by Lucy Adler
“I can come, too,” Aury said hesitantly.
“The three of us could follow behind in another vehicle,” Max suggested, nodding toward Phillip.
“Thanks, guys,” Helena replied, “but I think it would be better if we were as discreet as possible. Billings isn’t Progress, but they still have people there who aren’t fond of sleepers. Especially at the hospital. I’d rather keep our ‘footprint’ to a minimum.”
“I just don’t want us to get separated again,” Aury said, looking at Daria.
“Don’t worry,” she replied, giving her a comforting smile and throwing in a wink along with it, “I’ve still got a lot to learn from Master Aury!”
22
Month: 4 | Day: 16 | Year: 60
THAT HOSPITAL SMELL
They managed to beat the worst of the new snow and arrive in Billings in the early evening. At least half a foot of old snow continued the white blanket that had surrounded them in Yellowstone. It obscured most of the landscape, except for the grey and pale yellow sandstone of the rimrocks that bordered the city to the north, east, and south. Their cliffs rose like the mighty walls of a fortress, giving the valley a safe, secluded feel.
The gentle clip-clop of the windshield wipers was mesmerising, and both Daria and Helena had dozed off about forty-five minutes outside of town.
“Hey guys?” Brett asked, not really wanting to wake them but knowing it was time to discuss the plan.
They both yawned and rubbed their eyes. Then Helena got straight to business.
“Alright, head for the hospital first. Let’s get her checked in right away.”
“Sounds good,” Brett replied.
Brix had been lying on the backseat for the entire journey. She hadn’t stirred or made a sound. Daria was tucked away in the open space behind her at the back of the old Bronco. She had made a little nest for herself with a few blankets. It was actually pretty comfortable, so much so that it took some added effort to shake off the sleepiness.
“So, are we staying there with her or...?” she asked.
“Just until she’s settled. Then we’ll find somewhere safe, sleep in the truck for the night, and check on her in the morning.”
Helena reached under her seat and pulled out a thin black case. She unzipped it, revealing a familiar sight.
“Whoa, a tablet?” Daria said. “I know it hasn’t really been that long but I almost forgot about them!” she laughed.
“We try not to use them at the settlement. But it doesn’t mean we don’t have any. They’re useful sometimes, even though the reception out there is pretty awful.”
She turned it on and quickly typed out a message.
It only took a minute or so before a reply popped up.
“Good. Theresa is waiting for us. Just drop us out front and then find somewhere to park. And keep your tablet on so we can find each other after.”
“Will do,” Brett replied.
____________________________
“Thanks for this.”
“It’s no problem, Lena.”
“How have you guys been?”
“Oh, we’re fine. Jim’s up for consideration again this year. It’ll be the... what... ninth time now?”
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” Helena said with a sigh as she placed her hand on the doctor’s shoulder. The woman, who looked a little younger than Helena, with long black hair pulled up in a loose chignon, was leading the way as two orderlies pushed Brix down the hall on a gurney.
“I’ve tried to tell him that it makes no difference to me if he never joins the Guild. He’s a gifted surgeon and I’m so proud of him. But you know how it is. The prestige, the honour.”
“The power,” Helena added in a half-whisper.
“They get tunnel vision. It’s like they’re incomplete without it!” Theresa said with a roll of her eyes. Then she stopped and pushed on one of the many doors that lined the beige hall. “Here we are.”
The room was just as beige and bland as the hall. There were two beds, separated by a curtain. And four uncomfortable-looking chairs, two on each side.
Daria sat down and watched as the orderlies lifted her friend onto the bed. Then they wheeled the gurney out as Theresa got to work hooking Brix up to an IV and some monitoring equipment.
“I’ll see if I can get her in for a scan now, actually, if you want to wait,” she said. Then she leaned in closer to Helena and whispered, “It’s safe, right? She’s not... is she?”
“No, she’s not. She hasn’t been on Sendrax for several days, though. I’m not sure if that’ll complicate anything?”
“I’ll just tell them she’s been sick. Sometimes a family doc will take a patient off Sendrax for up to a week when they’re on certain types of drugs. It’s not common but it shouldn’t raise suspicion.”
“Thanks, Theresa.”
The doctor turned and gave Helena a tight hug.
“It’s so good to see you, Lena! I’m glad you’re well.”
____________________________
Daria had never been to a proper medical hospital before. She never had a reason to visit one. Her parents were healthy, and so were her surviving grandparents. Only one of them, her grandmother on her father’s side, had gotten sick and passed away, but that was before Daria was old enough to remember her.
What is that smell?
It’s like something that’s really clean and not clean at the same time.
She scrunched up her nose without realising she was doing it.
“Most hospitals smell a little funny,” Helena said as she noticed Daria’s face.
“Oh, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
They had gone for a walk, trying to find a vending machine or somewhere they could get a snack. They eventually came across a waiting area with couches and a counter where there were two different taps for cold and hot drinking water, as well as a selection of teas. There was even a basket of complimentary, nutritionally-enhanced cookies, individually wrapped and stamped with the logo of a well-known Progress bakery.
