Alright, here's the continuation of chapter 1. I tried to follow all the advice from the previous part, but I guess we'll see. And as a side note. If you didn't catch my notice in the last part of the chapter then you wouldn't know that I added what Niles is doing at the Hawthorn Facility. You can read it right after the flashback in Regen: Ch 0.5.
Here's just a few questions I'd like you to answer:
1) I've been told that I have bad spelling. Can you tell me any words you see that I spelled wrong?
2) Was the science believable? I was told last time that I didn't do too well in this area, so I want to know.
That's about it. I hope you all enjoy the end of Chapter 1. (Just so we're all clear about it, there wasn't supposed to be a break between these chapters, so if you feel like it started weirdly it's because its not really a start. I picked the halfway point in the chapter and just separated it).
Regen:
Chapter 1 part 2
They walked until coming to another circular room, but this one much smaller. Elevators lining the walls ran up clear, glass tubes that disappeared into the ceiling.
“Now, you won’t be able to navigate well without one of these,” Groesbeck said, holding up what looked like a hotel room card key. He slid it through a card scanner on the side of one of the elevators. The doors slid open smoothly. “You can open doors leading to the halls, but getting back into them will be impossible. So you’ll need me with you.”
“More security measures?”
“Yes… After you.”
Once they’d entered the elevator the doors closed silently. Groesbeck pressed a few buttons on the wall, and a moment later they were shooting up the glass tube with a swoosh.
Niles tried to look through the glass walls of the elevator, but the blur made him dizzy. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When he put them back he looked over and saw Groesbeck staring at him curiously. Damn. I should have kept them on. He hadn’t thought Groesbeck would pay much attention to eye color, but he was a smart man. Maybe he paid attention to every minute detail, like an evil Sherlock Holmes. Niles expected Groesbeck to say something, but he instead continued his silence.
The elevator slowed to a stop at the 7th level and opened. Another plain white hall appeared in front of them. There were doors all the way down with numbers and small windows, but as they walked Niles noticed that most had a blind pulled down. He decided to ignore them.
They turned at a corner and continued on in silence. Niles found it a little uncomfortable, but tried not to think about it. If he let every little thing get to him there would be a price to pay.
Groesbeck suddenly stopped and turned towards a door labeled 1264. Faint traces of a smile tugged at his lips. Niles realized it was probably the most emotion he’d ever expressed. “We’re here.” Groesbeck slipped his passkey through the scanner and opened the door.
A blast of cold air rushed to greet them as they walked in. It was too dark to see much more than outlines, the only light source being the door’s window.
“Do you have any light?” Niles asked, turning to where he guessed Groesbeck was.
There was a simple answer from the darkness. “Yes.” Groesbeck flicked the light switch and released the floodgates of light. Ever corner was illuminated, and despite his sunglasses, the flash caused Niles momentary blindness. He blinked rapidly until his vision returned, and then he looked around.
He couldn’t say the sight made him gasp in surprise, but he knew it wouldn’t be easily forgotten. The far half of the room was quarantined off by some sort of clear plastic that distorted the light with each ripple. A moderately long tunnel made of the same plastic extended from the center with a metal door leading into it and one leading out the other end. Behind all this the experiment lay on a bed, a boy in his late teens. Niles couldn’t tell any distinctive features from his side of the plastic wall, but he noticed an IV beside him along with an ECG. A ventilation duct ran across the ceiling on both sides of the wall, providing the cool air, and a clock was positioned just above the bed. He figured it was to call the time of death if there were complications. Cabinets filled with medical supplies and equipment lined the walls.
“What’s with all this.” Niles waved his hand around the room.
Groesbeck took off his glasses and wiped them on the shirt beneath his lab coat. “They keep out bacteria and pathogens.”
Niles paused. “But aren’t you going a little too far?” He wondered if this would turn into a problem for his plan.
Groesbeck replaced his glasses. “Of course not. After manipulating genes on such a massive scale, we’re not sure what mutations may have occurred. For all we know, a brief exposure to the common cold could kill it.”
Niles began to wonder if the boy was worth the trouble. If he died from a little exposure to bacteria, what use was he? Niles looked up and noticed the ventilation ducts. If they let in some bacteria, then maybe there was hope the boy could survive outside his quarantined area. He turned to Groesbeck. “What about the vents? Won’t they blow in their own share of bacteria?”
Groesbeck sighed, tiring of all the questions. “We have a state-of-the-art filtration systems set up. If that’s not enough then the experiment itself is a failure and isn’t worth keeping. Now, is that all?”
Niles nodded. Exposing the boy to bacteria was a risk he’d have to take.
“Then I’ll need you to get into that suit.” Groesbeck motioned towards a rack nailed to the wall with a yellow full body suit that looked as if they were made to keep out radiation, complete with an oxygen tank. The headpiece was like a bag, but with a clear plastic square as a window to see through.
That was when Niles discovered a major flaw in his plan. How was he going to get the knife to Experiment 76? That thought struck him hard. The entire operation depended on his ability to provide Experiment 76 with what he needed. Otherwise, what was the point?
To avoid suspicion he walked over to the suit and began putting it on with sweaty palms, but he did so slowly. He needed time to think.
