Luke rested both arms over the steering wheel as he stared at the innocuous building in front of him. He glanced over at Marcus sitting in the passenger seat, and drew a deep breath.
"It has to be done." Luke broke their long silence.
Marc shrugged. "We're not stealing industry secrets or their research, Luke."
"We kind of are," Luke countered.
"There's nothing else we can do, Luke, unless you want to drive Mikey over here and ask if they can treat him."
Luke ran a hand through blond hair that had been growing out as of late. "You know there's nothing in this world that I wouldn't do to help them...even if it means stealing from a colleague, and personal friend of my parents. We could be getting ahead of ourselves though. We don't even know if their researchers have hit on the right break-through we'd need to save Mike, or anyone else for that matter. But we have to try something, don't we?"
Marcus nodded vaguely. "Am I completely crazy for wondering if we should be asking Caleb for help outright?"
Luke sighed. "In a perfect world where there were no uncertainties, I'd love to, Marc. Yet the fact remains that I haven't known Caleb in many years. My parents trusted him, and you'd think that would be enough…but when it comes to the guys, I just don't know. I'm not only considering the possible danger for them and Olivia, I'm thinking about Caleb too. This is one of those 'projects' that could end up being all consuming. I'm not that comfortable with the idea of him putting everything else aside the way that…well, the way that we have."
Marcus took a quiet breath. "We're already late, Luke. Are we going inside, or not?"
"Yeah." Luke climbed out of the car slowly.
Nerves assaulted his mind; they were the reason he'd made Marcus sit out in the car with him for the last thirty minutes, instead of going directly into the Institute. He was more uncomfortable to be doing this than he wanted to let on to the others.
Luke exhaled softly and straightened the collar on his shirt. Act natural, Barrows. You're just here to find out the facts, get a tour of the property, and find out how close to mass reproductions of manipulated stem cells they are. That's not a tall order or anything, he thought ironically.
Marc tapped a hand across Luke's back. "Let's go in, real casual like. We're here to meet Dr. Wells, and that's all anyone knows."
"Do you have your camera on?" Luke asked. He'd just remembered to adjust the tiny lens that was pinned to his own shirt.
"Mine is on," Marcus answered.
Luke tried to shake off the remnants of anxiety as they entered around the reception desk. He immediately began scanning the space, searching for signs of security sensors and cameras. He remembered to turn slowly, so that he wouldn't distort the picture of the miniature camera lens on his lapel. Luke walked toward the desk, where a middle-aged woman was already on the phone. He had to wait a few seconds for her to finish before she looked at him.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Luke gave her the most relaxed smile he could muster. "My friend and I are here to meet Dr. Wells. Could you let him know that Luke Barrows and Marcus Sloan have arrived?"
"One moment please." She reached for her phone, and dialed a couple of numbers on the extension. After a pause, the woman spoke to someone on the other end. "Dr. Wells, please...No, that's fine. I can hold." She balanced the phone against her ear and glanced at Luke. "It's going to be a minute; he's tied up in something. You can have a seat if you like, and I'll deliver the message as soon as I speak with him."
Luke took a seat beside Marcus on a nearby bench, quietly tapping his foot while he watched the receptionist. A couple of minutes passed before he heard the woman repeating the news that they'd arrived over the phone.
She looked his direction as she hung up the receiver. "He apologizes for the delay; Dr. Wells is on his way." The woman produced a couple of security passes from a drawer in the desk and slid them across the counter in front of her. "Visitor passes are required within all restricted areas."
"So the Lab is completely closed to the public? Luke asked, as if making random conversation.
"Certain areas are accessible to students and the public, but only the technicians spend any real time in the Labs."
Luke shifted nervously from one foot to the other as he waited to catch sight of Caleb entering the door. He found himself suddenly focusing on the camera-like devices that were completely out of his reach. At least he thought they were cameras. The devices were encased in what looked like tamper proof Plexiglas boxes, so that he couldn't get a very good look at them.
All digital no doubt; they're probably running a continuous feed. I guess Don will need to find a way to deal with them. I don't think it should prove too difficult for Leo and Donny to get in - they're experienced at this after all. But the amount of guards on the premises could still prove to be tricky. This isn't going to be some simple mission where we can sneak in, and get right back out. Don and I need time to get through what's probably going to be a vast storehouse of information, and it's going to take a while.
Luke was lost in thought when Marcus nudged him in the side. Caleb Wells had just walked into the small waiting area.
"Luke, I'm so glad you could come." Caleb flashed a genuine smile. "How are you feeling?"
Luke hesitated. "Okay. It's been a rough couple of days." That's probably the understatement of the century, he added inwardly.
Caleb was studying him closely, concern etched in his forehead. "Have you been getting any rest, Luke?"
The blond doctor nodded. "As much as possible"
"You look worn out," Caleb observed. "What are you working on up on that mountain?"
"I didn't say anything about working," Luke replied quickly.
"Whatever you say, Luke." Caleb shook his head. "We don't have to do this informational overload right now. I wouldn't mind just spending some time with the two of you. We could get some late lunch. It's been a very busy day on my end; I could use a break too."
"Well, um...we're already here, and..." Luke grasped for an explanation as to why he was so eager to get a look at the facility now.
Marcus smiled smoothly. "Unfortunately, my time in Asheville is running short," he lied. "I'm supposed to be flying back with our pilot tomorrow morning, meaning this is going to be the only opportunity I'll have to see what you're working on. It sounds so fascinating; I would be disappointed to leave without getting this chance."
