NEXUS POINTS : Chapter 17-18

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Chapter 17

Kora found it hard to breathe as the elevator door slowly closed. She needed air. “Rooftop,” she told the AI, leaning against the cold, steel wall. The door opened again. 

Kora pushed open the door to the rooftop garden, sitting down on the first bench she saw. She closed her eyes, waiting for the fainting spell to pass. 

“Breathe...” The small voice inside her prompted. “Breathe, Kora.”

Kora could hear the thumping of her heart. She took a deep breath. The cold air slowly cleared her head. A resonating tone rang in her ear. Startled, her eyes shot open. 

Kora found herself standing at the top of the semi-circular amphitheater, looking down at the stage. Pandemonium abounded. People running, screaming. There it was, the body of Danny Wilcox sprawling lifeless on stage, another body behind him. Blood smeared the light and dark grey diamond-patterned carpet lining the floor. 

Kora heard a noise to her right. She turned, just in time to see the back of a woman in a purple skirt suit disappearing into the exit tunnel. She chased after her, almost tripping over something on the floor. She grabbed onto the back of a seat to steady herself. She looked down at the dark grey object beneath her feet. 

The weapon was about thirty centimeters long. Its nozzle pointed towards her boots. A burning smell hit Kora's nostrils.

She ran into the exit tunnel. She could hear footsteps below her. A figure was running down the stairwell. 

“Stop!” Kora shouted. The figure didn’t pause. As it rounded a spiral, she could see a man wearing light brown military fatigues and a face mask that covered his entire head.

Where did the woman in the purple skirt suit go? 

Kora started after the man. She missed a step and lost her balance, rolling down the stairwell.

“Kora!” a voice called out to her. It sounded distant. She opened her eyes to look into Cody’s small pale face. A white winter cap covered his bald head, his deep blue eyes wide with wonderment. 

“Are you okay? What are you thinking?” he asked. 

Kora looked around her. Low, concrete planting boxes surrounded her and Cody, filled with succulents, cacti and other drought-tolerant plants. Benches sat between the boxes. She shivered in the chilly air. 

Kora took a deep breath, trying to ground herself back to reality. “I was just thinking about... nothing.” 

“No, you were thinking about something. You just don’t want to tell me,” Cody said innocently.

Kora smiled. She took Cody’s hand into hers. “I’m sorry! My mind was somewhere else.”

“I came to see you yesterday but they said you left.” Cody frowned. “Now you’re back.”

“I came to see Dr. Sandberg.”

“I worry about you, Kora!”

Kora couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I mean it.” Cody paused. “Kora, are you sick?”

Kora looked into those deep blue eyes. Something in her crumbled. Tears rolled down her face. She told Cody what she’d just found out from Sandberg, that she was sick and might die the way Anita had someday.

“It’s not so bad.”

“What?”

“Being sick. It’s not so bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been sick all my life. I’ve lived in this hospital my entire life, but there’re so many nice people here. They’re all kind to me. Dr. Sandberg, Anita, you, all the nurses.”

Kora looked at Cody in amazement, speechless.

“I thought I was going to die. Then they came up with new treatments. People like you, Kora. You come up with new treatments all the time. Now I’m getting better. Someday I’m going to leave this hospital. I’m going to go to a real school with other children. I just know it.” Cody squeezed Kora’s hand. “You’re smart. Why don’t you find a cure for yourself?”

Kora broke into uncontrollable sobs. She held Cody tightly in her arms.

“Don’t cry, Kora. You’re going to be okay.”

Kora rested her head on Cody’s small shoulder, borrowing the strength and courage she needed from this six-year-old boy. At that moment she decided she was going to be okay, that everything was going to be okay.

Chapter 18

It felt claustrophobic in the small three-meter by three-meter room. It had only a metal table and two chairs, all of which were bolted to the concrete floor. The air-lock door had a small opening at the top fashioned with what looked like bulletproof glass.

The door opened presently. Yong Liu was led into the room by a uniformed guard. He looked tired and haggard in the grey jumpsuit that hung loosely on his body, looking much older than when Kora had last seen him less than a week ago. 

