Shay - Delphine AU | Part 15* (Rough Draft)
Could Shay and Delphine have been a thing in a different universe?
Prev: 1-5 (edited), 6-8, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*
-- Part 3: Cosima --
"I have a new assignment for you," Aldous announced the moment Delphine took a seat.
Delphine stiffened midway to easing against the chair's backrest. Nothing about today's meeting had forecasted any pivotal changes. Aldous lived and traveled according to a company schedule and speaking tour erratic enough to warrant them meeting odd days of the week and they'd met midday sporadically rather than afterhours before. The past few weeks had carried him absent from Toronto so that Delphine hadn't been surprised to be summoned so soon upon his return.
His words robbed the moisture from her mouth. Delphine swallowed to wet her throat. "But Jennifer--"
"You've done what you could," Aldous said, with a hint of unexpected tenderness. "In fact, you surpassed expectations. I heard Dr. Estrada remarked upon the rapport you built with your patient. You've become attached to Jennifer." His gaze assessed Delphine coolly. "I understand that. That's why I assure you that Jennifer will be made as comfortable as possible."
"There may--still be time for a breakthrough," Delphine murmured. "If we could pinpoint a treatment to stop the the growths, we could turn her condition around completely."
"Yes," Aldous allowed warily, "there may be, and if there is and Dr. Estrada finds it, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you contributed greatly to the effort. For now, there are more important matters."
He picked up the folder at his elbow and handed it across the desk to her. Delphine clutched it for a moment, thoughts still with Jennifer, knowing the act of opening the folder marked a passage from ignorance to unreturnable knowledge, from old assignment to the new.
"That," Aldous said, as Delphine delved into the dossier, "is Cosima Niehaus. You might recognize her as 324B21."
Paperclipped foremost to the scant sheaf of papers was a photograph. Delphine's eyes widened.
"Makes quite an impression doesn't she?" Aldous said, a smile hidden behind the bridge of his hands.
"The similarities between her and Jennifer aren't obvious immediately," Delphine agreed, staving off the pang of pity that sought to unstring her voice. To stand Cosima Niehaus beside Jennifer Fitzsimmons in the present would highlight more than differences in self-presentation choices, but the devastation of the prior months on the schoolteacher.
The suggestion of Aldous's smile stretched wider. "The dissimilarities don't stop there. Cosima is a scientist like ourselves. In fact, she'll be joining us here soon."
Delphine's head jerked up.
"To study herself."
Delphine's lips parted. "What?"
"Cosima--and a few other subjects--recently learned of their nature," Aldous explained, nonchalant. "She is self-aware."
Delphine's skin prickled. A chill or a thrill, she couldn't place.
"How?" Delphine managed at last, voicing the last of the questions in the series that leapt to mind.
"Unimportant," Aldous said. "That you know that she knows is enough."
"I don't understand," Delphine said carefully.
"I'm assigning you to be Cosima's monitor."
Delphine briefly forewent breathing.
"Her monitor," Delphine repeated evenly, recovering. "Like Greg is to Jennifer."
"In this context, you'll be more akin to Cosima's supervisor. She requires supervision." Aldous's eyes leveled on Delphine. "You understand that."
"You want me to . . . monitor her research."
Aldous cocked his head. "I want you to help her with her research." Surprise must have shown on Delphine's person. Aldous smiled. "We aren't necessarily at cross purposes with our subjects. There are topics, of course, that are best not broached or pursued, but when our goals align there's no reason we can't work together."
Apprehension simmered beneath Delphine's skin, unappeased by the frank manner in which Aldous watched her.
"What are . . . Cosima's goals?" Delphine asked, testing the name in her mouth.
"To study herself, her biology, no doubt in ways we are already studying her and her sisters. I'll trust your judgement in detecting any deviations."
"What exactly will my duties be as her monitor?" Delphine asked. She shifted her weight. "I'm not like Greg . . ."
"And Cosima isn't like Jennifer," Aldous parried. "A self-aware subject requires a different approach. Someone who knows what to expect and what to look for. You'll monitor her research, her health, her contacts--"
"Contacts? I don't expect that she will let a stranger read her messages and check her call history."
"Then don't be a stranger. Be her friend," Aldous said. "She's going to need one in these circumstances, don't you think?"
Delphine stared at him. Her mind fixated on Jennifer.
She hadn't been a friend to Jennifer.
What did Aldous mean by "be her friend"? Surely he didn't expect Delphine to show Cosima around the city, take her out for drinks.
Then again, maybe he did.
"What sort of arrangement do you have in mind?" Delphine asked quietly. "Having her here must present security risks."
"We plan to set her up in the old wing. In her own lab."
Delphine's eyebrows twitched. "Her own lab?"
Aldous smiled tightly. "One of the clauses of our agreement. She sees it as a concession, which is helpful for us. Placing her out of the way does make things easier. You'll be out of sight, able to conduct research without the inconvenience of interruptions, and you, not Cosima, will have overriding security clearance and access, as well as the right to review any acquisitions and personnel she wishes to bring in."
"Personnel? From outside DYAD?"
"If that's her wish. They'll also be subject to my approval," Aldous assured her. "Again, as per our agreement with Cosima."
Cosima.
Aldous used the name with the ease of familiarity.
Delphine crossed her legs at the knees. "Am I to understand that I should follow a policy of . . . placating her?"
Aldous laughed. Unbridled laughter. Actual delight. "I think you'll find the appearance of appeasement can go a long way toward smoothing relations."
"The carrot," Delphine murmured, recognizing Aldous's preferred strategy, "not the stick."
"Though you might be tempted to use the stick," Aldous said offhandedly.
Delphine stared at Aldous, uncertain if she'd heard correctly.
Aldous continued blithely. "You and Cosima will be working on material along the lines of what you've been looking into. Cosima has already taken the liberty of examining her genome, no doubt first to verify that she and the others share identical DNA."
"Who are the others?"
Aldous shook his head. "Not your concern."
Delphine checked a frown. "If you are interested in her communications, it would be helpful to know what to look for and focus on."
Aldous studied her silently. "I take this to mean that you're committed, Delphine?"
Delphine almost laughed. "Is my work with Jennifer not enough indication?" For the first time during the meeting, Delphine leaned back in the seat. "I take it that those two are not meant to be friends?"
Aldous leaned forward, fingers interlaced, forearms on his desk. "Should that come to pass, who will be the helpful, kind friend who explains the situation?"
Delphine's jaw stiffened. They regarded each other.
Aldous leaned back. "If you take a moment to consider, you'll realize that you'll be helping Cosima. There's the matter of the disease, one--and our first priority will be to determine Cosima's status--and, two, if they're left unchecked, the clones may be in danger of exposing themselves. In which case we may not be able to contain the situation or protect them from outside forces."
Delphine held herself still. "Which is why it would be helpful to know the identities of the others in question."
Aldous's brow formed a stern shelf. "What you need to know is that Cosima is your subject. Not any of the others."
Delphine briefly broke eye contact. When she looked back, Aldous continued, in a lighter tone, as if wielding the generosity of forgiveness.
"Cosima is scheduled for orientation tomorrow. You'll meet her here, in my office, at one."
"In the afternoon?"
Aldous smiled. "Cosima is not much of a morning person."
Not like Jennifer.
Because Cosima wasn't Jennifer.
*
The height of activity in the room reserved for "J.F." was the steady output on the heart monitor. The lines climbed and plummeted heights greater than the barely discernible rise and fall of the chest beneath the thin blanket. It was just Jennifer and Delphine and the pervasive hush, courtesy of the nurses' intelligence that reported Greg absent (according to one, returned home to shower) and that Jennifer rested asleep. Out of habit and for the appearance of purpose--for her own ease rather than the benefit of anyone present--Delphine picked up Jennifer's chart.
