The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 16 The Daunting Decision

Once I'd recovered from a fit of coughing and could actually breathe again, I began sputtering out the questions tumbling around in my head.

"You figured out how to make the anti-serum?"

I shouldn't have been so shocked, this was Jasper we were talking about.

"You've been working on this in secret down here?"

And finally for the real question.

"You made that for me even while you've been angry over the whole Legato thing?"

Jasper stared at the syringe.

"You're my friend Astrid, and no matter how upset with you I may be, I'd never hold back a discovery like this. You deserve to know what happened in your past."

I stared at him, amazed that despite his quirks, he really was a better friend than most people could ever dream of having. I dropped the remainder of my milkshake in the trash can, not trusting myself to drink the rest of it without incident, and promptly threw my arms around his neck. He hugged me back, albeit a little stiffly.

"I can't thank you enough."
I said as I drew back.

"You'll want to take this someplace where you can rest for a while afterward. The side effects may be severe, Dr. Ross mentioned migraines and nausea."

I grimaced at that.

"And be very careful, don't lose or break this syringe, it was incredibly difficult to make, and I used up all I have of some of the ingredients. It could take months, or longer before I would be able to recreate it."
He cautioned.

Very hesitantly I took the syringe from him, half afraid I might drop it then and there. I was still in a partial state of shock, realizing that I held the answer to so many of my questions right there in my hands. I could find out what my mother, well, Angelica Coften, had really been like. I could find out just what David had meant to me. I could remember who I had been in Coalition, what I had fought for. I could learn what Project Sapphire really was. Maybe I'd known more about my real parents and where I'd come from. All of that and so much more was literally at my fingertips.

"Jasper, I can't thank you enough. I owe you big time."

He shrugged.

"Friends shouldn't keep score."

Jasmine couldn't have been more wrong when she said brother wasn't capable of love.

"I'm just glad we found this place, the antiserum was a good deal more complex than I ever could have imagined. I wouldn't have guessed the right combination in a hundred years."

You could almost say it was fate, or destiny, or an all-powerful God looking out for me. I decided not to dwell on that thought for too long however, it made me uncomfortable.

"You'll want to inject it straight into your neck, for the best results."
Jasper instructed.

One look at that needle told me that would be a heck of a pinch.

"You should go, I think you'll have a long night ahead of you."

I stared at the syringe for a long moment, then carefully tucked it into my jacket pocket. There were no words adequate to describe what I was feeling at that moment, so instead, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, a long look passing between us.

"Have a good rest of your day my friend."

He nodded and I headed out the door of the laboratory, lost in a sea of thoughts.

****

I pushed the door to my chambers shut, grateful to find it empty. I set the syringe on the nightstand and hung my jacket on the coat rack. I then kicked my shoes off and hopped on the bed, staring at the lime green liquid intently. All I had to was uncap the needle and inject the antiserum into my neck. My heart beat a little faster and time seemed to slow down to a crawl. I'd made a lot of decisions in my life, but for some reason, this one seemed more daunting than the rest. Something was holding me back from grabbing the syringe right that instant, but I had no idea what. I wanted this, I wanted to know what had happened in my past. Didn't I?