Qīyuè 5th 250X

The next morning found Sirka kneeling on her bed with her hands draped in her lap. Her back was stiff and rigid as she stared at the dull light coming in through the window.

Iskra was stood nervously in the corner of the room, her mouth opening and closing as if she was deciding whether or not to speak, "You can't hear..."

"Shh," Sirka snapped in a hushed tone before quickly sliding off of the mattress and flinging her bedroom door open.

The house staff were busily performing their usual chores in the living room when the door handle cracked into the wall, making them all flinch and look up.

Sirka paused as she let the clarity of the unadulterated sound filter through the stillness of her mind. "I can't..." she murmured as she ignored the startled looks she was receiving and continued on her mission towards the balcony doors.

She wrenched those open too, ignoring the pollution alarm beeping frantically above her and strode out onto the tiled surface of the balcony.

The ceramic was cold beneath her bare feet and the wind whipped violently around her narrow frame, causing her hair to scatter in different directions, flying across her eyes.

Sirka shut them anyway and stopped to listen as hard as she could. She could make out the distant rattle of tram lines, vibrating with the weight of their loads.

She could hear shouting from the streets below and knew that they must be busier than usual - it was market day after all. She listened for the usual moaning howl of the Polis winds, wrapping through the labyrinth of buildings and signal towers, filtering down to chill the chaotic world housed beneath.

"You can still see me..." Iskra whimpered as she crawled up on the balcony railing in front of Sirka. Sirka opened her eyes and took a deep breath, "Yes," she whispered, "but I can't -"

"Sirka? What are you doing out here in only your nightdress?" Tasha demanded, bustling out onto the balcony and proffering the thick green shawl that she was carrying.

Sirka paused for a moment whilst collecting her thoughts, "Tasha, would you be so kind as to call my father and request his immediate return from the airbase?" Sirka asked, turning around to face the maid with the beginnings of a smile.

"I..." Tasha faltered as her expression dropped into one of confusion, "Sirka... your voice."

"All changed," Iskra moaned, clutching frantically at her own wind tossed hair.

Sirka stepped towards Tasha, grabbing the older woman by her shoulders and staring into her warm wrinkled eyes. "Tasha - the voices, the spinning, the icy feeling - it's all gone."

"Sirka..." Tasha murmured, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open, "what on Earth are you saying?"

Sirka let the bubble of laughter that had been building up in her throat escape, causing both Tasha and Iskra to start in surprise. "I can't hear them!" Sirka declared triumphantly.

***

"Fifth of Qīyuè, 250X. The patient, Sirka Morcos, shows signs of a successful trial of Panacea with fully reinstated C3R..."

"C3R?" Sirka whispered to Chase as Medic Poulter dictated into the voice recorder.

"Completed cerebral cortex reconstruction," he grinned at her before moving to peel the purple strip monitors off of her forehead. Akeem stood close by, watching the proceedings like a hawk, he had as of yet refused to smile.

"Readings show that chemical levels have reached and are maintaining a solid 6-5, 925. Patient previously suffered from bouts of acute paranoia, schizophrenic delusions including a period of catatonic stupor, adjustment disorder, amnestic disorder, BPD with a resulting poor sense of self..."

Sirka glanced over to her father as Medic Poulter continued to reel off a long list of various mental afflictions and their resultant physical strains. Akeem was still staring at her as if she might revert back at any moment, Sirka wondered when he last blinked.

"...hallucinations, dissociative identity disorder as concordant with fractal manifestation, feelings of derealisation, problems in communicating and expressing herself." Medic Poulter paused to breathe and Iskra snorted with laughter beside Sirka. "Frequent panic attacks treated with helixed-specified barbiturates administered by myself, her father or one of the Morcos' household staff..." Medic Poulter trailed off before looking over at Akeem, "Sirka wasn't given any tranquilizers this morning was she?"

"No," Akeem shook his head, "no drugs apart from the Panacea, those were your instructions."

"And they've been followed exactly?" Medic Poulter asked, nodding thoughtfully after Akeem glared at him. "This is the Panacea," Chase whispered excitedly to Sirka, "this is incredible!"

