by James Somers
•••
Jonathan sat beside Joseph’s bed. Two weeks had seen his mentor doing very well. Jonathan had hired a private nurse and had a room set up for Joseph in his home, where he could recover in greater comfort. Joseph turned his head and opened his eyes. He blinked several times trying to focus and figure out where he was.
“How are you doing, Joseph?” Jonathan said, looking down at him.
Joseph smiled. “Jonathan, you’re here.” He looked around again. “And we’re…home?”
“The doctor said you were doing so well, he let me bring you home to finish mending.”
Joseph relaxed into his pillow. “I do appreciate you doing that, Jonathan.” Then he tensed again. “What about Trenton? What’s happened? Is the boy safe?”
Jonathan caught him by the shoulders. “Ease up, Joseph, everything is fine, now. Jay is in his room on his computer. The doctor said his ankle will be healed up in about four more weeks.”
Joseph looked surprised. “What happened to his ankle?”
Jonathan sat down in a chair at his bedside. “The short version is that we stopped Trenton.”
“How? I mean, did you kill him, Jonathan?”
Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I’m not really sure, Joseph. Maybe. It’s difficult to say at this point, but we definitely stopped him cold.”
“Now, I’m intrigued, sir,” Joseph said. “Just begin with my injury and don’t skip any of the details.”
Jonathan smiled. “It’s a riveting story, old friend, but first you need to get your rest. You’ve had a hard road.” He stood up and walked to the door. “Can I get you anything?”
“I suppose a peaceful night’s rest would be the most welcome thing right now,” Joseph said.
Jonathan nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
•••
Three months later, Douglas Tanner hunched over his microscope, his brow furrowed in concentration. “I’m afraid it’s worse than I suspected, Jonathan.”
Jonathan watched the scientist from his chair and sighed. “I was afraid of that. Well, I guess that explains the hair loss.”
Doug rose from the microscope oculars, nodding. “At least you’re not as bad as me.” He rubbed his high shiny brow. “The thing is, you’re really burning the candle at both ends. Even taking it easy these past three months has done little to slow the progressive metabolic burnout.”
Joseph straightened behind Jonathan’s chair, brushing lint from the sleeve of his suit jacket. He placed his hand on Jonathan’s right shoulder. “How long would he have without using this procedure, Dr. Tanner?”
Doug removed his wire rimmed spectacles and massaged his temples with his thumb and index finger. “It’s hard to say…”
“A best guess then,” Jonathan said.
Doug looked at them grimly. “One year at best, but it won’t be comfortable.”
“What do you mean?” Joseph asked.
“As the condition progresses, Jonathan will age and degenerate rapidly. I imagine the pain will be significant.”
“Then there’s no other way is there?” Jonathan asked. “Either you’ll find a cure, or you won’t.”
Joseph said nothing. Doug stood up and walked over to Jonathan. “At least we’ll have you preserved while you’re still in prime condition. I’ll do all that I can, put all of our resources on this problem. When I find the antidote, we can restore you from this point.”
Jonathan and Joseph looked at one another. “It’s your decision, Jonathan,” Joseph said. “You know I vote for anything that will keep you alive.”
Jonathan considered it. He had been considering it for weeks now, since Doug had first informed him of what he was up against, trying to reverse the effects of Trenton’s Generation X Mutagen. “As much as I hate the idea of cryo containment, it seems like the alternative, wasting away, is worse.” He looked at Joseph and Doug. “I’ll do it.”
Doug slapped his meaty palms together, smiling. “Good. Then I’ll get cracking on this thing, without the worry of how fast you’re degenerating.” He slapped Jonathan on the shoulder, winking at him. “I don’t think you’ll regret this, my boy.”
Jonathan looked at the single cryo unit standing upright in the corner of Doug Tanner’s lab—a mock-up, but similar in design to what he would sleep in. “I hope you’re right.”
