Joe Trebble and the Bio Tech Conspiracy
Chapter 2: Persisting Against All Odds
Joe walked into Henry's office, there was a reason he was here, and he knew, despite his boyish good looks, many here would hate him for it, but it had to be done.
"Joe my boy, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Henry said as Joe entered his office.
"Business. But we'll get to that later. How is Rachael and Christie?" Joe asked. Henry and Joe's father, Mark, had worked together for many years. Henry was almost like an uncle to him, Christie almost a sister. However that all changed about 7 years ago when Mark had passed away, a freak accident in the lab. That was back when the BioTech labs were in the city core. Since then Joe had seen less and less of Christie, Henry and Rachael, his adopted aunt. Especially when he had gone to Wales to do a business degree. Wales to do a business degree? Everyone had asked. But Joe wanted to get back in touch with his father's roots.
"Racheal is doing well, and Christie, well she is working on her masters in bio-physics. You should come by another time and say hello, she would be delighted to see you again. She's off at classes right now, but does some of her work here. Now what can I do for you? A drink to start?" Henry said in reply to Joe's questions.
Joe was about to say no to the drink, but based on why he was here Henry might need that drink. "Yeah sure." Joe took the stout glass, half filled with 21 yr old Scotch, a good year Joe thought smiling to himself that it was as old as he was - even though it was in Henry's possession for 2 years. Joe sat down on the visitor chair, Henry leaned against his desk. Joe took a scan of the room as he sipped his drink. The room was as he had remembered, three walls were covered in whiteboards, scribbles of molecular biology formulas and chemical compositions all over then, and covered then with papers of important research notes. Henry's desk was a pile of papers, a cracked decanting flask used as a pencil holder.
"I thought you were still in Wales," Henry said after sipping his scotch.
"I am, or was. Look, Uncle, I don't mean to be brash here, but I have learned of some things that I think you should know. Through the grapevine so to speak." Joe put down his glass. "There is this mega micro biology company in Birmingham that has been working hard towards a vaccine like what you are working on. They are cutting corners and hope to undermine everyone else that is doing legitimate work. Not only that they have been up to some corporate espionage, and apparently a couple of the smaller micro-biology companies in Switzerland and Italy have already been attacked," Joe leaned forward, noticing the worried look on his uncle's face. "I know a few of the right people in the right places to get a little of this knowledge, and I also know some people that can help. But seeing as this company is one of the bigger ones in Canada, you are bound to be targeted soon. I can help, but you have to trust me."
Henry gingerly put down his scotch, and turned. "I had heard about Switzerland, I thought it was an accident. What happened in Italy?"
"No accident. Italy, they lost 3 years of computer data, they have been good at covering it up, but it hit them hard."
Henry sat heavily in his chair. "What can you do for me?"
"You are not going to like this, I already know. Father would not approve either, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire." Joe paused for a moment, it was hard to say, and do, what he needed to with a man he loved and trusted like his father. "They are recruiting people to spy on the other companies, my name is known to them connected to BioTech, they are not sure how deep my loyalties lie, nor have they asked me, but if I pull the right strings, I could be their spy here. The thing is I have to work for them. But I can play the double agent, inform you, and only you, what I know. This means I get no special treatment when I work here, so I can limit what I pass on to them, but I have to give them something or.... well I heard that Switzerland was because their mole was not performing." Joe was shaking inside, this was going to an uphill battle all the way to save the company his father helped found.
Joe could see the grim expression on Henry's face, it made him look 10 years older. "Would it be any good? You acting as a double agent, trying to save us in the face of unethical overzealous corporations?"
Joe was about to tell Henry the full truth, but stopped himself short. There was so much more to it than that, and despite all the odds he had to pursue it carefully. "Trust me it is."
"Let me think about it. Come by the house later tonight, even if I have not decided, it would be good for you to see the family."
