by M. V. Kallai
“One…two…three.” Maeve dropped her gun and ducked out of the way in case Dana took a shot. She didn’t, but after seeing the intruder surrender, she lowered her gun. Maeve stood from her crouch and righted herself. She had plenty of other ways to kill them if she needed to.
“My name is Maeve, and I am here at Colonel Ganesh’s request. I’m sorry about the intrusion,” she started again.
“Yes, I know, follow me,” Lee said, satisfied that his assumptions about this woman were correct. As they walked down the hall, the phone in Lee’s office started to ring.
“Wait here,” he said.
Dana’s eyes moved back and forth between Maeve and Lee
It was the lady at the desk, calling to check on Lee.
“A woman went into the bathroom and after ten minutes, when she didn’t come out, I checked on her, but the bathroom was empty.”
“Yes,” Lee replied, “She’s here and we are fine.”
“Are you sure? I can call for help.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I have to go.”
Lee hung up and continued down the hall with Maeve at his heels.
“Have you come to help us?” Dana asked Maeve, who towered above her in height. With the weapons out of the equation, Lee and Dana let their curious natures dominate the newly forming atmosphere between them.
“I may be able to help you, but this will be a negotiation, not a hand out,” Maeve said.
They settled in the kitchen, around the small table, all a little on edge, and Maeve, still had her hand on the handle of her gun.
“You can relax, Maeve,” Dana said, “No one has been alerted to your presence here. “Lee tends to freeze up when startled. He was bluffing with his hand in his pocket.” Lee scowled at her words once again. Maeve studied the two for a minute before she spoke; they both had a coldness and awkwardness about them, but at the same time there was a warmth in the air. And the bond between the two was clear, but most importantly, to Maeve, was that they were unpredictable.
“Lee,” she finally said, “Your amnesty is in negotiation for elimination with the heads of state. With the war breaking out, it won’t be long. You’ve already had a break in, and soon, they won’t need to be covert. They will come into this place with force and probably media. I am prepared to offer you a safe place to move your lab.”
Dana’s eyes grew wide and she stared at Lee, not knowing what he might say.
“What do you want in return?” Lee asked. His calm tone made Dana want to kick him under the table. She was panicking inside.
“I want the virus code, all of it, and all the raw material that you have to make more. And instructions on how to make it.”
“You’re crazy!” Dana burst into the conversation. “He won’t give you that.” Lee held his hand up as if to “shush” her.
“What are your intentions?” he asked.
“To disable as many biomachines as possible before they are cemented under the ground. All of the unused biomer is to be put on a shuttle and returned to Myris in a few weeks. I need what you have left, to continue producing the virus code and stockpile it, in the event the biomachines are ever dug up.”
“Seems fair,” Lee said. “Okay. We will make preparations to move the lab.” He began to stand.
“We’re not quite done here, Lee,” Maeve said. “I mentioned this is a negotiation.”
“You want something more from me?” Lee asked.
“I want you to build a weapon,” Maeve said in a hushed voice, “far more efficient than the biomachines, something that will ensure Tyrine’s freedom.”
Dana pushed back her chair and stood up with a disgusted sigh. She put her hands on her hips and walked aimlessly around the room. Maeve followed her every move with her eyes…just in case. Lee scratched his head and mumbled something inaudible.
Several minutes went by and no one had spoken. Dana stopped pacing and was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. Lee was staring intensely at nothing over Maeve’s head. She wasn’t used to negotiations going quite like this, but she didn’t want to push too hard. What she asked for was more than technology; it was treason. A few more minutes passed and Maeve grew impatient trying to guess what they were thinking. People usually talk back without being prompted. She thought. These two are in outer space, a couple of weirdoes, freaks of nature…
“The weapon is not a problem, but there is one more thing I need you to do for me.” Lee’s voice broke Maeve’s train of thought as though there had been no pause in the conversation.
“Finally,” she said. “I thought you’d forgotten I was here.”
“Lee! You can’t!” Dana shouted. “Giving her a weapon to use against Daxia…that will be a death sentence for everyone we know.” Her voice trailed off. “My parents.”
“Not necessarily,” Maeve replied. “If the Daxian government steps down from trying to take over Tyrine then…”
“That won’t happen and you know it,” Dana cut her off.
“Look, it’s going to get bad for everyone. I’m offering you a chance to stay out of harm’s way and continue your science. No one else is going to make you the same offer, especially when they come in here and arrest you for murdering a government official.”
“Are you threatening me?” Dana asked and walked back over to the table.
“I’m telling you the truth of your current situation and handing you another option,” Maeve said and stood up, towering over Dana. “I’m not negotiating with you anyway.” She looked back at Lee.
“Um. Yes. I need you to get a container onboard that Myris shuttle.”
“You’re kidding me,” Maeve said. “That’s impossible.”
“Then, so is the weapon,” Lee said and started to walk out.
“Wait,” Maeve said. “I’ll find a way… I’ll go to the TRU building tonight and come up with a plan to secure an empty container. Just be ready for my call. You may have to move quickly and without much warning. I’ll get it on the shuttle somehow, then you can move the rest of the lab.”
