He paused
“I know you probably expected to jump right into the lab work… But in due time..well... you'll be in there with us.”
Then, after a short little “getting to know you” conversation, Dr. Marx was gone.
Matthew was irked at his intern like assignment. Tugging and feeding his conscious were direct orders to get into that lab, and not for the purpose of using $100,000 microscopes with the intent to advance medicine for the good of humanity..
For the first two weeks, Matthew arrived at work on time. He sat at the small office provided for him down the hall from the lab. After one day of training, he did just as Dr. Marx had assigned. He sorted through stacks of separate reports written by the three doctors. He then scanned and documented any similarities between them, either through a hyperlink already created by the last intern, or in an Excel like spreadsheet. All the while he kept his cool and obsession in check waiting for the right moment. That moment arrived on a silver platter 6 weeks into his job. It was on a Friday afternoon, just as his work day was coming to an end.
This is how the Friday routine worked: Most personnel slid away for an early weekend, around one or two- always a set pattern Matthew observed. Dr. Marx and Lomax would break for “lunch,” never admitting that “lunch” meant an end to their day.. They would always say something like, “Matthew we should be back in a couple hours.”(Of course they never returned)
Next, the other inhabitants of the 5th floor whom Matthew never even met, would make their batman like exits- the receptionists, runners, and other lab assistants. By 5 o’clock, the only Doctors’ still working away were Patel and Derosa. Of course either Junior or Dominick, the floor security guards, were always a permanent fixture, as the building was protected with 24 hour security.
“Hey Matthew!”
It was Dr. Derosa standing at the foot of the door. The greeting startled Matthew as he was concentrating not on any pertinent work, but on a picture of a young female, post-mortem. He was on the website shockinghorror.com. The girl in the picture was naked on a coroners table. Her eyes were wide open in fright, and the rest of her body and head were riddled with stab wounds. She appeared to have been completely gutted. Matthew quickly exited out and responded to Dr. Derosa’s greeting with a simple “Hello Dr.”
“You've been doing a great job around here. We are all very impressed,” said Dr. Derosa. “We’re thinking of starting you in the lab next week”, a smile crossed his face “What do you think?”
Matthew smiled back- a very Jack Nicholson- Jack Torrance-ish smile. “That would be great, I couldn’t be more ready” he said.
And just like that, still smiling, Dr. Derosa said, “I want to show you the SARS project I worked on. I know you asked about it in the interview…. Close up shop here and I'll be back in 5.”
He didn't wait for Matthew’s response. He saw Matthew’s eyes widen and jaw drop. That was enough. The doctor smiled, turned around and walked out of the office. In an instant, Matthew’s gut teamed with fluttering butterflies.. He cleared the history of his internet browser then shut it down.
Next, he organized and stacked away hard copy files that Dr. Lomax and Patel had completed for the day..
Matthew then opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a single glass vile. It was one of the few he had stolen from a second floor storage closet. It was an exact model of the SARS 21 vial Dr. Derosa had showed him during Matthew’s interview. Matthew had filled the stolen vile half way with water and red food coloring, mixing it a few times, until he found the right combination that matched the color of Dr. Derosa’s vile. (Matthew had been sure to have etched the shade of red-maroonish in his brain, when Dr. Derosa first showed him the SARS 21 during his interview)About mid-way up the stolen vile“SR2” was written on a white label, in black sharpie, the same as Dr. Derosa's. He had many chances to observe Dr. Derosa’s handwriting over the past weeks, and was able to easily scribble an “S”, “R” and “2” just as the Dr. would.
Matthew palmed the vile in his left hand like a magician. He had practiced this maneuver often while filing the hard copy reports with his right hand. It was now second nature to him.
