Skyfall
~Eight~
The elevator doors opened with a ping onto the garage level which smelt like asphalt and diesel. I’d pillaged my closet for black, knee high boots and a caramel thigh length jacket. Underneath I wore a neat black dress that felt very expensive, and I’d topped it all off with a felt hat like I’d seen in old movies. Now I not only looked a million dollars, but probably cost it too.
“In,” Calista directed me to the same car I’d arrived in. It barely purred, the engine idling smoothly. I climbed in behind her. “The District General,” she told the driver, and we were off.
The car slid out of the underground garage like a snake. The roads were as busy as ever, and unless I was imagining it, there were even more hover cars in the sky than before. After a solid fifteen minutes sliding in and out of traffic, the driver pulled up to a large white building with immaculate lawns.
“I’ll beep you when we’re ready,” Calista said to the driver, who nodded once and pulled away smoothly. “You alright?” she asked me, and I nodded stiffly.
We stepped through the sliding glass doors and approached the front desk. A receptionist in a stark white uniform looked up at us, though her red nails continued clacking on the keyboard in front of her.
“Can I help?” she asked us.
“Lady Nova to see Graham Lowry,” Calista said, and something inside me withered when she referred to me as ‘Lady Nova’.
“A moment,” the receptionist’s left eye suddenly turned a brilliant white light. She blinked after a few seconds, and the light faded away. “Floor ten, Room 14B.”
“Thank you,” we peeled away from the desk, and I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder back at the receptionist, whose eyes were now back to normal.
“What was that?” I asked, unnerved.
“One of the new requirements for anyone who signs a contract for longer than ten years with one company,” Calista explained, also looking uncomfortable. “Employees are forced to undergo surgery that literally makes them part of the company; her brain was accessing the hospital records.”
“Wow,” I said, feeling my breakfast shift in my stomach. “That’s sick.”
“It is. That’s why I didn’t stay with the House of Lords. They offered me the surgery and I offered them my resignation. I’ll be damned if I let anyone wire me up to a computer.”
I shuddered as we stepped into another elevator and ascended to the tenth floor. I was so distracted by this grizzly new information that I’d almost forgotten why we were here. This floor was distinctly different from the lobby; the white carpet was deep and plush, softening our footsteps. Large podiums made of marble stood along the hall, burdened with large pots of ferns, whose fronds spilled over the edge, almost kissing the floor. Small brass plates on each door leading off the hall announced what number room that was, and when we arrived outside 14B, I had remembered exactly why we were there.
Calista barely hesitated, opening the door to the ward. I think she was more intrigued about this man than I was; I think she expected something from me, but the truth was, I honestly didn’t know why or how I knew this man. I followed her into the room hesitantly.
The room was almost empty, bar one bed with various machines set up around it. In the middle of the bed lay an old man, who gazed out of the window wistfully. Calista sent me a look as though expecting me to burst into tears or something. But I still had no idea who he was.
“Mr Lowry?” she said loudly, approaching the bed. “It’s me. Calista Newgrain.”
The old man had turned to look at her, and as she said her name, a smile wrinkled across his face.
“Calista, my dear,” he croaked, and took her hand in both of his. Tubes and wires ran from his body to the machines, which beeped in time with each other. “It has been too long, dear, far too long.”
They smiled at each other as I shifted uncomfortably. Calista turned to me and beckoned me over.
“Mr Lowry, this is Lady Nova, of the House of Nova,” she added unnecessarily.
“I’m honoured,” he said, and gripped my hand in his.
“My real name is Alexa Seris,” I said, watching his closely to see if he reacted to my name.
I was rewarded with a thoughtful frown that spread over his brow.
“Seris... that’s mighty familiar,” he said, obviously trying to remember.
“Maybe a relative?” Calista asked eagerly.
“I don’t remember,” he said sadly, and then added: “I’m the last one left.”
“The last one?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I’m the last of my family,” he said, a tear glistening in one of his milky eyes. “There are no others.”
My heart dropped heavily. I was so hoping that I might end up being related to him, so that I might find my mother or father. But if he was the last of the line, then this was a dead end.
“Mr Lowry needs to rest now,” we all turned to see a nurse standing in the door way, her left eye glowing a brilliant white. “Please leave.”
“Come and see me again,” Mr Lowry said before relinquishing his grip on my hand. “I might get one of the nurses to dig up my family files, see if I can remember where I know a Seris from.”
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly, and for the first time in a long time, I meant it. “Thank you, sir.”
