by C M Dancha
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Sweats. Just so you know, I know a lot about apes and monkeys but not much about human primates."
Ms. Weeks and Rollie started to laugh. The conversation was off to a good start because of Rollie's foul-up of not including humans in the primate group. He now knew that she had a sense of humor.
"My mistake, Ms. Weeks. For some reason, I don't put humans in the same class with animals. And that isn't meant to be a negative observation about primates. It's the exact opposite. I find human behavior so outrageous at times that putting us in the same category as jungle animals is an overgenerous ranking."
"I agree with your assessment, Mr. Sweats. But I must tell you that apes and monkeys display outrageous behavior too. And by the way, you can call me Callie, which is easier to say than my given name."
Ms. Weeks' request to be called by her nickname was another good sign the conversation was trending in the right direction. "My pleasure, Callie. And please use my nickname which is Rollie."
There was a slight pause in the conversation while each participant evaluated what had been said so far. Before he re-opened the dialogue, Rollie looked at the picturesque background behind Callie and thought how different it was from Zurich. The bright sun, swaying palm trees and lush vegetation everywhere reminded him a little bit of his homeland in Macon. He loved the Universal Communication Network's vision mode. Its holographic imagery was so vivid and spectacular it made Rollie feel like he was sitting on Callie's porch enjoying the warmth of the day and all sights the Congo had to offer. Using a technology Rollie never understood, the UCN also transmitted the smells from the Congo. In all, the total experience was almost as good as being with the person you were communicating with.
Rollie refocused and remembered he was several thousand miles away. "Rollie, you mentioned that you need my help. What can I do for you?"
"Callie, my assistant Ingrid already told you that we work for a major research corporation in Zurich called Phoenvartis. I'm not going to bore you with all the major breakthroughs and new products we have created through the years. I'm sure you have either read about our products or used them."
Before Rollie could go on, Callie cut in with, "Rollie, after I talked to Ingrid, I did a little research on your company and I can say you are being quite modest. The list of products and accomplishments your company has made available to the world is very impressive."
"Callie, we try very hard to make the human experience a little easier and enjoyable." Rollie wondered where that description of Phoenvartis came from. It sounded like a sales ad promoting suntan lotion or cosmetics. He could only hope she either ignored what he said or took it in the spirit of nervousness from getting to know each other.
"Callie, we have been working on another breakthrough for the past couple of years which will have a major impact on humanity. We are very, very close to perfecting human cloning. With only a few cells from a host human, we'll be able to regenerate new life. The ramifications will be beyond description. Failed body organs will be easily replaced with new ones. Accident or burn victims will be made whole again by regenerating a new appendage or organ. Great thinkers and the most productive of our species will be able to extend their contributions to mankind. And, God forbid, if another plague like FISS occurs, we will be able to outmaneuver and checkmate it until a cure is found."
"That sounds very interesting, Rollie. Have you thought about the negative consequences of regenerating human life?"
"I know there will be some, but to be honest, we haven't spent a lot of time thinking about the negatives. And I must believe the positives, like those I just mentioned, will far outweigh the negatives."
"I hope you're right, Rollie. If I were you, I would give some serious thought to the negatives before you perfect and release the cloning system. My experience has been that it's the unexpected results of scientific experiments which end up dictating the feasibility of a new product. You might think cloning only has an upside for humanity but there might be something negative about it which is hiding in the weeds, so to speak. It's just waiting to rear its ugly head and take down the entire project. In other words, one negative might be so overwhelming that it overshadows and negates all the positive things about cloning.
"Do you have something in mind, Callie?"
"No, Rollie. I've never been good at predicting the future. But I have to believe there is someone at Phoenvartis who is talented and shrewd enough to see the potential bad side of cloning."
"Callie, I'll give it some thought and consideration. My biggest problem, however, is that the World Council is pushing hard for this project to be completed. I don't think they give a damn about the possible negatives associated with human cloning."
"Ah, yes, the World Council. They do tend to be pushy and show up at the wrong time quite often, don't they Rollie?"
"Yes, they are demanding. That's for sure." Rollie didn't like how the conversation got off track from the outline he prepared in his head. He needed to get her off the negatives of cloning and back to why he needed her expertise. The faster she realized cloning was going to happen with or without her help, the more likely she would agree to participate.
"Callie, here's why I contacted you. Within the next day or two, I expect our cloning machine to be working perfectly. And within a few weeks, it will be producing exact physical replicas of humans. What we don't know is what to expect from the newly created replicants. Will they be mentally, physically, and emotionally the same as their hosts? Will they have the same personalities and intelligence as the host, or will they be different? Will the age of the clone match up with their mental development and personality? Will they act like a human or some other species? Callie, the bottom line is we have no way of predicting what will be in the hearts and heads of these clones."
"Those are all interesting questions, Rollie. So tell me, how can I possibly help you answer those questions? I assume you think I can."
