by Sean Adelman
“All right, Dr. Gibson, just as we agreed. I’ll meet you there in one hour.”
She got up and looked in the mirror. I will be happy to get my hair back, and happier yet to be done with all of this. After finishing in the bathroom, she returned to the kitchen. The only thing she had kept from her previous life was this cappuccino machine. It seemed like a good time to use it. The process, that’s part of what Nate had loved. It wasn’t just the taste, it was doing something well: grinding the beans, tamping them, steaming the milk. All just so. She knew it seemed silly, but Nate was silly Was... she still couldn’t believe he was gone.
Fearing that someone was going to run her over, she chose not to walk or ride her bike. Gibson knew she had more info, and he didn’t want to go to jail, even if his business was ruined. He was so egotistical that he thought he would be able to get out of it. She made the all-too-familiar trip to the third floor conference room.
“Hello, Dr. Gibson. I’m glad you saw my message.”
“You are very clever, Mrs. Amsler. If you hadn’t told me, I have to say, I wouldn’t have recognized you. The hair, makeup, and maybe even a little nose job. What really got me was the personal recommendation from Gerald Wilson. How did you manage that?”
“I’m not at liberty to say, but I did forward you my requests. If you agree to my terms, then I’ve agreed to turn over what I have left to you.”
“How can I trust you?”
“First, you can’t, but honestly, you don’t have a choice. If I am lying, you go to jail. If you don’t honor my request, you go to jail.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Amsler.”
Before he could open his attaché, someone else entered the room: a tall, thin woman with greying hair and a physique that belied her age.
“Hello, Debbie. Long time, no see.”
“Hello, Missy. I can’t say that I’m surprised.”
Missy looked at Debbie with a look of disdain. “You are clearly smarter than I thought. What gave it away?”
Debbie clenched her fists trying to keep her emotions under control. “It was all too convenient: Nate’s meeting with you, Randal’s death, and some special agent person who was supposed to help Nate.”
“You’re a regular James Bond, aren’t you? I liked Nate. Running over him was harder than I thought. You did look lovely at the funeral.”
“It’s over, Missy. I have everything I need to destroy Gibson Labs.”
“Maybe you aren’t a secret agent after all. Gibson over here…sorry dear, he’s just a puppet. Do you really think he had the balls to carry this out, and to give my poor husband a stroke? He was brilliant, but he had no desire for anything else. His conscience made doing business almost impossible. As the sad, almost widow, I had much more influence than his partner in the shadows.”
“I knew there was no way I could trust you, or him,” Debbie said.
“You were correct. I’m sorry I don’t feel like giving you a monologue of our plans like some bad movie. We need to end this.”
“I agree, let’s end this. I have asked a friend of Gerald Wilson and myself from the FBI to join us. Agent Davis, you can come in now.”
Agent Davis and two other officers came in with all their guns and identification.
“Thanks, Mrs. Amsler. We’ll take over now.”
As the officers put handcuffs on Missy and Gibson, Gibson looked up at Agent Davis and Debbie. “We had a deal. No jail time. I got her for you. We had a deal!”
“Yes, Dr. Gibson,” Agent Davis answered, “but there’s still much to answer for and details to discuss, so please come with us. I’m happy to remove the handcuffs if you wish.”
“Yes, thank you,” Gibson said, looking relieved.
Debbie left the building feeling like she could take her first deep breath in years. She took the phone out of her pocket. The phone fell to the ground then bounced into the grass. Debbie bent to pick up her phone but her hand was shaking too badly to pick it up. Fortunately the grass was soft because her legs gave out as she fell to her knees and began to sob. As the sobs racked her body she forgot about vengeance and anger; all she had left inside was the emptiness from her loss. Debbie sat on the ground for a few moments trying to gather the strength to stand. The phone lay on the grass next to her. She knew she needed to start to move on so she picked it up. “Jason, hey it’s me, Debbie. It’s over. I would love to come see Lily, if that’s okay with you.”
