Regression (31 page)

“
I have to admit it
didn’t look that way from my perspective. I agree with him though;
you really know your way around a training facility. Who showed you
the ropes?”

“
My…brother was really
into training. He spent a lot of time showing me how to do things
properly.”

“
Your…brother must
have had a lot of fun doing so. I’m Brad Hewitt. And you
are…?”

“
Adya Jordan. Nice to
meet you, Brad.”

“
What brings you to
our lovely location here at Sanctum, family members working
here?”

“
No. I’m here for
orientation training on the internship program, viewing all the
initiatives.” Brad then exhibited almost the same response as
Ron.

Frustrated, she snapped, “Alright,
now you’re doing the same thing as the boy. What the heck is the
problem with being on internship, why is it like telling you I am
afflicted with a virulent, contagious disease?”

“
I shouldn’t even say
anything to you, but the interns, who later become executives,
never mingle with us lowly people who are not their immediate team.
It’s like we’re the ones with a disease. You’d swear we’re lower
than insects to most of them. No offence, but you could do a lot
better avoiding becoming one of them. You seem like a nice girl,
how did you get selected? They never take girls.”

“
I happened to be the
student showing the most promise this year. Why do you think they
don’t interact with you?”

“
I don’t want to say
anything more. You could be a spy. Enjoy your workout, good luck
with the intern thing. But, like I said, think about how you wanna
live your life because you won’t get to see the good in people when
you live up in an ivory tower.”

Adya considered the significance
of Brad’s words as she returned to her quarters, wondering how the
executive had managed to distance itself so completely from
everyone else. She originally thought they were excluding her
because of her sex and background, but realized she was not alone
in receiving poor attitude and aloofness from the
executive.

Adya entered PN6 to begin her
third week at Sanctum. A dispensary for medical prescriptions was
situated across from the elevator for easy access by residents,
while the working laboratory was accessed through a security gate
behind the counter. Swiping her card, she gained access to the
secured area. Troy Campbell, the regressee responsible for
pharmaceutical initiatives, watched her enter. She smiled broadly
and extended her hand.

“
Hello. It will be
nice to spend some time with a fellow Canadian, eh?”

“
Yes, well, I suppose
so.” He did not appear receptive to her attempted camaraderie. “We
have a very efficient set up here. You will find everything in
order and all materials accounted for.”

“
I’m not here to
evaluate your laboratory, I’m here to learn best practice from you
and gain an understanding of what you’re working on.” The oldest
regressee, second after Abraham, Troy seemed to have a chip on his
shoulder. His deep hazel eyes reminded her of maple syrup, with
warm amber tones. Right then, those eyes were telling her she did
not belong in his domain.

“
No need to tell me
that, I know very well why you’re here. Abraham’s pet project.
Don’t play coy with me. I’ll do my duty and show you around but
don’t expect me to become your friend or fall under your spell like
the rest of them.” They had entered his private office by this
time. “Whether you were intentionally regressed or not, I don’t
appreciate your presence here. A woman has nothing to add to what
is currently going on with Three Eleven. All your presence will
cause is dissention, competition, and distraction. You have pranced
around here like a bitch in heat, flagging for the randy dogs. That
won’t work with me.”

Adya slapped his face and he
reddened up to his sandy blonde hair. “You’re way out of line.
You’re coming at me right now like one of those dogs and I would
argue it is because you are afraid the younger, faster dogs are
going to get the jump on you, not because you’re neutered.” His
eyes reflected shock at her assessment. He took a step closer to
her, using his bulky frame in an attempt to intimidate. Standing
her ground, looking up into his eyes and not giving an inch, she
fought back.

“
You need to step back
from whatever prejudice you have and realize I am just as dedicated
as the rest of you. Whatever’s coming in 2011, I will follow the
course of my destiny toward that goal as it develops without the
need to prove my femininity. I am a professional, regardless of
your opinion of me. I expect you to proceed in a professional
manner and make your judgments based on my actions, not your
assumptions. I have done nothing to earn this disrespect and expect
more from someone in your position. Can we begin this orientation
on neutral footing or should I return when you have control of
yourself?”

Troy gave a terse shake of his
head to indicate she should stay and stepped away from her. She
released the breath she had not realized she had been holding.
Hands shaking with emotion, the frustration of repeated
confrontations growing inside of her, Adya gritted her teeth and
followed him out of the office.

A different man after their
conflict, he treated Adya almost as an equal and provided her with
excellent insight into his program during the remainder of the
week. The team he headed worked on creating vaccines and anti-viral
treatments for the known biological warfare vectors. Their primary
project developed base molecules which could quickly and easily be
adapted for defence against a wide range of micro-organisms. They
avoided any treatments which had the potential to become hazards
themselves, after the fiasco of 2010 involving recombinant
treatments for cancer leading to more aggressive cancer
development. Fighting viruses with phages or other viruses created
a host of concerns which outweighed the prospective benefits
especially since the future danger was so uncertain and could be
manmade.

The actual working areas were off
limits to Adya due to the hazards associated with the bacteria and
viruses since she was not trained to work with biohazards. Each lab
had observation windows and she monitored the work from a safe
distance. Troy asked her assistance in catching up their filing
just as Peter had.

“
We use this
cataloguing program for samples, documenting both successful and
failed attempts. We release successful treatments into the general
public if deemed appropriate and beneficial, other treatments are
retained for future use if public treatments already exist. We
don’t want to create resistance.”

