Code 47 to BREV Force Cracko

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27

"Dad, I know you're gonna to kill us and believe me, waking you up is going to be the least of it but Brad and I need you to come to the lab right now," Evie whispered to her father as she shook him awake.

"What on earth is going on, young lady, that couldn't wait till morning?" Martin grabbed his robe and tied it closed around him as Evie dragged her father out into the hall as she quietly closed her parent's bedroom door.

"Shh, we don't want to wake mom. Can we at least go into my room and I'll explain?"

Martin followed Evie. She shut the door behind them.

"Now, Evie!" Her father demanded.

"I know you're going to scream but first, please hear me out," she begged

Her father folded his arms, "I'm waiting!"

Evie took a very deep breath and all at once spit it out. "Okay, okay, Brad and I broke into the lab, got the formula out of the cryo-freezer, took the formula and then accidentally spilled that container with the other container and now ..."

Martin didn't even give her a chance to finish, "You, what!" he bolted out of her room.

"Dad," she called after him, "there is a bigger problem. Something weird is happening and..." Evie followed close behind spewing apologies she wasn't sure her father even heard or cared about."

His father very rarely got angry but when Brad saw him enter the lab, he knew angry was a mild term. "Dad, we're sorry but..."

Evie came to stand next to her brother who was still watching over the container.

"Don't either of you say another word," he yelled, his voice shaking with emotion. "Just let me see what you've done."

The twins stood as still as possible while their father analyzed the situation. He questioned them about everything. Why they were even in the lab, where they got the containers, how they knew what was in the freezer, which compartment to open, etc., etc. But, after all their answers, Martin just shook his head and asked, "Why? Why on earth would you do this in the first place?"

They began to try and explain.

Martin keyed in to Rosie. "Rosie, have you been sleeping all night? How's it possible that these two midnight robbers got into my secure lab without alerting you?" Martin was distraught that this was the second breach of security in as many days.

"Whatever happened to, 'innocent until proven guilty'?" Rosie responded back.

"Not in this court, Computer! Now what have you got to say for yourself?"

Brad and Evie held their breath. They knew Rosie was incapable of lying.

Brad thought, I'm really in for it now!

Rosie was very hurt but she couldn't rat on the kids. "As a matter of fact," she responded, "my system has recorded all codes in the files as having proper authorization. "Didn't you return to the lab tonight, as you sometimes do?"

Wow, Brad couldn't believe his ears, Rosie covered for me.

"No Rosie, it was not me. Just a pair of Dr. Kane knock-offs! And pretty good ones I see. They even fooled you."

Rosie, Brad and Evie all breathed a sigh of relief. Martin turned away and mumbled under his breath, "If Rosie is mistaking the kids for me, I guess I have to admit she must be getting old. I'll have to re-program her now, for sure."

"...'getting old,' Dr. Kane? Did I hear you say something about getting OLD? Well, I guess at least my hearing must be top notch... "

"Ugh, I believe you may need your hearing checked I said, gold, gold, she's still worth her weight in gold. Yes, those memory banks of yours are in top notch shape and..." he paused realizing even though she was a computer, somehow, he'd hurt her feelings.

"Rosie, give me an updated evaluation of the freezer compartments and report."

"All compartments secure and under normal temperature variances, except compartment 6-01 and 02."

"Good. Our two young hot heads only created havoc with two containers and from the looks of my lab, created quite a mess."

Martin checked the container that had been returned to the freezer. "Begin scanning container 6-01," he instructed Rosie.

Martin turned to his children, "At least you had the sense to wake me but that seems to be the only thing you both had sense enough to do tonight. Why didn't you talk to me and your mother about what was happening to Jonathan, before attempting this scheme?"

"We heard your feelings about Controller the other night at dinner and we didn't want to upset mom in her condition."

Martin took in the looks on his children's faces and felt his own guilt for what had happened. "Maybe what you heard that night was just frustration from my day. You've got to know..." He calmed down before continuing. "There's nothing you can't come to me with... nothing. As far as your mother, at least you were being considerate but you were both very wrong and could've gotten seriously hurt. And then what would that do for your mother."

Martin finished his examination of the materials and asked, "Did anything get into the containers to contaminate them?"

Brad stuttered, knowing what his father was getting at, "Well...see...I cut my hand...and Evie reached in to help and broke a nail."

"Dad, I saw some of Brad's blood in one of the containers," Evie piped in, "and my nail must have broken when I tried to clean up the mess."

"So, the consensus must be that the container or containers have been compromised. Damn! Rosie, can you confirm?"

"Almost finished, Dr. K."

The twins stood very still waiting for her reply.

"Confirmed DNA from both the, excuse the expression, Dr. Jeckyll's."

The twins started to apologize for the zillionth time but their father raised his hand to stop them. "You both acted irresponsibly. As scientist and as members of this family but we'll have to deal with that at another time...right now, it seems, I must turn my attention to what you've created."

"Created! What do you mean, created?" Brad asked.

"Well, I'mnot sure but you have definitely created something! Just take a look."