The Cure

Chapter 7

     SAMANTHA WAS FREE TO ROAM AROUND the house, but she quickly learned that Xavier had barred the windows and doors before she returned home. He took care of the front door after he initially knocked her out. Until she came to a decision about his offer, she was going to be a prisoner in her own home. For someone who was holding her hostage, Xavier kept to himself as much as possible to give her some space. He moved all his things into the spare bedroom but didn't unpack, as he didn't want to pressure her any more than he already was. Carter spent a lot of time on a comfy lazy boy chair she had in the living room, working on some notes in a scrapbook that seemed almost filled up. It wasn't until the next day when he was back on the chair going over those notes when she walked up and took a seat on the couch to speak with him. They sat there for a few seconds before she spoke first.

     "You promised full disclosure," She reminded him, "Something about making sure that I was fully informed."

     "That's correct," Xavier said, closing the scrap book, "Fire away."

     "I need an exact numbers," Samantha started, "I want to know how many people took this stuff, and the percentage of those who survived. You also need to be up front about how many people have died too."

     "That's a valid question," Xavier replied, putting the scrap book down on the coffee table. "I'd want to know that too."

     "Then give it to me straight," Sam ordered.

     "Alright," Xavier said, as he sat up. "Over the past two and a half years, I've managed to save twenty-seven people."

     "That's it?" she paused for a moment, "Out of how many?"

     "Thirty-two," Xavier answered.

     "So, you've murdered five people?" Sam asked.

     Xavier seemed a little taken back by the comment. "Murder would imply intent to kill, which I did not have. My motive was to save their lives, not end them."

     "Alright, so that would be manslaughter," Sam said, correcting herself.

     "Involuntary, at best." Xavier conceded, "But each of them walked into this experiment with the same knowledge you're getting right now: a risky treatment for the chance to turn what's considered unrecoverable into the cured. Not a day goes by when I don't think about them and the sacrifices they made for my research, which in the long run could benefit all mankind. I don't take this lightly either, as I refuse to work on someone without their knowledge or consent. That's not ethical."

     "But human experiments without federal approval is ethical?" Samantha retorted. She could tell Xavier was uncomfortable talking about this, but he worked through it because she deserved the truth.

     "I want to be as ethical as possible." Xavier explained, taking a deep breath. "I really do, but current circumstances put me in a position where I had to make some very difficult decisions. There have been a few times when I came to an ethical crossroad, and I nearly broke down trying to figure out what direction I should take."

     "Give me an example," Sam requested.

     "At first," Carter started, "I came up with an idea to test the serum on people who were so close to death that they were comatose. That way if there were any horrid side effects or pain because of my serum, they wouldn't feel any additional pain because they were already in a vegetative state. I walked into a hospital one night and easily passed off as one of the medical staff, which allowed me to make it to her room undetected. I had the serum in a needle ready to inject and a clear chance to save a life, but that's when I became anxious. I had started to perspire, and my hands began to shake uncontrollably and the closer I got the more intense this anxiety became. The idea of testing it on someone who was unaware of what was happening around or to them was too much for me to endure. I just couldn't do it."