Limitation

Chapter One

"Quinn can you give me the formula again" James asked for the fourth time. He was either just so focused on the piece of paper in front of him that he didn't hear me before or he wasn't paying attention the first three times I answered. My year of experience working with him makes me believe the latter is true.

"Here, I will write it down this time." I grabbed a pencil and wrote the formula. I tried to give it to him but he didn't even acknowledge me so I set it down beside him. He was always like this when he was focused on something so I didn't mind. I sat down and tried to get some work done but as soon as I started I heard James.

"Yes! Finally!" He said jumping out of his seat which led me to believe that he had figured out the formula he has been working on. Which is why it was a complete surprise when he said "Remember that classified project I was working on for Dr. Graves," Dr. Graves was the owner of this science lab, which happens to be the biggest lab in New York City. Graves is a biologist like most of the other scientists in this building, except he is the most successful biologist in the world. He's also our boss. "Well I finished it."

"Oh that's great, so what was the project?" I asked him

"Well it's still classified." I looked at him confused.

"That's weird, he always declassifys his projects when they are done"

"I don't think he will do that this time. He didn't even tell me what project was for."

James is the youngest intern here. He is only sixteen but I don't think of him as sixteen, he seems so much older. He is already enrolled in college. He has so much potential, but he is still very naive and as much as I trust James, I don't really trust Graves.

"What do you mean you don't know anything about the project?"

"Well he only told me what I needed to know to get it done. He didn't tell me what it was for."

That's really weird. I have been working here for over 2 years and I've never heard of Graves doing that. I was just about to ask James more about the project when Leo walked in.

"Hey Quinn, James" he walks over to his desk and starts looking through his papers. He pulls a few out of the stack and sets the rest back neatly on his desk and turns to leave.

"Hey where are you going?" James asks him.

"Oh I'm working with Daniela on this thing, just needed these," he gestures to the papers in his hand. "Anyway, I'll meet up with you guys later" he leaves and James turns to me.

"I'm gonna leave early tonight, finals are coming up and I need to study." He says while putting his laptop in his backpack and walking to the door "See you later"

"Bye" I say watching him leave. He is really something. He is definitely one of the smartest people I've ever met if not the smartest. And not only is he going to an Ivy League school but he's also doing a very demanding internship. I could have never done that at his age. And that project. That project? What could that have been? Graves never keeps projects classified.

Part of me wants to go look at James' files. It would technically be an invasion of privacy and could get me fired. But I just wanna know. What's the harm in that? It's probably just some dumb little project. I'm just going to look.

I walk over to his desk and open the folder. If it was important it wouldn't be kept in a folder, right? Wouldn't it be much more protected?

I open the folder and see an equation. An equation? Seriously? This is what I've been so worried about? I study it for a minute wondering what it could mean. Just then I hear the door open and quickly close the folder and hide it behind me back.