Never Dreamed

By Richard Riley Bushnell

This fast paced story of deceit, murder, and inhuman consequences takes you around the world into some of the darkest and dangerous places known to mankind. Doctor R. H. Chadwick is a world renowned scientist in the field of Biogenetic Human Cell Technology. He and a team of scientists are working on a Federal Grant for the 'Study of Eradication

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Jul 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781955885300

Richard Riley Bushnell

Richard Riley Bushnell is a native of Utah. He has written several trade journal articles over the years of his professional career as a Supply Chain Consultant and now that he has recently retired he has written several novels and short stories.He was born of goodly parents and he didn't take any of their advice. He had to find out about life the hard way. Not liking church, authority figures, school teachers or bosses. Struggling with living in society and not conforming and never really crossing the line too far, he somehow emerges as a fascinating writer that covers a vast array of life's challenges, dreams and realities. Having overcome alcoholism, clinical depression, two failed marriages and the hard knocks of life he is able to write with deep insight and passion for the human condition. He looks up at the open sky at night and wonders what is going on out there.He is happily married with 7 kids and 23 grand kids. He has experienced much in his short life and still has most of his sanity. He will be a menace to society for some time and will likely be quoted for good and bad throughout the galaxy. If you run into him, apologize and keep going.

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Contents

Introduction

Early Evening

Four Hours Later

Three O’clock in the Morning

At the Police Station

The Next Day

Back to the Precinct

At the Precinct Again

Two Hours Later

Hours Later at the Maxim

Darkness Is Setting In

The Next Morning

That Afternoon

Six Weeks Later

Several Days Have Passed

Several Days Later

Two Days Later

Oxford at Last

Around the Compound

Two Weeks Later

Two Weeks Later

The Next Morning Comes

Trouble in the Land

Back in the Lab

Author’s Note

Other Stories by Richard Riley Bushnell

About the Author

Introduction

This fast-paced story of deceit, murder, and inhuman consequences takes you around the world into some of the darkest and dangerous places known to mankind. Dr. R. H. Chadwick is a world-renowned scientist in the field of biogenetic human cell technology. He and a team of scientists are working on a federal grant for the study of eradication of cancer in the human cell. They are under contract with a university lab in Upstate New York. This grant authorizes them to study the possibilities for a cure of cancer. The grant is very explicit in the type and scope of research they are allowed to conduct.

Dr. Chadwick is also working a side job that he must hide from everyone, which is his human cell reprogramming research. This research project is beyond the scope of accepted scientific research. He and several colleagues in China and Taiwan have been working secretly on human cell reprogramming and reengineering. They have made great progress in their research procedures using laboratory mice, chimpanzees, and orangutans. They have achieved success in embryonic fetal tissue transfer and growth. This research is forbidden in the United States and other parts of the world. It is feared this manipulative research will lead to genetic designing of humans and other mammals. There is universal concern the fine line between researching for the betterment of mankind and the ability to create genetic variations will result in out-of-control biogenetic tragedy with mutations beyond man’s control. The ethical and moral aspect of his forbidden research is a dilemma for mankind today and will likely remain such for decades.

In some ways, the federal grant work and his human cell reprogramming research project overlap; but in some very important aspects, they are completely different. He must not be caught working on his own project while he is employed working for the university on the government cancer research grant.

A by-product of his clandestine research is the ability to manufacture synthetic cells. This science is a whole new line of scientific discovery that must be taken slowly so the mutations are controlled and contained at all times. Care must be taken so the consequences of this illegal and unsanctioned research will not create something mankind cannot control. On a personal note, Dr. Chadwick could go to jail for his illegal research.

The authorities, regulators, and legal system have not kept up with the rapid rate of scientific discovery and advances in the field of human cell research. There are a few unregulated labs and research facilities scattered around the world that have been able to operate under the radar of the authorities. Dr. Chadwick is one of a handful of scientists who are on the leading edge of this technology. This science is very problematic for mankind with the many unknown consequences and yet to be proven effect on the human race. Too many things can go wrong that may cause untold grief and possible human extinction.

Let’s join Dr. Chadwick who is in the university lab on the phone talking with his wife.

Late Afternoon

Honey, I’ll be home late tonight. I’m right in the middle of some delicate procedures. I really can’t stop right now, I say to my wife over the phone line. I feel she doesn’t appreciate my hard work and dedication.

My wife says, I’ll keep things warm until eight thirty, and then you will have to fend for yourself. Be sure to feed the dogs if I haven’t already given them your dinner. I’ll be in bed reading, or if you’re too late, I’ll be asleep.

Okay, I’ll see you later, honey. I have to go now. Goodbye, I say, not wanting to further the conversation. I wonder why she is in such a foul mood tonight. It may be nothing more than that time of the month.

Early Evening

I think to myself, This damn thing is going to drive me crazy. I have done the same thing three times and have had different results each time. I simply must find out what is causing the variations. I don’t have the time tonight to work on this until I solve it. I’ll have to stop soon and clean up so no one knows I’ve been working on my project. Just then the phone rings. Hello, this is Dr. Chadwick. May I help you?

