Jane Doe #7
a science fiction by Drema Deòraich (3 of 3)
The explosive conclusion to the saga of Jane Doe #7 is here, and don’t miss it for anything! A quick recap: some years ago, Aki developed a new technique to reach into the minds of the unconscious. Now, in the present, her lover Dr. Kyle Wicks is in charge of the technology, and Aki is gone. Let’s get to the bottom of it, shall we?
Content warning: coarse language, violence
Now
“Doctor Wicks!”
Kyle looked up from his tablet to see a set-up tech rushing toward him. “Yes?”
“One of the Janes they just brought in, sir—” the tech stopped, breathing hard.
“What’s wrong?” Kyle picked up his pace, now headed toward the initial set-up lab where new Does were brought for their exploratory test. The tech fell in beside him, her face pale, eyes wide.
“It’s—” She swallowed. “I think it’s Doctor Kimura, sir.”
Kyle’s skin went cold. His ears began to buzz. He stared at the tech, her words echoing in his head. They found Aki? He pursed his lips to speak but no words would come. Instead, he broke into a run. Staff members fell back out of his path as he raced toward the lab, the tech close on his heels.
They found Aki!
He rounded the final corner and burst through the doors, skidding to a stop inside. Staff members who had gathered around Jane Doe number seven, murmuring to one another, stumbled back from the patient. Kyle’s halting steps carried him toward her gurney.
Same light brown, epicanthic eyes, open now to stare at the ceiling. Did she see it there? That same black mole just below her right eye. Her skin had yellowed and sagged on her skeletal frame like a costume three sizes too big. Her arms had drawn up toward her chest, hands and long slender fingers now hooked into claws, the muscles atrophied from disuse. She would hate that, hate what had happened to her runner’s physique, hate that they had shaved off her thick black hair. She’d laugh at the gown they’d dressed her in. Mint green, her least favorite color.
“Where…” Kyle rasped.
“She came in ten minutes ago with four others from a facility upstate. She—” The tech choked up, cleared her throat before she continued, her voice low and shaking. “I ran to find you as soon as I saw her. Here’s the file.” She pushed a tablet into his trembling hands.
Kyle wrenched his eyes away from the withered husk before him and tried to make sense of the words on the screen as they filtered through his haze…
…found on shore at the delta, miles downriver…
…multiple internal injuries, broken bones, brain trauma…
…no identifying marks or identification on the body…
No, there wouldn’t have been. Aki always carried everything in her purse, not in her pockets.
He scrolled back up to see the date she was found—nearly five years ago.
His hands went slack. He almost dropped the tablet.
The tech grabbed it. “Are you okay, Doctor Wicks?”
Kyle stepped closer to the gurney, his throat too tight to speak. The many faces of Aki—laughing, frowning, angry, happy, passionate, sleeping—superimposed themselves over that of the gaunt mannequin on the bed. This program had brought them together. They’d celebrated its successes, fought over its future, collaborated on ways to make it work. So many memories.
Kyle was the one who’d reported her missing. He’d thought her dead. Now…
“Set her up.” His voice croaked as if he hadn’t spoken in weeks. “I’ll go first. Give me full immersion. Full control.”
“Of course, Doctor Wicks.” The techs scurried away leaving Kyle alone with the living ghost from his past.
“Oh, Aki,” he whispered. He’d almost made peace with her absence. Now she was back, and his heart wouldn’t stop pounding in his ears.
#
Four years, ten months ago
On the way home, they parked his car beside the road and made it all the way to their spot at the middle of the bridge before Kyle prodded her. “Leaving early? Stopping at the bridge instead of going straight home? Now I know you’re holding something back.” He bent his knees to bring his eyes level with hers, his breath frosting the air in front of his lips as he spoke. “Come on. Spill.”
Aki grinned out at the dark horizon, keeping her secret just a little longer even though it threatened to burst out under its own power. But she wanted to get home soon, have some hot cider or tea. It was freezing out here, even with her down coat and thick gloves. She’d forgotten her hat.
