Twenty-four days. Twenty-four days she'd been in Level IV Quarantine. Monika understood why it had to be done, they couldn't take any chances with a potential infection from the original Truth or Consequences strain of the parasite, but that didn't make being trapped in a glass box any better. Her colleagues stopped by as frequently as they could, leaving home-cooked meals, 2000-piece jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzle books, and science-fiction novels through the "mail slot" of the hermetically-sealed titanium alloy door to help keep her mind occupied. She'd already devised a daily workout routine using what was available in the apartment-sized quarantine space.
She stood in the small “kitchen,” no bigger than a closet under a staircase, counting the days on the calendar. With a sigh, she marked off the 7th with an ‘X.’ So many days were marked with Xs that her pencil would need to be sharpened soon. A slight painful tingling began to appear where the deep slash from the Archean arm-blade once was, a reminder of what got her stuck in here in the first place. Monika started rubbing the epicenter of the tingling with her left hand, wincing since the now healed wound still stung a little, even after REACT Medical’s advanced treatment methods.
Monika stepped away from the calendar and began creating a basic breakfast. The US Navy scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage that was stocked in the Quarantine Ward’s kitchen was painfully average but nearly good enough. A mug of Navy coffee, a beverage Weiss very much appreciated, was already brewed and laid on the table with an unfinished puzzle. She’d been working on this particular puzzle for two weeks and was two-thirds done. It depicted a tranquil beach, with a hammock strung between two palm trees next to the shore. As Monika sat down with her plate, she wished to be in that hammock rather than the human equivalent of a fish tank.
Between mouthfuls of sausage and sips of coffee, she reorganized the pieces in accordance with where they possibly fit and where they absolutely fit. All she had to do was finish the sunset. One piece after another was put in place, but as Monika made more progress, she could feel her chest tense up in frustration and anxiety.
“Verdammt noch mal!” [Damn it all!] She exclaimed. Monika clenched her teeth and abruptly stood up, hands balled into fists. She couldn't focus on the puzzle anymore, she could hardly focus on damn near anything anymore with how long she'd been in the confines of this infernal glass box. She closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down. Then, a light electronic buzzing noise interrupted her, and her head snapped to the light in the corner of the ceiling to curse at it. Until she noticed the light was flashing blue, indicating she had a visitor.
The “living room” also doubled as a place for those in quarantine to talk to visitors. Medical staff and friends could talk to the person inside through a voice-activated speaker installed in the glass, allowing clear communication while avoiding any potential contamination. Monika walked into the room, expecting another update from Gustave. But to her surprise and relief, she recognized her visitor in mere nanoseconds, the teal jacket and auburn braided hair more than familiar. From where Monika entered the room, she gravitated towards the glass barrier, a bit by instinct, calling out her name with a smile.
Eliza turned around, hearing her name called out, and smiled as she always did when she saw Monika. Though it was easy to see that the German's smile was not as wide as it usually was, and voice lacked the same brightness it usually did when the two were together. That was cause for concern. "Moni!" Eliza called back. "How are you holding up?" She'd only been able to visit Quarantine once, a few days after the initial incident. Since then she'd had to tend to command duties, putting out fires both figuratively and literally. Regardless, her neshama [soul] Monika was always on her mind.
“I’ve been doing…” Weiss hesitated. She shouldn't make her lover worry, that would only make things worse. But then again, would lying make it any better? The smile Monika bore only a few moments before turned into a sullen frown. “I’ve been doing less than ideal.” Her head turned slightly away and her left arm crossed her chest.
The crossed arm and sullen look tugged at Eliza's heartstrings. Monika shouldn't have to hold herself like that, there should have been someone to hold her. Hell, if Eliza could, she would just bust her way in there and hold Monika tight. “Hey, hey, what’s been eating away at you Moni?” Eliza’s own smile disappeared, her voice immediately turning concerned.
Monika felt the anxiety, frustration, and boredom she’d tried to push down and out of her mind rise back once more into her consciousness. Protocol or not she didn’t know how much longer she could tolerate the isolation. She began to bristle as she finally was able to find words. "I... I've been trapped in here... for a month. I’m hardly able to talk to anyone, I feel like I’m losing track of time. I want out... I just want out.”
"... God, I wanna see you out of that damn bubble too... a few days more, okay? You've been through way worse, this shit's nothing compared to how strong you are." Eliza laid her hand on the glass wall. Elize knew that Monika didn’t have separation anxiety, but after knowing the German for years at this point, she understood that being isolated from any social contact for this long would start to eat at her.
A tear began to form in Monika’s eye as she slowly placed her hand on the same section of glass Eliza’s hand rested on. Monika’s voice began to quiver, “I don’t care if it’s only a few days, I just want to be with you again.”
Eliza answered, her voice becoming softer yet still firm, “You will be.”