The molecular biology lab was eerily silent, except for the occasional humming and beeping of the various machines – the PCR machines, the incubators, the autoclaves, and the heated shakers. There’s a click, and suddenly, a faded yellow light illuminates a small space on a black workbench. A nitrile purple-gloved hand carefully cleans the dark counter with a bleach solution to sterilize the working environment, and then meticulously spreads out various pipettes, vials of liquids on ice, clear plastic pipette tips, a biohazard trash bag, a plastic test tube, and a test tube rack on the cleaned counter. A laboratory notebook is opened to page 53, and propped up against a mismatched pile of cell biology and genetics textbooks.
The same pair of gloved hands reaches over to a compact radio and turns on the switch, adjusting the stations until the static is gone and a clear smooth female voice can be heard reporting the day’s news.
“This is the fifteenth year of Team GP Incorporated, and the independent life-saving organization has since gone from a small group of just five people in Middleton to hundreds of coordinated teams on every continent. Today marks a momentous day for both the history of the organization, and for one of the original members. This morning, at sunrise, Shego and Kim reaffirmed their vows on the top of the newly built Wade Towers, which have been finally completed after their destruction in a terrorist attack four years ago. Kim Possible, when asked, was more than happy to provide an interview. Shego, her wife for many years, said nothing other than, ‘Of course I’m happy, doy! Now BEEP off!’ to our reporters. She was; however, smiling and not snarling – a rare event for the villain-turned-hero.”
A sound that was a cross between a snarl and snort could be heard, followed by low nondescript muttering. Two vials were quickly warmed between two hands, the body temperature quickly melting the frozen pH-calibrated storage buffer from a cloudy solid mass of whiteness to a clear transparent liquid – a seemingly innocuous material that seemed so peacefully isolated from the outside world.
The radio voice was continuing.
“…and right she is. The crime rate, not only in the United States but also for the rest of the world, has been dropping steadily since Team GP became a global organization. Staffed by a combination of volunteer and paid professionally trained fighters, scientists, and psychologists, Team GP is truly a force to be reckoned with. Their formerly classified medical breakthroughs reserved for their offensive field teams have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for mass distribution in the United States, and it is expected that the World Health Organization will offer their stamp of approval for global distribution in as little as four months.”
But for one person, this was not joyful news. Rather, it was an annoying hindrance.
Carefully, the contents of one plastic test tube were added to another that already contained a faint pale blue clear liquid, the same color of a highly diluted bottle of blue anti-freeze solution. The scientist froze in a moment of truth, finally realizing what was going on – what chain reaction had been initiated.
It almost seemed there should have been a clap of thunder, a burst of lightening, or even a small puff of smoke at the least.
But there was nothing.
And that was alright. A smile, though not completely quite sane, exposed shining white teeth.
Everything was going according to plan.
In the vial, now placed in a warm incubator, a reaction was occurring that no one would be able to stop. And upon completion, it would yield the perfect biological weapon.
But for now, the scientist closed and locked the lab, turning off the lights and plunging the lab into contained darkness. There was no need for haste, no need to rush the process along and risk making a careless mistake.
There was all the time in the world…
To be continued…
A/N = Here we go again. Enjoy.