Days' End (3 page)

“Dr. Knight, I’m Gary Stevens. I represent a person with whom you have had recent contact. Will you please join me for lunch to discuss the details?”

“Um…” Nysa hesitated.

“I assure you Dr. Knight, you are not now, nor will you ever be, in any danger. If you are unconvinced, you are welcome to take my card back inside to your office and verify my credentials. I’ll wait here or, if you would prefer, accompany you back to your labs.”

Nysa was still reluctant but gave in to her curiosity. “No. That won’t be necessary.”

“Very well, right this way.”

He led her to a town car waiting close by. Mr. Stevens opened the rear door, and as she climbed in she noticed the privacy screen between the driver and back seat was raised. The young man then walked around the car and climbed in beside her. As the car pulled away from the curb, he began to speak.

“As I’m sure you have figured out by now, Dr. Knight, I represent a man who is somewhat eccentric. He also prefers to stay out of the public eye, hence my presence here today. He has a few stipulations that he believes will be better received in person. We can discuss them over lunch. For now, do you have any questions that I can answer for you?”

She didn’t even know where to begin. “Who are you exactly?”

“Gary Stevens, attorney at law.”

“And who do you work for?”

“You may call him Mr. Scario if you would like, though I doubt you will ever meet or speak to him directly.”

“What is the project?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the details, only to assure you that you were found to be the best person for the job. All I can tell you is that everything you need will be provided, cloning is involved, and you will be well compensated.”

“How is this being funded?” she asked.

“This is a private project funded exclusively by Mr. Scario himself.”

“What? How can he afford to fund a cloning project by himself? Why?”

“I assure you that even if I knew that information I would not be able to divulge it. Mr. Scario is an enormously wealthy man who is in tune with developments in science. He invests frequently in cutting edge medical developments. You should be honored to be chosen for his project. He is quite meticulous when it comes to selecting his employees.”

Nysa detected a touch of boastfulness in his last sentence and fought off the urge to roll her eyes. “When would I start?”

“We hope to have everything in place to begin the project by February first.”

“How long is the project expected to take?”

“Dr. Knight, as I’m sure you remember from the e-mail, Mr. Scario does not tolerate failure. This project will continue until it is completed.”

“Can you give me a ballpark figure?”

“Assuming everything goes as planned and there are no major setbacks, I would guess a year, two at most.”

They rode the rest of the way in silence as she contemplated what had been said. She watched as they passed houses, which seemed to grow larger and larger the further they moved away from the college, and continued staring out the window as the houses were replaced by office buildings and retail stores. A short while later they pulled up in front of The Ivy, a popular, trendy Beverly Hills restaurant. She got out of the car and followed Mr. Stevens to a table in the back, away from the other diners.

From the exterior, The Ivy looked like a worn-down garden home with tables set out for guests. The interior was much the same, the decorations on the walls historic American emblems, wicker baskets, and chairs. A small fireplace stood along one wall as they entered the front dining room.

Nysa spotted more than one famous actor as they made their way past the other diners. She mentally compared her cheap blouse and slacks from Ross to the other diners’ clothes, which appeared to have been purchased exclusively on Rodeo Drive.

As soon as they sat, Mr. Stevens cleared his throat and, in a voice low enough to ensure they wouldn’t be overheard, began to speak. “Dr. Knight, as I told you in the car, there are a few details that Mr. Scario wanted delivered in person due to their unique nature. Some may require an explanation on my part while others you will merely have to accept should you wish to pursue this opportunity. Are you clear?”

“Yes.”

The waiter, no doubt an aspiring actor based on his over the top dramatization of his delivery of their water, arrived at their table and took their orders. Stevens ordered only a Perrier with a twist of lime, Nysa the house Cobb with ranch dressing on the side. The waiter took the menus and left the table as quickly as he had come, returning shortly with Mr. Stevens’ drink and Nysa’s salad. The lawyer continued. “Very good. First, we will pick you up at your place of residence, and you will be relocated to the facility where the project is going to take place. You may pack whatever you would like with the exception of cell phones, laptops, blackberries—anything with which you can make or receive calls or e-mails. You are not to have any contact outside of the facility while the project is ongoing. Also, should you be replaced, you will remain at the facility anyway until its completion. These rules are due to the sensitive nature of the project. Any questions?”