It told her Jennifer wasn't improving. That the alarming dip in numbers that had made them defer the last round of treatment hadn't risen. Jennifer was holding steady--but not where they wanted her to.
Delphine replaced the chart listlessly. None of it was surprising. None of it was even new to Delphine. She had reviewed the latest results that morning when they'd been emailed to her.
Delphine slipped her hands into the pockets of her white coat and stared at the lumps in the blanket that were Jennifer's feet.
She hadn't come here to see the charts.
Delphine took a deep breath.
"I'm being reassigned," she said, at the volume of a whisper, because they were alone and Jennifer was unconscious. "I didn't know and . . . I don't have a choice. I begin tomorrow. But I believe I'll be doing similar work." She sucked in her lips. "I'm going to keep looking. For something that might help. For a cure. So for now . . ."
Delphine nodded to herself.
"Goodbye, Jennifer."
*
With Delphine's watch reporting twenty minutes to one when she stepped onto Aldous's floor, she slowed to see through the glass wall that Aldous already entertained company..
Delphine turned to Aldous's secretary. "How long have they been in there?"
The woman gave a little start at the sharpness in Delphine's tone. "Maybe ten minutes?"
Delphine softened the delivery of her next question. "What time was the appointment?"
The woman shook her head. "There was no appointment."
"I'm sorry?" Delphine said.
"Dr. Leekie cleared his schedule for today." The secretary indicated the door. "He said you were to go in when you arrived."
No appointment. Delphine had arrived consciously early, in the event that Aldous felt the need to provide further briefing before meeting Cosima--together, she presumed, with Aldous. But it wasn't Cosima walking into a meeting--it was Delphine.
She felt ambushed.
Aldous.
Shaking her head, Delphine pushed her way inside. Aldous smiled in her direction, which redirected the gaze of the room's other occupant, who twisted in her chair.
"Ah, here comes Dr. Cormier," Aldous announced. "Cosima, this is Dr. Delphine Cormier."
Delphine smiled and approached the chair Cosima was seated in, extending a hand. The sight of Cosima wasn't overwhelmingly startling, having met Jennifer and seen the photograph, but there was something doubtless fascinating in beholding a personality and bearing so unlike what Delphine had been exposed to for the past few months. The dreadlocks were the obvious deviation, but even accessories as simple as the multitude of bracelets and rings and Cosima's glasses lent her a completely different air.
Certainly that smile, part canine-flashing smirk, held barbs that placed Delphine on the edge of wariness.
"The two of you will be working closely," Aldous continued. "Dr. Cormier will be your supervisor."
Cosima's eyebrows lifted. As they relaxed, her mouth stretched in one direction. Without getting up, Cosima placed her hand in Delphine's and gazed up at her with that tight expression. Delphine noted the impressive dedication Cosima had to eyeliner. They shook hands.
"Enchantée," Delphine said.
Cosima's smile blossomed into a full-blown grin.
Delphine relaxed her grip.
Cosima didn't. She held onto Delphine's hand and glanced at Aldous.
"Is this for real?" Cosima asked him. The voice was Jennifer's but not Jennifer's, the accent similar, but placed in a slightly different register, tone all disparaging.
Aldous peered back at Cosima unperturbed.
Cosima turned to Delphine. "How long have you been working here? Is today your first day?"
"I'm sorry?" Delphine asked.
"Dr. Cormier holds a PhD in immunology," explained Aldous. "She's a talented researcher with . . . experience in your particular field. She'll also be your primary physician and will be overseeing all your medical exams and arrangements."
"Seriously?" Cosima said, but with less of an edge and a portion of unalloyed surprise. "You have an MD and a PhD? How old are you? Did you defend your dissertation yesterday?"
Delphine blinked at her, robbed of a response.
"Dr. Cormier has been with us for some time," Aldous soothed.
"Right," drawled Cosima. "She has experience in 'my' particular field." She dropped Delphine's hand abruptly and slouched sideways in the chair to view Delphine from a better vantage. "So you've worked with clones."
Delphine and Aldous both paused.
Cosima looked between the both of them. "Is that not a topic you're comfortable with?" She sought out Delphine's eyes. "Because I've got bad news for you . . ."
"Obviously you're part of a high-security program," Aldous intervened, "one that is almost entirely compartmentalized."
"Ah. Compartmentalized. Which I assume is to keep smart people from knowing what they're working on. But she knows," Cosima pointed out, eyes unwavering from Delphine.
"As do you," Delphine responded softly.
Cosima's lips stretched slowly in a smile. "Yeah. But my knowing gets a special name: self-awareness. What's your story?"
"The same as yours," Delphine said, holding Cosima's gaze. "Curiosity."
Cosima grinned. Delphine expected another sally, but after a moment of merely maintaining eye contact Cosima swiveled to look at Aldous. "You mentioned a tour?"
*
The tour wasn't comprehensive--a visit to the inpatient care ward housing Jennifer Fitzsimmons was omitted from the itinerary--but it was no less impressive or amazing for any exclusions. At least, it was as far as Delphine experienced the rounds.
Aldous led the way, Cosima kept pace half a step behind, and lagging as the tail trailed Delphine. Aldous regaled them with facts about the state-of-the-art facilities, milestones in the company's history, achievements of its notable personnel, impacts and contributions in current fields of study, the multinational scope and reach, and probably could have recited the cafeteria's menu if pressed, as if Cosima were an investor with an interest in DYAD's stock.
Cosima listened.
And criticized.
No sector seemed without a shadow cast by the spotlight of Aldous's glowing praise.
Remarks ranged from the fairly innocuous--implications of whispers of questionable ties to questionable communities--to the conspiratorial--oblique suggestions of past government contracts and dealings--to borderline criminal accusations--"I thought I read somewhere that the subjects of that hepatitis trial were unknowingly infected . . . and then disappeared?"
As the tour wound down, ambling into the old wing--"Where we house our most sensitive research." "Like when you were sterilizing lunatics in the '30s?"--Delphine had formed several impressions of Cosima Niehaus:
Cosima did her research, a trawler who ranged far and dug deep, and she was confident in her knowledge and a butcher in wielding it as a sharpened edge.
Her hands argued as vigorously as her tongue, almost distractingly in their emphasis.
She was impertinent.
She was bold or reckless or arrogant in her dismissiveness.
She took no great pleasure in the prospect of working with them:
She called the final room Aldous ushered them into "clone jail."
Looking around, Delphine didn't blame her, though the comparison to a community college facility seemed a bit unfair--Delphine had to give it to a community college for its facilities to be at least orderly and clean. The space in the old wing resembled a storage closet where artifacts of a bygone science age had been left to gather dust. It felt forgotten, obsolete, as Cosima and Delphine would be stranded in isolation from the main building. The suddenness of her reassignment that had struck Delphine before echoed in the lack of the room's preparation.
The sight of a bucket and mop spurred another thought: Maybe janitorial services hadn't been an option and wouldn't be. This was to be restricted laboratory with a very particular occupant gathering very proprietary research.
Would they ask a clone to tidy for herself?
They were asking her to study herself.
While Delphine was lost in thought and Aldous expounded on the wonders of DYAD's resources, Cosima snuck glances at Delphine. Delphine gave no sign of noticing. The story of emailing a vaccine to a colleague in Delhi where it was printed out on a biological 3D printer made Delphine nod along absently in corroboration--it was well within the range of DYAD's capabilities. Such opportunities had attracted Delphine herself to DYAD's doorstep.
Cosima caught Delphine's gesture.
"That is . . . completely incredible," Cosima allowed.
