Joanne Moody pressed her ear to the door of the small, brick building. She'd been doing a lot of that lately. Morgan may still be with the program, so to speak, but she was too jacked up with hormones to think clearly. Joanne had been doing a lot of thinking. Talking, too. David seemed to be on her page, especially since Sue's near-breakdown. Sue was in no shape to try again, but they still kept her. That, more than anything, made her suspicious.
If none of this was successful, would they be free to go? The doc seemed gentle, even understanding of their apprehension, but that younger one... There was something desperate about her. The way she holed herself in the lab, hardly having any contact with them. "The natives." Joanne had heard her use the term for them, as if they were some indigenous people to be controlled and conquered. Ridiculous, considering they were the ones brought here. And without much choice.
"Unethical?" she heard a shrill voice screech from inside. "You're a fine one to throw that at me. You put on such a fine, sweet act, but look what you do."
"What do I do? I'm giving hope to these..."
"Don't get all saintly on me now. You see the same thing I do when you look at these people. Lab rats. At least I admit it."
"God, you're jaded."
"No. I'm honest. You can sit around here and play mommy all you want. It doesn't matter as long as I do what matters." There was silence.
"What is that?" Joanne heard the doc ask after a moment.
"It's what we need. Undiluted. In pure form."
"Where did you..."
"I got it and that's what matters. I think I took care of our interlopers, too."
There was more silence before the doc spoke. "What did you do?"
"Just a couple scare tactics. Nothing too bad. I think they'll get the message. I know one of them will. At least it was enough of a distraction for us to get number five."
"Oh, God... Did you really..."
"They're both still out. You might want to go to them. I think they'll react better, seeing someone they know."
"But we weren't ready. They needed more time to adjust before..."
"We have no time. We had to get them out of there before the little spies threw a wrench in the works."
"I think I liked it better when you were too scared to leave the base," she heard the doc say, almost too softly to hear.
"Oh, stop it. You'll feel better when we succeed. I've already dosed number four."
"Her name is Morgan." Joanne shook silently outside the door. My Morgan. What did she do? "What did you do?" The doc asked, echoing her frantic thought.
"I've helped things along, that's all. She's the only one who's still keeping up. She deserves to have the first Adam."
"First?"
"Well... First viable Adam."
"Joanne?" Joanne nearly jumped away from the cold, metal door. She saw Morgan then, standing next to one of the newly planted dogwood trees that surrounded the medical building. "What are you doing here?" Morgan cradled her stomach. It seemed almost larger than it had this morning.
"Just wanted to talk to the doc," she lied, moving away from the door so as not to be heard. "You said you were having that back pain and..."
"Oh, Honey, that's just normal. We've been through that with the others."
"The others. Yeah."
She felt Morgan's hand on her shoulder. "Babe, this one's going to be fine. I have a feeling."
Joanne wasn't comforted by this feeling. Morgan had it twice before only to end in tears and blood and... She looked ahead of her. At the tall trees that bordered them. She'd tried to walk farther, just to see, but outdoor time was supervised and...
"Stop it."
Joanne turned toward her lover. "Stop what?"
"I know what you're thinking and I don't know how you could... think it. You wouldn't leave me."
Joanne saw Morgan's eyes begin to fill and she stepped toward her. Her hormones had every emotion in overdrive. "Never. I want the both of us to leave." She stepped closer, tried to touch her cheek. "Morgan, please..."
"God, how could you? We're so close now to all we ever wanted. How could you throw that away?" Morgan turned and started moving away, but slowly, at a bit of a waddle.
Joanne gave one longing look toward the tall trees on the outskirts. She then looked back to the medical building. First viable Adam. The words chilled her even as they gave her some sliver of hope. There had been two still births. She didn't think either of them could handle another. She'd stay, if only for the hope that this time they could have that child. "That special child," as the doc said, near reverence in her whisper. She turned to follow Morgan when she saw her drop to her knees. "Morgan!" Joanne rushed forward, kneeling at her side. "What's wrong?"
