by C M Dancha
The more he spoke with her, the more he loved her matter-of-fact attitude and wry sense of humor. "Don't worry about being fashionable, we're going to a restaurant where there is no dress code. The only thing they request is a healthy appetite to eat the home-made food which is delicious."
"I look forward to it. What time are we going?"
"Well, it looks like you have a lot to do here, so I'll stop at your hotel around 7 p.m. In the meantime, I better get Claude and Helmer down here to help you unpack and set up this equipment."
"What's the rush, Rollie?"
"I've moved up the primate cloning to tomorrow. After you left, Claude informed us that he ran several test clones and all of them were successful, even the ones he intentionally altered." Callie suspected that Rollie's carefully chosen phrase, "intentionally altered," was a subtle way of saying deformed and atrocious.
"Callie, I am very confident that we've figured out what was wrong with the CR47 incubator and fixed the problem. I wish we had more time to test the incubator, but we don't. So I want to do at least one primate clone tomorrow and get you working with the replicant. If the first clone looks good and we have enough time, we'll do the second one. We're flying by the seats of our pants on this Callie, so let's hope for the best."
"How many days do I have to work with the clones before my report is due?"
"You're not going to like this, but we need at least a preliminary report within three days."
From her furrowed brow Rollie could tell she wasn't pleased. "You must be joking. Are you serious?"
"I'm afraid I am."
"Well, if that's the case, you better get the hell out of here and let me get back to work. And get my helpers down here quick."
"As Rollie headed out of the primate lab Callie yelled to him, "By the way, the lab is good enough for what we're going to do. And, don't hope for the best, Rollie. Pray for it."
Rollie smiled and considered how much this woman acted like his Grandma LeeLee. That was why he had an immediate affection for her.
By luck, Rollie was wearing one of his few shirts which had a micromic embedded in the collar. He activated the device and asked Claude and Helmer to help Callie in the primate lab after they finished whatever they were working on. Rollie then called Raul to see if they could meet at his office.
"I'm kinda busy now, Rollie. We're going to dinner tonight. Can it wait 'til then?
"No, Raul. This is too personal to discuss in front of our guest from Africa."
"Okay, give me a few minutes to finish what I'm doing, and I'll meet you at my office."
Fifteen minutes later Raul entered his office to find Rollie staring out the only window. He was watching the midafternoon activities of the city. The backdrop of the snow-covered Alps helped to ease the anxiety of what Rollie wanted to tell the security director.
"Sorry I'm late. Sometimes, supervising takes a little longer than planned. What's going on?"
Rollie didn't bother to turn around. He figured it would be easier to bear his soul without facing Raul. "Raul, I tried to tell you this yesterday, but we were interrupted before I could get it out. I believe that Klaus beat up the girl from Archives. I can't prove it, but it's too much of a coincidence that he came to work looking like a rotten piece of fruit and the girl from Archives called in claiming she's had an accident and won't be in for several days."
Raul sat in one of his office guest's chairs, reached for a real Caribbean cigar and fired it. Normally, he smoked the imitation tobacco products which contained no harmful chemicals. But he could tell this conversation was going to be filled with a rare blend of honesty and understanding. A real cigar seemed appropriate for the occasion.
"I think the same thing, Rollie. You know the two of them have been seeing each other, don't you?"
Raul's question came as a surprise but not a complete surprise. In the back of his mind, Rollie wondered about Sophia's faithfulness. It was unrealistic for him to think she wouldn't see other men. The fact that they couldn't be seen in public because of the company non-fraternization policy was enough of a reason for her to go out occasionally and enjoy the Zurich nightlife. He couldn't expect her to be his personal sleepover companion.
But what would compel her to see a man like Klaus who had to play by the same non-fraternization rules? There was only one reasonable explanation. Sophia wanted something from each of them.
Rollie sat down in Raul's desk chair and leaned back in it as far as it would go. "No, Raul, I didn't know that. I suspected she was seeing someone, but I didn't know it was Klaus. How long have you known about this?"
"A couple of months, Rollie."
In a sheepish monotone, Rollie asked, "She wants something from both of us, doesn't she?"
"I'm afraid so, Rollie. I'm sure she wants information about the ReLife project, but I don't know what she plans to do with the information. I'm certain she isn't freelancing. Someone has hired her to get the information. And whoever hired her is very, very interested in cloning."
Rollie sat back and tried to replay from memory everything he said to Sophia about the ReLife project. There was no question he said more than he should have. He had violated the company policy about secret projects and could be terminated immediately. He wondered how much that dweeb of a boss, Klaus, had told her.
"Rollie, do you think she would tell you what she's up to if you came clean and told her everything we know about her?"
Rollie shook his head slightly from side to side to clear his head and think through what Raul asked. "I don't know. How much do we really know about her?"
Raul snorted a half laugh. "I guess not that much, Rollie. We know she's an agent for someone. She's very bright and sexy and is one tough bird. Someone has taught her how to fight and do it well. I'm guessing she's from somewhere in eastern Europe. I suspect her real name isn't Sophia and she isn't living at the address she provided when hired. I've already checked that address, and no one has ever heard of her there. Oh, and one last thing. She provided the information for the Beobachter article about the company's cloning project."
