring at her. Robyn ran a hand through her hair and studied her feet. She had no idea how long she’d been standing there like an idiot.
Catherine brought her knees up and pulled the blanket down. Robyn crawled in, drawing the blanket around them both, careful not to bump Catherine’s bandaged arms. Her heart pounded; she was sure Catherine could feel it. A physicist on the other side of the planet would surely register it on some machine and be puzzled. How was the bed not collapsing under the weight of the sound?
Robyn tried to stay on the edge but the bed was too small, drawing her into Catherine’s side. Gravity. Physics again. Catherine shifted onto her hip to face the wall and reached back for Robyn’s hand. Robyn held her breath as Catherine drew her into the curve of her spine, focusing on not making a sound as she sank into the contact – all of it. Closing her eyes, Robyn tucked her hand securely under her head as Catherine released it. Big spoon, little spoon. So this is what it felt like.
“Goodnight, Robyn,” slurred Catherine.
“Goodnight,” Robyn whispered into blonde hair. Her skin tingled with warmth. It felt like electricity would jump from her fingers if she skimmed them along Catherine’s waist. She clamped them more firmly together on the pillow.
Gay, gay, gay. The schoolyard taunts blurred into one another as Robyn’s eyes drooped. Gaygaygay.
Bright light prickled against her eyelids. Robyn opened her eyes, startled by the weight against her side. Then she remembered.
Catherine’s arm was draped over her hip, their hands grazing. Butterflies erupted in Robyn’s stomach. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way about a friend. When Derek had held her hand, it had felt nice, safe even, but now her skin was on fire. Robyn hardly dared breathe for fear of waking Catherine. She wanted to live in this moment for as long as possible. Catherine shifted in her sleep and Robyn froze as she nuzzled into her neck.
Robyn nearly had a heart attack. Just an oxytocin high, she rationalised, that’s all. Purely chemical.
It didn’t stop the faint moan that escaped her lips.
“Robyn?” Catherine stretched and purred into Robyn’s back. “You okay?”
The contact was like a drug. Robyn managed a nod, not trusting her voice to stay level, before realising Catherine couldn’t see her face.
“Yeah,” she squeaked, shimmying out of Catherine’s grasp and getting to her feet. “I’ve got to, um, get to the lab.”
Catherine propped herself up against the headboard, a smirk on her face. Her mussed-up hair was like a golden halo.
“You should rest,” Robyn finished lamely.
The smirk followed her out the door where she collided with a solid form.
Oomph.
“Robyn?” Derek carried a stack of papers; a few fell to the floor with the impact. Robyn leaned down to help him collect them and they banged heads.
“Ow,” said Robyn, laughing. “Sorry.”
Derek reached out an arm, guiding her back to her feet. He jerked his head toward the door.
“Was Catherine good?”
Robyn faltered. “What?” Sure, they’d slept together, but not like that. Could Derek tell?
Derek frowned at her. “Did she get through the night okay? She looked pretty battered last night.”
Right. Robyn managed a nod. “Um, yeah. She’s doing all right, I think.” More than all right, judging from that smug look on her face. Had it been some sort of test?
Robyn’s face fell. Maybe Catherine was messing with her. Tears stung her eyes. She felt like a royal idiot. Taking a deep breath, she pointed to the documents in Derek’s arms, recalling the late-night sampling. “Sara and Jacob.”
Derek shifted his weight to the other foot under her disapproving glare. Robyn had just remembered that she was angry with Derek. Hell, she was angry with everyone right now. Did everyone see her as a naive little pushover?
“Look, Robyn. I know you don’t agree, but we needed to move as quickly as possible.” He started toward the kitchen. “And I think you’ll be as excited as I am with the results.”
Robyn didn’t think she’d be able to muster up excitement about anything right now. She looked down at her rumpled shirt and track pants, deciding she didn’t care as she followed Derek into the kitchen, the tiles cold on her bare feet.
It was feeding time at the zoo. A fort of cereal boxes crowded the counter. The animals snapped at raw meat in a bucket in the far corner. Robyn screwed up her nose as she perched next to Ariana. The terrible lingering smell of chicken necks made her gag.
“Gross,” she said, reaching for her muesli.
Derek slapped the gene sequences down on the table, where they soaked up a puddle of milk.
“Crap,” he muttered, blotting the paper with his sleeve.
“So, what’s the big breakthrough?” Robyn drowned her muesli in soy milk. She was still angry at Derek, and she could feel the egg swelling on her head from where they’d bumped together. Robyn flicked a glance toward the door. She was pissed off with Catherine, too. She couldn’t get that stupid smirk out of her head. Robyn stabbed her spoon into her cereal. Stupid beautiful people. Stupid confusing brain chemistry.
“Their DNA is stable, doesn’t change. We can create a workable vector based on their mitochondrial genes.” Derek’s voice thrummed with excitement.
Robyn raised her eyes and shared a glance with Terence.
Terence rolled his shoulders. “That is good news,” he allowed. Relief settled on Robyn’s shoulders. Good. So Terence hadn’t completely forgiven Derek either. At least she had someone on her side.
“I’m still not happy with your bullish methods,” Robyn said, drowning an almond.
Ariana eased off her stool and tiptoed toward the door. Eva and Ming paused at the buc
ket, following her progress with their eyes. A gooey string of entrails hung from Eva’s jaws. The bear snapped at a haunch of something and followed the walker, trailing blood in her wake. Robyn eyed the splotches with horror – somehow she had to get back to her room without shoes. The floor is lava.
“Someone had to do it.” Derek pounded a fist on the table. “You know that, Robyn. If these kids mean we can move forward, we have to take the opportunity.”
“Sure, but we can treat them better than guinea pigs,” Robyn retorted.
“I never said they were guinea pigs.”
Robyn snorted. “Well, that’s how you treated them last night.”
Derek went silent, tapping his fingers on the counter. “I didn’t mean – I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t.” Robyn grabbed her bowl. She wanted some fresh air. She tiptoed over the crimson Jackson Pollock painting on the floor into the corridor.
A door hung open at the end of the hallway, allowing a slant of light inside. Robyn squinted, following the trail of voices onto a paved courtyard. Kara stood next to Sara and Fletcher, holding a walkie-talkie. Eva and Ming bounced with excitement in front of a chalked white line. Robyn skated around the abandoned grisly bone with a shudder.
“We’re go at this end,” Kara said into her walkie-talkie. Robyn shielded her eyes as she stared past them. A high fence extended from the building and disappeared into thick scrub. She hadn’t thought to investigate the rest of the compound, but it was clearly big. Is this what Terence had meant when he’d said a bit of outside space? It was bigger than a football stadium.
A burst of static erupted from the walkie-talkie. “Roger. Let’s get this party started.” Kate’s voice. Robyn sank onto a steel bench, balancing her muesli on her knees. The sun on her shoulders was a welcome caress. The nights were starting to get colder now. Winter was just around the corner.
“All right. On your marks …” Kara raised a hand. “Get set …”
Fletcher and Sara tensed, leaning forward.