The steel medical trolley hurtled through the air across the laboratory and struck the widescreen TV. Its screen smashed and the TV and the trolley fell to the floor creating an almighty racket. Oliver screamed as they fell. He went to the desk and opened a drawer. He took out a large A4 journal that was his diary, which he had kept religiously for several years. This most recent volume contained detailed accounts of his voyage of discovery, his love for Jenny and his research on Tempus Genesis. Oliver walked to the sink and dropped it in. He poured barbeque lighter fluid over it (from a seven-eleven purchased on the way to his lab) and struck a match which he dropped onto the diary. It burst into flames and Oliver watched it burn through tear filled eyes.
A message arrived with a ping into his email inbox. Oliver walked to the laptop and saw a message marked URGENT from Jamie. He did not open it not wanting to read the inevitable desperation from Jamie for Oliver to make contact. He knew the news of Minnie’s death had reached his friends.
Oliver kicked out at a chair and screamed. He walked to the desk and took a long drink from a bottle of Black Sambuca, getting cold comfort from the warming effect of the liquorice liqueur. This was to add to his tally of several beers on the way to St Thomas hospital and the two diazepam he had ingested. Oliver smashed the microwave against the wall, kicked over another trolley and scattered syringes and IV equipment around the room. He continued to rage around the room until the drink and drugs he had imbibed began to slow him down.
Eventually Oliver collapsed onto one of the sofas in the room and he slipped into a disturbed alcohol and tranquiliser induced sleep. The laptop with all the documented research evidence, the camcorder with recorded episodes of regression, the vaccine for Jenny and two fresh batches of agent 42A in the fridge, remained untouched.
34.