Rebirth

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  The ringing of his phone cut through President Michaels` sleep, damn, who could be ringing at this hour, Michaels looked sleepily towards his alarm clock, god it is only three in the morning, it had better be urgent or else, Michaels said aloud.

  "President Michaels here, who is it?" He demanded to know, not bothering to hide his anger at being awakened at such an ungodly hour.

  "Special Agent Formby here Sir, I am sorry to disturb you at this hour but I knew that you would want to know." Formby said, a smile played across his lips as he noted but dismissed the president`s anger.

  "Know what Formby; surely whatever it was could have waited until later?" Michaels demanded.

  "The Laboratory Sir, it has been destroyed." Formby said grimly.

  "What Laboratory? You don`t mean the Chichester Laboratories do you?" Michaels asked fearfully.

  "Yes Sir, completely destroyed, and we have found six bodies amongst the ruins, all of them dead."

  "Send a car over for me Formby; I will be ready by the time it gets here." With that, President Michaels put down the phone and got out of bed. What had Johansson said when he had rung, they had to do some final tests during the night and then all would be revealed, could these final tests have been the reason for whatever destroyed the laboratory, could something have gone dreadfully wrong and caused the accident, if it was an accident, a multitude of scenarios went through Michaels brain. Damn this, any of the many scenarios could be possible! He would just have to wait until he got there.

  Special Agent Formby was a well-built man, fifty years old, he still had all his hair although it was greying at the temples, and he was always dressed smartly. He also had a well-earned reputation for winning cases in this trying century. His expertise had even come to the attention of the President of Earth, three years ago, when he had been the liaison officer between the various intelligence agencies of Earth and the President of Earth. Now he headed a special task force that looked into the most important cases, he had also carried out many missions at the request of President Michaels in this time, and so he was one of the few men who had access to him.

  Formby walked across to the President`s car as it pulled up at the smoking laboratory buildings for the fire brigade had managed to put the fire out quite quickly.

  "It was murder Sir, whoever it was didn`t know about the camera that the Chichester Laboratories had installed only the morning before, at my request, it was meant to increase security in the laboratory." Formby said realising the irony of his words.

  "Security, what security, look around you man." Michaels screamed. "The place is totally destroyed and the best scientists on this side of the Atlantic are dead, where is all this security?" Michaels demanded, his anger threatening his newly found constraints.

  Special Agent Formby`s normally pale face went even paler as he replied to the loud complaints of President Michaels.

  "Dead as well Sir, poisoned we think, but their post mortems, if they are permitted, will tell us for sure. It seems that the security people had heard somehow about the research, that it was coming to a satisfactory conclusion, so they had a little celebration all of their own, even invited a young woman, she is shown going into the complex at 12.06 this morning. A man was seen entering five minutes later carrying a crate, and they are seen leaving together twenty minutes after that carrying the same crate, the coroner puts the death of the scientists at about that time as well. The explosion in the laboratory came at 12.36; the new camera shows it all; our lads are running the film now to see if it can give us any leads."

  "It all begins again, why oh why do all these things have to happen to me, why Formby?" President Michaels groaned, without giving Formby a chance to answer his question Michaels carried on talking.

  "Ok, Formby, will you please send me over a full report in the morning, and please keep me updated with all the latest news regarding the investigation."

  Michaels turned and left with his head bowed. Formby looked after President Michaels and thought to himself, 'it happens to you because from what I heard you deserve it, Mate.'