Except the universal law of opposites.
He sighed in frustration. Elena would probably be sorely disappointed to learn the only reason she was selected was to babysit him again. It was a waste of time to entertain notions of romantic interest from someone who more than likely despised him.
A petite waitress smiled as she rolled a service tray over. “Dinner, as requested.”
Nathan leaned forward. “Requested by who?”
Alexander Blackwell strode over, dressed in casual comfort — all-black from his V-neck Henley and khakis to the Oxfords on his feet. He gestured like a symphony director. “Just leave it there, Darlene. And if you could, bring a bottle of Chateau Lafite for our enjoyment.”
“Right away, Mr. Blackwell.”
Blackwell took a seat opposite Nathan and Michael. “You two look like doomsday twins. Defeated before we even embark on our little expedition. Cheer up. It’s not the end of world. Not yet, at least.”
Nathan barked a laugh. “I haven’t seen you since you barged in my hotel room, and you think I should greet you like an old friend? I guess you had nothing to do with your people spying on my every move and keeping me sequestered like a prisoner, right?”
“Prisoners hardly live with such extravagance, Nate. I told my people to give you every courtesy. But you’re working for a corporation that deals in a lot of private security matters, so I’m sure you understand the need for vigilance when it comes to the access of outside consultants like yourself. As for me, I’ve been very busy. Preparing for the apocalypse leaves little chance for catching up on old times, I’m afraid.”
“We don’t have old times to catch up on.”
Blackwell laughed. “Lighten up, Nathan. Try some filet mignon. Chef Morimoto prepared an absolute divine dish for us. Would be terrible to waste.”
Nathan lifted the cover from the plate nearest to him. Steam wafted, along with the scent of the tenderloin drizzled with balsamic glaze, complimented by steamed asparagus and crisped baby red potatoes. His stomach rumbled in appreciative response. A quick appraisal of the silverware turned out positive, gleaming without a trace of grime specks or leftover soap scum.
Michael seemed to find the effort of turning his head to be strenuous. He stared at the tray with hooded, red-rimmed eyes. “Not hungry.”
Blackwell smiled around a forkful of potato. “You know, food is a funny thing. To this day, many condemned prisoners are allowed a last meal of their preference. Imagine, dying with the taste of suckling pig and basmati rice pilaf on your palate. And the gladiators of Rome, their last meal was called a coena libera. It was a massive banquet, whereupon the gladiators selected to fight would gorge themselves for hours. And why not? ‘Eat, drink, and be merry’, isn’t that the saying?”
Michael nodded with a grim smile. “For tomorrow we die.”
Blackwell laughed. “That’s the spirit. Join us, will you? This filet mignon is heavenly. I’d say it’s to die for, but that would be a bit morbid in view of our upcoming venture.”
Nathan found it hard to disagree. The meat practically melted in his mouth, and the potatoes were crisp on the outside, but soft and piping hot inside. He accepted the offered glass of wine as well when the waitress returned. Glancing over, he noticed Michael had silently joined the meal as well, chewing as if determination alone kept him going.
Nathan sipped the wine. “Speaking of our upcoming venture, what exactly is it you’re trying to accomplish? And please don’t insult my intelligence by sticking to that ‘rescue mission’ story. You and I both know your personal supervision makes this a mission of utmost import to both you and Chimera Global. Something is on that facility that you desperately want. I’d like to know what it is.”
Blackwell’s expression changed from jovial to solemn as Nathan deliberated. He set his fork down with a sigh. “I keep forgetting how keen your deduction ability is, Nathan. Of course, that’s the reason I recruited you, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“You shouldn’t.”
Blackwell didn’t appear to notice the retort. “Do you know what Dr. Stein’s area of expertise is?”
“Bioengineering. Pioneering regenerative methods to combat cell deterioration and potentially extend the human lifespan. What of it?”
Blackwell tapped his fingertips together, gaze still lost in space. “Let’s just say he recently experienced a breakthrough. I’m talking the kind that will change the world we live in. Bigger than electricity, bigger than the Internet. Only Prometheus with his gift of fire can compare to the impact Dr. Stein’s discovery will have on humanity. Everything we know, everything we have come to accept as normal… will be irrevocably altered.”
Michael narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, still chewing.
Nathan felt as though an invisible dagger stabbed him right in the heart. “What did you do?”
Blackwell shrugged. “I did nothing. I’m neither a chemist nor a biological engineer. I simply fund cutting-edge research. Dr. Franklin Nicholas Stein was a dark horse, an eccentric who managed to turn off the most avant-garde of sponsors. But when he came to me with bona-fide results, I knew the gamble had to be taken.”
“And this breakthrough has something to do with the energy from these Aberrations?”
“Yes. Your discovery of using extrasensory instrumentation to read aberrant signatures was a stroke of genius, but admittedly crude and rudimentary. We recruited Mary Jane Kelley, a brilliant thermodynamic physicist to take your discovery to the next level, allowing us to properly gauge and study aberrant energy. She worked with Dr. Stein on deciphering the new field of study. What they discovered was startling.”
“And that is?”
“Our models and projections based on the study of aberrant signatures suggest that they are closely related to, or may in fact be offshoots of dark energy.”
Michael’s expression was almost comical in its confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Nathan felt his heart sink somewhere in the direction of his stomach. “Long story short, it’s the stuff the universe is made of.”
Blackwell raised an eyebrow. “Theoretically. As I said, I’m no scientist. But I do know subjects like dark matter and dark energy are still hotly debated by better minds than my own.”
“Exactly. You’re talking about something we still don’t understand, and certainly don’t know what close-contact exposure will do to this planet or the human body, but you want to somehow use it? To do what?”
“To live forever.”
Nathan shook his head. “Wait — what?”
“After we located an energy anomaly where aberrant disturbances originated, I invested in building a habitat we dubbed the Tantalus, which upon completion was towed out to the origin source with Dr. Stein and all of his research team aboard. Stein had engineered a fusion generator that could harness residual aberrant energy and use it as a source of combustion that powered the entire habitat. He and his team then began a series of tests on samples of infected and non-infected blood and tissue. In short time, he reported back with staggering results.”
Michael’s gaze sharpened. “Where did those samples come from?”
For the first time, Blackwell appeared slightly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat before meeting Michael’s gaze.
“From the bodies of your coworkers at the mill.”
Michael squeezed his eyes shut and groaned like a dying man.
Blackwell nodded as though attempting to empathize. “I can understand how that looks from your perspective. But advancement is never made without tiptoeing outside of lines that might be considered… unethical. The point is, the infected tissue samples experienced what can only be considered a state of reanimation when in the proximity of the strongest aberrant source.”