Good evening, Dr. Chadwick. This is Dr. John Q. Huntington calling. I was wondering if we could get together tonight and discuss your progress with the reprogramming research and perhaps share a bottle of your favorite wine.

Dr. Huntington, I am this very moment cleaning up the lab in preparation for going home. My wife just called. She is not feeling well at all, so I must get home as soon as possible. Perhaps we could get together tomorrow for lunch if that will work for you.

Actually, I have no intention of meeting with Dr. Huntington. All he wants to do is get me drunk and get information out of me. He can find some other worm to twist. Besides, he has bad breath; and he tells the worst jokes, over and over again. And he dresses weird, with all his layers of clothing with the high collars and scarves and such, like he’s part of a medieval royalty or something.

Oh my, Dr. Chadwick, I’m sorry about your wife. Can I be of any assistance?

No. And thank you for your concern. I must get going. You know how wives are and especially when they don’t feel well, I say in hopes he would take the hint and leave me alone. Of course he has no sense of right or wrong or what is socially acceptable and what is out of line. I suppose I just plain don’t like the man.

I’ll call you tomorrow and set something up. Hope everything goes well tonight, and give your wife my best. Dr. Chadwick, are you still there? Dr. Chadwick?

I hung up on him, not wanting to carry this conversation to the point of having to make an appointment. He’ll be bugging me for days if I don’t meet with him, but quite frankly I simply don’t have the time or the inclination.

I have to get to the bottom of the variations with this experiment and find out why I keep getting differing results. I have calibrated everything over and over again; so I know the mixtures, temperatures, and time lapses are all right on. It may be the strength of the solutions, or it could be the degradation of cell samples that are causing the variations. I must keep at this until I can clearly see which it is and get them under control. This may be more precise work than anyone ever thought. It must be some minute variance that is causing the deviation. I’ll work on it for a couple more hours, and then I must get some sleep. My eyes are already burning, and my head is starting to ache. I may as well sleep here tonight and face the wrath of my wife later. I can’t stop right now.

Four Hours Later

This is just what I didn’t want to happen. If I can’t control the cell degradation, I will never be able to make this work. I need some coffee to keep me awake.

This place is so spooky at night after everyone leaves. There are noises that I don’t hear in the daytime. The building creaking, the lab animals rattling their cages, and the janitor doing his thing are all louder for some reason at night. It gets very annoying at times. Why is it so loud and disturbing tonight? It seems like someone has turned up the volume.

I need to get away for a few minutes. I find some loose change in my lab coat pocket and insert it into the vending machine in the lunchroom. I know this is bad coffee, but that may be just what I need right now. I must stay awake for a few more hours. I just know I’m on the verge of solving this problem.

Oh hi, Cho Lee, I didn’t know you were here working late tonight.

Yes, Dr. Chadwick, I’m a slave to my job just as you are. What keeps you here so late?

Cho Lee, I am a devoted employee. I’m trying to get a raise.

Oh, Dr. Chadwick, you are so funny at times. Have you had anything to eat today? I could fix you something and bring it to your lab in a few minutes if you want. I have to wait about an hour for my lab results to take effect, so I have time right now. I am sure you will enjoy my Chinese on a bed of rice, Doctor.

Cho Lee, that won’t be necessary. I really have to get back to the lab and finish my work. I have to concentrate. I’m afraid I won’t be much fun tonight. Perhaps some other time.

Dr. Chadwick, I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Have a good night, Doctor.

I didn’t say anything more to Cho Lee. I didn’t want to encourage her. She takes up too much of my time. I wish I had never asked her to read some of the Chinese medical papers I received from my colleague Dr. T’shou Xincho in Beijing. Ever since then, Cho Lee acts like she’s my assistant or something.

I head back to my lab to get on with my work. I’m flustered by our conversation and being alone with Cho Lee. If I wasn’t married…Oh well, back to work.

All right, let’s start from the beginning. As I reread the information from my Chinese friends, they have experimented with mice and have some real success. It seems that dozens of scientists have now created reprogrammed mice cell lines, and the techniques are being constantly refined. This is exactly what I am doing. It brings to mind the possibility of what if the same experiment, as reported in China, were carried out on humans instead of mice? To do so, a skin cell could be reprogrammed to an embryonic-like state and then injected into an early-stage human embryo, obtainable from many fertility clinics. The result of such an experiment will likely be a human chimera: a person who shares genes from two people but isn’t the result of natural reproduction. The more refined such experiments become, the closer the world will be to human cloning and possible eradication of diseases.

I remember the conversation I had recently with my colleague Dr. Luzuo from the Provincial Academy of Biological Science and Technology in Taiwan. He indicated there is no biological reason why it wouldn’t create a human clone if you injected human reprogrammed cells into a human embryo. With using the process of reprogramming of human cells, I can stay out of the hands of the law because I am not using the controversial stem cells. This will help me enormously. All I need are someone’s skin cells to create a human baby. This is going to happen somewhere sometime, perhaps not in the United States but somewhere where the laws are more lax.