31
SEATTLE—2016
Jason loved listening to music in his car, but it was time for the news and he wanted to hear the weather for the weekend.
“The new school superintendent for Seattle public schools is going to have a town hall meeting with parents at the Eckstein Middle School auditorium next Monday at six p.m., and next for your weather, here is Linda.”
“Thanks, Peter. It looks like our nice weather is going to hold through Saturday, with very few clouds tonight and tomorrow. Highs in the sixties with lows in the low fifties. By Sunday, we should start to see that on-shore flow start up again with clouds and a fifty percent chance of showers on Sunday. Back to you, Peter.”
“Thanks, Linda. Now for our national news. In a bizarre twist, the much-maligned woman whose role in the debacle of Gibson Labs, Missy Lemay, was found unconscious in her home prior to the sentencing in her trial. Initial reports indicate that she has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Her business partner and coconspirator Conrad Gibson was convicted and is awaiting his sentencing.”
Jason turned off the radio, realizing that this stage of his life was closed. He used to think he would be relieved knowing they were finally done, but instead he felt nothing. He had a family to get home to.
The drive home was amazingly free of traffic allowing Jason to take in the view. It was going to be a beautiful sunset tonight so they would have to make sure to open the shades when he got home. Jason knew it was time to move back to the Northwest when he began missing the rain. Today was the first rain-free day in the last month, he was questioning his sanity. Jason had sold the Capitol Hill house in Seattle while they were still in Denver. Since Lily was going to be in high school soon, they picked a neighborhood that was going to work for their new situation. Although he missed the convenience of the old house, he loved the new view.
His new office was in the South Lake Union area close to most of the biomedical startup companies in Seattle. He had no desire to return to the University of Washington, so thanks to a fire sale of Gibson Labs, Gerald had been able to privatize his own startup with Jason and Ed’s research. Ed had decided to stay in Denver with his family, and Jason was part-time faculty lecturer for the University of Colorado, so they continued to collaborate and visit often, especially since Gerald had his own plane. The building Jason was in was small but it was perfectly located and they would likely be expanding soon. Gerald ran the company, and Jason was in charge of research especially as it pertained to his gene therapy.
It had taken months for them to decide on a name for the new company. In the end, homage to Nate seemed most appropriate. NCA labs for Nathan Christopher Amsler seemed to fit. The world was going to change; it just didn’t know it yet. They were in phase one human trials for CID and working on cancer treatment with the Hutch. Jason didn’t feel the need to keep it all to himself. There would be plenty to go around. With NCA labs doing well, Jason was able to purchase a nice home to raise Lily in, even if she was growing up too quickly. They were also able to help Debbie. Even though she didn’t want any money, she was very good at computer security and was in charge of NCA’s IT department.
Jason wound his way through aged, narrow Seattle streets to his new home, taking great care not to rev his Mustang too much for fear of offending his new neighbors. As he turned into his alley, he was reminded of the second reason he wanted this house. The first was the view, and the second was a legitimate two-car garage (a rare find in Seattle). The remote to the garage actually worked, so he pulled in, admiring the
old Subaru already parked in his garage. Why’d doesn’t she let me get her a new car? There was definitely some history with that car. Oh well.
Jason was attacked before he could even get through the door. Lily must have heard the sound of the Mustang. He didn’t get to see her last night since he had been late in his meetings. Lily had graduated from polka dots and mismatched socks, but still loved purple. Her pink skirt, purple shirt, and fluffy boots made her look more mature, but she was still Lily chic”.
“I love you, Daddy.” She squeezed him tight.
“I love you, too. How was your day, big girl?”
“Great. We went on a field trip to the Pacific Science Center and saw the King Tut exhibit. It was fascinating!”
“How cool. I am so glad you are enjoying school, sweetheart.”
Jason walked into the living room so he could sit down for a sec when he saw the reflection of someone standing behind him, slightly crouched over, clearly trying to sneak up on him. Jason turned to confront the shadowy figure. “Lily, who is this?”
