Unexpected Conspiracy: The Eternal Experimental Effects Series (The RAMBA Chronicles: The Eternal Experimental Effects Book 1)

by Erin Rickman

  “So, Atlas seems nice,” Jai said. It was clear to me he was uncomfortable, though no-one else would have picked it up.

  “He is,” I agreed. “Bit of a ladies man by the looks of it, I swear I’ve seen him mentally undress a few women tonight. So gross.”

  “Brilliant, nothing like a gentleman,” Jai mused while his glass hid a small smirk as he sipped his beer. “As long as he’s not mentally undressing you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s just a work friend,” I reminded Jai, and secretly, myself.

  It didn’t take long for Atlas and Hector to return; Atlas placed his drink down and sat.

  “So, where is everyone going tonight after the gig? We’re heading down the road to a new club if you want to join?” Atlas gestured towards the direction of the club, and, in doing, tapped his glass of beer with just enough momentum to tip it.

  “If you get in,” Jai murmured quietly, hinting at Atlas’ lack of coordination.

  “That was a good beer! You barely drank any of it,” Hector yelped, leaning over the table to grab napkins.

  Atlas quickly helped him clean it up before apologising to everyone about his clumsiness.

  As the night continued, our table filled with laughter at both the acts and the people surrounding us. Some comedy acts were fantastic, and others were not. I had watched Atlas throughout the night; the bar staff knew his name, which indicated, like he had said, their Saturdays here were a monthly occurrence. The girls here wanted him, and the males wanted to be him. It wasn’t surprising, he was almost more attractive—if possible—because of the way he held himself. His smart dress code and the way the lights, when flashing, showed off the contours of his face had made him seem more beautiful. I realised he closely resembled Matthew Daddario, maybe that was why he had such luck with the ladies.

  I found myself mentally scolding myself, telling myself to look at my boyfriend. Though, I just couldn’t take my eyes off of the green-eyed angel across from me. I knew it was wrong, but you can window shop, right? However, I found myself feeling uneasy, why did I need to window shop?

  Chapter Four

  March 4th 2024

  I walked in for the start of my second week, my feet slapping on the floor, creating an echo. Hector was at his desk, grinning as per usual.

  “Morning, Blaire! Saturday was great, wasn’t it?” he chirped, leaning forward on the desk.

  I smiled as his was infectious. “Yeah, it was great. We should do it again.”

  “We go every month,” he explained. “I reckon you’ll be welcome to come,” he paused for a minute, “Andrea too.”

  I laughed. “See you later, Hector.”

  I continued my walk to the elevator, got in, reached my floor and headed to the office. When I entered, both Atlas and Kenji were already there. Kenji was, like always, staring intensely at the papers in front of him. Atlas was leant back in his chair, his feet on his desk as he held a cup of coffee. He nodded towards my station, I then saw he had made me a coffee too. Today, his hair wasn’t slick as it usually was, it was tussled into an artistic mess sitting atop of his head. His shirt had the first two buttons undone, and light stubble danced across his face, outlining his already sharp jawline.

  “Your hair suits you like that,” I complimented while I proceeded to my desk.

  “It gives me bad boy vibes,” Atlas chortled while he wiggled his eyebrows, his emerald eyes vibrant. “Is that what you like, Blaire?”

  “Brilliant,” I scoffed. It wasn’t even nine am yet, and Atlas was already on the wind-up.

  “I didn’t quite get that vibe from Jai,” he poked, spinning around to face me. “Not the type of guy I imagined you to be with, regardless of how dashingly handsome he is.”

  “Oh?” I disputed, “what sort of guy did you imagine me to be with, you?” I rolled my eyes.

  “Nah.” He smirked. “We know Kenji is your number one fan.”

  Kenji’s head snapped up. “Keep me out of your flirtatious banter.” He appeared to be clearly aggravated.