"Do you want the full tour, or should I give you the abridged version?" he asked jokingly.
"Full tour," both men proclaimed together, without even meaning to.
Caleb laughed out loud. "I don't recall seeing you this eager about many things, Luke. Well, I won't keep you in suspense. Follow me, and I'll give you the insider's view of where we work, and the projects we have on the front burners."
They walked behind Caleb as he led the way through double-pane glass doors.
"Your security measures seem sophisticated," Luke mentioned.
"Top of the line," Caleb replied. "We had a major upgrade about a year ago, after a bad break-in at the Institute. Our largest investor has become a little bit...paranoid. We have the latest in surveillance technology, not that it's any replacement for the eyes and ears that we're born with. There was another theft a couple of months after, and this one was an inside job. The manpower on the grounds itself was stepped up after that."
"Are you referring to onsite Security?" Marcus asked.
Caleb nodded. "It's partially just to satisfy our investor, but I have to admit that there's a call for it, given the luck we've had in the last year."
"How many guards do you keep on the property?" Luke ventured.
"The day shift has a rotation of six, and they had another three are added to that number in the evenings."
"You must be working on some very important things," Marcus said evenly.
Caleb sighed. "The equipment is expensive, custom designed for the reproduction experiments. A couple of the Labs got hit hard in the first break-in, and we lost some sensitive information in the second theft that was related to cloning research."
Luke shook his head. "Things are a lot more complicated than they used to be, aren't they?"
Caleb chuckled in return. "I think your parents had the right idea, Luke. Separate from the world, and just focus on your work. Not all of us have their resources though. Most people have to rely on investors on some kind," he said impishly.
Luke caught Marcus looking at him out of the corner of his eye, and knew what his friend had to be wondering. "My mother made a couple of important discoveries chemically speaking, that ended up funding nearly all the further research that she and my father were working on," Luke explained to him.
"They did incredibly well on their own, especially given the fact that they could have been trust fund babies." Caleb laughed.
Luke winced, and the man must have realized that he'd said the wrong thing.
"Forgive me, Luke, I wasn't trying to make light of their upbringing. I think your parents were extraordinary people, and I always admired what they chose to do with their lives, when they could have had everything handed to them. They could have had it easy, and chose to work their fingers to the bone instead."
Marc's gaze boring through his right side was making Luke more uncomfortable by the second. "My parents came from high society money, Marcus," Luke admitted. "My grandfather on my mom's side was a CEO in a Communications company, which was cutting edge for their day. She was already set up with a large inheritance that guaranteed she could live the rest of her life as a woman of leisure if she chose to. My grandfather never fought her from getting the best schooling, even when she wanted to become a chemist.
"But he looked at her passion as more a hobby, and not a serious job. When she began to pursue it as her sole career, he threatened to cut her off completely. My mom never rose to the bait he was dangling, and even though he'd promised to leave her without a cent...My grandfather's heart was bigger than that. He loved my mom, and in the end, he gave her a bigger share of the stock than he'd promised to begin with.
"My father was the son of one of the company's corporate executives, but he turned out to be just as uninterested in the business world. My mother and father's desire to do something different with their lives was one of the things that united them right from the start."
"So both your parents came from money," Marcus said slowly.
"Yup," Luke said dismissively.
Caleb winked at him. "Luke's parents were down to earth folks, despite where they came from. They raised themselves a humble young man, who's never been interested in drawing attention to himself."
Luke cleared his throat. "All this talk about me and my family makes me feel like we're getting off the real subject here."
"My apologies, Luke." Caleb grinned. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, and you can't blame me for wanting to brag on you just a little."
"Right now, we're more interested in learning about your accomplishments, Caleb. Tell us about the experiments you've been conducting over the last few months. You said you might be ready for some human trials in a couple of years," Luke said hopefully.
"That's dependent on several factors, and getting approval from the Boards is a key milestone to pass. There's so much red tape, you can't even picture it."
Luke grimaced. Complications seem to greet us at every turn...and we can't afford to get slowed down by anything.
"In your opinion, do you think your research is close to being ready for real application?" Luke asked.
Caleb glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "I'm a little confused, Luke. You were in such a rush to leave Asheville when you got here, and it still feels like you're in a hurry now. Is there something going on here that you need to tell me about? I mean, is everything all right with you?"
"Forgive me." Luke forced a calm tone over his voice. "I get a little over-eager sometimes."
"You get that particular trait from your father." Caleb smiled. "Then there's nothing wrong? This is purely a social visit?"
Luke nodded. "You peeked my interest the other day. You're dealing with a field I've always been fascinated by, and the opportunity to see your research is a real treat."
Caleb surveyed both men in turn. "Then I should get around to taking you where the magic actually happens. I only hope it doesn't disappoint you. Much of what we're working on is still in experimental phases, so I don't feel like I have anything spectacular to show off. Just a lot of grunt work."
When the man's arm came around Luke's shoulder, he was a little surprised.
"My door is open if you do need something, Luke. I hope you realize that. I know you've been through a lot in the last few days, and you still don't look quite right to me. You have to try and get some rest, for yourself, and for that lovely wife and baby of yours."
Luke smiled, but inwardly, he wanted to kick himself. I hope the footage we're capturing does Donatello some good, because God knows I'm doing a bang up job of keeping a low profile. I thought I was up for this challenge, but I'm seriously starting to question myself.