Chapter 29 #3
“And you’re fired!” Res6 storms toward the door but stops, turning at the last moment.
Then into his m-volt he thinks, speaking aloud so Lextr can hear as well, “Security, please meet me at Laboratory E on floor 23. I have a former employee I need you to remove from the system and escort out of the building.” Then he turns to Lextr, who’s gone deathly still.
“Don’t forget you have an NDA.” Then he steps into the hall, letting the door close behind him.
He slumps against the wall. The harsh reality of Lextr’s betrayal quickly replaces the high of his successful experiment, leaving him feeling raw at the edges.
Soon, two female security guards and a man from HR are walking down the hallway toward him. He quickly explains the termination and leaves Lextr in their capable hands.
Firing the long-term employee was rash, but in the heat of the moment, it felt justified.
Yet now, as he makes his way back to his office, a dazed sensation settles over him.
The clock displays 18:50. He would really rather be getting back to his unit and have a smiling Electra greet him, but it’s almost time for another data review, and he only has one day left before he can bring his brother back.
Then they will all go home. Nervous, erratic energy vibrates through him.
It’s all going to be fine, he mentally repeats.
He has just enough time for a few calming breaths.
As he runs his palms over his thighs, he can’t get the words Lextr hurled at him out of his head. You’re the worst kind of hypocrite.
He’s fired people before for many reasons. The irony doesn’t slip past him that this is the first time he’s fired someone for being right.
December 21, 2390.
Between missing Electra and the weird, already glaring vacancy on his team, he isn’t humming with excitement like he thought he would be when he finally got to activate his brother. That isn’t great since who knows what mental state Jerme is going to wake up in.
The timing is terrible. If only he could wait until he was in a better headspace himself, but leaving a manupartner on an electrode pad after the grow sequence has completed increases the probability of glitches. He has to do this now.
He takes a last glance at the data. Everything looks good. If only he had Lextr here to review it with him a final time before he presses the green button. He considered calling to apologize, but the betrayal is too fresh. He’ll give it a few days and then call him.
With that, he kneels before the electrode pad.
Thankfully, Lextr set the sequence so he wouldn’t be required to program a name.
All he needs to do is press the button. So why is he hesitating?
Because the prospect of pressing the button and being met with another seizing trial or even just a blank manupartner stare is terrifying.
His hand is unsteady as it hovers over the green button.
He glances up one last time at the unit.
What if Electra is right, and this is a bad idea?
He could stop this right now and recycle this trial and go home to her.
He would never even have to tell her. He could put the two remaining samples back in the BioBank.
Pretend he never got this crazy idea to begin with.
It would be as if all the turmoil he’s gone through trying to resurrect his brother never happened.
Wait, why is he suddenly having second thoughts? What if this is really the one? He’s been trying to bring back Jerme for two months now. This is one of three remaining samples he can’t waste. He can’t let a bad day or a momentary hesitation upend his plan. Not when his brother is counting on him.
He takes a deep breath and presses the button. The trial’s lungs fill. Then its eyes open. When it doesn’t seize, he exhales shakily and braces himself, meeting the trial’s blinking gold eyes. His eyes.
The corner of his twin’s mouth twitches, like he’s going to smile .
. . or frown. Yet his eyes spark with unmistakable life—there’s recognition there too.
This time he’s certain of it. The unbearable weight of hope drives him forward.
He brushes trembling fingers against the cheek that mirrors his own.
“Jerme?”
Jerme sucks in a sharp breath, and he quickly scans the lab before his gaze finds Res6’s again.
“Jerme,” he urges, tears burning a hot trail down his cheeks. He knew this would be the hardest part—bringing a man back to life who’d wanted to die. But with Electra’s help, they’ll give him a reason to live. “Say something,” he begs.
“Res6?”
Everything freezes but the erratic rhythm of his heart.
“Jerme.” It’s all he can mutter. Jerme is real. He did it. It worked. “I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll fix you—” A trickle of blood sliding out of Jerme’s nostril cuts his apology short. “No.”
He reaches up, his hand trembling as he brushes the blood away.
More follows. The trembling becomes a violent shake as he wipes at it.
Instead of undoing the biological betrayal happening in his brother’s brain, it smears, staining Jerme’s unblemished cheeks.
Jerme’s eyes—his perfect, tragic, beautiful gold eyes—turn pink.
Then bright red. Broken veins, then a single crimson tear.
“No. No. No. No. This can’t be happening. The corrections department—we have to get you to the corrections department. Hang on, Jerme. I can fix this.”
Res6 frantically reaches out to wrap an arm around Jerme’s waist. “Let’s go.” He urges him forward a step, but Jerme stumbles, catching his shoulders, and dragging them both down. He barely feels knees slam into the concrete.
He’s about to scream for help when Jerme meets his eyes. “It hurts.”
“I’m so sorry,” he chokes out.
“Please, Res6. Make it stop.” Jerme goes limp.
He cradles his brother’s failing body as they slump to the floor. At least this time, he gets to hold Jerme as he dies.