"Not again," Morgan breathed before falling to her side. Joanne followed her down, trying to pull her up. It was then she saw the blood pooling from between her legs, running on the grass.
"Somebody help!"
***************************************
"You know what?" Linda pushed at the door slightly and Lois stepped back, surprised. "I can take that you're mad. I can. But on Thanksgiving day, you answer the phone when your family calls. And when said family member calls again, you can at least text back. Let me know you're alive." She came forward. Lois found herself backing up again. "I gave you time to cool down. I gave you space and I thought 'Hey, she'll call. We're the only family left and she'd never just shut me out.' But you..." Linda took a deep breath, her face reddening.
"Linda, I..."
"Because this is it, Lois. You and me. We're all there is and if you can just toss that aside just like... like you..." Linda stopped, looking down. "We really need to talk. Because I can't just sit back anymore and..." Linda trailed off. "Why are you in a robe at five o'clock?" Her eyes narrowed. "Where's Clark?"
Lois closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "Linda, just sit down. If you want to talk, just..." She gaped as Linda marched past her. She moved to the hall, glancing in Clark's room, then hers before heading toward the bath. Lois rushed forward. "Now, wait a minute..."
Linda reached the bathroom doorway, shrieked slightly, then turned her back to it. Lois came up to her side and glanced in. Clark was in the tub, but his head rested on the back and his eyes were closed. "Damn it, Clark. I told you not to go to sleep."
"I just knew it," she heard behind her. She glanced back. Linda's back was still to the door, but she could see her hands fisted at her sides. "You push me away, then you two get cozy while I'm public enemy number one. Of course." She turned her head slightly. "And who sleeps in the tub, Clark?"
"Clark." Lois touched his face lightly. "Wake up." She could feel his breath, but he wasn't responding otherwise.
"Yes. Tell him to put some clothes on, too. I could never kill a man when he's naked. While you're at it, tell him that he's a sneaky, conniving..."
Lois turned, stamping a bare foot. "God, Lois, just shut up!" She stopped then, her mouth open.
Linda turned in the doorway, her mouth gaping as well. "What did you just..."
"I meant to say Linda." Lois closed her eyes and shook her head. She was so tired. She could feel a light pulsing behind her eyes. She really didn't have time for a headache. "Look, I've had a really rough day."
Linda looked around, anywhere but at the tub. "Why is there pizza on the floor? And what's with the..."
"I'll tell you in a minute," she cut in, turning back to the tub. She pulled the drain, letting what was now just water with the tiniest flecks of ice drain slightly before she turned on the shower again. She nearly laughed with relief when Clark rose up slightly, sputtering and coughing. "Thank God."
"What? I was just resting my eyes. I..."
"Okay. What the hell is going on?"
Clark looked past her then. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but he just started coughing.
Lois quickly reached in and patted his back. "Try to breath the air and not the water." She rubbed as he settled into normal breaths, closing his eyes and bending his head under the spray.
"Why's he coughing?" Linda asked from behind her. "You don't cough, Clark."
Lois turned her head slightly. "He's sick, Lois. If you'd pay attention instead of yelling and..." She rose up and turned slowly. "How do you know he doesn't cough?"
Linda was still staring at Clark "And you don't get sick. Oliver said..."
"How do you know he doesn't get sick?"
Linda shut her mouth, then opened it a few times. "Well... How do you you know?" Linda lifted her chin. "There's obviously a lot you're not telling me." Linda stepped forward. "Clark, I can't believe you. You've been sitting around being sick and you can't even pick up a phone? You can ask for help, you know. Or is that just not Supermanly or... Oh, jeez!" Linda winced and stepped back, squeezing her eyes shut. "Can you throw a towel over him or something?"
Lois could only stare. "You knew? How did you..."
"oh, Lois, would you focus for a second? We have to..."
"Me?" Lois scoffed. "You're the one that busted in here and yelled at Clark while he was obviously..."