  Atlas glanced towards him before looking at me and grinned. His smile reached from ear to ear. One thing I had learnt about Atlas was that his charisma was off the charts. Though, I wouldn’t have called our joking flirtatious. If Atlas was flirting then there would have needed to be an attraction on his part, which there wasn’t. Even if there was, it wouldn’t matter, I was happy in my relationship.

  “Maybe I’ll get to meet Maze this week,” I wondered aloud, looking at the desk that had been untouched since I started.

  “You’ll love her. She’s the real-life and soul of this place. How her husband keeps tabs on her, I’ll never know,” Atlas explained, the fondness in his voice.

  “Oh, does Atlas have a crush?” I teased.

  I watched as he almost lost his cool for a minute, his cheeks gained a slight flush of red. “No—”

  “Yes,” Kenji interjected, “Atlas wishes he was the man in her photograph.”

  “I liked it better with you removed from this conversation. Go back to your paperwork,” Atlas snapped.

  I laughed, my stomach sinking a little. Of course, Atlas had a crush on a work colleague. My sinking feelings were unjust. I did not own him, and as he had already pointed out that my partner was indeed Jai. I watched as Atlas lent back in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers.

  “Anyway, don’t be ridiculous Kenji—I would never pick a suit like that to wed in,” Atlas retorted, but Kenji was no longer listening.

  “Oh, so you are a marriage guy? Took you more for a bachelor if I am honest,” I taunted.

  “Ouch, Blaire. Words do hurt you know? Marriage is something I’m open to, providing it’s the right person,” Atlas said, sipping his coffee. “What about you?”

  I laughed. “I didn’t even have a career until last week. Do you really think I’ve thought that far ahead?”

  Truth be told, I had thought that far ahead, but I wasn’t good enough friends with Atlas yet to open up about my life plans. Six months ago, I would have chirped all day long about settling down with my partner. However, even though I was sure it would still be Jai, I realised something was stopping my fantasies. I put it down to having other things, like a career, occupying my thoughts instead. Then I had a fleeting thought, was I just kidding myself? I knew Atlas had an affect on me, but I didn’t want to believe it. Regardless, I told myself now I was no longer packing shelves, I barely had time to daydream and that was the real reason for my now nonexistant future plans.

  “Or, you just haven’t met the right person to make you think that far ahead yet,” he jibed, making a subtle dig at my relationship with Jai.

  “I am not entertaining this, it’s far too early on a Monday morning. What about you, Kenji?”

  He sighed heavily, finally turning away from his papers. “I don’t dare think of such a thing; knowing my family they will find me a suitable Japanese bride, and I’ll make do. Can you leave me alone now?” I got the sense Kenji wasn’t overly keen on the idea, but I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it was because he was already married to his job?

  “Jesus, Kenji,” Atlas exclaimed. “It’s 2024, your family still does that?”

  Kenji ignored Atlas’ remark and continued with his work. The door to the office opened, and Van Wick walked through.

  “Morning, boss-man,” Atlas chirped.

  “Morning,” Van Wick grunted—though he'd had the weekend to rest, he looked like he needed a lifetime.

  “Where’s Maze?” Atlas asked, failing to contain his eagerness to know.

  “Maze has gone to an institute elsewhere. They think they’re on the brink of a breakthrough with the vaccine for COVID-19 due to the new strain. So, her expertise is needed elsewhere. Before you ask, no, I do not know how long she will be gone,” Van Wick explained. “Blaire, it’s your time to join me in the lab. Follow me.”

  I quickly rose to my feet to accompany Van Wick as he walked out the door. I know he said to call him Arnie, but something abou
t it didn’t feel right, he was my superior after all.

  “Blaire!” a voice yelled, I peered back around the door frame to a smiling Atlas. “If you want to keep your skin on your body, don’t touch the blue chemicals.” He winked. “Though, I suppose being skinless will keep you cool—the thermostat is broken and it gets really hot in there.”