Aldous pressed the fleeting advantage and took Cosima by the shoulders. "Please, make a list--equipment, personnel--just . . . blue sky a little. Dr. Cormier will coordinate and ensure you get everything you need."
Cosima looked to Delphine. Their eyes met. Delphine nodded.
Cosima turned to Aldous. "When do we start?"
*
With a fingertip Delphine traced a line through the dust settled upon the steel tabletop and smiled grimly at her charge. "It'll take a little work."
From the other side of the room Cosima crossed her arms and simply regarded Delphine. Stark fashion differences aside--and the uncommon aesthetic for a scientist altogether--Delphine tried to imagine Jennifer taking up the same canted pose, sass exuding from one extended boot all the way up the leggings past the thrust hip to the dangling dreadlocks, and failed. Jennifer had come to them overwhelmed into a sense of gratitude and awe. Cosima was already at the finish line of unimpressed.
Maybe this wasn't a reset.
"So . . . 'supervisor,'" Cosima said. "Is that what they're calling it now?"
"Calling what?" Delphine asked as she took a turn around the space that would be a future functioning laboratory.
"Monitors."
Cosima delivered the bomb well, throwing the designation out so casually and frankly that Delphine knew Cosima read the answer in the stutter of her step.
"Got it. Wanted to make sure that we're all on the same page. Do you prefer Dr. Cormier?" Cosima asked as Delphine wrangled her disarray of thoughts.
"That's fine," Delphine managed evenly. "So is Delphine."
"Fine," Cosima muttered, head bobbing, taking up a pace to match Delphine's so that they circled the lab facing opposite one another. "Is the PhD, MD thing real?"
Delphine nodded. "Yes."
"And Delphine Cormier is your actual name?"
Delphine stopped beside the sink. "Is this an interrogation?"
"Hey." Cosima spread her hands, strolling onwards and away from Delphine. "I figure you know way more about me than I do about you. I'm just trying to even the playing field. It's kinda surprising, though, you using your real name--it is your real name, right?" Cosima waved Delphine off. "You don't have to answer, I'll find out soon."
Delphine puzzled on her words, then nodded. "Your grasp of DYAD history is impressive."
"Pretty interesting stuff," drawled Cosima with a glance back over her shoulder. "But it's what's outside of public knowledge that's tantalizing, right? That's the real frontier of science--so far out that no one actually sees it. Like us, stuck here. Cut off from the rest of the building."
Delphine nodded, seeing no point in disagreeing, and approached the nearest table. "But it also affords a degree of freedom."
"Lack of oversight will do that," Cosima said. "Except in my case, there's you."
"I'm not going to stand around doing nothing," Delphine said, resisting the urge to cross her arms. "I'll be working with you, doing research."
Cosima's eyes narrowed on Delphine. "What is it, exactly, that you've worked on? What do you think you and I are going to be doing here?"
Delphine blew out a measured breath. "I understand that you are here to . . . study yourself. As a physician--your physician--my first priority is your health." Cosima's jaw flexed. "While we get the lab equipped--which would be after you determine the equipment that will go in it, so that's likely our first order of business--we'll conduct a full physical."
Cosima studied her for the span of several breaths. "You know about Katja."
The name stunned Delphine. Before she could consult better judgement, she blurted, "You know about Katja?"
Doubt and confusion cracked Cosima's expression.
The electronic lock on the door sounded, drawing their confused attention. The door opened.
The figure that stepped inside bewildered them both.
"Hello," the smartly dressed blonde said. "Rachel Duncan."
*
Delphine let herself into Aldous's office the moment she registered he was inside.
"I was just thrown out of that lab--by Rachel Duncan."
Aldous's lips parted.
Delphine suppressed the urge to shake her head.
So many pieces of the picture she couldn't see.
"You could have warned me," Delphine accused Aldous, voice tight but just short of snapping. She even checked herself from throwing down onto his desk the nondisclosure form that Rachel Duncan had handed her in dismissal. "About Rachel Duncan, at least."
"Not telling you about Rachel might have been an oversight, but I didn't expect her to pay Cosima a visit like this. As for the rest, if I had warned you," Aldous said, "your reaction wouldn't have been genuine."
Delphine paced a tight line in front of Aldous's desk. "What do you mean?"
"Cosima's more likely to be less guarded around you now that she has a sense that she threw you off balance," Aldous said, eyes calmly tracking Delphine's movements.
"You knew she would," Delphine muttered, incredulous. "And she did. You said she was self-aware, but you didn't let on how much she knew." She ran a hand through her hair. "Why is she so angry? It's not just distrust, it's . . ."
Disgust.
Aldous steepled his hands. "She and the others know about their monitors. Among other things, Cosima had a rather . . . unfortunate falling out with hers."
Delphine made another turn at the corner of Aldous's desk, stopped, and braced herself against the edge. She tipped her head back and released a heavy breath to settle her amped nerves. Crossing her arms, she confronted Aldous. "This giving me information piece-by-piece isn't going to work, Aldous. I feel like I barely know anything about her or this situation and that somehow she knows more than I do. Please, just . . . explain."
Aldous reclined in his chair. "Cosima is coming to us from the University of Minnesota, but before that she was pursuing a doctoral program at Berkeley. There she met a woman who became her girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Delphine echoed, straightening up. "As in lover?"
Aldous raised his eyebrows at her. "Does that bother you?"
Delphine swallowed a laugh. "No. But it gives me questions."
Aldous nodded. "That aspect of her case has been of interest to us."
Delphine filed away the questions of sexuality and genetic determination and focused on the topic at hand, mainly: that DYAD exploited the knowledge. "This girlfriend was her monitor?"
"Yes." Aldous made a sound like a sigh. "A rather forceful one. Cosima broke off the relationship when she transferred into the program at the University of Minnesota, but her monitor attempted to follow her."
"Why?" Delphine wondered.
Aldous shrugged.
"You didn't try to stop her?" Delphine asked.
"I didn't know her plans. I dismissed her in Berkeley when Cosima made her decision known, but she had her own ideas. As it turned out, Cosima didn't agree very much with those ideas either. We did get valuable information from her at the last, but it came at the cost of exposure. Cosima didn't take kindly to breaking and entering and there was a . . . confrontation. Her monitor--ex-monitor--came to us, worried, and as far as I can tell, their fight propelled Cosima to come to Toronto."
Delphine's brow creased. "I don't see the connection. How is Cosima self-aware? You said that monitors are kept in ignorance. Was this one an exception? Did she learn about her nature during their fight?"
Aldous shook his head. "No. Cosima was contacted by other self-aware subjects. When we began to suspect that was the case, it became crucial to determine the lines of communication."
"That's why you want me to monitor her communications? To determine her contacts among the subjects?"
"Not necessarily. We know who contacted her, though if any others put in appearances, we'll of course need to know," Aldous said. "What remains murky is what Cosima's motivations are in being here."
Delphine's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Would you say that Cosima trusts us?"
Delphine didn't hesitate. "No."
Aldous nodded. "We've struck an uneasy arrangement with her. She has genuine curiosity and, I think, the talent to pursue it. It's a shame, really, that the doors opened between us in these circumstances. I think she would fit in here very well if she could let go of her cynicism. But with her in that state of mind, we can't predict what Cosima will do with anything she finds."
For a second Delphine was of two minds: A part of her saw what Aldous saw, the wonder of a clone subject coming to study herself after being raised and living ignorant of the truth, inexorably arriving full circle in an elegant orchestration set in motion years before her conception.
The other part snagged on the cynicism. Delphine could still feel Jennifer's decline into hopelessness smarting--and Jennifer hadn't held a fraction of the truth.