Standing in front of him was a boy about an inch taller than Lily, wearing shorts that went past his knees and a Seahawks football jersey that was easily two sizes too big for him. He had short dark hair and his face was animated with a big smile.
“Dad, stop it. He’s my friend.”
“Your boyyyyy friend. You know Daddies hate boyyyy friends.”
“Dad, it’s Jerry. Stop it.”
“You’re funny, Mr. Roy. Can you give me a ride home?” asked Jerry.
“Seriously? Jerry, you live like a block away.”
“I know, but your car is so cool.”
“I can’t argue with that. Are you guys still coming over tomorrow night?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask Mom. Grandpa is supposed to be home tomorrow, so we will see.”
“Don’t let your grandpa see you wearing that Seahawks jersey. He is still complaining about Denver losing to them.”
“You’re probably right. He is a big Broncos fan. I like Denver, too. I just like to give him a hard time.”
“You’re gonna be just like him, you know that?”
“Yeah, that’s what Mom says, too.”
Jason walked Jerry out to the Mustang and drove him the long way around so they could swerve along Sandpoint Way before circling back home, revving the engine a little more than necessary. After dropping Jerry off, he said goodnight to Anne and headed back home. As he crested the hill to his alley, he noticed how beautiful the sunset was so he parked and hurried in so he could enjoy the sunset while eating dinner with his family later. Nobody greeted him this time so he walked straight to the front window and raised the blinds all the way. The Olympics were perfect tonight; the sun was setting perfectly so the red just outlined the peaks making it look almost artificial, like one of those paintings you see and just can’t believe those are real colors. The downtown skyline was to the left and sunset was reflecting off the buildings creating a halo of reflected light. Jason was enraptured by the view until a soft hand touched him on the shoulder.
“Hey, you.”
Jason turned and placed his hands on either side of Judy’s head, feeling her warm hair running though his fingers as he leaned forward to give her a kiss.
“Can’t beat that welcome home.”
“I should hope not.”
Jason smiled his biggest, toothiest smile possible. “Exactly.”
“Debbie called. She is going to come by tomorrow for dinner. Did you talk with Anne?”
“No, but Jerry said he thought she and Gerald will be back in town. It’s the third anniversary of Nate’s death, so I’m sure everyone will come. Did you see how much Jerry has grown?”
“I know. It’s crazy isn’t it?”
“Dad, come on. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
Jason looked down into his daughter’s eyes to chide her, and for a moment, he saw Rachel looking back at him. He knew she was okay, and he knew she would be happy for him. Lily needed a mom, and Jason would never lose Rachel as long as he had Lily. Jason also knew to be a good father, and a good person, he needed Judy.
“All right, just a minute, sweetheart. Why don’t you go clean up so Judy and I can get dinner ready?”
As Lily ran to the bathroom, Judy asked, “Are you okay? You look upset about something.”
Jason answered, “I got the lab results back from her doctor’s appointment today. Her white blood cell counts are through the roof. It has to be leukemia.”
Judy took his hand. “Jason, what are we gonna do? This is what we talked about.”
“I think we have to consider treating her with our gene therapy. Nobody in our trials has had an adverse event related to our treatment. The chemotherapy has a much higher chance of hurting her.” Jason looked at the floor before continuing. “I know she is going to be okay, Judy. The treatment works. I love her the way she is and I want to believe we would do this for the right reasons. After all, it’s based on her own DNA.”
Judy stood on her toes and cupped Jason’s face in her hands. She was short enough that he had to look down to meet her eyes. “You started this journey because you knew she was special. That hasn’t changed. It’s just that the journey isn’t over yet.”
“I know, it’s just that after everything we’ve been through, now this. I do believe in my heart that we will get her through this. I just hope I have the strength. We’re changing the future, Judy, for the better, I think, but we are most certainly changing it.”
Judy kept his gaze and whispered, “You’re not alone anymore, Jason.”