“Yes, but I’ll wait until you’re done and ask them all. Please, continue,” Nysa replied.

“Second, the location of the project will not be disclosed to you. If you accept the offer, we will handle all aspects of your relocation to the project facility. This is also due to the secrecy surrounding the project.”

“Third, regarding your pay for this project, Mr. Scario is prepared to offer you any reasonable amount you require. Here is my card. Please contact me this evening with your compensation requirements should you agree to the terms. If he agrees to the figure, I will courier a contract to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them now and I will answer what I can.”

“I don’t really know where to start,” Nysa stammered. “I guess the first thing I would like to know is whether or not I’ll be doing anything illegal.”

“Absolutely not, Dr. Knight. The project you will be working on will not violate any existing laws. The secrecy surrounding your task is due to the highly competitive nature of the field, nothing more.”

“What about if I have an emergency at home? How will I know if nobody knows where I am or how to contact me?”

“I’m sorry,” replied the young attorney, “that’s a risk you will have to take. Should you take the position, you will have no contact with the outside world, emergency or no.”

Nysa frowned at his answer. “You want me to accept a position I know nothing about, doing something you won’t tell me about, and do it without having any contact with any of my friends or family? What if my fiancé were hit by a car?”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Knight, those are the rules. You can take them or leave them. The choice is yours. Do you have any other questions?”

Nysa’s thoughts swirled in her head, crashing into one another and taking her feelings in a brand new direction. She felt torn, unable to think clearly. Her gaze wandered around the restaurant, pausing briefly on one of the white wicker tables before bouncing to one of the many plants hanging from the ceiling and walls. In an attempt to organize her thoughts, she continued looking over the crowded restaurant. One patron was speaking tersely with her waiter and shoved her dish rudely back into his hands. A couple at a separate table stood and put on their jackets as they prepared to leave. Nysa watched as they made their way slowly back to the front of the dining room. She finally glanced back at the waiting lawyer. “No, nothing I can think of.”

“Thank you for your time. The bill has been paid; the car will wait outside to return you to your office. Goodbye, Dr. Knight.”

Mr. Stevens stood, shook her hand, and left the restaurant with the same purposeful stride as when he had approached her earlier.

She picked at the remainder of her lunch, pondering the proposition for a while, before getting up and leaving the restaurant. Nysa sat in the back of the car, her thoughts speeding past much like the trees that lined the side of the road. By the time the car arrived back at the university, Nysa had managed to work herself up to the point that she was quite literally worried sick. She went to her office and told her coworkers she wasn’t feeling well and that she was going home for the day. She walked back outside and called Alastair from her cell phone. This time he answered.

“Hey babe, how’s it going? I saw I missed your call earlier. Sorry, I stepped outside for a smoke. What’s up?”

She relayed the events of the last couple of hours to him. When she finished, she waited for his response.

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Of what?” she asked.

“Of any of it. There’s too much stuff they won’t tell you. What’s the big deal? I think you should get more answers out of them or tell them you won’t do it.”

She knew he was right, that it sounded a bit off, but at the same time, this could be big chance to prove herself. If this Mr. Scario was as wealthy as he seemed to be, he must have a pretty good reason for putting so much money on the line.

“I know it sounds strange, but this could be an incredible opportunity for me! And with the money from this, we might be able to buy a house. I think we should at least discuss it further. Maybe we can come up with a few more questions that Mr. Stevens will answer. If so, it might put some of our concerns at ease.”

“What’s to discuss? They want you to fly off to God knows where, to do God knows what, for God knows how long. What about us? We won’t even be able to talk to each other ‘til this thing is done. It’s not a long distance relationship; it’s no relationship! I want to spend the next year or two with you, Nysa, not sitting alone at the apartment wondering if you’re okay.”