"Yes, I do. I'd like to clone an ape or monkey who you knew intimately. I want you to tell me if the replicant is acting like or different from the host primate you use to know. Also, is the replicant of the same status within the troop as he was when he died? And does the replicant recognize you and does he realize he has been reborn, so to speak? If it's true you can talk to primates, then you should be able to get a read on the cloned animal."
Anticipating her next question, Rollie went on to describe why he wanted to clone primates before humans. "Callie, it's better to determine the answers to these questions initially using primates instead of humans. Primates are intelligent, but their brains are not as complex as humans. My guess is that primates will be more honest and anxious to answer questions about their own cloning compared to humans. Rather than taking the major step into human cloning, this will be a prudent, intermediate step. I'm hoping these animals can clue us in to what will happen with humans."
"Don't forget the best reason to start with apes, Rollie."
"What's that, Callie?"
"An unsuccessful primate clone will be easier to explain or sweep under the rug than a defective human clone. You don't need the negative publicity of a failed human clone."
"You're right, Callie. That is certainly a consideration. I would rather explain to the public a monkey clone gone bad as compared to a defective human clone. A human abomination coming out of our cloning unit would be catastrophic to the project."
"Rollie, I need a while to think about this. Now, I'm torn. I would love to bring back one or more of my favorite primates. It would be great to interact with the replicants as I did with their hosts. As a matter of fact, there was a silverback ape who was my favorite and I'd love to have him back. But I don't know how I feel about this from a morality standpoint. It seems like you might be treading into an area reserved for the Almighty. Can I have a day or two to think about your project?"
"Callie, I can give you until Wednesday at this same time. That will give you two full days to consider my request. O
f course, should you decide to take part in this experiment, all your expenses will be paid, and you will receive a handsome sum of world credits for being a consultant. Also, your replicant primates will be yours to keep and take back to the Congo or do whatever you think is best for them."
"Your generosity is appreciated, Rollie, even though I don't need the credits. If I decide to participate it will be because... because I've talked myself into it for personal reasons."
"Fair enough. Please let me know what you decide even if your answer is "no". Callie, it was a pleasure speaking with you and I hope to hear from you soon."
"I promise to call, Rollie, regardless of what I decide. Goodbye."
Rollie sat at his desk replaying in his head the entire conversation with the monkey woman. For every reason he could raise for her to accept the offer and help the ReLife project, he could think of a reason she wouldn't help. He wondered if he could have added something to the conversation or presented the project differently, so she would have agreed right away to help. He finally concluded there was a 50-50 chance of her helping.
Rollie spoke Ingrid's UCN number into his micromic and said, "Ingrid, could you get ahold of Klaus's office and see if he can see me sometime this afternoon. Tell his assistant Helga I want to update him on the ReLife project."
"I'll do it right away, Rollie. How did things go with Ms. Weeks?"
"I'm not sure, Ingrid. She's considering my request and will decide in the next 48 hours. By the way, you were right. She is an interesting woman."
Ingrid smiled to herself and thought, "he was listening to me after all."
Chapter Thirty
Plastic Surgery the Hard Way
"What the hell happened to you?"
Rollie walked into Klaus's office to find his boss with his arm in a sling, a black eye and numerous scratches crisscrossing his face.
"Oh, I had an accident."
Klaus was not a good liar. Even his pulverized face couldn't hide the dishonesty of this explanation. Rollie laughed to himself. There was only one explanation which made sense. Someone had kicked Klaus's ass and did a damn excellent job of it. His big mouth had finally found the wrong end of someone's fist. Whoever was the assailant didn't care one iota that Klaus was the powerful CEO of Phoenvartis.
Rollie decided to have some fun. "Did anyone else get hurt in the accident?"
Klaus reached for a cigar but realized he had only one good hand. "Rollie, will you unwrap this for me and light it?"
While Rollie clipped the cigar's end and got it going, Klaus answered Rollie's question. "As a matter of fact, there was another injured person. It was a woman." Klaus had such a wry smile on his face it seemed like he was happy someone else was hurt. He leaned back in his chair and blew the first ring of smoke into the air. The blank stare in his eyes revealed how much he relished remembering how the woman was injured. Rollie always knew Klaus as a jerk, but now he saw him for something much worse; a sick sadist.
Rollie expected Klaus to lie about who beat him up but didn't expect a woman to be the assailant. Rollie knew Klaus wasn't muscular or athletic, but a woman? He must have run into one tough lady who had some type of fighting experience. What started out as an amusing anecdote about Klaus's private life was now a strange exchange with a disturbed person.
Rollie thought it best to end this bizarre conversation but asked one more question before he could stop himself. "How bad was she hurt?"
Klaus bellowed out a plume of smoke and looked at Rollie. "She'll survive. Won't be too attractive for a while, but she'll recover.
"Rollie, enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business. What's going on with the ReLife project? Are we going to make the two-week deadline?"
For the next twenty minutes, Rollie updated Klaus on ReLife. He explained the assignments Claude and Helmer were pursuing and his discussion with the monkey lady. Throughout his entire update, Rollie couldn't help wondering about the identity of the female who went toe-to-toe with Klaus.
