Finally! Greg thought. Not only am I gonna be an active doctor again, but I get to do it in a top-secret complex, underground. His thoughts changed from joy to confusion. And it has something to do with chimps?
“And to answer your question, Doctor Tiong, I'd like to see the latest results of this little endeavor. Take me to see the chimps.”
“Doctor Tiong,” Yeoum spoke again, “I require your assistance. I'm sure that Doctor Phillips and Doctor Cook can escort the senator and our”—he looked distastefully at Greg again“—new medical doctor around the facility.” He turned toward Tiong again. “Please accompany me.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked quickly to the door he had entered through and left the room.
“Does he always walk that fast?” Greg asked. Tiong shrugged his shoulders, sighed, and followed after the professor. “Duty calls.”
“He's really a pretty nice guy once you get to know him,” June offered.
“Yeah, six months after you get to know him.” Tiong commented under his breath on his way out the door.
“I have no doubt,” Kitchens said with a smile.
* * * * *
JIMMY WATCHED THE monitor, one of six mounted above his desk, as the group moved toward the same door that the professor and Tiong had just exited through. He turned the volume control to mute. He had no interest in hearing the group ingratiate themselves to the senator, and he cared even less about anything Kitchens had to say. Although he had the ability to move the cameras remotely and follow their progress, he chose not to. He didn’t want security to be alerted that he had hacked into their system again. Three of the monitors were dark except for progress bars in the center that indicated the diagnostic was eighty percent complete. The screen on the bottom right had a frozen image of the video game he had been playing and the one above it was split into sixteen images taken from the complex’s hidden cameras. There were more cameras throughout the facility, but these were the ones he was interested in at the moment.
“What do you think, SIS?” he asked out loud.
A female voice responded over the speaker in the ceiling. “I think that, upon completion of my current diagnostic, I will be operating at ninety-eight point six percent efficiency.”
Jimmy smiled. He had programmed the computer to respond to any such non-specific query using a percentage equivalent to an average human’s internal temperature, to report normal functionality. He felt that it added to her “personality” when she responded in such ways.
“No, no. I mean about our visitors.” Jimmy was unable to contain a chuckle.
“Major Gregory William Mathers, medical doctor, United States Air Force—”
“No.” Jimmy cut SIS off before she gave him the biographies of the major and the senator. “I mean, what do you think is going to happen today?”
The female voice took on a sympathetic tone as it responded, “I'm afraid I don't understand the question, Jimmy. Could you please restate the question with more definable parameters?”
Jimmy's smile faded. He’d been tinkering with the artificial intelligence for a year and it still couldn't make small talk. “Nevermind.”
“Very well, Jimmy. I apologize for not being more informative regarding your inquiry.”
Jimmy watched as the group entered one of the two small labs leading to the chimp enclosures. He then looked back at the progress bars on the three screens monitoring the diagnostic.
“An hour and a half,” he sighed.
8 Yea or Nay
THE SENTATOR TOOK HIS time with the doctors as he toured the facility, asking many questions. He spent a fraction of his time trying to understand the cloning process that the team had developed over the past decades by viewing the equipment and materials that made it all work. Don was a good teacher, but the senator lacked the basic knowledge of biology to follow most of what the geneticist provided.
He also wanted to meet Jimmy Bennett, but the young man refused to respond to the knock at his door. Don made up an excuse, saying Jimmy was busy with program analyses, but Kitchens was already aware of the computer expert’s lack of enthusiasm when it came to authority figures. Especially U. S. government authority figures.
They spent most of their time with the chimps, although Kitchens interacted little with them himself. He preferred to observe them in their habitat, complete with the sounds of the jungle piped in through the speakers hidden throughout the rooms, and that seemed to suit the chimpanzees just fine. They took advantage of the extra time with the humans by playing with June and Don, as they usually did.
“Well, I must say I'm impressed, Doctors. Brad and Angelina seem to be as healthy as … well, as healthy chimps. They appear to be as playful and intelligent as Paris and Charlie.”
“The chimps did all of the heavy lifting,” June replied, tossing Angelina another grape as she was sitting on the ground next to her, holding a Cabbage Patch Kid. “They’re only of average intelligence. They’ve been versed in American Sign Language and can even add and subtract double digits.”
“That’s amazing.”
Kitchens watched Don and Greg play with Brad, tossing a yellow and green beach ball back and forth. The animals warmed to Greg almost immediately, and Greg was enjoying the interaction, although he was having a difficult time navigating some of the soft ground in the paddock.
“And,” the senator continued, “they are obviously very happy and well taken care of.”
June looked lovingly toward Angelina. The chimp placed her forehead on June’s. “They'll be much better in a couple of months.”
“What do you hope to accomplish when they arrive at their reserves, Doctor?”
June thought for a moment before answering. “I'm hoping they'll be able to live some semblance of a normal life.”
“C'mon, June.” It was Don. “What about Lucy?”
June stood up and looked at him with a measure of contempt. “Lucy wasn't anything like our chimps.”
“Lucy?” Kitchens asked.
