slightest.”
“I hope so. Tell Vincent not to enjoy his job too much.”
“Now, that's not fair. Vincent cares...” But he was talking to Orpheus' back.
Orpheus took the stairs to Lena's apartment-slash-office. He knocked on the door. She opened it and smiled. “You don't have to knock, Cameron. I've been waiting for you.”
Chapter 6: R & R
Dr. Vincent clapped with glee as his assistants strapped the Jekyll onto the table in the sterile room. It was docile for the moment. That would make it easier for Vincent to do his work, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting. Or fun.
He'd risen to the top of the laboratory food chain partly due to aptitude, but mostly due to his willingness, even eagerness, to do whatever was necessary to get results. He had no empathy for animals. Once his work began on formerly human subjects he really felt like he'd found his calling.
And now that he had carte blanche to poke and prod a thing that was sporadically semi-lucid? To extract the secrets to humanity's survival that were trapped within a monster? It was better than he could have ever dreamed. He imagined that he felt the same way James Bond did when he got his license to kill.
He readied his instruments slowly, thoroughly. This was a truly a sacred moment for him, the moment when he transcended from scientist to artist.
“Doctor?” One of his assistants, a young man named Cory or Cody or something like that, called over the intercom. “We believe we have a suitable control specimen here in the Pen that fits your specifications.”
Dr. Vincent depressed the talk button. “Excellent. I'll be right there to confirm.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dr. Vincent placed his instruments gently onto the tray and headed to the Pen, a definite spring in his step. The two-minute trip was excruciating; he wanted to get to business. But it was necessary to have a control sample in this kind of research.
“The Pen” was nothing more than a repurposed lecture center on the 8th floor with the tables removed. It was meant to hold a large number of zombies until they could be useful, and it had succeeded admirably. The thick, soundproofed walls kept the zombies in and any prying ears out. The zombies were actually pretty easy to control in this environment. They didn't need to be fed, go to the bathroom, and they were quiet. However, their numbers were dwindling rapidly. Orpheus might have to retrieve some more. They'd just corralled a Jekyll; how hard could a few normal zombies be after that?
Cody/Cory was waiting for him with several Scythe agents. The latter were just muscle, but they were loyal muscle. As they long as they were given power and something to kill from time to time, they'd do whatever they were asked.
Dr. Vincent stood at the door and looked through the narrow window. “Where is the specimen?”
Cody/Cory stood next to him but was careful to not touch him. He pointed to the far corner. “There. American flag necktie. Approximately the same height, weight, and ethnicity. His personnel file says that he has a clean bill of health as of his last company-mandated physical.”
“I approve. Please bring him to me.”
“Right away, Dr.”
As luck would have it, the specimen happened to be wandering towards the door. He got close enough for Dr. Vincent to read his hospital access badge: “Dr. George Marquez.”
* * *
Orpheus handed the bag of scavenged electronics to Lena and sat down on the couch. “I'll look through these ASAP.” She put the bag on her work desk. “I have a good feeling about this batch.”
“You say that every time, but thank you. Just...thank you.”
“Of course. You look like you could use a glass of wine, though.”
Lena took his grunt as a yes. “It was a bad one.”
"You got your man, though, and everyone's okay."
"I'm trying to focus on that, but it's not happening."
She poured a normal amount of wine in a plastic glass, took a look at her guest who had his
“I hope so. Tell Vincent not to enjoy his job too much.”
“Now, that's not fair. Vincent cares...” But he was talking to Orpheus' back.
Orpheus took the stairs to Lena's apartment-slash-office. He knocked on the door. She opened it and smiled. “You don't have to knock, Cameron. I've been waiting for you.”
Chapter 6: R & R
Dr. Vincent clapped with glee as his assistants strapped the Jekyll onto the table in the sterile room. It was docile for the moment. That would make it easier for Vincent to do his work, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting. Or fun.
He'd risen to the top of the laboratory food chain partly due to aptitude, but mostly due to his willingness, even eagerness, to do whatever was necessary to get results. He had no empathy for animals. Once his work began on formerly human subjects he really felt like he'd found his calling.
And now that he had carte blanche to poke and prod a thing that was sporadically semi-lucid? To extract the secrets to humanity's survival that were trapped within a monster? It was better than he could have ever dreamed. He imagined that he felt the same way James Bond did when he got his license to kill.
He readied his instruments slowly, thoroughly. This was a truly a sacred moment for him, the moment when he transcended from scientist to artist.
“Doctor?” One of his assistants, a young man named Cory or Cody or something like that, called over the intercom. “We believe we have a suitable control specimen here in the Pen that fits your specifications.”
Dr. Vincent depressed the talk button. “Excellent. I'll be right there to confirm.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dr. Vincent placed his instruments gently onto the tray and headed to the Pen, a definite spring in his step. The two-minute trip was excruciating; he wanted to get to business. But it was necessary to have a control sample in this kind of research.
“The Pen” was nothing more than a repurposed lecture center on the 8th floor with the tables removed. It was meant to hold a large number of zombies until they could be useful, and it had succeeded admirably. The thick, soundproofed walls kept the zombies in and any prying ears out. The zombies were actually pretty easy to control in this environment. They didn't need to be fed, go to the bathroom, and they were quiet. However, their numbers were dwindling rapidly. Orpheus might have to retrieve some more. They'd just corralled a Jekyll; how hard could a few normal zombies be after that?
Cody/Cory was waiting for him with several Scythe agents. The latter were just muscle, but they were loyal muscle. As they long as they were given power and something to kill from time to time, they'd do whatever they were asked.
Dr. Vincent stood at the door and looked through the narrow window. “Where is the specimen?”
Cody/Cory stood next to him but was careful to not touch him. He pointed to the far corner. “There. American flag necktie. Approximately the same height, weight, and ethnicity. His personnel file says that he has a clean bill of health as of his last company-mandated physical.”
“I approve. Please bring him to me.”
“Right away, Dr.”
As luck would have it, the specimen happened to be wandering towards the door. He got close enough for Dr. Vincent to read his hospital access badge: “Dr. George Marquez.”
* * *
Orpheus handed the bag of scavenged electronics to Lena and sat down on the couch. “I'll look through these ASAP.” She put the bag on her work desk. “I have a good feeling about this batch.”
“You say that every time, but thank you. Just...thank you.”
“Of course. You look like you could use a glass of wine, though.”
Lena took his grunt as a yes. “It was a bad one.”
"You got your man, though, and everyone's okay."
"I'm trying to focus on that, but it's not happening."
She poured a normal amount of wine in a plastic glass, took a look at her guest who had his
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