"Why did she do that, Raul?"
"I'm not sure, Rollie. Maybe things were moving too slow for her and she wanted to stir the pot and see what happened. I simply don't know.
"Rollie, what do you know about her?"
Rollie replayed every conversation he had with Sophia trying to uncover something over and above what Raul already knew. "Let's see. This is going to sound stupid, but she knows a good from a bad cigar." He paused for a moment concentrating as hard as he could. "She did have an interest in my work, but it didn't seem pointed at any particular project I was working on." Rollie thought a little longer about what he just said and added, "No, that's not true, Raul. She did ask about the puppy I brought home from work. She wanted to know where I got it from."
"What did you tell her?"
"I ended up telling her the truth. I told her the puppy was a clone. God, what a dumb-ass I am."
"Rollie, there's nothing you can do about it now. What else can you remember about the time you spent with her?"
"There were a couple more things. I always had the feeling she was well educated. I wouldn't be surprised to find out she was raised in a family of privilege. Just the way she spoke and moved and knew so many things about the finer things in life. As an example, she once told me how better wines are made as opposed to wines for average people. I found it interesting that she knew the winemaking process, but more so, how she referred to average people as though they belonged to a class beneath her."
"Raul, the more I think about her the more convinced I am that she is a master manipulator. The first time I met her, or I should say saw her, was in a tavern. I stopped to have a late-night dinner before going home. As I was reading the daily edition of the Beobachter, I could feel someone's eyes on me. I looked up and across the room was this gorgeous woman, dressed entirely in black, staring at me. She was with two other women who were yapping away nonstop. The woman
in black, who I figured out months later was Sophia, ignored her companions and stared a hole right through me. Even though nothing was said between us, her inviting eyes were so intense I became embarrassed and left the restaurant with my dinner. In retrospect, there's no question in my mind that she made herself available to me and I took the bait for the companionship and sex."
"Interesting. Rollie, few men could have ignored Sophia. Let's face it, she's very attractive and alluring. Is there anything else you can think of?"
"This is going to sound very weird, but my grandmother LeeLee doesn't trust her and thinks she is evil."
"What in God's name are you talking about? I thought your grandmother is in North America?"
"She is, Raul, and that's why this sounds bizarre. I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but my grandmother can communicate with me by some type of psychic-sensory communication. It usually happens when I'm sleeping. I can hear and see exactly what my grandmother is thinking and saying. I know how goofy this sounds but it's the truth. Anyhow, my grandmother warned me about Sophia a few weeks ago, and that's when I started to sidestep her questions about my work. Unfortunately, I wasn't subtle about it so I'm sure Sophia knew I was brushing her off."
Raul leaned forward, trying to see if he could spot any evidence of deception in Rollie's story about his grandmother's psychic abilities.
"You're telling the truth, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm not making this up. She really does talk to me by telepathy. I have no idea how she does it, but this has been going on ever since I was a child."
"Wow. That is weird." Raul started laughing.
"What's so funny, Raul?"
"I was just thinking what a great new product your grandmother's psychic telepathy would make. After we get the ReLife project up and running, we can work on bringing your grandmother's talent to the marketplace. Wouldn't that be mind-boggling? Think about it. New from Phoenvartis International, the psychic-communicator. Be the first in your neighborhood to talk to anyone, anywhere on Earth, using only your mind."
Rollie rolled his eyes. "I don't think my grandmother would approve. Besides, she credits God for everything in her life and I'm sure this is no exception. I doubt that grandmother would ask the Almighty to grant Phoenvartis the exclusive rights to this special gift. Especially when 90% of humanity doesn't believe in Him."
"I know, Rollie. I was being a smart-ass; trying to lighten the conversation a bit."
"Raul, what are we going to do? I mean, what are you going to do? God, I don't know what I mean. I'm at your mercy, so I guess it's up to you to figure out what to do with Sophia."
Rollie slammed his fist on Raul's desk in disgust. He was frazzled and fed up with this entire discussion. But most of all, he was disgusted with himself. How could he have been taken in by a fraud? Someone who undermined the entire ReLife project for some devious purpose. Had he been so wanting of love and affection that he allowed himself to be manipulated by this temptress? He got up and walked over to the office cooler for a cold drink.
"Rollie, we're going to do exactly what this woman least expects. We're going to kill her with kindness and hope like hell she cooperates with us."
Rollie turned toward Raul and waited for him to explain.
"Rollie, you're a good person with a good soul. I'm betting that she knows this and has at least a small bit of respect and affection for you. I'm sure she would slit Klaus's throat without a second thought. But, you're different. I don't think she'll betray you unless she is forced to. So let's treat her with respect and kindness and see if she'll cooperate with us. We don't have a choice. If I get tough with her, she'll either disappear or clam up."
"Okay, that sounds reasonable, but how are we going to do this?"
