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Dr Banks sighed For a moment, he didn’t look like the owner of a massive multinational corporation: he looked like ait up with foundation, hair dye, and stimulants "I’m afraid Ms Seaborne did not recover from her unfortunate incident in the cafeteria"
" ‘Unfortunate’--do youwith her, or do you mean the officers with the shock batons?" I crossed er afraid of Sy I was more concerned that I would never leave this basement Not alive, anyway "She’s dead, isn’t she? That’s what youelectrocuted"
"Sally…" Dr Banks hesitated Then he sighed again, and said, "There’s a great deal you don’t understand I’m so sorry you had to see that, and please believe me, no one is sorrier about what happened with Chave than I a Neither of us ever expected things to end this way"
"I’ot out of bed thisat him "Sherman Lewis Where is he?"
"Sally--"
"I come here every time you call me I let your staff take all the blood they want I answer your questions, I listen to your lectures, I do whatever I’e Sherman is the only person here who always treats me like I’m a person, too Not lab equipment, not an experiment, a person Nohere is he?"
"Sally, I’ht as well have been screa louder with every iteration "Why are you sorry?" I asked I could barely hear my own voice over the echoes of Dr Banks’s stateed physical contact with Chave He was exposed"
His first words were still echoing, and now they were backed by a heavy pounding, like the sound of distant drums "Exposed to what?"
"Sally, I really don’t feel this is a conversation that we should be having while you’re upset" Dr Banks looked even more uncoetting stronger, drowning out the echo of his words "Exposed to what?"
"I’ve called Dr Kim to come and collect you," said Dr Banks "I’m afraid your clothes won’t be ready for several hours They will be delivered to your hoet to have lunch together; I was verythat time with you I’ll see you soon, Sally"
"Wait, what are you talking about? What e exposed to? Dr Banks--"
It was too late: Dr Banks was already turning and stepping out of the room The security officer reappeared as soon as Dr Banks was through the door,it clear that I would not be allowed to rush after him I dropped my hands to my sides and just stared, open-mouthed The drums were as loud as they had ever been, and for the first tis, I was absolutely certain of what they were: I was hearing the pounding ofsilently for a man who had always been kind to me, and waited for the man I loved to come and take me home I was exhausted I was done
It was hard to tell tih fordoould er The officer who’d been keeping nize, wearing the salared at hi, and so neither did I
My stubborn standoff with the forces of Sy to find out by a faure in a San Francisco City Hospital lab coat Nathan pushed his way past the officer, see to neither notice nor care that the other man was armed, and rushed to embrace me
"Jesus, Sal, you scared the hell out of me," he said
That see for to fall apart My tears had been falling for a while Now I started to sob, as quietly as I could I pressed ainst him for a few precious seconds Nathan folded his arht," he said "It’s okay I’m here"
"Sh-Sherman," I whispered
Nathan winced He knew about Sherman They’d never met, but Sherman was the only person at SymboGen that I consistently spoke well of "Oh, shit, Sal I’ for a few nified, but I didn’t care about dignity I earing scrubs and standing in the Synity was the last ofo horuity of his appearance strikingyour lab coat?"
"Because I was already here when the quarantine was called on the cafeteria level," said Nathan "They called me in for another job interview"