by M J Kendrick
“Good morning, boss,” said Daniel with a smile.
“And a very good morning to you,” she cheerily replied as she sat at her desk, keen to get started. “I really want to carry on with the new compound analysis. It looked really interesting when I had it up yesterday before all the distractions.”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I knew you would. I’ve already prepared a slide for you. It’s on the scope, so you’re all set. Just switch on and go.”
“I knew there was a reason why I keep you around,” she said jokingly as she buried her head in the screen and started to fiddle with the controls.
Daniel looked over at Susan and Melanie. “Guess that’s the last we’ll hear from her for a while.”
They both smiled and returned to what they were doing.
It was nearly one when she finally sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. She had been completely oblivious to the day-to-day goings on in her lab. Everyone had their set assignments and generally just got on with it. When she looked around she saw that Susan, Beatrice, and Melanie had already gone for their lunch break, “My, where does the time go?” she remarked.
Daniel looked up. “Aah, back in the land of the living.”
Jean stretched her arms and yawned. “I really must take more regular breaks from this. My back is killing me.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows. “I’m not surprised. You’ve hardly moved for almost four hours... Find anything of note?”
Jean looked at him and smiled. “Actually yes, I did. This new batch is quite extraordinary, so much so that before I say anymore, I’d like you and Melanie to each do an independent analysis starting right away. I want to compare findings. I’m not going to say anything else at this stage. I want you to draw your own conclusions.”
“No problem,” said Daniel. “Melanie should be back soon. I’ll let her prepare her own slide sample. I’ll just nip to the canteen to grab a sandwich and then get straight to it.”
“Thanks, Daniel, I’ll walk with you. I could do with stretching my legs a bit.”
Jean left Daniel in the cafeteria to brief Melanie. She wanted to walk a little more, grateful that their facility was more people-friendly than the farm. ACR had been purpose built and had been designed like a wheel with the labs and offices forming an outer rim. Spoke-like corridors led to an inner ring of labs and offices, which surrounded a beautifully landscaped green area complete with an ornamental pond, weeping willow trees, and secluded seating dotted around in considerate fashion. It was understandably well visited by all.
Jean wanted to take another look. It had occurred to her that the facility had more than enough spare capacity to be home to a decent sized crèche. In fact, it would be perfect. She headed for HR to propose the idea.
Forty-five minutes later, she returned to her lab in a good mood. Melanie and Daniel were deep into their task and the others were equally occupied.
Susan was the first to notice. “You look like the cat that licked the cream,” she said, returning the contagious smile.
“I’ve just been into HR about us having a crèche over on the north side. It seems I’m not the only one to suggest it. Apparently, there’s been eleven requests made by other staff in the last few months, and it’s all in hand!”
“That’s fantastic,” said Susan. “No wonder you’re looking so happy.”
“Well, it’s certainly going to solve a lot of potential problems. I can’t wait to tell David.”
“How many children do you think there would be?” asked Susan.
“As of this moment, I’d say fifteen, eighteen if you count the current pregnancies. I was shocked, actually.”
Susan raised her neatly shaped eyebrows and chuckled. “Well, at least we know what the other scientists get up to when they’re not at work, eh!”
Jean giggled, despite feeling her cheeks redden yet again.
It was four fifteen p.m. when Daniel looked up and faced Jean, having just finished his analysis. He didn’t say anything—he just stared. Jean saw that he may have reached the same possible conclusion that she had. Before he spoke, she just held up an open palm and quietly said, “Let’s wait for Melanie. She should be done soon.”
Daniel nodded. “Okay, I need the men’s room anyway.” He got up and strode away. Jean’s mind began to race. After seeing Daniel’s reaction, she immediately switched into full professional mode, with the distracting events of the last few days firmly pushed to the back of her mind.
By the time Daniel returned, Melanie was finishing up and gathering her notes and data. She walked over to Jean’s desk looking as straight-laced as Jean had ever seen. Without even giving her a chance of saying anything, Jean stood up. “Not here, follow me to the boardroom.”
As the three walked out of the office, Jean wasn’t surprised to catch, out of the corner of her eye, Julia spinning her chair towards her equally curious colleagues and whispering, “What’s that all about?” Followed by Beatrice’s reply of, “Beats me, I ’spect we’ll find out soon enough.”
The ACR boardroom was darker than the labs and had that soundproofed quietness and cool ambiance that went hand in hand with the long, polished, immaculately laid-out table and perfectly positioned chairs.
Not being used that often meant that it rarely needed to be booked in advance, so heads of departments would usually just saunter in and use it as and when the need arose.
Jean entered and placed her file at the head of the table and ushered the other two into seats on either side.
With the door securely closed, she looked at them. “Sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff,” she began, “but I think there’s a strong possibility that we’ve hit on something which could have a strong bearing on our primary directive, and, as such, there is a standard protocol in place that calls for me to immediately put information containment procedures into force until an independent audit and verification program can be completed.”
“I didn’t know that,” said Daniel.
“No, you wouldn’t—heads of department eyes only.”
