Point one five rules und.., p.6
Point One Five (Rules Undying Book 4), page 6
“Of course, sir,” Gail said as she snatched the file.
“Oh, and these three as well, and these . . .”
By the time he was done, Gail balanced an armful of papers. She struggled out through the hall and finally had to make a pit stop against the wall to shuffle and shift the load in her arms. As she was tucking one of the edges against her chest, she happened to see the name Dean, Jonathan on one of the tabs. She shifted her weight again and turned so that her back was to the hall camera. It only took a second for her to slide open the top of the file to see a mini dossier on the new security consultant, complete with a headshot.
“It’s hot, just like his license photo,” she muttered as she saw the green eyes and the smirk. She scanned the over six-foot height, fighting fit weight, and impressive resting BPH. “And he’s in perfect health.”
One test result stapled on top did make Gail cock an eyebrow. “VZV: IvG–Negative/IvM-Negative,” she read, followed by a bright red stamp of “LZV Human Trial Candidate Number 006.”
She shuffled again and saw a similar file for Dean, Stanley. This one had the same test result stapled on top, but this one had a big black “X” over “VZV: IvG-Positive/IvM-Negative.”
She did one more adjustment just to check that the last pile of files looked like clinical trial reports for their most recent group and not more dish on the employees. She then carefully made her way to Dr. Nakano’s office.
“These are for you from Dr. Iwashi,” Gail said as she looked for a clear spot on the desk. Dr. Nakano leafed through them and promptly handed Gail back the two files on top with the Dean brothers’ info. “Can you file these with the other employee reports in the records room? Williams was supposed to separate them and send the pertinent ones to the review board, but I’m guessing he gave up and went to lunch. Will you be the hero and finish it up, or are you swamped?”
“Of course. Just tell me what to look for and consider it done.”
“Oh Foster, you are always my favorite.”
“I know, don’t tell the others.”
“It’s really simple. Just separate those with the red potential candidate stickers and pull them out for me. I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone and report to the state board as well as find folks for a vaccine trial.”
“A vaccine?”
“It’s a varicella variant trial,” Dr. Nakano said. “Very exciting.”
“Varicella? I’m pretty sure that there has been a chicken pox vaccine for a while,” Gail said with a little laugh.
Dr. Nakano returned the chuckle. “Well yes, but strains do mutate, and Biogenesys Labs has just gotten a tidy little contract to research this. It’s about time we get to use our Biosafety Level Two lab equipment for a change, and not have it gather dust on the second floor, neh? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of confirming that overpriced drugs work with massive side effects and would like to do something different.”
“I guess I never thought about it,” Gail said. “I just do what I’m told.” She took the two files to the stuffy paper records room in the back of the lab. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw box upon box of the same files – some with Post-It notes marked “Internal” and others “External.” One was even labeled with an order for “Kung-Pow Chicken, fried rice, and spare ribs”.
As she was surveying the scene, Dr. Iwashi came in with another stack of files. “Oh, are you sorting out the candidates, Foster? I need all these sorted before my review with Dr. Nakano at ten tomorrow. Oh, and email me if you get any names with a candidate number noted on them. Thanks!”
“Wait, I—”
“This is top priority. You and that Willis guy need to get it done.”
“Williams,” Gail muttered as she was left with a mountain of papers. She quickly pulled out her tablet and messaged Lori to cover for her while she partook in the simple joys of sorting paper in a digital age. She looked at the empty wire basket on the table. A scribbled note read “Candidates here, all others filed.”
“Well, this won’t be too bad,” she muttered hopefully as she grabbed Stan and Jonathan’s files. She plopped the elder brother in the basket and quickly shuffled Stan to the back where a neat little employee row was tucked in the corner. While she was back there, she tugged out and looked at “Patterson, Lori” and “Lewis, Greg,” who were neatly tucked away with clean bills of health and generally boring bits of info.
