2156

by C M Dancha

  Sophia prayed that the worst-case scenario about Boris wasn't true and his departure from Beobachter was due to a personal or business reason like finding another job. At the same time Sophia was praying to a supernatural being which she didn't believe in, Mr. Todd and Raul Hakala were meeting at Phoenvartis.

  "Mr. Hakala, the Beobachter reporter was very cooperative. He needed an incentive or two to start talking, but did quite well after he lost a couple of teeth. He described his source as a female in her thirties, well-built with long black hair. From the way he described her facial features, I would guess that her ancestry was southeast European. Does this help identify your leak?"

  Raul wasn't pleased that Todd described his method of obtaining information from the reporter. He was paying Todd for information, not a lesson on torture.

  "Yes, Mr. Todd, I believe it does. You've saved me a lot of wasted time." Raul's mind raced ahead to how he should handle this revelation. There was no doubt the girl in Archives was the source of leaked information to the Beobachter. But why? Why was she intent on having the company's business made public? What did that accomplish and who did it benefit?

  Getting rid of Boris shut off the leak problem but left a bigger problem. The girl from Archives was sleeping with the company's CEO and a key executive. Raul had to assume she was gathering information from both. Again, the primary question was "why"? What was her goal and where was the information going? The easy thing to do would be to drag her in and question her. But Raul had a feeling she was much too clever and experienced to confess to anything. He knew as soon as she left his interrogation she would disappear and any hope of figuring out what she was up to would go with her. Plus, she might expose her relationships with Klaus and Rollie before leaving town. That would be very embarrassing for the company. For the time being, Raul decided to keep an arm's length from her. This would give him time to establish her identity, where she came from and what she planned to do at Phoenvartis.

  "Mr. Todd, have you had a chance to think about Sedgewick Slice's disappearance?"

  "I have, Mr. Hakala, and I'm afraid I don't have any insight or new revelations for you. I am truly surprised that Slice didn't make another appearance at Phoenvartis. If you told me everything about his initial tour of the company, then I cannot understand why he hasn't come back for another visit. I would have, and I think you would have also. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

  "Have you been able to track him down, Mr. Todd?"

  "I can't help you with that. My contacts don't know where he is. He might be still here or in England or anywhere in the world. You would think a large, boisterous man with a huge mane of red hair and matching bushy beard would be easy to keep track of, but obviously not. But I did find out that Slice's forte is handling difficult jobs for the World Council. It seems he prefers assignments which no one else wants and loves surprising people with his quirky methods. It sounds like you got a large dose of his unconventional ways when he toured the company."

  "I certainly did and I'm in no hurry to see him again. Which raises the next question, Mr. Todd. Do you think he'll come back to Phoenvartis?"

  "Yes, there's no doubt in my mind he'll be back. But I don't know when. About the only thing I can recommend is to conduct business as normal. Don't try to predict his next move and keep a vigilant eye watching for his reappearance. I know that is easier said than done, but you don't have a choice. You are, whether you like it or not, at his mercy."

  Raul was memorizing the important things Mr. Todd said. His comments about Sedgewick Slice were placed immediately into the total recall memory basket in his brain. He needed to update Klaus on Slice's activities even if they were only Todd's opinions and predictions. This wasn't going to calm Klaus down entirely, but it might help him get his mind back on running the company. He needed to push the important projects ahead without any more unnecessary delays.

  "Do you have any other thoughts for me, Mr. Todd?"

  "No, I don't think so. You know how to reach me, and you have my world credits account. As we agreed, I will be looking for the deposit to my account by week end." Both men stood and shook hands without exchanging any accolades or parting pleasantries. Raul wondered how Todd was going to keep a large deposit of world credits hidden from the government. He realized this was a waste of his time. If anyone could manipulate the world credit system to his advantage, it was Todd.

  Raul walked Mr. Todd out of the building and then headed to his office. The first thing he did was get updated by his agents on the assignments they were given two days before. All their assignments centered on the ReLife project. Specifically, who was entering and exiting the CR47 lab and what visual recordings were made of the lab and surrounding area in the last few weeks. What he had not delegated to any of his agents was investigating the girl from Archives. This was too sensitive and could have major consequences for the company. He would handle the Sophia probe. If necessary, he would hire outside investigators who could be trusted and had specific skills, sources, and talents.

  As Raul and Mr. Todd were wrapping up their business, Rollie and Claude were finalizing their ReLife project schedule. Now that Slice had apparently gone home, they could get back to their original night schedule. Access to the lab in the evening allowed uninterrupted experimentation with the CR47 incubator.

  "Claude, are your mice still doing okay?"

  "From every test I've run, they seem to be as normal as any mice on the planet. How's the mutt?"

  "Same thing with the puppy, Claude. He seems perfectly normal. Actually, I'm getting kind of attached to him, so I hope he lives a long and normal life."

  Both men sat motionless, staring into space wondering the same thing. Why were some clones normal and others an abomination? There had to be something they were overlooking which could explain such contrasting results. They needed to find the clue to successfully replicating life and do it fast. Rollie had a bad feeling about where their secretive ReLife experimentation was headed. Sedgewick Slice was a warning signal. Someone or something else was closing in on them. It wouldn't be long before time ran out and their sabotage was exposed. They had to beat this unknown person or thing to the finish line and determine the feasibility of ReLife.