“Think nothing of it, my lady,” he said, his eyes beginning to flutter close. “I’ll see you soon.”
As we left, I couldn’t be sure if he’d been speaking to me.
“In,” Calista directed me to the same car I’d arrived in. It barely purred, the engine idling smoothly. I climbed in behind her. “The District General,” she told the driver, and we were off.
The car slid out of the underground garage like a snake. The roads were as busy as ever, and unless I was imagining it, there were even more hover cars in the sky than before. After a solid fifteen minutes sliding in and out of traffic, the driver pulled up to a large white building with immaculate lawns.
“I’ll beep you when we’re ready,” Calista said to the driver, who nodded once and pulled away smoothly. “You alright?” she asked me, and I nodded stiffly.
We stepped through the sliding glass doors and approached the front desk. A receptionist in a stark white uniform looked up at us, though her red nails continued clacking on the keyboard in front of her.
“Can I help?” she asked us.
“Lady Nova to see Graham Lowry,” Calista said, and something inside me withered when she referred to me as ‘Lady Nova’.
“A moment,” the receptionist’s left eye suddenly turned a brilliant white light. She blinked after a few seconds, and the light faded away. “Floor ten, Room 14B.”
“Thank you,” we peeled away from the desk, and I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder back at the receptionist, whose eyes were now back to normal.
“What was that?” I asked, unnerved.
“One of the new requirements for anyone who signs a contract for longer than ten years with one company,” Calista explained, also looking uncomfortable. “Employees are forced to undergo surgery that literally makes them part of the company; her brain was accessing the hospital records.”
“Wow,” I said, feeling my breakfast shift in my stomach. “That’s sick.”
“It is. That’s why I didn’t stay with the House of Lords. They offered me the surgery and I offered them my resignation. I’ll be damned if I let anyone wire me up to a computer.”
I shuddered as we stepped into another elevator and ascended to the tenth floor. I was so distracted by this grizzly new information that I’d almost forgotten why we were here. This floor was distinctly different from the lobby; the white carpet was deep and plush, softening our footsteps. Large podiums made of marble stood along the hall, burdened with large pots of ferns, whose fronds spilled over the edge, almost kissing the floor. Small brass plates on each door leading off the hall announced what number room that was, and when we arrived outside 14B, I had remembered exactly why we were there.
Calista barely hesitated, opening the door to the ward. I think she was more intrigued about this man than I was; I think she expected something from me, but the truth was, I honestly didn’t know why or how I knew this man. I followed her into the room hesitantly.
The room was almost empty, bar one bed with various machines set up around it. In the middle of the bed lay an old man, who gazed out of the window wistfully. Calista sent me a look as though expecting me to burst into tears or something. But I still had no idea who he was.
“Mr Lowry?” she said loudly, approaching the bed. “It’s me. Calista Newgrain.”
The old man had turned to look at her, and as she said her name, a smile wrinkled across his face.
“Calista, my dear,” he croaked, and took her hand in both of his. Tubes and wires ran from his body to the machines, which beeped in time with each other. “It has been too long, dear, far too long.”
They smiled at each other as I shifted uncomfortably. Calista turned to me and beckoned me over.
“Mr Lowry, this is Lady Nova, of the House of Nova,” she added unnecessarily.
“I’m honoured,” he said, and gripped my hand in his.
“My real name is Alexa Seris,” I said, watching his closely to see if he reacted to my name.
I was rewarded with a thoughtful frown that spread over his brow.
“Seris... that’s mighty familiar,” he said, obviously trying to remember.
“Maybe a relative?” Calista asked eagerly.
“I don’t remember,” he said sadly, and then added: “I’m the last one left.”
“The last one?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I’m the last of my family,” he said, a tear glistening in one of his milky eyes. “There are no others.”
My heart dropped heavily. I was so hoping that I might end up being related to him, so that I might find my mother or father. But if he was the last of the line, then this was a dead end.
“Mr Lowry needs to rest now,” we all turned to see a nurse standing in the door way, her left eye glowing a brilliant white. “Please leave.”
“Come and see me again,” Mr Lowry said before relinquishing his grip on my hand. “I might get one of the nurses to dig up my family files, see if I can remember where I know a Seris from.”
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly, and for the first time in a long time, I meant it. “Thank you, sir.”
“Think nothing of it, my lady,” he said, his eyes beginning to flutter close. “I’ll see you soon.”
As we left, I couldn’t be sure if he’d been speaking to me.