“Lucy was a chimp who was raised from infancy by humans,” explained June. “For years, she was treated as any other human child. They let her have her own room and watch TV. They even let her go to the refrigerator and pour herself a drink or get a cold snack by herself. She was one of the family.”
“Really. Was she like Michael Jackson's chimp? Oh, what was its name?”
“Bubbles. And I'd really prefer not to talk about him if you don't mind,” June said soberly. “When Lucy was about thirteen, her parents”—June practically spat the word—“got tired of her and sent her back to Africa. Well, she had absolutely no idea of what to do. How to act. She'd never been alone before. She'd never even seen another chimp.”
“What happened?” Kitchens asked.
“She got depressed. Just like you or I would. There were plenty of other chimps there on the reserve, but she was still alone. She avoided them because she didn't know them.”
“The poor thing.”
“Finally, after two years, someone Lucy had known from her past came to visit her. Well, when she saw him she ran over to him, so happy to see someone she knew.” June paused, looking around for Angelina who had wandered off. She found her a moment later in a corner, pretending to groom the doll. “Come here, baby girl,” she beckoned as she sat back down. The chimp was more than happy to comply. She looked up at the senator. “Lucy had been taught some American Sign Language, so she started signing over and over, 'please help, out.'”
“Oh, no,” Kitchens said. “Well, these guys”—he gestured to Angelina first and then to Brad—“look like they're pretty well adjusted to this place.”
June huffed. “Believe me, we've worked very hard to make that happen.”
Kitchens’ brow furrowed again. “And there have been no abnormalities of the internal organs? I know that has been the case with earlier cloning experiments.”
June found the senator to be quite knowledgeable about the subject. He had obvious
ly done his homework. “None.” She looked the senator in the eye. “Trust me. If anything of the sort had ever become evident, I’d have had PETA, the ASPCA, Greenpeace, and anyone else I could think of here.” She snapped her fingers. “So fast your head would spin.”
“Well, I'm an animal lover as well, Doctor. I'd hate to hear news like that, too.” He smiled and looked at Brad, who threw the ball at Greg hard enough to knock the major off his feet. Brad, obviously amused, jumped up and down, hooting with glee.
“Honestly, Senator, when it comes to our chimps’ behavior, I can answer any question you have. Maybe even more than Juan. But as far as the cloning process,” she shook her head, “I have no knowledge, and I don't want any.”
“Well Doctor, I can't say I blame you there. But it's an unfortunate fact that I must find out all of the dirty little secrets about this project. Especially now that I'm gonna be so closely involved with it.”
June’s expression turned stoic. “Then you've decided to fund the project?”
“One more question, Doctor.” Kitchens said, completely ignoring her direct question, “About this side effect—”
Before he could complete the thought, she said, “There are no lasting effects. The babies”—a term that only she used when referring to the chimps—“simply lose consciousness. When we separate them from one another, they come around. It’s almost like they just take a nap.”
“And this only happens when the donor and the clone are in close proximity? When they can see each other?”
“Yes, sir, but we still have no idea why.”
Kitchens turned to face the door where they had entered. Standing there were Yeoum and Tiong. He hadn’t heard them come in, and June, who was already facing that direction, had made no indication that they had. The professor stood as he had before, arms folded, wearing the same scowl.
“What about you, Doctors? Any idea what causes it?”
Tiong glanced at Yeoum, but there was no sign that he might answer. He looked back at the senator. “We have a theory that the chimps’ primitive brains—”
“Oh, brother.” It was June’s turn to scoff.
Tiong continued. “Perhaps the chimp’s brain cannot accept the image of itself not behaving as it would expect.”
Kitchens’ lack of understanding was evident.
Tiong tried again. “It's like … looking into a mirror. You see your reflection and it does everything that you expect it to do because it's simply a reflection. It can't do anything that you don't expect.”
Kitchens shook his head. “But if I look at myself in my sister’s home movies, I don't always see what I expect because I don't remember what I did in them.”
“Yes, sir, but in two dimensions only. Not three. The animals have been shown digital images of themselves. Both stills and video. There was no such reaction.” Tiong's frustration, as he searched for the right words, was growing.
Yeoum lowered his arms and took a step toward the senator, softening a bit in an effort to appear less confrontational. “The higher function of the brain of a human test subject is sufficient to allow us to suppose that the anomaly will not be present.”
June, who had turned her attention back to Angelina, heard the words and turned to face the men. A look somewhere between shock and amazement registered on her face.
Tiong also shot a look at Yeoum. “What did you say?”
The professor ignored the question and continued looking at Kitchens.
The senator, on the other hand, was looking from one face to the other. He found the words “human test subject” distasteful, but he was more disturbed by how the others reacted to them. The professor had said too much in defense of his work. The senator berated himself for not speaking to the Yeoum privately about the side effect.
Tiong looked from Yeoum to Kitchens. “Human test subject?”
Yeoum was more annoyed than concerned. “Doctor Tiong, would you and Doctor Phillips please go check on Paris and Charlie?”
“But—” Tiong started.
