Retrograde

Chapter 3 • Errand of Necessity

• Chapter Three •
Errand of Necessity

The professor had been counting off every hour of the next day. Clarice had insisted that Cael cancel his morning classes, to watch over him. He was okay with that because he felt he wouldn't be able to think, let alone be a productive facilitator in the morning, given the hours before. However, Cael had every intent to go to his afternoon class, much to Clarice's dismay.

"Cael, I'm worried about you," Clarice told him. "You've been acting strange. Stranger than your normal self. You damn near vomited your guts out and won't tell me what the problem is."

"I'm fine, I must have eaten something bad," Cael persuaded as he was getting his shoes on to leave. He had left without saying more, for fear that he may break and tell her everything.

The simple truth was that it was easier being on campus than at home because it gave him a better opportunity to steal away in the night.

After his class, Cael went to his campus office to grade tests and finish some work. He shot Clarice a text about possibly being home late—again. Every now and then, Cael would look at the clock on his desk, his heart jump-starting at every new hour.

He got a notification on his computer about an email. "Thank God," Cael mumbled, grateful for the distraction. Pressing a mental pause on grading work, he went to his email and found a new message from Garver. Cael furrowed his eyebrows. "That was quick..."

Garver had contacted Cael about the research he found for his research project. Clicking the link, Cael was taken to a thesis:

New Genesis: A Theory on Genetically-Modified Homo immortalis

by Dominick Harris

Cael's heart skipped a beat as he read that title. It quickly inspired in him a recent memory.

"What did you do to me, you fuckers!?"

Cael could hear the Burning Man clearly in his head as if he were there.

He wanted to know more. Cael popped the name of the author into a Google search. While there were several people named Dominick Harris, none of them seemed to have a connection with the thesis—not even when he searched the name and thesis title together.

Cael went back to his email to message Garver:

Garver,

I looked at the thesis that you sent me, however I could not find the author and his details. How did you come to find this research? Please send me your source.

Thank You,

Dr. Cael Barnett, PhD
West Bridge University
College of Science and Mathematics
Department of Science
Biology/Genetics Professor

Just then, his clock sounded. Seven o'clock in the evening. He had thirty minutes to get to the ruins. Cael quickly saved and closed out his work on his computer, sent the email, and began packing his things to leave. He locked his office door and went off to his car in the parking garage.