“This could make my career and give us a chance to buy a house together. I know it will be hard while we’re apart, but think about how much better off we’ll be when I get back. We should at least consider it, Alastair.”

“I just don’t know. It doesn’t sound right to me,” said Alastair.

Nysa knew she’d won. “You just don’t like secrets. You never did,” she chided him. “You can’t even stand to wait for other people to open their presents at Christmas. Come on, let’s at least discuss it.”

“We’ll talk more when I get home. I’ve got some programs I have to patch up. We’ve had some trouble with hackers. I should be able to wrap up in a couple of hours. See you at home? We can talk about it then.”

“Absolutely, you’re the best.” Nysa blew kisses in the phone and hung up.

At dinner that night, they went through the details of what they knew, and what they didn’t. They knew Nysa was being recruited by an individual who didn’t want to call unnecessary attention to himself. They knew the project was somehow related to her field, cloning. They knew there was big money involved.

The list of what they didn’t know was much longer. They didn’t know who exactly was hiring her, what he was hiring her to do, where she was going, or when she’d be back, just to name a few.

“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about Scario that seems familiar also,” Alastair admitted. “I don’t know where or why, but it feels like I’ve met him or heard his name somewhere before. It’s been driving me crazy.”

“I don’t know that we should eliminate this as an option if you don’t have something more concrete that that,” Nysa noted.

“That’s not what I’m saying. I just want to make sure everything is out on the table. I have a bad feeling about this guy, but I can’t tell you why.”

“Your sentiments regarding my potential future employer have been duly noted,” Nysa acknowledged, trying to sound lawyerly. “But let’s move on to the facts, shall we?”

Alastair rolled his eyes at her. They argued, questioned, and picked apart the details for what seemed like hours. They approached the issue from every angle they could think of, identified every problem they could imagine. Despite the mysteries and Alastair’s hesitation, by the time dinner was over they had decided that Nysa should go for it, provided the unknown man would be willing to pay her enough that they could buy their dream house. Their magic number, after much discussion, was $750,000 a year with a one-year minimum. It might not pay the whole mortgage, especially in the L.A. housing market, but it would put a pretty sizeable dent in it. Nysa picked up the phone and called Mr. Stevens with her answer.

He picked up on the first ring. “Good evening, Dr. Knight. Good news, I hope?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Caller ID. How can I help you?”

Nysa hesitated. This was the big moment. Was she asking too much?

“I accept your offer on the condition that my compensation will be $750,000 per year, assuming roughly a one-year project.”

“Very good, Dr. Knight. Your condition is acceptable to Mr. Scario, and he has asked me to inform you he is willing to add an additional million-dollar bonus at the completion of the project, assuming of course we don’t have to replace you at any point. As to the year timeline, I have no guarantees on that. That is in your hands more than mine.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say? A million-dollar bonus?” Nysa was certain she had heard wrong.

“Yes. A one-million dollar bonus at the completion of the project. Like I said previously, you will be well compensated for your time and efforts. Thank you for your commitment, Dr. Knight. It’s my pleasure to be the first to welcome you aboard. I will be in contact with you shortly to discuss your transportation details and you should receive the contract via courier tomorrow evening. I think it would be imprudent to deliver it to your office, so you will receive it at home. Do you have any more questions?”

“No.”

“Thank you and good night.”

Nysa could barely breathe as she hung up the phone. She had been hesitant about asking for the $750,000, but the lawyer hadn’t even paused. How much had Mr. Scario authorized for her? And a million dollar bonus? They could buy a house outright, and a nice one at that. She was so thrilled she couldn’t contain her excitement. She jumped into Alastair’s arms and relayed the lawyer’s side of the conversation. The enthusiasm carried over into the bedroom that night leaving them both in a state of exhausted bliss. Their dreams were sweet and untroubled.