Absolute Zero

by Anlyn Hansell

  “Very impressive.”

  Anne’s eyes were fixed on the man seated before her as he perused her resume Monday morning. He had an almost movie-star visage with his dark brown skin, perfect rows of white teeth, kindly brown eyes and deep dimples on either side of his perfectly formed mouth. His size was intimidating but his friendly expression and personable demeanor seemed to put her at ease for some reason.

  Possibly because he was the polar opposite of Ian McClellan. Where Ian made an attempt to be charming, there was still an undercurrent of power, an intensity that was undeniably unsettling. Rand Frederick was pure and genuine. His smiles came naturally without the unnerving stares and pointed glares that seemed to emanate from their respective boss.

  He placed her resume back on the desk surface and regarded her with a grin. “I think I understand why Ron hired you. You two have very similar backgrounds,” he added.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ron was a neurosurgeon prior to becoming a scientist also. He was a brilliant man. It’s a shame…” he trailed off.

  “What happened to him?” she asked without thinking.

  “Nervous breakdown, I guess. At least, that’s what the doctors said. He just,” he seemed to hesitate for a moment, choosing his words carefully before continuing, “I don’t know, one day he seemed Ok, maybe a little withdrawn but nothing to be alarmed about. The next day…he just…lost it. Maybe stress at home or here. I don’t know. At any rate, he left behind some of his research. I asked Jay to join us. He has some of Ron’s files; maybe you can take a look at them? They don’t mean anything to me and Jay isn’t quite sure what to make of Ron’s notes. Maybe you can. Maybe he hired you to help him. I’m not sure,” he stated with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

  “Where is Ron?” she asked.

  “He’s been institutionalized but I’m not sure where his family moved him. He was at a facility a few miles from Pernell, but apparently they moved him a few months ago. Some of the employees tried to visit and…” he seemed unwilling to complete the sentence for some reason.

  Anne waited for him to elaborate. He seemed lost in thought.

  “Anyway,” he finally continued, “he can’t communicate. It’s really…bad.” He paused for another moment before looking up and regarding her with a brighter expression. “At any rate, we’ll give you his notes and see what you come up with, alright?”

  “Sure.”

  “Now, before Jay comes in, I need to apologize.”

  “For what?” she asked, somewhat confused.

  “Well, first of all, my wife. Apparently she has decided that you two are going to be friends whether you want to or not. Shay is something else,” he breathed out but his dark eyes were at odds with his words. They crinkled at the edges and a half smile appeared on his face.

  “Thank you for going with her to that event, though. The last thing I felt like doing after a week of conferences was yukking it up with her friends. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great people but I just wanted to hang out at home, you know?” He rested his elbows on the desk surface and propped his chin on his hands. “Although, I might have to discourage this friendship,” he added in a grave tone. “Now she wants a Porsche Boxter and keeps rattling on about your closet. I think you’ve created a monster,” he stated before a full blown smile overtook his features.

  Anne’s lips curved upward. “Yeah, well…she can be very persistent…”

  “I know, but she means well. She’ll have you all kinds of involved in everything if you let her. It’s one of the reasons I’m crazy about that woman. She’s a force of nature,” he stated before his face turned serious once again.

  “And then there’s Ian…”

  A small jolt of something rushed through her body at the mention of his name. Hopefully he didn’t notice. She purposely kept her lips clamped in a straight line.

  “I really do apologize for the timing. I had no idea he was coming for a visit. I heard all about your exchange in the Boardroom and I can only say that he doesn’t really come around much so you probably won’t have to deal with him too often,” he stated as he seemed to watch her closely.

  “Although, I really wish I was here for that. I heard it was quite…interesting,” he drew out each of the syllables to emphasize the word.

  If only he knew how interesting it really was, she thought as she felt a small blush creep across her cheeks. He was saying something. She looked up and forced herself to concentrate even though her mind was distracted by the memory of Ian’s kisses.

  “Ian bought this company seven years ago and this place went nuts. People were used to a certain sort of leniency and to say Ian is more…strict? Is putting it lightly,” he added with a bemused grin. “I was here at that time. I got promoted to this job primarily to calm the natives.” He rested his hands on the desk in front of him.

  “He’s actually a rather accomplished scientist in his own right and he’s definitely got the business acumen, he just lacks the soft skills. I guess that’s where I come in. He shakes things up around here and it’s all I can do to get people to relax,” he stated as he leaned in and spoke a bit softer. “Between you and me? He’s actually not that bad of a guy. We get along pretty well when he’s not handing me my ass or cutting me off mid-sentence in a phone call. I hate when he does that,” he breathed out before settling back in his chair.

  “At any rate, we probably won’t see him for a while, so you can breathe easy. He didn’t fire you, so he must see something he likes…” he trailed off as one of his eyebrows rose at her.

  What did he mean by that? Did he know? She willed her suddenly wringing hands to stop and mentally commanded her cheeks to stay the same color although she could feel them heating up even more from his scrutiny.

  “You’re embarrassed. I’ve embarrassed you, I’m sorry,” he stated in a soft tone.