Kitchens laughed and changed the direction of the conversation. “Now, who came up with those names, anyway? Paris and Charlie? Brad and Angelina? I don't know about y'all, but I don't wanna get sued.”
Tiong looked at June, who shook her head slightly and then started for the door. Angelina went after her, but June held her hand up. “No, baby. Go and play with the boys, okay?” She forced a smile. “Go on, now.”
Angelina turned reluctantly, hooted a few times over her shoulder, and proceeded toward Brad, Greg, and Don who were still playing with the ball. She stopped long enough to grab her doll along the way.
Tiong followed June, leaving Kitchens and Yeoum to their private conversation.
Kitchens made sure the remaining men weren’t paying attention to their conversation, and then asked, “How do you know that, Professor?”
Yeoum frowned, unaccustomed to being questioned. “In my previous work, I experienced physical abnormalities, but no psychological issues. There were no associative neurological anomalies with any of my subjects.”
Yeoum hadn't used the word “human,” but the senator had still heard it.
“Professor, I would appreciate it if you would keep the details of your previous experiments in North Korea to yourself. I'll leave those demons for you to contend with, sir.” Kitchens couldn't help but show his revulsion for the professor's previous methods.
The professor showed a hint of regret. It was clear the senator's words had stung him. Seeing this, Kitchens softened and took a moment before he continued. “I'm approving the funding, Professor. I'm”—he searched for an appropriate term—“excited … at the prospect of your work. I look forward to hearing about your progress in the coming weeks. However, I'd appreciate it if you could try to explain the process to me, as well as to the major, as he will be working closely with you and your team through the completion of your work.” He looked over his shoulder. “Major, would you care to accompany us?”
As Greg and Don turned to leave, Brad threw the ball at Don, hitting him on the back of the head and nearly knocking him down.
Yeoum wasn't really unhappy with the major. He was, rather, unhappy that the military would now take over the project. He’d had complete sovereignty up until now, but he had always known this day would come. It was inevitable. But it also meant that he was as close as he had ever been to completing his work. He was on the cusp of accomplishing what his father had died trying to perfect three decades earlier.
Greg looked closely at the professor as he passed. The older man had a rare smile on his face. Maybe he's not so bad.
* * * * *
“YOU HEARD IT TOO, didn't you?” Tiong asked as they walked.
“I don't know what I heard,” June lied.
“You don't know—what are you talking about?” Tiong demanded. “Chi said 'human test subject'.”
They entered the enclosure, and June closed the door behind them before she spoke. “He was probably talking about human organ cloning.” She proceeded further inside where the noise would mask their voices.
Paris had her Tickle Me Elmo and Charlie was hitting a blue and white beach ball towards the two as they came to greet them. But June ignored the chimps, sitting down next to one of the rock-shaped speakers and pulling Tiong down with her. She plucked a leaf from a nearby plant and turned toward Tiong. “Didn’t you hear what the man said?”
Tiong practically shouted. “Of course. I was standing right next to Chi. He said human—“
“Before that,” June interrupted him.
“Before that, when?”
“In the computer room,” June clarified. “Kitchens said the chimps would be out of here the last week in August. That means I'm out of here the last week in August.”
“So?” Tiong asked, thinking the news insignificant in comparison to what they had just heard.
“So … if the chimps are gone, then what do they need a veterinarian for?” She paused t
o let the words sink in. “You and I aren't part of the next cloning project. We’re here for the chimps. They don't need us anymore.”
Tiong thought for a moment. His eighteen months were up. Being too concerned with what else was done after his departure wasn’t wise. Maybe it was time for him to go home and use the money he earned to get on with his life. He was about to concede when he remembered their orientation. “Wait just a second. I remember how you reacted when they told us this whole thing was about cloning.” He put his finger to his lips, looking thoughtfully at the sky-blue ceiling. Leaning closer to her, he spoke just above a whisper. “I seem to remember a certain Doctor Phillips going through the roof at McMasters. You practically broke a window trying to open it. I was expecting you to start shouting out, 'They're cloning in here!' You were livid.”
“I know,” she admitted. “But when they showed us the results of Chi's work, we both agreed that it could do miracles in restoring ecosystems destroyed by man’s exploitation.” She looked Tiong in the eye. “The babies are pristine. You’re the one always running tests on them. And you said the other clones were perfect in every way. They lived normal life spans, reproduced with no ill effects—”
“Yeah, but this is different,” Tiong protested.
“How? In what way?”
“Because the man just said—”
June cut him off. She didn’t want to hear the words again. “We don't know what we heard. If they were talking about what we think they were talking about … well, I'm just gonna assume that they were talking about organ cloning.”
Tiong looked as if he would protest again, so she added, “The one thing both of us have come to realize over the past two years is that”—she touched him on his knee—“whatever we do, we can't stop them.” She paused to let the words take effect.
Tiong’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He became silent. For several moments only the sound of water from the stream and the jungle noises coming from the speakers could be heard. Paris and Charlie had disappeared in the dense foliage, sensing the human’s anxiety. Finally, Tiong spoke. “I guess I've always suspected something else was going on here.”