TEN YEARS AGO
Harvey Rupert Elder walked nervously down the hall, constantly fidgeting his tie. He was a plump man and ties never seemed to quite fit around his neck. Heavy sweat matted his face as he reached his destination and turned the handle on the frosted door labeled: Dr. Hamilton. “Um, you wanted to see me sir?”
Hamilton looked up from scattered papers on his desk. Seeing the pathetic sight of Harvey Elder standing in his doorway caused him to breathe out a deep sigh. “Yes Harvey. Please sit down.” He gestured his hand to one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk.
Harvey took a couple of deep gulps and stepped inside the room, letting the door swing shut with a loud thud. “If this is about my newest reports,” He stammered as he made his way to his chair. “I can have them for you first thing in the morning.”
“That won’t be necessary Harvey.” Hamilton leaned back in his chair and ran his hands threw his graying hair. He took off his reading glasses and placed them on the desk. “Harvey… this isn’t going to be an easy conversation for me. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you some questions about what you’ve been doing after hours.”
“Excuse me sir?” The sweat began to quicken on Harvey’s brow.
Hamilton leaned forward and picked up a file off his desk and handed it to Harvey. “Two weeks ago a young man from accounting came to me asking about one of our programs; the program run by you and Dr. Storm. According to him, you were giving quite a large sum of money to head start Phase Five of your research.”
“Yes sir.” Hamilton pitched in. “I know it was quite expensive; but Phase
Five turned out to be the most successful phase on our project. Dr. Storm was very pleased with the results.”
“Yes Harvey, I’m sure he was. And just how much of the money was used in the phase?”
Harvey fidgeted in his chair; he could feel the legs straining under his weight.
“All of it sir, it turned out to be more expensive than we thought.”
“Are sure you used all it in Phase Five?”
“Yes sir.” Harvey gulped.
“That’s interesting. Because according the man from accounting, Dr. Storm only reported a little over half of the money being spent when he filed his reports. Accounting is very curious as to where the rest of the money went too. They can’t find any trace of it in any of their files dealing with your project. Even your own reports fail to clarify the situation.” Hamilton threw a couple of more folders in front of Harvey: copies of his reports.
“Perhaps Dr. Storm failed too…” Harvey started.
“I already talked to Storm.” Hamilton interrupted. “He too is at a loss for words. But he did mention the several times you stayed in the lab after hours, and the unmarked cabinets that only you have the key for. I looked up several of the dates Storm gave me in the security log only to find that the cameras were turned off. I won’t even begin to imagine how you pulled that one off. All of this seems to be rather convenient, considering the money
missing doesn’t it?”
Harvey sat there motionless. Hamilton began to question whether he had had a heart attack or not.
“They’re just hobbies sir.”
“Excuse me.”
“My activities at night sir. Just minor experiments… hobbies really. I’ve been putting deposits aside in order to pay the money back sir.” Harvey never liked confrontation. He figured it would be safe to fess up to his activities.
“Hobbies?”
“Yes sir.”
“There’s quite a lot of money involved in these hobbies of yours Harvey… stolen money. I can’t just let this go.”
“Of course not sir, I’ll expect a cut in pay until I can pay it off.” Harvey still held unto the hope that he could get out of this. They still didn’t expect… didn’t know about what his ‘hobbies’ involved. At least, he thought they didn’t.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that Harvey. Because I’m afraid I can’t let this go either.” Hamilton placed a final folder in front of Harvey Elder. All of his hope was shattered.
“After I found the security tapes had been turned off, Storm and I investigated that lab. I unlocked your file cabinets. I must say, I never expected to find this.”
Harvey was completely shattered, and suddenly all the frustration of all the years of being pushed around boiled to the surface. “You broke into my lab!” He shouted the last part and struggled out of his chair to his feet. “What gives you the right to break into my personal…”
“What gives you the right to play God?!” Hamilton challenged back. “There was living DNA in those mini refrigerators of yours. Where did you get it? And do you care to explain to me the mounds of information in your notes or on
your computer data base? Information on creating life? Creating it?”
“It’s none of your concern!”
“None of my concern Harvey? You’ve been creating living tissue and subjecting it to different chemical tests. Do you have any idea of the amount of laws you have broken. You’re fired Mr. Elder.”
“What? You can’t do that.” Harvey was getting outraged.
“You have used Government money to play out some sick fantasy of yours. The stuff I’ve read out of your notes seems to come from a horror film. Do you know what would happen if this got out to the public? I will not allow you to further disgrace this company.”
Harvey wanted to kill the man. ‘Disgrace this company?’ He thought to himself. ‘I’m the single reason this company is even doing as well as it is. Before me it was nothing!’ He took a moment to recompose himself; he could still get out of it in a dignified manner, even if he was out of a job. Not that the job ever mattered. “Fine Mr. Hamilton, if you will give me my materials I’ll be on my way.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“What do you mean? It’s my research.”
“Yes and you used my money to do it. As far as I’m concerned it belongs to me. I’ve had your computer destroyed and the majority of you materials burned. The remaining tissue samples are in permanent storage. The folder there is all that remains of your notes.”
“You bastard!” Harvey screamed as the rage returned. He leaped onto the desk and grabbed Hamilton with his thick fingers. “Do you know how many years I’ve worked on this? How many decades of my life have been spent creating the perfect formulas! This was my college thesis! And you dare to destroy it all! I should kill you!” He tried to strangle Hamilton’s neck, but found it difficult.
Hamilton had pressed the security button under his desk when Harvey had begun his first outburst; two guards entered the room and managed to pull Harvey off of the desk. “Get off me!” He shouted. Harvey stood to his feet, but the men had a firm grip of his arms.
“Gentlemen please escort Mr. Elder downstairs to his car.” Hamilton stood up and straightened his clothes. “And then see that his security access is revoked.”
Harvey finally managed to push the guards off him. He was furious, but he knew he couldn’t win this fight. “I’ll see myself out.” He left the room and the guards followed.
The ride in the elevator was a long one. Harvey’s rage was still in overdrive. His life failures seemed to flash before his eyes. He was overweight; he never could seem to hold unto a job, and now an ignorant man was trying to take away his one success.
Getting off the elevator Harvey bumped into the one man he thought he could trust, the man who had betrayed his secret… Dr. Richard Storm.
“Harvey?” Storm looked surprised.
Harvey Elder just glared at him and rudely pushed past him.
“Harvey, I’m sorry.” Storm called out.
Harvey stopped and turned around. “No, you’re not. But you will be.” He continued on his way out the door not letting any more distractions frustrate him.
He got in his car and felt it sink as low as the springs would let it. He knew they hadn’t gotten everything. He wasn’t foolish enough for that; everything in his lab was copies of what he already had.
He drove for what seemed like miles, letting Mozart sooth his rage. He parked in front of a grocery store and walked for another mile. He entered a building that nobody paid attention to, a place where he could always work and live in peace. He walked through the ruble to a random corner and pushed aside some fallen debris. Not all the money he had stolen over the years had gone into his research. Some of it went into other necessities of his work. He entered his private elevator and started his journey downward into what seemed eternity. Down to a place that only moles would think to search for him.
He stopped with a soft jerk and the doors slid open. He entered into his home and felt the first peace he had felt all day. The dark cool air eased the sweat from his face.
“Hello children.” He spoke softly. “Daddy’s home.”
