Page 34 of Crocodile Tears
I sit up slowly, testing how the restraints limit my movement.“Where exactly is here?”
“A private research facility where brilliant scientists can work without the bureaucratic limitations of university oversight.”He adjusts his cufflinks with casual precision.“My name is Dr.Vega, and I have a proposition that I believe will interest you greatly.”
“I doubt that.”
Vega settles into a chair positioned just outside my reach, clearly familiar with restraint protocols.“Your research into accelerated healing mechanisms in reptilian shifters could revolutionize medicine, Dr.Lawson, but more importantly for my clients, it could revolutionize military applications.”
“My research is focused on helping people recover from injuries, not creating super-soldiers.”
“The applications are essentially identical.I’m primarily interested in enhanced healing capability that allows soldiers to recover from battlefield injuries at rates that would be considered miraculous by current medical standards.”He leans forward slightly.“Imagine the strategic advantages of military personnel who could heal from gunshot wounds in hours rather than weeks.”
“Imagine the ethical violations of experimenting on human subjects to achieve those capabilities.”
Vega waves his hand dismissively.“Ethics are a luxury for people who don’t understand the realities of modern warfare.My clients understand that scientific advancement requires… flexible moral parameters.”
“Your clients being?”
“Organizations with sufficient resources to compensate you very generously for adapting your research to human subjects.”His smile suggests he thinks financial motivation will be persuasive.“We’re prepared to offer you ten times your current annual salary, plus research funding that would make your university’s budget look like pocket change.”
“And if I refuse?”My stomach clenches as I ask that.
“I prefer to focus on positive incentives rather than unpleasant alternatives.”
I test the left wrist restraint again, feeling for the crack I identified earlier.“How did you even know about my research?The genetic sequencing data is secured through multiple encryption protocols.”
His smile becomes genuinely amused as he produces a tablet from his jacket.“Dr.Lawson, your university’s cybersecurity is indeed excellent, but human security is so much more… flexible.”
The photographs he shows me make my teeth start to shift with rage before the jolt of pain stops me.They show Dr.Harmon, my departmental colleague, accepting what appears to be a substantial cash payment from someone whose face isn’t visible in the frame.Additional photos show him accessing my research files and copying data to external drives.
“Dr.Harmon was very helpful in providing access to your work.Apparently, his gambling debts had reached a point where our financial assistance was quite welcome.”
The betrayal hits harder than the kidnapping itself.Harmon sat through my presentations, offered feedback on my protocols, and even helped me debug genetic sequencing problems.The fact that he was selling my research this entire time makes me see red.The restraints respond to my surge of anger with sharp electrical feedback that makes my nervous system seize momentarily.
“The restraints are calibrated specifically for reptilian shifter physiology,” Vega says with clinical interest.“Attempting to shift will be quite unpleasant, so you should learn to control the impulse.”
“You son of a—”
“Dr.Lawson, please.We’re both educated professionals.Surely we can discuss this arrangement in civilized terms.”
I glare at him.“There’s nothing civilized about kidnapping scientists and forcing them to develop military applications from humanitarian research.”
Vega stands and adjusts his suit jacket with practiced movements.“There’s nothing humanitarian about allowing battlefield casualties to die from injuries that could be completely treatable with enhanced healing capabilities.You have the opportunity to save thousands of lives while advancing scientific knowledge in ways that university bureaucrats would never approve.”
I roll my eyes.“Lives that are at risk because of stupid, often pointless, wars.I’m not interested.”
He arches a brow.“Perhaps additional motivation would help clarify your priorities.”He produces the tablet again and shows me a new series of photographs that make my cold blood freeze—my bear shifter adoptive parents’ house in Ohio, Margo entering the lab building, and even Galileo basking under his heat lamp in my apartment.I feel enraged and violated, leading to another shock from the restraints.
“Surveillance is so much easier in the digital age.”Vega returns the tablet to his jacket with obvious satisfaction.“Your family, your colleagues, and even your remarkably long-lived reptilian companion are all so accessible to people with appropriate resources.”
The threat doesn’t need to be stated explicitly.My hands shake with rage that I can’t safely express while wearing these restraints.I get jolted again until I manage to calm down.When I can speak, I ask through gritted teeth, “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Adapt your genetic sequencing protocols for human subjects.Develop reliable methods for inducing accelerated healing capabilities in non-shifter physiology.”He moves toward the door.“Think of it as expanding your research horizons beyond the limitations of academic medicine.”
I force myself to breathe steadily while calculating options.“I’ll need my research notes and access to proper laboratory equipment.”
“Of course.We’ve prepared a fully equipped facility that meets all your technical requirements and already have all your notes thanks to Dr.Harmon.”Vega pauses at the door.“I’m confident a scientist of your caliber will find the working conditions quite stimulating.”
“And if I can’t successfully adapt the research to human subjects?”
