The final experiment - Chapter 2 - Fiction

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Lila could see that he was still not completely sober from the previous night, but he had no choice but to sober up. 

“You want coffee?” 

She stood up and opened the cupboard. There was not a clean mug insight. She sighed and opened the tap to rinse two dirty mugs. After she made the coffee she handed it to him and took a seat next to him on his bed. 

“I really need your help, Jack. I messed up really bad.” 

Jack was used to bailing out Lila but he sensed that this time it was different. He took the last sip of his coffee and put on his serious face. 

“What happened?” 

“I stumbled upon some sensitive documents in my office, and I opened it by accident.” 

“There is no such thing as an accident Lila…you should know better.” 

“I know Jack, but it really was an accident. The envelope lay on my table and only after I opened it I realized that it was not mine. ” 

“Well, it’s a little too late now. Did you find anything top secret that will change the world?’

 “I made a copy, but you have to swear on your life that you’re not going to tell anyone Jack Houston, or I will have your head on a plate.” 

She handed him the envelope. Lila attempted to get up but Jack pulled her back. He looked her straight in the eyes and said: “You know I would do anything for you Lila, but you need to be more careful.” 

Lila looked embarrassed and pulled away. 

“I have to get back to work, but trust me, you will also be upset about the contents.” 

She closed the door and he heard her car start.  Jack lay on his bed for a minute before curiosity overtook him. He tore open the envelope and started reading, and the more he read the angrier he became.   His blood was boiling by the time he finished.  It was worse than he thought and the lab was already in stage four of the experiment. 

They had to stop this experiment before it went any further.  

Lila rushed back to the office and arrived just in time before lockdown. They had a very strict policy about leaving the office and it was only on rare occasions that they were given permission to leave the premises during work hours. 

She scanned her identity card and the light turned green. She sighed with relief and nearly sprinted towards the next door. The door opened just after her retina scanned and as soon as she closed the door to the lab the familiar alarm went off. Lockdown.

She scanned her fingerprint to unlock her computer, but suddenly felt very nervous.   What if someone found out that she opened the envelope? She was so distracted and was startled when Jeff her co-worker appeared out of the blue. 

Jeff and Lila worked on the same floor but in different departments. They had occasional coffee in the kitchen together, but they were nothing more than colleagues. Lately, Jeff hung around in her office more than usual because there was a good vibe between them. 

“Oh hey Jeff, sorry I was concentrating I didn’t see you coming in.” 

Jeff looked a little nervous. “Did I perhaps leave an envelope here this morning?” Lila could feel her heart beating in her chest. 

“I’m not sure. I cleaned up my desk earlier perhaps it landed in between my stuff. Let’s have a look.” 

Lila flipped through the folders behind her. 

“Wait…this isn’t mine. Is this it?”

She held out the sealed envelope to him. He looked extremely relieved. 

“Thank you! There’s some very sensitive information here that should not land in the wrong hands.” 

You bet there is, Lila thought to herself but only smiled and went back to try and concentrate on her work again. She hopes he doesn’t notice the broken seal but she tried her best to glue it back perfectly. 

 To be continued