Then, just as he was shutting the file cabinet, Dr. Derosa appeared. With the wave of his hand he gestured toward Matthew to, “follow me.” They walked by and nodded at Junior the security officer, lost in thought thumbing through the sports section of the NY Post. About 10 feet down the hall an electric sign which read LABORATORY, was hanging a few inches from the ceiling. It was the size of a standard emergency “Exit” and illuminated the door below with a deep red glow.
Dr. Derosa went through security like everyone else. Using the various devices attached to the wall, he scanned his badge, his left thumb, and his iris’s; But unlike everyone else, he had one last measure of security. He punched in a 5 digit code on a manual key pad a few inches above the heavy silver door latch. Dr. Derosa and Matthew then entered into a small room. Dr. Patel was there with a clip board.
“This is the prep room Matthew and first things first. You have to put on surgical scrubs and socks… You’ll find some fresh scrubs behind the curtain over there in the corner. Just put your clothes in one of the cubbies.”
Matthew did as he was told. Afterwards, he walked to the center of the prep room adorned in his scrubs. Within a quick glance, he noticed an eye wash station in the far right corner of the room. Next to it was a shelf with a box labeled “HEPA filters.” The vile was still palmed in his hand.
Though he remained calm, his heart was beating faster and faster. If he were to be caught, he was done for.
Dr. Derosa pointed to a simple gauge. It was connected to the wall just above the BSL suit closet. It was round with an attached flip switch and turn dial, and had the numbers 0-100 written clockwise across the face.
Then he said…
“Negative pressure is maintained to ensure that air enters, but does not leave each room. That is the purpose of the gauge…... The switch can activate or deactivate the pressure, and the dial controls the amount of air as needed.
Dr. Derosa pointed to the ceiling and continued.
“The floor above us is a maze of pipes and HEPA filters. They flush air, either in or out….”
He turned to face Matthew.
“Now the fun part….. Dr. Patel is going to seal us up in a BSL 4 Positive Pressure suit”
Dr. Patel didn’t have to be asked directly. He heard Dr. Derosa loud and clear. If he did have a problem with Matthew going into the Lab, he didn’t express it one way or another. He unlocked a closet in the back of the tiny room and took out the space like, powder blue suit. It was made of a heavy rubber and plastic, a one piece with arms, legs and a helmet of some sort, all held together by a zipper running diagonal from the front left shoulder to the right hip..
Matthew had discussed the details of this suit with an intern while eating lunch in the building cafeteria a few days prior.. Calculated as ever, Matthew knew that this particular intern from school, an impish German fellow named Frederic, had been working in a lab on another floor. He went out of his way to track Frederick down. Matthew new most of the interns ate in the cafeteria, and being the loner he was, never stepped foot in there. However, on this particular day, he created a facade of camaraderie by asking Frederick to sit with him. He was easy prey- lonely and weak.
Matthew explained to Frederick that he would be working in the lab soon and would appreciate any advice. Frederick was all too pleased to have the company. And after some small talk, Matthew zeroed in on the one simple question- Did the BSL suits have any type of pocket?
Matthew asked, telling Frederick he was curious how something, perhaps a pen to jot notes, or a Petri dish, could be carried through the lab.
“Yes, there is a pocket for small objects. It is about 4 x4 inches along the right hip” Frederick told him, his English very broken.
Matthew pretended to care and listen for the next fifteen minutes as Frederick
droned on describing everything else in the lab. Matthew then thanked him, and excused himself with a most redundant blue collar excuse.
“I just got a text from my mother. I have to call her. She hasn’t been feeling well,” Matthew said.
And that was it. He got up and went back up to his office feeling content with Frederick's answer, knowing he would not have to change his plan.
Without so much as a “hello”, Dr. Patel, a man of very few words (and when he did speak a heavy Hindi accent made it very difficult to understand him) placed a pair of safety goggles over Matthew's eyes…..
Despite his stale personality and narcissistic mannerisms, Dr. Patel had a fantastic work ethic, always the first to arrive and the last to leave each day; however he could not hide the tension and anxiety that bled through his physical characteristics…. He never walked, but rather paced nervously anytime Matthew saw him.
