My first priority once the briar beast has gotten me up the stairs to the ground floor is to locate whatever passes for a phone around here. The front doors of the building are open, but I have no idea where I am, and I’m in no condition to wander around the Garden of Chiron at night. Dr. Gupta’s office seems a good place to start my search, and fortunately it is clearly marked. The briar beast helps me shuffle inside to look around. The room has a chalkboard, a filing cabinet, and a large desk covered with papers, all of which could hold information quite pertinent to figuring out what she’s done to me. But of most interest to me at the moment is the old Unity intercom mounted on the wall.
I extract myself from the supportive vines of the briar beast and steady myself in the corner created by the wall and the filing cabinet. I lean my cane against the wall and pick up the receiver. Then I begin pressing sets of numbers, hoping something will connect to a person. First I try just 0, but that doesn’t take me to an operator. Then 9-1-1, the emergency line in North America, followed by combinations used in other places back on Earth: 1-1-2, 9-9-9, and so on. Just inputting the numbers takes a lot of concentration. It’s getting hard to focus my eyes for any length of time, and I fumble the key presses more than once. Finally, as I’m just starting to despair, a desperation dial of 1-2-3 results in a ring tone. I breathe a sigh of relief, close my eyes against the dizziness, and let myself slide down to sitting on the floor.
After just a couple rings, someone answers. “Miasma warning hotline. Where is there miasma?” That is not what I was expecting, and it takes my brain a moment to recalibrate. The other person is primed for emergencies, though, and prompts, “Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?”
“Yes.” Good job, Mariah, you’ve managed to scrape together one word.
“Are you in miasma right now?”
More like miasma is in me. “No…” Where do I even start?
“Do you see miasma?”
“I… I just need help. Can you give me Dr. Deirdre Skye’s number? Please? I’m a visiting emissary. I need to talk to her.” I force my eyes open, lest I pass out, and that’s when I realize I’m now alone in the room. I haven’t really thought about the briar beast since laying eyes on the intercom, and I even set down the cane that enhances the connection. It’s no wonder it has lost interest in me. I don’t blame it, but anxiety begins gnawing at my stomach again. I’m truly stranded here now.
“Oh my gosh, you’re one of the visitors from Data Haven.”
“Yes?” Has word about us gotten around so far? “My name is Mariah.”
“I talked with you earlier today, at the council building!”
Now I recognize the voice. “Steve?” It’s the clerk who handles Deirdre’s schedule.
“Yeah! It’s just my shift on the miasma hotline. But I can connect you to Deirdre Skye right away.”
“It’s a late night for you,” I comment. I have no idea what time it is, but it’s dark outside the window in this office.
“We all have to do our part,” he replies, and I can hear the nonchalant shrug in his voice. “Whatever it takes, right?” No. Not at all. If I never have to hear that Stepdaughters refrain again, I will be so happy. “So, I can connect you to Dr. Skye, but you said you need help. I can send Xiao if you want. He’s probably still up at the pub. I can call him there. Where are you?”
“Dr. Gupta’s lab.” Hopefully he knows the address or can look it up.
“Okay! I’ll call him and send him over there right now. And I’ll connect you—”
“Uh, there’s potentially briar beasts loose,” I blurt out, before he shifts the line. Xiao might run into them on the way over, given what Dr. Gupta said.
“Potential briar beasts loose, okay,” Steve repeats, well trained at handling calls from panicked people. “I want you to stay calm,” he says in soothing tones. “And I’m connecting you to Dr. Skye in just… one… moment…”