“I guess these will do,” Helena said, grabbing a few of them.
“We’re spoiled out in the park,” Daria replied. “No cardboard meals, that’s for sure!”
On one of the walls in the waiting area, there was a large screen showing a daily news broadcast.
“It feels like forever since I’ve watched TV!” Daria said, pausing to stare at the television. “You kinda forget about it when you’re out at the settlement.”
Despite the emphasis on productivity and the avoidance of idleness, television still played an important role in the Advanced Cities, and the rest of the country as well. Every program fell into one of two categories: news or reality shows. And there were at least a hundred channels dedicated to each of them.
The news revolved largely around the Advanced Cities themselves. Besides the daily minutiae of current events, politics was always popular. Of course, the political landscape was far different than in the Former Days. There was only one party, and it didn’t call itself a ‘party’. It was simply the Government, comprised of various levels of elected officials, the highest tier of which were the seven Mayors. Each of them governed one of the Advanced Cities, as well as the surrounding jurisdiction that had yet to be consumed by their respective metropolis. Together they formed the Cabinet, the Mayor of Progress serving as their unofficial head, a sort of primus inter pares - first among equals. People loved tuning in for the daily Cabinet Update. Since there were seven Mayors, they each took one day of the week, with the Mayor of Progress reporting on Sundays. The updates were only fifteen or twenty minutes, and usually covered whatever policies or agendas were currently being discussed or enacted across the country. And they typically reserved at least the final five minutes for praising the glorious achievements of Progress and its sister cities, a daily reminder of just how good life was compared to the dark history of the Former Days.
Of course, intertwined with politics was the weekly update from the Guild o
f Doctors. Since everything society enjoyed, it owed to the advancements of science and medicine, people were always anxious to hear about whatever new breakthroughs had been made, or those that were just around the corner. Every Friday night, most of the country would tune in for an hour-long installment presented by one of the senior Doctors. And twice a year, the Chancellor of the Guild himself would host the show - a two-hour special edition, during which he would share the biggest and most important announcements. People gathered to watch these episodes in particular the way they used to for the Super Bowl in the Former Days.
As for the other type of programming available, reality shows had become the only valid form of televised entertainment. After all, who had time for fiction? What was the point of wasting countless hours absorbed in a world that didn’t exist, or getting wrapped up in the lives of people who weren’t even real? It only served to distance people from the daily experience of life - an experience which, thanks to Sendrax, was far more fulfilling than any made-up story.
But reality television, on the other hand, only served to bring people closer to the life they worked hard to embrace. And unlike the sensationalised ‘reality shows’ of the Former Days, the modern versions were true depictions of life and work in the remarkable age of Sendrax. Camera crews would follow real people through their daily routines, capturing those special moments where they accomplished a task more quickly than was expected, managed their business with greater proficiency, or handled their children in the most effective way possible. Anything and everything that could help you achieve the freedom that awaited you through hard work and efficiency, you could learn through a daily dose of reality television.
At that particular moment, however, neither Daria nor Helena were interested in watching the screen. They already had more than enough to occupy their minds, they didn’t need a steady stream of largely irrelevant current events to eat up their mental energy.
There weren’t many people around in the waiting area, but they still decided to sit as far away from everyone else as they could, just to be safe.
“I feel like I’m contagious or something,” Daria said.
“It’s just a precaution. Yawning or looking tired isn’t something you’re always aware of until after someone notices!” Helena laughed.
“That’s true. But does everyone really care that much? What would they actually do if they saw me yawn?”
“In reality, most people out here would probably mind their own business. But there are always certain people just itching to make a scene wherever they go, so it’s best to be careful. Now, in Progress, on the other hand, you’d be surprised how many snitches there are! People love finding weaknesses or failures in others, and then calling them out for it. It’s a bizarre obsession that’s only been encouraged by the government’s false claims that we’re dangerous and subversive.”
“Yeah, I got made fun of a lot,” Daria replied. “But it was mostly just because they thought I was skipping pills or trying to be rebellious. I was never accused of being a sleeper, though. Not to my face, anyway.”
“Well, the public agenda against sleepers has lessened in your lifetime. In the early days, sleepers were more actively trying to challenge the status quo, so the Doctors, backed by the government, made a more concerted effort to root them out. To be fair, the sleepers weren’t always acting in the best ways, that’s for sure. Some of them needed to be stopped. But it doesn’t mean that everything they said or did was wrong. There’s something sick beneath the surface there - beneath the surface everywhere, since the invention of Sendrax.”
“So the Doctors and the government ‘dealt with’ some of the sleepers, right?”
“To put it mildly, yes.”
“And then the rest of us just sorta went quiet and stopped challenging things?”
Helena stared down at her tea, then at the floor. She slowly nodded her head.
“Yup,” she said, “that’s pretty much it.”
“But why?” Daria asked. “Couldn’t we find other ways to --”
Just then, Theresa entered the waiting area and waved to them from across the room.