“I guess HR wouldn’t let any of the juicy stuff out here.” Gail sighed. She traced her fingers along the shelf until she got to where the Fs should be. Her own file looked pathetically skinny compared to the others. She slipped it out and cringed at her lopsided smile and slightly crazy-eyes in her picture. Somehow, she had also managed to have one wave flip in exactly the wrong direction so it looked like she had a tiny antenna on top of her head.
She frowned at her own black “X” and positive test. She absentmindedly scratched at the little scar along her jaw. “One day the shingles will be so much worse,” she muttered as more phantom itches traveled along her back and arms. She also frowned that the chart in her file only listed her at five-foot-three. She slid her own boring record back in and then moved just up the row to tuck in Stan. “Close enough!”
She then grabbed Jonathan’s much bigger file out of the basket. Now free to look, she took in an extensive progress note full of all manner of tests and prior medical records. “How is this guy even still alive?” she asked as she saw an entry for multiple stab wounds as well as a hospitalization for a ruptured spleen.
She grabbed the internal box and started filing away everyone who worked at the lab, including Dr. Nakano. No one else had the bright red badge until she finally pulled out Williams, Thomas. As it turned out, her missing fellow file clerk had a bright red stamp and the distinction of being “LZV Human Trial Candidate Number 002.”
“Good for you, Williams,” she said as she looked at his smug, pudgy face in the file. She plopped him on top of Jonathan’s before proceeding to the much less interesting files on strangers compiled through the lab’s sampling.
Minutes stretched into hours as she finally rubbed her eyes and looked at the still pathetically empty file basket and the even more aggravatingly empty chair.
“How long of a lunch are you going to take, asshole?” she muttered as the clock flipped over to four PM. She growled and grumbled as she dragged another box to the table. She furrowed her brow as she saw the laptop taunting her on the desk.
Just as she finally found candidate number three, a barista from Brushy Creek, the door finally opened. Gail’s eyes lit up as she saw two steaming cups in Lori’s hand. “Oh, hey!” Lori said. “This is what you are doing?”
“This is the single stupidest thing I have ever been called upon to do in my entire year of being here,” Gail grumbled between sips of coffee. “Seriously, it’s the twenty-first century and I am sorting through paper files. This would take literally ten minutes on the computer, but no, I have a mountain of files to open, look for one thing, and then shuffle them away. It’s ridiculous!”
“Um, well, I just spent two hours labelling piss, so sorry, no sympathy,” Lori said with a tight smile. “But I am dying to know what is going on with you and Jonathan. Come on, don’t leave your bestie hanging!”
“Seriously, nothing but awkwardness, beer, and Netflix.” Gail sighed. “Unlike you and the younger Dean. When do I get to hear about that, hmm?”
“Oh, my god,” Lori gushed. “Might be fast, but I think I’m in love. He’s so hot, but so mysterious, and the sex!”
“Yeah, awkward work conversations for one thousand please, Alex,” Gail said, snorting her coffee. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Yeah, but it sucks he has to work tonight,” Lori said with a pout. “We could hit happy hour?”
“Sorry, I am here until this is done, but thanks! Oh crap, I need to find Jonathan. We carpooled—”
“Oooooooooh!” Lori cried. “He was at the front desk last time I saw. Dude, you need to hit that. I’m just saying, you’re too tense.”
“Thanks for the coffee,” Gail said, giving a little salute. “Feel free to file while I’m gone.”
Gail alternated stretching her arms and slurping down much-needed caffeine. She cracked her neck a few times and finger-combed her hair before slipping out to the lobby. True to Lori’s word, an affable Jonathan Dean was lounging in one of the seats behind his desk, gesturing furiously as he talked to the regular elderly security guard.
“And that’s when the catfish bit me right in the nuts!” Gail walked in to hear. She blinked a few times as both men howled with laughter. Jonathan stopped short and straightened his collar as he noticed Gail gawking.
“Little fishing humor,” he said. “I was dared to noodle naked while really tanked in Mississippi—”
“You know, it was actually better before you explained,” Gail said with a little laugh. “You got a second, or are you busy?”