"Hold that thought." Linda pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and pressed a button, then waited, glancing at the pizza box. "Is that still warm?" she hissed, then concentrated on her phone again. "Never mind.. Ollie? Hey... Yes, I did... Well, you gave me no choice with all your babbling about space and boundaries... Well, not to rejoice, but I was right..." Linda turned away slightly and her voice quieted. "Well, I was just in time. These two are obviously in way over their heads and... Oh, tell Victor to shut up. I landed at the clock tower and it's perfectly safe. You'd think he'd pipe down now that he has the new one... Ollie, will you just listen? Clark's sick... Well, I thought so, too... How should I know?" Linda glanced at the tub. "I can't. He passed out again."
Lois gasped and turned. His head was lolling on the side now, his arm hanging over. Water rolled down it and onto the floor. She dropped to her knees and shook him. "Clark, please..."
"I think so, too. We'll meet you there in about..." Linda's voice droned on. Lois could hardly hear it. Maybe he need sleep, but she didn't want him to have it. Not when she wasn't sure he'd wake up.
"Clark, get up. I'll turn off the shower. You can have pizza. Just..." She felt a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "I have to get him..."
"Calm down," Linda's voice said in her ear. "You're shaking." Lois looked at her hand on his arm. It was shaking. "We're going to get you out of here."
"I'm not leaving him."
"Both of you," Linda said quickly. She pulled at Lois' arm and she stood.
"He won't get up. I don't know what to do. He doesn't want his mother to know, but I think she should if she..."
"Okay, okay." Linda rubbed Lois' back and stepped forward. "Clark," she said loudly. "If you don't get up right now, I'm calling Martha and I'll tell her a whole lot more than this."
He stirred slightly. Lois leaned down. "No," she heard faintly. "Don't want... her to worry."
"I'll give her a whole mess of worry if you don't get the hell up and... Oh, for the love of God! Does he have a robe?"
**************************
It was all happening so quickly. Lois only threw on some jeans and a sweater before they started trying to heft Clark out of the tub. She put a robe on him, but not much else. They had to get him in the car while he was still semi-alert. "We'll take my car."
"No mine. I'm parked... in your... driveway," Linda grunted as they moved slowly on either side of him.
"You shouldn't do that," Lois grunted back. "We're not supposed to leave... tire marks."
"What kind of... diabolical place is this?" They stopped, holding Clark between them at the base of the small steps to the living room.
"You don't want to know." Lois shored him up on her side. "Hang in there, Clark." He looked awful and he wasn't wearing his glasses. She wished she'd thought to grab them. As it was, she was lucky she'd put her keys in her pocket. "We'll leave through the garage." She steered them toward the door at the side of the living room. It was better than walking Clark down the lane. It wasn't even six. Someone might see.
Once they'd steered him out and maneuvered him into the back seat of the small sports car, Lois relaxed slightly. "Start the car," she said, panting a bit. "I'll close up and come out."
She moved back into the garage and through the house, grabbing her purse, Clark's briefcase from the floor where it had been since yesterday, apparently. She opened it quickly and saw the glasses. She closed it and moved to his bedroom, gathering what she could in her arms: sneakers, some boxers, a warm sweater, some jeans, a few pairs of socks. She was just opening the bottom drawer, trying to see if he had a few tee shirts when something fell out of a bundle of red and to the base of the drawer with a clink. She felt around the bottom for it, wondering if it was his watch or... Her hand grasped cold metal. In the dim light, she saw what it was. A bracelet. it was silver with lines that radiated outward from a blue-green stone. She'd seen it somewhere, but... She heard a loud beeping from outside. She dropped it back in the drawer and grabbed a blue shirt along with whatever the red bundle was, bunching it it with the other clothes, rushing out to the car.
She got in and held the clothes in her lap, glancing back at Clark. He was out again. "Is he..."
"I heard a snore," Linda said quickly. "I think this might be good old-fashioned sleep."
"Good. Let's go."
Linda just stared ahead of her at the garage. "Are you just going to leave it like that?"
Lois followed her gaze. "Oh, damn it." She got out, tossing the bundle of clothes on the seat and moved inside past all the junk. She pressed the button to close and, in the interest of saving time, she ducked and ran under the rapidly closing door.
