Lee’s lab would stir up political
debate, but with the complete secrecy in which Lee worked, it really was just speculation. The public at
large remained unaware of the extent of evil being performed in here.
Lee Tripple
was fortunate enough to operate with a special esoteric diplomacy, granted to
him by one of the Heads of Government, several years before. Lee had devoted over a year of his life
developing a cure for a particularly stubborn type of brain tumor that plagued
the Director’s wife. It was a
logical trade off for Lee, as diplomacy granted from the head of the government
was not to be revoked. His cure,
of course, became a global phenomenon and major scientific breakthrough. More
importantly, it allowed Lee to conduct his experiments in peace without the
government’s eyes looking over his shoulders. He had basically negotiated himself above the law,
untouchable from all forms of government. Although this sometimes created conflict between other scientists and
politicians, it had more or less become accepted. Lee was, after all, probably the smartest man alive and that
should count for something. In
addition, a whole new floodgate would open if a Supreme Leader’s lifetime
diplomacy guarantee were to be revoked.
Lee walked
around his lab, double-checking that he had removed everything he didn’t want
the technicians to see. He decided
he was satisfied with this task, and pushed the rolling metal cart that held
his data and samples down a short hallway, to the right, then down a longer
hallway and into his most private locked room, Lab A. He switched on the light and glanced around for an empty
shelf. He needed more room, and
more freezers. He made a quick
note to himself in his electronic notebook and then went to work organizing his
newest additions amongst the others.
A normal
person would be taken aback at the sight of this room. It was raw and uncensored. Different stages of life and death were
all around, ranging from cell clusters to embryos to fully-grown body parts and
organs. Most of these things were
in freezers with clear doors. Jars and jars of preserved biological science
experiments also lined the shelves from floor to ceiling. Lee checked the clock on the wall above
the door. 12:46. He quickly shut
off the light and locked the door behind him. He would probably not have time to make his phone call to
Camden before the technicians arrived.
“Damn it,
Cam!” he said aloud as he brusquely walked back to his office. Camden’s failure to arrive had upset
the usual timetable of exiting his lab. Now he would now most likely be expected to engage in detestable small
talk.
Lee picked
up his phone and quickly dialed Cam’s number. “Ring…ring…ring… no answer.” It was not in Lee’s nature to worry,
but when Cam didn’t pick up, he felt a little more than inconvenienced. He gathered up his brown wool coat and
tweed hat, flung his satchel over his shoulder and left his office, closing the
door behind him.
Getting out
of Lee Tripple’s lab was almost as cumbersome as getting in. He walked through his and Camden’s
private door, activating the unlock mechanism with a voice command, key card
and fingerprints. At the main
entrance, three of the lab technicians on staff were already having body scans
performed on them and DNA samples taken.
Lee walked
out to the main reception of the building and right through the front doors
without acknowledging the “Have a nice lunch, sir.” coming from the lady at the
front desk. He shoved his hands in
his jacket pockets and tramped forward with his head down to his and Camden’s
favorite meeting place, the private penthouse lounge. It was only a few blocks from the lab and that suited Lee
nicely. When he arrived at the
tall office building that held the penthouse lounge, he flashed his membership
card to the doorman who ushered him in to the lobby and toward
Geoff Dyer
M. Lauryl Lewis
Rob Blackwell
Justine Davis
Brian Freeman
Cindy K. Green
Paula Quinn
Marita A. Hansen
Pierre Boulle
Sarah Mayberry