Yong sat down across from Kora. 

Kora almost broke down in tears when she saw the handcuffs on Yong’s wrists. “Yong... I’m...” She choked up before she could finish her sentence.

Liu reached out to grab Kora’s hand. “It’s all right, Kora. I’m all right.”

She held back her tears. “I don’t believe for a second what they’re saying about you! Who did this to you?” 

“Listen to me carefully, Kora. You have to stop researching Anita’s death or they’ll come after you.” Liu was a serious man but Kora had never seen him this serious before.

“This all happened because of our research, didn’t it?” Kora asked.

“This is much bigger than you and I originally thought.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I... I tripped an alarm...” Liu paused, reluctant to go on. “It doesn’t matter. We all have our destiny,” he sighed. A mix of frustration, anger and resignation appeared on his face.

“What is it you’re not telling me? Tell me. Let me help you.”

Yong simply shook his head.

Kora thought for a moment. “Are you trying to protect me?”

“You don’t understand. The people who framed me are powerful. You need to think about your career, your future.”

Kora was silent for a moment. “It’s too late for that.”

“What do you mean? Has something happened?”

“They fired me after your arrest.” 

Kora told Yong about her meeting with Derin Serpius and Tanya Grover at the Compliance Office, about how Serpius had discredited her publicly. “No therapeutics company will ever hire me again.” 

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Liu said.

“What?”

“Serpius is a dangerous man. You need to stay as far away from him as possible.”

Kora wasn’t surprised by what Yong said. She had a bad feeling about that man. She decided to tell Yong about her test results. “This isn’t just about Anita anymore. My brain biopsy came back this morning. I have the same degeneration Anita had in my limbic system.”

“Kora... I’m so sorry, kiddo.” Yong fell silent. He closed his eyes and sighed, as if     coming to a decision. “Have you ever heard of the FS Project?”

Kora thought for a moment. “You mean the DNA hybridization experiments sponsored by the State? I know they were banned.”

“The project started during the CTE outbreak. I was on the original research team.” Liu paused. He ran his fingers through his hair. “We experimented with inserting foreign DNA into the human genome. The original purpose of the project was to find ways to strengthen our genomic makeup against new viral mutations. There were also experiments on gene modifications in order to transcribe new proteins that would strengthen our immune system.” 

Kora listened intently. Those were the pioneering days of what was now known as nanotherapeutic genetics. “Why were the experiments banned?”

“I swore under oath not to divulge that information. All of us did. Let’s just say we went too far. There were... unintended consequences.”

“What’s the connection between those experiments and Anita’s death?” Kora asked.

“My experiments concluded that the degeneration in Anita’s brain was caused by mutations in the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. I’ve seen similar mutations in the FS experiments.”

“What kind of mutations?”

“It gets...complicated, but they were not the results of viral infections or some random error. Unfortunately, all my research files were erased. The SSA agents couldn’t find the report I filed anywhere. I’m afraid the people who framed me got to it.”

Kora felt a pang of indignant anger. She leaned towards Yong across the metal table. “Where can I find the research data on the FS experiments?”

“Like I said, they were sealed, by State Executive Order. They were archived at NID’s research library, but I couldn’t access them. They even took all my handwritten notes.”

“Who are these people? Why are they doing this?”

Liu looked into Kora’s eyes. “I don’t believe Serpius is the only person behind this. I think he’s working with some very powerful people. They’re trying to cover up something.”

“What are they covering up?”

“That I don’t know, but I suspect Anita’s condition may be more common among the general population than we know. You just told me you were diagnosed with the same degeneration.”

Kora was shocked. “Are you saying more people could be slowly going insane and don’t even know it?”

“I hope I’m wrong. One thing is for sure – you can’t go back to NID, ever! Be careful who you trust with what I just told you.”

“What about you? What can I do to help you?”

Yong gave a bitter smile. Kora had never seen him this despondent. 

“Nothing. I’m afraid the die has been cast.”

- End of Chapter 18 -