Quarantine

5

Do it today," Maris Wheeler said. "I'm sick of waiting."

Alan Sosa wouldn't look at her. She knew he didn't have the stomach for this plan of hers. "She's only been here for two days," Alan said. "It's not as if you've been waiting long."

Maris slammed her hand down on the lab table. "I have been waiting for almost two years!" she cried. "We've had this Healer's DNA for two years, and this is the first workable serum we've come up with. I want to know how it affects humans, and I want to know it now."

"I don't have the serum ready," he said.

She knew he was lying. "Alan, if you don't stop sniveling, I'm going to test it on you," she said.

"I mean I haven't figured out how to administer it without her noticing," he said.

"It's liquid. It's clear. Dump it in a bottle of water and give it to her," Maris said. "Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

He was quiet for a moment. He was all out of excuses,

and she knew it. "What you're asking me to do is illegal," he said finally. "I'm putting myself at risk."

Maris didn't like this part of her job. She preferred to organize things from afar, but every so often she simply had to be the heavy. "Alan, so far no one knows about that little… incident at your last company," Maris said pleasantly. "You know, when you were embezzling from the research fund."

"That's a lie!" Alan growled. "I was set up."

"Regardless," Maris replied, "I can prove that there's money in your bank account that isn't supposed to be there. So why don't you just do me this one little favor, and I won't tell anyone about the embezzling."

Maris watched with satisfaction as the blood drained from the face of the famous Dr. Alan Sosa. She had him right where she wanted him.

"I will remain calm and be perfectly pleasant," Liz said as she walked down the hallway to Dr. Sosa's lab. Maria had given her a mantra to say so she could deal with Dr. Sosa more easily. "I will remain calm and be perfectly pleasant."

She took a deep breath and started to open the heavy door. From inside came the sound of angry voices. Liz hesitated, holding the door a few inches open. Should she wait until Dr. Sosa finished his argument?

"It isn't right!" she heard him yell. Whoever he was talking to was much quieter. Liz pushed the door open a bit farther, hoping to hear.

Too far. The door gave a tiny squeak.

"Ah, Liz! Good morning!" cried Maris Wheeler.

Liz stopped in surprise. She had been expecting to find

Dr. Sosa fighting with another scientist, but instead she found no one but Maris. "Hi, Ms. Wheeler," Liz said.

"I told you, call me Maris. So how's everything going?" Maris asked. "Are you enjoying your work with Alan?"

Liz couldn't help a glance at Dr. Sosa, who stood awkwardly behind Maris.

No, I can't stand him! Liz thought. "Yes, it's been wonderful so far," she said out loud.

"Good. I know he feels the same way," Maris replied, turning to look at Dr. Sosa. "Isn't that right, Alan?"

Dr. Sosa smiled at Liz. It looked more like a grimace. Wow, she can make him do anything, Liz thought in amusement. That's probably the first time he's ever smiled in his life.

"Liz is a very smart girl with a bright future ahead of her," Dr. Sosa said, staring intently at Maris.

Maris gave him a cold smile. "You'd better get started," she said, heading for the door.

Dr. Sosa's shoulders slumped, and his fake smile fell away. "Fine," he said quietly.

What is going on between those two? Liz thought. Whenever she saw them together there was a strange undercurrent of hostility, but she could never figure out exactly what the issue was between them.

Liz put her backpack at the empty work station that she'd decided to make her own… Dr. Sosa had never bothered to assign her a place. I will remain calm, she thought, and be perfectly… "Ms. Parker. I… I have something I'd like to say," Dr. Sosa announced.

Liz turned to face him. He was smiling at her… the

same forced smile he'd given her in front of Maris. He held a bottle of water in his hand.

"Okay," Liz replied, plastering a smile on her own face.

Dr. Sosa awkwardly handed her the bottle of water. "I'd like to propose a toast, actually," he said. "To you, and your future here at Meta-chem."

Liz didn't know what to say so she ended up just standing there holding the bottle and looking baffled.

"Oh, excuse me," Dr. Sosa muttered. He hastily grabbed an empty beaker from his work station, filled it with water from the tap, and held it up. "To your future," he said again, using his beaker of water to toast with. He gestured for Liz to join him.

