“I have no wish to pit council members against each other. You have spoken.” Clayton had heard enough. They were not going to leave.
He nodded, looked at Ada, and sped home.
Tabatha looked at Ada. “I expect you to tell me if Clayton tries anything against our code, Ada.”
Ada nodded her agreement.
Tabatha’s face softened. “How are my grandchildren?”
“They are doing wonderful. The two of them are little sucklings! Thank goodness our type can handle cow milk.”
“I’m in complete agreement! Who is watching them now?”
“No one. I can smell them and hear them as if they were right beside me.”
“Good! I will come over tomorrow and visit.”
“Of course. May I go home to my husband now?”
“Yes, but remember what I told you.”
Ada gave a slight bow and sped home.
When Ada got home, Clayton was packing his clothes in a burlap bag.
“What do you think you are doing, Clayton?”
“I am leaving this accursed place!”
“The council forbids such actions, and so do I!”
“Don’t you see the pointlessness of our situation? Do you think the humans are just going to waltz in here and say, ‘We heard there weren’t many humans in your area, come take my blood’? No! Of course not! Some other tribes that don’t leave will extend their reach! There are a lot more of the other smellers than there are of us!”
Ada took the burlap bag from Clayton’s hands and threw it to the ground. “And going to a foreign land will help how?”
Clayton walked to Ada and took her hands. “It will allow us to start fresh. Start new in a new land with different people.”
Ada released Clayton’s hands. “I forbid you to go! We will not be responsible for creating any factions in our tribe! That is the end of the discussion! Do you hear me, Clayton Cole? Because the twins and I are staying here!”
“I won’t leave without my family,” Clayton said with certainty.
“Then I suggest you take your clothes out of the bag and come to bed! I will check on the twins, then meet you in the bedroom.”
Ada left the room to attend to the twins while Clayton looked at the bag, looked at the receding figure of Ada, and then to the bag again. He nearly left right there, but could not, would not leave his family.
He will wait it out and see what happens. Clayton picked up the bag, looked inside, and sighed. Slowly he took his belongings out of the sac.
Chapter Four
Sequencing Enzymes Institute of Technology
S.E.I.T. Present Day, June 30th
Doctor Shelly Leadstone arrived at the spacious lab an hour early. Her anticipation of extracting a vital enzyme using cutting edge technology that she developed, thrilled her.
She got out of her vehicle and marveled at the superstructure. Less than five years old, the building was the envy of any scientist wanting to make a name for themselves. The all-glass structure towered at fifty stories, which contained various disciplines of science, including her enzyme department on the top floor.
Shelly walked in and greeted the old tall security guard.
“Hi, Lester. How are the grandchildren?”
The older man took off his security hat and brushed his silver hair back a few times. “Well, I’ll tell you, Doctor Leadstone…”
Shelly waved her hand. “Lester, please call me Shelly.”
“I can’t do that. You worked too hard for your position. My grandchildren are fine, thanks for asking, Doctor Leadstone.”
Shelly nodded and walked by Lacey at the information desk, waved at her, then walked to the all-glass elevator. She pressed the elevator button and waited. It always excited Shelly when she entered the elevator, pressed the fiftieth-floor button, and watched through the glass elevator as the outside world grew smaller and smaller when the elevator ascended. The people and their cars became dots when the door finally opened. As she badged into the laboratory, she put on her face mask, face shield, and the rest of her personal protection equipment.
Shelly sat down at her computer terminal and thought as the computer booted up. Spurred by her recent successes, Shelly felt renewed and determined in her purpose. If her experiment today was a success, it would change the course of history. Of course, she wanted a Nobel peace prize, but she would take other accolades.
One such reward was attempting to enter the laboratory. Doctor Stephen Ward was outside the lab trying to find his badge to enter.
Shelly noticed Stephen’s habit of pulling on his tie when he got frustrated. Stephen had a large green bag that was hindering him from gaining entry. Shelly smiled. Every day Stephen had the same issue of getting inside. Either his tote bag got in the way, or he couldn’t find his badge.
Finally, finding his badge in his back pocket, Stephen swiped and entered. He put on his face mask and his personal protection equipment.
Shelly went to him and gave Stephen a look of love. “Took you long enough, Stephen.”
He looked at her green eyes. “Sometimes, I can be forgetful when I look at you and your wonderful mind.” He smiled sheepishly. “And among other things…”
“A sign of a true scientist!” Shelly said as she sat back down. She took off a pair of gloves and put on another pair.
Stephen took his green tote bag and put it on his desk. He turned on his computer and looked expectantly at Shelly.
“So, today might be the day, huh?”
She rubbed her gloved hands together. “Let’s hope so!”
“It will revolutionize the blood industry, Shelly.”
“That’s the plan. Shall we proceed?”
He held out his hand. “After you, my dear.”
Shelly peered in her microscope. “So, as you know, I created an antigen-slicing enzyme.”
“Which is astounding in its implications!” Stephen marveled.
“Yes, it is! The synthetic elimination from the sugar of A- or B-antigens, generates universal O-type blood! Still, we have to be cautious because the immune system is susceptible to blood groups, and even small amounts of residual antigens
