CHAPTER EIGHT- April 2038
Her feet already hurt when Sam entered through the loading area of the Laboratory Sciences building as she'd done several times over the past few years. She'd spent forty minutes wandering the campus, fuming over how Tony had behaved and how she had just stood there like an idiot.
The security guards almost never checked the dock between 1am and 4am because Brian was super lazy, and 'porky' as his co-workers described, while Tim was too tired after getting in as many steps as possible earlier in his shift. Tim really enjoyed rushing straggler students out of the building, sending them into a panic over how to make up lab hours for their classes. That joy lasted Tim until approximately 1:15am, after which he became grumpy and had a dissatisfying snack, and then Brian would be responsible for an excruciatingly slow check of the building 45 minutes later. What would take a normal person 15 minutes took Big Boy Brian nearly 25, which he would say was the start of the 45 minute down time. This normally meant an hour or more of time to get in and out of the building; now she had half that.
Of course, Sam had no need to sneak in; she could walk right in whenever she wanted. However, walking in and saying hello would leave a trace of when she actually came and went, and she was in absolutely no mood to chit-chat with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb. She also had full access, to the security programming of the whole university, thanks to Missy. Sam could access the building with a keycard unattached to any personnel, and the log was then wiped by her BFF. Missy would most certainly ask Sam why she arrived so much later than expected for pick up, and then Sam would then have to explain her 'date' with Lucas Summerson. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
Inside the building, Sam needed to go to three different storage rooms and two labs to use or 'borrow' equipment. She hit the labs first so she didn't haul around supplies, then the first storage closet, but on her way to the second, nothing seemed out of place until she rounded a corner about 100 feet from her closet. An exterior lab was awash with light, and once she thought to listen for them, Sam could hear voices.
"Up on the table, Todd. Can you get up there from the chair? We are ready to start the transfusion."
Transfusion? Procedures are not done inside this building except on rare necropsy occasions,Sam thought, and no one would perform a dissection at 1:49 in the morning. She inched forward to read the plaque outside of the room.
Professor Simon Marshall. She'd heard of him, read a few of his chemistry papers on synthetics and substitutions in pharmaceuticals, but Sam had never met him in person. Worst case scenario she could woo him with her knowledge of his research and keep him going with questions. But again, why a transfusion? Odd. She returned to the supply closet to fill her purse with disposables and sterile implements, but she hadn't propped the door open to minimize noise from hinges. She wasn't quiet enough. The door opened before her hand reached the knob.
Sam stared in complete confusion at the bizarre man across from her, a fierce widow's peak of dark hair capping an olive complexion with sharp chiseled features and a beard reminiscent of Tony's.
"Come with me," he demanded and led Sam down the hall.
Marshall was a much bigger deal than she'd thought if his office and labs were any indication. Curiously, some of the prominently displayed tools and formulas displayed on screens were not chemical but genetic. The man he'd been speaking too still sat in his wheelchair at the base of a cleared table in the primary lab just adjacent to the office. He eyed her suspiciously as the bearded man led her further in to a secondary lab, a dispensary of sorts.
"Would you like to explain why you are stealing supplies?" He had an accent she couldn't place, along with equipment and sample specimens she didn't recognize. A rack of large vials sat beside a trio of monitors. The labeling was in three languages, two of them typed neatly and a hand-written third. It was the tiny symbol in the labels' corner that really set off the lightbulb in Sam's mind: the embossed A of the Avengers.
"Are you Professor Marshall?" Sam asked, assessing her situation.
"His associate. A doctor he works with from time to time," the man added.
"Well, Doctor, I can see you are busy with…" Sam couldn't help but scan the closest monitor. "Since when did Marshall study marine biology?"
She didn't mean to blurt it out, but all information was a challenge to be conquered. When you grow up with more computers than friends, you don't have much of a filter. "Selachimorpha or Batoidea? It's definitely elasmobranchii…"
"And me? Do you know me?" The man in the wheelchair came to the door, throwing his head as if to toss his golden locks.
Sam had to study his face and imagine more life in it. His upper body was disproportionate now, so she tried to imagine a smile or catch his profile. The color of his hair actually helped. "You're the swimmer from a few years ago. Artiss, was it?"
"Arliss," he replied flatly.
"Aren't you going to ask me what we are doing here," the doctor added from behind her.
"I don't ask questions that I don't want the answers to," Sam said with confidence. "That's a waste of time…" She turned back to the sequences; something was off. "It's a splice!" But that wasn't all, she couldn't figure it out yet.
"Very good, Miss..?"
She heard a click beside her ear. One of those things that she never asked about was guns, and Sam regretted that in this moment. "Morgan" was all she could get out.
"Well, Miss Morgan, you may help Mr. Arliss become so much more than a swimmer before you die." Even though the doctor lowered the gun prior to the crux of his threat, Sam's terror grew exponentially.
"Is someone there?" a voice called from the hallway.
Her breath caught, just as afraid to be discovered as the armed doctor. Sam looked at her watch. Big Boy was over twenty minutes early with his rounds. The oddities continue.
"The lights," she whispered in frustration.
The doctor cocked an eyebrow. His eyes shifted as he contemplated options. Finally, he asked, "can you get rid of him?"
"Hello?" Brian called again.