She turned a sly expression toward him, her grin gone. “I did it.”
His eyes went wide. “You solved the last glitch?”
“Yep. Earlier this shift. I made two more trials, just to be sure, but yes.” Now the grin returned. “We’re good to go.”
Kyle’s excitement lit his face from within. He pushed both mittened hands over his hair, his eyes flicking back and forth. When he settled on her again, he gripped her shoulders. “How? I want all the details. Don’t leave out anything.”
Aki laughed, puffing out small clouds of breath. She described every step she’d taken to solve that last hurdle. When she ran out of words, she stopped, breathing fast.
The sound of a train chugged its way into her awareness. She wondered if Kyle was going to propose. She’d thought he was working up to it for weeks now. If he did, it would be a perfect time to tell him about the baby. But let him come to terms with the project news first. Her pregnancy deserved a spotlight all its own.
She’d been taking precautions. They both had, but clearly they’d missed a gap somewhere. They’d never talked about children, but she hoped Kyle would be as happy about it as she was. They’d grown so close, and this was the logical next step. Aki’s mind raced ahead to imagine what their lives would look like a month from now. Six months, when the baby was showing. A year, when the baby was born, and the project was well-established. What a delicious irony, giving birth to both a physical child and the first fruits of her life’s work at nearly the same time.
Kyle smiled at her in a way he never had before as he stepped closer, wrapped his wool-clad arms around her, and held her tight. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.”
Aki closed her eyes, her whole body smiling. But Kyle’s arms tightened further until she couldn’t catch her breath. The distant train whistled its approach into the yards.
“Kyle—”
He pulled her so close her face pressed into the folds of his pea coat, then lifted her feet off the ground.
“Kyle.” She gasped for air, one hand slapping his back. “You’re hurting—”
He swung her legs up and over the bridge’s safety rail.
Her heart made a little jump, and she grabbed at his wool sleeve as her mind slipped sideways.
what is he doing
“You’re such a genius, Aki,” he murmured into her ear while her legs dangled, kicking, over the open space. “I told Reuben you’d solve it. But we can’t let you take this gold mine into an open-source market. It’s too bad. I really liked you.”
Then she was falling, her lungs sucking the frigid air into her chest with a screech lost in the sound of the water and
this isn’t happening
her hands reaching, grasping for the rail that flew out above her, Kyle hovering there in the cold, his breath a cloud around his head, his features lost in shadow. She would swear her fetus moved inside her and she
i wanted a girl
screamed Kyle’s name. Time stretched out like hot caramel until the water rose up to crush her frame with an icy hand and blackness closed in.
#
Now
Kyle’s heart raced inside his ribs like a dog after a rabbit. He watched them prep Aki and thought how everything could change in the space of a blink. His mind raced back over that night. With sub-freezing temperatures, he’d noted ice at the edges of the water and up on the banks. They’d been bundled up, but once her jacket got soaked through, that wouldn’t have helped her much. And that fall… he had no idea how far it was, but he’d been certain she wouldn’t survive the impact even if the water hadn’t been so cold. How did she not die?
More importantly, if her body had been found so near that same time, how did this not come back to bite him?
Police had questioned him after he reported her missing, but he’d played the devastated lover very well. With the money Reuben paid him, he could afford to. He’d even bought an engagement ring ahead of time to show them how he was going to propose. They’d believed him, marked her down as a runaway lover. A week later, he’d reported to Reuben that it was done, Aki Kimura was no longer a problem. He’d fulfilled his end of the bargain, and they delivered on their promise. As soon as was reasonable, they’d promoted him to project manager, given him full rein, and turned him loose to make them all rich.
Which he had done.
But with Aki back, even like this, they were all in trouble, him most of all. He’d lost a fortune at the tracks the last couple of weeks, and another at the casino. The bank wasn’t going to wait much longer to start snatching collateral. The Tesla would be the first thing to go, just before the condo. His Harley would be next, followed by his artworks, designer clothing, everything he’d worked so hard for. He’d be destitute. On the street. Maybe dead if his bookie caught him before he could pay up.
