Spliced

Chapter 3

After what happened with the prostitutes and Ethan this morning, I found myself running a little behind schedule for work. I sped by all the familiar buildings. The tall red building off of Cermak with the sculpture of Euripedes at the foot of its lobby, and the black marble tower with the demolished top from the Great Fare at the corner of State St. and Cermak. As I turned the corner in to the lobby of the Firm, I frantically rush into the auditorium where the first meeting of the month began. I forcefully burst through the stained-mahogany doors only to find the throng of businessmen, office-workers, and researchers starting to get situated for the meeting. From what I could tell, I wasn't late for the meeting and no one noticed my rushed entrance. I found a seat next to my fellow GSRC (Genetic Sciences Research Conglomerate) researcher, Patti, in a section reserved for scientists.

"Hey, did I miss anything, Patti?" I ask, gasping for air whilst I rest my briefcase on my lap.

"No nothing much." she replies, preoccupied with the croissant shes eating. She looked over at me with her croissant lodged in her mouth. "Are you good?"

"Yeah, I just thought I was going to be late is all," I reply, slouching over my briefcase in exhaustion.

"What? I couldn't hear what you said. You talked into your briefcase," she chuckled.

"Oh, sorry. I said,' I'm fine, I thought I was going to be late'," I sighed. 

The speakers boomed repeatedly from someone tapping on a microphone. A mature female voice projected throughout the auditorium as the people finished arriving and finding their seats. "Alright, lets finish getting situated." I looked around for the owner of the mysterious voice as the lights started to dim. On the stage, an elderly woman dressed in a sleek blue pencil dress, accompanied by a blue blazer stood behind a glass podium. Her complexion seemed to be slightly pleated with age on the big screens, but from afar, it was virtually impossible to distinguish her age. "Welcome to the briefing of this months plans for Gene-Co. I am Cecil Ehrenhardt. CEO of Gene-Co. and as well as Chief Chairman of the Genetic Sciences Research Conglomerate." The crowd burst into applause.

I reluctantly clapped for Cecil. I turn to Patti and ask,"This could be me, but am I the only who didn't know that she holds ownership of both companies?"

"No, you're not the only one. I didn't know that she was in charge of both companies too," Patti replied, while looking around at the other scientists. "It looks like some of the other researchers are confused too."

"What ever happened to Chairman Corkman?" asked a fellow scientist to my right, seeking the clarification that everyone desperately needs.

Everyone shrugged but kept applauding.

Cecil gestured to silence the applause. "Now to introduce some exciting news. As you may know, Gene-Co. has been actively trying to start up a Genetic Development Association in association with the US Government. We've sent in an appeal for the department last May, and it has been approved."

The whole room burst into rambunctious cheer, like untamed beasts: some office-workers embraced each other while others jumped up and down like monkeys, businessmen were howling with joy, but the researchers all stood in applause, still confused by the mysterious woman who claimed to be our sovereign.

She had let the chaos ensue for the at least 5 minutes before she reined everyone back into the presentation. "But it couldn't have happened if it weren't for the help of Chairman Corkman. He'd found that the abdication of his position would be in the best interest of the two organizations. By merging the two organizations, we can provide universal access to "Gene Therapy" to all citizens across the nation."

My stomach dropped. The previous chairman resigned and never notified us of his resignation? I looked all around the section to see if all of my peers were as confused as I was. Everyone was either in a state of shock or disbelief.

Patti's placed her hand over her mouth. "That can't be true. This can't be right. The chairman election is held every four years and we're only one year into the cycle," Patti muttered, her eyes wide open in disbelief.

Cecil continued despite the confusion and awe, "I believe having the Genetic Sciences Research Conglomerate working with us will be an invaluable asset to this goal, and for that, I thank each and everyone of you." Cecil applauded to the vicinity of our section. The applause that followed was more tame and sincere. 

"I thank the applause, but I'd like to know what happened to Corkman," whispered Patti, still unsatisfied with the turn of events.

"Now to introduce you all to the new and improved mission statement, but first some background into Gene-Co. From what we learned in school, the previous World Wars were nothing compared to the Great Fare that occurred in the twenty-first century. While the second World War dabbled in the use of biological warfare, the Great Fare had further advanced biological warfare technology. Significant progress was made in bio-warfare. As a direct result, the field of Genetic Sciences, specifically, Gene Manipulation came to be. As the war came to an end, the field of Genetic Sciences was initially kept a secret. But a domesticated form of GS grew bigger and bigger until enough time had passed and 'classified' military knowledge and domestic knowledge merged to form what we know of GS today. Gene-Co. was a major contributor to movement, and now we create products that bring Gene Therapy to the public. Our purpose with the merging of the two companies is just that. Bring universal care to everyone in the US. Our new mission statement: 'Uni-care for all'."

The slogan ushered in a gradual crescendo in applause from the researchers prompting other sections to follow suit. I just stood there. With an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.