“Are we finished here?” Lee asked.
“What will be in the container?” Maeve asked.
“That’s not your concern,” he replied.
“Fair enough. I’ll be in touch when I get the timing worked out.”
“Where will we go?” Dana asked.
“My house. In the north,” Maeve answered.
Dana swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat and slumped down in her green chair after Lee escorted Maeve out of the lab. She was so angry that Lee made those decisions in spite of her protest, not that they were given much of a choice. Maeve made a very real argument and she would rather be in exile with Lee than in the government prison. She wanted to sit and feel sorry for herself, but instead, picked herself up and started on an inventory of the lab. Lee would have some tough decisions to make regarding what he would leave behind.
The next day, Maeve met with Ganesh to discuss Lee’s request for a shuttle container. Ganesh thought of all the biomer filled containers sitting down in the atrium, almost ready for transport to the shuttle station. Maeve would have to get involved with the transfer. She’d have to drug the driver, empty one of the containers at her safe house, park on the roof of Tripple Laboratories for Lee to load whatever it was he wanted on Myris, and then arrive at the shuttle station in time for the drug to wear off and for her to get out of sight. It was a complicated, but feasible plan. It would also put a container load of biomer in her possession for Bearden to work with. The launch date had been set for the Myris shuttle, only two weeks away, so there wasn’t much time to get the details straight.
With Cline in charge of TRU, things were happening fast. He had a way of influencing decisions made by the heads of government that General Pike had not.
Andreas and the other designated mission soldiers were preparing for their Myris trip on an accelerated schedule. They were living at the shuttle station and training when they weren’t eating or sleeping. Andr
eas didn’t mind, though. He was excited to go and it kept his thoughts away from Charisa.
Since Maeve learned through Ganesh that Mace Magner was facilitating the shuttle mission, she decided her best bet at gaining access to the transport driver would be through him. She decided to follow him after work that night to observe his behavior and then make her move tomorrow. Unfortunately, her reconnaissance led her to a dirty basement bar a few blocks from the TRU Building, where she watched Mace pound back drink after drink until he was slobbering all over himself. After she’d seen as much as she could stand, she went back to her hotel suite and put together a sleazy outfit for the next night, going over in her head the role she would have to play. She held up a short red dress to her body and looked in the mirror. She missed Naja. The only thing that made her feel good about offering herself to that dirt bag, Mace, was knowing she was doing it all for him. She only wished Naja could know somehow, but that was impossible. She threw the dress on the bed and shrugged and thought, I’ve done worse for less noble reasons. Then, she picked up her phone and reserved a room for the next night at a run-down hotel near the bar.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Farewell
Dana and Lee had stayed busy since Maeve’s visit a day and half ago. They hadn’t spoken much to one another because Dana was still upset with Lee and Lee seemed to be struggling with deciding what to take and what to leave. The lady at the desk called him early that morning to announce a delivery of several large crates. The on-call technicians finally had a job to perform since Dana’s arrival, moving the empty crates into the lab. Dana stayed locked up in Camden’s office until they were finished, in case any of them became inquisitive. Then, just as Dana and Lee sat down to eat an awkwardly silent lunch together; they heard the door to the main lab open. Both of them stopped chewing to listen. Dana slid her chair back from the table and tiptoed to Camden’s office and grabbed a gun.
“Lee, do you think we are out of time?” she asked.
“Impossible. Maeve would have given us warning.”
“I can’t believe you trust her so completely, Lee.”
“Irrelevant. Is that thing loaded? I’m completely exhausted from unannounced visitors.”
Dana walked down the hall to the main lab worried that Lee was expecting to kill whoever was out there. She considered the gun a bargaining device, nothing more. She was already living with the weight of one dead man on her conscience, and that was enough. Lee was directly behind her with a syringe in his hand. Dana didn’t know where he had gotten it so quickly. He must keep it in his pocket, she thought.
Dana found herself aiming her gun at a tall, handsome, distinguished looking man who she recognized instantly.
“Cam?” Lee mumbled. “Is it safe for you to be here?”
Dana lowered her gun and her cheeks turned pink. This was not the way she had pictured meeting Professor Riles.
“Lee!” Camden smiled. “It’s been too long. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this place. You must be Miss Hanks,” he said, looking at Dana and stretching his hand out for her to shake.
“Yes. It’s very nice to meet you, Professor Riles. I apologize that the lab is in such disarray…and for the gun.”
Camden threw his head back and laughed. He put his arm around Lee’s shoulder, who flinched and then scowled. They walked back to the kitchen area where Lee and Dana’s lunches remained uneaten at the table.
“Lee, you’re right,” Camden started. “It’s probably not a good idea that I’m here. But I couldn’t resist, it is your birthday, after all.”
“What?” Dana said a little louder than she intended. “Your birthday, and I didn’t know…unbelievable.” She shook her head and took a too big bite out of her sandwich.
“Interesting,” Camden said, looking at her. “Anyway, I’ve come to invite you to a dinner in your honor tonight at the club. Bring your tech assistants, there will be press.”