32
SEATTLE—2330
“Papa! What happened to Lily? You can’t stop now.” Tears ran down her cheek.
Olivay stroked the arm of his beautiful daughter. “I promise she is okay. She has great strength, just like you.”
“Then please, Papa, tell me what happens.”
“The next part of the story will take quite a while. We must go now. Your mother will be arriving soon.”
“Promise me you will finish it.”
“Of course, sweetheart. It’s just that I promised your mother we would meet her when she landed.”
“Okay, Papa.”
Olivay stood up, took hold of Alucia’s hand, and gently led her toward the door. Olivay could tell she was deep in thought as she lightly returned his grip and stared blankly ahead while they walked. The shuttle station was a fairly easy walk from their restaurant which had been part of Olivay’s plan from the start. Shuttle flights from the space station no longer required miles of runway. The station was now much the rest like their world: a melding of technology and the environment.
Olivay lead Alucia away from the water and north toward the hill that was home to the shuttle station. There was very little shuttle traffic. The only people going to the space station were research scientists most of whom were now working with Genovesse on her project. It was a peaceful walk as most personal transportation was through the portals so that the only vehicles traveling were transporting large cargo or large groups of people at one time. The transport portals were very low energy but only worked for one person at a time and could get an individual pretty much anywhere on the surface. Because leadership knew that the human body needed activity to work properly, trips via portal were limited to three times per day. So Olivay walked as much as he could. When he walked, he felt more alive and especially enjoyed the experience of walking with someone else. Today he had a wonderful lunch with his daughter, and now looked forward to picking up his beautiful wife, Genovesse. He knew she would be excited to hear how Alucia was doing with the telling of the story.
Alucia came out of her trance. “Papa, you mentioned Down syndrome several times in your story when you were talking about Lily. The only time I have heard that word before was in our history class.”
“I know it’s confusing. That’s a word we no longer use. It was used during a time when we didn’t understand how to measure people’s value.”
“I don’t understand, Papa. What do you mean by value?”
“We didn’t understand as much about how people work. Just because someone looked a certain way, or had certain abilities didn’t always predict what they were capable of. You asked about Down syndrome. We used to think people with Down syndrome were not capable of much. Early in our history, people with Down syndrome were placed in institutions to be taken care of because nobody thought they were capable of anything. We didn’t understand the value of people with Down syndrome. And not just Down syndrome, but many other syndromes as well.”
“What happened?”
“With what, sweetheart?”
“Down syndrome!”
Olivay hugged his daughter. Why did I assume she knows? “Alucia, my love, we no longer use the term Down syndrome. We now call those special people Trispero.”
“You told me I was Trispero, Papa.”
“You are. We couldn’t be more proud to have you as a daughter. That’s why I am telling you the story.”
Alucia looked at Olivay with her mouth slightly agape. “Oh!”
“Do you also remember me telling you about the Lesson of the Three?”
“Yes, Papa. But please remind me what those three things are.”
“Technology or knowledge, humanity, and earth. Do you see now how each one of these impacts the other and impacts our home? The world is now a better place than in Lily’s day.”
The conversation had taken Olivay and Alucia close to the entrance of the shuttle station. As with most buildings of the day, it was covered with a biohybrid electrical source that camouflaged the walls so that it was almost unrecognizable until they were almost at the entrance. The shape was difficult to determine as it took up most of the top of the hill, but became more obvious as the roof began to slide open. The arrival of the shuttle was due in about five minutes so Olivay used his implanted personal display to get access to the station. Olivay walked into the building holding Alucia’s hand and tried to find his bearing. The true dimensions were immense once inside as it was easily four stories high with rounded white walls that came up into a partial dome since the top was already open. The walls were made of a light seamless polymer that was as light as plastic but stronger than steel. Once fabricated it could be molded into whatever shape they wanted and for larger projects the sections could easily be melded together. The roof which had opened, was built to slide into itself so that once open there was no obstruction.