3WW–Colliding Worlds: Chapter fourteen

There is a page I’m too lazy to link to. I accidentally posted chapter fifteen for a second. I can’t belive I forgot I didn’t post this. The proceeding two chapters are more “fun.”
West Virginia, 2030
Cornelia, no Nell, no…felt herself fading back into a state she couldn’t describe to herself or anybody else. The confusion was going to end soon. She wasn’t going to care who she was or what she felt. She tried to make herself stay alert, and kept guzzling ginger raspberry fizzes. Somehow they made her feel more like herself. Nell was somebody else. The man was wrong. She could never remember his name as he was meaningless. He looked and spoke like a prince, but Cornelia knew better. She was Cornelia, par-tay girl supreme. Par-tay, last heard sometime in the second Bush admin, was enjoying a comeback as things seemed to do every 25 years. She knew this because…no, no more thinking, Cornelia hated to think. Cornelia loved to live for the moment. She should look for her mini-bikini and go to the hotel pool, but the haze, the haze was overcoming her.

Ella wanted her doll. Her doll would keep her safe in the big room. The bed was too hard. This wasn’t her room. It wasn’t her room. It wasn’t a nice room. It didn’t have lights coming down in pretty colors. It didn’t have angels to keep her safe. She wanted the woman to come and hold her. The woman did something nice to her body. The woman said she was better than a prince. She said that Ella didn’t have to understand anything. She was good the way she was.
••••••••••••••••

Justin was talking to Ona who had flown into the mine shaft. They were analyzing the tapes of his encounter with Nell. He hated this. It should be private. It shouldn’t have happened at all. It was good that Denny was in restraints in the mine prison as Justin wanted to kill him with his bare hands. People who thought Justin non-violent were mistaken. He had killed for the ISB and for Nell, he would kill anybody. Ona’s voice brought him back to the present:
Justin, I know this is hard but you have to accept reality. She might never be Nell again.
I won’t accept that.
There might be organic brain damage. It might be PTSD. It might be many things. We won’t know until we can rid her brain of the filter the USB put in, and do a laser MRI. Understanding the components of the filter is taking longer than we thought. Nadia seems to have access to formulas nobody can imagine We have called people off vacation, off other assignments, we’re working round the clock. You know we will do anything for Nell, and for you.
You said 72 hours.
We thought so, but it’s much more difficult than anybody had anticipated. If you can get Nadia to talk…If not let her be in the room alone with Nell. We can monitor everything. If we can see what she’s putting into Nell’s body, we can analyze the components. But Justin, how did you not find it?
We gave her a full body search and scanned her insides. We went over the room in New York microscopically. We only found the formula The ISC was giving her and you’ve analyzed that.
••••••••••••••••••

Justin couldn’t accept defeat. He went to the basement which had both a prison and a large room mean to put a person at a certain amount of ease. It had every amenity but there were no windows, faux or real, and metal doors which opened or closed by an iris and finger scan. Rachel was talking to Nadia. Max was sitting in the back of the room with his stun gun, and miniature new model Uzi out. Justin thought Rachel was the second most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Rachel had grown up in the house next to his. Denny and Del had lived in the house on the other side of hers. They had been oblivious of her beauty until all their friends would try to be set up with her. Justin had only been interested in Nell. He wondered if there had been something in the water in Miller’s View that made beautiful girls. He shouldn’t be thinking about that. Justin switched to professional mode and listened to Rachel:
The strange thing Nadia is that after all this I still love you. There’s something strong and different about you. I told you everything as I truly believed if you knew you would help us.
Help you? Why? Why should I help any American?
We trusted you. When we found out about Yuri we understood that you would do anything to save and help him. That’s a good trait, Nadia. But to use Nell for your own objectives….
I didn’t know if I could trust you. I love you too. And I love Ella. Yes, Ella. The ISB’s formula messed her up so much, she will never be Nell again. I only helped her reach peace.
Then tell us what you have been injecting her with. Show us…
No, not until I know Yuri’s safe. I know a place you can send him and Carol. Then maybe…
That’s good you care about Carol, but no Nadia. We can’t get Yuri here for several days. He’s being treated for a staph infection at The ISB Center. He will survive, but he can’t be moved.
A staph infection? They’re getting deadlier. He’ll die.
No, Nadia, it’s under control. The USC found him and injected him with one. They were going to torture him for the formula. But we had people there..
I can’t believe you.
Let me show you.

Max pressed a button and a large screen came down. Seconds later they saw Yuri in his hospital bed.
He looks so sick. All those boils. He’s going to die.
Speak to him Nadia. We found somebody who speaks ancient Greek but Yuri won’t answer.

The spoke for five minutes in ancient Greek. Nadia seemed less agitated but still angry at the end of the call.
He says he’s feeling better. He says the ISB was going to kill him. But look at him. You heard his voice. He’s like a little boy. I must be sent to take care of him. Only I know how.

Rachel tossed her dark curly hair away from her eyes:
That’s impossible. Help us Nadia and we’ll help you.
Oh are you going to tell me that you love me and want to take me away from everything?
The sad thing is I do.
Justin interrupted:
Nadia go to Nell’s room. She’s asking for you.
And you will have monitors and scans on me? No way.
We’ll turn them off.
I’m supposed to believe you? Nadia’s face turned red. Justin thought her the most unattractive woman and the woman who might hold the key to Nell’s future.
Yes Nadia, you’re supposed to believe me.