"Where is her . . . previous monitor now?" Delphine asked.
"Out of the picture. But I do have her notes from her time with Cosima, if you're interested."
Now he was offering them.
Delphine moved onto the next pressing subject. "Who is Rachel Duncan?"
Aldous looked slightly uncomfortable. "You saw her."
Delphine nodded. Hard to forget. "A subject. Self-aware, clearly. Where did she come from?"
Rachel had behaved as if she'd found them loitering in her office.
"Rachel . . . is a ward of DYAD," Aldous said carefully. "As such, and unlike her sisters, she has always been self-aware. She was . . . raised within the company. And now she has a place within it as an employee. With this recent development, you can understand she's taken a personal interest."
Delphine gaped at Aldous. "You didn't think to tell me this?" She shook her head. "No. I know why. Not my concern."
"Rachel concentrated her studies and energies mostly in the company's overseas interests until recently. While she is a known face and entity within the company, you understand not many are privy to her true identity. It's a security issue, Delphine."
Delphine tapped the nondisclosure agreement against her side. A security issue. And a legal one.
"Will we be working with her?"
"Not in the day-to-day. Rachel is in business relations."
And her visit today with Cosima had simply been a welcome from one clone sibling to another? Rachel had made it a point to dismiss Delphine with such immediacy that a word hadn't passed between Cosima and Rachel before Delphine had closed the door behind herself.
"So if . . . Ms. Duncan requests something of me, I should give it to her?"
"Run it by me first," Aldous amended.
Interesting.
Delphine hoped Rachel didn't ask anything of her.
"Does she have a monitor?" Delphine wondered.
"Rachel isn't your subject," Aldous dismissed the question casually.
"Then to return to my subject," Delphine followed along, "may I know the names of the other subjects who are in contact with her?"
Aldous loosed a burdened breath. After some consideration, he said, "One is Alison Hendrix, a stay-at-home mother--"
"Mother?" interjected Delphine. "I understood the clones are sterile?"
"Her children are adopted," Aldous said. "The other is a Sarah Manning. Also a mother." Aldous tapped the desktop. "Her child isn't adopted."
Delphine absorbed the news. "How?"
Aldous raised his eyebrows. "Million dollar question."
"You haven't brought her in for examination?"
Aldous chuckled darkly. "Like your Cosima, Sarah Manning has . . . an independent streak. We approached all three when we discovered they'd become self-aware. Alison agreed to our terms for a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward, Cosima has come into our employment, but Sarah . . .
"Sarah continues to distinguish herself from the others."
"They were working together to investigate themselves?" Delphine asked.
"Correct. It's not certain that arrangement is past tense."
"You think Cosima is here to be . . . an inside man? To what end?"
"Keep an eye on her," Aldous instructed.
"But," Delphine objected, "if that were the case, why wouldn't she . . . play nice? Cooperate and win our trust?"
Aldous chuckled. "Maybe she needs a good example to follow. Feel free to show her."
*
To Shay [18:30]: I need a drink.
From Shay [18:32]: Oh no. Ur not looking at bottles of whiskey again, r u? Tmrw is a work day.
To Shay [18:32]: No. Not like that. Just a relaxing drink.
From Shay [18:33]: K. That's allowed. Want to come over? Making dinner. Do u like eggplant?
To Shay [18:34]: Not if it's any trouble.
From Shay [18:34]: No trouble.
To Shay [18:35]: Okay. Thank you. What about cake?
From Shay [18:36]: Oooooo. How do u feel ab pie? Like apple pie. & ice cream???????
To Shay [18:36]: I'll see what I can do. But no guarantees.
*
"Mmmmm," Shay hummed around the combination of liquefied sugar, cinnamon, buttery crust, apples, and creamy vanilla mixing in her mouth.
"Really?" Delphine asked from beside her at the kitchen table.
"I've been craving pie," Shay said. "You have no idea. This absolutely hits the spot."
"It's much more difficult to find a bakery that makes pies than I thought it would be," Delphine said. "I wasn't sure if one from just a market would be very good."
"It's fine," Shay assured her. "It's more than fine. Like I said, I was craving pie, but I didn't have an excuse to get one. If it's just for me, it's too much, but if I have someone to share it with . . ."
"I hope you don't expect me to take home the leftovers," Delphine warned.
"When have you ever taken home leftovers?" Shay pointed out. "I still have that bottle of whiskey."
"I'm working on it," Delphine said, lifting up her tumbler. "You'll notice I did not bring wine tonight."
"I did notice, thank you," Shay said. "I was starting to wonder if you noticed that you've been creating a whole reserve in my kitchen."
"It wouldn't be a reserve if you drank it. You don't have to wait for me to open a bottle. They are for you to enjoy."
"No, I do have to wait for you," insisted Shay. "I like the idea of holding you responsible for your actions."
"What actions?" demanded Delphine. "Bringing gifts as a guest?"
"Yes, exactly," teased Shay.
"Is this a cultural thing I don't know about? Is it wrong to bring gifts when you visit in Canada? Or is this some sort of Canadian resentment? Should I return the pie?"
Shay laughed. "No! It's too late for the pie. They won't take it back now. And I asked for it, so it's different--you did me a favor."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain this resentment. Canadians have a reputation for being nice, polite people. I did not expect this."
"Don't hold me up as a representative of all Canadians," cautioned Shay. "It's not valid. And it's not resentment, it's just, you know . . ."
"No?" Delphine hedged, entirely confused.
"I don't want you to feel obligated," Shay said. "Like you have to bring something every time you come over."
Delphine smiled in a manner that radiated suppressed laughter. "I don't. But now I might develop a complex about it." Her gaze darted to Shay's plate. "Your ice cream is melting."
Shay rolled her eyes.
When they cleared their plates and pushed them aside to center the remaining alcohol in their glasses, Shay said, "There's something I want to give you."
Delphine's eyebrows rose. "It's not three-fourths of an apple pie and several bottles of wine, is it?"
"Keep it up and it will be," Shay warned, wagging a finger. "Wait here."
She moved to the side table near the bed and opened the drawer. Tucked into the corner was a small stack of business cards. Shay plucked them out and returned to the table. Instead of retaking her seat, she inserted herself between the empty chair and Delphine seated closer to the wall. Standing by her guest, Shay handed the cards to Delphine.
"What's this?" Delphine asked as she glanced through them.
"Reputable counselors and therapists here in the city," Shay said lowly. Delphine looked up sharply into her face. "Some I looked into myself. Others were referred to me."
Delphine sat quiet.
"When I moved," Shay continued, "I made sure that if I was ever in crisis, I'd have a plan, a place to go." Shay paused. "If you need to talk to someone, you would have doctor-patient confidentially with any of these people."
Delphine studied her.
Shay eased back onto her stool, sitting on it sideways to face Delphine so that she had one hand braced upon the table and the other slung on the back of the chair.
"I'm not pushing you out the door--or into any doors," Shay said quickly. "I'm here for you. I'm just . . ."
Delphine's features softened. "Worried."
Shay nodded. "I want you to know there are options if it--if it gets overwhelming. It just seems like the past few months--"
Delphine grasped her hand. "I understand. Thank you."
Shay tried a tentative smile. Delphine answered with one that revealed dimples.
Her thumb traced over Shay's knuckles.
"It's sad but ice cream isn't always a cure," Shay said, to lighten the mood.
"Do you mean whiskey?" Delphine asked, tone self-deprecating.
"Or that," Shay agreed.
"You're right," Delphine said, eyes conducting a leisurely sweep over Shay's face. "But I already knew it wasn't the whiskey that would make me feel better." Delphine's fingers squeezed and released Shay. "Thank you. I'll save these, keep them--" Her lips pulled in one direction. "--in reserve."
