The Last Light of Haven

Chapter two: The Work We Inherit.

We sat there in the lab working quietly. Every so often I would look over at my father. I always loved working in the lab with him. It’s never changed. The day I turned eighteen he had promised I would get to do some better research. That I could help him with something really important. Every day since I would do my work and wait. Today was finally that day. “Aria, come here. I would like to show you something.” Excitedly I got up and crossed the room and sat down at my fathers old desk with him. As I sat down I couldn’t help but look at some of the papers scattered and crumbled across its surface. There were papers even sticking out of the side of the drawers. In the corner was a picture frame that had a c***k in the corner. It was from Christmas three years ago of myself, father and Jake with our arms across each other's shoulders. We were all so happy. I smiled bigger looking at it. I could barely contain how excited I was. I looked over at Jake who was watching curiously. He hands me the piece of paper he was looking at. “I want you to look at that, and then look at this.” He pushes the lens of the microscope in my direction. I looked at the paper in my hands. It was a list of possible results from last night's new rounds of simulations. I studied them for a moment. They looked promising. Next I looked through the scope. “What do you see?” I smiled. I knew the answer.

“The slides are of red blood cells!” Father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose like he does when disappointed.

“Jake, take a look.” I handed Jake the results and slid the microscope his way. He took a few moments looking over the page, then switched to the scope, and again back to the page.

“I see the results are inconclusive.” He nodded his head thoughtfully. After a moment he said

“Run it again.”

“But we ran this last night 4 times already.” With a weary smile

“Run it again.” He then patted me on my head and walked over to the computer and was lost in thought as he looked for something in its files. I noticed he seemed to pause and stare at the screen with this look I couldn’t quite describe.

“What are you looking at?” He paused for a moment before turning to me with a gentle smile.

“I’m not sure yet, run that sample again please aria.” I start to protest

“But, I?.” He cut me short with a small waive of his hand. As if telling a small child to run along and play.

“I said please just run that again and give me the results.”

“Yes, Dr. Voss.” I said almost sarcastically.

“Aria.” He said with that fatherly tone I knew all too well. I put my hands up defensively showing I would listen. I turned back to Jake who was already preparing another slide of the same sample. “So what are we supposed to be looking at?” I whispered.

“Well we are looking at the red cell count against that last formula to see if there is a change in structure.” He hands me the paper again and points. “And then comparing it with the cells from a sample with the virus. Trying to find a vaccine that works to at least slow the progression since we can’t quite figure out how to reverse it yet.”

“What samples are these?”

“Well I do believe they are a bit older and probably not going to be any good much longer with the way he wants us to keep running them so quickly.” I nodded trying to follow along.

“What makes these more special?”

“It’s not exactly that they are more special from what I’ve been seeing, just a different blood type than the others.”

I thought for a moment. I looked over at father and his tired expression as he read over the screen.

“Do we really think there is an answer to buy us more time?”

“Personally, I hope there is. But your father, I mean Dr. Voss is sure, and that’s enough for me to keep trying.” He looked over at father too. Then we looked at each other. We didn’t need to say what we thought. We knew it was the same. We had to push on no matter the cost. Looking back, at the time. I didn’t know the weight that sentence would actually carry. I just went ahead to prepare the next batch of samples. Carefully putting just a drop of the vials of blood on the slides, and to only a few select ones, the remainder of the formula from the new vaccine trial we created a few months ago. With a steady hand I finished preparing them and labeled each one carefully as father had taught me. I enjoyed this for some reason. Mostly I think because it was just a fun memory for me. I tried so many times to get it right. My poor father seemed to have the patience of a saint with as many times as I messed up or used too much of a sample.

“Aria…” Jake's tone said it all.

“I know, I know, I'm starting off again.” I said in a light hearted tone. We worked for hours in silence. Each of us focused on what we were doing to ensure that there were no errors. After we finished labeling everything and recording and numbering the slides, we carried them back over to the lab table and started up the computer and readied the microscope and began to run the tests over and over again working carefully and recording what we observed. As we worked, father would walk over and watch over our shoulders. Asking what we saw, look at himself, check the data, and then make a note is his note pad he kept in his lab coat. Just a small thing that was so worn and scribbled on. I was surprised there was even room for him to write anymore. I've asked a few times what exactly he would write on it. He always seemed to change the subject or say it was just a note to continue a thought he had later.

