Welcome to Jericho! (Julie Moon)

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Doktor Klaus Heidegger smirked as he entered the new Jericho Center seated squarely in the heart of Los Angeles. It was just like the Center back in Warsaw: Straight edges, corners, walls that gleamed so white and bright it was as though the place never ever got dirty. The top five floors were a public clinic open to humans and mutants alike. It's where he did his preliminary research on his mutant subjects before moving them below.

"Below" meant the multi-level basement where Klaus kept the mutants undergoing advanced research. At the bottom, as always, he kept his brother as an infinite power source.

Perhaps he should have cared more about the subjects of his experiments, as he too was a mutant. But for some reason that only drove his research further.

His power was not much: incredible metabolic efficiency had its uses though. He slept 8 hours a month, rather than a day. He ate once a week and was not at all worse for the wear. As it turned out, he also needed less oxygen.

Today he was greeting a new employee. Julie Moon. The woman's credentials were astounding: otherwise she wouldn't be working for Klaus in the first place.

She was to be expected in exactly five minutes to being her tour of the facility. Well, the above-ground portion anyway. The above ground he called The Jozua Clinic after the petite blonde mutant who had complete and utter faith in his work as good. Poor deluded soul. But soon everyone would be thinking the same way as her once he launched their PR campaign. But that was for later.

Klaus nodded curtly at the receptionist as he stepped into the lobby to wait for his newest employee.

[Julie Moon]

It was another sunny day in Los Angeles. Julie nursed an iced-tea in the back of a baking taxi cab, watching traffic, and doing her best to ignore the eighties hair metal on the radio. Above, the sky was clear and a cool breeze animated the flanking palm trees. Indeed, it was a nice day for a walk, but Julie had not the inclination to walk anywhere, at anytime, for anyone. When the cab rolled up next to the Jozua Clinic, she neglected to tip on the grounds that, at ten in the morning, no-one should have to suffer Kickstart my Heart.

There was a welcome drop in temperature when Julie stepped inside. She looked around, the atmosphere in the lobby was sedate, its sophisticated decor smacked of private funding. Standing next to the reception desk was a man she immediately recognised as Klaus Heidegger, these days there was hardly a paper on genetic research that didn't mention his name, but it seemed photographs did him no justice at all - in the flesh he looked like a schoolboy. Inwardly, Julie grimaced, and chased away the prejudices of a first impression. She crossed the hall and extended her hand.

"Doctor Heidegger? Julie Moon."

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

The doctor shook his new employee's hand firmly, and smiled. It was the only smile he knew--practiced, precise, and perfidious.

"Indeed, I am Doctor Heidegger. It's good to meet you, Julie."

That was another practiced mannerism. He usually never called employees by their first names. He did manage to find that some employees would overlook his more extreme experiments if they felt a bond of friendship or some such other nonsense. If Klaus stayed cold as he normally was, they tended to wonder if they were doing the right thing.

"It is good to see that you are on time. Come, we will take the elevator up to the labs where you will be working. Then we will walk you through the other labs and the rest of the clinic."

Klaus led the way to the elevator and pressed the button. It opened immediately. The doctor waited for Julie to enter before stepping inside himself.

"I trust Human Resources gave you a copy of your job description?"

[Julie Moon]

"Chief Consultant for Biomolecular Research and Analysis," she answered dryly, and cast Klaus a sideways glance, "In other words, doctor, I show your people where they are going wrong and pat them on the head when they get it right."

It was a position with which she was not unfamiliar. Undoubtedly, the Jozua Clinic would provide her with stimulating new challenges, but that did not mean she required a step-by-step induction like some pant-wetting infant on her first day at school, and certainly not from a man who looked like he was fresh out of his internship. He actually commended her punctuality. The moment the elevator doors closed, Julie wheeled on her companion with a voice like cold steel.

"For future reference, I did not spend six years slumming it in New Jersey, shadowing alcoholics and correcting blood work, only to be addressed like a common secretary. So allow me to re-introduce myself - I am Doctor Julie Moon, it shouldn't be difficult to remember, as it sounds like a character from a film tailored for nurse-fetish perverts."

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Klaus' face did not twitch even the slightest as she spoke. He was not pleased with this behavior, but Klaus was a man that never lost his temper.

"Are you quite finished?"

He pressed the button to stop the elevator.

"Since you cannot be patient enough to hold your temper and file your grievances with me in my office, we shall settle this here. Should I expect outbursts like these to be commonplace in my clinic while you are working here? Every case that enters this clinic is ground breaking. Every single patient, every single chart, is completely unexplored territory in science and medicine. I hired you for your keen eye and flawless knowledge, which is both broad and deep in your field."

"I call you by your first name because I need all of my employees to work together and get along well. If you feel that the littlest comments will offend you, and that your temper will remain as microscopic as a paramecium, then I will terminate you immediately. These kinds of outbursts cause friction. They divide loyalties. If grudges hold long enough, they lead to mistakes, which we cannot afford when lives are at stake."

He allowed himself to harden his features. "I should not have to explain these things to you, Doctor Moon."

He ought to fire her immediately. "I also find your comment inappropriate and uncalled for."

He gave one more pause and considered his next words carefully. "If you have a problem, come speak to me in my office. If you fly off the handle again, I will suspend you until you have learned to manage your anger."

