Keep Running

Chapter 8 - Maeve

29 seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. Our handlers report nothing. There's an APB out to every police department in the state. Nothing. And by now he's been missing for nearly twelve hours. That we know of. So, I am doing something about it. The thing is, Dano probably knows something. And if I know him—which damn I do---he's keeping it to himself so he can punch 29 himself. That's entirely in his character. Except, Dano has never once won an out and out confrontation with 29, not in practice, and I don't see how sheer rage will combat actual steel.
"Do they know anything?" Mel asks, hurry to sit down at my table in the small late night coffee shop. She's got her baby balanced in her arms. A sweet little girl who's usually quiet from what I've seen.
"Nothing. Do you is the question? I saw the cameras, you checked Dano out of his room this morning," I say. We, she and I, are typically the only standing Dano fan club. Most everyone else spends half the time being annoyed with him. Even Ava, who I know damn well was sleeping with him last year. I don't think she still is; she's got a normal boyfriend now. But Mel's different. She fell hard for Dano and I think he for her. I knew they made puppy eyes at one another, but I didn't know the extent of it until that awful night we nearly lost him. I still see his lifeless face in my dreams, feel his cold skin as I pumped his chest and breathed into his mouth. 29 was angry that day. He believed what Dano was saying he'd done. I didn't.
"Has he ever confessed to anything before in his life? He thought they'd go easier on him if he did, why the hell would he lie?" 29 asked, slamming the wall with his fist. I'd put him back in his room.
"Because he's protecting her job?"
"Dano is the most selfish man—any of us have ever met. Why would he talk himself into torture so she could keep her job?"
"He loves her. Love does that sort of thing to people," I said.
"And I wouldn't know right?" 29 asked, staring off, "I'm just telling you not to trust him. I am warning you."
I did trust him. I went to Mel, in the hospital, which she was checking herself out of or attempting to.
"How are you doing?" I asked, as she was fiddling trying to take off her IV, "I think you need more of that."
"I just got dehydrated—--they never should have checked me in---if I hadn't had to go to some shit dump, the pills wouldn't have me sick," she muttered, annoyed. Her pretty face lined with exhaustion from her illegal abortion.
"You weren't far?" I asked.
"Five weeks, I'm not stupid. I knew. I don't know why the fuck they'd want me to have it, it was like him," she said, gripping her arm and forcing tears not to be in her eyes, "They'd only lock it up."
"Speaking of, Dano's in solitary, in straight jacket right now," I said.
"What?" she asked, looking up, "I guess he would be---what did he say?"
"He said he raped you," I said.
"That complete idiot," she did start crying then, "What—they put him on the table surely?"
"It's not true?" I asked.
"Not in the least---I want him as much as he wants me---I love him," she said, tears filling her eyes.
"Doesn't mean he didn't force you."
"Oh my god---he didn't! That's absolutely absurd he would never, ever, ever do that. I trust him more than any of those assholes," she said, glaring at the door, "They took my blood without permission while I was out that's how they found out------the baby was a mutant, big surprise."
"Yes, are you feeling all right now?" I asked. Those illegal places are horrible; they almost lost her. Whatever drugs they sold her made her sick as a dog. She was fainting at work the day before. Dano was the one who held her up and told them to call an ambulance she was lying about how bad she felt.
"I'm fine—is Dano alright? That idiot," she sighs, "He didn't want me getting in trouble---that's why he said it. You have to believe me— he's an idiot he wants to help me."
"I believe you, child, sit down," I say, as she starts to try to get up, "He's resting now."
"Resting?"
"They had him on the table for three hours total. His heart stopped. Twice. The first time 29 and I got him back. The second time it was just me," I said, as she clutches herself, sobbing.
"No," she whispered, "Is he all right---really?"
"He hasn't said anything. They didn't let me or any of us females see him. He's sitting in his cell in a straight jacket. They didn't feed him," I said.
"I have to go to him—,"
"Oh, you're never going to be alone with him again, you'll be lucky to stay at the same facility."
"I'm telling them it's not true— they have to believe me--,"
"I wouldn't recommend it. You will lose your job if they do believe you. And worse, you'll make his torture mean nothing. He did it for you," I said.
"He's such an idiot," she said, closing her eyes trying to stop the teras.
"Yes. He is. But most men are, especially when they're in love," I said, standing, "Get some rest, you need it. And you're not doing either of you any good by trying to go to him tonight. I'll see they feed him in the morning."