//
Next
Prev: 1-5 (edited), 6-8, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*
-- Part 3: Cosima --
"I have a new assignment for you," Aldous announced the moment Delphine took a seat.
Delphine stiffened midway to easing against the chair's backrest. Nothing about today's meeting had forecasted any pivotal changes. Aldous lived and traveled according to a company schedule and speaking tour erratic enough to warrant them meeting odd days of the week and they'd met midday sporadically rather than afterhours before. The past few weeks had carried him absent from Toronto so that Delphine hadn't been surprised to be summoned so soon upon his return.
His words robbed the moisture from her mouth. Delphine swallowed to wet her throat. "But Jennifer--"
"You've done what you could," Aldous said, with a hint of unexpected tenderness. "In fact, you surpassed expectations. I heard Dr. Estrada remarked upon the rapport you built with your patient. You've become attached to Jennifer." His gaze assessed Delphine coolly. "I understand that. That's why I assure you that Jennifer will be made as comfortable as possible."
"There may--still be time for a breakthrough," Delphine murmured. "If we could pinpoint a treatment to stop the the growths, we could turn her condition around completely."
"Yes," Aldous allowed warily, "there may be, and if there is and Dr. Estrada finds it, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you contributed greatly to the effort. For now, there are more important matters."
He picked up the folder at his elbow and handed it across the desk to her. Delphine clutched it for a moment, thoughts still with Jennifer, knowing the act of opening the folder marked a passage from ignorance to unreturnable knowledge, from old assignment to the new.
"That," Aldous said, as Delphine delved into the dossier, "is Cosima Niehaus. You might recognize her as 324B21."
Paperclipped foremost to the scant sheaf of papers was a photograph. Delphine's eyes widened.
"Makes quite an impression doesn't she?" Aldous said, a smile hidden behind the bridge of his hands.
"The similarities between her and Jennifer aren't obvious immediately," Delphine agreed, staving off the pang of pity that sought to unstring her voice. To stand Cosima Niehaus beside Jennifer Fitzsimmons in the present would highlight more than differences in self-presentation choices, but the devastation of the prior months on the schoolteacher.
The suggestion of Aldous's smile stretched wider. "The dissimilarities don't stop there. Cosima is a scientist like ourselves. In fact, she'll be joining us here soon."
Delphine's head jerked up.
"To study herself."
Delphine's lips parted. "What?"
"Cosima--and a few other subjects--recently learned of their nature," Aldous explained, nonchalant. "She is self-aware."
Delphine's skin prickled. A chill or a thrill, she couldn't place.
"How?" Delphine managed at last, voicing the last of the questions in the series that leapt to mind.
"Unimportant," Aldous said. "That you know that she knows is enough."
"I don't understand," Delphine said carefully.
"I'm assigning you to be Cosima's monitor."
Delphine briefly forewent breathing.
"Her monitor," Delphine repeated evenly, recovering. "Like Greg is to Jennifer."
"In this context, you'll be more akin to Cosima's supervisor. She requires supervision." Aldous's eyes leveled on Delphine. "You understand that."
"You want me to . . . monitor her research."
Aldous cocked his head. "I want you to help her with her research." Surprise must have shown on Delphine's person. Aldous smiled. "We aren't necessarily at cross purposes with our subjects. There are topics, of course, that are best not broached or pursued, but when our goals align there's no reason we can't work together."
Apprehension simmered beneath Delphine's skin, unappeased by the frank manner in which Aldous watched her.
"What are . . . Cosima's goals?" Delphine asked, testing the name in her mouth.
"To study herself, her biology, no doubt in ways we are already studying her and her sisters. I'll trust your judgement in detecting any deviations."
"What exactly will my duties be as her monitor?" Delphine asked. She shifted her weight. "I'm not like Greg . . ."
"And Cosima isn't like Jennifer," Aldous parried. "A self-aware subject requires a different approach. Someone who knows what to expect and what to look for. You'll monitor her research, her health, her contacts--"
"Contacts? I don't expect that she will let a stranger read her messages and check her call history."
"Then don't be a stranger. Be her friend," Aldous said. "She's going to need one in these circumstances, don't you think?"
Delphine stared at him. Her mind fixated on Jennifer.
She hadn't been a friend to Jennifer.
What did Aldous mean by "be her friend"? Surely he didn't expect Delphine to show Cosima around the city, take her out for drinks.
Then again, maybe he did.
"What sort of arrangement do you have in mind?" Delphine asked quietly. "Having her here must present security risks."
"We plan to set her up in the old wing. In her own lab."
Delphine's eyebrows twitched. "Her own lab?"
Aldous smiled tightly. "One of the clauses of our agreement. She sees it as a concession, which is helpful for us. Placing her out of the way does make things easier. You'll be out of sight, able to conduct research without the inconvenience of interruptions, and you, not Cosima, will have overriding security clearance and access, as well as the right to review any acquisitions and personnel she wishes to bring in."
"Personnel? From outside DYAD?"
"If that's her wish. They'll also be subject to my approval," Aldous assured her. "Again, as per our agreement with Cosima."
Cosima.
Aldous used the name with the ease of familiarity.
Delphine crossed her legs at the knees. "Am I to understand that I should follow a policy of . . . placating her?"
Aldous laughed. Unbridled laughter. Actual delight. "I think you'll find the appearance of appeasement can go a long way toward smoothing relations."
"The carrot," Delphine murmured, recognizing Aldous's preferred strategy, "not the stick."
"Though you might be tempted to use the stick," Aldous said offhandedly.
Delphine stared at Aldous, uncertain if she'd heard correctly.
Aldous continued blithely. "You and Cosima will be working on material along the lines of what you've been looking into. Cosima has already taken the liberty of examining her genome, no doubt first to verify that she and the others share identical DNA."
"Who are the others?"
Aldous shook his head. "Not your concern."
Delphine checked a frown. "If you are interested in her communications, it would be helpful to know what to look for and focus on."
Aldous studied her silently. "I take this to mean that you're committed, Delphine?"
Delphine almost laughed. "Is my work with Jennifer not enough indication?" For the first time during the meeting, Delphine leaned back in the seat. "I take it that those two are not meant to be friends?"
Aldous leaned forward, fingers interlaced, forearms on his desk. "Should that come to pass, who will be the helpful, kind friend who explains the situation?"
Delphine's jaw stiffened. They regarded each other.
Aldous leaned back. "If you take a moment to consider, you'll realize that you'll be helping Cosima. There's the matter of the disease, one--and our first priority will be to determine Cosima's status--and, two, if they're left unchecked, the clones may be in danger of exposing themselves. In which case we may not be able to contain the situation or protect them from outside forces."
Delphine held herself still. "Which is why it would be helpful to know the identities of the others in question."
Aldous's brow formed a stern shelf. "What you need to know is that Cosima is your subject. Not any of the others."
Delphine briefly broke eye contact. When she looked back, Aldous continued, in a lighter tone, as if wielding the generosity of forgiveness.
"Cosima is scheduled for orientation tomorrow. You'll meet her here, in my office, at one."
"In the afternoon?"
Aldous smiled. "Cosima is not much of a morning person."
Not like Jennifer.
Because Cosima wasn't Jennifer.
*
The height of activity in the room reserved for "J.F." was the steady output on the heart monitor. The lines climbed and plummeted heights greater than the barely discernible rise and fall of the chest beneath the thin blanket. It was just Jennifer and Delphine and the pervasive hush, courtesy of the nurses' intelligence that reported Greg absent (according to one, returned home to shower) and that Jennifer rested asleep. Out of habit and for the appearance of purpose--for her own ease rather than the benefit of anyone present--Delphine picked up Jennifer's chart.