“Phew,” exclaimed Melanie. “So what do we do now?” she asked.
Jean leaned back, looking very boss-like. “First things first. I want us to dissect our findings and results point for point. Right now, this takes absolute priority over everything else, okay?”
They both nodded.
“Good, then let’s get started.”
“Firstly, I want your personal analysis of the post-fusion sample slides.”
Melanie was first to answer. Like Daniel, she’d quickly realized the significance soon after starting her analysis and had to steady herself from visibly shaking as each result was confirmed. “I started my analysis as soon as I returned. I followed the standard comprehensive version of the sample analysis procedures, as laid down in our operating protocols. The HSP sample responded to the stimuli test successfully. I repeated the process five times with different cells throughout the sample. Then, after isolating a single cell, I performed the puncture test and found that it was at the top end of the strength scale, well above the defined parameters. This was repeated a further nineteen times across the sample with the same results.
“Next up was the chemically induced negative reaction test. I used the full five different agents to make direct contact with ten individually isolated cells. Each achieved failure and lost integrity well below the expected point within the given parameters, with no variations.
“I followed this with the chemically induced positive reaction test. This time, I used six common agents, six steroid-based agents with varying concentrations.
“Once again, most of the individual cells reacted predictably, with the only failures occurring to the cells treated with the highest levels of the concentrate. The only non-predicted anomalous behavior was with the failure point at the highest concentration levels being approximately fifteen percent above normal.
“The final test was the standard freeze point level. Twenty cells were isolated and calibrated
. Negative temperature was applied, and, in each case, the freeze point occurred at between minus 01.5 degrees and minus 01.7 degrees Celsius. Temperature increase up to ambient confirmed zero cell destruction.
“To be honest, if I hadn’t known this was a post-cryo test, I would have drawn the conclusion that these were normal, super healthy cells.”
“Daniel?” said Jean, looking up from her notes.
“Actually, I have the exact same results,” he said cocking his head toward his data sheets. “The only difference being that I ran with a slightly larger number of individual test cells for each of the tests, plus I did the puncture test first and the stimuli test second. With those exceptions, if you look at both sets of results, they are absolutely identical.”
Jean pulled out her next sheet. She was blinking rapidly and looked serious. “Now I want us to look at the process we used to develop the Hybrid/Syntho/Platelets, batch numbered 34d1.”
“Yes,” said Daniel excitedly, as he sifted through his notes to locate the data. Knowing how important a breakthrough this was shaping up to be, he’d anticipated Jean’s questions. He remained calm, but his absolute focus told Jean that he was well aware of the significance. “HSP34d1 was the 3,601st trial solution, but it was the first to use the irradiated synthetic binding compound set at one part per trillion. The platelets were a standard thrombocytopenia, and the fusion process was calibrated in all scales, Celsius, Kelvin, Rankine, and Fahrenheit.”
Melanie was nodding in agreement and added, “Following the next level stage from the previous batch, the temperature reduction time was shown to reduce to an incredible seven minutes, which is the fastest to date, and the introduced gas was nitrogen at 1 part per 10,000.”
Jean was frantically scribbling notes in the margins of her datasheet, flicking over pages. She asked, “What was the fusion time and stats?”
Daniel, without looking up, was urgently flicking through his pages. “Aah, here it is... Well, according to this, it was thirty-eight hours, seventeen minutes, with the fusion reaching the target low temp at 420 seconds, that would be the seven minutes shown in the previous data sheet. The data is showing the program as completed at 03:12 Monday morning, at which point the automatic program cycle reverted to sleep mode.”
Jean put her document on the table and, looking surprised, said, “That would explain why it was ready when I arrived at 05:30.”
Melanie nodded. “When I started the fusion program, we expected it to be ready at the eighty-hour mark, as all the others have been. This is by far the quickest timeframe we’ve come across.”
“What about the binding compound?”
Daniel sat back in his chair, raised his eyebrows, and said, “First thing I looked at. Susan followed protocols when she made up the compound, to the letter. It was checked and double checked and verified by Julia, which all ties in with Melanie’s data.”
Jean began taking more notes.
After a few moments, Melanie looked at Daniel and asked, “Why thirty-eight hours, seventeen minutes? That seems a strange amount of time.”
Jean immediately stopped writing and looked sharply up with a quizzical expression, first at Melanie and then across to Daniel.
Feeling like he was targeted to come up with an explanation, he said, almost defensively, “The program is set to remain at the target temperature for twenty-four hours. We have to assume that the rest is the shutdown procedure running its course.”
“Fourteen hours, seventeen minutes for the program to wind down?” questioned Jean.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders and opened his palms almost apologetically. “We’ve never timed the wind-down program before, never had to. Besides, we always set the fusion process to run during the night, out of office hours, as much as possible so that we have batches ready to be worked on when. They’re usually timed to be completed long before we get in so it’s ready for us to start the analysis as soon as we arrive.”
Jean leaned forward. “So let me get this straight... What you are saying is that full cryo initialization took place in just seven minutes?”
