"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.
"Hey Quinn. Why so tense?" Leo asks and I automatically relax after I see him.
Leo and I have always gotten along well. He has been working here longer than I have so when I first got here he taught me everything I know. We're really good friends and I would trust him with my life. So maybe...
"Hey Leo, um," I wondered if I should continue "I may have been looking at this classified project James was doing an-"
"Quinn, why would you do that you could get fired?" He grabs the folder from behind my back and looks at it. I see the curiosity flicker in his eyes. It's gone as fast as it comes though and he sets the folder on James' desk.
"I just wanted to know what it wa-" I was cut off by a voice I dreaded to hear.
"Limitations" it said.
Graves
I have nothing against Graves. He's never done anything to me or anyone for that matter, but he is my boss and I was doing something that could get me fired, so I was nervous.
"The project." he was drinking what looked like a glass of wine. At work?
"The project's name is limitations. It's an attempt to break human limits so we can do thing we only dream about. Actually, just come to my office. Bring the equation."
Leo looks at me and I look at him. Then we follow him to his office
____________
"Would you like some wine?" What? Why the hell would our boss offer us wine at work?
"No. I'm fine" I say.
"No please I insist." He gives a glass of wine to Leo and I.
I take a sip. Wow. I'm not really a fan of wine but this may be the best wine I've ever tasted.
"So I told you what the goal of project limitation is. To break human limits, but I don't mean little stuff like flying and having an IQ of over 500,"
I'm sorry since when has flying and having and IQ over 500 little stuff.
"I mean stuff like immortality, not requiring oxygen, incredibly fast healing speeds. It's all been tested on animals and succeeded. Now," he looks at Leo and I "it's time to test it on humans. And by humans I mean you two."
"What the fuck?" I yell at him. We're already having wine with our boss so I figured this should be fine too. "You want us to kill ourselves for your science project!"
"No. No, not kill yourselves. Enhance yourselves. You are both geniuses and pretty athletic, it won't be long until you reach the limitations of the human mind and body. When your improvement plateaus and you can never get better, what will you have to live for? All we have to do is inject you with some serum and after a few weeks of intense mental and physical training. You will be invincible."
I saw Leo getting angry "So you want to turn us into mutants and then say it's for our benefit" he says.
"I'm not turning you into mutants, Leo. And yes this is for your benefit. I already said-"
"Yes we heard what you said," I yelled at him "and our answer is no"
I got up and left but not before I heard him say "Come back if you change your mind. I'll be here."
__________
Still shocked from what just happened at the lab, I open the door to my house and hear my Boyfriend call my name
I got a weird feeling when he called my name, almost as if I didn't want to see him, like he's just another boring part of my life. But that's not true at all. All day I've been looking forward to coming home just to see him. I love him. Why wouldn't I want to see him. I shake the feeling off and walk into the kitchen where he is.
"Hey Sean." I say sitting down at the table.
"Bad day?" He looks at me sympathetically
"How did you know?" He laughs at my response. He always knows. He knows everything about me and I know everything about him. He is the only person that really gets me. He's the only person I really love.
And I REALLY love him. We met back in college and we have been dating for a few years now. I've never felt the way I feel about him with anyone else. I really, really love him.
Do I love him? Huh. Of course I love him. Do I really or am I just telling myself that because I know I couldn't do better? Of course not, why would I think that. Did I not just hear my own internal monologue. It's almost as if there is another person in my mind telling me these things.
Sean must have seen the slight stress on my face because he sits down in front of me and looks at me worriedly.
"Are you okay. What happened at work today?" He asks, truly worrying about me.
"Nothing, I'm fine" I say slightly annoyed for some odd reason.
"I know you Quinn, now what happened?"
"I said nothing fucking happened!" I yell at him and I see that he's hurt. "I'm so sorry" I say quickly. No you're not. The voice is back. Just leave him you don't even love him. Do I love him?
"No I'm sorry," He says " I shouldn't have asked after you told me nothing was wrong."
I shouldn't be taking out my stress on him.
Why are you still with him? You know he's holding you back. You could be so much better than what you are right now. All you have to do is go back to the lab and tell graves you want the serum.
The voice is right. I could be better than I am now. I have to go back to the lab.
I walk quickly out of he door and into the night. I hear Sean behind me calling after me.
All of the sudden I realize so many things. I realize I'm worth more than this. I can't live this life anymore.
"Quinn wait, I'm sorry"
I couldn't deal with it anymore. I constantly feel suffocated by this life. By my lack of freedom and by limitations. I'm so limited. I've reached my peak. Like what Graves said, I will eventually plateau in mind and body strength. And if I'm stuck within human limitations, what will I have to live for? I've got to do this.
"No, you're not sorry. Goodbye."
And then I left.