John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

“I’ll tell the doctor. Please have a seat.” She motioned toward the two chairs at the desk. “It should only be a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She turned and left the room. Elias lowered himself into one of the chairs and waited. He was certain that one of the women at the cubicles was watching him, so he made a point of leaning back in the seat, casually crossing his legs, and staring upward at the ceiling, while showing no interest at all in his surroundings or the paperwork on Anita’s desk.

At least ten minutes passed before Elias heard someone approaching. Standing, he saw Rudy Kreitzmann entering the room, followed by Anita. Tall and lean, the scientist was wearing a long-sleeved, powder-blue dress shirt and dark slacks. His hair was cut short in a military style, and he had no moustache or beard. Noticeably, he had the air and demeanor of a confident and competent surgeon.

“Doctor Brightman. A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Doctor Kreitzmann.”

“Please, come with me to my office.”

“Thank you.”

Kreitzmann turned his head toward the woman. “Thank you, Anita.”

“Of course, Doctor.” She took her seat at the desk, as Elias followed the scientist down the hallway from which he had emerged.

“And please, sir,” Kreitzmann requested as they walked, “we are not all that formal here. I would appreciate it if you would call me Rudy.”

“Of course,” Elias replied, “and I prefer Patrick over Pat.”

“Patrick, it is. If you don’t mind my asking, what brings you to Aegis?”

Elias had planned out his response. “Several factors, really. I have admired your work from afar for quite some time.”

“Thank you. I am a bit surprised. We never communicated.”

Even though they were walking at a brisk pace, Elias attempted to convey embarrassment. “Yes. That’s true. I must admit I was somewhat….”

“Afraid,” Kreitzmann finished the sentence.

“Yes. I suppose that would be it.”

“Don’t be concerned. I made many more enemies out there than friends. And you wouldn’t be the first to keep your support for my work to yourself. Doing so publicly would have been the kiss of death for you or, at the very least, your funding.”

Elias nodded his agreement. “I’m glad you understand. That being said, I came upon a roadblock, a rather substantial one, in my own work, and have been struggling to get past it for quite some time. I have suspected that it is a problem with which you could be of some help.”

“I’d be happy to do so. But I have a feeling that there is another reason for your sudden arrival here.”

They had been following a meandering route through several turns, and finally arrived at an open doorway with the plaque “Director” beside it. Kreitzmann entered and immediately walked to the large conference table, set off to one side of the large office.

“Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

Eyeing the glass pitcher on the table, rivulets of condensation running down the sides, Elias answered, “Water would be fine.”

Kreitzmann turned over two inverted glasses and filled them both from the pitcher. Elias sat down and was soon joined by the scientist, who took a swivel chair next to him.

“You’re right. There was another factor in my decision to exile myself, in a manner of speaking, to Aegis.”

Kreitzmann waited silently.

“Throughout my life I have had two things which meant more to me than anything else. Not in the order of priority, my work, of course, was one of them — the other, my wife. It was because of her that I chose the lifestyle that I did.”

“I don’t understand.”

Elias borrowed from his true feelings for his wife and allowed his face to reflect a gamut of emotions as he spoke. “We were so much in love. From the day I met her until…well, until just recently, we were one of those rare couples who are inseparable by choice.”

“That is quite rare.”

“Yes. Most married folks seem to relish getting away from each other in every way they can. Belinda and I wanted the exact opposite. We would have been perfectly happy being within each other’s sight twenty-four hours a day.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

“It was and, as a result, I never took sabbaticals when I taught. Eventually, I quit teaching, refused all invitations for seminars, workshops…well, you know, all of the demands on a scientist’s time that draw him away from home.”

Kreitzmann nodded.

“My goal, which I attained, was to obtain private funding and establish a lab at my residence. We bought a ranch outside of Albuquerque and turned one of the outbuildings into a lab. I worked there with Belinda as my partner, helper, and companion. As I told you, I attended no conferences or workshops. Nothing. I’m afraid I essentially became a recluse or a hermit, if you will.”

Kreitzmann smiled. “I heard that about you. Bit of a mystery man.”

“And in the process, my contempt for my fellow man grew. Rather exponentially, I might add.”

The smile leaving his face, Kreitzmann asked, “And your wife? As committed to one another as you are, is she with you here in Aegis?”

Somberly, Elias answered, “No, she’s not. I lost her. Three months ago. To cancer.”

“I am so very sorry.”

“Thank you.” Drawing a deep breath, Elias continued, “Losing her caused me to do a great deal of soul searching. I decided that, without her, there was no longer any reason whatsoever to remain…out there. My work had reached an impasse. My reason for living had died with her.”

“You mentioned that you came to me for help with your work. How did you know I was in Aegis?”

“I didn’t. I came to Aegis for the same reason so many others come here. It wasn’t until after I arrived that I discovered your presence. The news sparked something in me, and I realized that I did still want to complete my research, if only to give Belinda and myself the satisfaction of doing so.”

Elias expected to be asked from whom he had heard about Kreitzmann living in Aegis, but the man seemed comfortable with the fact.

“I understand. And please accept my sincere sympathy for your loss.”

“Thank you very much.”

“I never married,” Kreitzmann continued, without the slightest show of emotion accompanying his statement, “so I never knew the love and connection that you described. I have been a slave to my research since my college days. I envy what you had, even though it ended the way that it did.”

“I wouldn’t trade those years for anything in the world.”

“I can tell that.”

Slapping the tops of his thighs with his hands, Kreitzmann changed the subject. “I’m certain that you are eager to discuss your obstacle, as it were. However, I would like to offer you a tour of our facility. Perhaps you will see a niche that needs to be filled by a man of your talent and knowledge.”

“I would enjoy that.”

Elias stood between Kreitzmann and a lab technician with the name Bonillas stitched above the pen pocket of her white lab coat. In front of them was a twenty-foot-long one-way mirror which allowed viewing into a room filled with children. The youngsters, ages ranging up to approximately nine, to Elias’ eye, were scattered about the large room, which resembled a well-equipped day-care center. Some sat at desks or at a large table; some were on the floor. All seemed occupied with toys, coloring books, or other objects. At first glance the scene appeared normal to Elias; then he noticed that there was no talking between or from any of the children.

Before he could ask a question, Kreitzmann commenced, “Doctor Bonillas, why don’t you explain to Doctor Brightman what we are accomplishing here.”