Max
had always prided himself on being cool under pressure. ‘The eye
of the hurricane,’ he liked to say. No matter how turbulent the
air was around him, it was always seventy-two and sunny where he was.
Even so, it surprised him how relaxed he felt as he walked up the
back staircase of the Chemistry Building.
“That’ll
be the key,” Melinda had said. The two of them were sitting on the
back porch, sipping hot coco. Bill and Tara were having a snowball
fight in the yard, and from the amount of white clinging to Bill’s
whiskers it looked for all the world as if the diminutive girl was
winning. “Ninety percent of the time, if a crook isn’t caught in
the act, we nail them because a witness remembers someone acting
suspicious.”
Max
nodded at the guard as he walked past the security desk, making sure
to glance at one of the many cameras that dotted the ceiling.
“That’s another mistake people make.” Melinda's voice again.
“Guilty people avoid looking at the police. Innocent people look,
but keep their distance.”
Dr.
Franklyn motioned Max over as soon as he entered the lab. “Mr.
Harwell, do you have the proposed isomerization routes I asked you to
draw up?” A typical, no-nonsense greeting from the good doctor.
Max handed him his report.
The
doctor shuffled his papers, quickly scanning the document. He
stabbed a finger at one reaction route. “This one. Where the keto
group is S-oriented from the main ring. How long do you think it
would take you to run that?”
Max
scratched his cheek, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s an
unfavored product. It would take awhile to....” Dr. Franklyn
glanced at his watch, and Max decided to get to the point. “Most
of the day.”
“That’s
fine. Make sure to have it ready by tomorrow morning.” He handed
Max his report back. Without another word the doctor stalked off
toward a group of students chatting in the corner.
“Teacher’s
pet,” accused a thickly sarcastic feminine voice from behind him.
Max sighed, and turned to find his lab partner smirking up at him.
“Next thing you know he’s going to be asking you to synth him
some apple polish, or make you train the rats to sit up straight and
speak only when spoken to.”
“Morning
Lily,” Max said. He was surprised to find himself suppressing a
laugh - he didn’t usually think her jokes were funny. But in any
case, it was generally a bad idea to give Lily Phillips any
encouragement. The girl could be a bundle of unaccounted-for
variables, and that was the last thing his plan needed.
“What’s
Doc got you working on today?” she asked, standing on her tip toes
to look over the top of the papers Max was holding. She had left the
top button of her polo shirt undone, and he couldn’t help but
notice she was inadvertently giving him a good look down the front of
her shirt. Although, knowing Lily, maybe not so inadvertently.
Despite
his reservations about her, Max was forced to admit that the girl
could be charming sometimes. Lily had a decent figure in spite of
being underdeveloped, and she had a cute little button nose that
suited her face perfectly. Her skin was a rich caramel color,
accented by a crop of straight, jet black hair, and her eyes were
extremely large and arresting. Privately, he thought she looked like
a grown-up, extra sexy version of Dora the Explorer.
But
by far her most noticeable feature was that of her stature - or more
accurately, the lack thereof. The girl would’ve made even Tara
seem a giant by comparison. Max guessed that she had to be well
under five feet tall, perhaps just a smidge over four-six. But this
was just another thing Lily could use to her advantage. Her height
made her appear cute, even imp-like, and it somehow seemed to
multiply her sex appeal.
He
might even have said the girl was attractive, if only she would stop
needling him for thirty seconds.
“Yeah,
that assignment actually looks pretty boring,” Lily said, pushing
the stack of papers back against his chest. “I’m going to see if
Doc has anything more exciting for me to do. But remember, if you
need anything, please don’t hesitate....”
They
finished together. “...To ask someone else first.”
“Thanks
awfully,” Max growled at her as she strode away. She waved her
hand dismissively, not looking back. He sighed again - there was
something about that girl. The way she seemed to be able to beckon
him closer, while simultaneously giving him the proverbial finger.
And why did she always know just what to say to get under his skin?
He took a deep breath, and within three heartbeats had regained his
composure.
Max
settled down at his favorite table, and began to work. The day
passed uneventfully, and before he knew it his reaction sequence was
complete. He looked up at the clock - 4:55pm. This was the moment
of decision - should he go through with his plan?
Without
hesitation, Max decanted the product of his day’s labors into a
test tube. He placed it alongside a number of other, identical
tubes, careful to memorize the position of his. Now he was painfully
aware of the camera watching from just over his shoulder, but he
didn’t try to hide his actions. Again, Melinda’s voice came to
him: “In all likelihood no one ever watches those tapes, unless
they have a good reason. Your job is to make sure they don’t get
one.”
Max
picked up a small, numbered vial onto which he had written the name
of his isomer. He carefully filled it with a small amount of waste
product, and sealed it shut. Turning quickly, he let his foot snag
on the underside of the table. Max faked a stumble, the vial
slipping from his hand and shattering on the floor.
The
sound of breaking glass immediately summoned Dr. Franklyn. “What
was in that container?” he asked, his voice edged with concern.
