by James Cole
Jeremy knew Grady’s likely answer to the last question: There are no coincidences.
The only part of the experience that truly troubled Jeremy was the children and the old woman. The simple fact of the matter was that they did not belong at a bonfire on a secret beach in the middle of the night in the middle of the woods. Neither the party-goers nor Tavalin seemed to notice them. They uttered not a peep and no one spoke to them.
As Jeremy daydreamed the hour away, he tried – but could not – make sense of the things he thought he saw. Were they not real? Was it just my imagination? Was it an hallucination? If so, where would it all stop? How will I ever again discern what is real and what is not?
*****
After class Jeremy rode the elevator to the fifth floor to speak to June.
“What happened to your face?” June asked, first thing.
Jeremy’s trek of the night before had left a set of parallel scratches, like claw marks, across his left cheek. A small raisin-like bruise decorated Jeremy’s forehead, front and center.
“I tried to tackle a bush with my face.”
June looked questionable at Jeremy but he returned only a smile.
When she realized he wasn’t going to explain further, she said, “I ran that sample of yours last night.”
“Oh, that’s great,” replied Jeremy, happier than he let on. “Thanks.”
“Is this work you also want to keep a secret?” she asked.
“It would be better if no one knew of it, yes.”
Jeremy had worked all week analyzing the Unreal he saved from Saturday night. He was purposely vague when he gave June the vial of lavender powder and asked her if she would analyze it on the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer downstairs. He hoped that with these additional results, he would be able to determine the chemical structure of the Unreal.
“So many secrets,” June commented as she handed him the readout.
“Thanks, June. I owe you one.”
Jeremy thought that he actually owed June much more than one. Though he would not have wanted to involve June in the analysis of any illegal substance, he hadn’t seen any way around it. He needed the NMR data to nail down the structure of the Unreal. Of course, until he had the structure, he would not know if it were illegal or not.
Jeremy immediately went about the task of putting together all the information he now had. In an hour, he had what he was fairly sure to be the exact chemical structure of the Unreal, which he sketched out on the back side of June’s NMR printout.
The next step was to try and match it up with a known compound. He searched the huge databases of known chemical structures. Though he could not find an exact match for the elucidated structure of the Unreal, the closest matches were for a group of natural compounds found in the blooms of certain water lilies. That fact, however, did not necessarily mean that the Unreal was derived from any natural source. For all Jeremy knew, Monika’s drug was a product of the imagination and expertise of some chemist toiling in some clandestine lab to synthetically produce the drug Jeremy knew as the Unreal. All he knew for sure was that, for all practical purposes, the Unreal was a compound unknown and undocumented by the legitimate scientific community.
*****
Later that afternoon Jeremy was in the back of his lab working and almost didn’t hear the subdued knock at the door. Today, like most days that he was in the lab, Jeremy propped open the spring-loaded door of his lab with a trash can.
He peered around a stack of scientific instrumentation to find Jinni standing just inside the doorway.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, the relief evident in her tone. “Where were you last night?”
When Jinni got a better view of him, her face lit up with astonishment. “Who did that to your face?” she asked.
“No one – actually, a bush.”
“How?”
“Tavalin and I were hiking out at the lake and it was dark. We got a little scratched up, as you can see.”
“Didn’t you get my messages?” Jinni asked.
“I guess I didn’t check the machine last night. We got back pretty late,” he replied mechanically, and realizing this, added in what he hoped was a more personable tone, “I’m sorry I missed your calls.”
“I’m worried about us, Jeremy.” Jinni’s words sprang from the overflow of her heart and, like a river, they ran: “Lately it seems like you are never at home and when you are, you claim to be tired or busy. Something has changed and I need for you to tell me what it is.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Jinni. Nothing has changed,” he lied. “I’ve just been really busy the last couple of weeks.”
Busy thinking about Monika, added a voice in his head.
Jinni’s intuition was dead on. For better or worse, Monika had entered the place in his thoughts that had heretofore been Jinni’s exclusive niche, and Jinni sensed it.
She asked, “Was it just you and Tavalin at the lake or did somebody else go with y’all?”
“Like who?” he asked.
“Like maybe your friend June,” Jinni replied cynically. “It wouldn’t be the first time you sneaked out there with her.”
“Jinni, you don’t have to worry about June,” insisted Jeremy. “She and I are friends and coworkers, nothing more.”
“What time did you get home?”
“Around three, I guess. I’m not exactly sure.”
“What could you possibly be doing out there that late?”
You wouldn’t believe it even if I told you, thought Jeremy, though he refrained from handing out that little tidbit.
“Just killing time,” he said. “I like it out there.”
“You aren’t still trying to find that hippie commune, are you?”
“Not per se,” he replied. “I am still interested in learning what I can about the hippie queen.”
“That’s another thing I don’t understand – this obsession you seem to have with that hippie queen girl.”
