Angle of the Discussion
Elliot and Dr. Berman stood alone in the pathology lab, contemplating their situation, like a couple of convicts awaiting judgement from the jury. Their secret experiments, and as a result, the many lives affected -- the many lives lost -- had all been found out. Now Elliot and the Professor were going to have to pay for their arrogance and wrong-doing.
"Elliot, you did not tell me about your outdoor excursion with Alessandro and Mimi," Dr. Berman said.
"I'm sorry, Sir," Elliot said, leaning against the exam table with his head down. "I guess I am a liar to you, too."
The elder scientist frowned and pursed his lips. He hung his head as well.
A quietness washed over the two scientists.
"Tell me, Elliot," Dr. Berman said, breaking the silence, "what did Alessandro do to make Mimi suspicious of him?"
"I don't know." Elliot shook his head. "She never believed the whole story that he was from a different county. It was too far-fetched."
Elliot pondered the thought further.
"You know, Aless really acted odd toward Mimi the first time he met her."
"Odd? How do you mean?"
"Well, I think he kind of liked her. He said she was pretty, and then got into her personal space a little bit... I think he tried to kiss her."
"Kiss her? Interesting... "
"Strange... " Elliot said, almost at the same time.
The two men looked at each other.
"Yeah, well," Elliot cleared his throat, "Anyway... it's not important."
Dr. Berman raised an eyebrow
Elliot straightened his posture. "Well, it's possible I just misread the entire situation."
The Professor scrunched his face, then widened his eyes and tightened his lips. He nodded along, as if trying to understand the dynamic.
"What happened the night of your trip outside the Center?" Dr. Berman changed subjects. "What was Mimi claiming about 'six canines?' "
"Oh, that was my fault," Elliot recalled. "I had asked her to supervise a campus outing with me and Aless, but we were late meeting up. It was sundown when we finally went outside, and our activity caught the attention of some canines."
The Professor imagined the scenario.
Elliot elaborated further. "You know, it was strange. I'm well aware of the violence that exists in the Outer World, but that was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that."
"How so?"
"I mean, I've been outside on plenty of occasions before, and generally, I think I'll be ready for anything that'll happen after graduation..."
Elliot hesitated, looking at the Professor.
"... but I uh, I was scared. Usually, I can understand the circumstance -- an animal is hungry or defending its family -- but those canines were... attacking us, trying to kill us, for no reason."
The Professor nodded. "It wasn't because you were out at night, Elliot. You were attacked because of Alessandro. That's why Mimi doesn't trust him. The canines can sense something different about him."
"That he's from a time capsule?"
"Perhaps."
"Maybe he has a scent they've never smelled before."
"Yes, and that scent is from many, many centuries ago." Dr. Berman walked around the lab. "Ever since Alessandro's emergence, I have been searching for information on him and the human capsules, but I can't find anything. There has to be a connection there."
The Professor changed the angle of the discussion.
"Elliot, do you know where Prairie Hills, Kansas, was located in the past?"
Elliot tilted his jaw.
"Of course you don't," Berman said. "That's because it's probably not real. It didn't exist. It was made up. Who would name a place Prairie Hills? Is it a prairie, or does it have hills?"
Elliot listened.
"Kansas was located in the middle of the Northern Americas. Rural country! We're nowhere near there! So how did a young man, supposedly from Kansas, end up here? In a time capsule! In a building filled with hundreds of other comatose humans?"
Elliot tightened his jaw.
"Aless recalls very specific aspects about his past life," Dr. Berman continued, "but nothing about the capsule. It's as if it didn't exist. At first, I passed it off as some kind of transient amnesia, being comatose for so long that he could not remember when or why he was put in a time capsule -- I can accept an explanation like that -- but he also conveniently does not remember any circumstances that may have led to him being placed in a capsule."
"You think Aless is lying?" Elliot asked.
"Purposely withholding information," Dr. Berman answered. "I, like Mimi, wonder if Alessandro is hiding something."
"You know," Elliot said, "I wondered if Alessandro had been abused in his past life. He didn't attend school. His guardian made him do manual labor as a child. Maybe he was also pressured into being encapsulated?"
"Hmm... There were no signs of a struggle on Alessandro's body," Dr. Berman countered. "No signs of being forced against his will... "
The Professor paused.
"... unless he entered the capsule without a fight."
"Under duress?" Elliot asked.
"Or willingly," Dr. Berman said.
Elliot looked at his mentor intently. "What are you thinking, Professor?"
"I'm thinking there's no mention of human time capsules anywhere in our history records. Why is that? Where did the capsules come from? Why does Alessandro say nothing about them or the encapsulation process? Does he really not remember anything about it? Or was it a secret? Part of some illegal practice?"
"You think he's not telling us about his capsule, because it was part of an illegal operation? That he's a criminal? Dr. Berman, that sounds crazy!"
"Does it? Or are you so blind in your faith that you're willing to ignore all of the unknowns?
"He's not some kind of criminal!"
"Elliot, if Alessandro's past involves secret activity, he may be more dangerous than he appears."
Elliot shook his head. "That can't be true! I'm the one who spends the most time with him. If anyone would know, I would! He hasn't done anything! He hasn't assaulted anyone, or... or lied, or stolen anything... "
All of a sudden, Elliot paused.
"What? What is it, Elliot?"
Elliot was wide-eyed. He put a hand to his mouth.
"Tell me, Elliot!"
Elliot could not ignore a certain truth.
"Aless has been leaving his quarters unsupervised."
"What? What do you mean?"
"The door out of the isolation lab was unlocked several days ago, and Aless didn't deny that he was responsible for it."
"He can operate the security system? How? He has no knowledge of our technology! Are you sure about that?"
"I'm positive, Professor."
"How long has this been happening?"
"At least a week. It could be longer."
The elder scientist wrapped his arms around himself and clutched his chin. "Why would Alessandro feel the need to move about the Center secretly?"
"He moved a storage unit out of the department, too."
"He did what?"
"Remember the storage unit I found, out in the corridors?" Elliot said. "Do you think he's really stealing something? I haven't noticed anything missing, but I can check our inventories again."
The elder scientist thought. "Could he be stealing something less physical?"
"What do you mean?"
"Gathering information?"
"Information? For what?"
"To survive," Dr. Berman said. "To use against us. Either for himself or for someone else. Our enemies?"
The two scientists looked at each other with unease.
For the animals?
"Elliot, do you recall our recent conversation regarding nuclear technology?"
Elliot's eyes were wide open now.
"The nuclear fission machine -- the main source of our energy needs -- it's in the basement, the furthest level from ground," Dr. Berman revealed.
"You don't think... "
"It's the most powerful object we have."
"But he is just a boy... "
"Don't underestimate him, Elliot! If the canines find out about the machine... Oh, Elliot! I fear we may have made a very grave mistake!"
"What can we do?"
Dr. Berman paused.
"We must re-isolate Alessandro. We must find out more information about the capsules and the boy's intentions."
"How can we contain him? He can escape the lab so easily!"
"Maybe it is time we got the Human Protection Unit involved. Mimi already knows. We should let the other scientists know as well. We cannot wait until the next board meeting."
Mentor and apprentice analyzed their options, but ultimately knew what had to be done. Their penitence for their experiments.
"Alessandro has a routine follow-up appointment with me later today," Dr. Berman planned. "He always shows up. It'll be the perfect time to apprehend him!"
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