Once when I was younger, when I first started officially learning the things my father did in the lab, I asked him a lot of questions. Like how did he know what to work on or what to even do. He would chuckle and then went on to tell the story of how this all started. He was the first person to really explain what the world use to be based off of what he was told by his father. That passing of knowledge applied to all of haven. Not just to us in the lab. Everyone had a job and they were literally born into that role for the most part. Yes as you got older you could branch out and do something different of course, but no one really did. My generation of doctors, bakers, teachers, scientists and even nurses, we learned it all from our parents. Everyone was ok with that. I was put in the back of my head and in my heart, I couldn't help but want more. Not because I didn't enjoy what we did. But because there just had to be more to life than filling in the next slot of workers each generation. I use to spend plenty of time with a few bakers learning how to process the wheat and make flour from the products of the garden in the green houses where we grew what we needed. From the farmers that worked there i learned the different plants and to make sure there was no weeds to collect water from the things growing in there. I listened to the way the teachers talked and taught the students as I would pass by the learning hall. I absorbed it all.

The hours dragged on as we continued to run the tests. The late night hours crept up on us slowly. A yawn would escape one of our mouths and we should shrug it off and keep working quietly. The beeps of the machines, the scratches of our pencils on the papers, and the soft clicking of the keyboard filled the room. At one point I fell asleep with my head propped up on my hand on the table till it slid off jolting me awake. I rubbed my eyes and pushed the hair out of my face that managed to escape the braid I had fixed this morning. I tried to blow them out of the way and failed. “These damn baby hairs,” I muttered to myself.

“Why don't you two take a break or I can finish it for you guys. Either way you two deserve some rest.” father said as he patted both our shoulders.

“Ya Aria, if you need rest I can stay and help finish.” Jake tried to look awake but was just as tired as I was. I could see it on his face. We had been at it for hours.

“You know what, I think I'll keep going a little while longer.” Jake loved trying to out do me when it came to my father. The Great Dr. Voss. any chance he had to try and impress him he took. This was the first time finally being included in the actually important work and I wasn't about to let him pass me.

“Well in that case, let me go make us all some coffee. It's going to be a long night, kids.” watched him disappear around the corner. I leaned back in my chair and stretched my arms above my head and let out a long yawn. I sat up straight and cracked my knuckles and moved my neck around stretching it out. I looked over at Jake, who was steadily rubbing his tired brown eyes. His hair was sticking up in different directions just like fathers from running his hands through it in thought. We kept working at a slower pace. Neither one of us is willing to give in and stop tonight. After a while father came back and handed each of us a hot cup of coffee. The steam rolled off the top of our mugs visibly in the cool air of the lab. I took mine in both hands and welcomed the warmth as I took a sip and closed my eyes.

“You know,” Jake said in a tired tone. I open my eyes and turn around to look at him. Taking a small mental break from staring into the microscope. I took my glasses off for a moment welcoming the break I was giving them and rubbed my nose. “We are going to be running these tests for the foreseeable future,” he sighed. “And this is exactly what I meant when I said absolutely nothing around here changes. Father laughed a little and before he could respond, the alarm rang loud and clear. We all stood up as the red warning lights flashed overhead signalling a possible contamination breach. Instinctively I looked at my father for direction and could tell he had no idea what was happening either. A few moments went by and then the scouts over the sound system for emergencies for the different level of haven requested fathers appearance in the nurses wine immediately. Father quickly ran out the door of the lab and we followed. I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or curiosity, or the sudden sense that I was about to miss something big if I didn't. He looked back at us while he ran. “Well Jake, somethings changed.” he continued to run making his way to the next level above. When we finally reached the hospital wing, he was met with a scout captain.

“Dr. Voss, the mission was a failure. There were too many of them this time. But there was something else.” I tried to listen as they started whispering. In a hushed tone. “We weren't sure what to do with him. Or how long he's been out there or if he was exposed so we thought it best to include you.” I stopped in my tracks. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. For the first time in seventy years, they brought someone new back.