laurajones (laurajones) wrote in genome_project, @ 2010-07-04 02:31:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | emma tibbits, july 2010, plot |
Who: Laura Jones, Emma Tibbits, Jacquelyn Pierce-Roswell, various NPC scientists
When: Monday night (posted a bit early!)
Where: The pier
What: The long-awaited arrival
Rating: Probably PG, PG-13ish?
Status: Complete
Laura paced the dock, her fingers locked tightly behind her back as she squinted periodically into the oppressively dark night. The moon's meager waning gibbous was barred completely by the army of grey clouds that had hung heavy in the sky all day, and even the ocean itself seemed to be hiding beneath a blanket of shimmering mist. The boat bearing Patient X-1 wasn't due to arrive until 3:30 am, but Laura had been in the vicinity since midnight, busily making last-minute preparations for the newcomer's arrival. Laura knew in her heart that all the preparation in the world would never actually prepare them for what was to come, but at the very least, going the motions made her feel better. She'd made at least seven phone calls to her colleagues on the mainland, and as usual they had been frustratingly vague about all things having to do with Patient X-1's arrival. Of course, now Laura was beginning to understand why - her journal entries had always been curious, but recently they had been downright disturbing, particularly the real explanation for why she'd been delayed in coming to the island. No wonder their superiors were being so vague!
Laura got the distinct impression that Patient X-1 was being sent to the island less for the sake of science and more for the sake of getting her the hell out of her facility, an impression that did little to help Laura's confidence. Nevertheless, Laura's faith in the project well well-nigh unshakable, and if this is what it took for it to continue, she would do everything in her power to help it along. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from talking to Emma and negotiating with her until she'd convinced Emma that the Jones home would be a better place for X-1, at least for now. Although working alone was not exactly an option, Laura had used her situation to her advantage, arguing that a smaller number of people in the house would more closely simulate the environment that X-1 was used to, and less stimulation would theoretically lead to a decreased chance of something going wrong. Although her charge over the patient would likely only be on a trial basis, Laura felt somehow safer knowing that X-1 wouldn't be in the Tibbits household, which held three children, all of whom were blithely unaware of X-1's very existence, let alone the scope of her power. It was a futile effort, Laura knew - it wasn't really where X-1 was on the island, but the fact that she was on the island at all that put them all in danger, but still, Laura liked to think that with Albert and Jamie gone, less people would be in direct danger. Somehow.
"Look!" Laura was jerked out of her thoughts by the sudden crescendo of whispers that spread through the tiny clot of scientists, and Laura's head jerked up to see what she'd been half-dreading since she'd seen that awful journal entry. There they were on the horizon - a dance of dull lights, the windows of the ship. "Here she comes," Laura murmured, half to herself and half to the others. Laura almost spoke to remind her colleagues that it was possible that X-1 would still be under sedation, but she decided against it. Best not to remind anyone of why she was sedated in the first place. The little group seemed to collectively hold its breath, and Laura's throat jumped into her throat as the ship, which, as Laura could now see, was heavily guarded, broke through the mist and slid silently into the harbor.
This is it, Laura thought to herself as the bridge was lowered. This is the moment that our lives change forever. The door swung open. There was no going back.