“Unless you can grow your finger back, you need surgery.”
“I told you…”
“Manny, I’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll be safe.”
But Manny knew better. If he went in here, there would be forms to fill out, insurance information, DruTech would be called…
David would find them.
“I can’t…”
“Manny, please be reasonable.”
Manny looked down at his hands. He could live with nine fingers. But eight? Six? Two?
David had threatened to cut them all off if he tried to interfere. That, and worse.
“My finger doesn’t matter, Doc. The Project matters. You, Theena, everyone involved is in danger. He wants to kill all of you.”
“Who, Manny? Who wants to kill us?”
Manny nervously glanced in the rearview mirror. He was so shocked that he yelled.
David.
“You have to get away, Doc. Go!”
Manny pushed out of the car and ran away as fast as he could.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
When Bill arrived at DruTech, Theena was waiting at the front door. Her lab coat was over another short skirt, and her hair was in a loose ponytail. She hugged him, and Bill felt the tension slip away for the short time she was in his arms.
“What happened?”
Theena was appraising the mark on Bill’s cheek, where Franco had slapped him.
He gave her the whole story as they made their way to the research level. When the elevator stopped, he’d just gotten to the part with Manny.
“He’s okay?”
There was excitement in her voice, perhaps a bit more than Bill found comfortable.
“He says some people took him from the hospital and cut off his finger, but he got away from them. I took him back there so they could reattach it, but he ran off.”
“That poor man. He must be terrified. And you too. Bill, I don’t know how you managed it. You’re very brave.”
Theena kissed him on the cheek.
Bill tried to shrug, but it came out more like a squeak. She took his hand and they left the elevator.
“The others are here-everyone except for Jim Townsend. I left several messages, but haven’t heard from him.”
“Is that normal?”
“For Jim, no. I keep wondering if he had some kind of accident.”
Theena ushered Bill into a conference room. It was a moderate size, the walls adorned with motivational posters with sayings like “All answers began as problems.” The lighting was softer than the harsh neon of the hallways, and the air smelled faintly of tobacco. A large oval table was surrounded by a dozen chairs, only three of which were taken.
“This is Dr. Bill May, from CDER. I’m sure you all remember him from the other day. Bill, this is Dr. Mason O’Neil, our MD.”
Bill shook his hand. Mason was about ten years older than him, short and stout. He had furry gray sideburns that seemed to swallow his ears, an obvious attempt to make up for the lack of hair on his head.
“Next to him is our chemist, Dr. Julia Myrnowski.”
Julia was young, chubby, with short blonde hair. She smiled shyly at Bill and offered a moist, limp hand.
“And this is Dr. Robert Fletcher, our psychiatrist.”
“Call me Red.”
Bill couldn’t imagine why-the doctor’s hair was pure white. Red seemed to read Bill’s mind.
“Nothing to do with my hair. I was a bookworm when I was younger. Nickname stuck.”
“Nice to meet all of you.” Bill glanced at Theena, unsure if he was supposed to tell the day’s events. She pushed on without acknowledging him.
“I’d like everyone to state a brief overview of their work here, to give Bill an idea of how we’re running this project. Can you start, Mason?”
“Of course.” Mason had a school teacher voice, the friendly kind. “I’m basically Manny’s doctor. I oversee all of the testing. Tissue work ups, serum samples, vitals, lab tests, that sort of thing.”
“And how is his health?”
“Remarkable. Every possible stat has improved since he began using N-Som. Blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat, endurance, you name it. You’re an MD yourself, correct? I’d be thrilled to go over his charts with you.”
Bill had seen many of them already. Mason did thorough work.
Theena smiled, comfortable playing group leader. “Julia? Can you tell Bill about your job?”
“Well, I work in the lab a lot. Sometimes with Mason doing testing, but my specialty is NMRs and mass spec.”
“Julia is the one that mapped the atomic make-up of the N-Som molecule.”
“Three molecules, actually.” Julia blushed. “It’s a beautiful drug, on an atomic level. I’ve built several models.”
“I’d like to see them.”
“Sure.”
Julia blushed. She was so shy Bill felt an urge to pat her head.
Red coughed into his hand and cleared his throat.
“And I assess Manny’s mental state, along with providing needed therapy.”
“Does he need therapy?”
“We all need therapy, Bill. Perhaps Manny needs a bit more than others.”
Bill had gone over some of Manny’s physical reports, but hadn’t been privy to any of his psych evaluations other than a brief bio.
“I’ve read a little about his past. He grew up in a foster home.”
“Yes, with his brother, David. Their mother was a drug user, neglectful. The state took over custody.”
“Can you give me your personal assessment of him?”
Red smiled, apparently delighted by the question.
“Complicated man. He has a grounded sense of right and wrong, yet many times in the past he chose the wrong. Burglaries, car theft. We got him through the CIRP, you know.”
Bill hadn’t known that. The Correctional Institution Reform Project offered prisoners reduced sentences by allowing them opportunities to volunteer in scientific programs.
“What was he in for?”
“Assault. He started a fight in a restaurant, hit another man with a beer mug. When the police arrived, he fought with them as well.”
“So he’s temperamental.”
“When I first got him, yes. I’d like to say that my guiding hand has made him a calmer person, but I don’t think I’m the cause in this instance.”
“N-Som?”
“I think so. Besides his many physical improvements, Manny has become calmer, more at ease with himself, and even a nicer person.”
“Is he ever paranoid? Delusional?”
Something passed behind Red’s eyes.
“Manny has some unresolved issues involving his childhood, and has resulting ego problems. I’m sure you know how hard self acceptance can be, especially if you’ve made some big mistakes.”
Bill was taken aback. Did Red know? Was this talk of self acceptance and big mistakes a reflection on Bill’s
