Nora and Ti Yu - Chapter 4

 NORA AND TI YU

A large black truck and two nondescript sedans were parked at the curb outside the brownstone apartment. The flickering lights inside cast eerie shadows as men moved around and several movers carried boxes to the truck waiting outside. 

Inside, the residence was meticulously arranged, resembling a model apartment devoid of personal items. A mover in a black jumpsuit lifted a box, causing a picture frame to fall. It hit the floor with a sharp crack, revealing a close-up of a photograph of Hattie, the nurse.

The following morning, Sam grimaced as the cold stethoscope pressed against her back. She was in a military hospital patient room under examination by a female doctor. 

"Sheesh, doc, at least buy me a new processor first," Sam said dryly.

The doctor glanced at her charts. "Your vitals look good."

Sam's brow furrowed. "My parents said I was out for three days. How is that possible?"

"You had a grade three concussion and an intracranial hematoma. You also lost a lot of blood," the doctor explained.

"What did they hit me with, a sledgehammer?" Sam asked.

The doctor shook her head. "Worse."

Sam hesitated, then asked, "What happened to Hattie? She always fixes me up."

The doctor deliberately avoided eye contact. "Oh. Her. Why do you ask?"

Sam sensed something was wrong and adjusted her tone. "It’s just that-- you know, she has a way of making me feel less like a freak."

The doctor looked at her intently. "What’s freaky about science? The strong always adapt to the environment. Survival of the fittest."

Sam frowned. "We’re not cavemen. We have computers, technology, and science to speed things up."

"Do you leave your lights on at night?" the doctor asked, changing the subject.

"No. My Dad would kill me," Sam replied.

"I work long hours and live alone. I’m afraid of coming home to a dark house, so I leave the lights on. It’s how I adapt. You don’t have fear, so you take chances other people wouldn’t. Your body and physiology know this, so it adapts by accelerating your healing ability. It’s quite simple and unexpected," the doctor said.

That didn't sound right to Sam. "Unexpected?"

The doctor tried to laugh it off. "That’s why I became a doctor, not an educator. I often use the wrong words." She shifted uncomfortably. "Oh-- if you like, I can look into the nurse situation."

"Yes. Please. Thank you," Sam said cautiously.

The doctor moved towards the door. Sam called after her, "Doctor? If 'unexpected' wasn’t the right word, what is?"

Her fake laugh was dismissive. "Does it matter, Sam?"

"I guess not," Sam said, unconvinced. As the doctor exited, Sam muttered, "That was-- unexpected."

Later that night, Lenora worked at her Thin-Glass LED crystal monitor in a dimly lit cubicle that doubled as her bedroom. She reviewed a holographic image of a UNIX directory structure, finger-clicked a folder, and watched as the image transformed into a Cyrillic programming language and then into a double-helix strand of DNA. The strand was monochrome at first, then it morphed into a shimmering mosaic of rainbow colors. Lenora's mouth hung open in wonder and shock.

"Oh my God. They did it," she whispered.

An indicator on her computer blinked urgently. She opened a new screen, typed commands, and opened a window. Her expression turned to fear. Grabbing her tablet computer, she ran off, glancing back at the super-thin glass crystal screen, which flashed a warning: Unauthorized user connection detected.

Lenora ducked out of the Biohacker hangout, crossed a deserted downtown street, and hid behind a trash bin. She held her breath, watching two enforcer types rush out of the hangout, looking for her as she had expected. Once they turned away, she sprinted down the street.

In the Wright home, Gayle and Barry sat wordlessly at the table. 

"What happened to Hattie?" Barry finally asked.

"She's gone. Erased," Gayle replied, her voice heavy with finality. Silence hung between them.

"I'm not going just to sit back and let this happen," Gayle declared, moving towards the door.

Barry grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

"To the hospital," Gayle said firmly.

"You're going to make it worse," Barry warned.

"Worse? How can it get worse than this?" Gayle retorted.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Besides, I warned her. Hell, you warned her—" Barry started.

"They're going to take my baby away," Gayle interrupted, her voice cracking.

"She's not our baby," Barry said quietly.

Gayle slapped him ferociously. "That's easy to say when you didn't give birth to her."

Barry tried to comfort her, but Gayle jerked away and slumped to the floor. Barry knelt beside her.

"I'm sorry. I just– I feel helpless," he admitted.

"Then do something," Gayle urged, kissing his hand.

Suddenly, the room was flooded with the thin, powerful beams of searchlights shining through every window. Barry drew his gun and shoved Gayle towards the front door, but Rangers burst in through the front and back doors. Gayle and Barry halted as multiple laser-sight rays settled on their torsos. The General entered the room.

"All we ever did was love her," Gayle said, her voice breaking.

"I know. And it was wrong," the General replied coldly, turning to leave. The Rangers aimed their weapons and fired.

Later, Lenora sat on an empty Metro Rail platform, dialing her cell phone.

"Hey Ti Yu, it’s 'Nora. Where are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I'm in the wind, 'Nora," Ti Yu replied.

"What? Why?" Lenora asked, panic rising.

"Our people set us up. They told the Rangers. We were supposed to get caught. If not for that Genepunk--" Ti Yu explained.

"The girl? The one I dropped?" Lenora asked, her heart pounding.

"She's the key," Ti Yu said.

"But she's dead," Lenora insisted.

"Then you better run," Ti Yu warned, and the line went dead. Lenora's phone slipped from her hand.