Triptych

Chapter 17

Lana

When the other shoe drops, Lana feels underwhelmed. With the bug she planted, they leak the specs of the final upgrade to the public. There is an instant uproar on online forums, several activist groups calling for instant arrest of the doctors and closing down FOCUS entirely. The government denies any knowledge of involvement of the project, even though its common knowledge that most of the shares in FOCUS are under powerful government officials. Mac is running point on the rising movement against FOCUS, one of the many reasons behind everyone's whiplash. Lana gets tired of hearing the same debate she's been hearing her whole life and leaves the room before she can be stopped.

She tries to fight the spark of jealousy in her heart every time Mac speaks in a conference, finally able to stand her ground and voice her opinions in public. Lana knows Mac doesn't have it easy either. She's facing the public's scorn for suddenly being vocal on issues she's never seemed to care about before. Doesn't matter that her silence wasn't voluntary but forced, they don't care. and here Lana is, pathetically thinking she could do her job better.

Orion follows her to her room, his features etched with concern. "Am I fool to have expected something different?" she asks without looking at him, opting to stare at nothing outside her window.

"Depends on what you expected." He replies quietly.

Lana bites her lip, lost in thought. She takes a minute to articulate her thoughts in to words. "I don't know. Just something more. When I escaped that lab I felt like- like I was doing something big and meaningful."

"You did" Orion assures her instantly.

"I thought I'll change the world by exposing Dr. Yates. Like everyone would agree that forcing career paths on kids is wrong and the enhancements would stop but-"Lana sighs dejectedly, her nose scrunching in frustration.

"But-"Orion prompts.

"But they're still just talking." Lana shrugs. "They've been doing these debates for years, only before I silently agreed with them. I was too scared to say anything that might set off my father. Now I'm the one who started this debate and I'm still just here."

"You want credit for taking down Dr Yates?" Orion inquires, sans judgement. "Because you can talk to Mac and she'll put you on the stand. You might even help her case."

Lana stays quiet. She wanted to go public with her experience with the doctor but her father talked her out of it. It was a thunderstorm of multiple narratives fighting for public acceptance and groups of old men fighting over other people's rights, and they didn't want Lana to get lost in it. And Lana who was always awkward in the spotlight no matter how much she craved it, agreed easily. The limelight was made for people like Mac, who could face people's leers and skepticism with grace and a beautiful smile. Lana was probably better left in the comfort of her makeshift studio. She almost forgets that she's a military grade weapon now, and one look at the bureaucrats salivating over the mere mention of her was enough to keep her away.

Orion calls Lana's name again, jerking her out of her thoughts. "Be honest with me. When you planted that bug on Dr Yates's files knowing it'll doom his career, did you do it for fame? Or because it was the right thing to do."

Lana eyes widen with surprise. She didn't realize she was being so obvious with the conflict going on in her head. "I wasn't thinking much ahead of making him pay for what he'd done to me at that point." She says finally, coming to sit beside Orion on the bed. "I knew he was gonna escape and I wouldn't be able to fight him on my own so I thought, at least he won't be able to do this to anyone else." Lana comes to the realization as she says the words, believes them to be true as she studies her paint stained hands. "But, it would've been nice to get some credit" She finishes softly, avoiding Orion's eyes.

She feels his eyes on her and waits with baited breath. "I'm proud of you, you know." He says finally. Lana's fingers pause on the bad where they've been drawing patterns. Lana looks up at Orion in surprise, her mouth pulling into a smile reflexively. "Do you know for how long Mac and I have tried to get that Yates dude fired, to get into files inside that damned lab to open people's eyes? And you're the one who did it in the end. All in a day's work."

"You're just saying that" she mutters bashfully, trying to hide the pleased flush in her cheeks.

"Dude, do I look like I give out compliments like free candy?" Orion asks wryly, punching her shoulder and making her giggle.

"Look, I get how you feel." Orion says after a while. "You have this drive and passion inside you that's ready to be unleashed into the world if only it had a direction. Mac is the same way you know, you want to be the hero of the story, the one who saves the world." He smiles when Lana rolls her eyes at his cheesy words. 

"And that's okay." Orion continues earnestly, "As long as you know that, sometimes its enough that you save just one person. Sometimes that person is yourself." 

Lana finally looks up at him, eyes crinkling in a grateful smile. She didn't expect anyone to understand how lost she's been feeling, locked up in this fancy apartment that's not her own and watching Mac make statements on her behalf. She feels jealous, then feels guilty for feeling jealous of her friend who practically saved her life. Who's still doing whatever she can to restore her mind back, so it doesn't decay under the new upgrade. 

Maybe that's what she needs. A new adventure, wherever that maybe. She has all the time in the world now anyways.