“Come here! Quickly!” she mouthed silently.
____________________________
“Are you telling me everything, Lena?”
“Why?”
“I thought you said this girl wasn’t a... you know.”
“She’s not. I’m sure of it.”
Theresa shook her head and sighed as they rounded the next corner, and the next, before arriving at an examination room. She swiped her ID card over a metal plate mounted on the wall, and the door popped open.
“I’ve only run a preliminary scan but...” She trailed off, folding her arms and staring at Helena.
“But what? What’s going on, Theresa?”
“Look.”
They joined her at a computer monitor.
Daria studied the screen. There, in a vivid array of yellows, reds, blues, and greens, was a digital model of her friend’s brain.
That’s kinda cool. And kinda weird at the same time.
Then she noticed something. And so did Helena.
“You see what I mean?” Theresa asked.
“What is that?” Helena replied.
At the base of the brain scan was a dense circle, maybe an inch in diameter, with a faint glow extending another inch or so beyond it. It was unlike anything else in the image. And it didn’t take a medical degree to realise that it wasn’t natural.
“I presume it’s the ‘affliction’ you all suffer from, isn’t it?”
“But it’s not purple,” Daria objected. “Aren’t slee- I mean, isn’t it normally purple? This spot is just...”
As she trailed off, Helena finished her sentence.
“Black. Like the cloud.”
“Like the what?” Theresa asked.
“Nothing. So, is there anything else going on? I mean, is she stable physically? Does she need to stay here?”
“Until she regains consciousness, yes, she should stay here. I haven’t had a chance to run enough tests yet, but so far this is the only abnormality I’ve seen.”
“Thanks, Theresa. I guess we’ll stay the night in town and check back in tomorrow. Does that sound good?”
“Of course. But you do realise, Lena, that I can’t just ignore this. It’s one thing if it’s... you know. I’m willing to look the other way. But if you’re certain this isn’t the normal ‘affliction’, then I’m going to need to report it. We could be dealing with something dangerous here. Maybe even contagious. You understand, I’m sure.”
Daria looked back and forth between Helena, Theresa, and the image of her friend’s brain.
Then she looked down at her hand.
So much had happened over the last several hours, she hadn’t noticed it before that moment. But there, on the index finger of her left hand, was an odd discolouration. A thin, grey streak running from the nail down to the base of her hand, as if a vein beneath the surface had been charred...
She ran her right hand over it.
Then she took a deep breath before she spoke.
“Um, I think I might be able to help.”
____________________________
“But I helped Jake, didn’t I?”
“This is different, Daria. I won’t allow it.”
“Won’t allow it? But this is my friend. My closest friend since we were little kids. She was the only person who accepted me no matter what, even when I was at my worst. And she’s only mixed up in all of this because of me. If I can help her, I’m going to.”
They were standing outside, in front of the hospital. Brett was with them now and Helena had filled him in on the situation.
“It’s just like my dream,” Daria continued. “Remember? ‘Release them’. I released Jake. I can release Brix, too.”
Helena folded her arms and paced a few steps back and forth.
“This is different, Daria,” she replied.
“Why? How?
”
Helena stopped pacing and made eye contact with her.
“You have to accept the fact that your friend is one with the Dark now.”
Daria’s head jerked back a little in shock and confusion.
“What?” she asked in a disgusted tone.
“You heard me. Just like you and I, and the other sleepers, are one with the gift inside us, I think the Dark has somehow merged with your friend. It explains why she’s not in control of herself. And why she lashed out at us like she did.”
“But I thought we believed that Dr. Reston was controlling her? It’s not her choice. He did something to her.”
“Oh, I’m certain he’s responsible for this!” Helena agreed. “No question. But that doesn’t change the fact that your friend is ‘infected’, if that’s what we should call it.”
“But how do you know that? You see a spot on the scan and suddenly you know she’s ‘one with the Dark’ and ‘infected’? You don’t even have the right words to describe it! I mean, have you seen this before? How can you be sure?”
Daria’s frustration was growing. It was her turn to fold her arms now and pace a few steps either way.
“You’re right,” Brett said, stepping in to try to ease the tension. He placed his hand on her back as she paced by him. “Like I said during our afternoon at Artist Point, we’re all still trying to figure things out. No one knows everything, Daria. We’re doing the best we can with what we observe and with what the gift reveals to us.”
Daria stopped walking and let her arms drop back to her sides. Brett had a comforting way about him. His voice was deep but smooth and steady. His presence was reassuring, like an anchor amidst the waves of uncertainty.
He reminded her of Corey.
She felt her eyes begin to moisten and she quickly rubbed them with her hand.
“Look,” she started, sniffing to stop the tears. “I trust you guys. I really do. And I know it’s a long shot. I know she’s been affected in a way that’s deeper than Jake was. I know that Dr. Reston did something awful to her - and clearly still is doing something awful to her. But I also know that good people sacrificed a lot to try to save her. Max took a bullet in the leg. Julia is lost on her own somewhere. And Corey and Aaron...”