Three O’clock in the Morning

I think this one will work. I have gone back and checked everything. If this doesn’t work, I may have to take a vacation and go to China. Haha.

As I complete the final procedure and seal the container, I will have to wait several hours to see the results. I wonder if Cho Lee is still here. I feel like celebrating. I know she has gone home. So I am safe in my fantasy. Besides, I’m not sure she would be interested.

Guiltily, my thoughts turn to my wife at home. I wonder if she will kill me for not coming home tonight. It would have taken too long to close this place down and drive home. By the time I could drive home, it would be time to get up and come back to work, so I might as well take a nap here on the couch in my office. I’ll set the alarm on my phone to wake me. If I set it for 4:30 a.m., I can check on my experiment before anyone else comes in to work. That will give me plenty of time to clean up and get some breakfast. No one will be the wiser.

I must have gone into a deep sleep. I don’t remember hearing the alarm. The first thing I remember is the noise in the hallway and voices like everyone has come back to work. I will be in deep trouble if they see my experiment.

I jump up and head for the door to my office and find the hallway empty. The lights are still off, and there is no sound of people talking. What was I hearing? It dawns on me that I turned my phone to ring with background noise instead of the normal alarm sound. So what I heard was my stupid alarm. Oh well, I’m certainly awake, and I am up on time. Now I must go check on my experiment to see how things are turning out.

I get to the door of the lab to check on my experiment and to change things over to our normal day lab layout and configuration. I have about ninety minutes to make the changes and hope no one comes to work early and catches me. It’s Wednesday morning, so I doubt anyone will be in early. Now if it was a Friday, some of them come in early so they can leave early for the weekend.

I open the lab door and find the lights are on, and there is Dr. Raymond standing in the middle of the aisle with one hand on his hip looking at me as though I am the biggest liar and unethical bastard on the planet. I take one step into the lab, and he approaches me in an aggressive manner with one of my petri dishes in his hand. He starts to say something when he stops in his tracks, his face turns pale white, and he drops the petri dish as he falls to the floor as though he was struck dead. The petri dish breaks into two pieces, with one half shooting under the cabinet and the other possibly ending up under Dr. Raymond.

I don’t know what to think. My first response is to quickly look around to see if anyone else is in the lab. Finding no one else, I approach Dr. Raymond to check his pulse. His body is hot, and he is wet with sweat. He is definitely dead, there is no pulse, and he is not breathing.

Oh, now this complicates the hell out of things. Do I hide his body? Do I clean up and call 911? What do I do? I think the best thing would be to call 911, and while I have a few minutes before the EMTs arrive, I will clean up my work area and hide my experiment. Maybe I can get through this. Now I need a reason for my being here all night. My assigned work on the grant doesn’t require any overnight or late-night work. Why am I here? What was I doing all night? I must have a legitimate answer for the police and for my administrator and, I mustn’t forget, for my wife.

I didn’t use my badge to leave the building during the night or come in early this morning, which could be a good thing. I have to come up with something that makes sense for staying all night and sleeping on my couch. I guess a fight with the wife is as good as anything. So I call 911 and start to change things over in my work area to hide the experiment that Dr. Raymond must have found. I hope he didn’t call anyone to report this.

I lift him a little to look for the second half of the petri dish. He is sweating so much that his clothing is damp, and perspiration is running off his forehead. It’s not under his right side, so I lift him a little to see if it’s under his left side, and I cannot find it. Why is he sweating if he is dead? This doesn’t make any sense. I must find the broken petri dish before the EMTs get here. I can’t move his body too much or they will know. Where the hell is that piece of the petri dish? I look in his lab coat pockets. Why, I don’t know. Nothing. I look around the area to see if it shot across the room or under the next workstation. It’s nowhere to be found. I hear the EMTs running down the hallway toward the lab. They are about to burst into the lab as I stand up to meet them. Hurry, I think he may still be alive.

The two EMTs immediately start to check for vital signs and to administer CPR. They pull a large syringe out of their bag and stick the large needle into his chest. They next take the heart defibrillator and shock him three times before they declare him dead. This all took less than five minutes but seemed like an hour. They relax and look around the room to take in anything that is out of place or appears abnormal.

Did you find him like this?

Yes, well, no. I came into the lab, and he was just turning around to talk with me when he fell to the floor.

Did you try to give him CPR or move him?

Yes, I did both. He seemed to be dead. I called you anyway so that you could revive him if it wasn’t too late.

Had he been running or exercising? He seems to be all sweaty.

I don’t know what he was doing before I came into the lab and saw him standing right there.

The police come into the lab and stand over the dead body of Dr. Raymond. What’s his condition? the officer asks the EMT.

He is dead from what may be a cardiac arrest. I’m not sure at this time. There are signs of poison or chemical reaction. The cause of death will have to be determined with an autopsy. That’s the best I can tell you, Officer.

Thanks. Then the officer turns toward me. Who are you, sir? Were you with him?

I am Dr. Chadwick. I work in this lab with Dr. Raymond and several others.

Dr. Chadwick, were you here when he became ill?

"I was just coming from my office through the door into the lab. Dr. Raymond was turning to talk with me when