This guy really is a mad scientist, Liz thought in amusement. Either he'd had a gigantic change of heart about her or else Maris Wheeler had given him a lecture about being nice to the scholarship student. Whatever the reason, he was acting like a completely different person today, and Liz kind of liked him this way.

"Thanks, Dr. Sosa," she said, tapping her bottle against his beaker in a toast. "I hope I do have a long future here."

She had barely gotten the bottle to her lips when Dr. Sosa began coughing. Alarmed, she put her water down and hastened to his side. "Dr. Sosa, are you okay?" Liz cried.

He tried to catch his breath. "Sure," he wheezed. "I'm fine. Finish your drink."

"Um, okay, if you're sure," Liz said. She picked up the bottle and took a sip of water. But his coughing continued, and Liz felt weird just standing there and watching him. She leaned over to thump him on the back.

Dr. Sosa jumped when she touched him. He jerked away from her, his arm knocking into a rack of test tubes on the counter behind him. The rack fell over, sending the test tubes clattering down to the floor, where they broke. The thick, pinkish liquid that had been inside them oozed out onto the floor, staining Liz's sneaker.

There was a moment of silence. Liz stared at Dr. Sosa, horrified. He looked at her in pretty much the same way.

"I'm so sorry," Liz yelped. "I hope I haven't ruined anything important."

Dr. Sosa shook his head slowly. "Don't worry, Liz," he said. "You are far more important than any of the experiments we've been doing here."

What an odd thing to say, Liz thought as she hurried to the closet for cleaning supplies. "I'll mop this up," Liz called over her shoulder. But when she turned around, Dr. Sosa was gone, the big metal door just closing behind him.

Michael poured another giant can of chicken broth into the big soup pot. He loved chicken noodle day… it was by far the easiest soup to make.

"Order up!" Maria called from outside the order window.

Michael frowned at her. "I'm supposed to say that, not you," he said.

Maria turned on her thousand-watt smile. "I know, but I have your order ready."

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked impatiently.

"Didn't you order a big, juicy kiss?" Maria asked.

Michael thought about it. Jeff Parker probably wouldn't

think making out in the kitchen was especially sanitary. Then again, Jeff wasn't here. And the Crashdown was pretty empty: an elderly couple in the corner booth, Kyle, and some guy at the counter. No one to rat him out to the boss. "I ordered three big, juicy kisses," he told Maria.

Still smiling, she hopped up onto the counter, propped her elbows on the order window, and leaned through to kiss him. Michael decided to just ignore the soup he was making and concentrate on his girlfriend.

"That can't be sanitary," Kyle said, shaking his head as he watched Michael and Maria.

The guy on the stool next to him laughed. "Well, they clearly put a lot of love into the food here," he joked.

Kyle nodded. "Best burgers in town. And I should know… I used to date the owner's daughter."

"So you pretty much ate here three meals a day," the guy said.

"You know it," Kyle answered. "By the time she dumped me, I was hooked on the onion rings, so I had to keep coming."

The guy shook his head. "You're unlucky in love, just like me."

"Well, I don't know about that," Kyle said quickly. "I was just unlucky with her. But I do okay."

"Not me," the guy said, sighing. "I just broke up with someone I really liked."

"Dumped you, huh?" Kyle said, taking a swig of Coke.

"No, I dumped her."

Kyle snorted. "Okay, what's your name?"

"Jesse. Jesse Ramirez."

"Well, listen, Ramirez," Kyle said, "Rule number one of dating: Don't break up with someone you like. What are you, a masochist?"

Jesse gave him a lopsided grin. "No, man, I was just too old for her."

"Oh, so you were doing her a favor by dumping her?"

"Um, yeah," Jesse said. "Though when you put it that way, it sounds kind of stupid."

Kyle emptied his Coke glass. "Hey, Maria!" he called.

Maria waved him away without breaking her liplock on Michael.

"I need another Coke," Kyle yelled, undeterred. "And one for my masochistic friend here."

Liz pushed open the door of the Crashdown and glanced around. Maria and Michael were hanging out at the door to the back room. Kyle sat at the counter chatting with some guy in a suit. It all looked normal, yet something seemed off.

