The Last Pitcher

Chapter 6: Damsel in Distress

Jai hadn't considered how Sneha felt this whole time. He sat on the platform on the sides of the entrance gate of the seminar building. The stars were still twinkling but had lost their brightness. He bashed himself for being so self-centered. She should have told him how she was feeling, confine in him like she always had. He had looked at her with stupor while she pointed out the fact that she was counting on him while he acted like a dumb ass. He regretted every moment he misbehaved. The image of her face with tears trickling down her flushed cheeks flashed in front of him making his heart ache. She was right, what was he doing? He could have helped her all this time instead of getting angry and jealous. He was her 'go to guy'. He is not going to waste that away.

With raw determination he got up. He would apologize to her later. He needed to make things right for her first. A solution might save him from justifying himself. He strode towards the guest room and found Rajeev sir's laptop laying on the table. He disconnected it from the projector and started to read Dr. Courtney's research. He started to pile Sneha's and his notes around him skimming through pages and making notes. He had to find something substantial before the meeting starts at three. Eventually he lost track of time and too exhausted dozed on the table after toiling for two hours.

'Wake up sleepy head.' Rajeev Sir flicked Jai on his head. 

'Whh..wwaa...Where?' Jai woke with a start.

'What's this?' Rajeev Sir asked picking the paper Jai was scribbling on.
'That's, ah, a plan.' Jai yawned stretching his arms.

'This is complicated.' Rajeev Sir turned the page upside down.

'But you have a something great here.' Sir declared finally able to understand his writing.

'I have tried my best. I combined the morphological and physiological characteristics of pitcher and external factors that we are going to incorporate into one unit to ease the plan of action.' Jai tried to explain finally conquering his urge to fell asleep on the table. 

'Hold it, give your presentation in five minutes.' Rajeev sir said using his official tone.

'Ah, NO!' Jai said suddenly aware of all his senses.

'Why not?' Rajeev Sir asked.

'I..I don't want to.' Jai said making circles on the table with his fingers.

'You have given presentations before.'

'Yeah, but. But.'

'But what?'

'Not with international audience.' Jai mumbled.
Rajeev Sir looked at him astonished by the fact that even at twenty seven years of age a man could behave like a two year old.

'You are doing it, that's an order.' Rajeev Sir concluded and had to acknowledge the effect of Colonel's company on him. 

Dr. Link entered the guest room.
'Are we ready Rajeev?'

'Yes.'

Dr. Courtney, followed by Trisha and Sneha, sharing a personal anecdote, dashed inside. Colonel came in, rolling his eyes. He heard the girly story and was regretting it now. Rajeev Sir nudged Jai forward.

'The neck is the most dangerous region of the pitcher but it is also a rapidly growing body part.' Jai had started his presentation as everybody had taken their seats and were glaring at him.

'It could be cut from the main body very easily as it is a sensitive area.' He continued. 

'We would need custom made weaponry for that, Colonel, can your team make it in this short period?'

Colonel Singh nodded from his seat.

'They need to be circular in shape with sharp edges.'

'Like a chakra?' Rajeev sir asked amused.

Jai blushed saying, 'Exactly like Sudarshanchakra.'

Everyone exchanged glances.

'I have three fourth presentation left, can I please carry on.' Jai asked annoyed by the murmur of laughter.

'Oh, yes definitely my lord.' Trisha poked him.

'Anyway, we would require Dr. Courtney's enzymes but hybrid them with stop codon genes C49, creating a bug.' Jai said.

'A superbug.' Rajeev Sir said.

'Won't it take forty eight hours to create this superbug?' Sneha asked, acting somnolent. 

'We would but I imagine Dr. Link can help us there with his new fusion technique.' 

'You mean my 'under construction' device for gene fusion.' Dr. Link corrected him.

'Yes, but we have no other choice.' Jai replied.

'So, with those bugs and access to gut region of the pitcher, we can drop gunpowder and acid bombs.' Jai scanned everybody's face to make sure they were following.

'We have real bombs, why do you want to use such archaic method?' Colonel asked.

'No, gunpowder, fifteen kg. A grenade would be ineffective. If you recollect how the pitcher reacted to acid, we have a much better chance of achieving an explosion if we use acid. It won't be destroyed by pitcher.'

'Run us again, then we jump straight to work.' Rajeev sir demanded.

'Consider the pitcher body as a vase. We cut the neck. It gives us easy access to the gut region. We use the hybrid enzymes to weaken the pitcher's metabolism and then blow it up with the gunpowder.'
 Jai lent out a huge breath finishing up. 'Clear?'