Echo/Jeannie

"Where's Monica?" Echo asked when Doctor Amari entered her quarters for her weekly lab work.

The man took a set of gloves from a box on the table and put them on, averting his gaze. "She's currently unavailable," he mumbled.

His avoidance set Echo's teeth on edge, tempting her to lunge forward and give him the jump scare of his life. The only thing stopping her was the prospect of being shot and losing what little freedom she possessed.

"You could at least look at me," she snapped, resting her left hand on her hip. "You know, instead of treating me like a freak."

Daniel joined her, placing himself slightly ahead of Echo and facing Doctor Amari. "She's right. It's not like you haven't seen an actual zombie or the virus in action. All this tiptoeing bullshit is getting old."

Doctor Amari sighed, but didn't meet their eyes as he produced a set of phials and a syringe. Then he took an alcohol wipe and opened the packet. He approached her with tentative steps, stopping just within length. Taking her arm, he cleaned the skin in the crease of Echo's elbow before responding. "Forgive me; I am still uneasy around the contagion. If Doctor Wainwright's research is any clear indication, though, you should be clear to leave your room within the next couple of weeks."

Oh? That was news. Not that Daniel didn't already sneak Echo out at night, but it would be nice to have official permission to explore the facility.

"Why couldn't Monica tell me this?" she asked, resuming the original topic. In this place, unavailable typically meant something bad. "Is she all right?"

For the first time, Doctor Amari's gaze met hers, if only for a second before tying a rubber band around her arm. "She received word a close friend had been killed from the virus."

Dozens of questions bubbled at the surface of Echo's mind. Was it someone here at the facility? If so, how had the person become infected? Or were they someone on the outside who'd managed to get in contact with the people here? Would Monica be okay?

The last thought gave Echo pause. She was certain she didn't remember a time with Monica before the facility, yet her subconcious longed to comfort her with a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches and trash tv.

Part of her wanted to issue an automatic apology, but Monica wasn't here to care or hear it, so why should she say anything to the doctor? She didn't owe him anything.

When she hummed, Amari injected the needle into her arm, pinching the skin as the sharp tip punctured the vein. She hissed, shaking in an effort not to rip the syringe out.

"You okay?" he asked, apparently reading her mind.

"The needle hurts." It wasn't a lie; loads of people hated needles. Best if she didn't mention wanting to jab him with it in retaliation.

Amari frowned while he unfastened the band around Echo's arm. "Sorry. I won't be long."

His definition of long differed from hers as time seemed to take forever to pass while he drew blood, change the phials, and took more.

Finally, he removed the syringe and taped a piece of cotton over her bruised skin. Green and purple splotches bloomed around the area — a side effect of constantly being drained.

Echo stepped back as Doctor Amari discarded his gloves into the waste bin, observing him. She hadn't seen him since Monica took over the study. However, despite the man's apprehension, he seemed different. More subdued.

Seeking her courage, she swallowed. "Has something happened? I mean, apart from Monica being indisposed and you treating me like the Antichrist."

Amari offered her a wry smile. "Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, Doctor. When you leave this room, be careful."

Scrunching her eyebrows, Echo faced Daniel. "Do you know what he's on about?"

The blood drained from his face, and Daniel cleared his throat. Ignoring Echo's question, he took Doctor Amari by the arm and dragged him toward the door. "Outside. Right now."

He gave the man no time to explain, and they disappeared outside before Echo could follow. When she turned the handle, it stuck, as if someone held the knob on the other side.

Her left hand far from dominant, especially without a second limb to apply pressure, Echo struggled to open the door before recalling the need for a key card. Pounding on the metal, she shouted, "Damn it, let me out! I deserve the truth!"

The door remained unapologetically closed.

Echo banged once more, and gave it a good kick when no one answered. But why would they? At the end, everyone — Daniel included — had their own agenda. No one cared for an insignificant woman except to bleed her dry. All anyone would ever see her as was a cure. Not a person. Just a lab experiment and a means to an end.

"What has my life come to?" she mumbled, trudging back to her bed. With a sigh, Echo sank into the mattress and drew her knees into her chest.

Part of her waited for Eric's imaginary voice to speak, but her dead 'boyfriend' had been silent since she realized the truth. Maybe he was a ghost, who'd realized she'd killed him. That would be reason enough to bail. Or haunt her, but he seemed content to leave. She'd have ditched herself too.

Or he was a figment of her imagination she'd conjured to punish herself. The jury was still out on that.

"Eric?" She couldn't help it; Echo needed to hear his voice again. Real or not, this man had been part of her life once.

"Stay strong," the familiar voice whispered in her mind like the echo she'd named herself for. "Don't let my death be in vain."

Green eyes. Jean Bean. And an ugly tie. Echo couldn't recall anything else.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she dabbed her face with her sleeve. Searching the small room, she found nothing. As always, Echo was alone.

The door opened, revealing Daniel and Doctor Amari, both appearing quite unhappy.

As Amari gathered the blood samples and his equipment, he paused to face her. "I'll inform Monica you asked for her."

"Thank you." Not that Echo believed him, but it this was the first time the man had ever shown her any kindness.

He exited shortly after, leaving Echo alone with Daniel, who stood near the door with his hands shoved inside his pockets. Several painful moments of silence elapsed as his gaze went back and forth between Echo and the floor, as if he had a lot on his mind but didn't have the courage to voice his thoughts.

Echo's entire tenure in this facility had been marked by stretches of quiet moments, threatening to sever what little remained of her emotional well-being. Hardly anyone spoke to her, not including Eric, who shouldn't have a voice at all in his deceased state.

Moistening her bottom lip and picking at the hem of her sterile white shirt, Echo asked, "What was that about?"

