Just behind Victor was a flight of wooden stairs that rose up to the ceiling, dead-ending into wooden planks.
“Well, Dad?” VJ questioned with anticipation. “Come on!
What do you think?”
Victor rose to his feet unsteadily. “This is your lab?” he asked.
“That’s right,” VJ said. “Pretty cool, wouldn’t you say?”
Wobbling, Victor made his way over to a DNA synthesizer and ran his hand along its top edge. It was the newest model available, better than the unit Victor had in his own lab.
“Where did all this equipment come from?” Victor asked, spotting a magnetic electron microscope on the other side of the paddle wheel.
“You could say it’s on loan,” said VJ. He followed his father and gazed lovingly at the synthesizer.
Victor turned to VJ, studying the boy’s face. “Is this the equipment that was stolen from Chimera?”
“It was never stolen,” VJ said with an impish grin. “Let’s say it was merely rerouted. It belongs to Chimera, and it’s still on Chimera grounds. I don’t think you could consider it stolen unless it left the Chimera complex.”
Walking on to the next laboratory appliance, an elaborate gas chromatography unit, Victor tried to pull himself together. His headache still bothered him, especially when he moved, and he felt quite dizzy. But he was starting to think the dizziness could be attributed as much to the revelation of this lab than the blow to his head. This was something out of a dream—a nightmare. Gently touching one of the chromatography columns, he assured himself it was real. Then he turned to VJ, who was right behind him.
“I think you had better explain this place from the beginning.”
“Sure,” VJ said. “But why don’t we go into the living quarters where we’ll be more comfortable.”
VJ led the way around the large paddle wheel, passed the electron microscope, and headed for the end of the room. When he got there, he opened the door on the left. He pointed to the door on the right: “More lab spaces through there. We never seem to have enough.”
As Victor followed VJ, he noticed over his shoulder that Philip was coming but the security guards paid them no heed.
Two of them had already sat down on a makeshift bench and started playing cards.
VJ led Victor to the room that indeed looked like living quarters. Rugs in various sizes and shapes had been hung over the granite walls to provide a warmer atmosphere. About ten rollaway cots with bed linens cluttered the floor. Near the entrance door was a round table with six captain’s chairs. VJ
motioned for his father to have a seat.
Victor pulled out a chair and sat down. Philip silently sat down several chairs away.
“Want something to drink? Hot chocolate or tea?” VJ asked, playing host. “We have all the comforts of home here.”
“I think you’d better tell me what this is all about,”
Victor said.
VJ nodded, then quietly began. “You know I’ve been interested in what was going on in your lab from the first days you brought me to Chimera. The problem was nobody let me touch anything.”
“Of course not,” Victor said. “You were an infant.”
“I didn’t feel like an infant,” VJ said. “Needless to say, I decided early on I needed a lab of my own if I were to do anything at all. It started out small, but it had to get bigger since I kept needing more equipment.”
“How old were you when you started?” Victor asked.
“It was about seven years ago,” VJ said. “I was three. It was surprisingly easy to set the lab up with Philip around to lend the needed muscles.” Philip smiled proudly. VJ went on:
“At first, I was in the building next to the cafeteria. But then there was talk about its being renovated, so we moved everything here to the clock tower. It’s been my little secret ever since.”
“For seven years?” Victor questioned.
VJ nodded. “About that.”
“But why?” Victor asked.
“So I could do some serious work,” VJ said. “Watching you and being around the lab I became fascinated with the potential of biology. It is the science of the future. I had some ideas of my own about how the research should have been conducted.”
“But you could have worked in my lab,” Victor said.
“Impossible,” VJ said with a wave of his hand. “I’m too young. No one would have let me do what I’ve been doing. I needed freedom from restrictions, from rules, from helping hands. I needed my own space, and let me tell you, it has paid off beyond your wildest dreams. I’ve been dying to show you what I’ve been doing for at least a year. You’re going to flip.”
“You’ve had some successes?” Victor asked hesitantly, suddenly curious.
“Several astounding breakthroughs is a better description,” VJ said. “Maybe you should try to guess.”
“I couldn’t,” Victor said.
“I think you could,” VJ said. “One of the projects is something that you yourself have been working on.”
“I’ve been working on a lot of things,” Victor said evasively.
“Listen,” VJ said, “my idea is to let you have credit for the discoveries so that Chimera can patent them and prosper.
We don’t want anybody to know that I’m involved at all.”
“Something like the swimming race?” Victor asked.
VJ laughed heartily. “Something like that, I suppose. I prefer not to draw attention to myself. I don’t want anyone to pry, and people seem to get so curious when there’s a prodigy in their midst. I’d prefer you to get the credit.
Chimera will get the patent. We can say I’ll offer you my results to compensate for space and equipment.”
“Give me an idea of what you’ve turned up.”
“For starters, I’ve solved the mystery of the implantation of a fertilized egg in a uterus,” VJ said proudly. “As long as the zygote is normal, I can guarantee one hundred percent implantation.”
“You’re joking,” said Victor.
“I’m not joking,” VJ said somewhat crossly. “The answer turned out to be both simple and more complicated than expected. It involves the juxtaposition of the zygote and the surface cells of the uterus, initiating a kind of chemical communication which most people would probably call an antibody-antigen reaction. It is this reaction that releases a polypeptide vessel proliferation factor which results in the implantation. I’ve isolated this factor and have produced it in quantity with recombinant DNA techniques. A shot of it guarantees one hundred percent implantation of a healthy fertilized egg.”
To emphasize his point, VJ pulled a vial out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of his father. “It’s for you,” he said. “Who knows, maybe you’ll win a Nobel Prize.”
VJ laughed and Philip joined in.
Victor picked up the vial and stared at the clear, viscous fluid within. “Something like this has to be tested,” he said.
“It’s been tested,” VJ said. “Animals, humans, it’s all the same. One hundred percent successful.”
Victor looked at his son, then at Philip. Philip smiled hesitantly, unsure of Victor’s reaction. Victor glanced at the vial again. He could immediately appreciate the academic and economic impact of such a discovery. It would be monumental, revolutionizing in-vitro fertilization techniques. With a product like this, Fertility, Inc., would dominate the field. It would have worldwide impact.
Victor took a deep breath. “Are you sure this works in humans?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” VJ said. “As I said, it’s been tested.”
“In whom?” Victor asked.
“Volunteers, of course,” VJ said. “But there will be plenty of time to give you the details later.”
Volunteers? Victor’s head reeled. Didn’t VJ realize he couldn’t blithely experiment with real people? There were laws to think of, ethics. But the possibilities were irresistible. And who was Victor to judge? Hadn’t he
