by Andrea Ring
“Why don’t you ask him about it?” I say. “You’re his best friend. I think he needs you.”
Tyrion sighs. “I wish that were the case. I am a reminder for him, of the very thing that set Vivian’s death in motion. I do not believe he wants to hold it against me, but I think he does anyway.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” I say, “but if it is, I think it’s changing. Dacey’s had a breakthrough. Let’s hope he goes back to work.”
Tyrion is silent for several heartbeats. “I would like him to return to the Attic and to the people he knows, or even to join the Morula Center, to work with me.”
“I know,” I say. “And if that’s what he chooses to do, I’ll be happy for him. But I really need his help, Tyrion. I’m trying to save Tessa’s life, and with a miracle, my dad’s too.”
“We are working on that at Morula,” he says. “Dweller lifespan. We have some promising starts.”
“That’s great!” I say. “I didn’t know that. Can we share data?”
“Yes,” he says, “but I want you to focus on Tessa first. I will not distract you with other experiments. Figure out the genetic engineering, and then I will share.”
I smile. “Deal. Okay, talk to Dacey about what he wants to do, and have him call me.”
“Ahhhhh!” Tyrion screams.
“What? What is it? Tyrion!” I hear silence, and the adrenaline kicks in. I scream again. “Tyrion!”
I hear scuffling, and then booming laughter.
“Tyrion?”
“Oh, Thomas, I am sorry. I…Dacey pantsed me!”
“He…pantsed you?”
“And I am going commando.”
I laugh. “Ouch.”
“Are you certain he is not possessed?” Tyrion whispers.
***
As soon as I hang up the phone, I realize I forgot to ask Tyrion about his date with Jack. Damn.
And then I get a text from Kate:
Call me NOW. PRIVATE!
Hmmm. Interesting. I’m already outside by myself, so I sit on the front porch steps and call her.
“Hey, Thomas.”
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Last night…did you notice anything odd about Tessa?” she asks.
I furrow my brow. “Not really. If you mean being tired, I think she’s still getting over her cold. Why?”
“Kenneth and I both noticed…did you notice how many times she rubbed her eyes?”
“Huh,” I say. “Now that you mention it, I guess she did rub them a few times. Why?”
“Thomas,” she says, and it makes me hold my breath. “She has a tic. In the right eyelid muscle. It was twitching all night.”
It’s a good thing I’m sitting down, because my knees suddenly turn to jelly. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” she says. “We’re sure. I wouldn’t bring it to your attention if I didn’t think it was important.”
“Fuck,” I whisper. And then I scream. “Fuck! What do I do?”
“You do what you’ve been doing,” Kate says. “You work on it. We’re all working on it. We’re going as fast as we can.”
“It’s not fucking fast enough!” I say. “I’m heading to the lab. Can you guys meet me?”
“We can’t, Thomas. My sister’s in labor…but we’ll be in touch. If you have any questions, call us. If things go quickly at the hospital, we’ll be in tomorrow.” I stand. “And Thomas?”
“Yeah?”
“Stick with the plan. Finish the immune suppression drug. That’s the important piece.”
“Yeah,” I say as I push into the house. “Got it. Talk to you soon.”
I head straight to our bedroom.
Tessa is still asleep.
I throw on some shorts and a clean t-shirt. I run my fingers through my hair and decide that since I brushed my teeth last night, I really don’t need to brush them again this morning.
Tessa stirs.
Damn it. I promised her I wouldn’t withhold information. I promised I would always be honest with her.
I sit beside her on the bed and brush a hand over hair. “Tessa?”
“Hmm?” She rolls over and faces me. “Hey there.”
“Hey. I’m going into work.”
She frowns. “I thought you weren’t working today.”
“I wasn’t,” I say, “but Kate just called, and she noticed something last night. About you.”
Tessa just raises an eyebrow at me.
“She said your right eyelid is twitching.”