Sirka frowned, "None of the other test subjects got better?"

Chase made a face and shook his head, "None of them displayed this level of progress or rehabilitation." He bit his lip for a moment, "We did consider the possibility of a faster and stronger reaction rate on subjects with more rings."

"Enough!" Akeem shouted suddenly, making Medic Poulter fumble with the voice recorder. "Tell me," Akeem began, his voice slow and measured, "what it means?"

Medic Poulter took a deep breath before switching off the recording device. "Give me a week," he replied, "let me keep Sirka in the Medical Centre for observation, run every test I can think of and a few more that undoubtedly Medic Reed will come up with."

Chase smiled at the older man before reaching out to squeeze Sirka's shoulder reassuringly. "Give me a week to confirm the effect of the Panacea injections," Medic Poulter concluded. Akeem glanced back down at Sirka, "If these injections are working, Sirka...Sirka could..."

"Sirka could become a fully functioning adult," Medic Poulter beamed, "as for any helixed abilities, I've already expressed to you my hypothesis concerning that matter. She'll also most likely have to continue injecting herself with Panacea for the rest of her life, but if it controls fractals and other psychological disturbances? - Well," Medic Poulter shrugged emphatically.

"Run the tests," Akeem nodded, "I'll call my maid Tasha and have her bring over some of Sirka's clothes and personal effects."

A few minutes later, the three men hurried out from the laboratory on their various errands and tasks. Sirka frowned at the sliding door as it hissed shut. "Have they always done that?" she asked out loud.

"Done what?" Iskra questioned, jumping up to sit on the lab bench beside Sirka.

"Talked about me as if I'm not in the room," Sirka said, "I've...I've never really noticed it before."

Iskra giggled happily as she stuck her feet out, waggling her toes, "Yes," she replied, "always."

Suddenly the door opened and Chase walked back in carrying a couple of vials of the milky white Panacea formula.

"Does this mean I'll be able to speak to Alex again?" Sirka asked him with an eager smile. The idea of being able to connect to someone else who had also been so isolated from the world, who had also been the subject of test tube formulae and assessing gazes made Sirka's heart stutter with nerves and excitement.

Chase paused and looked thoughtful for a moment, "He's been asking about you since your eventful interaction yesterday. He wants to know if he'll get to speak to the black haired girl again."

"I forgot to tell him my name," Sirka murmured.

"I told him," Chase grinned, setting the vials down on the lab bench, "he said it was a pretty name. The trouble being Sirka, is that Wing Commander Morcos isn't just a high ranking military official. He's also a father - and he's going to be pretty reticent about having you pursue anything that he might feel could potentially jeopardise the progress we're now seeing with the Panacea."

"Could I help Alex access his abilities?" Sirka asked, stretching out her arm ready for Chase to dab it with the cleaning fluid. "I think so," he nodded, "Medic Poulter certainly thinks so."

"And Alex accessing his abilities - it's a military project?" Sirka enquired as Chase made an affirmative noise, his brow furrowed in concentration as he prepped the first injection. "Then he'll come round," Sirka nodded contentedly, "if it's for the military, he'll come round."

"I hear you've always been quite keen on a military path yourself?" Chase asked a moment later, grinning up at Sirka from where he had crouched down to retrieve fresh needles from a cupboard.

"I always wanted to go to flight school," Sirka smiled bashfully, "my coordination score is 92.6."

"Holy Earth," Chase whistled with a laugh.

"I don’t know if it’s because I’m helixed, but will that be affected by the Panacea?" Sirka asked suddenly, her heart clenching in dread.

"No," Chase shook his head adamantly, "no, that's the beauty of the Panacea - only the bad bits go."

"Like washing off Polis smog," Sirka whispered as Chase grinned again, "Yeah, exactly like that." He stood up to nudge her shoulder, "Hey - the Podolsk Polis' intake for flying cadets is in five months right?"

Sirka nodded, "Recruitment is all year round but the main entry point and the conscription draft takes place in the month of Shíyīyuè."

"Five months Sirka," Chase said, calling back as he walked across the lab to retrieve a data tablet, "a lot can happen in five months!"