  “It’s just…I was remembering that exchange, that’s all. I’m not usually so…outspoken,” she lied. ‘Mouth’. Isn’t that what Ian called her?

  Don’t think about that.

  “Trust me; he can turn the most introverted person into a raging lunatic with his questions. He’s done it to me I don’t know how many times. Amazingly enough, he always asks the one thing you completely overlooked, though. That’s what drives me nuts,” he stated in a low voice as a knock rang out from the office door.

  “Come in!” he yelled before the door opened revealing a stout middle aged man with quite possibly the most obvious comb-over in history. Anne smiled as she stood, alarmed to notice that she was actually taller than the man holding his hand out to her to shake.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Anne. I’m Jay,” he smiled as he shook her hand. His grip was actually much stronger than she anticipated it would be for some reason.

  “Well, I’ll let you two get acquainted. I have a conference call in,” he looked at his desk phone,” two minutes. If you’re late getting on, he tells you to disconnect,” he stated with a smirk. “It’s so damn embarrassing,” he muttered mostly to himself as he pressed the speaker button and a loud dial tone sounded throughout the room.

  She knew exactly who he was talking about and a small fluttering decided to announce itself in her stomach.

  “Anne? We’ll catch up later. Jay? I need you back in here in an hour, OK?” he asked without looking up as his fingers pressed the numbers on the phone.

  Anne turned to follow Jay. She could hear a loud sigh behind her as an automated voice announced he was being placed into conference.

  *****

  She sat at the kitchen table, her eyes still glued to the page that she had stared at since she first came upon it hours ago back in the office. Ron’s ‘notebook’ was actually a blue leather binder overstuffed with random papers and several notebooks hanging from the rungs inside. She had attempted to put it in some semblance of order earlier before her eyes had caught and held this particular page.

  It couldn’t be.

  It was.

>   It made no sense.

  There, in front of her eyes was a formula so familiar to her that she could have sworn she wrote it herself, except for the fact that it was written in Ron’s choppy handwriting.

  With the exception of one calculation, she was looking at an almost carbon copy of her last project. Synthetic Serotonin.

  She was so absorbed she didn’t notice the front door opening until it was too late. She had locked it, hadn’t she? Her eyes darted to the small figure stepping through the threshold before they narrowed.

  Of all the nerve.

  She didn’t even knock.

  “Oh. You’re here?” Irene stated in a commanding voice as she closed the door behind her with a barely concealed sigh of agitation.

  “I live here.” Anne practically grated out as her eyes left Irene and glanced back at the binder.

  “Fine. Just don’t get in my way,” she huffed out after dropping her purse on the living room chair.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Anne shot back sarcastically as her eyes rolled.

  “What was that?” She could hear as the woman’s footsteps sounded beyond her as she walked into the kitchen.

  “I said feel free to just walk in this house anytime you please. And by all means, don’t bother knocking,” she stated through clenched teeth.

  “It’s not your house…” she could hear muttered as the door to the closet opened with a slight creak.

  “As you have well informed me, yes, I am aware of that fact. You know what? I’ll just make this easier on both of us,” she stated as she pushed back from the table after closing the binder with a perceptible thump.

  “I’ll go for a run,” she took a step toward the living room before a single word stopped her in her tracks.

  “Good.”

  It caused Anne’s body to turn and address the smaller woman. “Just so you know; I wanted to run. I’m not leaving because you’re here. I want to leave.”

  “Whatever,” Irene stated as she disregarded Anne and continued to grab the small plastic bucket overfilled with all manner of cleaning supplies.

  Anne’s fists clenched and unclenched as she watched the woman turn to regard her with an indifferent stare.

  “You still here?” Irene asked blandly.

  Insufferable old bag.

  She turned on her heel before she let forth the blast that was brewing in her mind.

  *****

  No Trespassing.

  And not just one sign. Several signs, and huge. What on earth did she stumble on to? Fort Knox? Holy shit.

  She decided to run the opposite direction from town this time. The road wound through a few wooded areas, houses springing up every once in a while as she took stock of the scenery around her. The incline wasn’t severe, but it was steady. Her leg muscles were definitely going to protest tomorrow morning, but she was almost glad she pressed on. Besides, she had only run a few miles and there was no way she was turning back. Irene would surely still be there.

  She felt her body slow as she approached the signs situated at a severe bend in the road. Two concrete barriers stood sentinel near the edge of the road directly in front of a massive arrow surrounded by reflective background. Her breath was actually coming out in loud pants and the intriguing sight before her gave her reason to pause anyway. A high fence was practically hidden behind the thick brush and beyond a copse of rather young looking trees. She walked closer to the edge, noticing the barbed wire at the top of the chain link fence causing her to wonder what lay beyond. Maybe some top secret military installation…

  Her feet tramped through some of the brush on their own, without regard to the stinging little nettles that brushed against her bare legs. The sight was just too darn intriguing not to investigate further. The closer she came to the fence; she noticed a sheer drop off from a few feet beyond the chain link. What lay before her was a definite site to behold. Sheer cliffs of gray rock surrounded a large pool of unnaturally blue water. The rock was most definitely dug out by human intervention.