It told her Jennifer wasn't improving. That the alarming dip in numbers that had made them defer the last round of treatment hadn't risen. Jennifer was holding steady--but not where they wanted her to.
Delphine replaced the chart listlessly. None of it was surprising. None of it was even new to Delphine. She had reviewed the latest results that morning when they'd been emailed to her.
Delphine slipped her hands into the pockets of her white coat and stared at the lumps in the blanket that were Jennifer's feet.
She hadn't come here to see the charts.
Delphine took a deep breath.
"I'm being reassigned," she said, at the volume of a whisper, because they were alone and Jennifer was unconscious. "I didn't know and . . . I don't have a choice. I begin tomorrow. But I believe I'll be doing similar work." She sucked in her lips. "I'm going to keep looking. For something that might help. For a cure. So for now . . ."
Delphine nodded to herself.
"Goodbye, Jennifer."
*
With Delphine's watch reporting twenty minutes to one when she stepped onto Aldous's floor, she slowed to see through the glass wall that Aldous already entertained company..
Delphine turned to Aldous's secretary. "How long have they been in there?"
The woman gave a little start at the sharpness in Delphine's tone. "Maybe ten minutes?"
Delphine softened the delivery of her next question. "What time was the appointment?"
The woman shook her head. "There was no appointment."
"I'm sorry?" Delphine said.
"Dr. Leekie cleared his schedule for today." The secretary indicated the door. "He said you were to go in when you arrived."
No appointment. Delphine had arrived consciously early, in the event that Aldous felt the need to provide further briefing before meeting Cosima--together, she presumed, with Aldous. But it wasn't Cosima walking into a meeting--it was Delphine.
She felt ambushed.
Aldous.
Shaking her head, Delphine pushed her way inside. Aldous smiled in her direction, which redirected the gaze of the room's other occupant, who twisted in her chair.
"Ah, here comes Dr. Cormier," Aldous announced. "Cosima, this is Dr. Delphine Cormier."
Delphine smiled and approached the chair Cosima was seated in, extending a hand. The sight of Cosima wasn't overwhelmingly startling, having met Jennifer and seen the photograph, but there was something doubtless fascinating in beholding a personality and bearing so unlike what Delphine had been exposed to for the past few months. The dreadlocks were the obvious deviation, but even accessories as simple as the multitude of bracelets and rings and Cosima's glasses lent her a completely different air.
Certainly that smile, part canine-flashing smirk, held barbs that placed Delphine on the edge of wariness.
"The two of you will be working closely," Aldous continued. "Dr. Cormier will be your supervisor."
Cosima's eyebrows lifted. As they relaxed, her mouth stretched in one direction. Without getting up, Cosima placed her hand in Delphine's and gazed up at her with that tight expression. Delphine noted the impressive dedication Cosima had to eyeliner. They shook hands.
"Enchantée," Delphine said.
Cosima's smile blossomed into a full-blown grin.
Delphine relaxed her grip.
Cosima didn't. She held onto Delphine's hand and glanced at Aldous.
"Is this for real?" Cosima asked him. The voice was Jennifer's but not Jennifer's, the accent similar, but placed in a slightly different register, tone all disparaging.
Aldous peered back at Cosima unperturbed.
Cosima turned to Delphine. "How long have you been working here? Is today your first day?"
"I'm sorry?" Delphine asked.
"Dr. Cormier holds a PhD in immunology," explained Aldous. "She's a talented researcher with . . . experience in your particular field. She'll also be your primary physician and will be overseeing all your medical exams and arrangements."
"Seriously?" Cosima said, but with less of an edge and a portion of unalloyed surprise. "You have an MD and a PhD? How old are you? Did you defend your dissertation yesterday?"
Delphine blinked at her, robbed of a response.
"Dr. Cormier has been with us for some time," Aldous soothed.
"Right," drawled Cosima. "She has experience in 'my' particular field." She dropped Delphine's hand abruptly and slouched sideways in the chair to view Delphine from a better vantage. "So you've worked with clones."
Delphine and Aldous both paused.
Cosima looked between the both of them. "Is that not a topic you're comfortable with?" She sought out Delphine's eyes. "Because I've got bad news for you . . ."
"Obviously you're part of a high-security program," Aldous intervened, "one that is almost entirely compartmentalized."
"Ah. Compartmentalized. Which I assume is to keep smart people from knowing what they're working on. But she knows," Cosima pointed out, eyes unwavering from Delphine.
"As do you," Delphine responded softly.
Cosima's lips stretched slowly in a smile. "Yeah. But my knowing gets a special name: self-awareness. What's your story?"
"The same as yours," Delphine said, holding Cosima's gaze. "Curiosity."
Cosima grinned. Delphine expected another sally, but after a moment of merely maintaining eye contact Cosima swiveled to look at Aldous. "You mentioned a tour?"
*
The tour wasn't comprehensive--a visit to the inpatient care ward housing Jennifer Fitzsimmons was omitted from the itinerary--but it was no less impressive or amazing for any exclusions. At least, it was as far as Delphine experienced the rounds.
Aldous led the way, Cosima kept pace half a step behind, and lagging as the tail trailed Delphine. Aldous regaled them with facts about the state-of-the-art facilities, milestones in the company's history, achievements of its notable personnel, impacts and contributions in current fields of study, the multinational scope and reach, and probably could have recited the cafeteria's menu if pressed, as if Cosima were an investor with an interest in DYAD's stock.
Cosima listened.
And criticized.
No sector seemed without a shadow cast by the spotlight of Aldous's glowing praise.
Remarks ranged from the fairly innocuous--implications of whispers of questionable ties to questionable communities--to the conspiratorial--oblique suggestions of past government contracts and dealings--to borderline criminal accusations--"I thought I read somewhere that the subjects of that hepatitis trial were unknowingly infected . . . and then disappeared?"
As the tour wound down, ambling into the old wing--"Where we house our most sensitive research." "Like when you were sterilizing lunatics in the '30s?"--Delphine had formed several impressions of Cosima Niehaus:
Cosima did her research, a trawler who ranged far and dug deep, and she was confident in her knowledge and a butcher in wielding it as a sharpened edge.
Her hands argued as vigorously as her tongue, almost distractingly in their emphasis.
She was impertinent.
She was bold or reckless or arrogant in her dismissiveness.
She took no great pleasure in the prospect of working with them:
She called the final room Aldous ushered them into "clone jail."
Looking around, Delphine didn't blame her, though the comparison to a community college facility seemed a bit unfair--Delphine had to give it to a community college for its facilities to be at least orderly and clean. The space in the old wing resembled a storage closet where artifacts of a bygone science age had been left to gather dust. It felt forgotten, obsolete, as Cosima and Delphine would be stranded in isolation from the main building. The suddenness of her reassignment that had struck Delphine before echoed in the lack of the room's preparation.
The sight of a bucket and mop spurred another thought: Maybe janitorial services hadn't been an option and wouldn't be. This was to be restricted laboratory with a very particular occupant gathering very proprietary research.
Would they ask a clone to tidy for herself?
They were asking her to study herself.
While Delphine was lost in thought and Aldous expounded on the wonders of DYAD's resources, Cosima snuck glances at Delphine. Delphine gave no sign of noticing. The story of emailing a vaccine to a colleague in Delhi where it was printed out on a biological 3D printer made Delphine nod along absently in corroboration--it was well within the range of DYAD's capabilities. Such opportunities had attracted Delphine herself to DYAD's doorstep.
Cosima caught Delphine's gesture.
"That is . . . completely incredible," Cosima allowed.