Both of them stared at the empty lobby. Jonathan groaned as he eased from his seat and Gail cringed.
“Don’t worry about it, kid. I need a smoke break before I head back to my own old lady,” the security guard said as he got up instead and wandered out the front door. “Ma’am.”
“How are you holding up?” Gail asked.
“Oh, good, as long as the meds stay in my system. What brings you out here?”
“I have to work late, so I wanted to see what was going on, nothing big.”
“Like how late? I’ve got a job tonight, it seems—”
“Jonathan! You have broken ribs. It’s bad enough you are out here, you shouldn’t—”
“Aww, you’re worried about me?” he said with a smug smile. “I’m flattered. Still, you don’t have to worry. It’s a milk run and I’m just the backup. It turns out your boss’s wayward son didn’t meet up with his uncle when he was supposed to, so we have to swing by and encourage him.”
“Still—”
“Careful. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you liked me,” he said with a sly smile.
“Luckily, you do know better. Well, I’ll just call for a ride, OK? I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, the stupidity of this knows no bounds, and lord knows I am perfectly capable of landing a ride share. Just let me know if you need to dodge the chipmunks later.”
“You inviting me this time?” he asked, leaning on the desk. “Sounds like you are inviting me over.”
“Just trying to be considerate of a poor injured fella. Oh, and you’ve really never had chicken pox?”
“OK, that was totally more random than my noodling story. Do I want to know?”
“Sorry, it’s just… it’s weird. I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like Biogenesys Labs is running some sort of trial, but on us. Dr. Nakano said she was just doing titer tests for some sort of state paperwork, but I don’t think that’s the case. Why are you giving me that look?”
“Um, because I have no idea what you’re talking about, maybe?” Jonathan shrugged and let out a deep breath. “What? You think this place is experimenting on us?”
Gail looked around the lobby before leaning in closer. “I don’t know, but there are files on all of us. Not like normal HR files, but medical ones. I mean, that doesn’t strike you as odd? I started thinking while I was totally bored. Don’t you ever wonder what goes on here? Aren’t you curious?”
“Gail, you remember the old saying about cats, right?”
“They end up in blenders?” Gail fired back.
“Whoa, that escalated quickly.”
Gail covered her mouth. “I have no idea where that came from,” she confessed, rubbing her temples. “I need more coffee and less filing.”
Jonathan groaned and really pushed himself from his chair this time. Gail watched, wide eyed, as he slowly walked around the table and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He stared intently at her. She shifted and bit her lip.
“Hey, don’t go looking for trouble, OK?” he said softly. “I know there is a lot of crazy stuff. Believe me, there is crazier stuff in this world than you can possibly imagine, but you’re in a safe place, a good place. Trust me.”
“Um, OK,” she said. “There is a lot I don’t know, but—”
He put his other hand on her shoulder and leaned in, Gail gulped. “It’s OK here,” he said with the sort of scratchy, sultry voice usually only heard in Hollywood. “Nothing is gonna dare come here.”
He then gave her an awkward hug, careful not to squeeze too tight. He pulled away just as the front door opened and the other guard raised a brow. “Should I go smoke again, you two?” he asked with a little wink.
“Just be careful tonight,” Gail said as she hurried away from him.
“You too. Watch out for paper cuts!” he called after her.
Gail blushed as she rushed down the hall. “What is wrong with you, Gail?” she asked her reflection. Indeed, she was so engrossed in her own image she somehow missed the other person in the hall until it was too late. She crashed into the hapless janitor and ended up stepping hard on one of his scarlet chucks. He didn’t cry out, but she heard a weird crunch as she moved her foot.
“I’m so sorry!”
“Ah, perdón!”
Once more, Gail was the recipient of a man’s hands on her shoulders as the poor guy struggled to steady himself. He shuffled a bit before finally having to reach down and lift one leg on his scrubs. Gail gawked as she saw him slightly twist the plastic prosthetic and fix a strap. He also picked up her coffee cup and handed the little bit that was left to her.
