Trevor and the other two chemists were smiling broadly, “No,” Trevor replied calmly, “but we had to understand what you described before we could find a way to stop it.” He motioned for Kenneth to look again into the microscope.
Trevor put two drops of a substance into the Petri dish, and then shined the strange light onto the microscope again.
Kenneth saw every cell wither and die in the liquid of the tray. No cells reproduced to cover the deaths of some. In moments all the cells in the colony were dead. Kenneth stared at the dead cells in the Petri dish. Nothing was moving, they were all dead under the light.
Trevor turned off the light and stood with his arms folded, “Now, can I cook, or can’t I?” he asked smiling.
Kenneth stood there staring into the microscope, unable to pull himself away from the dead cells. “How much of that liquid did you make, Trevor? Who else knows about this?”
Trevor hesitated, “We were the only ones working on the project being that it was paid for through a grant, from you I assumed. We weren’t responsible to give updates to anyone else but you.”
Kenneth stood up smiling, “Can you turn that liquid into a gas or solid form?”
“I suppose we could, we really hadn’t put any thought into it,” Trevor replied.
“I’m sure we could,” interjected the female assistant, “the liquid itself isn’t anything really special, and the chemical compound should survive a vaporization process.”
“Would a vapor have the same effect on the cells that the liquid did?” Kenneth asked.
“That would need more testing,” answered Trevor.
“Besides,” asked the woman, “wouldn’t gas be really hard to control what areas of the body it affected? I mean we are talking about affecting isolated cancer cells, right?”
“Yes,” Kenneth answered easily, “I was only asking if it could. But that isn’t important right now. Shall we go outside and celebrate properly?” he asked motioning for them to follow him back out of the lab into the clean room.
Back outside they shed their clean suits and drained the opened bottle of champagne and opened another one.
The atmosphere was one of joy, albeit an exhausted joy. Kenneth watched and listened as they told stories of lab humor that almost went completely over his head. He guessed that you had to really know biology to find a miscataloged bacterium sample in with fungus samples funny. The other two were pleasant to be around. Trevor was a little reserved, his mind already working on solving the problem of vaporizing the liquid form of the chemical in his mind.
Kenneth checked his watch. It was late but not too terribly so. “I have an idea,” he said suddenly breaking up the conversation. “I’m sorry I have to run, but I have a plane to catch shortly. I want you all to enjoy yourselves on my tab at a great little bar and grill just fifteen minutes from here.”
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The girl answered “Oh, no, we couldn’t, thank you though but…”
“No, I insist!” Kenneth said with mock sternness. “I have already made the reservation so if you don’t go, it’ll cost me anyway, and the chef is a personal friend of mine. Everything is on the house for you tonight.”
“Well, I mean…if it’s no trouble,” said the male hesitantly.
“Of course not!” Kenneth said with a laugh. “Now I believe Trevor knows where it is?” Trevor nodded in assent. “Wonderful! Now you three go and have fun.” He turned to leave. He opened the door and looked back, “And by the way, if my tab for the three of you is under five hundred dollars I will be very hurt,” he said with a smile as he let the door close behind him.
He walked out of the laboratory building and got back into his car. He had Michael wait till he saw the three scientists get into their respective cars and drive off.
He took his phone out of his pocket and thumbed it on. After a few rings a male voice answered. “Brian, I have a job for you.”
* * * * *
“They BLEW UP my warehouse!” Alexander screamed as he stormed into the sitting room.
Ansuya jerked up from the couch. She had been up too long and she had almost allowed herself to lightly doze. She stood up clearing the haze from her tired mind.
“What do you mean, baby?” Ansuya asked genuinely confused.
“One of my guys just called me!” Alexander said hurriedly. “My warehouse, well what used to be my warehouse till Wolfgang took it away from me, got attacked and blown to shit tonight!” Alexander was pacing around the room rapidly.
“Why? Who did it?”
“I DON’T KNOW!!” Alexander screamed. “I don’t know who would do this. Maybe it’s the same assholes that hit House Himura! When I catch the son-of-a-bitch that did this I’m gonna…”
Ansuya grabbed his arm and held him, preventing him from walking around the room any longer. “First off it’s not your warehouse anymore, so it’s not your problem,” she said calmly, “secondly isn’t this a good thing?”
“How is this possibly a good thing?!” asked Alexander his eyes wild with emotion and rage.
“This didn’t happen while you were in charge. Obviously, the guy Wolfgang put in charge is incompetent and your Head of House will realize that he made a mistake,” she replied warmly.
Alexander stopped. He looked at her and slowly nodded, “Yeah, I…I guess you’re right. Maybe this is a good thing,” he said contemplatively. “Yeah, maybe I can even use this against good old Wolfgang to give me a little more responsibility, a promotion in the House, even!” Alexander was all smiles now as he threw himself onto his couch, “Ha! Baby? What would I do without you?” he said motioning for Ansuya to join him on the couch.
Ansuya slowly walked towards him, “Probably get yourself into trouble and not know how to get out of it.”
This elicited a strange somber reaction from Alexander, as if her words recalled to his mind some not too fond memories.
Her features twisted into that of concern, “Baby? What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” replied Alexander quickly, “no it’s uh…it’s nothing.” He stood up from the couch and walked to the painting that hung on the room divider. He contemplated the black and white painting of Romans being slaughtered.
“Alexander.” Ansuya’s voice was full and powerful from behind him.
The vampire turned around to find the Shape shifter standing behind him. She was elegant and beautiful, and very dangerous. Her eyes bored into his, “Alexander, I have to leave this apartment.”
“Where do you want to go?” he asked, “I could take you anywhere.”
“I need to be able to go places that you can’t, during the day when you can’t,” Ansuya replied.
“But I don’t…”
Ansuya forced more pheromones toward him. “I need to be able to move during the day, Alexander. I need to leave this place.”