“You’ve made my life a disaster, Cam!” Lee said. “I don’t have time for dinner because I have to move out of the building and go into hiding. This is the result of your actions.”
“Oh no! Don’t blame me for this. I was caught up in this mess just as innocently as you were, friend. At least you’ve been able to maintain some semblance of your life. I’ve been in military hell!”
“And that’s just where you deserved to be,” Lee said. They were both silent for a moment then Camden continued.
“You’re moving? Really? Where?”
“I don’t know exactly. Somewhere in the north…by the water.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to update my address book.” Camden teased. “Are you going with him?”
The question was directed at Dana.
“Of course I’m going,” she said.
“Right, it’s either hide out with Lee or go to prison for murder.”
“Yes, ‘Uncle Camden’, those would appear to be my choices.” Dana had joined Lee in being angry at Camden.
“That was a brave thing you did, young lady. Impersonating my niece to get that bag from Ari,” Camden said. “Well, Lee, Dana, I must go, but I hope to see you both tonight at the club, 7:00.”
“You won’t see me,” Dana said. “It’s too dangerous, especially if there will be press.”
“And here I thought you were a master of disguise, Miss Hanks. You’re going far away from here very soon. Live a little.” Camden smiled and left the two of them pouting in their soup.
“Do you really think I could get away with a disguise?” Dana asked Lee later.
“It doesn’t matter, we have to pack,” Lee said.
“True, but this may be the last time you will get to go to the club with Camden for a very long time. I know you are angry, but do you really want to miss this opportunity to say goodbye to your friend?”
Lee stared at his shoes for a minute then said, “Be ready at 6:45.” and went into Lab A, the one that Dana had never seen the inside of. She smiled and went back to separating lab supplies into boxes.
That night, Dana arrived at the club with the lady at the desk. They met in the lobby with two of Lee’s lab technicians, and Miranda, the lab coordinator who Dana met on her first day. There were photographers snapping pictures and the lady at the desk positioned herself in front of Dana, so her face would not be captured. It was unlikely she’d be recognized. She was dressed as a boy and pretending to be lady at the desk’s son. She introduced herself as ‘Dan’. And with her hair chopped short, once again courtesy of Lee, and no makeup, Dana looked the part of a young teen. They didn’t linger in the lobby and Dana was first inside the elevator when it arrived.
In the club, Lee and Camden were already sitting together at their usual table and sipping on tea and scotch respectively. Dana sat down right next to Lee so comfortably that it caused Camden to raise an eyebrow. The others sat a separate table that had been moved next to them. Conversation was casual and there wasn’t even a hint of animosity between Lee and Camden in this semi-public setting. The technicians looked nervous and uncomfortable to be at Lee Tripple’s birthday dinner, but the lady at the desk and Miranda kept the conversation going.
About an hour later, Ganesh arrived and took a seat next to Camden. He introduced himself to the young boy next to Lee, but after looking hard at him, chuckled to himself, realizing that this was Dana Hanks across from him.
“Hmph. Aren’t you a clever young…man,” he said with a grin.
“My idea,” Camden leaned in and whispered.
“Your freedom has made you a little too bold, Cam,” Ganesh replied.
Enira served them an exceptional five course meal and Dana, who barely got to eat what she wanted in the lab, completed her disguise by shoveling the delicious meal in her mouth with as much grace and manner that a growing teenage boy might. As the night went on, Lee and Camden started discussing Camden’s space travel project and Ganesh interjected his thoughts now and then. Lee seemed to forget that he was angry with Camden at all. That, or else
his one-track mind was too occupied with science to have room for feelings at the moment. Dana was enthralled with them both and began to understand the dynamic between them. It was so effortless for them to communicate and they inspired each other, provoking new ideas and elevating each other’s brainpower. She must have been a really poor substitution in the lab for Professor Riles. He was so witty and charming, though she doubted those were the same qualities Lee appreciated about him.
It was getting late and Ganesh excused himself with the other dinner guests, who felt as though they had overstayed their welcome. But before they left, Enira brought in one of the photographers from downstairs to photograph the group…Ganesh’s idea. It would make a good distracting headline since rumors of armed conflict at the border were starting to spread. Dana conveniently had to use the bathroom right before the picture.
When she returned, she found herself alone with Lee. Searching the room with her eyes, Dana noticed Camden in a dark corner with Enira. They weren’t being very discreet with their affair; however, the club was empty now aside from Lee, Dana, and a bartender.
“I didn’t know Camden was involved with a woman,” she said as she sat back down.
“Neither did I,” Lee said grumpily.
“You’re not happy for him?”
“No,” Lee replied, not sure why he was so angered at the display of affection between newly widowed Enira and Camden. When Lee looked away from Dana to stare at the wall, she took it as her cue to change the subject.
“I’ve been thinking, Lee,” she said, “that this re-animation project has failed to utilize its greatest power.”
“How so?” Lee asked, interested in the conversation again.
“Well, so far, we’ve used cells from cadavers. But what if we altered your cells to respond to mixture 266? What if we cloned you with memory download while you are still alive? You could continue your work indefinitely…evolve…”
“I would be my own father, and it would be disconcerting.”
