Creative Writing — An Excerpt — Gael Visits the Lab

I thought it was high time I put a creative writing piece on here. I hope you enjoy! I’ve had to edit it a bit so it makes more sense as a standalone piece.

I think I’ve spent to long in the beginning describing stuff. What do you think?

Gael’s shoes softly echoed down the long, brightly lit corridor. He did not often come down to this part of his building. Today he did not walk with his usual purpose or direction, each footstep instead creating a slower, thudding metronome. Combined with the white noise from the huge ceiling fans it created a consistent drone that helped ease and focus his mind. He thought it probably timely he should visit his lab, but really it was an attempt to quash the thoughts that raced around his head. He wished the corridor would continue for a while longer but all too soon, the unassuming lab door loomed in both his vision and his mind. The melody returned to a cacophony and his temporary mental respite did little to settle his nerves. He stiffened and took a deep breath before entering.

The basement room was small but yet still partially divided by an opaque glass panel. A single bright light did little to illuminate the used areas. On one side of the panel sat a huge array of monitors arranged chaotically atop an undersized desk. On the other, to Gael’s left as he entered the room, was a basic medical bed. Atop it lay a computer chip in some kind of jelly with countless wires and electrical components haphazardly connected together protruding out of it. Somehow, they connected to another just as haphazard computer hardware system. On each occasion Gael visited, this electronic beast would morph into various forms; bits would be added and taken away. Yet this piece of instrumental chaos did not represent the remainder of the room in which it stood. It puzzled Gael as to how someone so chaotically minded and presented could keep his workspace so clean especially since this lab represented the entire waking existence of his best technician, Daniel.

Typically, Gael would find his thin figure sitting hunched with his face inches from one of the computer screens. He would be wearing a lab coat, which Gael doubted had ever been washed (and it would likely fall apart if it did). Today the scrawny figure was not at the computer, but a scuffling and mumbling suggested he had heard Gael enter. This time a voice originated from within the beast.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my lab? Well since you’re here make yourself useful and hand me that screwdriver with the red handle would you?” it said in quick succession, knowing exactly who the only other person to have access to that room was.

Gael was hesitant; his mind, elsewhere. A scrawny head with deep eyes peered around the bottom edge of a precarious component. There was an uncomfortable pause. Daniel’s eyes squinted briefly. He continued regardless.

“Well?” Daniel said waggling his fingers in Gael’s direction.

Absentmindedly, Gael handed over the screwdriver. Gael had known Daniel for years but he wouldn’t have called him a friend. Like Gael’s wife, it was a relationship of convenience, but unlike his wife, there was an infinite magnitude difference in trust. Their relationship worked because they shared the same goal but whereas Gael did it in full view of the world, Daniel was happiest operating in the shadows. If there was anyone able to do what Gael needed done, it was Daniel. Daniel seemingly made the impossible possible, asked no questions and had also dedicated his life to Gael’s theory.

After what seemed like five minutes, Daniel appeared from behind another new addition to the computer system that seemed to materialise out of thin air. He stretched his back and rubbed his eyes. Again he took a look at Gael as if he were inspecting his technical handiwork. He thought for a moment before speaking.

“I know what you’re going to ask and no, there is nothing. Don’t you think I would tell you if I had something?” he said, vigorously waving the red-handled screwdriver.

Gael sighed. He went over to the computer monitors glazing over the vast lengths of code that were splattered across them. Daniel raised his eyebrows.

“Tell me you have something, I don’t know, anything.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Do you want me to make something up? You want me to find a genetic code sequence that literally isn’t anywhere. I’m good Gael, but this is harder than I thought.”

Again, Gael sighed, this time not holding in his own frustration. “I’m not wrong Daniel. This thing, it exists, I know it. I can feel it. Why can’t I, we, find it? It’s out there, I just … .”

“Well, you know where to look, I’ve given you that. Send out more patrols?” offered Daniel knowing fine well Gael didn’t need a lecture on what he needed to do. Gael ignored him.

“Can’t you, model something to find where it might most likely occur?” Gael asked breaking a long vacuum of silence.

“Do you think I’m stupid or something?” retorted Daniel, still poking the screwdriver in Gael’s direction. “Of course I have, and you know I have. It just doesn’t work. I can’t model something that doesn’t …exist.”

“Yet, yes, I know,” Gael massaged his brow, “but can’t you predict, based on environmental factors, or outbreak clusters or death rates or … something?”

Daniel just blankly stared before gently laying the screwdriver on the bed..

“What’s up, Gael?” Daniel asked in an unusual show of sympathy. “Why are you here?”

“I..” Gael paused, “I can’t, I don’t know what … have you ever…no, no you wouldn’t,” stopping mid-sentence.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably.

Gael slammed his fist onto the desk. “Goddamit!” he shouted, startling Daniel and precariously shaking the cluster of monitors. Gael rubbed his brow again.

“Is everything,” muttered Daniel “OK?,” “Gael?” he added, tentatively.

“Speed up sample processing, run them all again if you have to and finish this goddamn machine. It needs to be ready, understand?”

“Er, yes, Gael, of course, I know. I just need to…”

“Get. It. Finished.” Gael interjected loudly. Daniel nodded his head.

“Er, Gael?” Daniel asked tentatively, “is there something that I should know about?”

Gael let out a low, slow breath. “No there is nothing you need to know.”

“Er, Gael?” Daniel chimed again.

“What?” he retorted.

“OK Gael, here’s the deal,” stated Daniel, “I’m making this machine, which to be clear, doesn’t exist, to somehow connect to this …individual… that hasn’t yet been found, to do something that I, er, we programmed to the CHIPS to be impossible to do, and …” Daniel too stopped mid-sentence realising it was pointless continuing. “Perhaps some, er, real hosts could speed things up?” Daniel asked, gesturing at the CHIP that was sprawled on the bed.

Gael raised an eyebrow, glanced at the bed and gave a brief nod of his head. A wry smile appeared on Daniel’s face.

“Do you need to ask?” Gael grumbled, as he exited the lab.

To be continued….