Dr. Patel then began to instruct Matthew on how to slip into the suit. First Matthew put his left, then right legs, through the opening above the shoulder line. Next, he held out the left arm of the suit. But before Matthew could suit up any further, he knew he had to distract Dr. Patel. Luckily, Dr. Derosa was toying with something or another and had his back turned.
Matthew asked Dr. Patel how much one of the suits cost. As he asked the question, he kept his eyes focused on Dr. Patel's. Then, in one motion, Matthew joined his hands together and switched the vile from his left to right hand. He then slid his right hand along the right hip of the suit until he felt the pocket slit Frederick had described. It was there, just under the base of the zipper. Using his thumb and forefinger, he eased open the slit and dropped the vile from his palm into the opening.
Before Dr. Patel could answer Matthews question with, “I'm really not sure,”(though Matthew knew damn well he did) the vile was nestled in the bowels of the pocket. At once a sense of calm blanketed Matthew’s nerves. A deranged med student had taken and survived the first of two risks. And for a hot second he felt as if that “someone” or “something” other than his immediate conscience, that had been controlling and influencing his thoughts(more and more now than ever), somehow had something to do with winning risk one-some type of destiny or fate.
Once Matthew's arms were in the suit, Dr. Patel placed a head set on him. He explained that this is how Matthew would be communicating with Dr. Derosa or himself while inside the lab. Matthew did remember Frederick saying something about a head set, and how it was a standard procedure to always have someone outside of the lab in case of an emergency. Dr. Patel then placed the large helmet, attached to the suit, over Matthew’s head.
The front of the helmet was made of a clear plastic, allowing complete peripheral vision.. Dr. Patel asked Matthew if he could breathe well. Matthew nodded and Dr. Patel zipped up the suit. Furthermore, he tugged at and tightened something at the mid back of the suit, which pulled Matthew just a little off balance.
Finally, Dr. Patel secured one end of a coiled hose to an outlet of some sort located at the shoulder line of the suit. He then attached the other end of the hose to a square device strapped on the lower back of Matthew’s suit.
“This is your oxygen line and pack, Matthew...Dr. Patel said sternly. “Fresh oxygen is constantly being filtered throughout the interior of the air tight suit. In case of emergency, and should the suit’s integrity be compromised, air will be forced out rather than filtered in through the same mechanism. Matthew nodded even though he didn’t quite understand most of Dr. Patel’s words.
“Last step Matthew. I am now going to “airlock your suit.”
A sudden whooshhh came from somewhere in the room, and Matthew felt a slight tightening against his back.
“Take a few steps now and be sure you feel balanced.”
As he stepped around the room, Matthew was surprised how awkward and clumsy it felt.
“It takes about a week of training before you really feel comfortable” Dr. Derosa chimed in.
Matthew then sat on a small bench next to the closet. He plotted his next move for 5 minutes while Dr. Patel suited and prepped Dr. Derosa. Another room, big enough to fit two men, separated the prep room and the lab. When he was done securing Dr. Derosa’s BSL suit, Dr. Patel went through the usual security procedure. And like Dr. Derosa he punched in a number that unlocked the heavy metal door.
“This is just an airlock room Matthew,” Dr. Derosa said through his head set. The words crackled a bit, but otherwise Matthew could hear him just fine. They stepped into the tiny room.
Dr. Derosa pointed at yet another key pad and iris scanner on the door in front of them. This last door, separating them from the lab, was built like a bank vault
“Once I punch in the code then scan my eyes, the gaskets in the door behind us will lock, and the sealed door leading to the lab will open.
Dr. Derosa punched in a seven digit code and followed with an iris scan. From the guts of the door behind them came four successive “Clinks”. About five seconds later, the same four sounds emanated from the lab door in front of them. Dr. Derosa pulled down the door lever and opened. They stepped into the room and the Dr. shut the door behind them…. “Clink”,Clink”, “Clink”,”Clink”-the door was locked.
