Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1 by GJ Fortier Page A

differently from what he had
expected.
    Kitchens smiled as the professor's eyes
wandered from him to the major in the uncomfortable silence that
lasted long enough for the sound of the computer's cooling fans to
reach an almost deafening crescendo. It was June who broke the
silence. “Can I get anyone anything? Coffee, Coke?”
    “Yeah, we've got some Gummy Bears,” Don
offered, reaching for the half empty bag on his desk.
    “Donald!” June couldn't help laughing as she
scolded him.
    Greg laughed, as did Tiong. But if the
senator or the professor had even heard the exchange, neither
showed it.
    Forcing himself, Kitchens looked over at
June. “Doctor Phillips. I found your file to be very impressive.
Are your parents still missionaries?”
    “Yes, sir.” She was impressed that the
senator remembered such a detail. Is he letting me know that he
cares or just that he knows? “They're actually on vacation in
Malaysia at the moment.”
    “Never been there,” Kitchens commented.
    “Neither have I.”
    The senator frowned. “That's a surprise,
given the extensive travelin' y’all have done.”
    “Well,” said June, “my dad always said that
the point of a vacation was to go somewhere you've never been
before.”
    Kitchens quickly changed gears. “No offense,
but frankly, I find it intrigin' that a woman with a PhD in
ethology would be involved in a project such as this. What would
Doctor Goodall think?”
    Jane Goodall was June's idol. The preeminent
ethologist was part of the reason had June chosen to become one.
“None taken. I would hope she would understand that my involvement
with the animals here is only the beginning of my relationship with
them.”
    “Yes,” Kitchens acknowledged. “You'll be
tendin' to the chimps long after they’ve been relocated.”
    “That's right.” Since he had opened the door
on the subject, she took the opportunity to ask, “Do you know if
they've found a suitable reserve for the others yet?”
    Kitchens gave Tiong a sideways glance, “Why,
yes they have. I don't have the paperwork with me. The good doctor
insisted that I leave my portfolio in the dressing room, but if my
memory serves, they will be very happy at the North Carolina
Zoo.”
    June’s expression soured immediately.
“That's unacceptable. They can't go to North Carolina.”
    Kitchens cocked his head to the side. “Why
is that, Doctor?”
    June couldn't tell if the man’s concern was
genuine or not. “Because Brad and Angelina are going to
Tanzania.”
    “Brad and Angelina? Why, that's very clever,
Doctor.” Kitchens chuckled. “Why is North Carolina a problem?”
    Don, seeing an impending battle coming,
sidestepped out of June’s line of fire as she stiffened. “Because
I'm supposed to oversee their transition into their new
environments. How can I do that effectively with each pair of
chimps separated by an ocean?”
    Since Kitchens had anticipated this
confrontation, he didn’t miss a beat. “The government will be
pickin' up all of your travel expenses, Doctor.”
    “Travel expenses?” she repeated as a curse.
“That's not the point.”
    “Now, Doctor.” The senator took on a softer
demeanor, allowing more of his southern charm to flow through. “The
chimps can't all be sent to the same reserve due to the nature of
one of the experiments side effects. Is that correct?”
    June's exasperation was growing. “It's only known side effect. And we haven't determined if it's
permanent yet.”
    “Well, that may be true. And if it turns out
not to be permanent, then we can place all of them in the same
location. But unless it’s determined at some point that the animals
will not be adversely affected, they must remain separated,
yes?”
    “Yes, that's true,” she replied, as the
logic of the senator's argument began to dismantle her defenses.
“But they don't need to be on separate continents.”
    “Well, I’m sorry, but Kitera Forest and
Gombe Stream are the only reserves willing to take