FirstLineFiction beta

from Contest #9

It was the thing he'd always loved about her. From the first moment they had met, her trusting amber eyes had held him captivated. Those amber pools held much within their depths but above all else she believed in him.

                “Are you ready?” he asked as he gently brushed back a strand of dark brown hair. Staring into eyes the color of brandy, he was more intoxicated by them than the dark brown liquor.

                “If you are,” she replied with a half smile. Warm dark eyes never left his as she looked at him with infinite love and trust. The alabaster skin of her face was velvety under his reassuring caress. Her faith in him had not wavered; it was the strength that supported him.

                They had met as a response to one of his many newspaper ads. Research scientists always needed subjects and they were hard to find, especially when it came to chemically altering the brain.  His research had led him on a path to discover genetic memory; it was his lifelong goal to unlock the mysteries that were held within that vital code.

                Robin had come to him in search of the memories she had lost as a result of a recent accident. She was the perfect test subject. As the experiments became more time consuming their time together had been prolonged. The two of them seemed to fit and they had developed deep feelings for one another. The dark haired woman had insisted he continue his research even after he had made her his wife. His goal was to enhance genetic memory: hers was to find what she had lost.

                It wasn’t until something went utterly wrong that he realized he had found a breakthrough. The chemical concoction he used was supposed to stimulate the DNA helix so it could release the memories that were programmed into it. The last time he had used this concoction the side effects had been catastrophic. Robin had sat, lost in herself for hours before she started screaming, “It’s so loud!”

                “What Robin? What is so loud? What do you hear Robin?... Robin!” He had grasped her hands, hoping to reassure her. Caught off guard by her response, he was uncertain what was taking place within her mind.

                “I don’t know… It is a drum, it’s a beating…It’s in me…” her voice faded as she started to gasp for breath. Soon after, her entire body convulsed in obvious pain. The heart monitor connected to her chest started to beep uncontrollably before it stopped altogether.

                “Get a crash cart in here!” he had yelled and his staff came running in just as the same monitor started to beep. It was just a flutter, a small irregular beat as her heart tried to pump. Then the delicate muscle inside her chest began to beat at almost three times the normal rate.

                “It’s my heart…” Robin whispered from her reclined position. Twisting her head to the side she turned her face toward him. The delicate features glowed with wonder as she whispered, “I can feel it…” Carefully she raised a hand and placed it on her chest. 

                “Be still, Robin… It is ok.” He tried to reassure her though he couldn’t figure out how she was still conscious. Grabbing the paddles the nurse handed him, he prepared to shock her heart into a steady rhythm again.

                “Its OK… I know what it is now…” Robin breathed out to him. Amber eyes finally opened and focused on him and she whispered awestruck, “David, I remember the first beats of my heart.”  As if she willed it to do so her heart returned to its normal rate. That was not the end to the damage done to her body, though. Without warning she lolled into unconsciousness, her eyes closed as her head fell sideways in an odd position. Blood started pouring from her nose and ears.

                Robin had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and it had taken almost a year for her to recover. David would have stopped the experiments, but she had insisted. Regaining what was lost had been inconsequential to her drive to help him reach his goal. Releasing the memories he sought became everything to her. Dark brown eyes never faltered or wavered, she just believed and trusted him. In the end, David could not deny those amber eyes anything.

                Forcing his hands not to shake, lest she see the uncertainty, he gently pressed the needle into her vein and pushed its contents into her. The reaction only took a few seconds and he watched as those lustrous amber eyes faded. The liquid pools mirrored emptiness as Robin withdrew into her own mind again.

                “It will take a moment, but this affect is the same as before,” he said to the nurse next to him. Pulling a light from his pocket he began to try and stimulate her irises into reaction. “Nominal response so far, but last time it took a couple of hours.”Just as David said this, the heart monitor started beeping wildly as he heart sped up once again.

                “Crash cart, Doctor?” The efficient nurse asked.

                “Yes, just in case,” David said worriedly, as he began to re-assess Robin's state. Suddenly a pulse of energy filled the room and all the machines stopped. The lights over their heads flickered and came back on, but all the machines remained silent. There was no explanation for the source of the pulse, but it had passed through everyone present.

                “It’s beautiful…” the gentle voice on the bed said. Robins eyes remained closed even as tears began to stream down her cheeks. The small figure remained still as her quivering lips parted to take in deep breaths.

                “Robin…” David questioned.

                “David… It’s so beautiful…” Robin sighed before she started gasping for air.

                “Robin…” there was no response. “No… Robin…” at that moment the nurse appeared with the cart and handed him the paddles. “Get ready to push the adrenaline…”

                Robins eyes opened as she turned to him. The look in them was one he had recognized. Working in a hospital, he had seen many deaths and that look was the one of wondrous acceptance. The love of his life was dying, dying for him and his quest.  “NO! Robin, NO!...Stay HERE!” David said dropping the paddles to cup her lovely face in his hands.

                “David… I remember…” Slowly she reached up and grasped his hand, giving him her own reassurance as amber eyes continued to fade. Another pulse of energy erupted from somewhere and they were plunged into darkness, robbing David the vision he loved most. “I remember… my creation…” Robin said as the last of her breath left her body.

back to Contest #9