Incident 28B

It was three years since Incident 28B, and things had never been the same. We hadn’t always called it “Incident” 28B. No one had thought this outcome was genuinely a possibility, but now here I was, always running, living in the shadows. Looking over my shoulder again to make sure I was alone in the alley, I leapt into the air. As my feet left the pavement, I imagined a set of eagle’s wings sprouting from my back. At that same moment, they emerged and I felt my body shrink and shift into avian form and lift me high above the darkened city.

It would be a lie if I told you there wasn’t something exhilarating about this ability that 28B gave me. If only the others on the research team could still see me as the lab assistant, instead of just the lab rat. My flight wavered for a split second with the shudder that ran through me. That was one creature I refused to become.

I honed my eagle eyes on the city below me, searching for the one person who still loved me for who I was, not what I could offer. It wasn’t surprising that to find him at the docks. Descending towards where he dangled his feet in the lake, I imagined my own human feet touching the ground. At first the shift had made me wretch and gasp for air, but the more I did it, the easier it had become, until I learned to revel in the altering of bone, muscle, and organs.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Forgive me for not being there today.” His voice wavered with a mix of relief and regret. Tough guys like Si didn’t show emotion. Except to me.

The dock swayed gently as I lowered myself down next to him and covered his hand with mine. An unseasonably warm breeze danced through my commonplace brown hair. “Si. I don’t expect to you to be part of every move I make against them. You’ve already given up so much for me.”

He turned his hand over and our fingers interlocked. His thumb moved in a caress that matched the timing of the gentle waves lapping at the shore. “What happened to you is my fault, Mestra. I was in charge of Lot 28.”

“Well, now you are again.” Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew three vials, and offered them to Si. His eyes widened as he turned them over in his hands, reading their crisp laboratory labels: Lot 28B, Lot 28C, Lot 28D. The 28B vial was empty. Empty because it was coursing through my bloodstream. Empty because they had staged a mutiny in the lab, strapped me down and held a gun to my head to force Si to dose me. I had never experienced pain like that in my life. How many times had I begged them to shoot me while it rewrote my DNA and made me something a little different than human? The horror on Si’s face as he watched what he’d done taking effect was nearly as painful as the physical metamorphosis.

When the transformation had finished, I’d spotted a pigeon on the windowsill outside and thought how much I’d rather be that common city bird than spend one more minute with those people. Before the thought had finished, my body had begun to morph and the next thing I knew I was looking out of eyes that weren’t quite mine, and yet somehow were. The moment of shock in the lab had allowed Si to wrestle the gun from Zev and shout at me to use my wings. It had been a pigeon’s coo that had answered and I realized I had become the pigeon I’d wished to before. Clumsily, I flapped through the door, which he’d slammed shut and broken the handle off of. I’d clung to his shoulder and he’d ran.

But that was the past. And if I’ve learned anything about the past, it’s to leave it there.

Si raised his attention from the vials and looked into my eyes. To find so much love staring at me, even with what I’d become still left me flabbergasted. “Thank God they didn’t try to recreate 28B. How'd you get them?” He asked. I’d managed to get back into the lab about two years ago and corrupt what they still had of Si’s research. We’d been devising strategies to retrieve the remainder of Lot 28 ever since.

“Let’s just say my desire to never become any form of insect has been confirmed and leave it at that.” I cringed, recalling my entry to the lab. “What will you do with them?” I asked, resting my head on his shoulder. The moonlight glittered on the water.

He sighed, pocketing the vials. “I thought the world was ready for this advancement, but if it had been someone other than you, someone with ill intent, imagine the damage they could do. No, it must be destroyed.” We sat in comfortable silence as the breeze danced around us. Boats bobbed quietly where they were moored to the surrounding docks. I felt a smile pull at Si’s lips and lifted my head to look at him.

“What?” I giggled, unable to keep a smile off my own face in response to his.

“These silly little tubes have been the only thing holding us here. How do you feel about hoisting anchor and setting off on an adventure?” His grin widened and he stood, offering me a hand up.

I gazed at the city skyline. It was magnificent, to be sure, but too much had happened to stay here. Putting my hand into his, I let him haul me upright. “Let’s go south. It might be fun to become a dolphin.” I gave him a mischievous wink and wrapped my arm around his waist.

He steered us in the direction of his boat with a laugh. “Then south it is, m’lady. South it is.”