by Mark Clodi
In two days Vic's brain would be completely rebuilt in a new, but functional form, but by then it would be far too late.
Chapter 10
“Doctor Smith, here to shut me down for the great state of Florida?” asked Sentry jovially handing over a bottle of wine, a rare bottle costing upwards of two hundred dollars. The older man took the bottle, examined the label and his eyebrows rose.
“I can't take this.”
“You can.”
Smith shook his head, “It would be considered bribery.”
“Not bribery, a celebratory gesture. You know what is at stake here and I have good news. No. Not good news, great news.”
Unsure, Smith hesitantly sat the bottle down on the desk in the reception area, “How good?”
“Do you want to live forever Doctor?”
“I doubt you have made that breakthrough, the press would be mobbing the place, as would the government officials and other scientists seeking to prove your methods.” Smith's voice faded. “Oh, I see, so you think you have, but you're verifying your procedure?”
Sentry smiled, a gesture that surprised Smith, and then said, “I think I have it. It is as you said, as soon as I release any data my work will grind to a halt until my claim is verified. I am sorry if the gift seems out of place, but I need to tell someone who is capable of appreciating such an accomplishment. Someone who can be discreet. You and Heather are the only ones who know and I just felt...giddy?” Sentry barked out a laugh, “Me? Giddy? Not a word that I think anyone would use to describe me.”
Smith smiled and shook his head, he had met Sentry five years earlier and while he thought the man brilliant, he had never seen him express a sense of humor or even joy in any form. “No, not giddy, not you. Until now. Is that actual joy I see in your face? You had better invite me in and show me your data, if you don't mind.”
Doctor Smith was allowed unrestricted access to Sentry's data; it was a clause under which the facility operated. Sentry knew then that things were going to be okay, he would not have any trouble with Doctor Smith. The man was not only interested in the work Sentry was doing, he was also an investor in the project. Being financially involved was a major breech of the inspector's ethics; therefore, Smith had attempted to discreetly acquire a portion of the investment through a third party, without Sentry ever knowing. It would be a heart stopping surprise for Smith to learn that the 'third party' was actually arranged by Sentry from the beginning.
'Always hedge your bets.' Sentry thought to himself, 'then it isn't really gambling.' Some people gambled for the thrill and excitement, Sentry got more of a thrill by fixing the bets in his favor. Both men went through the building security into the inner offices, Smith picked up the bottle as they left the room.
Any possible doubts Sentry had disappeared as Doctor Smith went through the electronic records on Vic. The man was meticulous and he didn't find fault with the records of the procedures or the results, as well he shouldn't because they were very complete, leaving out only Vic's death, what had happened to Dan, and the lobotomy. After several hours, with Sentry hovering around him like a nervous bird, Doctor Smith looked up and beamed.
“I think you might have found it Thomas. I think you really might have done it.” Smith said in a hushed voice, “This will change everything.”
Sentry nodded, “It will. But what do I do now?”
Smith thought quietly for a few minutes, “Sit on it for now and just keep it to yourself. Verify the results by testing it with others; do you have any more volunteers lined up?”
“Heather is getting more this afternoon.”
“Good. I have some pull with the warden, if he gives you any trouble, you just let me know.”
“Doctor...I, I don't know what to say. I can't have you get involved directly that would be unethical.”
“Thomas, this is so important it would be unethical to not help you in any way I can. Can I see him?”
“Of course. He is a little sluggish, and might be napping, but you have seen the interviews. Nothing has changed for him. That is almost unfortunate, given the nature of Vic's criminal past.” Sentry gestured towards some edited videos of discussions he had on his computer that Smith had already watched.
“Well, Vic still has a hundred years on his sentence, by the time he gets out there should be better therapies for rehabilitation available.” joked Smith. Thomas cracked a slight smile, but didn't laugh.
The two men went down the hall to where Vic was resting in his room. The lights were dim and he appeared to be asleep. Smith went in and picked up the man's chart, giving it a quick look. Vic snorted and mumbled something incoherent, his eyes opened and closed rapidly.
“He says he has more vivid dreams now, but his brain activity is actually normal. I need to isolate that and see if it is a complication or a beneficial side effect.” whispered Sentry.
“Not all dreams are good.” Smith continued looking over the chart, “Hm, it all looks good.” then he paused and looked at Vic for a long moment, staring.
“What?” asked Sentry, fearing Smith saw something that would bring his operation down.
“I just realized I could be looking at the first immortal. That is, as my generation would say, heavy. Sorry, but as I said before this is important. Let's go Thomas.”
“Yes Doctor.” Sentry said holding the door for the man.
“I am done, I have seen enough and I will give you the green light to proceed. May I ask you something?”
“Anything.” Sentry said.
“Will you keep me up to date on your progress? If you get this to phase three testing, I have half a mind to volunteer.”
Sentry smiled again, broadly this time, “Why, my friend, I would consider it an honor to include you when I know things are fully tested!”
“Or maybe a little before that. I am not a conspiracy theorist Thomas, but I could see the government shutting you down while they tried to figure out what to do with your everlasting life serum.”