“It is,” she says. “She noticed it? I didn’t think anyone could tell. I tried to look at myself in the mirror, but I couldn’t see it.”
I bite my lip. “We think Huntington’s is kicking in.”
Tessa’s eyes tear. “You do?”
I nod. “But I’m really close to having the cure. Plus, I can hook up to you and fix any brain damage as it occurs. It’s super early. You won’t have any lasting affects.”
“Brain damage,” she whispers. Then her eyes grow fierce. “You will not hook up to me.”
I place my hands on her cheeks. “I will not let anything happen to you. I’ll figure this out.”
Tessa sniffs and nods. “Okay. Got it. I’m okay.”
“You are.” I give her a kiss and stand. “I’ll check in, but don’t expect me home tonight.”
Chapter Sixteen
I stomp into the lab and go directly to the fridge. I take out the vial of Tessa’s altered DNA and the vial of my own DNA altered with Huntington’s disease. I take them with me back to my office and stare at the vial of Tessa’s DNA. It is the cure. The thing that will keep Tessa healthy and whole. The only thing more precious to me in the world is Tessa herself.
I open a log on my laptop.
I have to give myself Huntington’s disease and then see if I can cure it. That’s been the plan all along, but ideally we want to do it in conjunction with my immune suppression drug.
Screw that. The drug will add a week to the timetable. I don’t have a week. I’ll just suppress my immune system using my own abilities, in the same way the drug would work.
If this genetic engineering is successful, then I’ll just go for it with Tessa, and hook up to her to suppress her immune system. Much faster. There’s the wrinkle that Tessa won’t actually let me hook up to her, but I’ll deal with that when I’m ready.
I type away, outlining what I’m about to do. Then I grab the vials and head to our surgical room.
I gather what I need and sit down on the operating table. I fill a syringe with my altered DNA and inject it into my thigh. I repeat the process for four more injections, then lie down and close my eyes.
I spread the DNA throughout my body, to every cell. My cells soak it right up. The DNA integrates.
At some point, I fall asleep.
***
I hear someone yelling. My body trembles. Someone is shaking my shoulder.
“Thomas! Wake up!”
“Wha…okay, okay.” I open my eyes and find a panicked Kate leaning over me. I struggle to sit up, and she boosts me with a hand on my back. “I’m up! What’s wrong?”
She holds up the half-full vial of DNA. “Did you inject this?”
I cringe. Kate likes me to stick to the plan, and this plan just exploded into pieces. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
“Oh, my God. Kenneth. Kenneth! He did it! Oh my God, Thomas, we have to fix this now!”
“It’s okay, Kate,” I say, swinging my legs off the side of the table. “I’m fine. My immune system hasn’t kicked in, and I have the other DNA I need in the fridge, my original DNA. I think I should wait two days for it to fully integrate before I fix it, but I’m fine.”
Kate’s eyes turn glassy, and a tear slips down her cheek. “Thomas,” she whispers. She holds the vial out to me.
I take it. “What?”
“Look.”
I look. I’m holding a half-full vial of Tessa’s altered DNA. “Are you messing with me?” I fling myself off the table.
> She shakes her head.
Oh my God. Oh no, oh my…I can’t believe it.
I just altered my DNA…to Tessa’s.
Chapter Seventeen
Kenneth comes in with his phone stuck to his ear.
I sink to the floor.
“Do you think that will work? We’ll do it. Yes, now! Go! See you in ten.” He shoves the phone in his pocket and starts barking orders. “Kate, get Thomas’s DNA from the fridge. Now.”
Kate runs out, and Kenneth squats down next to me. “What time did you get here?”
“Eight-thirty,” I whisper.
Kenneth frowns and pulls on my arm. “Get up. Now. On the table.”
I climb to my feet and ease my butt up onto the table. I feel numb, like I’m not really present.
“Feel inside yourself, Thomas. The DNA may not have fully integrated yet. See if you can reverse this.”