“Oh, I am really, really sorry!” Gail said again. “Thank goodness the lid stayed on, but I really need to look where I’m going.”
The janitor waved his hands and gave a big smile. “No, no worries,” he said in a thick accent. Gail smiled painfully, still bright red as he wandered down the hall. For the briefest moment, however, she had to blink as there was a slight flicker in the hallway glass. She looked again, embarrassed, as he had to wipe up her spill.
She made haste for the records room and quickly lost herself in banality of filing. By the time she finally found candidate number four, some student at UT Austin, the door to the file room opened again. A steaming, fresh coffee was set on the desk while she put the record in the basket. She turned to see the scruffy janitor wave at her.
“Oh, thank you! Gracias!” she said.
“De nada, amiga,” he said with a salute. He then pointed to the boxes at her feet. “Basura? Err, trash?”
“I wish,” Gail moaned as she started dragging her box of positives towards the shelves.
The janitor shook his head and hustled to her side. He waved her away and picked up the box. “Allow me,” he said. “Where to?”
“And they say chivalry is dead,” Gail muttered. “I just need them over here.”
“Oh, not dead, just from another time,” the janitor said as he set down the box and gave a bow. “Anything else I can help?”
“No, thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
“De nada,” he said again before slipping out the door.
She filed away another two boxes before she finally had to stretch and slip outside for a much-needed bathroom break. She wandered around the eerily silent halls until she finally made it to the breakroom to snag some chips and a soda to take the edge off her growling stomach. She sighed as she finished, peeking down the hall in the hopes of catching sight of anyone else. Finally, she took one last loop towards the locker rooms and was rewarded with a now familiar face pushing a cleaning cart out of the door.
He smiled a smile broad enough to make his eyes squint. Gail couldn’t help but return the grin. He popped an earbud out of his ear and cocked his head. “You need more help, amiga?”
“No, I just needed a break and a little stretch,” she said before yawning.
The janitor looked at his watch. “You very late.”
“Yeah, and miles to go before I sleep.” She blew out a breath. “I really hope that Dr. Iwashi is ready to approve all this overtime. I should probably let you get back to work.”
He shrugged. “The work will be here, but you, you look like you are getting tired.”
Gail yawned again. “Yeah, I’m getting tired. See you, um…”
“Javier,” he said, pointing to his chest with his thumbs.
“Gail,” she said, repeating the gesture.
“Nice to meet you, Gail.”
“Same to you, Javier.”
She shuffled back to the file room, smiling as she heard Javier singing softly as he shoved his cart down the hall. She found the reserves to flip through one last box and find the rest of mystery candidates one through five. She tried to cry out triumphantly as she shoved the last file into the shelf, but it devolved quickly into a seal-like yawn.
“Damn it to hell,” she grumbled as she saw it was nearly eight. She booted up the machine and switched users between Williams and herself so she could finally send the list of names. As she was typing up an email to Dr. Iwashi, she paused and stared at the final file in the basket. She furrowed her brow as she stared at the chiseled face stapled in the record. Her hand trembled as she started typing Jonathan Dean. Finally, she hit backspace and left the list at five names with a little disclaimer of “This is all I found tonight.”
She then grabbed his file and tucked it back on the employee rack before finally walking to the door and surveying her victory with a contented sigh. Finally, she flicked off the light and made the trek to the locker room.
As she changed and let down her hair, she did take a second to primp and put on fresh lip gloss as well as fix her barrettes. “Am I doing… what I think I’m doing?” she asked her reflection. She then pulled out her phone and put in for a ride share. Her eyes widened as she saw a nearly forty-minute wait. “Pluck a duck!”
She packed up her bag and pulled out her latest in the Lord Ash series before shuffling off to the still unlocked break room. She flipped to her bookmark and exhaled deeply as she got lost in the conflict between the tormented Lord Ash and his competition with a vampire hunter for the heart of the lovely Clara. Her heart quickened again as she saw the door open. She grinned as a mop flopped into view.