Nodding his head without a smile Sentry answered, “Something I fear as well, it will change everything and if people no longer die, where will we all fit?”
“My own mortality is staring me in the face, I am no longer the young man I once was, I couldn't afford to wait for thirty years for it to be approved.”
“I understand.”
The two retrieved the bottle of wine from Sentry's desk and walked through security to the parking lot, where Smith paused one last time before getting in his car, “I mean it to Sentry. I will be a phase three volunteer and I will do anything I can to help. If you run into any problems you call me day or night, no matter what. Promise?”
“I promise doctor. I will be calling you, if I have trouble or when I am ready for non-prison volunteers.”
Chapter 11
Heather's first thought that something was wrong came when Sentry didn't inject the new subjects with the serum. He had apprised her of the visit with Doctor Smith and the promises he had made and intended to keep with the man. Heather could only imagine the very long life she was going to be living, one of privilege and everlasting health and that clouded her judgment.
The new volunteers were crammed into the four cells, two in solitaire and four each in the two cells she thought of as the 'holding area'. The prisoners had been delivered this morning, a day after Doctor Smith's visit and Sentry had tentatively scheduled the first control group to be injected this evening. Vic was still very groggy, he had looked up at Heather when she brought him his nightly supper of blood, but he didn't speak to her. There was no bruising around his eyes, but from what Heather had read the rest of his reactions seemed to be normal for a lobotomy procedure. Dan had been moved into the farthest room away from Vic, Sentry wanted the two isolation cells in the prison section free for the volunteers. This was a good decision because two of the volunteers were pedophiles and would not mix well with the other prisoners. Heather had been forced to take a heroin addict too. All of the other candid
ates had worse problems and the one named Xavier had seemed like a better choice than dealing with the others, at least he hadn't been hooked on meth amphetamines.
'Besides, he told me to use my judgment.'
“Heather?” Doctor Sentry asked, leaning up against the door frame to her office.
“Yes Thomas?”
“I am formulating the next batch and want to move two of the inmates in, which of them do you think would be appropriate?”
“Use Patachi and Williams, they have the cleanest histories.”
“Oh, yes, of course, I should have thought of that.”
Sentry looked tired to Heather, something she only noticed now. “Are you alright doctor?”
“Just a little fatigued. Would you mind if we moved things back until tonight? I could get in a catnap before we proceed.”
Heather chewed her lower lip and answered, “How late?”
“I was thinking eleven or twelve. That will give this latest series a chance to mature so I can give it a last check before we administer it.”
“The evening shift starts at eleven, which will only leave us with three guards for the men.”
“Well, put Patachi and Williams in the solitary cells, I only need to dose two of them to start, I can do the next couple when the morning shift arrives.”
Heather explained that the two men in the solitary cells were sex offenders that would not mix well with the others, “Even at the prison they were isolated.”
“Are any of the others violent?”
She shook her head, “No, not really. Well Xavier, he beat up his dealer and the dealer's wife, landed in jail for assault and battery, plus the drug crimes.”
“Move him to a cell with anyone else who appears violent, we will save him for when we have the full crew. We could dose them all tonight too.”
“Thomas I don't know what has come over you? Drug the prisoners?”
Sentry looked up sharply at Heather's comment, “It's within our rights, the volunteers can be sedated. So, do it, I don't want any problems. Sedate everyone except the two we want. I suppose you can leave the inmates in solitary alone.”
“Okay, I will make sure it is done. Get some sleep.”
Sentry nodded and walked back to the lab where he looked in on the next dose of what he had nicknamed 'Afterlife', a dry joke to counter Heather's sense of humor of calling Dan and Vic zombies. The serum was ready, the third series in the batch was already under development and he planned to test that tonight. Somehow between now and the next trial he needed get in a few hours of sleep, he knew that a fatigued mind was more likely to make mistakes.
Hurricane Zelda has passed to the north of them four days ago, but tonight the weather forecasters were calling for tropical storm Ariella to make landfall nearly a hundred miles south of the laboratories location. It was already raining and the winds were increasing as well.
Before leaving the lab Doctor Sentry prepared several other syringes with sedatives and mixed two bottles of chemicals together, he set all of this to one side in a medical cabinet. Whistling softly he left the lab and went to his office to fold out a cot he kept there just for occasions such as this.
The wind woke him before his alarm, it was whistling through the eyes of the building, making a high pitched squeal that was impossible to ignore. Sentry got up and walked around the lab. It was eleven thirty, he had set his alarm to midnight, later than he told Heather, but he wanted the shift change of the guards to be complete before he made an appearance. Heather was dozing in her office, her door was slightly open and she lay back on a leather recliner, oblivious to the wind, which could not be heard as clearly from her office deeper in the building.
Making his way past Vic and Dan's rooms, Sentry stopped at the guard station. The security station was open; it could be locked down in the event that the inmates started something. Inside there were monitors for each of the prison cells, plus one dedicated to the guard station out by the reception area at the front. A final screen rotated through each medical room and the hallway that connected them. Gabe, the head of security, and another guard were on duty. Sentry didn't know the other man, though he looked young and new to the job. The doctor nodded to both men when they noticed him. Gabe stood up and held out his hand through the open doorway, which Sentry shook.