I stare at him blankly. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me hard. “Get your fucking head in the game!” he screams. “You have to help! Help me!”
I squeeze my eyes shut and feel inside my body. I get nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I shake my head.
“No, you won’t help, or no, you’ve lost your abilities?”
“My…abilities,” I choke out. “They’re gone.”
Kenneth grits his teeth. “Fight for them. Fight! There might be something left. Search, damn it! Try!”
I lie down and search inside my body. I concentrate. I try to find one little cell that might still be me.
Still nothing.
Kate storms back in, a full syringe in her hand. “You ready?” she asks me.
I nod.
She thrusts the needle into my thigh and depresses the plunger.
I try, I really do. I imagine my body corralling the DNA and distributing it. But without my abilities, I have no idea if it’s working.
I open my eyes to find Kate and Kenneth hovering over me. “No,” I say.
Kenneth growls and paces to the wall. He screams and punches it, his fist going straight through the drywall.
“Kenneth!” Kate says. “That’s not gonna help.”
“I can’t believe this,” he says. “I can’t fucking believe this.” Then he turns on me. “How did you mix up the DNA? Why didn’t you follow the plan?”
“I never follow the plan,” I mumble. “I panicked. I thought…I thought I had the right DNA. I never make mistakes.”
Kate interjects. “Forget the why and the how. They don’t matter. We have to brainstorm and figure out a way to fix this. Fast.”
“There’s no way,” I say. “I’m out. I can’t even help with the research.”
“You’re not dead, Thomas, you’re just normal like the rest of us. You still have all the knowledge.”
“I didn’t just take away my abilities, Kate!” I yell. “I used Tessa’s DNA! My pinkies took three days to straighten. Doesn’t that mean I have about three days before I turn into a girl?”
“It won’t happen like that, and you know it,” she says. “You’re going to produce different proteins, different hormones. We can control that with medication.”
Then Dad walks in. He just stands in the doorway and stares at me. I can’t even look him in the eye.
“I think we need to have you at the Attic,” he says.
Kenneth glares at him. “You don’t think we can fix this here?”
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Dad says. “But I know we have several retroviruses we can use to reinsert Thomas’s original DNA. I think that’s the best option.”
“Okay,” Kenneth says. “No pissing contest. I don’t care how this gets fixed as long as it gets fixed.”
I swallow hard. “Do you know how this will affect me?” I ask Dad. “I mean…will I lose my penis?”
Dad bursts out with a laugh. “Eventually, maybe. But no, your penis isn’t going anywhere. I want grandkids. You can bet your ass we’re saving your penis.”
Chapter Eighteen
We start with brain cells. Dad inserts my DNA into a retrovirus and injects them into my head via my eyeball.
We have no idea if this will actually work. So we wait.
I call Tessa as I’m getting ready for bed. For now, I’m bunking at the Attic.
“Hey, how are you?” I ask her.
“Fine,” she says. “The same.”
“Eyelid still twitching?”
“Yeah,” she says. “A bit. What time will you be home?”
“About that,” I say. “Um, I won’t be home for a while. Maybe a few weeks.”
“A few weeks?”
“I’m staying at the Attic. I, uh, God, Tessa, I made a horrible mistake.”
Tessa doesn’t say anything.
“I…I messed up. I injected the wrong DNA. I…I’ve lost my abilities.”
Tessa laughs. “You don’t make mistakes.”
“Of course I do!” I explode. “I’m human, just like everyone else. I’m allowed to make mistakes!”
“Thomas, calm down. You mean, you’re serious?”
“Yes,” I choke out.
“Oh my God…your abilities? Gone?”
“Yes.”
Tessa gulps loudly. “Can you fix it?”
“I don’t know.”
“What…what can I do?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “Just be patient, I guess. I don’t know how long this will take.”
“Okay,” she says. “I’m here if you need me. Keep in touch.”
“I will,” I say. “I love you.”
Tessa sniffs. “Love you, too.”
I punch my pillow and lie back on the narrow bed.
