Z-Minus Box Set 2

by Perrin Briar

  Archie could even build a cure, simultaneously working in reverse from imported virus DNA, to come up with an antigen. This information could then be uploaded into the cloud where public healthcare organizations all over the world would have access to it, and immediately begin mass-producing the cure for their population. It was a bold new world, but not one without danger.

  The fear, as always, was for the technology to fall into the wrong hands. For now, it was safe. They were at the very beginning of research, taking its infant steps into the world. But it would need to grow up quick, along with safety protocols.

  A figure stood before the machine with a hand cupped under his chin in a contemplative pose. Susan’s heart fluttered. She was quick to beat it down. Traitor!

  Richard was tall, with dark hair that spilled to his shoulders. He cupped an elbow in the palm of one hand, as he often did when faced with something perplexing. He was greying at the temples, but rather than make him look old, it gave him an official air that was not unpleasant.

  “Phil mentioned Archie turned on automatically,” Susan said. “That he was working on something from New York.”

  Richard turned. His eyes caught Susan’s and held them for a moment. Susan hated that it sent a shiver through her. She steeled herself against him. A prow against a raging storm.

  “The New York branch did indeed send something,” Richard said.

  “Any idea what it is?” Susan said.

  “Not yet,” Richard said. “But early analyses suggest it could be some form of bacteria.”

  Richard was the only person Susan knew who could reliably rise earlier than she. And without the need of an alarm.

  Susan approached the terminal and tapped at the keys, bringing up the programming code. Richard stood beside her. Tall and confident, his presence always calmed her. She was distracted with him being so close, but she refused to let him know that. She ignored him.

  “I already checked the file,” Richard said. “There was no message.”

  Susan checked anyway. He was right. There was just the code and no accompanying paperwork. Usually there was at least a document that told them what the procedure was in aid of.

  “That’s odd, don’t you think?” Susan said. “If they think we’re doing all the paperwork for this, they’ve got another thing coming. Did you call them?”

  “As soon as I arrived,” Richard said.

  He took out his inhaler, put it to his mouth and depressed the button. His asthma always played up when he was nervous or excited.

  “And?” Susan said.

  “Nothing,” Richard said.

  Susan shook her head.

  “Maybe they sent it by accident, or thought they’d cleared it or something,” she said. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Maybe,” Richard said in a tone that suggested he didn’t really believe that. “But this looks like something new, something we haven’t worked on before.”

  Susan closed the terminal and shrugged.

  “It’s contained,” she said. “Unlikely anything will escape. It should be fine.”

  “Except I wanted to run some diagnostics before the presentation today,” Richard said. “Now I can’t.”

  “You’ve run tests already,” Susan said.

  “Never hurts to be prepared,” Richard said.

  It was always in his personality to be a perfectionist. Another reason Susan loved him. Had loved him, Susan reminded herself. She shook her head.

  “It might be good for the investors to see Archie in action,” Susan said. “So they can see what he can really do.”

  Richard put his elbow in his hand again and looked Susan up and down in his signature pose of curiosity.

  “What?” Susan said.

  “Are you going to give the presentation in your workout finest?” Richard said, the corners of his lips turning up.

  Susan looked down. Her cheeks burned red. She was still in her jeans and T-shirt. She’d meant to go to the changing rooms down the hall but Phil had distracted her. But she wouldn’t be told what to do by Richard.

  “So what if I did?” she said, hand braced on her hip.

  Richard ran his eyes over her. They felt like his hands.

  “Perhaps the black dress you wore for our last anniversary,” Richard said.

  Damn him. That was the dress she was going to wear anyway. Now he’d think she’d worn it just to please him. But she hadn’t. Had she?

  Susan turned away, at a loss for what to say. She felt Richard’s eyes on her. She blushed, knowing the thoughts going through his mind. Damn him for the way he could still make her feel.

  And damn me for letting him.

  9:22 am

  Susan wore the figure-hugging black dress with matching heels. She’d changed her mind half a dozen times, reaching for a blue number, but finally she’d decided to wear this one. Not for Richard, she’d told herself, but for herself. She wasn’t sure if she believed that.

  Her blonde hair tickled her bare shoulders as she closed her office door. Richard met her in the corridor. He’d taken off his white doctor’s coat and smiled when he saw her. Susan hated that she loved that.

  She held her clutch purse close, a shield. They walked down the corridor toward the elevators. They didn’t say a word.

  A powerful wolf whistle exploded down the hall, the kind that bursts the eardrums if you’re too close.

  “Hey, hey!” Steve shouted. “Looking good, doc!”

  It wasn’t the most flattering of comments, but a mid-thirties single mom took all the compliments she could get.

  “As good as the yoga instructor?” Susan said.

  “At least as good,” Steve said with a grin.

  He was leaning against a cabinet. His prosthetic arm was fastened tight to his stump of an arm, held rigid by black straps. He was wearing only his underpants and vest.

  “You can ogle me too if you like,” Steve said.

  “In your dreams,” Susan said.

