Future Threat

35

“I don’t know.” He eases his legs off the bed but stumbles as soon as he puts weight on them. Paige catches him and helps him sit back down on the edge of the bed. “Guess not.”

“We’ll get you a wheelchair,” Adam says.

“Some clothes would be good too,” he says, looking down at his pale-blue hospital gown. He touches the bandage at his shoulder, then takes the end of it and peels it off. Underneath, the skin is perfectly smooth, no trace of any injury except for some lingering redness. Amazing.

We find his jeans and shoes in the room, but no shirt. It must have been covered in blood after he was shot. Adam brings us a wheelchair, and while we help Jeremy into it, Paige slips off to find Jeremy some clothes. She returns a few minutes later with a soft, faded LA Marathon shirt.

“Where did you get that?” I ask.

“I found it in the staff locker room.”

“Found it or stole it?”

She gives a quick shrug. “No one was using it.”

“Great, I’m probably walking off with some doctor’s favorite old shirt,” Jeremy mumbles, but he tugs it over his head anyway.

Paige wheels Jeremy out the door and down the hall, but a nurse stops us before we can reach the elevator.

“Where are you going?” she asks. “He’s supposed to stay overnight for observation.”

“The doctor told us he can go now,” Zahra says.

The nurse’s eyes go distant and she frowns. “That’s not right. He shouldn’t be released yet. I need to speak to the doctor before I can let you go.”

Adam gives her a warm smile. “Of course. Maybe you can help me with something too while we wait. My name is Dr. Adam O’Neill, and I’m from Future Visions Industries. I want to ask you about the genicote in this hospital.”

Her mouth falls open, and her cheeks flush. “Oh my gosh. You’re the Dr. Adam O’Neill? I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognize you. You look so young in person.”

He chuckles. “I get that a lot.”

“How can I help you?”

“I want to make sure the genicote is stored properly. We’ve been having some troubles with that lately, and as I’m sure you know, it can be dangerous if used improperly. Is there someone I can talk to about that?” He leads her away from us, and unease settles in my stomach. He said he wouldn’t go after the cure for cancer, but I’m not sure I believe he could resist taking it if it were in front of him.

But the distraction works, and we get Jeremy in the elevator without a problem. Jeremy rubs his shoulder, his face twisting up. “Hang on, that guy is the Adam O’Neill who created the cure for cancer?”

“Yeah, he is,” I say.

“Wow. What’s he doing on Team Delta?”

“It’s a long story.”

We make it out of the hospital and into the parking lot, and a minute later Adam runs to catch up with us.

“Any problems?” I hope from the tone of my voice he knows what I’m really asking—if he got the cure or not.

“Nope. She told me I had to speak to a hospital administrator, so I told her I’d come back another day.”

My shoulders relax. “Good.”

“Did you get the cure?” Jeremy asks. “I mean, you probably could, right? Since you created it and all.”

“Um. No, I didn’t get it.”

“Too bad. Imagine what we could do with it if you brought it back.”

Adam coughs and gives me a quick look. “That’s not what we’re here for.”

We head for the pickup zone, where both cars are already waiting for us. A girl with long dark hair leans against my car with her arms crossed. She’s wearing black jeans and a black tank top with glowing green fractal patterns swirling and shifting on it. As we approach, her head swivels toward us. I see her face—and gasp.

I recognize her, even though I’ve never met her before in my life. Some sort of primal instinct takes root deep inside me, one I’ve never felt before. It makes me want to wrap my arms around this girl and protect her to my last breath, even though I don’t know her at all.

Beside me, Adam comes to a halt, sucking in a sharp breath. The others keep going toward the cars, but the two of us can’t take another step and can only stare at the girl. Piece by piece, her features come together in my mind. Thick, wavy hair the same shade as Adam’s. Flawless brown skin, not quite as dark as mine. Intelligent eyes that don’t seem to miss a thing.

It’s like looking into a mirror…and not at all.

She pushes off the car and heads toward us with the hint of a grin on her lips. I take a step back, unsure if I can face this, but she keeps coming, becoming more and more real. Adam rests a hand against my lower back, but I’m not sure if it’s a gesture of support or because he needs me to steady him.

“Who are you?” I ask, even though I know the answer deep in my soul and in every strand of my DNA.

“I’m Ava,” the girl says. “Your daughter.”

03:51

I’m hit by a rush of emotions so strong I can’t breathe. I want to cover my face with a pillow and scream. I want to run away as fast as I can and never look back. I want to grab this girl in a hug and never let her go.

I have a daughter.

“No,” I whisper. “Impossible.”

I see it though. She’s about the same age as me and looks like she could be my sister, but she has traces of Adam in her too. The slant of her nose, the shape of her eyes, the color of her hair. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can see both of us in her, somehow.