by GJ Fortier
June pretended to draw a zipper across her lips as an acknowledgment.
Greg gave a few brief instructions, telling Rob to stop by in the morning so he could check on the wound. Rob and June then started back toward the parlor.
“I'll fix you some fruit salad. It's the least I can do,” June said.
“What time is it?”
June stopped. “I don't have a watch, but it's about six I think.”
“The professor said I couldn’t have anything to eat after six. Only water.”
“We can sneak somethin' in. I won't tell,” June guiltily suggested, batting her eyes.
“Oh no. I am not gonna do anything to violate his orders and give him an excuse to delay the scan.”
June's face turned gloomy again. “You're just trying to make me feel worse, aren't you?”
Rob laughed, “Believe me, Doctor, if I wanted you to feel bad, I have thirteen years of marriage faux pas that I could draw from to do it.”
She smiled.
“I'd just tell you that those scrubs make you look fat or something.”
June snapped her fingers. “We can go and see the babies!” she suggested excitedly.
Rob fixed his gaze on a point on the wall above June's head. “Great.” His lack of enthusiasm was evident.
June rolled her eyes. “C'mon. You're gonna love them.”
“Do they take well to strangers?”
“You'll be fine.”
“Do they bite?”
“Don't be silly,” she said, and then she remembered. “Well, only Doctor Tiong.”
“Why did they bite him?” Rob's concern was growing.
“They didn't. Angelina did.”
“Angelina did?” Rob repeated, wide eyed.
“You have had a recent tetanus shot, haven't you?” she asked as she continued dragging him down the hall.
Three hours later, they were still sitting cross-legged in the manufactured jungle of Paris and Charlie's paddock. The foliage was real, and all of the sights, sounds, and smells of a rainforest surrounded them. It wasn’t raining, but even that could be simulated. The light had faded, and had mimicked an actual sunset. They played with the chimps in the artificial outdoor evening.
“They're just like kids, aren't they?” Rob said as he tugged the Tickle Me Elmo doll Paris was pretending to groom. She grunted and pulled it away. Rob laughed. He pretended to reach for Elmo again and had his hand batted away.
“They are kids,” June replied. “Paris and Charlie are only five.”
“So, they were the donors for Brad and Angelina?”
“Yes. If I didn't tell you, could you tell them apart?”
They had spent the first part of their visit with the other pair. He glanced from Paris to Charlie, who was dangling from the large central tree while clutching the blue and white beach ball with his feet. Remembering his earlier visit with the cloned chimps, he answered, “Well, I'm no expert, but no. I can't.”
“Well, I am an expert and I can't either.”
“Really? Are they that similar?”
“Identical.” June held her arms out and Paris happily hopped over and sat in her lap, “In fact, the only way I can tell them apart is by this.”
Rob watched as the doctor parted the hair on the left side of the female’s neck. He leaned in close and could make out the serial number that was tattooed there: AT-300687923.
“Their tattoos are different?”
“No. Paris and Charlie have the tattoos. That happened before I got here. Angelina and Brad were cloned after I got here. They don't have tattoos. I wouldn't allow it.”
Rob had wondered what business June, an ethologist, had here in the most unnatural of places for two pairs of chimpanzees. But now that he had a chance to spend some time with her, he was beginning to understand.
“It's funny, though,” June said as she hugged the chimp.
“What is?”
“Even though they're like augmented super twins, Angelina is a bit more affectionate toward me than Paris ever has been, even though I've been with her and Charlie for a year and a half.”
“How long ago were they cloned?”
“December. They were our Christmas presents. Brad was born on the tenth.” A tear formed in the corner of June’s eye. “Angelina came two weeks later, on the twenty-forth, Christmas Eve.”
“Were you there when the professor woke them?”
“Yes. Well, with Angelina, I was.”
“But not with Brad?”
“No, I was sick. Yeoum wouldn't let me near him.”
“Maybe it's like an animal in the wild seeing its mama for the first time. Maybe she imprinted on you in some way.”
June sniffed and turned away.
Fearing he had touched on a sensitive subject, he changed it to one more pleasant.
“Cook told me you and the chimps would be leaving soon.” He couldn't have known it, but that was another sore area.
June was still not satisfied with the living arrangements for the chimps, but choosing to ignore her own misgivings, she simply said, “Yup. The first of September.” She placed her hand on Angelina's chin, gently turned her head and kissed the chimp. Angelina promptly stuck out her tongue, licking June on the mouth. June scrunched up her face. “I told you, no Frenchies,” she said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Angelina turned to Rob and displayed a toothy grin while nodding her head.
Rob nearly fell over laughing.
June set the chimp down and stood up. “It's getting late.”
Rob stood and looked around. “The night is still young, Doctor.” He really didn't have anything else to do that night, and he suspected that he wouldn’t sleep well. “I'm gonna go see what's on the tube. Wanna come?”
June looked at him doubtfully before she answered. “I've enjoyed our time together Commander, but, uh …”
At first confused, Rob caught on quickly. He held up his hand, showing June the only item that he refused to take off until the actual work had to be done. His wedding ring. “Happily,” he said with a smile.