  “Every night,” Steve said with a wink. “Good luck with the presentation.”

  “Thanks,” Susan said.

  Steve turned back to the mat on the floor. An assistant nodded, and Steve executed a perfect forward roll, coming up onto his feet. His balance was a little unsteady, but it was a huge improvement over the functionality he had just a few weeks ago.

  That was the best part of Susan’s job – seeing how she made a difference to people and their lives. Archie was her crowning achievement – he could potentially save millions of lives one day, but they were all distant, impersonal. With their prosthetic limb projects she could see the help they were giving people firsthand.

  She and Richard stepped into an elevator. The doors closed. The space was close, intimate. Susan cleared her throat. They were silent.

  “Is that the Chanel you’re wearing?” Richard said.

  Susan rearranged her skirt.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “It’s nice,” Richard said.

  Susan made a show of breathing in deeply through her nose, taking in his scent, but she already knew what he was wearing.

  “Hugo Boss?” she said.

  “Of course,” Richard said.

  “Good scent,” Susan said. “Whoever bought it clearly has good taste.”

  “What made you think I didn’t buy it myself?” Richard said.

  “Ha!” Susan said.

  It had been her gift to him on their third anniversary. The thought of him buying it for himself was laughable. They’d gone on a weekend trip together. They’d had a wonderful time. It was where they’d conceived Amy. But that was a long time ago.

  “That she does,” Richard said.

  They traveled in silence. Everything they’d wanted to say they’d said, dozens of times. But despite two years, their wounds still felt raw and fresh. Susan had begun to wonder if either of them would ever move on, find other people, but each time she considered it, it left a nasty taste in her mouth.

  The gl
ass elevator glided silently to the first floor. The doors opened. They were assaulted by the undulating tones of discussions across the foyer.

  Susan’s stomach dropped. She suddenly felt nervous. So much for it not helping. Richard must have sensed her trepidation because he placed his hand on the small of her back. He didn’t push. He knew he didn’t need to.

  Susan swallowed what little saliva was in her mouth and stepped out of the glass elevator. She crossed the wide path to the circular center garden. It was an oasis of calm in a bustling research institute. The water tinkled in the fountains. The smell of nature embraced Susan. She closed her eyes and let herself become enveloped in it.

  But she could still hear the murmurs of the people on the other side of the foyer, heading toward the large presentation room, encroaching on Susan’s tranquility. Each time the door opened, a hundred conversations spilled out.

  Susan gathered herself and took a step toward the presentation hall.

  “Wait,” Richard said. “You can take your time. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “Yeah,” Susan said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because there are a lot of important people in there,” Richard said.

  “Isn’t there always?” Susan said.

  “I mean really important,” Richard said. “As in, one check, one financer. It’s all we’d need.”

  Wealth never impressed Susan. She was surprised why so many people were. But then, she’d been surrounded by wealth her whole life. She’d seen what it could do to people. Some people achieved their dreams, others didn’t, but the real shame was having all the money in the world given to you and not even attempting to find your dream.

  “I’m good,” Susan said. “Let’s go.”

  Richard pulled on his inhaler. He was clearly nervous too.

  Richard pushed the door open so Susan could enter first. She was immediately struck by how many people there were. The auditorium could seat twelve hundred. No presentation they had ever given had even filled half that number. Today, many of the guests would be forced to stand. They would all want to meet Susan. She sighed. It was going to be a long day.

  Richard was at his best, introducing, smiling, shaking hands. He was the more social of the two and actually enjoyed prying money from their cold hands. Susan was passed from one person to another, a living pass the parcel, with Richard whispering their names in her ear. It was pointless. She would never remember them all anyway.

  Most of them knew very little about computer engineering or what they were trying to achieve at the research center, but she had learned long ago that if you had money you didn’t need to understand. You just needed to give your money to the right people, and the right people were those who sounded like they knew what they were talking about.

  And yet some clearly did know about modern technology, pretending they knew less than they did, asking fumbling questions, deliberately mispronouncing words, all in an attempt to get Susan to spill industry secrets. Susan had met people like them before. She sidestepped the issue by saying she hoped they would let her and Richard worry about the science. The man smiled at her through his teeth.

  After thirty minutes, Susan was exhausted. Richard, ever attentive, turned Susan around and led her toward the stage.

  “Great job,” Richard said.

  “How come there are so many?” Susan said. “We’ve never had this level of interest before.”

  “We’ve never had so many high-profile cases of outbreaks in the news either,” Richard said.

  The words were out of his mouth before he had run them through his mind. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and planted his hands on either side of his narrow waist.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean…”

  That was the problem with having subjects that were out of bounds between them. They were so easily brought up, even accidentally. A whisper of it was a ten-ton weight. Susan’s tongue felt like it belonged to a whale.

  “It’s fine,” Susan said. “Really. What happened, happened.”

  Richard shook his head.

  “I was clumsy,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  Susan’s eye caught on a sharp army uniform standing to one side. She told herself it was the presence of the military that grabbed her attention, not the fact she was looking for something, anything, to distract her.