It's the lights, Liz thought. The hanging lamps were LOO bright. She squinted up at them. That's weird. I didn't even know they had a bright setting.

"Liz!" cried Maria. "What are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

"She lives here," Michael put in. "Duh." He disappeared through the swinging door and went back into the kitchen.

Maria approached Liz, talking a mile a minute as usual. "Aren't you supposed to be at Meta-chem? Wait, is today your day off? You didn't get into a fight with that doctor guy, did you? I told you to use my mantra if he was acting like a jerk."

Liz winced. Was Marias voice always this loud?

"You got a real death grip on that thing," Maria added.

"What?" Liz said. Why was she so confused all of a sudden?

"Water bottle." Maria pointed at the plastic bottle in Liz's hand.

Liz glanced down in surprise. She'd forgotten she had it. "Oh, yeah," she mumbled. She opened it and took a swig. The water tasted funny. "I think I'm coming down with something," she told Maria.

"Is that why you came home from work?"

Liz shook her head. "No, Dr. Sosa had a little freak-out and sent me home. I feel bad about it, actually. He was trying to be nice to me, but he had a coughing fit and I accidentally made him spill some chemicals."

For once Maria was silent. She stared at Liz with big, frightened eyes.

"Not like a huge chemical spill," Liz said. "Just a little one. I cleaned it up, and Dr. Sosa said I could have the rest of the day off."

The bell over the door jingled, and Liz jumped. Usually she could barely hear that thing, but today it seemed especially loud and harsh.

"I'd better go check on the oldsters," Maria said, heading off to the elderly couple in the corner booth. Liz walked slowly over to the stool next to Kyle.

"Check it out," he said. "A mini-Maria." He gestured with his head to the little girl who'd just come in.

Liz looked at her. She had her hair in two braids, just like Maria did today. And she wore shiny lip gloss in the same shade as Maria's. In fact, she looked a lot like Maria. "Weird," Liz commented.

The girl hopped up onto the stool nearest the order window and gazed adoringly at Michael.

"Really weird," Kyle agreed.

"This cook is quite the stud," the guy next to Kyle joked. "First the waitress, now the kid."

Kyle snorted.

Liz couldn't help herself… she jerked away from him. Why was everything so loud all of a sudden?

"So, anything new at Meta-chem today?" Kyle's tone was casual, but Liz knew what he was really asking.

"I was only there for half an hour," she told him. "Dr. Sosa was arguing with Maris Wheeler about something. Then I knocked him into some chemicals in the lab, and there was a spill. He sent me home early."

Kyle sighed. "Well, at least you didn't draw any attention to yourself," he said sarcastically.

Liz shrugged. Somehow she just didn't care about Meta-chem right now, even if they did have alien cells in their laboratories. She was too busy trying to figure out why the lights were so bright and the sounds so loud.

"I'll ask Michael to meet me at Meta-chem tonight," Kyle said in a whisper. "He can open the door to that closet."

Liz stared at him in a panic. His voice was so loud, she was sure the guy next to him would overhear. But the guy just kept eating his fries, and Kyle didn't seem fazed at all.

"I need to go lie down," Liz said. She jumped off the stool and went through the swinging door into the back room. She made her way into the kitchen to grab a snack, figuring she'd take it upstairs. She dropped her backpack

and the water bottle on a counter and pushed past Michael, who was stirring soup.

"I like your hair. It's really long." The little girl was talking to Michael through the order window. Liz smiled as she pulled open the fridge and began hunting for the baby carrots they used as garnish.

"Yeah, thanks," Michael answered gruffly.

"How come it's so long?"

"Because I'm too lazy to cut it." Michael halfheartedly stirred the soup on the stove.

"I think boys with long hair are cute. My father doesn't like them, though. He says long hair is undisciplined."

"Discipline is overrated," Michael said.

The girl laughed loudly. Liz clapped both hands over her ears and stood up, glaring at Michael. He looked back at her, a big wooden spoon in his hand. "What?" he said. "I didn't do anything."