"Thank you," she whispered, wiping a tear stained face with her hand.
"Yes. Call me if you need anything. I understand from your father that your decision wasn't very popular."
"You're not going to ask me why I did it?" she asked.
"I wasn't. That's up to you," not everyone wants children. Certainly not by the man who can read minds and shut down the power to whole cities.
"I can't stand how they lock him up. And they'd take it from me and torture it like they do him. Dano knew of course. He agreed," she said, wiping her face again. "That's no good. I'm not saying he's safe to be loose; I know he's not. But he shouldn't be locked up either. It would have been more merciful to let his heart stop. It's not right, and it's more painful for me because I love him. But it would have been nicer to let him die."
"Perhaps so. But I couldn't live knowing I'd watched his soul leave his body on that horrible table," I said. I couldn't. No matter how close to true her words were.
"That's what my mom said. She said she couldn't see how I could live having killed my own child. Well. I couldn't live knowing I'd brought someone into the world just to lock it in a cage away from the sky it's whole life, locked up in chains and muzzled, treated worse than a dog," she said, "Those people who did that to him---they care more about their damn animals than they do him."
"That's probably true. And maybe it is my weakness to save his life. But I'd like to believe he has days, and moments worth living. I don't applaud your decision, but I don't condemn it either. It was yours to make. We all live with what we can. I couldn't live with myself if I watched those those big brown eyes of his and let him die with tears on face, never seeing you again, never being hugged again. I don't like living with knowing he's in a cage tonight. But I can. Because tomorrow will be a better day. And I'll try to get him out."
She nodded a little.
"Selfishly, I am glad he's still here," she said. "Try to get him out in the morning? He did nothing wrong. I swear to you. He did not."
"I'll try," I said. It took me two weeks to get him out of that cell. He wouldn't talk to 29. Who also wouldn't take my opinion that Dano had done nothing wrong. And Dano was too damn stubborn to actually admit it; however blatantly obvious his lie became as the weeks wore on, Mel returned, and he and she talked and spent time together as much as they were able under the watching eyes.
"I don't know anything," Mel says, sitting down across from me in the booth, now, precious baby in her arms. The little girl leans against her mother smiling.
"Nothing helpful. He was looking for 29—said they'd argued. He didn't tell me about what."
"Did they?" I ask, suspicious now, "Dano didn't mention that."
"He didn't tell me about what---he also didn't act like it was a big deal. Since he didn't want to tell me, I assumed it was about me---the other day he quite nearly caught----okay don't judge me, we're trying to accomplish something here---he walked into Dano's room as Dano had just kissed me on the cheek."
"No judgement you're an adult you can do what you like-----did 29 say anything?" I sigh. Their continued affection is hardly a secret.
"No, but he was glaring at Dano and I left like I was going to. You know how 29 can't get it out of his head Dano hurt me," Mel sighs.
"Dano did literally tell all of us he raped you-----multiple times," I sigh.
"Because he's a stupid, stubborn bastard. I've told 29 I'm fine; he won't believe it," Mel sighs, "I assumed they'd argued about that like they usually do and 29 warns him off any sort of relationship with any of us."
"29 is programmed to protect you all from harm. Dano going around blatantly saying he's harassing people so you don't lose your jobs for giving him some sexual attention isn't exactly helping things," I say, tiredly. I realize that Dano is well within his human rights to flirt and have the odd relationship. In a better world he and Mel would be a good pair. But 29 is programmed to protect everyone from Dano so Dano admitting to wanting to hurt people on a daily basis is not helpful.
"No, it's not, but it's not explaining why he left either---if they argued about that, which they typically did, then 29 would want to stick around," Mel says.
"So they either didn't argue about that. Or this is something else. What disturbs me is---29 removed his tracker chip. Expertly, in a matter of minutes, then walked into Dano's room and turned on the radio to feedback knowing he'd subconsciously turn out the power, then the power's cut. Then 29 isn't on the feed anymore. He planned this. He knew where he was going and what he was doing---the problem is, what does he think he's doing?"
"Going on a mission? I mean he's clearly very adept, but he is programmed," Mel says.
"I know. More than that, the last person on the feeds to talk with him is Dano, in the gym. They talk, apparently heatedly, based off the video, then they both go to bed, looks like Dano cries himself to sleep, while 29 just paces," I say.
