Benjamin walked down the halls of Syntec location 1. His boss, Nelson Syphus, had asked him to come to his office. To say Ben was nervous would be an understatement. Of the two co-founders of Syntec, Nelson was definitely the more intimidating. Ben's mind raced with the possibilities of what Nelson might say.
He arrived at the door to Nelson's office. Taking a deep breath, he knocked.
"Come in." Nelson's voice said from inside, muffled by the wood of the door.
Ben squared his shoulders as he turned the door knob and walked inside, closing the door behind him.
Nelson sat behind his desk. "Ah, Benjamin. Have a seat."
He did as he was told and sat down in the chair sitting across from Nelson. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about the report you submitted the other day regarding the tests on the rats." He reached into his desk and pulled out the aforementioned report.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Ben asked, concerned.
"Quite the opposite. You have made a lot of progress with this, haven't you?"
"Well, yes, I have. It wasn't all me though. So many others here have - "
"I'll cut to the chase Mr. Cobalt," Nelson interrupted. "I need you to start human trials."
Ben's eyes widened. "Human…? Are you sure we're ready for that?"
"Are you questioning my judgement?"
"No, of course not, sir. I didn't mean - "
"Then this shouldn't be a problem."
Ben hesitated a moment before nodding. "Yes sir. No problem."
"Good. I'll give you three days to prepare for the first test." Nelson waved him off as if dismissing him.
Ben nodded and got out of his chair but stopped at the door before opening it. Something had just occurred to him. Who was he going to be performing the test on?
He turned back to face his boss. "Sir, if I may ask a question?"
"Yes, what is it?" Nelson asked, growing impatient.
"Who will be the test subject?"
Ben was not prepared for the answer.
"You."
His jaw dropped and eyes widened. "Me?"
"What is it Mr. Cobalt? Do you not trust your own work?"
"Of course I do."
"And you have found a way to stabilize the serum in the rats. That's correct isn't it? Or did I read your report wrong?"
"Yes I did but - "
"Then I don't see the issue. I suggest you get plenty of rest before the injection test. After all, the whole company will be watching."
Ben sighed resigned. There was nothing he could do to stop this. He had to experiment on himself. "Yes sir."
He turned back to the door and reached for the doorknob, freezing in place as Nelson said something else. "Oh and one last thing, tell no one about this conversation." His voice lowered, threatening.
"Yes sir."