The fluorescent lights above were very bright, illuminating the pristine but very vanilla room. It was all very simple. There were four square lab tables in each corner of the room. On the top of each table sat a three- tiered microscope and nothing more. Against the walls on either side of the room, were a series of steel shelves with a connecting drawer underneath each one. And just above the shelf located in the far right corner of the room was a metal box with a little door, which looked to be made of a heavy metal. It was built into the wall and was the size and shape of a microwave. Dr. Derosa walked to it and Matthew followed.
Dr. Derosa turned around to face Matthew,
“This is a liquid- nitrogen freezer storage unit, set at 150 degrees Celsius…As you know Matthew, viruses are relatively easy to put into storage because they contain little more than RNA or DNA sequences in a protein shell. To freeze them, we place the isolated virus in a solution that mimics the conditions within a living cell. We also add dimethyl sulfoxide or glycerol, to prevent freezing damage.”
Dr. Derosa then turned around. His back was now toward Matthew. He punched in the code and opened the freezer. While doing so Matthew began risk two. He turned around and saw that Dr. Patel was not in his immediate sight. He then, after several seconds (which felt like hours,) fished the vial from the suit pocket with his right hand. Wearing the protective gloves this move proved to be quite difficult. Matthew could barely feel the vile in his palm. If he dropped it, all would be over for him.
Dr. Derosa turned around. The freezer door was already shut. He was holding and observing a vile, a few inches from his nose. Just as Matthew had hoped and expected, it was the same shape and size as the stolen vile nestled in his right hand. Also, it had the same label and cap as his vial with “S” “R” “2” written horizontally across it.
“This is it Matthew,” Derosa said- his voice burdened with more than a light shade of shame. “SARS-COMBO-21.”
Matthew cut right in,
“May I see it Dr.?”….
“I suppose,” he answered. “However if you should drop it, move against the door. You cannot get infected, but I would need to immediately kill the virus using specialized bleach in that can over there.”
He pointed to a hook protruding from the wall, just to the left. A black can with a loop attached to a long nozzle hung from it.
The Dr. held out the vile pinched between the first three fingers of his right hand and said to Matthew,
“Grab it with three fingers... and very slowly”
Matthew did as he was told using his left hand. He then held it just above eye level and was pleased to see the liquid in the vile was almost, if not exactly, the same maroon-ish shade as the vile hidden in his right hand.
He didn’t have to say
a word as Dr. Derosa broke the silence and suggested they have a “true” look at it under the microscope.
“Follow me to my favorite microscope over here.”
The Dr. stepped in front of Matthew and led the way towards the lab table across the room. It could not have been any easier so far, and Matthew could not help but think something truly was guiding his plan.
What happened next lasted less than a minute. Matthew glanced over his shoulder through the lab window and saw only the top of Dr. Patel's head. It was slumped forward as if he were reading something.
Matthew then swung his head forward to make sure Dr. Derosa’s back was still in front of him…. It was. He then placed the “live” SARS COMBO 21 vile into his right hand while simultaneously placing the counterfeit one in his left. Next, he placed the live vile into the slit at the right hip oh his BSL suit, pushing it down into the pit of the pocket.
The first half of risk two was complete, but far from over. Matthew took a few steps forward, hesitated, and fell to his knees. While still holding the fake vile away from his body with his left hand, he clutched his chest with his right. He bent over and began breathing deep and quick. Dr. Derosa swung around and grabbed the fake vile from Matthew's outstretched hand. His voice, tinged with anger, crackled through the head set.
“What is it Matthew??!!”
For added effect, Matthew took 2 deep breathes before responding in a quick, wavering voice- "I'm feeling…very cluster phobic and faint in this suit Doctor.(2 more deep, quick breathes)… Please…. get me out of here.”
9 Tales From Elsewhere 12 Page 17