Already
a pair of graduate students were cleaning up the spill. Max watched
them for a moment, and contrived a sigh. “My final product.”
“I
needed that by tomorrow morning, Harwell.”
“I
know sir, but...I have a date tonight,” Max pleaded. “Isn’t
there some way...?”
Dr.
Franklyn shook his head sadly. “No, no. We can’t afford to fall
behind schedule on a project with so much riding on it. A
collaborative effort with the government, as I’m sure you remember.
Deadlines. Grant money. You’ll...I’m afraid you’ll have to
stay tonight and run the reaction again.” The doctor looked at him
with what Max thought might be genuine sympathy, and for a split
second he felt terrible about lying to the man.
It
passed.
Max
sighed again. “I understand. Would it be alright if I came back
later tonight? I’d like to take a shower, get some dinner....”
“...call
the young lady and tell her the bad news?” The doctor smiled at
him. “That should be fine. I’ll make sure security knows you’ll
be coming. But Harwell - be certain you’re done by morning.”
Max
went to clean up his station. As he washed his used test tubes, he
carefully palmed the one with his finished product, and slipped it
into his pocket. The doctor would have it by morning, alright. For
tonight though, he had other plans.
By
nine pm, Max was ready to rock. Clearing security been no problem,
and as far as he could tell he was the only person left in this part
of the building. He swiped his ID card on the door to the reagent
room, smiling to himself. This was almost too easy.
The
storage area was about the size of a large closet, its walls lined
with hundreds of identical ceramic jars. The labels were small and
difficult to read even up close - it would be impossible for a camera
to see them from across the room.
Max
grabbed what he needed, and went to his favorite table. Carefully,
he measured a small amount of the drug into a test tube. If he had
calculated right, this would be enough to yield more than a hundred
thousand doses of high-potency LSD. At five bucks a pop, this stuff
was going to be his key to a new life, free from the crushing weight
of his debts.
The
chromium oxide came first. The solution bubbled, giving off a soft
fizzing sound as the oxygen escaped. He centrifuged his test tube,
and strained away a thick, silvery blob - the used chromium. Next
came the hydrogen in palladium. He sealed the vial and inserted a
small plastic tube connected to a canister of gas. Now there was
only one step left - dissolving the by-product, and then boiling it
away. Max glanced up at the clock, and was surprised to find that
he’d only been in the lab for twenty minutes.
Suddenly
the doorknob turned, the noise explosively loud in the silence of the
lab. Max whirled, and saw his worse-case scenario – Lily Phillips
was walking through the door.
Calm.
Calm down, he thought.
“Hey
Max-ie. What - aren’t you glad to see me? You look a little
spooked.”
“I’ve
asked you not to call me by that name, remember? And I’m fine.”
Now, do it now! He lifted the bottle of tetrahydrofuran, and poured
a tiny amount into the vial. “You just startled me, that’s all.”
“A
big lump like you, afraid of a little thing like me? What HAS
happened to American masculinity?” Lily sauntered over to him, and
with some difficulty the tiny girl reached up to set her bag on the
table. For a moment he wondered what it must be like for her, being
so short. Everyday tasks must have all sorts of unforeseen
complications. There would be second glances on the street...random
strangers gawking as she walked past....
Max
snapped himself out of his reverie. He stirred the solution. “Why
are you here?” he asked coldly.
Lily
actually looked embarrassed by the question. “Well...umm, if you
must know...I felt bad about what happened to you earlier. That was
really unfair, the way the Doc made you miss...miss your date. I
thought maybe you’d get out a little quicker if I helped.”
Now
it was Max’s turn to be embarrassed. “That’s...actually really
nice of you,” he said, lighting a bunsen burner. Just a few more
minutes - that was all he needed! “But as it turns out I’m
almost done.”
Lily
looked confused. “But the security guard told me you just got
here. I thought this reaction was going to take all night.”
Damn
it, why did she have to be so perceptive! “Oh, I...found a more
efficient reaction pathway. I’m on the last step right now
actually...just need to do a low-temperature boil. As soon as this
finishes dissolving I’ll heat it, and we can go.”
She
smiled, and Max had the thought that, after all the times she had
smirked at him over the years, this might be the first time he had
actually seen both sides of her mouth go up at the same time. “Oh?
And where should...WE...go?”
That
one threw him. “Ah...well, let’s talk about that. In a minute.
But first, could you give me a hand? Put these reagents away?”
Still
smiling, she reached up to grab the three containers. She glanced
down idly at the labels, and suddenly she stopped.
“Chromium
Oxide. Palladium. Tetrahydrofuran.” Lily stared at him, and Max
saw that the smirk was back in full force. “Max, why don’t you
tell me about this reaction route you discovered.”
Max
could swear that his heart was literally sinking into his stomach.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
“Did
you think you were the only one who thought of this?” she asked,
perverse glee in her voice. “But I never would have guessed YOU
would be the one dumb enough to try it. Just think - Max Harwell,
the golden boy, caught by his lab partner making LSD!”