Chapter 91
McMurrich was sitting in her office, with the door slightly open. FoodTech labs had the same feeling to it, the same colours, temperature and smell, but the floor plan was not as it used to. McMurrich’s office used to be in a conveniently secluded spot, so that I never had to pass in front of it when walking from my desk to the lab. But now it was sitting in the middle of the hallway and, as I was heading to the labs to look for Alice, McMurrich saw me passing by and called out, “Iris, do you have a moment?”.
I stopped short, starting. Talking with McMurrich displeased me no matter when it happened, but it was even worse when I didn’t know what to expect and was genuinely busy. I gave myself a moment before replying. I breathed deeply and stepped in her office
“Sure I do”, I said.
“Have a seat”, McMurrich told me
She waited for me to sit, and then looked at me for a moment before speaking. She seemed worried.
“Are you feeling sick?”, she asked
I felt my heartbeats become irregular. Sick? Why would I feel sick?
“Why would I feel sick?”, I repeated out loud
“Is your heart functioning normally or is it accelerating, then slowing down, and then racing again? Are you dizzy?”, she continued
Yes, now I remembered. That’s how I had felt, but when?
“Perhaps it did happen at some point, long ago probably”
“Long ago? When?”
“I don’t remember”
“You do. Where were you?”
I tried to dig into the archive of my memories. What happened? I was at FoodTech labs, yes. Now I remembered. I was at FoodTech labs, it was my first day of work after I had come back from Italy. But why was I in Italy? Dr. Mori. Dr. Mori and the polymer, the MagnaSize. Yes, that was it. We had done tests and we had discovered…that the polymer affected the heart, it made it race till it collapsed like a strained horse.
“At FoodTech labs”, I replied, not exactly knowing where this was going, but feeling a sense of unease mount inside me
“And what happened before you felt sick?”, McMurrich asked
“What happened, what do you mean?”
“What did you do at FoodTech labs before you felt sick?”
“I went to the cafeteria”, I said
“What about the cafeteria? What happened there?”
“I was with Brad…”
Was she playing a trick on me? What was she trying to learn?
“You guys were talking and eating?”
“Yes”
“What were you eating?”, she asked
What game are we playing, mediaeval inquisitor or something?
“I don’t know…”
“You do”
Did I? But wait, wasn’t McMurrich dead? So she wasn’t dead. Had she pretended to be dead? Like the cleaning lady. Yes, in Italy I thought I had seen the cleaning lady dead but it wasn’t so.
“What I knew about was your death”, I replied, grinning with satisfaction at my revenge
“I am dead”, McMurrich said calmly
“Ah so you are dead and I am dead and this is a sci-fi movie”, I laughed hysterically
“What were you eating?”, she insisted, ignoring my reaction
“A chocolate bar”, I said, remembering
She nodded
“Have that chocolate bar analyzed”, she told me, looking at me straight in the eyes
“Why?”, I asked, more and more uneasy
“Time is over, I am busy now”, she said, moving her eyes on the computer screen
“Tell me why”, I insisted as I would have never done in other moments
“You are so innocent, how can you not understand?”, McMurrich said with a hint of ironic despise in her tone
“What are you referring to?”, I asked again in angry panic
But before I could get an answer the lights in her office flashed, grew bright and blinded me. Through my blurred view I saw two figures. I wanted to ask them who they were but all I could utter was a moaning sound.