Monster Like You

Chapter 18

Nathaniel paced restlessly in his small living room. He felt like he was starting to go crazy. No, not from lack of communication, but from these walls, the lack of sunlight, fresh air and the ability to move freely. He was going crazy with monotony. He escaped from Penn's lab for only a couple of days, but it was enough to get into psychological dependence on freedom. The conviction of Penn, who was able to convince him that his place was a laboratory, no longer worked. Nathaniel understood that he had almost no chance of getting out of here alive, but if death had scared him before, now he wanted at least some kind of solution. And it doesn't matter which one.

When the door opened and Gervase entered his cell, Nathaniel forced himself to stop and at least pretend to be calm. He put his hands in his trousers pockets and frowned at the guest.

"It's not your turn today."

"I know. But I'm not here today to entertain you with a conversation."

"And for what?"

"Our research is finished. I'm sorry, but we can't help you, we can't suppress your other half, like we did with Alyss."

"And it took you two months to figure it out?" Nathaniel sneered contemptuously, tensing inwardly. Here it is, this moment. Now he would find out that they had decided to destroy him, but he did not want to show fear or weakness. "I told you right away."

"We had to make sure," Gervase smiled. "And we were convinced."

"And now what? Will you leave me here," Nathaniel looked around the camera, "for the rest of my days, or will you follow the protocol?"

"You killed a human," Gervase said calmly. "In my opinion, you deserve a prison sentence for at least the next twenty years."

Nathaniel swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. The main thing is not to panic, he assured himself. Otherwise, he'll freak out again and wring Gervase's neck, and that definitely won't help.

"However, not everyone agrees with me," the other continued. "Many of us believe that Johnson provoked you and your act can be considered self-defense. Considering that she kept you and Lina locked up by force, they're probably right about something. Besides, I'm not a judge, a prosecutor, or a jury. I have no right to judge you or sentence you. We have no right to keep you here. And we can't hand you over to law enforcement. We do not want to discredit the name of the person from whom you were created, nor to reveal your true identity, because you will forever become an object of research. And I won't wish that on anyone. Even you."

"Sounds like a stalemate," Nathaniel stated after a moment's thought. He felt very uncomfortable. "And what did you decide?"

Gervase shrugged and smiled.

"Let you go."

"What?" Nathaniel thought he'd misheard.

"To let you go," for greater clarity, Gervase opened the cell door wide open and made an inviting gesture. "You can go to all four sides right now and live as you see fit. If you get caught by the police, that's your problem. If you end up in another lab, that's your problem. We find out that you killed someone again, I promise you, you will regret that Penn created you. But if you choose an ordinary honest life - live healthily. Elsdon and Vet think you should be given a chance to be human. Your genetic makeup doesn't determine what you will become right now. This choice is yours alone. And we leave it to you."

Nathaniel looked at him incredulously. He didn't believe that they could just take him and let him go. It doesn't happen that way.

He shifted his gaze to the open door. It beckoned and frightened at the same time. All this time, Nathaniel dreamed of gaining freedom, but now he realized that he had never bothered to think of a more or less coherent plan of action after gaining it. He dreamed of some fragmentary things like going to the park, buying a freshly baked, still hot pretzel and feeding pigeons with it, looking at the splashes of the fountain flying, glistening in the sun. It was some vague memory of someone else's youth, which has always been associated with happiness. Mentally, he longed for it, as if he knew in advance that if he found freedom, it would be for one more day at most.

And now he was being offered a lifetime. Without running around and fear of being caught. It's just a life like the one his prototype had. It beckoned, but Nathaniel suddenly realized that he didn't know what to do with it. Where to go, what to do? How is all this supposed to work?

"What's the catch?" He looked doubtful again.

"Nothing. But I have a suggestion for you."

"Oh, really."

Of course, it couldn't be that simple. Gervase will ask for something in return. However, Nathaniel could not even imagine how he could be useful to him, for which he could buy freedom.

"Just a suggestion," Gervase raised his hands reassuringly. "You have the right to refuse, it will not affect the opportunity to leave in any way. Just in case you don't have a plan yet where to live and what to do, we can offer you a job in Corps. Then we will make you new documents, sign a contract, and help you find a place to live. I'm offering you a position as a senior scientific analyst, Kiaran is ready to take you into his group. In return, only one condition: never try to find Alyss and meet her."

Nathaniel tensed again.

"Why is that?"

"Because in exchange for our offer, she wanted to be free of everything that happened to her. Forget about Penn, about Corps and about you. These are the terms of my deal with her. And if you choose to play on my team, you will have to play by its rules."

"Can you really be so scrupulous about the wishes of a chimera?" Nathaniel didn't believe him. "What is the interest of Corps?"

Gervase smiled tightly again, shaking his head.

"You can't be fooled. Then I'll be blunt: I don't want you to resume the relationship. It was hard enough to make a decision on your child once. It is not worth creating this ethical problem again. Ideally, I would prefer that you both choose not to have children at all. Then the chimera problem has a chance to die with you."

"Is this also a condition of freedom?" Nathaniel's eyes narrowed. "Not to reproduce?"

Gervase shook his head.

"No. It's not for me to set such conditions. You see, I'd rather you accept our offer. It's up to you to choose, and I don't want to make the choice too difficult. So what would you prefer?"

Nathaniel looked at the empty doorway again and took an uncertain step towards it. He was still waiting to be stopped. Shot in the back of the head or just slammed in front of the door, but will stop. It was very difficult to believe that freedom could come so easily.

However, the door did not slam, they did not shoot him in the back of the head, he crossed the threshold without hindrance and walked down the corridor in which he saved Vet. With each step, freedom was getting closer, but more and more questions were being born in his head.

Where will he go? He has no documents, no housing, no money. The two days he spent outside Penn's lab were wonderful, but even then he spent the night at Vet's, finding no other place to stay. Maybe he will be able to stay on the street for a while, but not for the rest of his life. And now he could have it - life. Almost the same as he remembered, but which he never had. The memories were pleasant, so maybe he would like life too? Is it a great price not to see Alyss? He still has no idea where to look for her. And why? The laboratory left them no choice, and there he sincerely became attached to her, but will this attachment remain free? Or will they only remind each other about the captivity, about the experiment, about the dead child? Maybe it would be better for both of them to leave everything in the past?

Gervase silently watched as Nathaniel left the cell and went to the elevators. He could hear his footsteps: cautious at first, then more confident, and then slowing down again. Nathaniel stopped and walked back. Seconds later, he reappeared on the threshold of the cell.

"I agree."