Anthem's Fall

Chapter Fifty One

Kristen held out her hand, and the tall broad man met it with a firm shake. General Redford was in his fifties, and had a pleasant though authoritative impression. There were four polished silver stars on each of his shoulders and various insignias Kristen did not recognize on his chest. He had a kindly paternal look to him, perhaps akin to a high school sports coach. In her miserable mood, Kristen did not take a liking to him. General Redford weighed Kristen up and down, noticing her sneakers and jeans with an amused smirk.

"Ms. Jordan, how are you?" General Redford smiled warmly. "Very impressive to be involved in such prestigious and avant-garde work at your age."

"Will you be able to stay for our presentation?" Professor Vatruvia asked the general. "Kristen will be presenting most of it."

"Unfortunately, no. I'm just stopping by," General Redford said. "I'm on my way to make an address at the UN, then back to Washington by this evening. I find this Vatruvian cell technology terribly interesting though . . . a shame I'll miss it. It really is truly incredible. You should be very proud, Ms. Jordan."

Kristen nodded and broke his courteous gaze, drawing her attention to his chest and wondering what all the insignias could possibly stand for. She turned to Professor Vatruvia and measured his broad smile suspiciously. Why did he seem to be so keen on speaking to the military about Vatruvian cell technology? Kristen tried to maintain an unreadable expression despite her rising frustration.

"Well, I do what I can," Kristen said. "We're a large team, I do my part."

"Kristen, don't be modest." Professor Vatruvia leaned against the table. "She has been with me from the very beginning of our work. Kristen's been integral to our progress."

"It's always a pleasure to meet bright young Americans. I'm sure you have a very auspicious future ahead of you. Are you nearing the end of your PhD program?" General Redford asked.

"Yeah." Kristen nodded. "I'm hoping to finish my doctorate over this next year."

"Any plans for after graduation?"

"Eh." Kristen shied away from his eye contact again. "None at the moment. I'm putting off any job decisions until I complete my PhD."

General Redford nodded. "Well, I'm sure you'll be successful finding work with such a glowing recommendation from Dr. Vatruvia on your resume. I'm certain there are plenty of military contractors that would jump at the chance to snatch you up. If you would like, I can pass your name along to some of my contacts."

The thought of working for a military contractor nauseated her, but Kristen merely shrugged. "Maybe."

"If you'll excuse me," Professor Vatruvia interjected and turned away from them to greet several other eminent synthetic biologists who had gathered to shake his hand and talk shop. The conversation among them at once reached a level of technicality that would likely come off as gibberish to most.

Kristen sighed in their direction as General Redford leaned down and stared at the image of the Vatruvian cell on the open laptop. He shook his head in wonder. "The sky is the limit as far as I can see with this technology of yours, Ms. Jordan. Who could have predicted it ten years ago? Or even one year ago for that matter?"

"Yeah, it's a scary new world."

"Scary?" General Redford looked up. "Interesting word choice. But I can't say that I disagree. It makes me feel old as my knowledge of science becomes so glaringly obsolete. I can't help but wonder what the world will be like when I'm tucked away in retirement somewhere."