The Tour Guide

[Kaelan]

With Liam’s consent, Kaelan’s eyes rolled up and down the young man’s body, imagining how the next few hours would pass. This was much better than a return to the apartment, and he could always shower in their employee dorms. Again.

“Excellent,” he said, a smile stretching across his face, and added an a new stop to their destination. A few moments later and the doors opened. He didn’t recognize the corridor beyond, but after a few tries, found the main passageway cutting through the heart of the space.

An entire wing of laboratories filled the floor. Kaelan led them to a clinical room first, but despite the basic function of the space, it still required his biodata to clear the door locks.

His gaze drank in the surroundings. Usually there were technicians to fill these duties, but he was trained as well. In school he was responsible for all his own blood draws.

He gestured for Liam to make himself as comfortable as possible. The suite was arranged with a table in the center. There were a number of small attachments that swung up and around the table, but they were all left untouched for now. He flipped on the bright overhead lights first. Then he went about arranging the instruments.

As he stretched his hands into a pair of disposable gloves, he turned back to Liam. His eyes were already studying the boy’s forearms as if he was already selecting a vein. “You may have the data, but it will take five to ten years of university training before you can interpret the results,” he said with a tone that was part teasing and part pure arrogance.

“Ever had your blood taken before?” he asked as he sat on the clinician’s stool, using his heels to guide himself nearer and nearer the boy.

[Liam H]

The doctor seemed like a kid in a candy store - eager but he was too well composed to actually show it. Genius often lead to eccentries. Liam understood. A bit too bright for his own britches, his teachers would say. Liam was glad he said he'd give him the data, but there was more a challenge to understand it now. Five to ten years to understand it. He didn't need to understand it, that's what computer programs were meant to do. He thought what kind of variables he might need and what else it might take. He didn't need to understand how the information got to the end results. With enough samples he could extrapolate a computer program to do that for him. It was almost a challenge, but it was also likely that Liam would soon forget about it and move on to whatever project next piqued his interest.

The question he'd been asked made Liam look at the man like he was an alien. Who had never had blood drawn? "Um. I want to be dead pan sarcastic but I feel that would be rude. So yes. I've had blood drawn. Though for this test you don't need blood. A simple swab would do. But you're the doctor here, not me. I'm just a kid." Liam tried to say it all with a straight face, but his smile bled through and he couldn't help himself from a soft giggle when Kaelan drew near enough to actually stab him with the needle. Probably should behave when the man had a needle in his hand. Could be dangerous if he were so inclined. Liam wondered then if maybe he should do a background check on the man about to stab him. Was he psychotic? Surely his dad wouldn't hire mad scientists... though he did hire trouble making boys with flightily attitudes and a percance fore getting into more trouble than he's worth -- or so he said on many days.

[Kaelan]

Kaelan was an efficient and intentional phlebotomist. He took great care to wrap the tourniquet around Liam’s bicep. Then he palpated the crux of Liam’s elbow for the fleshy worm that others took to be a vein. He looked up from the narrowed position with a slim smile for success when he found what he sought. There was no chit-chat as the needle slid into the young man’s skin. He was fascinated by what trickled through the attached line, but readily swapped out vials as each one was filled in turn.

Then they were done. The tourniquet popped and he pressed gauze over the puncture. “Hold pressure on it for a minute,” he turned away to secure the precious samples in a nearby refrigerator.

After tidying up, he spoke as he dropped gloves in the trash can. “You’re right about the swab, but I want to try something special. I’ll show you what I find when its done. It will take a few days.”

They would have the initial read outs within six hours, but Kaelan was being truthful about the timetable. He couldn’t do what he really wanted to try until he was alone, and even then, it might take several nights of attempts.

He smiled reassuringly. “I do need to get started though. It’ll take an hour to get the processing accounts all set up. Thanks for getting me back up here, and come visit any time.” He spoke politely, but insincerely. Liam was the boss’s son after all.

[Liam H]

Liam knew when he'd been dismissed. His father was much the same, though being the bosses son made things a little more graceful than when he was pushed out of the way by his father. Not that he was mean just busy.

Liam stood up and did as he was instructed. "I look forward to seeing the results. and you are totally welcome. If you need anything, you can just give me a call. Well not that I can help you much I guess."

"If you get lonely though we might be able to share a meal. It's late, but I could send up some food if you need. Maybe some coffee."