Chapter 3- Ian
The lab was a welcome break from the biting wind outside, but cold nonetheless. Nottingham moved with the other volunteers toward their appointed meeting with the scientists. He was not especially curious about them, having learned early on that scientists were pretty much interchangeable. They were only interested in their work, and it was a cold and dispassionate interest. Truthfully, if Irons had not commanded him to participate, he would not have come anywhere near this place. All the experiments had ever been to him were pain. He would much rather be reading, he had just started Le Secrete de la Chevalier when the summons had come. Somehow he doubted that he would have the chance to finish it here.
None of his reluctance showed on his face. He knew that they had been under surveillance from the moment they entered the elevator going down to the facility. The other men were just as blank, and they all gave off that same quiet sense of danger. Ian was in the company of his peers for the first time in his life, and he wished he had been granted time to exchange information with them. He truly had no one else to talk to as an equal. He was pupil, servant, or subject to every other person he had spent time among.
The steel doors opened into a long white hallway. It appeared to be paint over concrete on closer examination. They were led down to a second door that was hermetically sealed. This was not a good sign in Ian's field of experience. He entered the series of doors with trepidation. They finally entered a large testing facility.
They filed into a large lab. Ian used a combination of peripheral vision and the reflections off equipment surfaces to examine the room. Counting the door behind him, there were three other exits from the room. This suggested to Ian that they were in the public face of the lab, and that most of the real work would take place elsewhere in the compound. He continued to add to his mental layout of the area with an upward glance. This far underground fresh air would have to be brought in. Ah, there were the air vents. They were large enough to climb into, and the locked grating wouldn't be more than a minor inconvenience. He suspected they were alarmed and trapped against tampering, and could probably be cut off from the outside. It was hard to tell without really looking, but it was how he would have done it. Perhaps another opportunity would present itself.
The head scientist moved forward and began speaking. It had all the cadences of a rehearsed speech, and Ian paid him only partial attention. The man introduced himself and his staff and praised them for volunteering for the project. He was in the middle of telling them about how they were going to make history, when Ian noticed a faint scent that didn't belong in a lab. It was slightly musky with notes of amber and bergamot. Perhaps one of the scientists had come directly from his wife to the lab?
Curious now, Ian let his gaze move over the scientists, noting them as individuals instead of clumps of white coats. Now that he was looking at them, he realized that one of the scientists was female. She was about 5' 9" and had hair pulled tightly into a bun at the top of her head. It was the kind of black that would probably have blue highlights in the sun, but he doubted it ever saw much sun. The skin on her hands and neck were almost as white as the lab coat she was wearing. He couldn't tell anything else about her, she had her head down looking at her clipboard.
As if she felt the weight of his eyes on her, she looked up at him. Her eyes were the blue of sapphires. Black Irish, some part of his mind registered while he stared. She dropped her head again as if burned. Perhaps she had been. He certainly felt somewhat scorched. Her face had been strong, with high cheekbones. Her hair grew away from her forehead in a widow's peak. She was lovely. He realized with a sense of wonder that he would be spending a great deal of time in her presence. He wondered if Irons had realized she would be here, for he had been very strict about restricting Ian's exposure to women. Then again, she could be part of another test. Irons liked to multitask whenever possible.
The lab was a welcome break from the biting wind outside, but cold nonetheless. Nottingham moved with the other volunteers toward their appointed meeting with the scientists. He was not especially curious about them, having learned early on that scientists were pretty much interchangeable. They were only interested in their work, and it was a cold and dispassionate interest. Truthfully, if Irons had not commanded him to participate, he would not have come anywhere near this place. All the experiments had ever been to him were pain. He would much rather be reading, he had just started Le Secrete de la Chevalier when the summons had come. Somehow he doubted that he would have the chance to finish it here.
None of his reluctance showed on his face. He knew that they had been under surveillance from the moment they entered the elevator going down to the facility. The other men were just as blank, and they all gave off that same quiet sense of danger. Ian was in the company of his peers for the first time in his life, and he wished he had been granted time to exchange information with them. He truly had no one else to talk to as an equal. He was pupil, servant, or subject to every other person he had spent time among.
The steel doors opened into a long white hallway. It appeared to be paint over concrete on closer examination. They were led down to a second door that was hermetically sealed. This was not a good sign in Ian's field of experience. He entered the series of doors with trepidation. They finally entered a large testing facility.
They filed into a large lab. Ian used a combination of peripheral vision and the reflections off equipment surfaces to examine the room. Counting the door behind him, there were three other exits from the room. This suggested to Ian that they were in the public face of the lab, and that most of the real work would take place elsewhere in the compound. He continued to add to his mental layout of the area with an upward glance. This far underground fresh air would have to be brought in. Ah, there were the air vents. They were large enough to climb into, and the locked grating wouldn't be more than a minor inconvenience. He suspected they were alarmed and trapped against tampering, and could probably be cut off from the outside. It was hard to tell without really looking, but it was how he would have done it. Perhaps another opportunity would present itself.
The head scientist moved forward and began speaking. It had all the cadences of a rehearsed speech, and Ian paid him only partial attention. The man introduced himself and his staff and praised them for volunteering for the project. He was in the middle of telling them about how they were going to make history, when Ian noticed a faint scent that didn't belong in a lab. It was slightly musky with notes of amber and bergamot. Perhaps one of the scientists had come directly from his wife to the lab?
Curious now, Ian let his gaze move over the scientists, noting them as individuals instead of clumps of white coats. Now that he was looking at them, he realized that one of the scientists was female. She was about 5' 9" and had hair pulled tightly into a bun at the top of her head. It was the kind of black that would probably have blue highlights in the sun, but he doubted it ever saw much sun. The skin on her hands and neck were almost as white as the lab coat she was wearing. He couldn't tell anything else about her, she had her head down looking at her clipboard.
As if she felt the weight of his eyes on her, she looked up at him. Her eyes were the blue of sapphires. Black Irish, some part of his mind registered while he stared. She dropped her head again as if burned. Perhaps she had been. He certainly felt somewhat scorched. Her face had been strong, with high cheekbones. Her hair grew away from her forehead in a widow's peak. She was lovely. He realized with a sense of wonder that he would be spending a great deal of time in her presence. He wondered if Irons had realized she would be here, for he had been very strict about restricting Ian's exposure to women. Then again, she could be part of another test. Irons liked to multitask whenever possible.