Робин Кук - Mutation

Victor ran to the trapdoor and rapped on it three times. When no one came to open it, he rapped again with more force. Still no answer. Bending down, he felt around the floor for the metal rod he’d used on his last nighttime visit, but before he could find it, the trapdoor opened and light flooded up from below. One of Martinez’s people was there.

Victor hopped down the stairs.

“Where’s VJ?” he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

The guard pointed to the gestation room. Victor started in that direction, but VJ pushed the door open before he got there.

“Father?” VJ said with surprise. “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

“Couldn’t stay away,” Victor said with a laugh. “I finished up what I had to get done. Now it’s your mother’s turn. She has some patients who need her. She hasn’t made her hospital rounds.”

Victor’s eyes wandered away from VJ and once again surveyed the room. What he needed to decide was where he should be at zero hour. He thought he’d have to be as close to the stairs as possible. The instrument that was the closest was the giant gas chromatography unit, and Victor decided that he’d allow it to occupy his attention when the time came.

Directly in the middle of the wall facing the river was the opening of the sluice with its makeshift hatch constructed of rough-hewn timbers. Victor made a mental calculation of the force that would hit that door when the sluice gate blew and the water rushed in. The preceding concussion wave would be like an explosion, and combined with the force of the water, it could loosen the foundation and topple the whole building. Victor figured there would be an approximate twenty-second delay from the explosion to the moment the tsunami struck.

“I think it might be too soon to let Marsha leave,” VJ said. “And it would be awkward for Jorge to be constantly with her.” VJ paused as his sharp eyes regarded his father. “Where is Jorge?”

“Topside,” Victor said with a shiver of fear. VJ missed nothing. “He saw me down and stayed up there to smoke.”

VJ glanced over at the two guards, who were reading magazines. “Juan! Go up and tell Jorge to come down here.”

Victor swallowed uneasily. His throat was parched. “Marsha will not be a problem. I guarantee it.”

“She hasn’t changed her opinion,” VJ said. “I’ve had Mary Millman try talking with her, but her obstinate moralistic stance is unshakable. I’m afraid she’ll make trouble.”

Victor sneaked a look at his watch. Nine minutes! He should have allowed himself more time. “But Marsha is a realist,” he blurted. “She’s stubborn. That’s nothing new to either of us. And, you’ll have me. She wouldn’t try anything knowing you had me here. Besides, she wouldn’t know what to do even if she was tempted to do something.”

“You’re nervous,” VJ said.

“Of course I’m nervous,” Victor snapped. “Anybody would be nervous under the circumstances.” He tried to smile and appear more at ease. “Mainly, I’m excited — about your accomplishments. I’d like to see that list of growth factors for the artificial womb tonight.”

“I’d be delighted to show it to you,” VJ admitted.

Victor walked over and opened the door to the living quarters. “Well, that’s encouraging,” he said, looking at VJ. “You don’t feel you have to lock her in anymore. I’d say that was progress.”

VJ rolled his eyes.

Victor hurriedly went into the smaller room where Marsha and Mary were sitting.

“Victor, look who’s here,” Marsha said, gesturing toward Mary.

“We’ve already met,” Victor said, nodding at Mary.

VJ was standing in the doorway with a grin on his face.

“Not every kid has three legitimate biological parents,” Victor said, attempting to ease the tension. He glanced at his watch: only six minutes to go.

“Mary has told me some interesting things about the new lab,” Marsha said with subtle sarcasm that only Victor could appreciate.

“Wonderful,” said Victor. “That’s wonderful. But, Marsha, it’s your turn to leave. You have dozens of patients who are desperate for your attention. Jean is frantic. She’s called me three times. Now that I’ve handled my pressing problems, it’s your turn to go.”

Marsha eyed VJ, then looked at Victor. “I thought that you were going to take care of things,” she said with irritation. “Valerie Maddox can handle any emergencies. I think it’s more important for you to do what you have to do.”

Victor had to get her out of there. Why wouldn’t she just leave? Did she really not trust him? Did she really think he was just going to let this go on? Sadly, Victor realized that for the past few years he hadn’t given her much reason to expect better from him. Yet a solution was coming, and it was only a few frightening moments away.

“Marsha, I want you to go do your hospital rounds. Now!”

But Marsha wouldn’t budge.

“I think she likes it here!” VJ joked. Then one of the security men called him from the main part of the lab and he left.

Half-crazed with mounting anxiety, Victor leaned over to Marsha and, forgetting Mary, hissed: “You have to get out of here this instant. Trust me.”

Marsha looked in his eyes. Victor nodded. “Please!” he moaned. “Get out of here!”

“Is something going to happen?” Marsha asked him.

“Yes, for chrissake!” Victor forcibly whispered.

“What’s going to happen?” Mary said nervously, looking back and forth between the Franks.

“What about you?” Marsha questioned, ignoring Mary.

“Don’t worry about me,” Victor snapped.

“You’re not going to do something foolish?” Marsha asked.

Victor snapped his hands over his eyes. The tension was becoming unbearable. His watch said less than three minutes.

VJ reappeared at the doorway. “Jorge is not upstairs,” he said to Victor.

Mary turned to VJ. “Something is going to happen!” she cried.

“What?” VJ demanded.

“He’s doing something,” Mary said anxiously. “He’s got something planned.”

Victor looked at his watch: two minutes.

VJ called over his shoulder for Security, then grabbed Victor’s arm. Shaking him, he demanded, “What have you done?”

Victor lost control. The tension was too much and fear overflowed into emotion, bringing a sudden gush of tears. For a moment he couldn’t talk. He knew that he had utterly failed. He’d not been up to the challenge.

“What have you done?” VJ repeated as he shouted into Victor’s face, shaking him again. Victor did not resist.

“We all have to get out of the lab,” Victor managed through his tears.

“Why?” VJ questioned.

“Because the sluice is going to open,” Victor wailed.

There was a pause as VJ’s mind processed this sudden information.

“When?” VJ demanded, shaking his father again.

Victor looked at his watch. There was less than a minute. “Now!” he said.

VJ’s eyes blazed at his father. “I counted on you,” he said with burning hatred. “I thought you were a true scientist. Well, now you are history.”

Victor leaped up, knocking VJ to the side, where he tripped on the leg of a chair. Victor grabbed Marsha’s wrist and yanked her to her feet. He ran her through the living quarters and out into the main lab.

VJ had regained his feet instantly and followed his parents, screaming for the security men to stop them.

From their bench it was easy for the two security men to catch Victor, grabbing him by both arms. Victor managed to give Marsha a push up the stairs. She ran part way up, then turned back to the room.

“Go!” Victor shouted at her. Then, to the two guards he urgently said, “This whole lab is about to disintegrate in seconds. Trust me.”