Aldous pressed the fleeting advantage and took Cosima by the shoulders. "Please, make a list--equipment, personnel--just . . . blue sky a little. Dr. Cormier will coordinate and ensure you get everything you need."
Cosima looked to Delphine. Their eyes met. Delphine nodded.
Cosima turned to Aldous. "When do we start?"
*
With a fingertip Delphine traced a line through the dust settled upon the steel tabletop and smiled grimly at her charge. "It'll take a little work."
From the other side of the room Cosima crossed her arms and simply regarded Delphine. Stark fashion differences aside--and the uncommon aesthetic for a scientist altogether--Delphine tried to imagine Jennifer taking up the same canted pose, sass exuding from one extended boot all the way up the leggings past the thrust hip to the dangling dreadlocks, and failed. Jennifer had come to them overwhelmed into a sense of gratitude and awe. Cosima was already at the finish line of unimpressed.
Maybe this wasn't a reset.
"So . . . 'supervisor,'" Cosima said. "Is that what they're calling it now?"
"Calling what?" Delphine asked as she took a turn around the space that would be a future functioning laboratory.
"Monitors."
Cosima delivered the bomb well, throwing the designation out so casually and frankly that Delphine knew Cosima read the answer in the stutter of her step.
"Got it. Wanted to make sure that we're all on the same page. Do you prefer Dr. Cormier?" Cosima asked as Delphine wrangled her disarray of thoughts.
"That's fine," Delphine managed evenly. "So is Delphine."
"Fine," Cosima muttered, head bobbing, taking up a pace to match Delphine's so that they circled the lab facing opposite one another. "Is the PhD, MD thing real?"
Delphine nodded. "Yes."
"And Delphine Cormier is your actual name?"
Delphine stopped beside the sink. "Is this an interrogation?"
"Hey." Cosima spread her hands, strolling onwards and away from Delphine. "I figure you know way more about me than I do about you. I'm just trying to even the playing field. It's kinda surprising, though, you using your real name--it is your real name, right?" Cosima waved Delphine off. "You don't have to answer, I'll find out soon."
Delphine puzzled on her words, then nodded. "Your grasp of DYAD history is impressive."
"Pretty interesting stuff," drawled Cosima with a glance back over her shoulder. "But it's what's outside of public knowledge that's tantalizing, right? That's the real frontier of science--so far out that no one actually sees it. Like us, stuck here. Cut off from the rest of the building."
Delphine nodded, seeing no point in disagreeing, and approached the nearest table. "But it also affords a degree of freedom."
"Lack of oversight will do that," Cosima said. "Except in my case, there's you."
"I'm not going to stand around doing nothing," Delphine said, resisting the urge to cross her arms. "I'll be working with you, doing research."
Cosima's eyes narrowed on Delphine. "What is it, exactly, that you've worked on? What do you think you and I are going to be doing here?"
Delphine blew out a measured breath. "I understand that you are here to . . . study yourself. As a physician--your physician--my first priority is your health." Cosima's jaw flexed. "While we get the lab equipped--which would be after you determine the equipment that will go in it, so that's likely our first order of business--we'll conduct a full physical."
Cosima studied her for the span of several breaths. "You know about Katja."
The name stunned Delphine. Before she could consult better judgement, she blurted, "You know about Katja?"
Doubt and confusion cracked Cosima's expression.
The electronic lock on the door sounded, drawing their confused attention. The door opened.
The figure that stepped inside bewildered them both.
"Hello," the smartly dressed blonde said. "Rachel Duncan."
*
Delphine let herself into Aldous's office the moment she registered he was inside.
"I was just thrown out of that lab--by Rachel Duncan."
Aldous's lips parted.
Delphine suppressed the urge to shake her head.
So many pieces of the picture she couldn't see.
"You could have warned me," Delphine accused Aldous, voice tight but just short of snapping. She even checked herself from throwing down onto his desk the nondisclosure form that Rachel Duncan had handed her in dismissal. "About Rachel Duncan, at least."
"Not telling you about Rachel might have been an oversight, but I didn't expect her to pay Cosima a visit like this. As for the rest, if I had warned you," Aldous said, "your reaction wouldn't have been genuine."
Delphine paced a tight line in front of Aldous's desk. "What do you mean?"
"Cosima's more likely to be less guarded around you now that she has a sense that she threw you off balance," Aldous said, eyes calmly tracking Delphine's movements.
"You knew she would," Delphine muttered, incredulous. "And she did. You said she was self-aware, but you didn't let on how much she knew." She ran a hand through her hair. "Why is she so angry? It's not just distrust, it's . . ."
Disgust.
Aldous steepled his hands. "She and the others know about their monitors. Among other things, Cosima had a rather . . . unfortunate falling out with hers."
Delphine made another turn at the corner of Aldous's desk, stopped, and braced herself against the edge. She tipped her head back and released a heavy breath to settle her amped nerves. Crossing her arms, she confronted Aldous. "This giving me information piece-by-piece isn't going to work, Aldous. I feel like I barely know anything about her or this situation and that somehow she knows more than I do. Please, just . . . explain."
Aldous reclined in his chair. "Cosima is coming to us from the University of Minnesota, but before that she was pursuing a doctoral program at Berkeley. There she met a woman who became her girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Delphine echoed, straightening up. "As in lover?"
Aldous raised his eyebrows at her. "Does that bother you?"
Delphine swallowed a laugh. "No. But it gives me questions."
Aldous nodded. "That aspect of her case has been of interest to us."
Delphine filed away the questions of sexuality and genetic determination and focused on the topic at hand, mainly: that DYAD exploited the knowledge. "This girlfriend was her monitor?"
"Yes." Aldous made a sound like a sigh. "A rather forceful one. Cosima broke off the relationship when she transferred into the program at the University of Minnesota, but her monitor attempted to follow her."
"Why?" Delphine wondered.
Aldous shrugged.
"You didn't try to stop her?" Delphine asked.
"I didn't know her plans. I dismissed her in Berkeley when Cosima made her decision known, but she had her own ideas. As it turned out, Cosima didn't agree very much with those ideas either. We did get valuable information from her at the last, but it came at the cost of exposure. Cosima didn't take kindly to breaking and entering and there was a . . . confrontation. Her monitor--ex-monitor--came to us, worried, and as far as I can tell, their fight propelled Cosima to come to Toronto."
Delphine's brow creased. "I don't see the connection. How is Cosima self-aware? You said that monitors are kept in ignorance. Was this one an exception? Did she learn about her nature during their fight?"
Aldous shook his head. "No. Cosima was contacted by other self-aware subjects. When we began to suspect that was the case, it became crucial to determine the lines of communication."
"That's why you want me to monitor her communications? To determine her contacts among the subjects?"
"Not necessarily. We know who contacted her, though if any others put in appearances, we'll of course need to know," Aldous said. "What remains murky is what Cosima's motivations are in being here."
Delphine's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Would you say that Cosima trusts us?"
Delphine didn't hesitate. "No."
Aldous nodded. "We've struck an uneasy arrangement with her. She has genuine curiosity and, I think, the talent to pursue it. It's a shame, really, that the doors opened between us in these circumstances. I think she would fit in here very well if she could let go of her cynicism. But with her in that state of mind, we can't predict what Cosima will do with anything she finds."
For a second Delphine was of two minds: A part of her saw what Aldous saw, the wonder of a clone subject coming to study herself after being raised and living ignorant of the truth, inexorably arriving full circle in an elegant orchestration set in motion years before her conception.
The other part snagged on the cynicism. Delphine could still feel Jennifer's decline into hopelessness smarting--and Jennifer hadn't held a fraction of the truth.
"Where is her . . . previous monitor now?" Delphine asked.
