The Seeding

The Seeding - Prologue

Prologue

The former chief scientist in the white lab coat never understood why he was relegated to a combustible steel enclosure in the basement of the sprawling research facility. The men currently staring him down looked like they were there to alleviate the problem.

"It's never the main course," the man in the pinstripe suit with barely there multifocal glasses on an extra-long nose said curtly. Two large men in lesser suits stood behind the speaker.

"Exactly why people will not care how natural it is," the scientist insisted.

"It's doing fine." The corporate sharp was there for a reason. "Look, Detweiller, your depth could really help our soya in Europe. I thought I made that clear last month. Why are you so keen on this vegetable? It's been an obsession since you singed your eyebrows five years ago."

"Well, it makes..."

"I am giving you the choice to either move to our soya division or pack up everything tonight." His voice threatened to burst through the basement walls. Detweiller recoiled, his hands on the table behind him.

"I...I'll...I will take the position," he stammered out. He just wanted the rest of his life to be as comfortable as his first fifty years.

"You will, now, will you?" The irate man smiled and turned to his able-bodied support. "He takes nothing from here."

"Got it," both men responded in unison.

"At least you will have a view," the decider addressed Detweiller again, "and direct air conditioning." He patted Detweiller on the shoulder.

"I am going to need some time to order the documentation and put away the hazards," Detweiller said weakly.

The man in the pinstripe suit looked at his watch. "It's 2:15. You have till four."

Till four. Detweiller wished he could take everything from his lab home and finish what he had started. Now his mind raced. In the next hour or so, could he radically alter some samples of his creation? If he did it right, it would have an irreversible impact on the planet. He would be immortal.