Carola Dibbell - The Only Ones

So he goes, “Bingo.”

So I said but I don’t know if he could find the file.

He had another drink. “Why not?”

I said Lonnie Vertov could of gave me a fake ID.

He had another drink. “And why would Lonnie Vertov do that?”

“If you are a minor.”

He just held his hand out, like, this would matter because?

“It was a vaccine trial.”

He was about to have another drink but stopped before he got it in his mouth. “What vaccine?”

I said I didn’t know. And by the way, that’s true. I did know they ran the test on a boat called Flora May, and the boat was in Flushing Bay.

He typed all that in his gizmo, then said, “Bingo,” again. He stood and clapped his hands. “Sounds like some early version of Universal vaccine. I can use those antibodies as a Control and work from there.”

Whatever.

At least the intake’s over.

He leads me up front then around to where he had went to check my ID and Pass in a shiny little room called Lab 3, where he sits me on a table, sets up a syringe and I’m like, with this guy’s nerves, what are the chances he finds the vein, but he does it fast and good. “These are express kits and we should see some results in minutes. Why not relax in front?”

He’s putting on a mask and Hygiene gloves while I go back to the orange sofa and look out the window that doesn’t open. It’s starting to turn dark and by now I am sleepy. I started so early for this trip, all the way from Powell’s Cove, and even once I got to Jersey, there is the whole hybrobus trip up.

The phone rang. This time Rauden picked it up. “Harold, hey! Daisy? But that’s way early. What’s the timing on her contractions? Harold, I’m a little busy. Can you try Walter or Sook? Get back to me if nothing works.”

I could hear that wind real good through the window. It’s still just light enough to see trees moving around in it. I also heard a bell. Then Rauden, breathing — you hear him breathe before you see him. He leaned on the door and looks like he is going to cry. “I’m not finding any Universal history in your blood. That seems incredible, if you’ve taken the vaccine. Are you sure you did?”

So I said they could of lied.

The wind is getting really loud.

He sat down in a chair like he is tired too. “What do you mean?”

“They could of gave a different vaccine than they say.”

He looks me up and downisis4N is so tired. “Why would they do that?”

“It was a shady operation.”

“How do you mean?”

“A Tech died.”

“Died?” He sat right up. “How did he die?”

“Well, his eyes bled. His skin too.”

“But — why would this happen from that vaccine? It almost sounds like symptoms of—” then he stopped and is, like, thinking, thinking, “but who would mess with that?”

Now I heard the whole building make a noise. Creak.

“Well the Tech was the only one who died,” I said. “The others just went to Emergency. I was ok.”

“Wait — everyone got sick but you. And you were how old?”

The phone rang again. He let it ring.

I go, “Thirteen.” Right away I wished I didn’t say thirteen because he looks like he did about the foster care. So I said, “It could be fourteen.” To tell the truth, it could be twelve. The look he gave me now, I wish I said sixteen. I wish I never told him anything.

The phone rang again. “Harold! Talk to me. And you tried Walter? No, I’ll come! What? Where? Keep your eyes open and I’ll see you in twenty,” then, “Janet! Are you there?” He’s just running around. “Will you fucking pick up? Daisy’s having a breech birth — Harold’s Daisy. And Delmore’s not the only one who saw horses. Please come get the Subject. I have to leave her here.” He went to Lab 3 and came out in a white coat like Techs usually wear, carrying a black bag. He wrote down a number for me and told me to call it from the Box Room phone and Janet will come get me. He said don’t let anyone but her or him in, no matter what they say, and he went out the front door.

Then he came back and locked the door an extra way. I heard his truck drive off. I was alone on this empty, creaky Farm way out in the sticks. I been in worse situations, believe me. At least this one got heat.

I tried to call the number Rauden had left, but no one picked up. The Box Room screen was black again when I went in there to call.

I just went back in front and sat on the orange sofa and listen to the wind blow and the building creak.

Then I tried to call again.

The lights went off.

After a while, a phone was ringing. Not the regular phone. A different phone, near the freezers. Then it stopped. Then it rang again. This time it didn’t stop. Finally I went down the hall in the dark and picked up this different phone. A machine said, “Backup system will be activated in one minute. Please pull the lever at the green light to confirm.”

I put the phone down and felt my way past the freezers till I got to a green light which has a lever underneath I could see by the green light. I pulled it. The lights went on.

Something was hitting the window like rain, snow, when Rauden came in the front door, wet and excited, saying to the phone, “Two little heifers. Daisy’s doing great.” He seemed surprised to see me lying on the sofa. “Let me take a quick look around. Oh! Shit! What’s this now?” That was from the Box Room. “Can I get back to you?” I could hear him moving all the way down the hall. Then all the way up to me. “Did you touch something? And do not goddamn say you do not know looks me up and downisis4N.”

I told him.

He sat down on the chair. “Henry! The old system was in place, storm knocked a cable out, that kicked on the old backup system and when the failsafe message went off, the Subject did what it told her to, and now the whole system’s totally fucked. Password? What password?”

He heaved himself up and went back down the hall toward the green light hoo-ha. The lights went off. Then on.

“Yup,” I could hear him say. “Her pure code was in the drive. And there was uncompleted bloodwork running. Let me check how that’s doing.” In a minute he was saying, “Please tell me how you knew that, Henry.” Then, “You’re kidding me. You’re fucking kidding me.” So he came all the way in front breathing noisy like he does and when he got to me, stared really hard, then said, “Dear fucking God,” and sat down on that chair. “You’re sure, Henry?”

So I’m in trouble now. I should not of pulled the lever. I should not of even picked up the different phone. He’s going to send me right back to the Mound.

But he just kept talking to Henry. “You’re saying I should pull her codes out, as a test?” He went in back. The lights went off, then on. “Then put her codes back in?” The lights went off, then on. I heard him say, “Dear God,” then he came up front and stared at me again. “You’re right! That’s how it used to work. What a crazy piece of luck. I’ll call Bernie right away.” He walked around in a little circle, saying, “Yes!” a few times, then, “Bernie? Rauden Sachs here. Long time! Look, can you fit a Subject in for a checkup? Let’s not go into detail on the phone but this could be something very special. Think you could squeeze her in between virgins? You still use the RV? We should make it by morning.”

He went to Lab 3 again and came back with a regular coat, the Pak from Queens, and the Mobile.

“I!” So he could say it without coughing now. “Let’s go!” I take my coat too and we head off into the night.

iii

The rain or snow was still coming down, and it is hard sloshing through the slush to get to the truck in the dark, but Rauden started talking before we finished sloshing, like I could even hear him, in the rain or snow.