Chapter 5: Questions
I gently lower Ellie down into the crib. I have been rocking and bouncing for over an hour, but she finally appears to be asleep. Elizabeth might have been the easier pregnancy, but she was definitely the fussier baby. She is named after my grandmother, and I can only hope she will be just as smart. I look over at Claire, peacefully sleeping next to her sister. She’s about a year old now, and thick brown curls grow on her head.
She is slowly getting better at crawling and her brabble is making slightly more sense then before. A wave sadness washes over me suddenly. I wish my girls could grow up as securely as I did, with my only worries being clothes and crushes and that my parents didn’t like my college choice. I’m afraid no one gets to grow up like that anymore.
When I hear the front door crack open I quickly wipe away the oncoming tears. It’s Salim, barging into the house with his sandy shoes still on and some documents in his hand.
“Hey honey I-” he cuts off abruptly when he sees my face. He lowers his arms and walks my way, slowly. “Are you okay?” I let myself sink into his arms.
“I’m just worried we won’t be able to give the girls as nice of childhood as we had growing up.” Salim lets out a big sigh and wraps his arms around me. “I didn’t have a whole lot growing up, not even two parents, so I think we’re already doing better my them then my father did.” He rakes his hand through my hair and starts rubbing my back in gentle circles.
“I’m just worried we won’t be able to give the girls as nice of childhood as we had growing up.” Salim lets out a big sigh and wraps his arms around me. “I didn’t have a whole lot growing up, not even two parents, so I think we’re already doing better my them then my father did.” He rakes his hand through my hair and starts rubbing my back in gentle circles.
“And I think giving them all the love we have to offer and training them to survive in this world is really the best we can do.” I nod, and bury my face further into his chest.
“Come on, let’s get out of here before we wake up the kids.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here before we wake up the kids.”
In our bedroom after I’ve calmed down a bit, Salim shows me the documents he had on him earlier. “I know a guy that works at the archive of Glassbolt HQ, and I was able to convince him to give me these.” He puts a folder in my lap. The folder has ‘CLASSIFIED’ written on it in bold, red letters. I look to Salim. “What’s in this?” He smiles at me and opens the folder with a flourish. “This is the adress of the former Glassbolt science institute and almost every clearance code and password you need to get in there.” He flips to another page. “And this is the last report of an internal investigation done by Glassbolt themselves.” Shock, fear and excitement rush through my veins at the exact same time. I pick up the report and begin to read.
“Glassbolt Science Institute expedition 6
October 23rd, 12:42 PM
The fumes have gotten worse. Previously, unmasked people only got mildly sick when entering the premises. On this trip our unmasked employees first suffered nausea and then abrupt failure of the liver and kidneys. Most died within days of the trip. The back door still refuses all of our codes. Further the lab director’s office is still locked and refuses to open. Attempts to tear down the walls or break the glass would result in collapse of the building.
October 23rd, 12:42 PM
The fumes have gotten worse. Previously, unmasked people only got mildly sick when entering the premises. On this trip our unmasked employees first suffered nausea and then abrupt failure of the liver and kidneys. Most died within days of the trip. The back door still refuses all of our codes. Further the lab director’s office is still locked and refuses to open. Attempts to tear down the walls or break the glass would result in collapse of the building.
The rapport went on like this, detailing the grueling experiences of personnel and the ravaging of the lab itself. I look at Salim. He’s still smiling, trying to gage my response. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, steeling my nerves. “I want to go in. I think I can crack my father’s code.” I can hear Salim chuckle. “I thought you’d say that. I’ll look after the girls tomorrow.” I look at him. “Thank you. You know how much this matters to me.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder. “I know. And it matters to me too. Make sure you come back with something saucy enough to topple a huge corporation.” We smile at each other. “You know I will.”