City of Night by Marina Pacheco

Author:Marina Pacheco
Language: eng
Format: epub

Eladio stared and stared at the golden blob in his cell. It was like a magnet that he couldn’t pull away from. His entire life he’d wondered why they were all different, and here he had an answer. At least, there was something physically different at the cellular level, but no explanation of how it was possible.

It brought up more questions than it answered. Why did they have this thing? Who had done it to them? What did it mean for his future?

‘How is this possible?’ he muttered.

‘It shouldn’t be possible,’ Doctor Leopold said. ‘Not at all. I don’t just mean physically, I mean ethically. No ethics board on the planet would allow such a drastic experiment to go ahead. Whoever did this committed a crime. Which may be why they did it in the suburbo. You can get away with murder in the suburbo. I am aware of all sorts of shady medical experiments done on low-lives that nobody would tolerate anywhere else. But this? This goes beyond even those boundaries.’

‘So how will you find these unethical people, Doctor?’ Artema said.

‘That rather depends upon Eladio and the Thirteen. Before I can raise this with the Medical Council, I need their permission to go ahead. It is their medical data after all.’

‘Will you also expose the genetic testing company in the suburbo?’ Eladio said.

‘Expose them?’

‘They’re taking people’s hard earned imps and lying to them.’

‘Ah, yes, that isn’t really my–’

‘You uncovered a fraud. Why won’t you do anything about it? People who could have got out, haven’t because of those bastards.’

‘Yes, yes, I see your point. I’ll report them to the authorities too.’

‘They think because we’re poor, we’re stupid,’ Eladio snapped. ‘But we aren’t. We’re just trapped, and people abuse that situation for their own gain. We should make them pay everybody back and redo their tests for free.’

‘I say,’ Doctor Leopold said, ‘let’s not be hasty.’

‘I’m not being hasty. This happens to my people all the time. We should rise against it.’

Eladio was so angry he had to force himself not to shout, not to spin out of control. So he bottled up his rage and pursed his lips shut.

‘One thing at a time,’ Artema said. ‘Doctor, I suggest you report the genetics lab to the polico. They can take that one further. Rest assured, Eladio, I will make sure they do something about it. Then, Doctor, you need to concentrate on what this magical mitochondria does because if it is changing people that needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. Do you agree, Eladio?’

‘I suppose so,’ he muttered.

‘The ethics and finding out who’s behind this must be secondary. We need to know if this presents a risk to anyone’s life.’

‘And what of the other matter?’ Doctor Leopold said.

‘The demon incursion must remain my top priority. I leave the medicine to you,’ Artema said. ‘And for that I need to explain the provo de doloro to Eladio.’

Eladio’s finely honed sense of danger pricked up at that. He didn’t like anything that included mention of pain.

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