Alexander

Chapter Seven

As the next few days pass he gives me enough blood to begin testing the antibodies against the blood I had access to from our reproduction testing. Everything is running smoothly. I will have to gather the paperwork side of it to create the proposal of its use in the studies, and I’m not entirely sure how I am going to do that. I’m willing to figure it out.

I learn over those few days that the angel I captured is named Gabe, and that he has a family back home he intends to get back to. I hope he gets to go home, now that I know I don’t have to kill him to keep him quiet.

He spends all of his time in the lab helping me and hasn’t even made an attempt at leaving. I didn’t expect that. I have a hard time not letting him think he has won me over. He is a decent guy, but I have to remain in control. This is my mission, not his, and he isn’t going to take it away from me no matter how helpful he is.

Together we test the vaccine repeatedly for almost 48 hour straight. I am exhausted, but he assures me I am running out of time. They will come to get him soon enough and if I don’t manage to accomplish what I am trying to do, then I will never get a chance and I will have failed my sister altogether. The vaccine itself is actually quite easy to make seeing as we didn’t have to alter much. Angel blood is apparently so pure we could almost inject it directly into the test subjects, but we wanted something a little more official so we spun together a formal formula and made a few vials. It would take a few months to see the overall effects, but the initial blood tests are favorable.

Testing it is the hard part. He didn’t think it was a good idea to inform anyone what was going on before we gave it a go on a few test subjects. So, that is the plan, take it in as a part of my regular work and seeing if it doesn’t jump start a few reproductive systems. Only from my stand point I would know I was after more than the reproductive system, but the immune system as well. As long as their bodies accept the vaccine then maybe the damages created from the contagion would begin healing themselves.

At first he suggested testing it on me, but seeing as I am the oldest virgin in the compound having no mate as he called it; it wasn’t going to be all that effective. We would need a conception, a strong lasting one to know if we were heading in the right direction. Blood tests may alert us we’re on the right track, but a healthy baby would really confirm it. And if all truly goes well, it will heal my sister also.

I thank him on my way out the door with my vials ready to go. He lets himself back into the cage he has made more accommodating. He is accepting of the situation. Neither one of us need to be caught with him present.

The subjects are treated on the end of the corridor near the commons. The corridors are quite long and I knew I had a few moments to get my thoughts together. This is where I get to play doctor. I don’t get a lot of one on one interaction, typically, but I will get to inject and keep tabs on the monitoring of the subjects. Mostly made up of couples, they are prime aged candidates. Most of them are around my age, so it does seem a little disheartening going in and watching them as they go through to process to try to conceive and I don’t even know the feel of s*x. A girlfriend is a bit necessary. I’m sure one day I’ll find one. Once I’m done saving the world.

I step before the door and run my free hand through my hair. I can do this. This will work. My hand grips the doorknob and I walk through before I can change my mind. I’ve come this far I may as well see it through after the damage I’ve caused to get here. Though, Gabe is far more forgiving than I would be in the same situation. I sign in on the chart for doctors first and head over to the first curtained room.

The entire room looks like a miniature emergency room with four sectioned off patient rooms and a curtain over each door, while there is a main desk near the front door for check-in. It isn’t quite as formal as a normal ER, but it is as sanitary and functional inside the rooms. Across the corridor is the infirmary that mirrors this arrangement. The next two doors down are differing levels of hospital level care. It goes on down the corridor that way the front half medical care, the second the science centers.

“Hi, how is everyone?” I greet my first patients, they respond favorably. “I have some good news I have a new injection that should get us onto the right foot.” I show them the vial I brought in and set it on the counter as I gather a syringe and alcohol.

“Another new injection?” the husband, John says, already not trusting of it. “How many rounds are we going to go until we call it quits?”

“John, I know you and Ellen have been through a lot over the last few years, and you are almost out of the program. I have seen great preliminary results. I have high hopes for this one. If this doesn’t work we will let you retire out of the program and that will be that,” I explain remembering eye contact and softened facial expressions. It isn’t hard to understand why it is so hard to keep faith over a program that has produced so little and is at the core of our survival.

They both nod and Ellen holds out her arm for the injection. I swab her arm and give the dose we estimated in the lab the night before.

I'm beyond thrilled I’m able to test out the new vaccine, but what if I'm wrong? What if I didn't get it right this time? What if I can't bring my sister back?

Ellen has a gentle, but excited face believing I have a shot to make things right again. It reassures me I have a chance of changing things in our world. Nothing is the same as it used to be, though, I never really knew what normal was. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if this doesn't work or how will I handle having Gabe here. I will have to let everybody know he exists. It's strange I have the future or our community in my hands and it might very well be the last chance to fix what is broken.

“How sure are you this is going to work?” Ellen asks, drawing me away from my thoughts.

“Pretty sure,” I say.

I really don’t have weeks of background information as I would prefer, but I continue through all four rooms until everybody has received an injection. It was easy for them to decide to take the vaccine once I explain to them that this is the one. Everybody wants to start life again. Have babies to have a fresh start even if it is confined in this wagon wheel of a community.

At first it was almost inspirational having somewhere to go. Having to start over, having to rely on one another and trust one another even when you don't want to was what the angels taught us. Even when you're not strong enough, because they would be strong for you. It's hard to accept that it’s even possible to start over with the way our world is now. That we may never get to live in outside these walls again. It’s certainly everyone's wish to be able to go back out into the real world, to make things right. To be able to grow crops underneath an actual sun. It isn't something I figured would be possible anytime soon.