  "Okay, I'll see you tonight around eleven."

  As Claude left Rollie's office to head home and get a couple of hours of sleep, Raul was meeting with his agents. Each of them had assignments related to the CR47 lab. What he just heard damn near catapulted him out of his chair into a rage. It was taking every ounce of energy to maintain his composure even though he knew his face was glowing red.

  "Let me see if I understand correctly what you two have told me. Mr. Zeggler, you disabled the access reader into the CR47 lab about six to seven weeks ago. And Mr. Murphy, you took the CR47 lab recorders off-line about the same time. Is that an accurate recap of what you just said?"

  Zeggler and Murphy nodded their heads. They knew Raul was pissed off, so they weren't going to make things worse by talking.

  "Well, gentlemen, that's great. Can you answer one question for me? Why the hell didn't you tell me about this before today? Someone please explain fast because your actions are beyond my comprehension."

  Neither man wanted to look like a fool and answer the boss's question, but they were backed into a corner. Until one of them offered up a flimsy excuse they were staying in the corner.

  "Mr. Hakala, we were told by Mr. Sweats to do these things and he claimed that Klaus Ekstrom approved the changes. He said there was a possibility that the access and recording systems might be creating enough interference to alter the results of the CR47 testing. So they had to be shut down until it was determined if this was true or not."

  "Well, why didn't you confirm this with me, Murphy?"

  "As I recall, sir, he made it sound like you already knew about these changes."

  "Did he specifically mention my name? Did he say that your boss or Raul Hakala knew about these changes?"

  Mu
rphy looked at Zeggler for some type of guidance or support. Raul could tell by their facial expressions that Rollie had not used the security director's name to sell the idea of shutting down both systems. Most likely, Rollie made some vague reference to their boss. That was all it took for the two agents to assume everyone, including their boss, approved of the changes.

  Zeggler answered with a lie. "Sir, to be honest, we don't remember exactly what Mr. Sweats said. It was several weeks ago."

  It was bad enough that these two fell for Sweats' charade but now they were lying about it.

  "Gentlemen, one last question. When I asked you two days ago to review the current access and recorder logs, what did you think I was asking you to do? Why didn't you tell me then about no logs available for the past six weeks?"

  Murphy hung his head and sheepishly answered. "We thought you were asking for us to check the logs from a couple of months ago."

  Raul spun his chair around, put his feet up on the wall credenza and gazed out the only window in his office. He was afraid that if he kept looking at Murphy and Zeggler he would say or do something he would regret. On one hand, his two agents were idiots for not confirming everything Rollie told them to do. On the other hand, Rollie's story was good. It sounded completely believable. How would two security agents know if power systems like the access reader and recorders were having a deleterious effect on the CR47 testing? Add in the CEO's approval and these two fools would have done anything Rollie asked.

  There wasn't anything Raul could do to salvage what his agents screwed up. Without turning back to face them, Raul gave them instructions before kicking them out of his office.

  "Gentlemen, I want you to know that by not double-checking Mr. Sweats' story you have set back a very important investigation by weeks. From this point on, you will confirm any special requests or anything outside of normal procedure with me. If you fail to do this, you're done at Phoenvartis. Do you understand what I just said?"

  Both men responded with "Yes, sir." Raul continued.

  "Tomorrow, you will put the CR47 access and recorder systems back on-line. I don't want you to tell anyone what you've done. In fact, you will not say anything about disarming those systems six weeks ago, and you will not say anything about what we discussed this afternoon. If any of what we discussed today leaks out, you can start looking for new positions. Any questions?"

  Both men answered, "No sir," and were out of their chairs and heading for the office door before Raul could say, "Get out."

  Raul thought to himself, "what a day." He had taken one step forward by identifying the Archives girl and then fell back two steps because of two gullible agents. What should he do now? Or, what could he do now? Rollie had outwitted anyone wanting to know what was going on in the CR47 lab. But disarming the lab systems did prove one thing. Rollie was up to something, something big.

  He had to give Rollie credit. His cover story was bullshit, but it was believable, especially to non-scientists. There was no use accusing Rollie of intentionally using this ploy to sabotage the cloning project. Accusing him of anything would be nothing more than circumstantial evidence and guesses. Not one fact pointed directly to subversive activity. Yes, Rollie won this round but tomorrow was a new day. Raul hated to lose, even to a friend.

  Raul decided to break with his normal routine and go home early. He had enough for one day. If he stayed and heard worse news, he might do something crazy. An hour on the boxing punch bag and a long hot bath were exactly what he needed. He didn't want to hear or see anything about Phoenvartis until tomorrow morning.

  Had he stayed at Phoenvartis and took the time to review the CR47 recordings from six to seven weeks earlier, he might have stumbled on the evidence he needed to prove Rollie and Claude were sabotaging the ReLife project. He might have found the recordings from the night they produced seven abnormal clones and five normal ones. Producing clones when the CR47 was supposedly broken and in need of two replacement parts.

