Page 11 of The Restoration Program

“You’re not alone, babe,” Ryan said. “We’re taking part in something revolutionary. They’re giving back what was taken from us.”

“You sound like some backwoods cultist.” Nicole buried her face in her hands, blocking out the sight of the brochure and wondering how Ryan could possibly be so naive. Except she knew he wasn’t. He wasdesperate. “How the hell is this real? Why haven’t we heard about this before?”

“I asked the same thing. The Program’s under wraps from the public eye right now,” he explained. “It’s in the beta stage. They have tons of funding from investors who believe in them. That’s how they’re able to do it for free right now. They want to help as many people as they can before the procedure really hits the market later this year.”

“Help?” she echoed, recalling the eager faces of the scientists. “No, Ry. They just want free lab rats—and you signed me away to them.”

“I did this for us.” His voice was much closer. She peeked up from her hands and found his eyes bearing down on her, darting back and forth across her face in a desperate search for understanding. “Wouldn’t you have done the same for me?”

The question hung between them. For each millisecond she didn’t answer, the words seemed to float higher out of her reach. Shivering at their proximity, she edged back, prepared to hunker down by the railing again. He backed off a fraction, hurt flooding his expression.

“Please don’t run again,” he said. “It’s still me, Nicki.”

Her hesitance was interrupted by a knock at the door—it sounded more like the distant thud of a construction site.

Nicole jolted, shuffling closer to Ryan when he straightened at the noise. His frustration melted, and without warning, he cupped his hand at her back. She froze up, but he stayed true to his word and didn’t grab her. If not for the presence of an approaching stranger, she would have ducked away from his touch.

“Come in,” he said.

Dr. Jenning opened the door. Nicole bristled at her warm smile. “I’m glad to see you were right about her adjusting being easier with you at her side, Mr. Northe. How are you both doing?”

As if you haven’t been watching every second, Nicole thought, staring stonily at her and gripping one of Ryan’s fingertips tightly in one hand.

“We’re alright,” he said with a breathless chuckle. “We’re just getting used to things.”

Nicole scoffed at the forced pleasantness of his voice, the sickly-sweet gratitude that dripped from every syllable. “That’s putting it lightly,” she mumbled.

Jenning looked entirely too calm as she pulled up a stool beside the platform. Almost as if she hadn’t pinned Nicole in a corner and jabbed a javelin-like needle into her arm. Her graying blond hair was pulled back in a neat bun, her blouse and slacks without a trace of wrinkle or crease. Nicole felt like even more of a mess in front of her.

“I’m pleased to inform you that Nicole’s physical examination yielded perfect results,” she declared, looking between them. “The re-connect with motor functions show no signs of exception, and her bloodwork is solid. We need you both to fill out a brief bit of paperwork, but if her vitals remain strong overnight, we can release you as soon as tomorrow afternoon. We do everything to accommodate our patients’ comfort here, but I’m sure you’re eager to sleep in your own bed.”

“That sounds great,” Ryan said. “Right?”

Nicole stayed silent, the room filling with quiet that watched and waited on her. “I don’t know,” she finally said.

Jenning folded her hands in her lap patiently. “You must still have many questions. I’m glad to see your anxiety has subsided.”

Nicole gave her a withering look, avoiding the weight of Ryan’s gaze. “I don’t want to be the size of a toy,” she said curtly, unable to believe the absurdity of the words coming out of her mouth. “This isn’t for me. I’d like to be put back in my old body. Myrealbody.”

Ryan sucked in a sharp breath. “Nicki…”

“We can’t,” Jenning answered simply, dispassionately.

“Why?” Nicole demanded.

Jenning and Ryan shared an infuriatingly knowing look.

“I’m afraid you don’t understand the extent of your prior injuries,” Jenning said. “You received multiple contusions and a severe concussion. Your spine was fractured in three places. Part of your skull was caved in, damaging an ocular nerve. When we removed your consciousness as part of the Restoration procedure, your body was already broken beyond repair.”

Nicole tried to keep the shock from reading on her face. Jenning could very well be trying to intimidate her into going along with the Program, but one look at Ryan’s ashen expression told her that this was no exaggeration. He had seen it himself.

“So, there’s no going back?” Nicole said.

Jenning shook her head gently. “There’s nothing left to return you to. I’m sorry.” For the first time, she looked like she meant it. After a brief pause, she wet her lips and continued in a lower voice. “We do give a choice, Miss Zhou. If you would prefer the alternative to this new path of life, we will respect your wishes. Although we haven’t had a single NüPrint who has chosen termination.”

Termination.The word jolted like lightning in her core.

“No!” Ryan blurted. He leaned his elbow on the edge of the platform and whirled on Nicole. “We can make this work. This… this is just a little side effect. We can both adjust. Right?”