“It’s not an obsession. It’s an interesting story that bears some investigation, that’s all.” Jeremy knew that, after last night, Monika’s allusion to Claire only served to feed his so-called obsession. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Claire.”
“I don’t know what I am.” Jinni gave a defeated sigh. “You exhaust me.”
Jeremy took advantage of the break in the conversation to change the subject. “Tavalin and I are going to the RockFest tomorrow. You’ll come, won’t you?”
“Who’s playing?”
“I don’t know, mostly bands I’m not familiar with.”
“Then why do you want to go?”
“It’s free, for starters,” he explained, “and some of the other graduate students will be there. Coolers and grills are allowed, and everybody sets up with tables and blankets. I think it will be fun, especially if you come along.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“Speaking of eating,” Jeremy began, “How about we go get a pizza? I know this great place…”
Jinni knew it too. Jeremy always wanted to go to the same pizzeria and he always ordered the same chicken pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
“I am hungry,” she said.
Jeremy knew by the quick smile that ran across Jinni’s face that everything was fine now. She was ready to move on, it seemed. For his part, he resolved to try a little harder to act as if everything was normal, even if it wasn’t.
Chapter 20
Saturday, November 22
Jeremy transferred scoop after crunching scoop of ice to the massive ice chest. After all the cans of beer were duly buried, he shut the door to the ice machine, revealing the sign on the door. “NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION,” it warned in large block letters.
Tavalin raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“We’re not going to consume the ice, just the beer on the ice,” explained Jeremy. “We’ll be fine.”
They exited through the side door of the Facili
ty, which opened directly onto Grover’s Field where the rock festival was to take place. Jeremy and a loose association of acquaintances and friends, mostly graduate students from the Biotech Facility, had made plans to attend. Jinni agreed to meet them there as well. The first band had already begun playing by the time Jeremy and Tavalin struck out for their saved spot, sharing the load of the very heavy cooler. It wasn’t easy maneuvering through the gathering crowd.
“You could have picked a spot closer in,” Tavalin groaned, struggling a little with his half of the load. “Where are you dragging me?”
“Hang in there. It’s just a little bit farther. No, wait a minute; I think we’re going the wrong way.” Jeremy spoke with manufactured concern as he motioned back in the direction from which they had just come.
Tavalin stopped and dropped his end of the cooler and snapped back, “I hope you’re kidding.”
Jeremy grinned. “Why, gee whiz,” he said with mock surprise. “I do believe this is our blanket and chairs right here.”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” replied Tavalin.
In a few minutes, June showed up.
“Hey, June, perfect timing.” Jeremy had invited June but had not really expected her to show. “We just got here.”
“I know. I saw you from upstairs,” she said, motioning toward her window in the Facility, which, like Jeremy’s, looked out over Grover’s Field.
“Hello June,” Tavalin said. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m okay.”
Right away, Tavalin went to bat. “So, June,” he said, “when are you going to let me take you to a movie or something?”
June cut her begging eyes towards Jeremy. He caught her meaning and obliged.
“Tavalin, will you do us all a favor and get the food from my car? I would do it myself but I need to talk to June,” Jeremy said, then added, “about our research.”
Tavalin glared at Jeremy. “I suppose,” he replied.
Jeremy knew that June felt uncomfortable around Tavalin ever since he began pestering her for a date. Tavalin met June through Jeremy and that made Jeremy feel somewhat responsible for the situation. Whenever possible, he tried to help her deflect Tavalin’s unwelcome advances.
After Tavalin had gone, June said, “Tavalin is like a mosquito that will not leave me alone.”
Jeremy laughed. “I don’t know why he doesn’t just give up. I told him you weren’t interested in dating him but he won’t listen. I think he believes I’m trying to keep you all for myself.”
June’s color brightened.
“That didn’t really come out right,” Jeremy added quickly. “What I meant to say was that Tavalin is jealous of all the time you and I spend together.”
For some reason, the look that passed across June’s face made Jeremy think of the night they rode out to the lake alone.
“I don’t want to make anyone angry,” June said, “but Tavalin is not my type.”
“Tavalin is my friend but if I were a girl and he asked me out, I wouldn’t go either,” quipped Jeremy.
June erupted with an infectious laugh that Jeremy caught.
Reviving their standing joke, Jeremy asked, “So have you been working this afternoon?” Not once had she answered the question in the negative.
“Why yes, I have,” June replied. “How did you know?”
“Just a hunch,” he replied and with as straight a face he could manage, Jeremy added, “You know it’s against school rules to work after five o’clock during the RockFest.”
“Yeah, right,” she chortled. “You can’t fool me anymore, Jeremy. I’m wise to you.”
“And to think how easy you were just a few weeks ago. I would offer you something to drink but all we’ve got right now is beer. Someone else is supposed to bring the soft drinks.”
June once mentioned her low tolerance for alcohol. She had informed him that a certain percentage of Asians, including herself, lacked the enzyme necessary to efficiently break down alcohol and therefore got tipsy extraordinarily fast.
