hairnet conceal most of her face but she’s still recognizable. She’s wearing a yellow gown over her hospital clothes.
“What gave it away?” I ask.
“Your eyes,” she says. “I mean, you sort of look like her, but the eyes are exactly the same.”
I curse myself silently.
“And we’ve met once before, haven’t we?” she says.
I think back but nothing comes to me. She continues.
“You were holding some party for John. I was with a few colleagues and one of them interrupted your little get-together.”
This jolts my memory. “Shifty’s, last year.”
“She’d been gone awhile, then. I couldn’t get over how similar you looked. It was eerie.” She takes a step forward, pulls down her surgical mask. “Did you use one of their codes to get in?”
I nod. “John’s.”
“Then you don’t have much time. Security’ll notice his number in the system and come take a look.”
She takes another step into the procedure room. She looks pastme, into the small box where Buddy used to be, and her eyes widen.
“Did you put an animal in there?” She speaks again before I can answer. “
What
animal did you put in there?”
“We always just called him Buddy.”
She gets animated now, visibly excited, and paces around the room. Then she asks, “Do you have any idea how long we’ve been trying to make this thing work again?”
“About a year, I’d say. Since John stopped coming to the lab.”
“What are we missing? There must be another component. Why does it only work with John’s animals?”
Her eyes betray her busy mind, straying from me for just a moment. Then she collects herself. “Listen to me, now. I can help you escape the facility without any chance of getting caught. I know a way out.”
I can guess where this is going, but I ask anyway. “And why would you help me?”
She says slowly, deliberately, “The animal. I want it. We need it.”
Her cheeks are smooth and clean and fresh. She’s probably a little younger than me.
I gesture to the empty box. “As you can see, I have no rat to give you.”
“You know how to get it back,” she says.
“I need him, too.”
“What could a person like you possibly need him for? His data?”
I laugh once, in part because I’m offended and in part because I’m amused. She sounds like Grace.
I say, “Christ, are all scientists so condescending?”
“I could make you a copy of all the data,” she tells me. “John’s files. Whatever you need.”
Her offer is exactly what I came for but something doesn’t feel right. Deep in me is a gnawing sensation. It takes a moment for it to come to the surface.
“What will you do with him?” I ask.
She grunts. “The animal? Look at its data, sacrifice it, see what’s possibly different about this particular subject.”
Sacrifice it.
Kill Buddy. I say, “I can’t let you do that.”
She coughs. It sounds like she’s trying to hold back a laugh. I like her less and less with every passing moment. How can someone so young and fresh be so callous?
She takes a deep breath and composes herself. “It’s a lab rat that was bred for one reason. It belongs to this lab. It’s stolen property, for god’s sake! And you don’t want me to have it because of sentimental reasons?”
“Yes. Exactly. He’s my last connection.”
She stiffens up and sighs. “Fine, then. I’ll go get security. We’ll figure out how to bring the animal back on our own. And all you’ll get out of this is a criminal record.”
She says it as a threat, a last chance for me to strike a deal. I don’t move or speak or acknowledge what she’s said in any way. Her face registers growing surprise, then furrowed annoyance, and finally she clomps out of the room.
I don’t have much time. Buddy needs to come back, and quickly.
“Come on, detective, spy,” I say to myself. “Think.”
And then I realize the ugly reality of what must be done. My mouth goes dry, my heart hammers, and I resist the thought for a
“What gave it away?” I ask.
“Your eyes,” she says. “I mean, you sort of look like her, but the eyes are exactly the same.”
I curse myself silently.
“And we’ve met once before, haven’t we?” she says.
I think back but nothing comes to me. She continues.
“You were holding some party for John. I was with a few colleagues and one of them interrupted your little get-together.”
This jolts my memory. “Shifty’s, last year.”
“She’d been gone awhile, then. I couldn’t get over how similar you looked. It was eerie.” She takes a step forward, pulls down her surgical mask. “Did you use one of their codes to get in?”
I nod. “John’s.”
“Then you don’t have much time. Security’ll notice his number in the system and come take a look.”
She takes another step into the procedure room. She looks pastme, into the small box where Buddy used to be, and her eyes widen.
“Did you put an animal in there?” She speaks again before I can answer. “
What
animal did you put in there?”
“We always just called him Buddy.”
She gets animated now, visibly excited, and paces around the room. Then she asks, “Do you have any idea how long we’ve been trying to make this thing work again?”
“About a year, I’d say. Since John stopped coming to the lab.”
“What are we missing? There must be another component. Why does it only work with John’s animals?”
Her eyes betray her busy mind, straying from me for just a moment. Then she collects herself. “Listen to me, now. I can help you escape the facility without any chance of getting caught. I know a way out.”
I can guess where this is going, but I ask anyway. “And why would you help me?”
She says slowly, deliberately, “The animal. I want it. We need it.”
Her cheeks are smooth and clean and fresh. She’s probably a little younger than me.
I gesture to the empty box. “As you can see, I have no rat to give you.”
“You know how to get it back,” she says.
“I need him, too.”
“What could a person like you possibly need him for? His data?”
I laugh once, in part because I’m offended and in part because I’m amused. She sounds like Grace.
I say, “Christ, are all scientists so condescending?”
“I could make you a copy of all the data,” she tells me. “John’s files. Whatever you need.”
Her offer is exactly what I came for but something doesn’t feel right. Deep in me is a gnawing sensation. It takes a moment for it to come to the surface.
“What will you do with him?” I ask.
She grunts. “The animal? Look at its data, sacrifice it, see what’s possibly different about this particular subject.”
Sacrifice it.
Kill Buddy. I say, “I can’t let you do that.”
She coughs. It sounds like she’s trying to hold back a laugh. I like her less and less with every passing moment. How can someone so young and fresh be so callous?
She takes a deep breath and composes herself. “It’s a lab rat that was bred for one reason. It belongs to this lab. It’s stolen property, for god’s sake! And you don’t want me to have it because of sentimental reasons?”
“Yes. Exactly. He’s my last connection.”
She stiffens up and sighs. “Fine, then. I’ll go get security. We’ll figure out how to bring the animal back on our own. And all you’ll get out of this is a criminal record.”
She says it as a threat, a last chance for me to strike a deal. I don’t move or speak or acknowledge what she’s said in any way. Her face registers growing surprise, then furrowed annoyance, and finally she clomps out of the room.
I don’t have much time. Buddy needs to come back, and quickly.
“Come on, detective, spy,” I say to myself. “Think.”
And then I realize the ugly reality of what must be done. My mouth goes dry, my heart hammers, and I resist the thought for a
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