  The officer was in a deep conversation with someone, but he had his eyes firmly fastened on Richard and Susan.

  “It’s Major Edwards,” Richard said.

  “Major who?” Susan said.

  “Major Edwards,” Richard said. “I was meant to introduce you to him before you give your speech.”

  Susan was relieved they had a chance to change the topic of conversation before she took to the stage. Major Edwards shook Richard’s hand, and then Susan’s.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Major Edwards said.

  “The military,” Susan said. “It’s about time you guys showed up.”

  She said it jovially, but her tone had a sharp edge.

  “We’re not always the most punctual,” Major Edwards said affably. “But we get the job done. Eventually. I look forward to your presentation today, Dr. Scott.”

  “Major Edwards is one of our top strategic military minds,” Richard said. “He’s taken a personal interest in our research. Since the very early stages.”

  “Not too personal, I hope,” Susan said. “We wouldn’t want our research to be used for nefarious purposes.”

  “Then we’re on the same page,” Major Edwards said.

  “The major is about to begin training Special Forces soldiers to enter hostile territory and retrieve valuable information and intel,” Richard said.

  “That’s very… noble of you,” Susan said. “Still, a pity our trillion dollar military wasn’t better prepared to deal with the recent Ebola outbreak.”

  Major Edwards turned his eyes on Susan. They’d seen a lot, those eyes, and he clearly knew a challenge when he heard one.

  “Alas, we were only able to send in a small contingent of soldiers and a large medical force,” Major Edwards said.

  Susan blinked.

  “I… didn’t realize we sent so much aid,” she said.

  “We didn’t, Dr. Scott,” Major Edwards said, an icy smile on his lips. “I did. I look forward to your presentation.”

  He turned and was welcomed by the hand of someone else.

  Richard led Susan toward the stage. He sidled up close, and for a moment Susan thought he was going to kiss her. She felt a hairline crack of disappointment when he didn’t.

  “What are you trying to do?” Richard said.

  “Just some harmless fun,” Susan said.

  “Your ‘harmless fun’ could result in the loss of millions of research dollars,” Richard said. “Try to keep it under control, will you?”

  Susan opened her mouth to respond, but Richard was no longer beside her. He was hobnobbing with the walking ATMs. For some reason, that made her even more angry. Susan gritted her teeth, seething with rage. She was ushered to the side of the stage.

  Backstage was a hive of activity. Final preparations were still being made. Susan felt like a spare wheel. She gathered herself. She needed to exude confidence, to be charming, to speak slow and calmly.

  A stagehand slipped a microphone into Susan’s lapel.

  “Speak, please,” she said.

  “What should I say?” Susan said.

  “That’s great,” the stagehand said. “Notes?”

  “You already have them,” Susan said.

  The stagehand worked at a laptop and brought up Susan’s speech files. Susan had practiced it ad nauseam. She doubted she’d need the teleprompter, but it never hurt to have a plan B. Better safe than sorry.

  A sound engineer took to the stage and spoke into the mike.

  “Please take your seats, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, voice booming like the word of God. “The presentation will begin in one
minute.”

  Susan looked out at the people below, milling like angry wasps. Business buzz buzz.

  Susan wished she was at home with Amy, curled up on the sofa watching one of her Disney films. Susan smiled. The thought slowed her heart rate.

  “…please join me in welcoming Dr. Susan Scott,” the engineer ended.

  He led the applause. The crowd followed suit, like a troop of trained seals. Susan took to the stage.

  It seemed to take forever to get to the lectern. She turned to face her audience. The lights were hot and blinding. She smiled. She hoped it came across as winning. She opened her mouth and her words began to form.

  10:05 am

  “The human genome project took ten years of intensive work, cost two point seven billion dollars, and required the expertise of hundreds of the world’s greatest scientists to collaborate over thousands of miles and numerous time zones. Today, we can achieve the same in just two weeks, with a single sequencer, for one thousand dollars. But without those early steps we would never be crawling now, and believe me, that’s all we’re doing. But even to get to that level we’ve had to rely on our ingenuity. First, we had to speed up our computing capacity somewhat.”

  Susan clicked a button. The first slide came up. It was a basic X-Y chart. Development on the vertical axis, time along the horizontal. Two diagonal lines rose together, entwined, beginning from the 1950s.

  “Moore’s Law. He predicted, accurately as it turned out, that each year our computational ability would double. And that appeared to be the case, and would remain so… until the day we required faster computational power.”

  Susan pressed the button again. Another slide. This one showed the fifteen years of Moore’s Law from 2001. The lines diverged at wider and wider intervals as the years passed.

  “This is our actual computational power development. We required these machines to solve advanced mathematical equations, to make complex simulations, and process data on a scale and speed we’ve never required before. We’re inventing new technologies all the time, new fields of expertise to explore new worlds. We’re making more, larger breakthroughs. In this next century we will develop more than we have in the past 10,000 years. It’s a bright future, but not without its dangers.