Page 46 of Perfection

The strobe lights of the double-wheel transporter dimmed as York moved away from the spinner. He advanced through the tunnel and took the elevator to street level. As soon as he exited into the sunshine, a woman hugging a child to her chest cornered him.

“Please, I need to be seen now.” The woman clutched his arm. “D-don’t…don’t let my baby die.”

Memories of his own child crept in, and York stared blankly at the woman. He shook his head, forcing the transposed memory of his ex-wife and their ill son from the here and now.

“Ma’am, you should stay in line. There is no help in this direction.” Gently, he guided the woman back to the others.

He slipped into the shadows of the building and approached a recessed side door. With a flip of his wrist, he extracted his ID and flashed it over the computer scanner. The door opened.

“Good morning, Lieutenant Richmond,” Comp Nine said. “How may I assist you?”

“Where is Dr. B-Zaika?”

“You will find her in the main lobby. Go down the hall and take your second right.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

York spotted Kindra immediately upon entering the lobby. The crowd tried to swarm her, yet she managed them with expert calm as she gave instructions to the next father in line. “Take a seat and give Comp Nine your information. When you’re finished, B-Watson”—she indicated across the lobby to where B-Watson shuffled people to the next station—“will give you directions.”

Parents sat at desks in cubicles that were spaced out across the right-hand side of the lobby. They clutched their children as a feminine computer-generated face smiled from a monitor, interviewing each parent.

The drone of voices filled the room as Comp Nine asked questions and parents answered. York was several steps from Kindra when a mother grabbed her arm. Kindra winced and tried to break the woman’s hold.

“There’s got to be a faster way,” the mother said.

Kindra forced a smile. “The quicker you answer the questions and are screened, the sooner we can help your child.”

Within reach now, York placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “This way, ma’am.”

Reluctantly, the mother carrying a child with sandy-blond hair moved to an empty cubicle even as she shrugged off York’s touch.

Another Seville employee stepped toward Kindra. “How can I help, Doctor?”

Kindra wiped her brow with the back of her hand. “Take over here.”

The female employee nodded.

In a few grand strides, York caught up with Kindra. Together, they walked past B-Watson, who glared at them. York’s chest expanded, infused with growing admiration for the courage she displayed. She was no pushover.

The left side of the lobby served as a makeshift infirmary. Small children occupied beds while parents and medical technicians moved around them. It practically broke his heart as little faces turned to him as he followed Kindra through the space. He guessed the children simply didn’t realize what was going on or the danger they were in. Mothers and fathers held their hands while nurses drew blood samples. The beds were already full, and with each second that passed, the sense of panic in the lobby escalated. Behind them, parents dashed to the front of the line, pushing and shouting.

“Do they know what this is?” one woman shouted.

“Do they have a cure?” another demanded.

Seville was a research center, not a hospital. The staff was ill-equipped to handle such an emergency. York called for police support to help handle the crowd.

This was a horror beyond anything he’d experienced. And the GEIs had been too arrogant to be prepared for it. There were accidents, yes—scrapes and falls and broken bones that needed to be repaired, especially from over-exuberant teens. For the most part, hospitals mainly handled Coders and specialized in treating injuries caused by accidents and performing cloning.

Kindra led the way through automatic doors. This was her turf, her area of expertise. Tension gripped his neck at the idea of having to take a back seat on this one. Waiting wasn’t his strong suit.

When they arrived at their destination in the lab, a team of technicians were busy at work.

York took his cue from Kindra and paused behind a technician to observe over his shoulder. Blood was being analyzed.“D-36,”the tech read aloud.

“Affirmative,” Nine answered.