Sam sighed, reluctantly adding "yes." The doctor motioned for her to go out using the gun. Before crossing the threshold, Sam called for Brian then popped her head out.
"Jesus, Brian, you scared me!"
"Miss Stark? How'd you get in—"
"I was here this afternoon, but I passed out on my books in D7," she waved down the hall, "they thought it was funny to leave me with the lights off."
"You shouldn't be here," the security guard automatically scolded.
"I've got to finish this before—" Think, Sam, think. Lie better. "My dad's in town, and I want to show him this work at lunch tomorrow. I mean, today," she checked her watch. "Oh man, I was out a while! Shouldn't have pulled an all-nighter—"
"I heard another voice," Brian fought to be smarter than his pay grade.
"You mean my computer interface? I guess it is kinda a male vocal range." Oh, I'm kinda good at this.
"You're what?" Brian struggled, but after a few steps forward. Sam took a few steps back towards the door.
"You wanna see? I've been tweaking the AI to be more interactive, but I think a few more bug fixes and he'll work pretty flawlessly." Mission accomplished. Brian's eyes glazed over as he lowered his shoulders in disinterest and fatigue.
"You didn't go to your dad's lecture?" Brian seemed more disappointed that she had missed it than Sam felt for having gone. "I'm sorry, but they've told us these buildings are off-limits tonight for the event. Can you pack it up in…" he checked his watch, too, "half an hour or so?"
She contemplated arguing for more time. It might not work and only served to draw attention.
So Sam saluted Brian, saying, "I'll give her all she's got, Captain." That'll keep him happy.
Big Boy chuckled. "Ok, Sam, see ya downstairs." Bingo.
Sam sauntered back to Marshall's offices proud of her performance only to deflate when faced with the gun's barrel once again.
"Hello, Samantha Stark," the doctor whispered.
The way he accented her name triggered something in her memory. "Sharks," she burst, "it's shark DNA, isn't it?"
This seemed to frustrate the doctor profusely. "Has anyone ever told you you are too smart for your own good?"
She thought in earnest, but that was more difficult with a weapon pointed at her. "Not sure anyone has been smart enough to notice…" She awkwardly made moves to raise her hands up. "Also I don't get out much."
It was Todd Arliss who snickered. "That I can believe. Doctor, let's get on with it before you have to blow the mall-cops to high hell." He locked his chair and expertly used all that arm strength to dismount onto the table.
"Come, Nurse Stark, you can prep the patient," the doctor waived the gun again. "Hook up two lines, one in each arm."
"I'm not trained to use needles," Sam started to say. "I'm not that kind of student here."
"Then put them in my legs. I won't know how badly you've stuck me," Todd seemed restless, anxious to be done.
Sam shook. It was hard to get her hands to do anything, much less help. "I…I don't want to hurt you." She looked up at Todd. He rolled his pants legs up.
"What is it you want to do with your life, young thing?"
Gosh, we're asking the deep questions today… "Something no one else can." It was such a vague statement, yet Sam meant it.
"As do I," Todd responded, "as I soon will."
Sam forgot herself for a moment and smiled. It was a warm feeling to make a friend, but Sam wasn't sure this was the same. Perhaps just a flash of a kindred spirit, willing to break a few rules to better his life, to make a breakthrough. When she lifted her eyes from the needles, the doctor was staring at her. Sam's blood went cold.
She shuffled around to find a fresh IV catheter. "I can do it again if it's wrong."
The doctor came to investigate. "You will not be needed anymore," his deep voice replied.
Sam sucked air in so fast it made a small whistling sound. He put up a hand. "I, too, would like to see what your mind can do. Therefore, I will make you a deal." He waited, keeping eye contact.
Her nervous swallow made a huge gulping noise, and Sam hesitantly replied "okay."
"You agree to leave and never speak of myself and Mr. Arliss being here—"
"Done," Sam jumped.
"—and keep those men from snooping around—"
Sam learned quickly. This time she only nodded.
"—and in exchange—"
She expected to leave with her life; that would be lucky…and ideal, but this day was full of oddities.
"—I will give you a gift. Something to give you the ability to do what no one else can."
Sam was so dumbfounded, she became stone. After a serious pause, she added, "that would be pretty great."
"She's a smart one, Lem," Todd smirked.
Sam looked around for some props for her next run in with the guards. "The professor could let me borrow some books, right?"
Ten minutes later, Sam stumbled out the building carrying a giant stack of texts, and a full, padded bag of samples and supplies.
"I did say half an hour, but I'm nowhere near done of course," she called towards the quizzical look of Tim who was holding his carrot sticks, mouth agape.
Brian hustled forward. "Do you need help, Miss?"
"No, no. I could use the upper-body workout," Sam met Tim's eyes. He cheered her with a carrot. "I managed to lock the door without turning off the lights though. So I'll text the professor not to be worried in the morning, ok?"
Everyone nodded.
"Night, guys," Sam called over her shoulder, wobbling under the weight of the pile and the ache of her feet. Her adrenaline carried her the rest of the way home. She couldn't wait to tell Missy that they had a new project, a real challenge to work on.
Doctor Lemuel Dorcas- villain from the comics who did genetic experiments.
Todd Arliss and Professor Simon Marshall- also from comics :) Details are fun!