June blushed for just a moment and then it was gone. “Well, the babies need their rest and I have an early morning.”
“Yeah,” Rob said. “Well, I don't have to be at work until noon tomorrow.”
“Can you find your way back to the parlor, then?”
“I think so.” He walked toward the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Rob glimpsed something. By the fluorescent light coming from the exam room, he saw a spot in the corner of the paddock that was disturbed. Curious, he squatted down, moving some of the brush that was piled up.
“What is it?” June asked.
Rob offered a half smile. “There must be twenty pens under here.”
17 Snug as a bug
26 July 2010
IT WAS 4:00 A.M. WHEN Rob went to bed. He tossed and turned for hours, unable to settle his mind as the moment of truth approached. As a last resort, he prayed that God would allow him some rest to prepare for the taxing day ahead, and finally, he drifted into a deep sleep. He woke up at ten-thirty to the sound of knocking at his door. For a moment he forgot where he was. Pulling off the covers, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his face. Slowly, he recognized his assigned quarters, which resembled little more than a hospital room. He was surprised that not only had he gotten some sleep, but also that it was his most restful sleep since he had arrived. He could even recall some remnants of a pleasant dream that was rapidly dissipating from his memory like mist in the sun after a summer rain.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Commander Tyler. Rise and shine. Today's the big day.” It was Greg.
Dressed only in his boxer shorts, he hopped off of the bed and staggered over to the door, yawning as he opened it. “Mornin’.” He covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
Greg was holding a stack of white washcloths in one hand and a gallon of clear liquid in an unlabeled plastic bottle in the other. “Oh, good. We were
hoping you hadn't showered yet.”
Rob gave him quizzical look.
“None of us thought about it yesterday,” he said, handing the items to Rob. “They've never had to tell a subject not to bathe before a scan.”
Rob held up the bottle. “What is this?”
“Alcohol.”
Rob looked at him dubiously.
“For washing. No soap, toothpaste, deodorant, cologne. No chemicals.”
“Great.”
“I'll need you in my office in an hour,” Greg said cheerfully.
Without comment, Rob nodded and closed the door. Annoyingly, his stomach began to rumble, as it had already been empty for nearly twenty-four hours. Why did I skip dinner last night? he thought scornfully. And then a brief but sharp pain reminded him as he tossed the washcloths onto the bed. He looked disdainfully at the cut on his left hand, which had a slight red halo around it. Opening the door again, he shouted, “Hey, Doc!”
Greg popped his head around the corner. “What's up?”
“I think I may need something on my you-know-what.” Rob held his injured hand up.
Greg nodded. “Stop by my office before you head to the lab. I got just the thing.” And then he was gone.
Rob closed the door and looked at the bottle again. With a resigned sigh, he removed the cap and sniffed. The fumes burned his nostrils, and made his eyes water and roll back into his head. He held the bottle at arm’s length, took a deep breath, and picked up one of the washcloths.
“Great.”
A little over an hour later, he was in his scrubs in the dressing room leading to the laboratory. Greg was there too. Rob had met the doctor in sickbay, where he had applied some antimicrobial ointment to the cut and performed the other unpleasant but necessary task of the morning, the enema.
As he stood there, the butterflies in his empty stomach had returned with some severity, but he wasn’t hungry anymore, which was an unexpected benefit. He was nervously waiting the signal from Jimmy that the professor and Don were ready for him, when a question popped into his head. “Why do they call the spectrometer Chloe?”
“Excuse me?” Greg asked.
“The mass spectrometer?”
Greg stared blankly at Rob.
“The big, huge, sideways phone booth-y lookin' thing that's gonna scan me. Why do they call it Chloe?”
Greg shook his head. “I didn't know they did.”
Rob had forgotten that Greg had only recently joined the cloning team.
* * * * *
JIMMY WATCHED ROB closely from his office and thought of the night before. As was his custom, he had gone to the parlor late that night after all the others had retired to their rooms. He had gone into the kitchen and made a late-night snack and then planted himself in front of the television in one of the recliners. It was then that he had noticed Rob seated in the one next to him. It had startled him at first, but he had soon realized that the commander was deep in thought. Several minutes later, Rob acknowledged his presence after Jimmy had tried to sneak the remote control from his lap.
The two hadn’t spoken much during their hours together, but last night Jimmy had done some thinking. He began to realize that Rob was just an ordinary man. A man who would participate in what could ultimately amount to the greatest medical leap forward in history. Jimmy had decided that Rob probably had many doubts and misgivings about his involvement. As he’d watched Rob, still and contemplative, he’d considered apologizing for some of the remarks that he had made in a blatant attempt to make Rob uneasy. But in the end, he had decided against a show of weakness. Instead, he made a mental note to go easy on Rob for the rest of his time inside the facility.
As he now stared at Rob's image on the monitor, Jimmy found himself feeling sorry for him. He hadn't experienced this emotion with any of the other test subjects. Even Paris and Charlie. Jimmy couldn't understand it. Yeoum had assured him, like the others, that the chimps’ side effect was the result of the anesthesia. They weren’t using any, so Rob should suffer no ill effects. So why do I feel sorry for him? He's gonna be fine.