"Out of the picture. But I do have her notes from her time with Cosima, if you're interested."
Now he was offering them.
Delphine moved onto the next pressing subject. "Who is Rachel Duncan?"
Aldous looked slightly uncomfortable. "You saw her."
Delphine nodded. Hard to forget. "A subject. Self-aware, clearly. Where did she come from?"
Rachel had behaved as if she'd found them loitering in her office.
"Rachel . . . is a ward of DYAD," Aldous said carefully. "As such, and unlike her sisters, she has always been self-aware. She was . . . raised within the company. And now she has a place within it as an employee. With this recent development, you can understand she's taken a personal interest."
Delphine gaped at Aldous. "You didn't think to tell me this?" She shook her head. "No. I know why. Not my concern."
"Rachel concentrated her studies and energies mostly in the company's overseas interests until recently. While she is a known face and entity within the company, you understand not many are privy to her true identity. It's a security issue, Delphine."
Delphine tapped the nondisclosure agreement against her side. A security issue. And a legal one.
"Will we be working with her?"
"Not in the day-to-day. Rachel is in business relations."
And her visit today with Cosima had simply been a welcome from one clone sibling to another? Rachel had made it a point to dismiss Delphine with such immediacy that a word hadn't passed between Cosima and Rachel before Delphine had closed the door behind herself.
"So if . . . Ms. Duncan requests something of me, I should give it to her?"
"Run it by me first," Aldous amended.
Interesting.
Delphine hoped Rachel didn't ask anything of her.
"Does she have a monitor?" Delphine wondered.
"Rachel isn't your subject," Aldous dismissed the question casually.
"Then to return to my subject," Delphine followed along, "may I know the names of the other subjects who are in contact with her?"
Aldous loosed a burdened breath. After some consideration, he said, "One is Alison Hendrix, a stay-at-home mother--"
"Mother?" interjected Delphine. "I understood the clones are sterile?"
"Her children are adopted," Aldous said. "The other is a Sarah Manning. Also a mother." Aldous tapped the desktop. "Her child isn't adopted."
Delphine absorbed the news. "How?"
Aldous raised his eyebrows. "Million dollar question."
"You haven't brought her in for examination?"
Aldous chuckled darkly. "Like your Cosima, Sarah Manning has . . . an independent streak. We approached all three when we discovered they'd become self-aware. Alison agreed to our terms for a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward, Cosima has come into our employment, but Sarah . . .
"Sarah continues to distinguish herself from the others."
"They were working together to investigate themselves?" Delphine asked.
"Correct. It's not certain that arrangement is past tense."
"You think Cosima is here to be . . . an inside man? To what end?"
"Keep an eye on her," Aldous instructed.
"But," Delphine objected, "if that were the case, why wouldn't she . . . play nice? Cooperate and win our trust?"
Aldous chuckled. "Maybe she needs a good example to follow. Feel free to show her."
*
To Shay [18:30]: I need a drink.
From Shay [18:32]: Oh no. Ur not looking at bottles of whiskey again, r u? Tmrw is a work day.
To Shay [18:32]: No. Not like that. Just a relaxing drink.
From Shay [18:33]: K. That's allowed. Want to come over? Making dinner. Do u like eggplant?
To Shay [18:34]: Not if it's any trouble.
From Shay [18:34]: No trouble.
To Shay [18:35]: Okay. Thank you. What about cake?
From Shay [18:36]: Oooooo. How do u feel ab pie? Like apple pie. & ice cream???????
To Shay [18:36]: I'll see what I can do. But no guarantees.
*
"Mmmmm," Shay hummed around the combination of liquefied sugar, cinnamon, buttery crust, apples, and creamy vanilla mixing in her mouth.
"Really?" Delphine asked from beside her at the kitchen table.
"I've been craving pie," Shay said. "You have no idea. This absolutely hits the spot."
"It's much more difficult to find a bakery that makes pies than I thought it would be," Delphine said. "I wasn't sure if one from just a market would be very good."
"It's fine," Shay assured her. "It's more than fine. Like I said, I was craving pie, but I didn't have an excuse to get one. If it's just for me, it's too much, but if I have someone to share it with . . ."
"I hope you don't expect me to take home the leftovers," Delphine warned.
"When have you ever taken home leftovers?" Shay pointed out. "I still have that bottle of whiskey."
"I'm working on it," Delphine said, lifting up her tumbler. "You'll notice I did not bring wine tonight."
"I did notice, thank you," Shay said. "I was starting to wonder if you noticed that you've been creating a whole reserve in my kitchen."
"It wouldn't be a reserve if you drank it. You don't have to wait for me to open a bottle. They are for you to enjoy."
"No, I do have to wait for you," insisted Shay. "I like the idea of holding you responsible for your actions."
"What actions?" demanded Delphine. "Bringing gifts as a guest?"
"Yes, exactly," teased Shay.
"Is this a cultural thing I don't know about? Is it wrong to bring gifts when you visit in Canada? Or is this some sort of Canadian resentment? Should I return the pie?"
Shay laughed. "No! It's too late for the pie. They won't take it back now. And I asked for it, so it's different--you did me a favor."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain this resentment. Canadians have a reputation for being nice, polite people. I did not expect this."
"Don't hold me up as a representative of all Canadians," cautioned Shay. "It's not valid. And it's not resentment, it's just, you know . . ."
"No?" Delphine hedged, entirely confused.
"I don't want you to feel obligated," Shay said. "Like you have to bring something every time you come over."
Delphine smiled in a manner that radiated suppressed laughter. "I don't. But now I might develop a complex about it." Her gaze darted to Shay's plate. "Your ice cream is melting."
Shay rolled her eyes.
When they cleared their plates and pushed them aside to center the remaining alcohol in their glasses, Shay said, "There's something I want to give you."
Delphine's eyebrows rose. "It's not three-fourths of an apple pie and several bottles of wine, is it?"
"Keep it up and it will be," Shay warned, wagging a finger. "Wait here."
She moved to the side table near the bed and opened the drawer. Tucked into the corner was a small stack of business cards. Shay plucked them out and returned to the table. Instead of retaking her seat, she inserted herself between the empty chair and Delphine seated closer to the wall. Standing by her guest, Shay handed the cards to Delphine.
"What's this?" Delphine asked as she glanced through them.
"Reputable counselors and therapists here in the city," Shay said lowly. Delphine looked up sharply into her face. "Some I looked into myself. Others were referred to me."
Delphine sat quiet.
"When I moved," Shay continued, "I made sure that if I was ever in crisis, I'd have a plan, a place to go." Shay paused. "If you need to talk to someone, you would have doctor-patient confidentially with any of these people."
Delphine studied her.
Shay eased back onto her stool, sitting on it sideways to face Delphine so that she had one hand braced upon the table and the other slung on the back of the chair.
"I'm not pushing you out the door--or into any doors," Shay said quickly. "I'm here for you. I'm just . . ."
Delphine's features softened. "Worried."
Shay nodded. "I want you to know there are options if it--if it gets overwhelming. It just seems like the past few months--"
Delphine grasped her hand. "I understand. Thank you."
Shay tried a tentative smile. Delphine answered with one that revealed dimples.
Her thumb traced over Shay's knuckles.
"It's sad but ice cream isn't always a cure," Shay said, to lighten the mood.
"Do you mean whiskey?" Delphine asked, tone self-deprecating.
"Or that," Shay agreed.
"You're right," Delphine said, eyes conducting a leisurely sweep over Shay's face. "But I already knew it wasn't the whiskey that would make me feel better." Delphine's fingers squeezed and released Shay. "Thank you. I'll save these, keep them--" Her lips pulled in one direction. "--in reserve."
//
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