She surprised Jeremy by accepting: “I think I would like a beer,” she said, “to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?” he asked. “What are you celebrating?”
“The latest results, what else?”
“What are the latest results?”
June only smiled. She was, it seemed, drawing this out on purpose, teasing Jeremy.
“Well?” he asked impatiently.
“I believe I have identified a gene in your mitochondrial DNA that is unique to you.”
“Does that mean…?” he asked excitedly.
“This is it,” she said with a wide smile. “This is the big discovery. There are functional genes in your extra DNA.”
“Genes?” he asked. “More than one?”
“At least the one. The computer is crunching numbers on the next section of the sequence as we speak.”
“What is the function of the new gene?” he asked.
“It is 97 percent homologous with the nuclear gene that codes for a certain DNA repair enzyme.”
“So there’s no way it could be a mutation?” he asked.
“No,” she replied flat-out. “This looks like something else. I would have to say this could only be the result of the intelligent redesign of your mitochondria.”
“What does that mean – intelligent redesign?”
“It is highly improbable that this happened by chance,” she explained. “And if not by chance, then the alternative is that it is a purposeful change.”
“Are scientists able to do that now, add genes to mitochondrial DNA?” he asked
“Not to my knowledge,” replied June. “There’s nothing in the literature to indicate that any group has obtained that capability.”
“Then how did it happen to me?” he asked.
“That’s what’s so puzzling,” she replied. “I have to say, I don’t have a clue.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jeremy was jubilant. “We’ll have millions of dollars in research grant money and years to figure out the details.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked.
“I do. This is our big break, June. You did it.”
“We did it,” she said and gave him a big spontaneous hug.
Jeremy and June were sitting together in the afterglow of the sunset, alone, talking and laughing and sipping at their beers when Jinni arrived. No one else would likely have noticed the subtle look of disapproval in her expression, but Jeremy knew Jinni better than anyone else. Based on some comments Jinni had recently made, Jeremy knew Jinni had become jealous of June and all the time he had been spending with her.
Jeremy quickly leapt to his feet. “June, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend…”
It wasn’t long before Tavalin returned and the others trickled in with additional food and drinks.
*****
“What is this music?” asked Jinni.
“Why do you ask?” replied Jeremy. “Are you thinking about downloading the album?”
Jinni had long ago made obvious the fact that she did not like the loud, harsh music.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” she replied sarcastically. “I would like to know the classification so I’ll not let anyone talk me into listening to anything like it ever again.”
“That bad, huh? I’m not sure what you would call it. Ask him.”
Jeremy pointed to Tavalin, who was head-banging in time with the music. None of the others in their little group seemed to be paying attention to the music but were instead focused on the conversation and the food and drink.
Jinni tapped Tavalin on the shoulder to get his attention. She asked, “Who are we listening to? Jeremy said you would know.”
“Cocytus,” answered Tavalin.
“Who?” she asked. Before Tavalin could expound she added, “What I really want to know is what genre this is?”
“Rock, obviously – maybe deathcore rock,” answered Tavalin.
Jeremy rolled h
is eyes. “He’s just making stuff up. He doesn’t know.”
Tavalin smiled. “Wait, I know. This is alternative glam with a twist of black thrash.”
“Deathcore sounds about right,” muttered Jinni.
By eleven o’clock, a good five hours since they first set up in Grover’s Field, everyone in their group had given up and gone home except for Jeremy, Jinni, and Tavalin. As time ticked by, the music became louder and more obnoxious until finally Jinni could take no more.
“Can’t we leave now?” she pleaded.
“Okay.”
“Thanks,” Jinni said as she fast began clearing the picnic table of spent cups and plates of food scraps.
“Tavalin,” said Jeremy. “I think Jinni and I are going to call it a night. Are you ready to go?”
“I guess,” replied Tavalin, though he appeared to be a little disappointed.
Emptied of ice and most of the drinks, the ice chest was considerably more manageable now than it had been on the way in. As they walked by the back of the Facility, Jeremy glanced up at June’s fifth floor lab window. Most of the lights in the building were extinguished but hers still burned brightly. Jeremy’s watch informed him of the time, ten till midnight.
“That’s June’s lab,” he told Jinni.
“She’s working?” she asked.
“Yep, probably on our project,” he replied. “I should probably swing by there before I go home.”
Both Jeremy’s and Tavalin’s cars were parked out on the street in front of the Facility. They stuck the cooler in the back of Tavalin’s car.
“Are you okay to drive?” Even though Tavalin got on Jinni’s nerves sometimes, she was concerned for his well-being.
“I’m fine,” Tavalin insisted.
As they pulled away from the curb, Jeremy asked with a grin, “So what did you think about the bands tonight?”
“They were awful!” Jinni exclaimed. “I don’t know how stuff like that even passes as music.”
After a short lull in the conversation, Jinni said, “You didn’t tell me she was so pretty.”