  I huffed and continued to follow Van Wick to the lab. Regardless, I was excited; I could finally get into the lab and away from mundane training. It was terrifying, working with someone as well respected as Van Wick, but I wanted this to be an opportunity to learn. However, the fear of disappointment hung over my head like a dense thundercloud. Van Wick was my idol, and letting him down would be worse than disappointing my parents. I shook off the feeling, I had to move on from this fear, it was difficult, but I had done it before when I failed to turn down this job. I felt determined to prove to Van Wick I was capable, and to prove to myself, I was worthy of success.

  The lab was on the same floor, but across the other side which took a good few minutes to reach. He pulled out his lanyard from his lab coat pocket, on it was his ID card and a fob, he buzzed it onto the receiver. As the door opened, I saw two more doors—one to the left and one straight ahead. Windows stretched along the wall in front of me, and, through them, I could see the lab.

  Unsurprisingly, the laboratory was sterile white, like the rest of the building. The lab wasn’t big, but it was big enough for the equipment. Along the back sat various titrations of chemicals that only God knew what was in there. There were multiple pieces of equipment in use. Some of the notable scientific tools were a Swenson Walker Crystallizer, Vapour Liquid Equilibrium setup, microscopes including an electron microscope, and a centrifuge machine. Bunsen burners and gas tabs stretched along with the workbenches. On the right were two computers, hooked up to various other devices. I noticed there was a thermostat to control the room temperature situated on the left-hand side of the room, not far past the door. So, that must be the broken one. I imagined it could get sweltering in the workroom without one as it did not have windows, so it should really be fixed. As far as a lab goes, this one was not short of regular funding.

  “The PPE room is on the right,” Van Wick explained. “There is a locker with your name on it, set the code and get your gear on. There will be a lab coat with your fob in the pocket and adjustable goggles. Everyone on our immediate team has a fob, but sharing is forbidden as each person has different authorisations, so don’t lose yours.”

  I thanked him and walked in, getting myself ready. I was excited to get into the lab and off of computer-based training. Today was going to be interesting. If what Atlas said was right, I just had to remember not to touch the blue chemicals as I wanted to keep my skin firmly attached to my body.

  ✽✽✽

  When lunch time arrived, I headed straight to the staff kitchen. The kitchen was small; on the back wall were cupboards, and underneath them were countertops, with a kettle and a sink. The kitchen always smelled like coffee, probably due to the ungodly amount both Kenji and Atlas drank. I walked over to the kettle, flicking it on. Not long after, Atlas walked in; it was almost like he heard the flick of the objects switch from down the hall.

  “Hey, B. How was the morning in the lab?” Atlas asked, placing his cup next to the one I just got out. “Coffee, milk and two sugars, please.”

  “It was good, a lot to take in, but good,” I explained.

  As the kettle boiled I watched Atlas, he leant against the counter, phone in hand. His muscles tensed as he typed out a text. Underneath his white shirt, I noticed some black inking.

  “Didn’t realise you had tattoos,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, a whole sleeve actually, I just hide it well.” He explained. “Things that mean a lot to me, comic books, science and my namesake, Atlas—the God of endurance.”

  “Sounds pretty cool to be fair, I suppose you can’t be named after a Greek God and not give him some sort of tribute.”

  “Exactly,” Atlas agreed. “Hector asked if we want to go get drinks tonight, you in?”

  I shook my head. “No, I think I should get home tonight, I’m shattered. Thank you, though. You guys text a lot, considering he’s a few floors down.”

  “Well, Hector is reliable, talks for England and always has the need to interact with people; extrovert, I suppose, is the best way to describe him.”

  I made Atlas coffee and he thanked me, lifting the cup as he left the room. I supposed I owed him a coffee after he made me one this morning. I followed him back to the office to eat my lunch before going back to the lab. My mother had made me a vegetable lasagne last night and I had the left-overs today. I was really getting used to not being a disappointment. If I had known lunch came with not being a let down, I would have bucked up a long time ago.

  ✽✽✽

  I closed the front door to my home behind me. My mother was standing in the hallway, hanging up a coat. “How was your day, sweetie?” she cooed.

  Her being proud of me had unlocked a wealth of new behaviours like pet names, gentle voices, lunch, and a lack of nagging. It was fantastic.

