Safety Protocols

"Rule number one," Dr. Chen said as she led Elara through a series of airlocked corridors, "never enter the garden alone." She swiped her keycard at another security checkpoint. "Not even Rowan does that anymore."

"Anymore?" Elara caught the implication.

Chen's expression tightened. "We lost two research assistants last year. They didn't disappear or die – they just... changed. Started talking about multiple realities overlapping, claiming they could see all possible versions of themselves at once. Classic quantum decoherence of consciousness." She paused. "They're in a specialized facility now."

Elara's throat went dry. At Jenkins, they'd documented similar psychological effects in the lab rats – but never in humans. "How did it happen?"

"They broke protocol, entered the garden's high-fluctuation zones without proper monitoring." Chen stopped at a reinforced door marked 'Equipment Room'. "Which brings us to rule number two."

Inside, Chen handed Elara what looked like a sleek wristwatch. "Quantum state monitor. It tracks your personal quantum coherence and alerts you if it starts to destabilize. Green is safe, yellow means heightened fluctuation, red means immediate evacuation."

Elara slipped it on, noting how it felt unusually warm against her skin. The display showed a steady green pulse.

"The garden..." Elara hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "How aware is it? Really?"

Chen began pulling out more equipment: a tablet with specialized sensors, a communication headset, and what looked like a very advanced Geiger counter. "That's been a point of debate. Dr. Santos believed it was fully sentient. Dr. Hayes thinks it's more like a quantum computer running on biological hardware. Personally..." She lowered her voice. "I think the truth is somewhere in between, and possibly more frightening than either option."

"What does Thorne believe?"

"Dr. Thorne believes whatever gets him closer to his goals." Chen's tone was neutral, but her eyes held a warning. "Rule number three: always maintain professional distance from the research subjects. That includes both the plants and..." She glanced meaningfully at the corridor they'd come through.

So not everyone trusts Thorne completely, Elara thought. Good to know.

A soft chime emanated from Chen's wristband. She checked it and frowned. "That's odd. The garden's showing increased activity in Sector 7, but Rowan's not scheduled to work there today."

"Should we check it out?"

Chen seemed to debate internally before nodding. "It'll be a good practical demonstration of protocols. But first—" She pulled out what looked like a small silver pendant. "Emergency quantum stabilizer. If your monitor hits red, activate this immediately. It creates a local field that should maintain your quantum coherence long enough to get out."

Should. The word hung in the air between them.

As they made their way to Sector 7, Elara noticed something strange about the garden's behavior. The plants seemed to react to their presence, but differently to each observer. When Chen walked past, they maintained their normal quantum states. But when Elara approached...

"Dr. Chen," she said quietly, "look at this."

A cluster of what appeared to be morning glories was gradually synchronizing its quantum fluctuations with Elara's heartbeat, visible on her wrist monitor. The flowers pulsed with an inner light that matched her vital signs perfectly.

"Fascinating," Chen breathed, already taking readings. "I've never seen this level of quantum entanglement with a human subject before. Except..."

"Except?"

"Rowan. And..." Chen hesitated. "Dr. Santos, near the end."

A shadow fell across them. They looked up to see Rowan standing at the junction of two paths, his weathered face unreadable. He held a strange tool that looked like a cross between pruning shears and a scientific instrument.

"The garden remembers you, Dr. Voss," he said softly. "From Jenkins. It remembers everything."

Before Elara could respond, her quantum monitor chirped, its display shifting from green to yellow. The morning glories began to twist in impossible directions, their petals opening into what looked like tiny mouths.

"We should go," Chen said firmly, taking Elara's arm. "Now."

As they retreated, Elara glanced back. Rowan was kneeling beside the morning glories, whispering something she couldn't quite hear. The plants settled back into normal space-time, but their glow remained, pulsing in time with a heartbeat that was no longer hers.

Back in the equipment room, Chen began logging the incident. "I should report this to Dr. Thorne."

"Wait," Elara said. "Before you do... what exactly happened to Dr. Santos? Really?"

Chen's fingers hesitated over the tablet. "You should ask Dr. Hayes about that. He was there. But..." She met Elara's eyes. "If the garden is really remembering Jenkins, you might want to ask yourself why."

Elara looked down at her quantum monitor, still showing yellow. Beneath the display, her hands had started trembling again.