The Alpha Project

Prologue

The sudden glare of the overhead fluorescents blinking on throughout the laboratory shocked the sleeping monkeys from their semi-dark security and sent them leaping to their cage doors. David Hill had finally located the light switch and now having to endure a wave of piercing animal screams from the adjoining room. He was irritated to find that he was first to arrive in the lab. This place was still foreign territory to him, despite the fact that he had headed the company for thirty years, and he didn’t enjoy being stood up. The sooner he got back to his own desk, the happier he would be.

As the president watched the antics of the noisy research animals for a moment through the observation window, his impatience grew. “What am I doing here anyway?” he muttered aloud. “Some kind of ceremony?” Dr. Berger had insisted that they meet “first thing in the morning for a little celebration,” as he’d put it. It was not David’s habit to engage in silly celebrations.

“Ah, there you are David,” Dr. Berger said cheerfully as he abruptly appeared in his lab coat, clipboard in hand. The Director of Research for Princeton Pharmaceuticals was short and rotund, in his early 60’s, with a crown of white hair, twinkling eyes and a permanent smile. “Have you been waiting long?”

David let out an exasperated breath. “Look, let’s make this quick so I can get back upstairs.”

“Very well,” the doctor said patiently, handing David a white coat as he punched a keypad at the caged area entrance.

The overall research complex consisted of a spacious tiled central room with clutter-free stainless-steel counters and sinks, sparkling white cabinets, various electronic test equipment and autoclave for instrument sterilization and a supply room. The rhesus monkeys were housed separately in an environment as free as possible from germ contamination.

“You know David, I just assumed you would enjoy being here as I inoculate our last monkey with the live HIV,” the doctor said as they entered the noisy animal room. He pointed to the nearest cage. “None of these little guys have contracted it so far, nor will this one either. The AntiViral immunization has shown to be 100 percent perfect.

“You haven’t seemed to display much interest in what I’ve been doing down here lately and since this seriously involves both of us I rather think you would want to keep up with what’s going on.”

“Listen, Karl, I’ve given you full reign over the Alpha Project. It’s not that I’m not interested,” the president said. “I just need to remain somewhat aloof from it all because of the potential danger of going public early. If we can come up with an effective medication against HIV during Alpha and even eliminate the Beta phase, no one will be happier than I, but if there is even a hint that we haven’t been toeing the FDA line, somebody is bound to turn us in. We’ve got to keep this work down here in the lab under wraps for that very reason.”

They stood together at a cage door, looking directly into the face of a curiously quiet brown rhesus who clung tightly against the front bars of the door, its arms and legs spread wide. With gloved hands, Dr. Berger moved forward, “Stand aside. I’ve got the syringe loaded. You don’t want to be in the way.”

David stepped back to allow plenty of room as the doctor reached in and detached the monkey to hold it down with one hand.

“He’s already been immunized with my AntiViral drug. Now we’re injecting this live HIV virus to incubate in our furry friend,” the doctor said, withdrawing the needle and giving the monkey a pat. “What you will see sir is our very own miracle at work when he too comes up normal.” He carefully closed the little door and moved over to drop the spent needle and vial in the hazmat disposal.

Then he locked the nearby refrigerated drug cabinet and slipped the key in his lab coat pocket. “We’ll know in a day or two how we are preceding with this last monkey, and then we can start the final Alpha phase. Everything’s perfect, David. Believe me, this is going to work. It’ll be even bigger than Salk with polio!”

David allowed himself a measure of his original excitement. If finding a solution for the HIV/AIDS virus wasn’t so beneficial in bolstering his own position, he would never have let the doctor talk him into short-cutting the clinical trials. There was a worldwide race on for the cure and whoever was first in developing an effective and completely safe prevention was going to be honored and rewarded quite well.

David knew that there was no doubting the positive results the doctor had already been attaining with his work. He had already authorized major production of the drug in anticipation. He squared his shoulders against the inevitable and gave in. “All right, Karl. I’m going to authorize you to start the final phase of the Alpha Project. I’ll begin looking for the person who meets our criteria for this portion, but it may take me a while to find just the right candidate.”

He moved toward the door. “Just remember that I don’t want anyone other than the two of us to know what’s going on here. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course David, of course,” the doctor said, already busy with making a new entry on his clipboard.