If Found

Like Puzzle Pieces

CHAPTER TWO

Like Puzzle Pieces

Doctor Johnson's POV:

Three years later...

"Doctor Johnson, come into my office, now." Doctor Sorensen, the Misses, was a bi*ch to work for. Yet I followed her. Hanging my head and making funny faces behind her. "Sit down, Doctor Johnson." Doctor Sorensen slammed her office door shut, and I couldn't help but jump a little in my seat. Many a researcher had entered only to leave through the front door and never be heard from again. The Sorensen's were ruthless. "There are eyes everywhere, Doctor Johnson, I'd watch those so called funny faces."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Sorensen." She sat down behind her desk, and I looked into her cold grey eyes. Her hair was always kept pinned up prim and proper, and there was a coldness to her. Something evil was afoot.

"Enough with your babbling. Doctor Johnson, my husband and I have been running the Genetic Manipulations Social Programming Clinical Trials Agency for a long time. How is it that in the five years of phase one, only yourself and Doctor Devros have the only surviving Vectors? And look at you." She stood, leaning over the desk and pointed that manicured nail at me. "You alone have had seven of the nine. As I said, eyes are everywhere. You have an education, use that brain of yours to explain exactly what happened." As she sat back in her chair and trilled her perfectly painted red fingernails on the desk, I thought about what I should say.

I mean really, what did she want me to say? That I had sacrificed my soul for this position? I had let innocent children and infants die in order for my family to live comfortably? The moment they found my notes and any other information I had, I would be let go, then tracked down and killed. The Sorensen's were ruthless. I guess I had no choice though. I swallowed hard, feeling my Adams apple bob up and down, then I went for it. "I secretly ran my own tests, and came up with an enzyme to add to the original serum."

"Why?"

"I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. I went through every single case of the infants and children that had expired and noticed that something was missing. The serum was correct, but it was also poisoning them. Their bodies couldn't take it. The enzymes I add each contain different amino acids. Doctor Devros had two successes early on, but as you know they were still quite ill, though the Vectors were rather ill. They just happened to be extremely strong candidates. I did sneak in and add a booster enzyme to each boy. They were the healthiest they had ever been within hours."

"Doctor Johnson, how do you determine which child gets what enzyme? Shouldn't we have had more successes by now?" Doctor Sorensen's anger was rising. The grey eyes I mentioned? I swear that soul of mine that I sold to the devil? I could see myself screaming to get out.

"I-I can't quite explain that part. No matter how much research, and time I put into it, I can't find that missing piece of the puzzle."

"Did it ever occur to you to check the trivial family history of the trash before deciding on which one should get the serum?" Again she started trilling her nails on the desk, but much harder and louder. So loud it was hard to think.

"Um, no, Doctor Sorensen. I don't have that clearance. Only clearance for the infants and children." I added that last bit softly.

Doctor Sorensen stood with such force, her chair slammed back against her bookshelves, knocking a few books off. She crashed her hands on the cherry desk in front of her, leering her pinched face in front of me. "You will make one shot right this very moment. It better work. I have a... special child coming in so that we can finish phase one and begin phase two. You will be in charge of phase two. Make sure that this one counts. Your life here with the GMSPCTA counts on it." Doctor Sorensen stood and schooled her face as she straightened her white coat. "Oh, one more thing Doctor Johnson. I will be administering the serum with your enzyme today." Then she walked out the door.

I hung my head low as I stood. I had better get to work. Doctor Sorensen wasn't one to wait. I left her office, gently closing the door behind me, and headed for my office. I had to make sure that the child she mentioned survived; less serum, more enzyme.

About an hour later, Doctor Sorensen's assistant came in for the inoculation. I waited. Actually paced. In fact, the last time I paced like this was when I was waiting for my son, Derrick, to be born. My little Danielle had held my hand and ask to be held as we listened to my wife screaming in pain. There were some complications, and we had been asked to wait in the lobby, but Danielle didn't want to leave her mother, so we settled for the hallway. Everything turned out fine, but those tense moments, that was where I was right now. I hoped this was the correct one. Not seeing the child, I couldn't run the basic tests that I usually did. Of course, I hadn't told Doctor Sorensen about that.

Doctor Sorensen walked in about three hours later, flanked by her husband, Mister Doctor Sorensen, and Doctor Devros. "It was a failure. Regardless, we will just begin phase two with the nine of them. Draw their blood and begin the gene splicing."

"Yes ma'am." I sighed heavily.

"Oh, and add these vials of blood to the pool." The they were off. If I though killing children was difficult, wait until this was done.

I worked all night, splicing the genes of each of the Vectors blood samples. Once I was done, and everything was complete, I called each of them in. I still had a tenth booster, but I knew of the nine boys who was receiving which one.

I got started on phase two, bringing in the nine Vectors who were already here. "Mr. Johnson!" That was the one named Luke, although outside this office he was Vector #597. "What are we doing today?" He sat on my spinning chair, his legs swinging back and forth. His brown eyes were filled with mirth. He was always into some sort of mischief.

Then Kota came in, pushing his glasses up his nose, with yet another book in his hand. "What is this phase two about?"

I quickly grabbed the book from his tiny hands. He shouldn't be able to read at this level at the age of three, but he was smart as a dickens. The others came in quietly, except for Gabriel. That kid had so much energy, and an opinion for everything. Regardless, they each took their seats.

"It is time for booster shots, boys. It will only sting a little, I promise. It has to be administered through the back of your neck, and into the spinal cord. I will be here every step of the way. So please put on your brave faces, and the sooner I can get started, the soon it will be done." Each one nodded and played their rock paper scissors game to see who would go first. Silas climbed up on the table and sat there with little tears in his eyes. He was anticipating the pain of the shot. I decided I could give him a little giggle juice to help, to which he thankfully drank. "Are you ready little man?" Then we were off to phase two.