Chapter 5

The entrance to GENext’s compound is even more hectic today than usual. The crowd has seemed to have doubled and so has the amount of security.

“Do you notice something odd?” Casey asks as he peers out the window, his voice has dropped several octaves since they left.

“Besides the larger than normal crowd,” Janet says. “I do see a lot more security.”

“Not just that, but the security is armed.”

“Non-lethals?”

“I don’t know, but lethal or not, this is just getting crazy.”

As the security pushes the crowd back to allow for the two scientists to pull their car through the gates, both notice a large dark skinned man with a bald, shiny head that reflects the sunlight off the top. He stands with his arms crossed across his massive chest, his eyes and head following the pair as they pull through the gates.

“That guy was creepy,” Janet says after they are out of range of the man’s gaze.

“You’re telling me,” Casey says with a nod. “He looked like he was ready to break someone in half.”

“He looked like he could too.”

They pull into their designation parking spot a moment later and Janet looks over to see Casey with a big smile on his face. “What are you all smiles about?” she asks.

“I just realized how there is a parking space for both of us.”

“You just now noticed that?” she asks with a chuckle.

“I mean,” Casey begins, having trouble keeping the chuckle out of his voice as well. “There is one for each of us, yet we always come in one car and use only the one.”

Janet sits back and scrunches her face in thought. “You know, you’re right.” Casey nods. “Tomorrow, we’ll park in the other one.”

Casey grins. “Smartass.”

Janet looks over, puckers her lips and blows a kiss at him. “Don’t you know it?”

They exit the car and as they walk toward the building their attentions are caught by the sudden loudness of the protestors. They both turn to look at the angry mob barely being held back by the armed security guards.

“I sure hope we don’t have to see those guys using their weapons,” Janet comments.

“Ronin is probably going to have to get the National Guard out here soon if he wishes to avoid that,” Casey remarks. “Hey, look at that,” he says, suddenly changing the subject.

“What?” she asks. “What am I looking for?”

“That guy, the bald one that we passed coming in.”

“That guy just creeps me out, the way he stares at us,” she remarks.

“Maybe he finds you attractive,” Casey offers.

“Maybe,” she says with a shrug. “Or maybe he finds you attractive.”

Casey smiles at this. “I’m not gay or anything but it kind of feels good to have someone ogling you.”

“Don’t let it go to your head. Either one of them.”

“Won’t be long before I don’t have that anymore,” he says laughing.

“Then maybe you’ll think straight without conflicting thoughts.” Without waiting for a rebuttal from her boyfriend, soon to be girlfriend, Janet turns and heads for the front door.

Security doesn’t give them much trouble, though it is a little more difficult to get Casey a pass, especially when neither of them has identification saying Casey is a woman and not a man, especially with a photo that looks entirely different. But they manage, with a lot of flirting from both Janet and Casey and the fact that Janet is a senior member with a very high clearance level.

“Well, that was a pain in the ass,” Casey says as the elevator begins to move.

“Yeah, but you were good at flirting.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, you’re a natural,” Janet says with a wink. “You definitely can pass as a woman.”

“That’s the goal,” he says with a smile before it turns into a grin. “I just hope it’s going to be reversible.”

“Having second thoughts about it now?”

“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “Well, maybe a few.”

“It’s a little late for that now.”

“I know,” he murmurs. “Would I be human if I didn’t have doubts?”

“Yes, but if you didn’t have doubts you might be mistaken as an ego maniac.”

“What do you mean by...”

Casey’s words are cut short when the elevator doors open and they see Ronin standing in the entry way with his arms crossed. The sight of him standing there like that makes both the scientists think of the dark skinned man at the gate.

“So who is the new person you have brought in, Doctor Montgomery?” Ronin asks. Ignoring both of their blank stares.

“Ronin,” Janet says, being the first to come out of the initial surprise. “I took it upon myself, well, Casey and I did, to hire us an assistant.”

“You know we have plenty of those around here,” he says gruffly.

“I know,” she says taking the lead to step out of the elevator first. Casey follows close behind her, smiling at their boss as he passes by. “And we would have asked Doctor Davis to join us, since he used to be our assistant, but I figured you probably had him busy on other projects.”

“Yes, I actually do,” the older man says, pushing off the frame of the elevator’s doorway. “But we still have other qualified assistants.”

“Casey here is someone I trust,” she says before realizing she blurted out his name. They only briefly discussed coming up with a name on the way into work, not really settling on anything.

“Casey?” Ronin asks.

“Yes,” she answers, trying hard to keep her face from turning red. “It’s crazy she has the same name as Doctor James.”

“What are the chances of that?”

“I don’t know sir, but I’m sure I could find the odds on the internet.”

“No doubt,” Ronin says, sounding skeptical. “You’re not trying to do a human trial on Doctor James are you?” he asks glaring at Casey. “You know that is illegal.”

“No there is nothing like that happening,” Casey blurts and then clamps his mouth shut.

“I have, we have already filled Casey in on our work. She has already signed all the disclosure forms needed and I, we, trust her,” Janet says. “What’s up with the extra security?”

“We’ve received a large number of threats, more so than normal, so I have upped security. That and the attempted break ins.”

“Do we know why the unusual activity?”

“It seems that someone got information on what you and Doctor James have been researching or at least some notion.”

“How?”

I know that it’s not you two, but I think that someone has pieced together enough pieces to form a picture. I hired a firm to track anything and everything from shipping invoices to computer access. They will find whoever made the leak.”

“I can’t think of anyone that may have broken the company’s trust,” Janet offers. We’ve been locked in the lab for so long, I don’t think we really know anyone that well that works here anymore.”