“That’s what my analysis suggests,” he replied.
Jean leaned back with her hands clasped together and her forefingers across her mouth. She looked down at her notes while Daniel and Melanie sat quietly observing her. Their separate analysis confirmed her findings. This was what she’d been looking for. The endless testing had finally paid off. Her heart was thumping hard as the adrenalin flowed. She momentarily contemplated the scope of what this represented to medical science and to the world. Taking a deep, controlled breath to calm her excitement, she looked up and leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table to cradle her fingers in front of her chin.
“Okay, I think I’ve heard enough for now. Just so you know, everything you have deduced exactly confirms my initial findings. The next stage in the process is to run a repeat batch, but this time, I want you, Daniel”—without unclasping her hands, she pointed her forefinger in his direction—“to run a step-by-step monitoring program covering the exact wind-down processes and their effects as they happen. Melanie, I want you to help Daniel install one of the new Omni prototype electron microscopes and have it focus on the test batch while it’s in situ. Also see that it’s correctly calibrated to operate and transmit with a picture in picture panel and have a crossfeed hook-up showing Daniel’s wind down monitoring program. That way, we’ll be able to capture the exact moment full re-initialization occurs with a frame-by-frame chronological and visual record.”
The both nodded eagerly.
“I’ve been waiting to get my hands on one of those scopes. They’re really compact, and we don’t have to coat the subject matter. The guys over at Tech Innovations have used a whole bunch of revolutionary technology to keep them tiny in comparison to the huge ones we have in the lab. I reckon soon everyone will be using them,” said Daniel excitedly.
Jean was smiling, thinking to herself, Boys and their toys.
“How long before we can have a repeat batch of HSP 34d1 ready?” she asked.
“We should be able to have it ready by tomorrow afternoon,” answered Melanie.
“What about the other stuff?” Jean asked Daniel.
“It will take at least that long. Getting things set up is fairly straightforward, and we already have a suitable monitoring program, but the calibration with everything in place will take time.
“There are no shortcuts, as it is chronologically related. I would say to play it safe, we need an additional twenty-four hours, on top of what Melanie needs to allow for the auto calibration to run its course, so three full days in total before we can start.”
Although frowning, Jean was nodding throughout Daniel’s answer. “Good, that will be fine. As of tomorrow morning, this will be your one and only priority. Distribute any outstanding work you have between the others. I’m sure they’ll be able to pick things up.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ve just about finished my current assignment anyway. Bea will be more than happy to wrap it up,” said Melanie.
“I’ve just started stage two of the DNA sub-compound stranding. I don’t think anyone will be able to pick that one up, so perhaps it would be best if I just put it on hold for now. It’s not something that is needed in the foreseeable future. If that’s okay with you, boss?”
Jean smiled. “Yes, that’s absolutely fine. Good job, both of you.”
Melanie and Daniel smiled and nodded.
“Just one more thing before you head back,” said Jean in a more serious tone.
“I shouldn’t need to tell you both that this could be a potential breakthrough, maybe even the breakthrough that every cryogenicist on the planet has been looking for. Even though you are both senior research scientists, I am still obligated to remind you of the need for secrecy.
“We are all under contract, and I wouldn’t even like to guess as to what ACR or Omni could do to us if this was leaked, and, because of that, you cannot discuss this with an
yone, and I do mean anyone. The same applies even to me, and, believe me, the last thing I need right now is having to keep secrets from David, but not even our partners can know, and even our colleagues must be kept in the dark. Just us coming in here could lead to questions from the lab. We’re not to discuss this with each other in public or when anyone outside of this immediate circle is present. Omni’s directive on this is set in stone. Our next stages, should we get the green light, will mean changes, and I suspect security may well feature in that, especially from independent rival organizations. We already know they watch what we’re doing.
“It’s going to be difficult, in fact very difficult, and it may cause you to become unpopular with some. Unfortunately, it’s a burden you will just have to bear, at least for now. Once we have 100 percent confirmation of the findings, and assuming everything is as we hope it is, then it will be down to the people upstairs to decide when we can break the news.
“One thing is for sure, it will remain a tight-lipped secret until patents and safeguards are in place, but I’m sure that side of things will happen fairly quickly once the findings are confirmed. Do you both fully understand exactly what I am saying?”
Understanding the enormous realities of the breakthrough was one thing, and for the most part, easier to cope with. The realization of the incredible value their work had to others and the need for increased security scared the life out of Daniel and Melanie, but even so, they both nervously said “Yes” at the same time.
When they finally returned to the lab, everyone had left for the evening. Without so much as a word, they each packed up their things and switched off their PCs, their minds clearly buzzing with thoughts about the implications of what they were on the verge of confirming. They said their goodbyes to each other and swiftly closed up the lab to leave for the night.
***
By the time Melanie arrived at the lab the following morning, Daniel had already begun unpacking their latest prototype electron microscope. “Morning, Dan,” she said as she placed her monster-sized handbag in the footwell of her desk. “I see you couldn’t sleep much either.”
