Nearly tore it off."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Doesn't he know their reputation?"
"If he didn't, he does now. That's not the problem."
Carlson furrowed his brow. "Well what's the--"
"Listen. He immediately wrapped his handkerchief around the finger, squeezing it to stem the flow of blood."
Carlson nodded, not sure where she was going with this story.
Choy continued. "When he got here fifteen or twenty minutes later, I unwrapped the finger. Peter, the wound was almost completely healed ."
"What?"
"I'm convinced it was something in the animal's saliva. I did some checking and that particular animal had just undergone testing with the growth hormone mixture."
"You believe there's a connection?"
"There's no other explanation. A traumatic near-amputation of a finger doesn't heal itself in twenty minutes; or twenty days for that matter."
"That's... that's fantastic."
"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, until I looked at his lab work. You had better see for yourself."
Carlson leaned across the table and eyed the lab printout. There was a brief silence. For a moment, he thought the room would start spinning.
"Oh, Jesus."
Twenty Three
----
E LLEN C HOY WAITED LONG ENOUGH to establish she was alone before approaching the first of two doors marked OFF LIMITS. There was a six-inch metal box mounted on the door's frame next to the handle. It was identical to the other security stations she'd used at GenSys for the last six months, except it didn't have a signal light on it. Preparing to flee if she set off an alarm, she withdrew her passkey from her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the card through the thin channel on the box. With no green light, there was no way to know if she'd gained entry or not. Then she heard the distinct metallic click of a lock. She reached tentatively for the handle and turned it, pulling slowly. Bingo!
Bright light blinded Ellen, causing her to step backwards. Squinting, she stepped through the doorway, easing the door to a close behind her. She found herself in a corridor, long, bright and empty. When the door latched, she felt a momentary panic. I'm trapped! Her chest tightened as though there were no air in the hallway.
Stay calm. Keep your head.
Ellen picked her way down another shorter, less brightly lit hallway. Soon, it intersected with yet a third corridor. Despite all her time at GenSys, she was unaware that this section existed. She followed a turn in the corridor and found a door on her right. Through its uncovered window, she could see a single lamp burning on a counter, no different from those in the rest of the facility. She could make out a sink and shelves above the counter, filled with what appeared to be periodicals and textbooks. A lone computer sat at the end of the long counter, by a lamp and telephone. Several stools sat alongside. The overall look was sparse, but it still made her feel uneasy.
Ellen tried the doorknob.
Damn!
She made her way down the hall to the next door, marked: STERILE--KEEP OUT. Another security panel was mounted next to the door. She listened for a moment, then again used her passkey. She listened for the telltale click.
There it was.
As she stepped inside, the sharp smell of disinfectant was the first thing to hit her. The next was the sense that she was not alone.
She leaned against the wall as her eyes adjusted from the bright hallway to the dim light of this room. As she did so, seven pairs of close-set eyes centered squarely on Ellen.
Oh, Christ!
The sight of the row of female Tasmanian Devils staring out at her from their cages horrified her at first, but the reaction quickly turned to repulsion, then pity, at the recognition of the poor animals' state. It was their eyes that got to her. They were so sad. GenSys had decided on Tasmanian Devils for test animals, rather than monkeys or dogs since they were the closest living relative to the Thylacine. She wanted to set them free. Ellen willed herself to concentrate on the
"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Doesn't he know their reputation?"
"If he didn't, he does now. That's not the problem."
Carlson furrowed his brow. "Well what's the--"
"Listen. He immediately wrapped his handkerchief around the finger, squeezing it to stem the flow of blood."
Carlson nodded, not sure where she was going with this story.
Choy continued. "When he got here fifteen or twenty minutes later, I unwrapped the finger. Peter, the wound was almost completely healed ."
"What?"
"I'm convinced it was something in the animal's saliva. I did some checking and that particular animal had just undergone testing with the growth hormone mixture."
"You believe there's a connection?"
"There's no other explanation. A traumatic near-amputation of a finger doesn't heal itself in twenty minutes; or twenty days for that matter."
"That's... that's fantastic."
"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, until I looked at his lab work. You had better see for yourself."
Carlson leaned across the table and eyed the lab printout. There was a brief silence. For a moment, he thought the room would start spinning.
"Oh, Jesus."
Twenty Three
----
E LLEN C HOY WAITED LONG ENOUGH to establish she was alone before approaching the first of two doors marked OFF LIMITS. There was a six-inch metal box mounted on the door's frame next to the handle. It was identical to the other security stations she'd used at GenSys for the last six months, except it didn't have a signal light on it. Preparing to flee if she set off an alarm, she withdrew her passkey from her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the card through the thin channel on the box. With no green light, there was no way to know if she'd gained entry or not. Then she heard the distinct metallic click of a lock. She reached tentatively for the handle and turned it, pulling slowly. Bingo!
Bright light blinded Ellen, causing her to step backwards. Squinting, she stepped through the doorway, easing the door to a close behind her. She found herself in a corridor, long, bright and empty. When the door latched, she felt a momentary panic. I'm trapped! Her chest tightened as though there were no air in the hallway.
Stay calm. Keep your head.
Ellen picked her way down another shorter, less brightly lit hallway. Soon, it intersected with yet a third corridor. Despite all her time at GenSys, she was unaware that this section existed. She followed a turn in the corridor and found a door on her right. Through its uncovered window, she could see a single lamp burning on a counter, no different from those in the rest of the facility. She could make out a sink and shelves above the counter, filled with what appeared to be periodicals and textbooks. A lone computer sat at the end of the long counter, by a lamp and telephone. Several stools sat alongside. The overall look was sparse, but it still made her feel uneasy.
Ellen tried the doorknob.
Damn!
She made her way down the hall to the next door, marked: STERILE--KEEP OUT. Another security panel was mounted next to the door. She listened for a moment, then again used her passkey. She listened for the telltale click.
There it was.
As she stepped inside, the sharp smell of disinfectant was the first thing to hit her. The next was the sense that she was not alone.
She leaned against the wall as her eyes adjusted from the bright hallway to the dim light of this room. As she did so, seven pairs of close-set eyes centered squarely on Ellen.
Oh, Christ!
The sight of the row of female Tasmanian Devils staring out at her from their cages horrified her at first, but the reaction quickly turned to repulsion, then pity, at the recognition of the poor animals' state. It was their eyes that got to her. They were so sad. GenSys had decided on Tasmanian Devils for test animals, rather than monkeys or dogs since they were the closest living relative to the Thylacine. She wanted to set them free. Ellen willed herself to concentrate on the
Similar Books