He beat back the snarling dogs in his imagination and took a trembling breath. He needed money, and to get money, he needed Does. And a tour like this one? The woman who’d made this whole project possible? People would pay heaps for fifteen minutes in her head.
Except he didn’t dare put Aki up as a potential. If she woke up or gave any passenger even a hint of how she came to be here, Kyle would lose more than the project and all his toys. Best case scenario? Life imprisonment. He wouldn’t go down alone, though. He’d take Reuben and the others with him, assuming they didn’t kill him first. This was their idea—get close to her, figure out her plan, find out how she’s doing it, talk her over to their side. Or—
Shit. Why couldn’t she just die like he’d intended? He should have made sure. Poisoned or throttled her, slit her throat or…
“Doctor Wicks, we’re ready.”
Kyle looked up as if surprised to not be alone with Aki. Too many witnesses, not to mention the security cameras. No chance of killing her here. He didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to see his betrayal through her eyes. But he couldn’t let anyone else test her. Maybe he could kill her once he was in. Was that possible? He’d have to try.
He slid the lead cap on and laid back into the station next to her bed, his mind racing. He remembered the first time he’d assessed a Doe, his fear of not knowing what to expect. Since then, he’d evaluated so many he no longer felt fear of the unknown. This racing heartbeat right now? The clenching in his belly? That was fear of the known. He knew what he would see. And it scared him witless.
He nodded to the techs to start it up. They did, their eyes locked on his form, and then he was falling, falling, falling. This time when the slide began, it was a sheet of ice, only instead of beneath his feet, it was over his head. His arms pounded against the barrier as he slid past, his lungs screaming for air. Current bashed him against rocks and sunken debris, breaking bones as he went faster, too fast to grasp onto any handhold, hurtling downriver until he slammed his head, and everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, stars filled his view. The crunching of boots on wet gravel told him he wasn’t alone.
“Hey, lady, you okay?”
He tried to speak, but no sound came. Inside his head, Aki’s voice lilted in a singsong tone.
“Kyle and Ak were out of whack And Aki didn’t know it He threw her down and broke her crown And did it for a profit.”
His skin crawled, raising the frosted hair on his arms. I’m here! he tried to scream. I’m over here! Help!
Aki’s soft laughter drew close to his ear. “They’ll come soon enough. But it isn’t you they’ll be saving.”
A man’s silhouette appeared against the stars, gaping down at Kyle.
“Oh god, lady.” The man’s voice choked as he took in Aki’s ravaged form. “What the hell happened to you?” His thick finger stabbed the buttons on his mobile and he held it to his ear.
“So ironic, don’t you think?” Aki continued, her voice humming in his head. “I might have been the only person who could help you now but you”—she chuckled, as if unable to help herself— “burned that bridge, didn’t you? Such a shame. I really liked you, too. Did you know I was pregnant when you tried to kill me? Maybe it’s for the best our daughter didn’t survive my fall. You would’ve made a shitty dad.”
Kyle’s limbs began to tingle, then to itch. His stomach felt as though he were on a roller coaster, rising and falling. The smell of burnt toast drifted in on the icy breeze. He remembered that odor. It had preceded every seizure he’d ever had before they finally stopped in his late teens. An eerie sound emerged from his throat. The man above him did not seem to hear it, or to notice when Kyle’s arms began to twitch, drawing up toward his chin in jerky, waving motions. Random neural firings scattered his thoughts, confusing the issue. He struggled to focus.
That toast was really burning now. Why couldn’t he see the flames?
Aki’s laughter grew louder, drowning out everything else, and Kyle could only scream and scream and scream.
#
“Doctor Wicks?”