Liz shook her head. This whole sound-distortion thing was getting on her nerves. She snatched a bag of carrots out of the fridge and closed the door. Then she pushed past Michael again.

"Touchy," he muttered behind her. The girl laughed again.

Liz turned around and peered down into his pot of soup. "That's a little clumpy for chicken noodle, don't you think?" she asked pointedly.

Michael glanced into the pot at the congealed mess. Then he reached out, grabbed Liz's water bottle, and poured the rest of the water into the soup. "Happy?" he asked.

Liz rolled her eyes and turned to go upstairs. She really needed to lie down.

The little bell over the door tinkled, and Maria glanced up to check out the new customer. Unfortunately all she saw was her mother. "Great," she muttered. "The nag patrol is here."

"Maria!" Amy called in her high-pitched voice.

"Hi, Mom," Maria said with a sigh. "You here for lunch?"

"Nope. I just wanted to drop off the list."

Maria pretended not to understand her. "What list?"

"The list of errands I need you to run. For the business," Amy replied.

Just look confused, Maria told herself. Maybe she'll give up and go away.

"Maria, I know you know what I'm talking about," Amy said.

"Fine." Maria stuck out her hand for the list. It wasn't fair that her mother could always tell what she was thinking. "But I don't see why I have to run errands for your business. I have my own job, you know."

"Your job doesn't pay the mortgage," Amy said. "So my business is important to both of us."

"Fine," Maria said again.

"Yo, Maria! Order up!" Michael bellowed from the kitchen.

"Maybe I will stay for lunch," Amy said.

"Sit wherever you want," Maria told her sulkily. She stomped over to the order window to pick up the apple pie a la mode for the old couple. On the stool closest to the window sat that little girl who'd been hanging around in front of Michael's place. Sadie, Maria remembered.

That's what she'd said her name was when Maria talked to her in the Crashdown the other day.

Maria stopped in surprise. The girl was wearing her hair just like Maria's. And yesterday she'd been wearing the same shirt as Maria's. Who was she?

"My father says only dirtbags listen to Metallica," Sadie chirped at Michael.

Michael narrowed his eyes, clearly trying to intimidate her. "You shouldn't be talking to dirtbags, then," he said.

Sadie smiled brightly. "I just got a new CD player," she went on, completely unfazed by Michael.

Maria threw up her hands in disgust. This strange girl was following them, staking out Michael's apartment, and now sitting in his restaurant… and he obviously didn't even recognize her. Well, he might not think she's a threat, but I do, Maria thought.

"Hey, you… Sadie," she snapped, walking right up to the little Maria wanna-be. "What are you doing here?"

The girl seemed too astonished to talk.

"Are you ordering anything?" Maria demanded.

Sadie shook her head. "I have no money left," she said.

"We don't allow loiterers in here," Maria told her. "Get out."

There was a shocked silence. Maria could feel her mother's eyes on her, and Kyle's, and Michael's. They all thought she was being a bitch. But for all she knew, this girl was a Skin, or an alien bounty hunter, or something else otherworldly and bad.

"I'm waiting," Maria added.

Sadie's brown eyes filled with tears. She climbed off the

bench, picked up her gigantic backpack, and shuffled out the door.

"Jeez, Maria, be a little meaner, why don't you?" Michael said as soon as the door closed behind her.

"Don't you even recognize her?" Maria cried, rushing behind the counter so she could talk to Michael without anyone else hearing. "She's the one who's been following you."

"No kidding," Michael said. "I'm not a total idiot. I was trying to get some info out of her."

"By talking about your bad taste in music?" Maria said.

Michael rolled his eyes. "She's just a kid with a crush on me," he said. "She's nothing to worry about."

Maria was speechless. A kid with a crush on him? Michael was supposed to be the commander of the aliens' military, or something like that. And this was how he assessed a threat?

Michael plunked a tray covered with bowls on the order window. "Soup's ready," he told her. "Kyle gets some, and that guy with him. And give some to your mother. On me. Maybe it'll make her like me better."

She just kept staring at him.

"Now, Maria," he said. "Well talk about that kid later."

Maria didn't know what else to do, so she picked up the tray and began serving the chicken noodle soup.