"Rollie, I figure we have about three days before she comes back to work. It's going to take that long before her face starts to look good enough to be seen in public. There's no sense trying to find her apartment because it will take at least that long. Anyhow, you are going to leave a nice bunch of roses in her office with a mushy note saying how much you've missed her and hope she feels well. Don't include too much in the note, we don't want her to think you want something from her. End the note with something like, "looking to hear from you soon." Raul thought for a moment more and added, "Write a p.s. Say that I let you into her lab to leave the flowers. She is going to wonder about that, so we might as well get in the open right away."
"Then what do we do, Raul?"
"I'm not exactly sure. I still need some time to think this one through. But when she contacts you, make plans to see her. In fact, we might want you to take her out in public. I'll tell you what to do in the next day or two. Sound reasonable?"
"Raul, I'll do whatever you think is best. I have enough on my mind with the cloning scheduled for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Are you doing a human clone tomorrow? That was damn..."
Rollie interrupted his associate and confidant before he had a chance to veer off onto a tangent. "No Raul, we're doing two primate clones tomorrow. One is an ape and one is a monkey. That's why I want you to meet Callie Weeks tonight at dinner. She is the world's leading expert on primates and supposedly can talk to them. Also, I want you to check out the rooms we've built to house the primates to make sure they are secure enough to hold them."
"How long will the primates be here, Rollie?"
"Definitely not more than two weeks. Callie has three days to analyze them and submit her report to me. There's a good chance it will be less than a week, but the worst-case scenario is two weeks."
"Okay. If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of doing monkey clones?"
"I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect with human clones. What will their personalities be like? How intelligent will they be? Do they remember their past? Things like that. We've spent so much time worrying about their bodies we haven't given much thought to their personalities and psychic make-up."
"Sounds smart to me, Rollie. Okay, what time do you want me at the Raven's Lair to meet the monkey woman and where exactly are their cages?"
For the next five minutes, Rollie answered Raul's questions and gave him more information on the upcoming primate clonings. When he left Raul's office, he felt more at peace with the Sophia situation. He was still apprehensive about the ultimate outcome of confronting her but at least they had a plan. It would either work or backfire in their faces. Regardless, it felt good to clear his conscience and tell someone about her before something horrible happened.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Do You Believe the Muscles on Her?
Rollie awoke a 6 a.m. and prepared for a busy and suspenseful day. He didn't bother to wake Gretchen who came by after her shift ended at 11 p.m. The first clone was scheduled for 9 a.m. so Rollie wanted to be at the lab by 7 a.m. and give the equipment a final examination. He knew that Helmer had done the same thing the previous night, but another review wouldn't hurt. Plus, he wanted to check the nightly security logs and recordings to make sure no one entered the cloning lab to sabotage the equipment.
The evening at the Raven's Lair was a pleasant opportunity for everyone to get to know each other. Raul let everyone know that he thought the enclosures for the primates were secure and would be fine for a couple weeks. He got a laugh out of his dinner companions when he declared that his opinion was based on the years spent as a professional zookeeper.
Rollie couldn't pass up an opportunity to zing his friend. "Raul, living in a cage at a zoo doesn't qualify you as a zookeeper." Everyone had a good belly laugh in response to Rollie's sarcastic wit.
Raul and Callie got along great from the first minute. In fact, after talking for about a half hour the two of them realized they had met years before in the Congo. Raul had been hired by Callie's mentor and lover to train some of his military officers. From what they could remember, it had been over twenty years since their introduction.
Rollie asked the maître`d to sit them in a section not assigned to Gretche
n. He knew having her hovering around their table would be too much of a distraction. This dinner was too important to the ReLife project to have one eye on the conversation and the other on his girlfriend. As Raul and Callie left the tavern, Rollie pretended to go to the men's room so he could explain to Gretchen why they sat in a different section.
"I already figured out why you were sitting over there. I want you to know that you still owe me a tip, buddy boy."
"Oh, you'll get tipped when I see you later." They smiled with desire at each other's playful flirtation and went their separate ways.
Their lovemaking that night was every bit as good as the fantasized sex they each planned. By the time they were done, a good night's sleep was in order, so they could recharge their energy level to handle the next day's activities.
At about 5 a.m., Rollie received a message telepathically from Grandma LeeLee. It was short and graphic. As with many of her messages, Rollie found himself in a large field with waist-high shrubs, prairie weeds, and flowers. This time he was holding hands with an attractive blonde girl and they were running for their lives. Behind them was a twenty-foot snake, big and evil enough to grab and eat them alive. Rather than covered with smooth, scaly skin, this snake was covered with a rainbow of different colored hair. From its head back, there was black, brown, red and silver hair growing from its back and sides. It moved through the underbrush faster than Rollie and his mate could run. Just before the snake swallowed the two to them in one gulp, Rollie woke up.
He rubbed the sweat from his brow and walked into the kitchen to make a cup of black coffee. Neither Gretchen or the puppy bothered to wake up and see who was stirring. He took out an extra ounce of liquid caffeine and dumped it into the coffee maker. He usually didn't like to use liquid caffeine because it made his heart race all day long. But today was extremely important and he needed to be acutely aware of everything happening at once. The caffeine would heighten his senses, so he could process a great deal of information quickly.