Crossing Infamy

Chapter 4 - Dr. Blayne

She's gone.

Lia Hayes is gone. I don't mean she was fired, either. No, I wish she was fired. I wish the reason I no longer have to deal with her childish games and wheely shoes and Star-Trek-themed nicknames for rodent test subjects is that she was fired and is now off annoying some other scientist but no, instead, the reason that one day she disappeared without a trace along with two of my specimens is that she, for lack of more eloquent terminology, pulled off a great rat heist.

You see, about a month and a half ago, mere weeks after Kalixieta's escape, Lia triggered the fire alarm in Section 31 with the intention of sneaking into my lab during the evacuation of it and the nearby sections. By the time her deception was discovered, she had already released the rats from their cages, opened the door to allow them access to the main hallway, and run halfway to the hovercar docking bay carrying the ones she called Sir Ratrick Stewart and, what was it... Fluffy the Kibble Slayer, I believe. By that time, it was too late for anyone to stop her from fleeing the facility with her new pets. They weren't the only losses, either. William Ratker managed to escape in the commotion, and Squeaky, or whatever that one's name was, was accidentally stepped on by a security guard chasing after Lia and died shortly after from internal injuries.

So, there you have it. She's gone. She's gone and I've lost four test subjects and now my data's incomplete and Kalix Raven turned out to be some kind of teenage super-hacker and that's why, instead of advancing the human race through science, I'm sitting in an over-designed "ergonomic" desk chair in an office that looks like the cover of Business Update Quarterly.

For God's sake, I need a new assistant and my rats back, not three different dials to adjust lumbar support.

After approximately the time taken for light to reach Earth from the Andromeda galaxy, the door slides open and Mr. Ashcombe, the insufferably bureaucratic corporate liaison, decides to grace the room with his presence.

"Doctor." He nods his head in my direction.

"Mr. Ashcombe," I respond, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone.

He takes a seat on the other side of the desk, as usual, opens his hologram to-do list, as usual, and folds his hands on the synth-wood desktop... as usual.

"OK, it says here you'd like to discuss our progress in locating your missing rodent test subjects and Human Subject 01, correct?"

"Yes. I've already administered the serum prototype to the rats, every day that they're missing is a day of potentially invaluable data lost... especially considering the situation with Kalixieta, which is setting back my plans who knows how long, and—" I shake my head and sigh, stopping myself from continuing into what could become a rant.

"Doctor, as I'm sure you've been assured by our team over email, we are doing everything we can to recover the specimens and locate the girl. That being said, I'd be happy to give you a more detailed update on our progress in the matter, however, there is something else I must briefly bring up with you first..." He scrolls through the holo. "The security department has asked that I review our protocols with you post-project-breach."

By "project breach", I assume he is referring to the debacle with Lia. Great. Just great. Now, not only do I lack the several of the physical resources I need to continue my work, but the one resource I can always count on, my own time, is being taken up by another useless meeting.

There's a certain irony to it, I suppose. Two of the things I find most irritating and unnecessary in life are meetings and protocol, and now I'm in a meeting about protocol.

"Of course," I answer, pushing aside the minor exasperation.

"Excellent. I'll just need you to answer a few questions. Nothing to worry about, it's all information we've already been over when you signed your contract." He flicks the holo once more. "First, since accepting our sponsorship, have you shared any information regarding Ascensus with anyone not approved to participate in the project? This includes anything official, like data, planning reports, or information involving this corporation, or informal conversations on the topic."