Aki opened her eyes, blinking at the brightness of the room. Where was she? It had been so dark by the water’s edge…
“Kyle, are you all right?” The neurologist shone a light into her eyes, then pulled it away, then shone it again before she stuck it back in her pocket and gestured. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Aki blinked. Focused. “Three.” Her voice sounded so deep. “Cold. Blanket.”
The doc pulled a blanket off bed eight and laid it over Aki. “Better?”
“Uh huh.” Aki blinked. “What happened?” What the hell was wrong with her voice?
Unless…
“You had a seizure. Fell off the gurney. Here. Let’s get you up.”
She and a nearby tech lifted Aki under the arms with a mutual grunt and plopped her down on the empty gurney next to bed seven.
Next to Aki Kimura.
Aki shook her head. She looked at the doctor, at the techs, all of whom were staring at her. She shifted her gaze down to her own hands.
Kyle’s hands. There was the scar he’d gotten on that cast-iron skillet in her kitchen. Below the hand, his legs wore the jeans she’d given him that first Christmas. He’d said they were his favorites.
She leaned past the neurologist to see the ravaged body on bed seven. And again at her new hands. Kyle’s hands.
A manic grin twitched at her lips and only a Herculean force of will kept it hidden. She couldn’t let them see, couldn’t let them suspect. Even she wasn’t sure how she’d managed this. The data never indicated crossover as a potential outcome. Yet when Kyle had tapped into her neurals, she’d thrown herself into a wild gambit she never expected to work.
Of course, this experience threw a new kink into the program. She’d have to ensure it never happened again.
She gaped at the others standing around her.
Him. You’re Kyle Wicks.
Now what? The old Aki would have spoken up. It would be the right thing to do.
Don’t be stupid. That Aki is dead.
Right. Kyle killed her. After an eternity trapped in that mute, immovable shell, she was free. Hell, she felt like she could fly.
“Doctor Wicks? Are you okay? This has all been quite a shock. Do you need to go home?”
That persistent neurologist. Aki shook her—no, his—head. “I’m fine. Just a little shaken up.” What would Kyle say? She had to make this good.
The doctor leaned next to him and gestured at Aki. “Did you learn anything?”
Aki considered her own body, looked at the damage Kyle had done. He had taken her life. Now she would take his. Of course, the man was always in debt to his eyebrows. No doubt she’d have to find out what he owed and pay off his damn bookie or her survival might be short-lived.
“No. But we don’t dare try again. I almost didn’t make it out.” Aki liked the rich timber of this new voice. “As much as I want to know what happened to her, Aki is a nonviable resource. The damage is too great.”
“Should we notify her next of kin?” The tech tilted her head toward Aki. “I know you two were close. I figure maybe you would know how to reach them.
Aki thought about her parents. For the first time, she—he, damn it! If she was going to pull this off, she had to become Kyle Wicks in mind as well as body—was glad they were gone. This would have devastated them, not to mention they would’ve likely bankrupted themselves trying to figure out how to bring her back.
“There’s no one to notify. Mark her file accordingly.” He’d need a few days to get his head—his head! Hah!—around this.
Kyle stood, dropped the blanket back to the cot, and stepped across to look down at Aki. Sleep well, you piece of shit. He turned away, wiping real tears from his face. “We need to ship her back to the long-term facility tonight. Right this minute. Call them up. Get that transport back here.”
The neurologist shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Doctor Wicks. I’m sure the techs won’t let anyone—”
Kyle stabbed a finger at the tech. “We can’t take that chance. In fact, never mind.” He smiled at the neurologist, making the most of Kyle’s winning grin. “I’ll handle the details myself.”
Meet the author:
Drema Deòraich’s short fiction has appeared in Electric Spec, Asymmetry, Backchannels, and Mithila Review. Entheóphage, her debut novel, was self-published in October of 2022 and was nominated for the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. Fallen, the first book in her Founder’s Seed trilogy, was self-published in May of this year. Book 2, Broken, will be released this Fall.
More sorta kinda like this maybe—
