In an office building in downtown New York
He hated these damn meetings. One because they made him feel like nothing but a messenger boy. And two...because they were tedious. It was same thing weekly, looking at numbers on the papers and numbers on the screens. Was everything running smoothly, efficiently, expectantly? A month a go they had sent him out to collect a new doctor, one highly reputable. He normally wasn't a scout, but this wasn't a normal job offer either. The Board of Directors needed an inside man, someone who could get results for them, and report with any findings of staff not doing their jobs. And for it, they paid the man and his assistant handsomely.
Now they wanted another favor from the grunt man. A visit to the esteemed facility to speak to one Dr. Zandra Cecily. She was one of those "kid genius" types that had finished high school by the time most were wrapping up middle school, and moved on to University. At only 23 she had a phD in science and a reputation that awarded her this job. It was needless to say the Board had been impressed by her resume. Hell, even he was impressed.
The Board of Directors had been working with her directly for almost a year now, building what they liked to call "The Pen". And it had just finished construction, now being ready to utilize. But it wasn't a pat on the back and a "Good job" they were sending him for. No, they had other ideas in mind, ones they'd been chewing on for quite a few weeks now.
"The numbers are just too high," one exclaimed, "if we do this, then the facility opens up with more rooms, and we can put our focusing on new creatures."
"But what if we have one making strides and another not, and we lose them both?" another replied tartly, and yet another board member added on, "There is only so much we can do with these things before they become useless and they have."
"But this will open more room then we need." "Especially in Block A and B." "They implemented 'volunteer' shifts to Block A recently, every patient in that block must participate in a form of community service for the institute, or be demoted. It helps with running the facility, and keeps them in line. But if the numbers drop..." "Even if the numbers drop, Block A can suffice on what they have. We aren't catering to these creatures." "Reevaluations are almost upon us anyways. There will be plenty of changes to the Blocks then, so its useless to argue over such a trifle thing."
He groaned internally. Reevaluations again? Had it been a year already? Every other year the BOD would send him to visit the facility and do these reevaluations, for them to look over in the safety of their own offices. It was meant to make sure patients were in their proper Block and not receiving favors, and that doctors were indeed doing their jobs, and not simply fucking around and getting paid to do so. Last year Dr. Rufio Arellano had gotten quite the lecture after finding a number of his patients thrown in Block C when they ought to be in B.
It drove him mad to go though, the evaluations took the better part of two days, and he was there more for looks and muscle than for his intelligence. The board member had all the questions, why didn't they do it?
As if they had heard his question, one of them spoke up, "Speaking of the reevaluations, Miller? This year we are sending Candice with you to do them. It's been five years after all, and we think a board member's presence might entice the doctor's to get their asses in gear. You'd think after five years we'd have more than a few gadgets from the Engineering lab to utilize."
Wait, he was going with someone?
"On the contrary, Zandra Cecily is running her department at maximum efficiency. Her engineers have created dozens of items that can be used against these creatures to understand them better. And the science is there, its just no applicable yet."
Another one snorted, "So essentially Dr. Cecily's department hasn't made any achievements yet. Just as the Medicine Department, and Psychoanalysis Department hasn't."
"From her reports, Dr. Vera has been collecting quite a mass of data from the patients. The Department isn't a complete waste..."
And so this fight began again. Robert Miller leaned back in his chair and tuned out the now overrun argument over whether to keep the psychoanalytic department or not. If only Dr. Rupi Vera knew her position was in jeopardy, not do to any shortcomings, but simply because half the Board thought the department was a waste of funds. There was no developments in science for it, was their statement. But knowing what made these creatures tick had helped other departments numerous times. Miller really could care less. He was the grunt, the muscles for the Board. He didn't stress himself over the financial side of the institution.
Finally he zoned back in as the fight died off and someone veered the conversation back to the matters at hand. Reevaluation? End of week. And Candice would be accompanying him. Wonderful. She was an older, prude looking lady, with grey and brown hair always piled into a bun, and a never-ending scowl on her lips. Her pale blue eyes were cold and sharp and he hated when she gave him a look, making him feel like she was drilling holes into his head. The staff at this facility had no idea what they were in store for.
"We want evaluations on all patients...and
all staff," they explained and Miller groaned. This would be longer than two days, "There has been an incline in guard and nurse deaths, and we need to know if its due to poor training or just bad hires. We may terminate our contract with Black Hand if we find them at fault."
"Furthermore," someone piped up, "We still have the matter with Dr. Cecily about our experiment with the werewolves. If Miller can go ahead and meet with the doctor tomorrow, we can send Candice by the following day."
"We want to conduct the experiment during reevaluations?" Miller asked, knowing it was rare for him to speak up, but he wanted to be clear.
Candice nodded, "As I will already be there, I can overlook it. It will also give me a chance to see how the doctors use this experiment for their own gains. We all know this will benefit all departments."
"Can you go tomorrow?" another asked of Miller, "We want this experiment running by Saturday, and it's already Wednesday. If Candice arrives Friday she can conduct evaluations on the staff before the experiment, and then patients during and after, with your help of course."
Miller simply nodded, "You need a grunt, you got one. I'll fly over tomorrow, most likely arrive late in the evening. A good time to catch the doctor. Should I visit with Dr. Funer too?"
"No need," Candice shook her head, "He does not know we are coming. Evaluations have always been spontaneous. We will keep it that way. If he raises any questions, defer to our experiment with Dr. Cecily. Funer knows she has been building the Pen under our request."
"Understood."
Dr. Cecily's Office
Tags: Zandra
Arriving had been easy, and with a flash of his I.D to the front gate guards he was in. They knew him well, and didn't waste his time. Robert Miller had the BOD at his back. Piss him off, and their jobs were in jeopardy. One call from the Board to Black Hand, and these men's livelihoods were gone.
He hadn't waited for a secretary to receive him, or a nurse to escort him. Robert knew the facility as well as any staff member here and it didn't take more than five minutes to stroll to the Head of the Department of Science's office and rap his knuckles against the door. Without waiting he let himself in then, shutting and locking the door.
"Zandra," his voice was deep and gravelly as he took a seat, giving her a bitter looking smile, "You already know why I'm here, don't you? 'The Pen' is ready, and the Board wants to go ahead and conduct an experiment, with you at lead."
He stared at the beautiful doctor, keeping his face stoic, "The numbers show there are far too many werewolves in the intitute at the moment. I believe it was...18. There really only need for one or two, not 18. The Board wants to conduct a test, while narrowing down the herd. Two days from now, on Saturday, they'd like all werewolves transported into our new enclosure and let loose. The goal is, only one may survive and come out. I'm sure you've already placed cameras in most of the trees, yes? Your engineers can set up a live feed in the Amphitheater so that all doctors can watch and study this experiment. The goal is to see how quickly they can turn on one another, as well as how well werewolves actually survive in a wilderness climate, being as they are partly human. The Board is also looking to grant you a raise for your efforts, should this go according to plan."
He handed over a folder, with all the details inside, "The names of the wolves are on the front page. There is only one exempt one. A new patient, one Natalya Silvka. She is a wolf to human hybrid, or at least that is the rumor. Since there has yet to be a claim of that reversal before she is a rarity; a singularity. Therefor she is exempt, as the facility can benefit from her still. And besides, she is mostly wolf. Sending her out there out into a forest habitation will only please her. Does all of this make sense Dr. Cecily?"
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