Chapter Text
James
I’m geared up in what feels excessive, but I’m in no position to question the engineers judgement. I step into the room last, and close the door. The headphones have already been placed over Rosabelles ears. She’s still. So still. It’s unnerving. But I can’t think about that. Not now. I’m gonna be stronger now, cause I can’t blow up here.
I watch as they roll Hugo in. They’re placed near each other, and antiseptic is rubbed on the insertion spots. Their foreheads, calves and arms. The machine boots up.
Calibrating…
Flashing across the screen, before popping up with,
100%
On the screen. There is a lot of numbers, cell counts, percentages below, but I save myself the stress of attempting to decode what they mean. Tubes hook up, and I watch as the red fluid begins to flow, before stopping. They talked about this.
This is good.
Nothing is going wrong.
I can see Rosabelles heartbeat on a monitor nearby.
It’s holding me together by a thread.
The operation goes on, and all I do is get more and more nervous. My hands begin to tremble as I watch.
All of the scientists are moving around the room, circulating around Hugo and Rosabelle, checking things, making sure nothing has gone awry. It’s all peaceful, calm, controlled.
Then we reach minute four.
It starts with what seems to be a minor complication from Hugo’s side. Alia is at the tubes, adjusting based on what Aya tells her to do from the computers.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice muffled by my mask.
“There seems to be a minor malfunction in the-“ Alia is cutoff by Jing, who’s looking over Aya’s shoulder at the computer.
“The blood cells seem to be multiplying quicker than we thought. Alia, release the second tube, starting on receiving end” Alia removes the tube.
More beeping.
Something’s wrong.
“There’s pushback from Rosabelles side. Alia?” Elias says, and my eyes avert to Alia, who is checking his monitor.
I look at Rosa’s computer, 2 percent. We’re so close.
“Fuck!” Alia says. As I hear a flatline. Hugo is dead, CPR would do more damage than help.
“How many cells are left to be transferred from Rosabelles side?” I ask Elias, who is least likely to ask what my train of thought is.
“Roughly 15,000, and we need them out.”
“What do we do now?” I ask, and Alia looks at me with pity in her eyes.
No.
No.
“Absolutely not.” I look at Alia and step towards Rosabelle.
I slide the needle from Hugo’s skin.
“James.” Alia says, cautiously.
I look at my wrist, locate the easiest vein I think I could stick.
I look Alia in the eyes as I slide the needle into my skin. Rosabelles monitor ticks down.
1 percent.
My head is spinning, Alia has come towards me, screaming.
And as i fall to the ground, I see Rosabelles monitor click down and begin flashing a “transfer successful”, and a steady beat on the monitor.
Rosabelle will live.
Even if I’m not so sure about myself.