* * * * *
INSIDE THE SECURITY office, two airmen monitored a bank of more than two dozen screens, each with a different view of the complex. The convenience store, the interior rooms, and the main entrance of the fallout shelter on the base were all displayed. No angle was left unwatched. The centermost screen showed the dressing room, the same image that Jimmy was watching.
Benny, Eddie, and Cal were there, along with Sergeant Covington who was standing with his arms folded in the corner of the room nearest the door. All eyes were glued to the main screen.
“He looks nervous,” Eddie commented.
Benny huffed. “Wouldn't you be?”
Cal was smiling behind Eddie and Benny. He was barely able to contain himself. “I am so stoked! Can you believe we're about to watch a man get cloned for the very first time in history?”
“What's the contingency plan?” Eddie asked, ignoring the young man.
Benny glanced at him and then back at the screen. “If anything goes wrong that can't be handled locally, we load Rob into the truck back at the convenience store and take him to Greg’s office in town. It's set up as a sleep study. From there, we'll call an ambulance to take him to the hospital, where the major has privileges. He will come and check on Rob there.”
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard Rob on the monitor.
* * * * *
“ARE YOU A SPIRITUAL man, Major?” Rob asked.
Greg was taken off guard. “Not really.”
Rob was compelled to do something that he did rarely outside of his own home. In the nearly three weeks that he had been inside the complex, he had spent more time reading his Bible than he had during the previous six months. On the day he arrived, he had started the New Testament from the book of Matthew, chapter one. When he had awoken this morning, Rob had read Paul’s words from book of Romans. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
He needed to pray.
“Well,” Rob said, feeling suddenly embarrassed. “I'm a Christian. It's kinda sad if you didn't already know that about me, but I am and I need to do something here. I need to pray.”
“Alright.” Greg, unsure of what to do, closed his eyes, lowered his head, and began to wonder how long this would take.
Rob cleared his throat. “Heavenly Father, I ask for your forgiveness of my sins and thank you for the many blessings you have allowed in my life. I thank you for the fellowship of Greg, Jimmy, Don, June, Juan and the professor, who I have spent so much time with lately, and the security police protecting this program, and Special Agent Perez and the other NCIS agents that are here. I ask that you bless both them and this undertaking, and that your will be done here today and in the future with its results. I humble myself before you and pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
* * * * *
DID HE JUST PRAY for me? Eddie stared at Rob's image on the screen. None of his team had spent any time with the commander, and frankly, he hadn't given him a second thought. He didn't know Rob, and he didn't want to know him. This was just an assignment that was keeping him away from his own bed. But something changed when he heard Rob pray. Something tugged at his core and began to gnaw at his very being in a way that made the old lawman feel uncomfortable.
The other men found themselves drawn into the prayer as well, especially Benny. Even the two airmen had gotten caught up in the simple words Rob had spoken. Like Eddie, they were moved. All except for Covington, who stood motionless, arms still crossed in front of him, peering intently at the men on the screen.
* * * * *
JIMMY WAS BRINGING the systems online. “Are we ready, SIS?”
“Systems are one hundred percent,” the female voice responded. “Power is fluctuating between one hundred four to one hundred seven percent. Flow simulations are g
ood. Materials are good. Nursery is priming. Environment will be optimal for structure commencement in approximately five hours, forty-seven minutes, fifty-two seconds. Chloe is ready to receive test subject Robert Orson Tyler, Commander, United States Navy.”
“SIS, I need you to make a syntax change. Calling the mass spectrometer Chloe is acceptable. However, it is no longer acceptable to refer to Commander Tyler as test subject or any other synonym. Understood?”
“Understood, Jimmy. What is the acceptable term or terms to reference the—” SIS was stumped. The computer system had been programmed to use the term “test subject” from the time that the applicable software had been written. It couldn't “think” of anything else to call Rob.
“Refer to him as Rob or Commander Tyler.”
“Confirmed,” SIS said. “Chloe is ready to receive Commander Tyler.”
Jimmy smiled again, wider this time. “Maybe we better work on that one for a while, huh SIS?”
“Whatever you say, Jimmy,” the almost melodic voice responded.
“Okay, Jimmy. We're ready down here.” Don's voice came over the intercom.
“Right.” Jimmy punched a sequence of keys. “Here we go, SIS.” It was 11:57.
* * * * *
IN THE DRESSING ROOM, Jimmy's voice came over the intercom. “Okay, they're ready for ya, Neel.”
Greg placed a surgical mask over his mouth. “I'm gonna take you to the chamber. Before you step in, you'll need to disrobe.”
Rob nodded as he put his own mask on.
“Don't take the mask off until you're inside … what did you call it?”
“Chloe.”
“Inside Chloe. Make sure you toss it out before the door closes. After that, just lie down and stay as still as you can until the scan is complete.”
“That's it?”
“That should be it,” Greg said, as he turned to open the door.
