The Cure

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Mila stepped around huge puddles festering in the low spots of her office building’s parking lot. Vetras had nearly passed its rainy season, and despite the imminent return to summer’s stifling heat and humidity, she was thankful. She hated rain and its emotional tie to her family’s burial.

She glanced up beyond the paved semi-circle, at the twin-story glass and steel monstrosity which housed her lab facility. Light reflected off the outside, flooding the lot as Mila stepped up the concrete entry path. The abundance of light built her strength, bolstering her conviction. She needed all she could get.

With each daily visit, she was reminded of the ultimate cause of Gordon and Oreana’s death. There would always be more work than she could ever finish, but it never stopped her from pushing farther, staying a little later. It had delayed Mila from reaching her family that fateful night, just long enough to heed death’s call of destruction. With the idea of a resurrection cure in her sights, though, she now had even more reason to be a workaholic, and she took every opportunity offered.

Beyond the glass front doors, a security guard sat. The mix of black and gray curls atop his head was in stark contrast to his chocolate skin covered in a baby blue uniform. He looked up as Mila walked inside. His deep brown eyes were just as friendly as the first day they’d met so many years ago. “Welcome back, boss.”

Mila smiled. “Hi, Frank.”

“Did you have a nice time?”

She would have been taken aback, thinking he’d figured out where she went over her lunch break. She’d been adept at covering her tracks, though, and knew for certain he was just being polite, as usual. “Yes, I did. Thanks.” 

“That’s good to hear. Have a great day.” He pressed a button just under the counter. The lock mechanism clunked loose in the wall behind him. Two doors split open, revealing a bland set of gray cubicles. She walked past Frank, who returned to studying flat panel displays full of live security footage. The doors hissed shut behind her.

In Mila’s mind, nothing good could come from her burial center visits becoming general knowledge. Neither would it from awareness of her resurrection plan.

She strode through the vast wasteland, cubicles stretching across the room while offices lined the outer wall. Research and development rested in the lab area above while marketing, sales and accounting personnel were housed here on the ground floor.

A lift pod rested at the far end of this center aisle. The metal doors reflected her image, albeit distorted, as she moved closer. Mila reached into her pocket and pulled out a security badge.

A woman’s voice called out. “Mila!”

She turned and watched Susan Richtor rushing toward her. A tiny metal sphere housing an emerald hung from a necklace, leaping around her neck as the athletic woman rushed down the aisle in a simple blue dress.

Mila stopped just short of the lift doors, letting Susan catch up.

The two had been friends since first meeting at the regional university, a fated match. Mila had immediately convinced Susan to take a position with her then-startup company as chief operations officer once they graduated. Through their combined talents, they’d both ended up with more money than either knew what to do with.

Susan reached her, not even running short on breath from the exertion. “Still counting on you tonight.”

Mila crinkled her forehead. Susan rested hands on her hips. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

Mila hadn’t forgotten, not even as much as she’d wanted to. She grimaced, knowing there would be no way out.

Susan pointed a short, round finger. “You did!”