"That was cool," Linda said when she got back in. "I thought you were going to do that Indiana Jones thing and..."
"Linda, just go." Lois gathered the clothes in her lap again.
"Fine. No small talk. Got it." Linda pulled out of the space. Lois glanced out the window. She saw Marcy alone with her dog again, still with no leash. She saw Dodie knocking on Mitzi's door with a large basket in her hand. She didn't care about any of it. As long as Clark was okay, this entire place could sink into the ground. She hated herself for the thought as soon as she had it. "Where are we going?" she asked, trying to get her mind on task.
"Ollie has a place downtown. He thinks staying there is a bad idea, just in case whatever infected Clark is in the house. He's having it checked out."
"And what jurisdiction does the mayor of Star City have here?"
Linda fell silent for a moment. "Can we just jump off that bridge when we get to it? I'd prefer to keep things on a need-to-know basis."
"Oh, definitely. Why let me in now?"
Linda glanced at the pile in Lois' lap as they waited for the gate to open. "What's that ratty old thing?" Linda pulled at the red fabric until it escaped from the pile. "Oh, dear God. He still has that stupid red jacket? Such an ugly..."
"That's it." Lois snatched what she now knew was a jacket back. "Apparently, you know what he wore, you know his mother's name. I'm just going to assume you know his mother, too."
Linda sighed. "Yes. We can have a long talk later," she said in a dull voice. She glanced back at Clark as they hit a red light. "And I am so calling her."
Lois glanced back at Clark as well, her voice softening. "Oh, definitely."
"I can't believe he hasn't told her before this."
"Well, he's stubborn. Last night she called and called and he just lied and said he was fine."
Linda shook her head and moved as the light changed. "That's so Clark with his dumb noble suffering complex. Ollie sneezes and he's rushing in to have me feel his forehead."
"Well, I guess Clark just doesn't accept it because of that whole Superman thing."
Linda stopped again and turned to her. "How long have you known?"
Lois looked down, leeting what had seemd like a normal moment of griping about men go. "How long have you known?"
Linda sighed. "Little over a year."
"And... Ollie? He knows?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand any of this. Why didn't you tell me or..."
"Listen, someday we're going to sit down and have a long talk. But you should know something right now." Linda turned her eyes back to the street as the line of cars moved. "It better start with a gigantic apology."
"What do you mean by..."
"And here we are," Linda announced, cutting Lois off. Lois stayed silent a they moved under a tall building into a garage. "Of course, now we'll have to get him in the elevator." She shrugged. "No stairs, though. So there's your silver lining." Linda pulled into a space near the elevator. "Lift with your legs," she said, unfastening her seat belt.
********************************
Joanne wanted to scream, pound on the door, but she didn't. She leaned back in the chair she'd moved so gradually closer to the door. She closed her eyes, hoping to give the guard the illusion of resting. She couldn't hear anything. Morgan hadn't made a sound in the last half-hour. But she strained, shut her eyes tighter, finally hearing something. She wanted to store it all up in her mind, bring it back to David, see if, between them, they could find a way to convince the others, get out.
"Something's wrong with it."
"You said it was pure."
"Well, I had to taint it first or I couldn't get it at all."
"God, just tell me what you did. We can't fix this if we don't know."
"You don't understand. It was supposed to be temporary. It wasn't supposed to stick."
"But the Adam..."
"He's gone." She heard a faint metallic rattling, then clanging, as if someone had overturned a table of instruments.
"Okay. Calm down. We've been here before. We just have to patch up Morgan and..."
"You don't get it. The sample has infected her, too. I don't know if she can take it. Just... Go to number five. They've probably been up for hours and they need your special bedside manner... They're what matters now."
Joanne didn't understand what this sample was, but she knew infection. And she knew what it meant if someone couldn't take it. And she suspected what it meant if Morgan didn't matter. She stood slowly and moved to the door. She rattled the knob, but it didn't budge. She did scream then. She screamed and pounded until she felt large arms that encircled her like a vise and a pricking at the back of her neck.
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