"Unless there are some unforeseeable obstacles, we should make the two-week deadline."
"That's great, Rollie. Make sure that monkey woman stuff doesn't delay the final human tests of the CR47. If she doesn't want to help us, then that's the way things are. Do you understand, Rollie?"
When Rollie didn't answer immediately, Klaus added in a forceful tone, "There's too much riding on successful human testing to let a sideshow like ape testing get in the way. Remember that your career rides on meeting the two-week deadline." Rollie knew Klaus was concerned with only one person's career— his own.
"I get it, Mr. Ekstrom." Rollie was going to plead his case why the ape testing was so important but decided against saying anything more. It was obvious that Klaus didn't care about the emotional and psychological state of human clones coming out of the CR47. His first concern was their bodies. If there were psychological problems, he would worry about that later. Of course, if the human clones had severe psychological problems Klaus would point the finger of blame at Rollie's group.
"If you haven't got anything else, Rollie, I have a meeting in a few moments so please show yourself out." Getting beat up hadn't changed his impolite behavior one bit.
"Sure thing, boss. I'll be in touch."
Rollie whistled a muted catcall at Helga as he passed by her CPS station. She played along and said something in response, but he was too far down the hall to hear exactly what it was. He made a note to himself to bring a micro recorder to the next meeting with Klaus. He could see that Klaus would deny any knowledge or responsibility for human clones who were a psychological mess. At their next meeting in a day or two, Rollie would lead Klaus into another conversation about the importance of this type of testing. And unless Klaus had a change of heart about this issue, he would condemn himself on the micro recorder. If Rollie lost his job because of this issue, then he was taking Klaus with him.
After Rollie left, Klaus dialed into his apartment's recording system. He sat back to watch and listen to the brawl he had the night before with Sophia. God, she was a tiger. Where did she learn to fight with such ferocity? It took all his strength to beat her into submission, rip off most of her clothes and take her several unusual ways.
The recording was so exciting that he thought of going to her apartment for another heated session. He shut off the recorder and attempted to stand without wincing in pain from the injuries spread across his body. The welts, open wounds and throbbing bruises made him reconsider the idea of seeing his love tigress before his body had a chance to heal. Besides, she was most likely incapable of taking him without excruciating pain and passing out. He dropped the idea when Helga announced, "Mr. Ekstrom, a Mister Slice from the World Council would like to speak with you."
Klaus snapped to attention, forgetting the pain from his injuries and the desire in his loins. There wasn't time to apply makeup over his damaged face and take his arm out of the sling. He would leave his communicator in the speak mode only so Slice wouldn't be able to see his condition. He snubbed out his cigar and spoke out loud, "Communicator on."
On the floor below, Rollie turned the corner to find a locked and unlit Archives Department. He tried to peer through a window but couldn't see anything other than rows and rows of reference discs. They contained the entire history of Phoenvartis and most of the technological advancements from the four free zones. Anything you wanted to know about the company, its products, employees, finances and a bevy of other topics could be found in the disc library. The information in Archives was available to the key managers and executives of the company. It was all self-serve and could be accessed remotely by each executive. As the head of the Archives Department, Sophia's job was to maintain the discs, add new data to the files and help locate specific archival information when an executive could not find it.
This area was designated high-security clearance which limited access to only key personnel. Also, two or more authorized employees had to be in Archives at any given time. The only person at Phoenva
rtis who could be in Archives alone was Sophia, the head of the department. When Rollie tried to gain access using his identification, he was denied entry. What Rollie didn't know was an automatic message was sent to Raul's department. It alerted them that someone was trying to access a closed and highly restricted area.
"May I help you, Mr. Sweats?"
Rollie turned around and came face-to-face with a woman who he had seen many times before on the company campus. He had no idea who she was or what she did for the company. Her face was about ten inches from his and Rollie wondered if she had a vision problem. Whatever the reason, he felt very uncomfortable being this close to her and stepped back to put some distance between them. Within a few seconds, she narrowed the gap again and was so close he could hear her breathing.
"I was trying to see if the Director of Archives might be in her office."
"Oh, didn't you hear? Sophia had a terrible skiing accident and won't be back to work until next week at the earliest. If there is anything you need from Archives, Mr. Sweats, I'd be happy to help you find it."
Rollie took another step back, disregarded the woman's offer and asked, "Is she in the hospital, Miss...?"
"I'm sorry, my name is Claudette and I fill in on this floor when someone is sick or taking time off. I've been at Phoenvartis so long that I know what everyone on this floor does. I'm what you may call a …."
Rollie blanked out the rest of what Claudette jabbered about and filled in the rest of the sentence. She was a busybody who knew what everyone on the floor did because she never stopped prying into everyone's business. He thought she was probably in high demand as a fill-in because she was reliable and well known in the company. And she did have a sunny disposition which made her easy to approach and ask favors of. The more he talked to her the more he felt sorry for her. He guessed she had few friends outside of work. She was single but married to the company. It was her life and without it, she would go stark raving mad.