  A Quarry. Or at least, it was at one time. Now, it was absolutely beautiful but well protected from the general population. Probably for safety reasons, she mused as she continued to stare at the scenery before her. The sun was beginning to make its descent, causing multi-faceted hues to collect on the pristine surface of the water. She was so mesmerized she almost missed the sound of an approaching car engine. Her head swiveled from side to side, wondering if she should hide, it did look a bit…curious the fact that she had disregarded the signs. She stepped back, shaking her head at her sudden nervousness. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was on the correct side of the fence after all.

  She stepped away from the fence and picked her way carefully through the brush before stepping back on the road. The small red compact car turned the corner after slowing down considerably, a thumping beat sounded from within the vehicle. The young woman driving was completely oblivious to her presence. She watched the car disappear beyond a steep decline in the road.

  She turned back toward the direction of the house. The sun was probably going to be all but set by the time she arrived back anyway. She would not allow Irene’s presence to keep her from the house. Enough was enough, she decided as she began to run.

  *****

  “You still here?” Anne asked in a subtly snotty tone as she wandered by Irene who had stopped scrubbing the kitchen counter to regard her. Anne grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and stared back at the older woman as she uncapped it and brought it to her lips. She placed the bottle back before closing the door.

  “Just don’t get in my way,” Anne added before leaving the room, a self-satisfied grin overtook her face as she headed up the stairs for a shower. If Irene responded, she had no idea, and quite frankly?

  She didn’t give a shit.

  *****

  The whole morning was wasted. She pondered the pages of Ron’s notebook earlier, considering whether or not to refuse the project. They would want to know why and what could she say? It was obvious neither Jay nor Rand were aware of her past…experience with this subject matter. She couldn’t claim ignorance – her background would prove otherwise.

  What to do?

  Her pencil tapped irritably on the notebook, the only sound in the vacant office. The other inhabitants were all in the lab at the moment leaving her alone for the first time in hours.

  What to do?

  A loud sigh escaped her lips before a ping erupted from her computer. An instant message popped up and her eyes widened as the pencil dropped from her suddenly lax fingers.

  Ian McClellan’s message to you:

  Good morning.

  She held her breath, her eyes darting to the bottom of the pop up screen to see if he was typing anything else.

  He wasn’t.

  Her eyes darted around the room quickly before settling back on the screen. Her heart rate escalated as the fluttering in her stomach decided to make another appearance exclusively for his benefit.

  She settled her fingers on the keyboard before her eyes scanned the room once again for no apparent reason.

  Your message to Ian McClellan:

  Good morning.

  She quickly backspaced through the word ‘morning’. It wasn’t morning in Scotland. He was five or six hours ahead of her.

  Your message to Ian McClellan:

  Good afternoon.

  She hit send before she could talk herself out of it. She held her breath again as she watched the bottom of the screen.

  Ian McClellan is typing…

  Ian McClellan’s message to you:

  Did they give you a project to work on?

  Her breath escaped through pursed lips. Thankfully no one was around to hear the weird sound that produced.

  Your message to Ian McClellan:

  Yes.

  Her eyes watched and waited for his response.

  Nothing. Not even the indicator that he was typing. Was he just making small talk? Should she ty
pe in something else? Should she apologize for Saturday night? No. That was too awkward.

  She continued to stare at the screen, waiting rather impatiently, wondering what was going through his brain. At least he was communicating. At least he hadn’t totally written her off. For some crazy reason? That pleased her. Maybe he truly cared that she was given a project? Or maybe he was testing the waters, so to speak? Whatever the original reason for his instant messaging, he wasn’t responding now. If he only knew how worked up she was becoming from some simple words on a computer screen. Knowing him, he would be delighted, she was sure. Unless, of course, this was completely on a professional level, in which case…

  A ping erupted a split second after the status bar on the screen indicated he was typing.

  Ian McClellan’s message to you:

  Good.

  Good? That’s it?

  She waited for any indication that he was typing something else, but nothing was forthcoming. In fact, she was still staring at the screen for who knew how long before the door to the office opened causing her fingers to press her mouse frantically to minimize the screen.

  “Hey you! The DASbox is free.”

  Anne’s eyes immediately rose toward Em as she wandered in to the room.

  “I really wish they would buy another one so we wouldn’t have to keep sharing, you know? Actually, if Rand would just spend the money to replace the shit Ron destroyed, we wouldn’t have this problem, but noooo, he says McClellan won’t approve any cap ex requests right now. That’s a bunch of shit if you ask me. This company is kicking serious financial ass and he can’t spring for replacements? For real?” She rambled as she walked past Anne’s desk and disappeared beyond the cubicle wall.

  Anne didn’t know what to respond to. The fact that Ron was responsible for their lack of testing equipment or the fact that McClellan was apparently tight fisted when it came to capital expenditures. Speaking of which…

  Her finger tapped the mouse to maximize the instant message screen only to find that Ian was now in “Do Not Disturb” mode. He still hadn’t elaborated on his last message and that fact disappointed her for some reason she didn’t care to dwell on.