Blue nods. "A great deal of it."
Something tightens in my chest.
"So you’re telling me this is it? The project succeeded?"
He smiles broadly, which for him is unusual, his face is usually more sour, that’s his default.
"And on many levels. Next week I’m scheduled for the first commercial sale of compatibility tests to a growing matchmaking agency. If I had never started this research, this breakthrough wouldn’t have been possible, so in a way I’m grateful to you. You’re the quiet spirit behind this success."
I give him a faint smile, because my goal was never to help Malden Pharmaceuticals achieve commercial success, and yet I’m contributing to it in some indirect way.
When Blue first presented the research proposal to the board, they were skeptical, and the only reason it moved forward was because Sebastien funded the initial phase.
Soon after, Blue managed to make a huge breakthrough, he discovered factors in the blood responsible for the negative reaction between incompatible individuals, but what was even better was that these factors weren’t present when my blood was tested against Bay’s. Blue repeated the tests on a group of other people and thanks to that we confirmed without a doubt that Bay and I didn’t share the same incompatibility typical for our community. That puzzle piece skyrocketed the rest of the research.
Finally, after a few years, Blue developed a commercially usable test that allows one person’s compatibility with another to be checked and filters out incompatible pairs. The test makes it possible to mark not only all incompatible individuals but even those with low compatibility, which was a massive success.
It meant that institutions like matchmaking agencies, which are very popular in our community, could gain a powerful tool for filtering out ill-matched partners.
Never before in the history of science had anyone managed to identify any specific genetic factor indicating who was compatible with whom.
At this stage it was still impossible to pinpoint the exact factor responsible for the differing compatibility levels of people who were on a higher part of the compatibility spectrum like half mate or high mate, but excluding incompatible and low-compatibility individuals was already a huge milestone.
Sebastien hadn’t had to pay for the research progress in a long time because Malden Pharmaceuticals fully funded it, seeing an enormous opportunity for profit. Of course the government was also interested in acquiring such tools due to a range of programs aimed at increasing beta fertility, and finding matched individuals could guarantee a higher success rate for the Beta Activation Program.
"I’m glad there’s a light on the horizon," I muttered cautiously. I guess after four years I couldn’t fully grasp it or appreciate it. "And I still have to be a little patient, right?"
"Not much longer, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Alex. A very real one."
"When will I be able to…" I hesitate, my voice breaking slightly, "do the test on the real body? Touch him?"
"I’d advise against speeding it up. You could trigger another surge of v-histamine, and that might slow down the effects of the therapy. I think the safe point will be in about seven to ten months, if I’m assessing it correctly."
"Patience, Bay,"I whisper to myself,"I’m coming to you, I’m coming to you, my love, if you still want me. But I didn’t give up, I’ll never give up."
Sighing deeply, I ask,
"So when’s the first therapy session?"
"It’ll have to take place in a controlled environment; we’ll use our phototherapy lab. You'll need to come in twice a week so we don’t overdo it, Compatron has to be administered under medical supervision, so you’ll need to appear regularly.But you’re already a veteran at this so I assume it won’t be a problem."
"All right," I whisper obediently, and inside I feel a rush of excitement.
"Good luck, Alex."
I nod. "Thank you, Blue, I hope my journey is finally coming to an end… thanks to you!"
Blue’s face grows thoughtful. "Fate sometimes has its own ways, but I wish you what you wish for yourself. That’s the… um. Safest approach." At that last part, his tone turns a bit dry. But I’m not surprised; it’s typical Blue, always in a slightly snarky mood.
???
When I arrive at the dean’s office the day before Orientation Day to exchange a few words with the head of my department about several schedule adjustments for the year, I’m practically attacked by the posters hanging all over campus, and they make my head spin.
I haven’t been here in the past week because I had guests, Jared came to visit with his little son Tommy.
The visit came with mixed feelings, on the one hand I was happy to host Tommy, who is already a year and a half, and on the other hand I saw the state Jared was in, and that kept me from relaxing completely.
His husband is running in the state senate elections this year and his career is gaining momentum, but his marriage to Jared is only perfect on the surface.
