The Arrival by CM Doporto Page A

device. He came up with the excuse a few hours ago. Luckily, you were still
there when he talked to Cyrus.”
    “Gee, I can’t imagine what would have
happened had he not thought of that. I had no idea if the reflective packaging
would prevent the device from showing up on the screen,” I said, shaking my
head.
    “And you don’t have to worry about any
more scans. At least, until you return.” She winked and then opened a tall
metal cabinet.
    Things were falling into place, but a
looming question remained. “Did Dr. Ridus have any luck formulating a serum?”
    “Yes, he did.”  Gaby turned, clutching
two vials to her chest. “In fact, he worked around the clock to come up with
it.”
    She gave me the bottles, and I held them
out and studied the almost transparent fluid. Iridescent specks flowed through
the small glass containers when the light hit it just right. “And this is going
to work?”
    “It better work,” Dr. Ridus announced as
he entered the room.
    “Hi, Dr. Ridus. Thanks for saving me
back there. I know you’re putting yourself at risk for helping us, and I’m not
sure why you want to help us, but—”
    “Miranda, what we are doing is wrong. I
cannot stand by and watch us destroy one race for the sake of ours. We have to
be accountable for what we have done, and humans should not bear the burden of
our errors.”
    I didn’t know exactly how to respond.
“Thanks for caring and adhering to your ethics.”
    “This goes beyond ethics. It is doing
what is right. And what we have done and continue to do to human girls is not
right. It is reprehensible.”
    I found it surprising that an Eslite could
be so passionate about helping us. I honestly didn’t know if I should trust
him. But I had to take that leap of faith since he was the only one willing to
assist us in getting out of Nidus. Unless Dimas had an ulterior motive.  I kept
my attention on the serum, trying to ignore the girl in the room next to us,
crying in pain. No matter how hard I tried to block her out, her whimpers
pierced the wall. I had to save her and the rest of the girls, including
myself.
    “I truly appreciate everything you are
doing.” I stressed each word, hoping he believed the truth of my message. “So
what do I do with the vials?”
    He sat on a rolling chair and moved next
to me. He skimmed over his shiny balding head a few times with the palm of his
hand. Something in his eyes told me it wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed.
Then again, the whole plan was crazy.
    “Miranda, I am not one-hundred percent
sure this will work.” Hesitating, he sighed. “And if you decide you do not want
to inject it, I understand.”
    Why did he think I would back out?
Especially after he went through all the trouble to make it and then create a
diversion so I could sneak a tracking device from the Tech Lab. “Why would I
not want to take it?”
    With a sympathetic expression, he gazed at
me. “Because the serum can have side effects.”
    “Like what?” I pretended that his
warning didn’t scare me. When in fact, it horrified me. I reminded myself that
I had a mission. I couldn’t focus on the ‘what if’s’ .  Then again, I had
to know what I was up against.
    “For one thing, it will thin your blood.
This is a highly concentrated dose.” The gravity of his demeanor alerted me to
the seriousness of the situation and the possible consequences of taking the
medication.
    I did a quick mental check. People were
prescribed blood thinners all the time for various reasons. I was confident my
body could handle it. “Okay, that’s not so bad—”
    “As long as you do not get cut or
injured,” he cautioned.
    “Got it. What else?” I leaned against
the wall. That didn’t seem as dangerous as he made it sound.
     “You must administer it directly into
your vein, so it can enter your bloodstream. Gabby will show you to do it. You
may experience some light-headedness, blurred vision, and nausea.”
    “I think I can deal