"Poor baby," Mel, who is too sympathetic to Dano.
"He's fine---but he knows something. We need to know what that argument was," I say, "Because now they checked Dano out to that little---nerd---Eric and if Dano's withholding information—"
"He's probably doing it to get to 29 himself. And he's going to eat Eric alive," Mel sighs, hugging her baby who is now fiddling with a teething neckless Mel is wearing.
"The boy isn't very strong willed, or quick, and Dano's both," I say, nodding, "We need to know what they talked about. What set off 29, and that might tell us where he's going. If he's going off his programming, he could very well be dangerous."
"Agreed. I'll go find Eric and Dano," she says.
"I don't have the logs. I don't know where they are."
"I can find them—,"
"You're not allowed to handle Dano what so ever."
"Yes, but as a civilian I can legally go where I like and see who I like mutant or not," she says, "I'll just go see what I can do."
"All right, I'll stay here and keep an eye on things, see if any news comes in," I say.
"Can you watch her?" Mel asks, hopefully, holding up her pudgy baby.
"Where is your husband?" I don't like the guy, something I suppress when Dano is around so he doesn't get ideas. But I don't think he's very nice to Mel. They just got married because they were having the baby, not a good reason if you ask me and nobody but 29 did. I miss him. Parenting Dano with the robot has been a bonding experience for me and the robot.
"He's at home. I don't like to leave her with him she gets upset," Mel says, protectively, "I'll bring her with me if you can't—"
"Why does he scare her?"
Mel groans.
"Melody Gallagher," I growl. I don't need to read minds with these two. I swear to god.
"I don't know if she is okay? I just---she tends to respond and get upset when I'm just thinking about something---like I think about it's time to give her a bath she starts saying bath---or Josh plays those awful video games and then goes to fuss with her, she starts crying like she's seeing it in his head----I'm probably just making it up in my head but---I don't want to find out the hard way," Mel says, hugging her baby tightly.
"The power went out to your block twice last week when she was cutting a tooth," I say, glaring at her tiredly.
"I know, maybe it was a coincidence," Mel sighs.
"There's a .01% chance of any child being born a mutant----do you think Dano is the father? Again? Didn't we go to great lengths last time?" I ask, annoyed now.
"There's like very small, but not nonexistent chance he is and we really didn't think he was! I really did think Josh is," she says, innocently.
"Melody Gallagher."
"I know, okay? I know we fucked up. I never said I could make good decisions," Mel says, defensively.
"Does Dano know?" I ask, looking at the little girl. She does have big dark eyes, but Melody's eyes are dark as well. She's fairer than her mother, but Josh and Dano both have lighter skin tones than Mel. She's got her mother's hair and smile, but she is a little girl. Lucky for them she's not obviously his child.
"Yeah---we only started to get suspicious when she started doing things. And then we figured there exists the excessively remote possibility she's his. I don't want to take her with because—,"
"If he reads her mind reading minds while he's loose and uncuffed he's going to want to head for Canada or wherever he thinks he can put you two that you would be safe from the life he's had. Yes. Agreed. Give her here, not the first telepathic infant I've held. It's not all that hard just happy thoughts," I say, holding out my arms for her.
"He's denying it mostly, he says it's probably just us being paranoid because we were so worried before---and if she's his then she would have been born a month early and she was huge," Mel says, settling the baby in my arms.
"Let's hope it is. But let's also not find out right now, we can engineer a way for Dano to meet her. Later. For now let's get the robot back," I say.
"Yeah, I'll call Eric, see where they are," she says standing and giving me the diaper bag.
"Where does Josh think you are with his daughter?"
"I told him I was going to see you. He didn't care; she cries a lot around him."
"Goddman it Mel."
"Again. Never said I was any good at making good decisions," she says, kissing her baby's head.
"Call me, let me know what you find out. And don't let Dano distract you?" he's ridiculously good at that, obviously. He's insanely good at distracting her, probably evidenced by the child drooling on my good wool blazer. I have grandchildren at home watching cartoons, she'll fit right in.
"I won't—you sure she's okay?"
"I'm positive. Go find the boy," let the young run around the city all night. I think it's good for young people do that now and then. It makes them happy apparently.
"Come on little one, let's get you packed up," I say, picking her up. I wonder if I'll have to play music to get her to sleep like Dano always needed.
" Song? Ni nigh song?"
"Oh sweet Jesus."