  Raul's disgust with his staff and departure from his normal routine fit perfectly with Sedgewick Slice's next move.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Is He the Devil or A Leprechaun?

  "Hello, Mr. Sweats and Mr. Ekstrom. I was hoping you two would be here tonight."

  Rollie and Claude were surprised by the interruption from someone they had never seen before. Standing before them was a short, plump gentleman with shocking red hair and a shaggy beard to match. His rosy cheeks peeked through the massive red beard and highlighted eyes which were so pale they appeared to lack any color. Rollie could see the stranger's clothes were expensive but they were ill-fitted and hung on him like a tent.

  Rollie and Claude didn't know whether to stand up or stay seated at the lab table. Both opened their mouths to say something but were so stunned by the stranger's appearance nothing came out. One moment they were alone and the next they had a visitor. For such a wide man, he moved without making a sound. Rollie found this unusual and wondered if he was losing his hearing. It was either that or this guy was a leprechaun with magical powers. He sure as hell looked like one.

  "Sedgewick Slice, gentlemen. I'm sure you heard I was here a few days ago. Thought I'd come back and talk to the guys who know the most about the ReLife project. Can you fill me in on where the cloning project stands?"

  "Good to meet you, Mr. Slice." Rollie had come to grips with Slice's appearance and regained his composure. "Could I see your identification first, Mr. Slice?"

  "Very professional, Mr. Sweats. I was wondering if either of you would want me to prove who I claimed to be." Slice then flashed his holographic identification so Rollie and Claude could verify his identity.

  When Rollie was satisfied, he said, "Please have a seat, Mr. Slice. I'd be happy to bring you up to date on ReLife."

  "As you know, the ReLife project has stalled temporarily due to numerous factors. Currently, we are waiting on two replacement parts for the CR47 incubator. Without these parts, we cannot do any additional testing and...."

  Rollie stopped in mid-sentence when Slice held up his hand like the universal sign for stop.

  "Mr. Sweats, I didn't come here to hear the cockamamie story you and Claude have been telling Klaus and everyone else. I know there isn't anything wrong with the CR47 unit. For some reason, you two have stalled the ReLife project and I'd like to know why. What is really going on, gentlemen? Just so you know, anything said here tonight will stay between us and the World Council. You don't have to worry about Klaus or the executive committee finding out."

  Claude started to fidget in his chair and kept looking at Rollie, waiting for his partner to say something. Rollie was debating if Slice was telling the truth or lying. How could he know there was nothing wrong with the CR47? And what made him believe the project was being intentionally sabotaged? Rollie had to decide to either believe Slice or call his bluff. He drew upon his experience as a good poker player and decided to acknowledge Slice's accusations.

  "Mr. Slice, Claude and I want the ReLife project to be successful. It would be the next major technological and medical breakthrough in history. Plus, the company and everyone involved in the project would be world-renowned heroes overnight. But Mr. Slice, there's something wrong with the CR47. Of the tests we've run, about 70% of the cloned animals have ended up failures. You wouldn't believe the atrocities that have come out of that machine."

  Rollie stopped to think about what he wanted to say next and see if what he already said had any effect on Slice. Slice hadn't moved a muscle or changed his facial expression since Rollie began his truthful explanation.

  "We have been stalling the project, so we could figure out where the problem is or conclude that cloning is not 100% safe with the CR47. We've made some progress but still need more time. That's the bottom line, Mr. Slice."

  All three men sat motionless, each contemplating what to do or say next.

  "Thank you for being honest, Mr. Sweats. Let me ask you a question. Did Raul Hakala tell you what I recommended
?"

  "Yes, he did, but I don't understand what your comments meant. Raul isn't very scientific, so he had a tough time relaying your recommendations."

  "That's what I was afraid of." Slice took a small, leather notebook from his coat pocket and opened it to a blank page. With an antique writing pen, he wrote something on the blank page and then passed it over to Rollie.

  Mr. Sweats, this is exactly what I recommended. I can't guarantee these things will get the ReLife project jumpstarted, but I think there's a good chance one of these items is your nemesis."

  Rollie looked at the paper and read the items Slice had written. Each of them was straight forward and easily understood. He passed the paper and waited for Claude to read what was written.

  "Gentlemen, do you have any questions about what I've written?" Both men responded by shaking their heads back and forth.

  "Gentlemen, do you have any questions about anything we've discussed?" Rollie wanted to ask Slice a hundred questions like how he got into the building and approached the lab so quietly. He decided this was not the appropriate time to be cutesy with a guy like Slice. There was something about this guy which scared the hell out of Rollie.

  "Good, then you have two more weeks to resolve the ReLife project. At the end of this time, you'll either have fixed the CR47 problem or decided cloning is not possible now. If you decide the latter, then the ReLife project will be turned over to someone else."

  Slice paused to let what he said sink in with the two scientists sitting across the table.

  "I strongly suggest you get the CR47 incubator running correctly and figure out how to clone with 100% accuracy, 100% of the time."

  Slice stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "No more screwing around gentlemen! Get the damn thing working, otherwise, terrible things are going to happen."