If I hadn’t made that promise to Tessa, I would never have told her what’s going on.
‘Cause I heard it, that thing in her voice. The disappointment, the guilt. The realization that I’m not infallible, that I’m totally human and ordinary and a failure.
That she doesn’t want to tie herself to someone like that.
If I don’t fix this fast, my abilities won’t be the only thing I’ve lost.
Chapter Nineteen
Since I never really slept, I’m wide awake when Tyrion bursts into my room at five o’clock in the morning.
“Dude! What the hell happened?”
I scrub a hand over my face and sit up. “Dude?” I say. “Kind of a casual word for you.”
“Stop evading,” he says. “What nonsense is this? Trent just told me you have lost your abilities!”
Good old Dr. Trent, keeping the wheels of the rumor mill turning.
I throw my legs off the bed and reach for my jeans. “Yep. I fucked up. Completely.”
Tyrion stares at me, open-mouthed.
“Don’t say it, okay?” I mumble. “I don’t need any lectures. I just need to fix it.”
Tyrion nods. “I understand. I will do anything in my power to help you, Thomas, you know that.”
I nod back and pull my t-shirt over my head. “Thanks.”
“And Dacey is here. His hair is groomed to within an inch of its life. I think that is a good sign.”
I smile. “Dacey being here is a good sign. Maybe he can hook up to me.”
Tyrion frowns. “I do not wish to disparage him, but I believe that is beyond Dacey’s abilities.”
“It may be,” I say. “But we won’t know until we try.” I head for the door, and Tyrion clears his throat. I look back at him. “Yeah?”
He shifts his stance. “I have something, it is experimental, but I believe it will work, in fact I have one hundred percent certainty that it will work, though it has not been tried on a Dweller, and my research partner, he may not be too keen about bringing a Dweller in, but perhaps I could persuade him…”
I wave my hand in the air a few times, signaling Tyrion to move along.
He sighs. “I can fix you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “How?”
“It is experimental, as I said—”
“Jesus, Tyrion, I�
��m dying here. Get to the point.”
“It is basically a blood transfusion. I can super-dose the blood with your DNA, and everything integrates perfectly.”
“How?” I repeat.
“It is my own creation, a protein the blood can carry that allows any type of cell to integrate new DNA. The DNA piggybacks on the protein. My trials have been most successful.”
“That’s…amazing,” I say as I process it. “And all I have to do is the blood transfusion? What about side affects?”
“All positive,” he says. “Cell replication occurs faster, so the pace of healing is markedly increased. Nothing negative so far.”
I put a hand on Tyrion’s arm. “Let’s go tell my dad,” I say, pulling him along behind me.
But Tyrion digs his heals in. “Wait, Thomas. Wait.”
“What?”
He presses his lips together. “I do not think your dad would be on board with this. Trials are not complete. It is experimental.” He scratches his forehead. “Plus, as I said, my partner…he does everything by the Morula Center book. He would not welcome you.”
“So why even bring it up, then?” I ask.
“Because it will heal you. It will work. We just need to be…a bit circumspect about getting it done.”
I clench my fists. “I trust you. What do you want me to do?”
“Go ahead with what is planned here for today. It will take me some time to integrate your DNA anyway and get set up. We will have to do it after hours.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. Can you be at the Morula Center at ten?”
I clasp his hand. “I’ll be there.”
***
It’s good to see Dacey back.
His hair does look spit-shined, but there are still faint bruises under his eyes, and the twinkle in them is gone. Maybe it will never return. But he’s in good spirits and throws himself into our brainstorming session to right my horrible mistake.
A nurse takes blood samples from me, and Dad inserts more of my DNA with a different retrovirus. I’m beginning to think this method is a fool’s errand. After several hours, I detect no changes in my body.
Dacey agrees to try to hook up to me. We start by cutting our hands open and clasping them together. I guide him along, telling him to grow a nerve out from the cut and into my hand.