“Thank you for being here Gabe. How is everything?”
“Dwight called in; he couldn't be here due to the hurricane.”
“The tropical storm?”
“It picked up speed, got moved to a category one and it is hitting further north than predicted.”
“How much further?” asked Sentry, afraid of the answer.
“Well, we are not the bull’s eye, but the eye is supposed to make landfall about fifty miles south now, instead of a hundred.”
“Oh, well, that should be fine, we'll get a little wet and have a few trees go down, but those are minor inconveniences. Who is the new guy?” asked Sentry.
“Ritchie, this is our boss, Doctor Thomas Sentry. Stand up and shake his hand, show a little respect!”
The young man flushed and held out his hand as he rose to his feet. “Pleased to meet you sir.” he stammered as he shook Sentry's hand.
“Are you a new recruit?”
“This is my first night.”
“Well, couldn't ask for a better man to train you, Gabe is the best, we haven't had any problems on any shift he has worked since the facility opened.” Turning back to Gabe, Sentry asked, “So, is the front desk empty then?”
Gabe nodded, “That is the only way, we're obligated to keep the security manned with two people at all times, so we can take breaks and still watch the prisoners. I rigged the door buzzer to ring here so we can get it if anyone swings by.”
“Good. I am moving a couple of the prisoners into the medical rooms later, but we gave them mild sedatives so they should be compliant.”
“Oh, okay, I wish we could wait, I always like to have one guy in the booth locked away when we move prisoners.”
“Heather or I could do that. How are the prisoners?”
“Sleeping like the dead, which is probably from the sedative.”
“Okay, good, do you know which one is named Xavier?”
“Yeah, he is in cell two. Why? Are you using him?”
“No. Heather said he is the only one with any record of violence, so to avoid any chance of problems we'll take our volunteers from cell one.”
“Not the sex offenders?”
Sentry shook his head, “No. We have a couple of people prepped, Tim Patachi and Nigel Williams, I think Heather would have moved them to cell one.”
Gabe check some paper work and nodded, “Yes she did, they are on bunk one. Very efficient. So will Miss Wilkins be coming in tonight then?”
“Doctor Wilkins.” Sentry said, “She's already here, didn't you see her car in the lot when you came in?”
He shook his head, “I must be slipping. Graves isn't usually my shift though and I did work this morning.” he said by way of excuse.
“Ah then the oversight is forgivable.” Sentry said this with an air of humor and then he smiled slightly before continuing. “Seriously though Gabe, I appreciate this, I know you switched shifts to be here tonight, we are at a critical stage and I want everything to go smoothly.”
Gabe smiled, “I know, and I appreciate your confidence in me. I won't let you down tonight doctor, or any night.”
“That's part of why you are here Gabe, you are the glue that holds this place together. I am going to go check our oldest resident now.”
“What me to come with you?” Gabe asked, glancing nervously at Ritchie.
“No, you stay here, Vic is well secured, and he won't be any trouble.”
Sentry walked across the hall to the break room, where he poured himself a cup of coffee. After adding three sugars he stepped back into the hall where he nodded again to the men before heading back towards Vic's room.
Peering through the window S
entry saw that Vic was still in bed, apparently in the strange sleep state he had been lapsing in and out of after his lobotomy. The room was dimly lit and Sentry didn't turn on the light as he went in, as soon as he stepped in and latched the door the lights went out and he heard the emergency locks crash into place. In the event of a power outage all the doors of the facility immediately went on lock down. Emergency lights came on a moment later, brighter than the dim lighting from before. Sentry turned from the door, after trying to get open it, and saw Vic staring at him, with wide open eyes.
“You bastard.” Vic said haltingly.
“Vic. You're back.”
“I know you. I know you hurt my...my head. You did something to mess, mess, m-mess me-me up!” he accused, stuttering.
“Well even if I had, you seem to have recovered.”
“N-no-no. Not all better, I-I am s-st-still messed up, can't think r-r-r-rr.” Vic stopped and shook his head and said, “Right.”
“Well let me see if I can help?” Sentry said moving forward cautiously. Vic didn't move from the bed, it would be almost impossible for that to happen, he was still tied down securely in the manner Sentry had recommended, the man's arms were tripled bound with the chains tied together under the bed.
Sentry approached and put his hand on Vic's head, it felt curiously warm, almost like a living persons. He wrinkled his brow in puzzlement, turning away for a thermometer he said, “Just a moment let me get your temperature.”
Behind him he heard a groan and a hideous tearing sound, followed by the sounds of flesh and tendons giving away with a meaty, wet 'pop' as Vic pulled his own arm off at the elbow, freeing his arm closest to Sentry. Vic had figured out that tearing off one of his arms would free the other. A heavy hand grabbed Sentry by the shoulder and pulled him backward to lay over top of Vic's body on the bed. Sentry screamed and tried to pulled away, but he could get no traction, everything happened too fast. Outside the thunder rolled and crashed, by the security station the back up generator had coughed to life to provide emergency power, drowning all but the loudest thunder claps. Heather slept on, oblivious to the noises from just down the hall. The prisoners, deeply sedated did no wake.