  “Yeah, excellent thanks. I had my first day in the lab, and it was so interesting. I spent the day with Doctor Van Wick. He’s all sorts of crazy,” I revealed, hanging my coat up. I looked at the jacket next to mine. “Oh, is Jai here?” I asked.

  “Yes,” my mother responded. “He’s talking economics with your father around Jai's work. They’re in the kitchen.”

  I smiled and walked past her, through the lounge into the dining room and kitchen. Deep male laughter rattled the downstairs of my house. I watched as my father stood over the hob, pulled the tea towel from his shoulder and lightly hit Jai with it, their heartfelt laughs echoing through the house. I lent on the door frame, watching them. Since William left for Cambridge, my father has missed having another male in the house. It was fine at first; Liam would regularly call and visited at least once a week, but over the last few years, it has become less and less frequent. I hadn't seen him in over a year now, nor spoken to him since some time around Christmas. I should really have made more of an effort with my brother. It was hard though, he was the star pupil, and I was the class dud. I suppose I found it far too easy to let my jealousy get the better of me.

  I received a text as my phone vibrated in my hands

  From: Hector

  Did you know turtles can breathe through their butts? I didn’t and I’m not sure how I feel about it :/

  I typed out a reply to tell him he needed to get off of the internet. I was often updated with random animal facts courtesy of Hector. It was something I enjoyed, but due to the facts being so bizarre, I was often left wondering what he had to Google to find them in the first place. He replied to tell me this one wasn't a google job, but his sister, Macey, had told him.

  “Think about it though, Mr M. If we find the cure, the economy is no issue,” Jai insisted, leaning on the counter next to my father.

  “Not that I doubt you, my boy, but the day all cancer is cured will be the day pigs fly. Do you think your company can find a cure for all cancers when they haven’t even found the cure to one?” my father asked while smiling.

  “Of course,” Jai said with confidence. “They have me on the project now which will do wonders for my PhD, you know?”

  “I don’t doubt that,” my father said as he laughed.

  Jai was just over three years older than me and was doing much better than I ever did in education. His studies in biology and genetics had given him a wealth of knowledge. Since he had been working his job gave him the opportunity of his PhD, something he is now so close to completing. Jai Always spoke about my brains but failed to admire his own.

  “There she is!” my father yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

  I laughed and walked over to him. “You’re awfully joyous,” I regarded. I walked to Jai and placed a kiss on his cheek, he proceeded to rest his arm over my shoulders.

  “
Well, what can I say?” my father grinned. “I have a successful, beautiful family and work is going fantastic. What is there not to be joyous about?”

  The evening was entertaining, after dinner Jai and I made our way to my room. We sat on my bed, in silence, listening to The 1975.

  “Are you staying tonight?” I questioned.

  “If you want me too.” He sat up, resting his back against the headboard.

  “Of course I do,” I vocalised, rolling over to my stomach to face him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  My phone chimed, I looked down to see a text from Atlas.

  From: Atlas

  Hey B, Hector wants 2 grab lunch @ the cafe tomorrow, you in?

  I typed a quick reply to say I would join them; in this time I had blanked whatever Jai had said to me.

  “Is that him texting you?” his annoyance was evident. I knew he was refering to Atlas. He was often vocal about his distaste for Atlas.

  “Who’s ‘he’? I’m allowed friends aren’t I?” my voice raised at his tone.

  “Atlas, who else?” he sulked. “And of course you can have friends, but something doesn’t sit right with me when it comes to Atlas,” his voice became more subdued.

  My brain flashed back to Saturday night, and the way Jai would eye Atlas then become uncomfortable in his presence. He was feeling insecure.

  “You can’t be serious?” I asked softly.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged, playing with his hands.

  “Look,” I started earnestly, now sitting and taking his hands in mine. “You are funny, smart, handsome, amazing. It’s you I want; it always will be.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more, Jai or myself. Regardless, I wanted us both to believe the words I said.