Chapter 314
Chapter 314 Ether Confessions
E
“I really must insist,” Leon says awkwardly, looking around at the packed guest bedroom, “that we…thin
the crowd. Just a bit.”
“Well, I’m not leaving,” I say, stepping forward and bouncing Rafe in my arms as I look down at my
sisterying on the bed. Cora is awkward and ufortable as she looks around at the collection of
investigators, at Roger, at me, Rafe, and Sinir, all standing around her. Leon sits primly squeezed
into a chair at her side.
“Perhaps…the child?” Leon suggests and I sigh, realizing that he’s right. I turn to Sinir, my eyes
pleading. “Can you?” I ask. Sinir nches at me. “E – I have to be here to hear this ”
“Please,” I say, stepping towards him.” Maybe we can…like, is there a way to make a video feed? Or
sound? So you can hear in another room?”
Leon’s eyebrows go up. “That would work,” he says, looking at Sinir, who nods firmly, reaching out
for Rafe.
“I owe you,” I whisper to him, standing on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek and handing the
baby to him. “I can’t leave her.”
“I understand,” Sinir murmurs back, “I’ll send someone up with AV equipment in a few minutes.” He
brushes my cheek with his thumb before signaling to the investigators to leave the room with him. I turn
back to my sister and then blink when I see Roger still standing in the corner, his arms crossed.
“What are you still doing here?” I ask, surprised. Roger just stares at me for a moment, apparently
appalled that I would ask. ” I’m the lead investigator on this, E!” he informs me, frustrated, throwing
out an exnatory hand. “I need to be here! To ask questions! To guide the investigation!”
“Ooooookay!” I say, putting my hands up catingly. “I just didn’t know lead investigators were usually
so pissy.” “Pissy!” Roger gasps, leaning forward to me, aghast. “E, I -”
“Roger,” Leon says, holding up a hand towards him. “We need a calm environment for this to work, and
your level of agitation is…non-conducive.”
Roger stares at Leon, his mouth open, shocked to have been put in his ce so politely. “Yeah,” Cora
says, grinning at Roger and wrinkling her nose at him. “So, in other words, stop being so pissy.”
Roger stares between us for a moment and then leans back against the wall with his eyes closed,
taking a deep breath and raising a hand to press the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Sisters…”
he mutters, “I am never again spending any time at all with… sisters.”
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A younger member of Sinir’s team enters quietly then, nodding to me and beginning to set up a
computer and a microphone on Cora’s far side. He works quickly while Rogerposes himself and
Leon prepares the ether shot. I sit down on the end of the bed, putting a hand on Cora’s ankle – the
only thing near enough for me to touch and mouth “thank you” to her.
She sighs and leans her head back on the pillow, nodding to me and epting her fate.
“Now Cora,” Leon says, cing aforting hand on her shoulder that makes her flinch. I grimace,
knowing how tense she is about this. “I know that you’re aware of some of E’s experiences with
hypnosis, but everyone’s journeys are a little different. I’m going to give you the shot, and then I’ll guide
you back to your memories of that day. You’ll hear my voice, and then, when you’ve essed your
memories, Roger will join me in asking you some questions. Is that all right?”
“Can I stop whenever I want?” Cora asks, looking anxiously up at the doctor. “If I get…scared?”
“Yes,” the doctor assures her, tightening his hand a little on her shoulder. “The antidote is right here.
We will stop whenever you’d like. And if you’d like to give permission to your sister as well, we can stop
whenever she gives the word as well, if she sees that you are in distress. Would you like to give your
sister permission for that?”
Cora nods eagerly and looks at me for confirmation. I slowly bob my head, letting her know that I’ve got
her back, as I always do.
“All right then,” Leon says, smiling around at Cora and Roger and me. Then let’s get this started, nice
and easy.”
Cora exhales a deep breath and closes her eyes again. She doesn’t flinch at all as Leon presses the
needle to her arm, though I suppose that is normal, as she’s a doctor who gives injections all day long.
I see Cora’s eyes start to flicker, though, a little behind her eyelids as the ether takes over and she
quickly enters a dreamy half-awake state. I watch her, curious, wondering if I looked the same under
Leon’s care. His eyes also on Cora, Rogeres and sits next to me on the bed, wanting to be closer
to the action. I give him a warm little nudge of my shoulder, both in wee and apology for teasing
him a few minutes earlier. I’m d he’s here.
“Hello Cora,” Leon says quietly after a few minutes. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m just fine,” she says, a peaceful smile on her face. “Where are you?” he asks. “I’m at my apartment,”
Cora replies, her voice carefree. I blink, surprised. This is indeed different than my own hypnotic states.
“Ah,” Leon says, nodding and taking a little notepad out of the bag at his side, starting to write a little.
“And is this a happy ce for you?” Cora shrugs and makes a nomittal noise. “Eh. I’d rather be at
work.”
“Do you like work, Cora?” I see my sister nod and smile, my heart warming to see her happiness. “I like
to be helpful,” she says, her voice breezy. “And busy.”
“That is lovely, Cora. Why don’t you go to work now, and tell me when you’re there.” There’s a pause
and then Cora nods. Leon continues. “What day is it, Cora?” he asks, his voice gentle. “It’s today,” she
says, almost as if Leon is stupid for asking. “Duh.” I bite my lip to hold back a littleugh.
“Well today is very dull isn’t it,” Leon says, his voice peaceful, soothing, and persuasive. “Let’s go back
a little bit in time. To that day, a few months ago, when your sister came to you and you helped her
conceive her little baby. Can you go there?”
Cora inhales a deep, peaceful breath and then a few momentster exhales it. “All right,” she says, her
voice humming now with contentment and ease. “E ising soon. I am excited.”
“Go ahead, Cora,” Leon encourages, and I shift my gaze to him, interested to see the different way that
he’s handling my sister’s hypnosis. He took a much more hands-off approach when I was in his care,
but I can see that his careful guidance here is really precisely what Cora needs. I smile at him, pleased
that Sinir had the forethought to bring him onto our team. “Tell us what is happening,” Leon
continues.
“I’m preparing the sample,” Cora reports, a happy little smile on her lips. “We keep them onsite frozen
in liquid nitrogen. We had…several vials of this patient.” She yawns a little, rxing more deeply into
the memory. “But I’m just taking out one.”
“And were you quite careful, Cora?” Leon asks, his voice more curious than usatory. “To ensure that
it was the sample from the donor that E selected?”
“Oh yes,” Cora murmurs. “No mistakes there. Donor 284726. I can see it on the vial as well as on the
paperwork. It’s the right one.” My eyes raise, interested to see that under hypnosis she can remember
such details.
“What’s next, Cora?” Leon prods, still calmly taking notes on his sheet. “I take it into theb for thawing
to room temperature,” she murmurs. Then, I will check it for motility to ensure that the specimen is
viable.”
“Is that what you’re doing now?” Leon asks. “No,” Cora replies with a happy little sigh. “No, I can’t.
Because there’s someone already in theb,” she replies, content. My blood runs cold at her words, as
I realize that this is a detail she didn’t tell us before.
“Who is it?” Leon says calmly, as if Cora just told him she saw a pretty bird and he’s asking what color
its feathers were. His voice betrays none of my shock and anxiety.
“A priest,” she murmurs. “A priest?” Leon continues. “What kind of priest – a catholic priest? Or a priest
of the goddess?”
“No,” she murmurs, shaking her head as if that’s a silly suggestion. “No, this one’s robes are like the
goddess robes. But they’re all ck.”