Maybe I could kill Groesbeck, run in, and give the boy the knife. The Regen Project would also lose its most precious scientist. Two birds with one stone. He quickly realized the folly in this plan, though, when he looked up and saw a security camera in the corner. Damn. If he were planning on just killing Groesbeck and leaving it would be fine, but the boy was the key to the project’s ultimate downfall. Even if he also gave the boy the knife it would be taken away once they went over the tapes. It would also be hard for Niles to escape. He was tight on options.
By the time he was zipping up the front of the suit he was out of ideas. None of them were probable enough for him to risk. He slipped the headpiece on and secured it. He gasped as he was left without air. His mind raced with suspicion, but moments later he felt the air tank automatically supply him with oxygen.
“Ready to go?” Groesbeck asked, his voice distant through the layer of clothing. He was standing by the tunnel door and holding onto the handle.
Niles gave him a thumbs up.
Groesbeck turned the handle and opened the door, which sighed as the air seal was released. Niles nodded to him as he passed into the plastic tunnel. The door closed behind him and a fan of sorts on the ceiling turned on, cleaning the air. After a minute it turned off and Groesbeck motioned for him to move on. Niles walked over to the door and opened it.
Now on the other side of the plastic wall, he could make better notes of the area. The boy, Experiment 76, was laying on the hospital bed with his chest exposed, it rising and falling slowly. Three straps of leather bound him tightly to the mattress, each located for maximum immobilization. His chest had three suction cups attached to it with wires trailing from them over to the ECG. The beep of the machine was faintly heard in Niles' suit, but he could hear it as it sounded in coordination with every spike of the monitor’s red line. The boy’s head was shaven with gauze wrapped around it, the zenith of the scalp being the only exposed spot.
Niles flinched. He’d heard about the brain implant the most recent experiments were receiving. It released electric pulses that disrupted the accessibility of old memories, creating an amnesia-like state. This would allow someone to sculpt the experiment to their own will without worry of clashing with old feelings, opinions, or hopes. That would be very useful for Niles.
The boy was of an average height, moderately good looking, but was thin from his time hospitalized. The only clothing he had was his papery pant scrubs, and he was covered in goosebumps. The suit Niles wore was keeping him nice and warm, sweating almost, but he thought about how cold it would be dressed like that. Cold enough to limit the growth of some bacteria, but not enough to induce hypothermia.
Niles walked over and began his pretend inspection. As he studied the monitors and readings, he struggled to figure out what to do. Should I open the front zipper and slip it out? No, the camera is right there. They’d realize what was happening and send in the cavalry. What if I turn my back to it? No, then Groesbeck would see… Damn it!
He thought about giving up on the whole operation, going home, and forming a new plan, but he knew he couldn’t do that. If he didn’t do it there and then it would be too late. He forced back all doubts and tried to think clearly. He looked at everything in the room he could use, the IV, the medical supplies, the ECG… That’s when the solution came to him. At first he found it as improbable as the other ideas, but he slowly began to like it more and more. It was still a stretch, but he figured it was doable.
Niles moved to the side of the bed with the ECG on it. He made sure he was blocking the camera with his back, pretended to bend over to examine the monitor, and then, holding his breath in anticipation, disconnected the ECG from the suction cups on the boy’s chest. The red line on the monitor went flat as one continuous beep resonated from it.
He looked back at Groesbeck as if shocked, fear masking his face. Niles then ripped open the front of his suit and yelled loud enough so that he could be heard through the plastic wall, “He’s going under cardiac arrest!” He put his ear over the boy’s mouth as if to check his breathing. Groesbeck, on the other side of the wall, was panicking, running for the tunnel’s door, but stopped, remembering the high probability of infection.
While bent over, Niles stealthily pulled a sheathed knife out of his pocket, once again making sure the camera couldn’t see, and slipped it under the hem of the boy’s pants. He began performing CPR for show, knowing the fate of the mission depended on how real his performance was. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Groesbeck urgently talking on an intercolm. It was too soft to hear well, but he caught the word ‘disinfectant.’
With the camera still to his back and Groesbeck occupied with the intercolm, Niles reached over and plugged the suction cup wires back up to the ECG. As the periodical beep continued, he faked a startled expression and looked over at the monitor. He smiled as if satisfied with his work, stood up, and zipped his suit back up just as a thick cloud of white shot out of the ventilation duct. It came out like an explosion and filled the entire room in an instant. An unzipped section in his suit let some in, and it drifted up to his nose. It was disinfectant.
Niles walked through the white cloud on his way out, mentally preparing himself. His method wasn’t going to be without its costs. He’d be questioned, detained, and they’d probably demote Jones, but that wouldn’t have much affect. The fact he supposedly saved their experiment would probably dampen their anger, but their was one more problem with what he’d done. They’d probably put the boy through a series of tests to make sure he was healthy. As long as they don’t move him too much or find the knife it would be okay, but if he died… Niles shivered. They wouldn’t treat him too well.
Niles looked up at the clock above the bed. Its glowing red numbers shone through the white cloud, reading 3:14. That meant the sedatives from the surgery would wear off in about eight hours, and then the test would begin. If the boy escaped, Niles would come in for the pickup. If not, it was probably for the best. He needed someone who could take care of himself in dire situations.
He turned away and began walking towards the tunnel. Before exiting he stopped and said, “Let’s see what you can do…” After hesitation he added, “Caleb.” With that, he left the boy alone.[b]
Gender:
Points: 1990
Reviews: 254