in return for your temporary loan. No drug company is going to turn down a quid pro quo from Uncle Sam. It’s good business sense.”
“And what would this job actually entail?”
“Just what I said before. You assess the subject, calculate the drug dose, then administer it.” He lowered his voice again. “And make it look beyond the ken of mere mortals, obviously. Bamboozle everyone with medibabble. It’s what I do.”
“Did.”
“And will do again, I hope. But it’s straightforward enough—I’ll teach you. And you get to travel; I visited some very interesting places, and got shot in almost none of them.”
Bianca pursed her lips, considering it. “These drugs of yours—what
are
they?”
“They’re called Neutharsine, Hyperthymexine, and Mnemexal. Can’t tell you what they actually
do
yet, I’m afraid—classified. Although I’m sure you can make educated guesses from the corrupted Latin in the names. But they’re an offshoot of the development I did on Netronal, if you remember that.”
“Of course I remember; I helped you with some of the lab work when I was a postgrad.” She paused, puzzled. “Wait—I thought Netronal didn’t get picked up?”
“No, but the new drugs built off my old research.”
“So they’re related to memory formation?”
“Again, I can’t say anything just yet. But please, Bianca, it’s not exaggerating to say that my future—and my mother’s—depends on my keeping this job. All I’m asking is that you act as my substitute for a few weeks. You might not even be needed; it depends if they carry out any operations. The whole thing could end up as nothing more than a paid vacation, and Washington’s a fascinating place to visit. I know you’d like the National Gallery of Art.”
Another pause for thought. “I’m not going to commit to anything until I know more about what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “But … I’ll at least find out what that is before I make a decision.”
Albion tried to cover his disappointment. “Well, that’s as much as I could hope for right now, I suppose.”
She took his hand. “Roger, I mean it—I’ll see what they have to say. And, you know … I really don’t want you or Rosemary to starve.” A smile, her first for a while. “But whatever happens, I want you to get better, okay?”
“Believe me, it’s at the top of my to-do list.”
Bianca kissed his cheek. “All right. I’ll tell you what I decide before I go back to England. See you again soon.”
“Bye, Bianca. And thank you for coming.”
“Thank
you
for an intriguing proposition.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said quietly after she left the room.
“So, what do you think of Washington?”
Bianca pulled her gaze away from the streets outside the government-issue black SUV to look at Tony. “Roger said it was interesting. He was right.” The ride had taken her past the Capitol and what she recognized from an addiction to
The X-Files
in her youth as the FBI building, even giving her a brief view of the White House before continuing northwest into the city’s business district.
“Yeah, it’s quite a place.”
Now that she was over her initial surprise and bewilderment at the whole situation, she had been able to give her companion a more thorough assessment. Tony was handsome and well built, a wily intelligence behind his pale blue eyes—which met hers as he glanced away from the road. She realized he was also appraising her, making her feel briefly and foolishly self-conscious, wondering if she was being rated as highly on his internal scale as he was on hers.
As if sensing this, he smiled in reassurance. “We’re almost there.” He indicated a building ahead.
Their destination was a modern but mundane office block, standing apart from its equally ordinary neighbors on a tree-lined street. A large sign read HELMONT DATA SYSTEMS, INC . She peered up at the building as the SUV drove into an underground parking area
“And what would this job actually entail?”
“Just what I said before. You assess the subject, calculate the drug dose, then administer it.” He lowered his voice again. “And make it look beyond the ken of mere mortals, obviously. Bamboozle everyone with medibabble. It’s what I do.”
“Did.”
“And will do again, I hope. But it’s straightforward enough—I’ll teach you. And you get to travel; I visited some very interesting places, and got shot in almost none of them.”
Bianca pursed her lips, considering it. “These drugs of yours—what
are
they?”
“They’re called Neutharsine, Hyperthymexine, and Mnemexal. Can’t tell you what they actually
do
yet, I’m afraid—classified. Although I’m sure you can make educated guesses from the corrupted Latin in the names. But they’re an offshoot of the development I did on Netronal, if you remember that.”
“Of course I remember; I helped you with some of the lab work when I was a postgrad.” She paused, puzzled. “Wait—I thought Netronal didn’t get picked up?”
“No, but the new drugs built off my old research.”
“So they’re related to memory formation?”
“Again, I can’t say anything just yet. But please, Bianca, it’s not exaggerating to say that my future—and my mother’s—depends on my keeping this job. All I’m asking is that you act as my substitute for a few weeks. You might not even be needed; it depends if they carry out any operations. The whole thing could end up as nothing more than a paid vacation, and Washington’s a fascinating place to visit. I know you’d like the National Gallery of Art.”
Another pause for thought. “I’m not going to commit to anything until I know more about what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “But … I’ll at least find out what that is before I make a decision.”
Albion tried to cover his disappointment. “Well, that’s as much as I could hope for right now, I suppose.”
She took his hand. “Roger, I mean it—I’ll see what they have to say. And, you know … I really don’t want you or Rosemary to starve.” A smile, her first for a while. “But whatever happens, I want you to get better, okay?”
“Believe me, it’s at the top of my to-do list.”
Bianca kissed his cheek. “All right. I’ll tell you what I decide before I go back to England. See you again soon.”
“Bye, Bianca. And thank you for coming.”
“Thank
you
for an intriguing proposition.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said quietly after she left the room.
“So, what do you think of Washington?”
Bianca pulled her gaze away from the streets outside the government-issue black SUV to look at Tony. “Roger said it was interesting. He was right.” The ride had taken her past the Capitol and what she recognized from an addiction to
The X-Files
in her youth as the FBI building, even giving her a brief view of the White House before continuing northwest into the city’s business district.
“Yeah, it’s quite a place.”
Now that she was over her initial surprise and bewilderment at the whole situation, she had been able to give her companion a more thorough assessment. Tony was handsome and well built, a wily intelligence behind his pale blue eyes—which met hers as he glanced away from the road. She realized he was also appraising her, making her feel briefly and foolishly self-conscious, wondering if she was being rated as highly on his internal scale as he was on hers.
As if sensing this, he smiled in reassurance. “We’re almost there.” He indicated a building ahead.
Their destination was a modern but mundane office block, standing apart from its equally ordinary neighbors on a tree-lined street. A large sign read HELMONT DATA SYSTEMS, INC . She peered up at the building as the SUV drove into an underground parking area
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