“
Yes, that certainly
is a risk, especially if there is overuse of the one
type.”

They met again at the end of the
week. “I owe you an apology. You have shown real facility with our
programs as well as being very helpful with the data entry you
completed. You may not be a research scientist, but you have the
makings of a good assistant.”

“
Thanks, I appreciate
the apology. Not everyone has the courage. Thank you for a good
week. I haven’t had significant exposure to epidemiology and
appreciated the insight. I’ll see you later, Troy.”

“
Goodbye,
Adya.”

The microbiology labs were also on
PN6, a complement to the epidemiology research taking place on the
same level but focusing on research unrelated to contagious
disease. Although not scheduled to begin work until the following
day, she decided to drop in to determine what time she should
arrive. Melik did not appear impressed with the
interruption.

“
You are not expected
until tomorrow.”

“
Yes, I wanted to
confirm what time I should arrive, to ensure I do not conflict with
any meetings or scheduled activities.”

“
How very considerate
of you but your presence will interfere with our plans so we have
already changed our schedules to accommodate you. I expect you like
to sleep late, so an arrival at oh nine hundred?”

“
Earlier is fine, if
needed, but I will be here at oh nine hundred tomorrow. Thank you.”
She pivoted, maintaining a normal pace in spite of her anger at his
attitude. Another example of the male protecting his domain, she
truly hoped she would not continually be fighting this battle. She
enjoyed an especially vigorous exercise routine.

Daily sampling in Peter’s lab offered Adya the opportunity to
spend time with a positive note. They often sat together at meals
as well, Henri or Troy joining them on occasion although the other
regressees tended to ignore her presence. Peter was the only person
in the facility aware of her pregnancy. At her request he brought a
hand held Doppler ultrasound to her quarters, and together they
searched for a heartbeat.

“
I’ve never listened
for a baby’s heart before.” He shrugged his shoulders, grimacing.
“I really don’t know what to do.”

“
It’s alright. I don’t
want to go to anyone else right now so I’ll take any help I can
get. I know what to do.” As she bared her flat midriff and applied
the conductive jelly, gasping at the chill, he blushed to the roots
of his blonde hair.

“
You don’t have a baby
belly.”

“
No, I usually don’t
begin to show until about 16 or 17 weeks, but I might not even show
until later because this body is so young and in such excellent
shape.” She paused, cocking her head. “That really sounds creepy,
doesn’t it? This is still so strange, to be myself but not
myself.”

“
What do you think
happened to the…original residents of our bodies? Do you think they
became part of our current awareness? Or maybe they’re lost in time
and space, never to be conscious again. That idea I don’t like,
smacks too much of murdering myself.” He shook his head, Adya
cringing in agreement.

“
It’s hard to believe
there’s a baby in there.” Managing to locate a heartbeat, he beamed
at her as they counted the beats per minute. “One forty five. Is
that normal? Seems really fast.”

“
No, that’s right
where it should be for a foetus at this point.” Peter’s hand
slipped out of position, further to her side. “Oops, what was
that?”

“
Sorry, did I mess it
up?”

“
No, but please find
the heart again, it sounded different.” He slid the Doppler around
her belly, picking up a beat just to the left of her belly button,
finding it again closer to her navel.

She glanced down at the machine.
“That’s weird. Doesn’t sound like the umbilical beat, which would
be the same speed as mine. Wait, there.” They listened to the heart
rate, counting one hundred sixty five beats per minute. She
frowned, concerned. “A rather large change in rate, especially
since I haven’t changed what I was doing.” He slipped the Doppler
back toward her navel and again picked up a heart beat at one forty
five.

“
Could there
be…”

“
My God, I think
it’s…”

“
Twins.” They spoke
simultaneously.

“
We need an ultrasound
with video screen, think there’s one in med services? Have they
been developed yet?”

“
I think
so.”

“
Could you get us in
there? I’m not about to make an appointment and face the censure a
pregnant fourteen year old would have to deal with.”

“
I think you should
tell Abraham.”

She stuck out her chin and
straightened her shoulders. “I’m not ready to do that, and he’s not
here.”

He shook his head, looking away as
she wiped the jelly from her midriff. “The clinic closes at four
each afternoon, the doctor remains on call, since he can’t roam too
far they don’t maintain staff after hours. Our ID passes will get
us in but, just so you know, access’ll be recorded and someone
might question the use. I’ll use my card and face the
questions.”

“
Thank you so much for
understanding, Peter. Having you here has helped immensely. You’ve
been a great support to me.” She stood and hugged him. He lightly
returned the gesture.

“
We’ll meet later
tonight, after most staff have retired.”

They rendezvoused on PN4, feeling
very much like teenagers planning a midnight prank. Peter’s card
granted them access to the medical facility and they searched
together for the ultrasound equipment. It took a few minutes to
power up. Adya tapped the machine, turning to Peter. “Where were
you born? Any family?”

“
I was the only child
born to older parents so led a somewhat sheltered life. I
originally flunked science in high school but loved the subject so
much I persevered and finally got admitted to university in
genetics. In the first timeline I dedicated my life to research, no
time for family or even friends. I look back with regret for that
fact.”

“
What do you remember
of the day you arrived? Or…left, I guess.”

“
On November 11, 2011,
I was driving on the highway leading to my parent’s village, I was
going to visit for a week while taking a sabbatical from my
university teaching position. The car began to slide out of
control, and the next thing I was waking up in a hospital bed in
1971.”