— So, how do you feel? — I heard Henry ask for the hundredth time.
I took some time to answer him. I had lost all sense of time , but at least I was sure of one thing: it had been several months. And for most of that time, I'd been in an induced coma in one of Henry's chambers of surgery, with my body being constantly refined.
In fact, it wasn't a very pleasant period. Neither my mood was that good after all the times I had awakened from a painful procedure, that had not worked and I would have to "go back to the knife."
Henry Siever, had lived up to his initial fame as the greatest medical bioengineer in history, and he had been very sympathetic to me even in times I was revolting and shouting trying to break everything around me. Nothing like having access to an almost endless collection of drugs to dope me... but he confessedly enjoyed himself very much with my infuriated impulses of difficult patient and sometimes even provoked me.
I realized his effort to do what he had promised. But sometimes there was a lot of pain, and that made me angry and tired, especially because of the few moments he allowed me to remain conscious. Sometimes, when he induced me to wake up, I would face a Henry who was withered, with deep dark circles and rumpled clothes. He always calmed me down, and I was forced to bow my head, apologize and thank him.
— I think this time it worked... — I said, testing the movement of all my fingers.
When we were finishing the last stage of the "transformation" that I had to go through, something had gone wrong, and I woke up without feeling half my body. So I ended up getting out of control and because of this the relic had caused an involuntary discharge and overloaded my nervous system, leaving several parts of my body with burns. Which would be no problem if Henry had already finished the isolation to avoid the conduction of the energy through the vital organs. So I ended up having a lung replaced with a synthetic prosthesis, and my whole nervous system had to be changed again.
— Ah... finally — he said relieved, collapsing in the chair —, You gave me more work than I imagined you would... — he was massaging his own neck, but smiling, — but it was still easier than the expectation.
I breathed a sigh of relief and asked, trying to make use of my arms, which I had not used for a long time:
— So it's done?
— Yeah, it's done... — he answered tiredly. — If you do not mind, I intend to get some sleep... I feel destroyed. But if you promise me that you will not leave the house alone while I rest, we can go up there, see the sky for a change...
I cheered up and jumped from the bed excited. I wanted to see the outside and test my new eyes with a different landscape than a cluster of medical instruments, machinery and equipment.
— Only one thing left — he said, getting up too, going lazily behind the table cluttered with books and screens and opening the small freezer behind. He took out a large, injectable ampule. — You need to remember that you're going to be young and virtually immortal... but you may still get sick or be killed, so you need to take care of your health.
He approached and I allowed him to apply the vaccine through the artery at my elbow. Then I almost pushed him toward the door full of anxiety to leave soon. Since I had been here, I had not left the lab at all, and I wondered if he had left as well. I didn't even know the rest of the house yet.
When the afternoon sunlight found me, I finally felt that I was really alive. I watched the room I was in. It was not nearly as far fetched as the palace. It was actually a very minimalist decoration, but definitely comfortable and luxurious.
There was little furniture and plenty of space. The whole floor was covered with a huge black carpeting, contrasting perfectly with the white and silver furniture. The walls were all of glass, separated by wide gray columns, which made it possible to see the outside where a beautiful, well-kept garden stretched to the fence beyond. On the left was a staircase that appeared to be completely transparent glass, leading to the upper floor, and to the right a beautiful kitchen with light gray walls with black cabinets and a shiny and glossy black stone countertop.
— Wow... it looks like you're rich... — I said wryly. Of course I knew he certainly was. At least I could deduce that through the personal collection of expensive equipment in his laboratory. — But how can your house be so clean and well cared for if no one has been here for years, even counting on us?
— I have employees — said Henry wearily as he headed for the stairs —, both my business and my house, though I left then unattended, were taken care of by my trusted personnel.
I accompanied him to his room, where he, unceremoniously, simply dived into his huge black wooden bed and sank into heavy sleep almost immediately. Not knowing what else to do, I started to tinker with the things around me. Apparently his room occupied the entire upper floor and everything was neat and tidy. He had a giant closet with an even larger collection of clothes of all kinds. But apparently they were all old and out of fashion, though well taken care of.
I had to laugh at this. Even though he had such a large and impeccable closet, how long had he not bought clothes? I cast a glance at him, who was sprawled on the bed, and looked at the clothes again. It occurred to me that I wanted to take a real shower and get rid of those clothes and that smell of medicine. I searched for something I could use, and I chose one of his longer T-shirts. At least I could improvise like a dress and hold it with a belt around my waist.
The bathroom was well stocked, and I took a long scented bath with some of the products I found there. My hair had more than tripled in length and ran down wavy until it curled at the tips, and it took me a while to figure out what I could use to wash it. I also realized that I was much leaner than the ideal, but the main difference was my eyes. They were the same as Henry's now: silver.
I found the contrast strange with my caramel skin, but I had no reason to complain. It was this or staying blind.
When I finished my bath, I went down to the kitchen and remembered that it had been a long time since I had tasted solid food, but there was nothing in the cabinets, just water. I walked around the house and found nothing I could do, so I went out into the garden.
When the night came down, the house lights went on by themselves, leaving everything very well lit. I ended up going around the property until I got bored and climbed back up the stairs, but beyond the door to Henry's room, there was only one more that led to a beautiful balcony with a view of the city. I spent a lot of time there, thinking about what I should do.
It had not been many hours since Henry had gone to sleep, but he had left no information on what I should do, other than not leaving the house. I was already starving, and although I was not sleepy, there was nowhere for me to sleep. So my only option was to wake him up.
— Hey, Henry... — I went into the room again unceremoniously. He was still lying the same way he was when he started sleeping, — Wake up... I'm hungry... at least tell me where I can find something to eat — I insisted.
But Henry was sleeping soundly. Then I started to shake him, but he must have been really, really tired. Annoyed, I was about to get up and go back to the porch when his hand gripped my wrist. I looked at him hopefully, but his face showed no sign of being awake as he spoke, whispering, as if in pain:
— Do not go... do not let me do this alone...
I felt my jaw drop. Was he dreaming, even as he held my wrist so hard? His face twisted in pain... He certainly was not talking to me.
— Are you awake? — I asked in almost the same whispering tone.
To my utter astonishment, tears began to flow from his closed, purplish, dark eyes.
— Henry! Is everything alright?? — I asked in anguish, shaking him again.
But he stood still. He seemed to be having a nightmare that was hurting him a lot. What could it be? When he finally loosened the grip on my wrist, I backed away uneasily, but before crossing the door, I heard him speak again... and again... and again, repeating several times the same name: Nadia.