Daniel finally met her gaze. Apprehension burned from the green depths before shutters closed behind his irises, creating an emotionless mask. "I think..." He paused and cleared his throat before brushing his palms over his thighs. "The less you know, the better."

Seriously? They were playing this game now?

Echo stood and slowly approached Daniel. Stopping close enough for their chests to touch, her attempt to be tough was laughable as she was forced to tilt her head backward to glare at him. It wasn't like she could slap him for playing her like everyone else; her anger was all she had.

"I'm going to give you one chance to tell me everything," she demanded in a trembling voice. Clenching her fist by her side, she held her ground, despite watching the other man's facade crumble at her tone. "I am so sick of everyone treating me like I don't matter. Talking as if I'm not in the room. Acting as if I'm less than human. You either come clean right now, or you can leave."

She didn't want to be alone, but she'd do it if Daniel forced her hand. She didn't need yet another person to yank her chain, much less the only friend she'd made in this god forsaken place.

Taking her hand into his, Daniel pressed a kiss into her wrist, igniting a flurry of butterflies inside her stomach. Then he stepped closer and looped his other arm around her waist. His jade eyes shimmered, filled with an emotion Echo couldn't quite decipher; something between longing, affection, and... fear? Or perhaps resignation?

She didn't stop him when he kissed her forehead or the bridge of her nose. Nor did she recoil as his fingers interlaced hers or when he pressed her against him. She should have, but couldn't focus on anything except how much she craved more of his touch.

"You don't play fair," she whispered.

After all, why would he want anything to do with someone who had the potential to kill the entire human race? She had only one arm, and though it shouldn't matter, her deformity made her self-conscious. Not to mention she had enough emotional baggage to sink a ship.

Daniel could easily choose anyone else, yet caressed her as if she were special.

Warm breath tickled her mouth, and his nose brushed hers in an Eskimo kiss. "I'm not playing games," he breathed, digging his fingers into the small of her back. "I'm trying to keep you safe while finding a way to bring down the system."

"Then what do you call this?" she asked, trembling beneath his touch.

There were a million reasons they shouldn't do this, yet every rational thought fled her mind as she stood in his proximity. Her heart thumped a mile a minute, begging her to trust him. Especially when his lips found hers in a chaste kiss.

Her eyes drifted closed, and she reveled in the moment, absorbing his glorious touch. She wanted more — to deepen the kiss and explore his body — but stopped herself. She didn't know how contagious she was. Even this was too risky.

With that knowledge in mind, she stepped out of his embrace and spun around, dragging her sleeve across her moisture-stained face. "We shouldn't do this."

"Why not?"

Keeping her back to him, Echo shook her head. "What if I pass this disease on to you?"

"Can't be transmitted through saliva," he said confidently, coming behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders. "Doctor Wainwright already confirmed it. Is that the only reason you want me to stop?"

Why did he have to make this so difficult? He had no reason to stick around or care.

Echo shuffled her feet and turned until their chests touched. Pressing her fingers to his collarbone, she gazed at him once more, pleading for him not to let her down. "Daniel, please. I need to know you aren't using me for a cure or some other reason."

"I care about you and your safety," he stated in an unwavering tone, running his palms down the length of her back. His fingertips grazed the skin above her waistband, stirring another wave of happy butterflies. "The last thing I ever want is to hurt you."

Oh, god, he was hard to resist. Daniel definitely said all the right things, but still didn't answer her question. "Then tell me. I have a voice too; you shouldn't make this choice for me. What is going on?"

Daniel closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. For a split second, Echo worried she'd have to throw him out. But then he stopped her as she opened her mouth and leaned forward, brushing her ear with his mouth. "The virus was no accident," he whispered, now tracing the contours of her hips. "Doctor Amari is close to developing a vaccine through Doctor Wainwright's research, but we're afraid to test it. Benson is planning something, and it involves finding a cure, which in turn includes you."

Oh. Well, of course, they wanted to use her for their own gain. What else was new? The rich and powerful saw an opportunity, and they snatched it with no questions asked.

"And you're trying to stop that?" she asked as quietly as she dared, lest someone bugged the room and tried to listen.

He nodded and resumed his original position, watching her with an anxiety creased brow. "Yes." Moving closer, he whispered, "I'm working on a way to get you out of here. Not even Amari knows. We could stay together wherever you like. No more experiments. Just us."

But what about everyone else?

"I promised to help find a cure," she protested, grasping at straws. Much as she wanted to flee this very minute, she couldn't punish the innocent many for the crimes of the few. "What if my blood helps?"

"What if we never find a cure?" he countered. "This pandemic proved how short our lives are. Good people die while crappy guys like Benson watch us from their thrones. Do you really want to put yourself through that?"

"Would you stay with me if I did?"

She started in his frozen grip. Where had that come from? She hadn't meant to ask that out loud. Too late to take it back though. All she could do was wait for his answer.

One, two, then three seconds passed. His fingers pulsed on her waist in time with the pounding silence.

Finally, he said, "Yes. You're part of my life now. I don't agree with your charity; I'm not sure we deserve another chance after all the horrible things we've done in the name of the human race, but I'll stand by your side to the very end."

Wrapping a strand of Echo's loose hair around his finger, Daniel inched his face closer, never tearing his intense gaze from hers. "I'm falling in love with you."

Echo's breath hitched inside her chest, kicking her heart into hyperdrive. Her, a woman with no memory who talked to empty air, and the potential killer of the human race — Daniel wanted her.

Should she? Was it too soon? Or was he right that life was too short?

Threading her fingers through his hair, Echo pushed Daniel's head forward and met him in a kiss.

Screw the what-ifs and could-haves/should-haves. Echo wanted to find a slice of happiness, and if she died saving the world, she'd do it with a smile in her heart. And for the very first time since waking on the exam table several weeks ago, the voice in her head was blessedly silent.