The Nemesis Cell

Chapter Four

Chapter FourIn the windowless bedroom, the two boys woke and lay happily and quietly staring at the brightly coloured mobiles that dangled from the ceiling above them. In the absence of any natural breeze or draught in the room, the dangling ornaments moved almost imperceptibly, driven by the small natural currents of air produced by the breathing of the children and the ultra-quiet air conditioning system. There were representations of elephants, gazelles, lions and deer, a giraffe, and an ostrich, all of which captivated and gripped the boys' attention. Unlike other children who perhaps might cry or make some sound on waking with no adult in the room, these two were silent, doing nothing more than stare like automatons at the brightly painted creatures suspended in mid-air above them.

The woman entered the room, looked down at them with a distinctly professional air, and stood making notes on the clipboard she carried in her left hand. Her notes completed, she walked across the room, placed the clipboard on top of the chest of drawers which stood by the wall, and peered at her reflection in the mirror which was positioned just above the chest.

What she saw pleased her. She was a good looking, some might even say beautiful, woman. About five feet two, her figure had soon returned to its normal shape after having given birth to the twins. She'd taken some time to apply her make-up today–she had a business meeting later–and she was pleased with the results. Together with the dark red skirt suit she'd chosen for the day, and the heels, not too high, but enough to give her legs the desired shape and contours, she felt very feminine, but also very confident. Surely the money men wouldn't turn her down.

Returning to the boys, she picked them up one at a time, and placed them in a standing position on the floor, one at either side of her. She took them by the hand, and led them to the playroom, where the man in the white coat sat waiting.

“They're all yours for a couple of hours,” she said, “I'll be back as soon as I can.”

“Good luck,” the man offered as she walked through the door, into the office, where there were windows, and light, and a connecting door to the outside world.

“Huh,” she replied. “Luck doesn't come into it. When he sees what I've got he simply has to say yes.”

With that, she was gone, and the man turned to the two little boys, who stood obediently in front of him, like two tiny statues. He ordered them to sit on the floor, and, despite their tender ages, they responded immediately. He then proceeded to read to them from a book he had kept beside him on the sofa. This was no children's storybook from which he read. It was Gibbons' Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire.