//------------------------------// // The Yale Guy // Story: Beyond Animale // by Gray Compass //------------------------------// Connecticut. As far as Neil could remember from his childhood years, it was a state he associated with rich folks, history classes, rusty-looking towns, haunted places and a rather unpredictable weather. Although he was born in Boston, his first memories were effectively from the time his parents moved to Connecticut, where they settled for a couple of years before moving to New York. In adulthood, Connecticut remained in his memories like a crossover state between a Massachusetts he'd never been, and a New York he called home. Physically, the transition between the states was felt as soon as the bumps in the deteriorated highways of New York gave place to smoother roads that bordered an infinitude of towns with similar names, often ending with '-bury', '-ford', or '-field'. Still, it was not until he found himself driving in circles around downtown New Haven that he realized he had absolutely no clue as to where Life Corporation laboratories were supposed to be. Behind a brick-colored barrier of buildings a couple of blocks ahead, Neil saw what resembled the crown of that masonry tower in the Yale neighborhood; it overlooked the place like a totem of yore, an unmistakable presence watching from afar. Yale itself was an entity that permeated the city in such a way that sometimes it was hard to tell what was part of the campus and what wasn't. Through time it had spread in a network of streets, parks, libraries, and guardian towers. If the research laboratories of Life Corporation followed a similar pattern, they'd have been built in or around the university. It was after all, logical to at least assume that the students provided a considerable portion of their workforce; younger professionals are easier to shape, they are more vulnerable to the winds of the outside world, and prone to swallow questions in favor of keeping their stable jobs. Conjectures aside, he felt pulled towards the tower, taking the road near the school of medicine on his way north. A group of students were hanging around on the stairway, and for a moment he wondered if any of them had ever heard of Life Corporation. Surely they had. Neil concluded. It was very likely that one of them had been to the goddamn place, or even conducted part-time research there. What sort of people did worked for that corporation? What did they looked for in their resumes? What characteristics? It was stupid to assume that every employee knew about the dirty stuff they were involved with. Actually- "Watch out!" Neil had only enough time to steer the car up the sidewalk. Another second on the street and he'd run over a guy who had just stepped on the crosswalk in front of him. "Fuck!" He hit the brakes — the steering wheel inches away from his eyes. Neil stumbled out of the car, waiting for the veins inside his skull to stop throbbing. There was a pale-faced young man sitting on the pavement, scared to death but with all his parts connected to his body. Two girls helped the guy to his feet, the scream he heard prior was a woman's voice, so Neil presumed one of them gave the warning call. "Are you okay?" Neil asked, approaching them. The hush of thoughts finally subsiding and allowing him to perceive the entirety of the situation. Chemistry books laid scattered on the floor alongside with pencils and something that once was a tablet. Both girls had the school of medicine brooch in their sweaters and judging by their faces, weren't quite happy with the idea of nearly witnessing a fellow student being crushed by a car. "I'm so sorry, let me-" "I-I'm okay — really — I'm fine" The guy stuttered, trying to gather his books but failing miserably. "No, you're not. I almost killed you, man. You're definitely not okay." Neil said, picking up the books for him. "I'll take you to your next class or whatever, you're not hurt, are you?" "No. Not physically, at least." He checked out his limbs and gave a nervous chuckle. "Marcus, are you coming over to Prim's or what?" One of the girls asked, Neil recognized her voice. "Uh, I don't really feel like, to be honest. It was a crappy day, ya know." He said. The girl rolled her eyes, with something of an 'I already expected this bullshit' expression stamped on her face. "Just try not to die while we are away, alright?" She said. Marcus nodded and waved a shaky goodbye as the girls crossed the street. Neil passed the small pile of books back to him, but not before noticing the odd assortment of advanced biochemistry and genetics volumes. "Sorry for your tablet..." He added, pointing to the fragmented black screen the guy was pushing into his backpack. "It can be fixed." Marcus said. "Look, I don't have any classes now, but I'd appreciate a ride back to my dorm. They just moved me to this fucking place on the other side of the campus." "Sure, I'll take you there." Neil said, glad to see that his car looked as intact as Marcus. A little to the right and he'd have driven straight into a tree. "Name's Neil Fleming." He said as they closed the doors. "I heard you're Marcus. That's not a common name, where are you from?" "My family is half Italian, half Spanish. I'm from Pittsburgh tho." "Hmm... Alright Pittsburgh fella, you'll have to guide me now, 'cause I'm already lost enough in this place." Neil said. "Been driving in circles since noon. "Just turn left on the hospital road, it's a straight line from there." Marcus pointed to a road on the driving assistant map. "Ah... You weren't planning to go to Life's Labs today, were you?" Neil paused for a moment at the question. The nurse's threats were still vivid in his mind. "I- how did you-" He noticed the red pins still marked on the map. "Oh. This..." He sighed. "Well, that's actually the reason I have driven all the way from New York." "Damn, and I thought I was having a crappy day. Life deactivated their base in Yale just yesterday. I lost all my research sponsorship — they sponsored a lot of us." "They fucking closed?" "Not really closed, but moved elsewhere. Since most of us study here, moving with them is not a possibility." Marcus shrugged. "Why did that happen — I mean — why would they move away from the campus?" "I haven't got a clue. But they're not moving away from the campus; they're moving away from the east coast, as far as I know. Something about taxes, I believe." "Taxes... right. Can you show me were this laboratory was?" Neil asked. "Sure, we'll pass right in front of it on the way to the dorms." Pass 'in front' of it didn't quite grasped the concept of Life Corporation. It was in one of those spots where Yale sort of merged with New Haven, behind what at first sight looked like the outskirts of a park. The main buildings were relatively secluded behind a generous layer of trees and a meticulously trimmed grass field that resembled a golf course. Under the late afternoon sun the glassy facade of an empty building sparkled, the many structures were connected to each other through floating sections that seemed to defy gravity. Neil expected loudness, skyscrapers, helicopters — but only found an unsettling quietness that defied any suspicions. It was silent in itself. Way too silent. Marcus observed Neil's perplexity with a hint of curiosity. He had never seen anyone that interested in the laboratories. "How big that thing is?" Neil asked, when they finally reached a corner. "Well, it was their main research center outside California. I believe it is even bigger than it looks like; most of the buildings were outside of my reach anyway." "What was your research about?" Neil glanced at the book covers again. "The long term implications of progressive cellular alteration through nanotechnology." "In urban English, please." Neil said. "Basically, I was trying to figure out if the nanotechnology we use nowadays could have a negative impact in the long run. Lots of people have been using these things lately, and I think some of this shit can be dangerous." Marcus noted. "You know, shit like Animale." "Yeah." "I think I might know what you're talking about..."