As I head back to my lab all I can think about is my sister, if Sophia has a chance of being returned back to her normal state. I can’t imagine not seeing her again after all she's done for me. I was raised to believe family is everything, but the family I have now are the people in this community who I barely know. So it is a lot like having no family at all.

It's almost lunch time and I should have stopped on my way back, but I'm so caught up in my thoughts I can't manage to make myself go that direction. I want to ask Gabe what he thinks, does he think this is it too? When I enter I find Gabe in the cage with the blankets and pillows and books he’s put in. He's reading one of my doctor books, a thick volume about Anatomy. He sets it down when I enter and looks at me

“Did you know that for the most part our anatomy is almost identical?”

“I can't imagine why it wouldn't be, you look more human than the amiables.”

“True,” he says, “Although, I don't see wings growing from your shoulder blades the way I had.”

I smile considering how different our lives are. Then I remember he no longer has wings. I stole that ability away. I sort of shot myself in the foot there. Had I not done that if he needed to escape he still could have. Now he is stuck here with the rest of us.

“I want to apologize,” I say sincerely, “I certainly don't deserve the help you've given me for what I've done to you.”

He gives me that soft cold chuckle that he's so good at and tells me, “Alexander you'll see soon, I promise you that, you will reap the consequences you have sown.”

I glance at him knowing angels don't typically lie, not that way.

“I know,” I say, hearing the remorse in my voice. “There's nothing I can do to make things right now.”

“Oh, there's plenty you can do to make things right. When they come for me they'll let you know exactly what you can do, but I assure you probably won't like it. The results are never quite what people want.”

“I understand, but I still owe you an apology. I’ve become so accustomed to taking care of myself. I put my needs first in order to help save this community. It never occurred to me that I would harm another species just to get there.”

Again he chuckles and tells me, “survival of the fittest. Even angels have had to fight their own battles. It's just a shame that you didn't realize we are playing for the same team sooner. How did it go by the way?” he asks.

“As well as can be expected. How long do you suppose it'll take to see the results?”

“I'm not sure,” he says. “I'd like to say that it'll be a quick return on your investment. How serious you are about bringing your sister back? I hope that you get to do so, I know what it's like to be missing someone that severely.”

“Serious enough to damage an angel. Would you tell me about your family Gabe? What am I to expect, will they all come for you?”

“My family is wonderful,” he says. “You’ll see soon enough, and no, I don't know who will come for me. Whoever they send will be strong enough to take out the entire Community if necessary. Survival of the fittest, only we are always the fittest.” I know he's trying to frighten me, that has been his goal since I captured him.

“Hopefully, everything we've done will work out soon enough for you to return home and regain your wings and go back to the way you were.”

He stands up from his cage. Again it is evident how tall he is, just how powerful and strong he was and this time I feel a little sad for him. He has little enough energy to read a book because of my poisoning his food, but he looks like he could tear the walls down if he wanted to.

Clearly, it was never supposed to be this way. He was not supposed to come here and be poisoned. He was supposed to come here and help me, just as he has, even though I've done such terrible things to him. What kind of person does that make me? Now that I've spoken to him a few times and with his help, I've come to learn that maybe him and I are more alike than I realized, a true family man. I want to save my sister, and he just wants to get home to his wife. I don’t even know what kind of family he has, he hasn't told me.

“Gabe, when they come for you will they cause harm or will they try to sneak you out of here quietly?”

“That's a good question,” he responds. “I'm not sure what they will do. Guess it depends on how angry they are. My wife does have a temper, and not a temper you want to deal with either, I assure you.”

“I hope your wife is capable of forgiving me. It was never my intent to harm you. I never wanted to harm anybody. As you probably understand wanting my family back, sometimes you'll do just about anything to get them.”

“Yes, I understand,” he says. “And don't we all want what's best for ourselves?”

“I do suppose that is the way it is. I guess I never thought about there being a better way to do that.”

“What will happen to you when they discover me? Or what Clara really is? What will happen to the two of you together to provide me with shelter and food that was supposed to be rationed?”

“I don't know what will happen to me. We’ve never had anyone break the rules like I am now to know for sure what they would do. I suspect there will be some kind of major consequence to my position, a move down to a lesser job. Maybe shoveling manure. Whatever they think would teach me a lesson.”

“Does it frighten you that you don't know what will happen?”

I nod. Of course I’m frightened. I’m also thrilled I might have the answer in vials in my refrigerator too. Having the answer also means at some point in time letting everyone know where it came from and how I came up with it, because they will want to know how to replicate it, and without Gabe or another angel like him, there is no way to replicate it.

“Good, now that we are equally scared, I say we take the next big risk,” he says.

“What’s the next big risk?”

“You’re sneaking me back to your quarters tonight. I am in need of a shower and a comfortable bed,” he explains.

“I only have a full,” I admit.

“The floor will suffice,” he grins. “For you.”

“Alright, I’ll figure it out. Let me get lunch for now.”

“You do that,” he responds coolly before heading back to his book.

As I travel down the corridor, the idea of letting him out dims. Was I just swayed? Or was I willingly considering letting him sneak into my quarters? Angel’s have the ability to change your thoughts, but I have no idea if he did that just now, or if I am becoming weak with guilt.