The Quest For Perfection (Is A Damn Fine Thing)

Part II: The World Beyond The Water - Chapter 17

17

Ray took her to the tank room, not a word had been spoken since he had told her. Not despair. Nor anger. He thought he had saw a faint flicker of relief but if so, it was masked quickly. When they arrived, the room fell silent and Ray cleared it. They were alone, just the two of them and the 4 remaining residents of Fredrick Street, suspended in animation above them, in the tanks.

In the silence, he could hear the bubbles of the water, the chemicals in the tank and the whir of the machines that kept them alive. He could hear the creaking in the walls, the water swirling around them, moving its way around the room like a snake ready to attack.

The silence stretched like an empty strip of road with no headlights in the distance, until she eventually spoke. "Are they OK?"

Ray handed her the folder, with the night's vitals and data within it. She half glanced at it, and then closed it over, handing it back. "And what about....what about Tom? Is he OK?"

Ray nodded. "Yes. No injuries so far and no fatality. His brain function has been normal. He's fine."

Issie shook her head, wiping away a tear. "Good."

She fell silent again. Slowly, almost tenderly, she moved forward and touched the tank and stared in at the inhabitant. Ray waited for a response, but nothing came.

He stepped forward. "What do you want to do?"

She stared at him. "I want to wake up."

Ray took a look at her, and felt pain radiating from her like a dying sun. The woman he'd grown up with, had grown into a different person over the past few months. The hopeful Doctor she had been, the optimistic scientist, that woman was long gone. Stepping forward, Ray placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's time we stopped."

She looked at him, solemnly. "I don't make the decisions any more. It's up to them."

Ray nodded, his jaw clenching. He had understood as much. For the path few months now, Issie seemed to be walking around like a ghost at her own funeral, not the leader in charge of running this place. At first he had assumed it was because Tom left, but there was something else. Ray had seen her go through pain and trauma more than any one person should have to go through in their life and each time, along with Tom, she threw herself head first into her work. But not this time. And now he knew why. She was a puppet, just like the rest of them.

Ray checked his watch and rubbed his temples. He longed to be home, curled up in bed without having to live this horror his life had become, making decisions that are usually reserved for the Gods. He stared at Issie, trying to think of something that would jolt her into action. It pained him to see her helpless, because she was the strongest woman he had ever had the good graces to meet. He loved her as a brother loves his sister.

Ray pushed a chair towards her then. "Sit down Issie. Sit down and let's think about this."

She sat. "You want a coffee?"

She nodded. He walked over to the desk and found a pot, touching the glass to make sure it was still hot and poured them two black coffees in a polystyrene cup. He found some crackers and cheese on the desk too. The crackers were still crispy, but the cheese was warm and sticky so he left it. Pulling a chair over, he sat next to her, passed her the coffee cup and the both of them sat there, looking up at the figures in the tanks like a tourist would Mount Rushmore. It was a picnic orchestrated by David Lynch himself.

They drank the coffee and ate the crackers in silence until she spoke. "The guy who saw them wake, where is he?"

Ray shrugged. "Taking some holiday time." Issie looked at him. "That's the only nice name I can think for it."