[Julie Moon]

Julie watched the doctor spinning words of sanctimonious condemnation, rapt in his own authority, and she was amused. Slightly. It was a big display, all huffing and puffing, with little more to boast than hot air. Arms folded, a thin smile crept onto her lips.

"I see," she said, and allowed a long silence to hang in the small space between them, "It appears there is some misunderstanding regarding my position here, so, allow me to make this absolutely plain."

From her purse she revealed a slim celphone with comically small buttons, she hated using it but, on the bright side, she was blessed with a list of contacts so small she could always rely on its speed dial feature. Pressing the phone to her ear, she met the doctor's gaze, and waited as the call rang out. Then a voice answered, muffled and low.

"Yes, hello. Yes. I am. Yes. Thank you."

Suddenly, she offered the phone to Doctor Heidegger, urging him with a nod.

"It's for you."

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose and took the phone.

"Doktor Heidegger."

As he suspected.

"Yes, but why was I not made aware of the nature of her being here?"

Klaus let go of his nose and nodded. "Understood."

He gave the phone back to Julie. "That was enlightening. Now," he said, pushing the button to resume the elevator, "let's be honest for a change."

[Julie Moon]

"You're implying my appointment here is dishonest? Some kind of deception? No, doctor, I'm afraid not. You see, far be it from me to lecture you about your employees, but it appears the fault lies with your human resources department. I would suggest you take it up with them, but then I am not that sort of consultant, am I?"

It was an entirely rhetorical question, of course, but one Julie rather enjoyed asking. Her expression softened as she pocketed the celphone and the corners of her mouth dared to curl with self-satisfaction, as if their awkward misunderstanding hadn't happened at all. For better or worse, she had a feeling her work with Doctor Heidegger would prove at least interesting, if not particularly placid. The elevator came to a stop and its doors yawned open.

"Our first port of call, doctor?"

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Klaus was still put off and ruffled by the entire situation, but decided it would be best to simply continue things as planned. He would speak with HR, find the person responsible for making him look a fool, and fire him or her. These kinds of mistakes would not be tolerated.

He chose to ignore her first question and address he second.

"Indeed it is. The first several floors are for patients, but this floor begins the labs. All blood work is done here. Every mutant that enters the clinic has a blood sample taken. From that, we map their genetic code and find the X-Gene. Non-mutant patients, though rarer, are also mapped and their DNA is searched for the potential of the X-Gene. As you are aware, mutants' powers do not appear at birth. Though most powers manifest around puberty, there are some cases where the mutant's power can appear before or after. We are--so far--unable to determine if the X-Gene is present at birth or if a particular part of human DNA mutates. If the latter is the case, finding the conditions that trigger the change is difficult."

"Please feel free to look into any of the labs and ask any questions you might have. If you have any recommendations and ideas to offer, please do so."

[Andrea Kaine]

In one of the rooms just beyond the blood labs, a teenaged girl came awake with a violent gasp and thrust herself against the restraints binding her wrists and abdomen to the gurney.

"No!"

The two lab assistants who had been pecking away listlessly at a list of test results at a pair of nearby computers jumped in their seats and upset a bulging file folder full of papers. "Geez!" one of them said. "Scared the shit out of me!"

The girl thrashed arrhythmically at her bonds, moaning, "No, no, no, he's coming. The voice. He's coming. He's coming to watch the reckoning of gods and men! He sits in his cave and mocks them. I can hear him. I can hear him!"

One lab tech looked apprehensively at the other. "Should we do anything?"

"Not our project, not our problem," the other tech said. "Chernov was doing something with her up here, some new formulation of Nectar or something. They just never ordered anyone to take her back to her room. Don't worry, she's harmless. She's not going anywhere."

Andrea Kaine fell back against her pillow, twitching fitfully, her large, dark eyes searching some place far beyond the ceiling as she murmured incoherently.

"The reckoning... the fires of angry gods... no, no, watch out... the architect and his angels..."

[Julie Moon]

"Mutation is nothing more than an anomalous facet of the human genome," she began dismissively, slipping into one of the laboratory coats on offer beside the elevator.

"All we have to do is discover what has changed, and where; whether it is an active RNA molecule that's been overlooked, or an irregularity in the tertiary structure, or even some new protein strand. Time or blind luck will dictate when we find our answer, but rest assured, Doctor Heidegger, it is only a question of 'When?'"

There was not a single note of haughtiness in her voice, despite the absolute certainty in her words. It was simply the practical confidence of a well-ordered mind. Julie was every shade of disagreeable on the surface, and she had no illusions about it, but when it came to work, nothing was personal. It was all about the discovery, and from her years working at the forefront of biomolecular research, she understood it was not a solitary journey. And, regretable as it was, choosing one's partners was not a luxury afforded the best. She offered Klaus a knowing look.

"I think, between you and me, we have the 'Who?' and the 'Where?' well and truly covered."

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Klaus smirked and allowed himself a chuckle. "Dr. Moon, I believe you are absolutely right."

He heard the patient in one of the next labs. Her babble was loud and she sounded distressed.

Andrea Kaine, or has he had tagged her case file, D3LPH1, was no doubt having yet more blood work done. The mutant was a conundrum. So far all Klaus really knew was that her powers were psychic in nature, and they worked most keenly when she was unconscious. He had since been keeping her comatose and recording what she said.

"Ah, we have a case in progress as we speak," the doctor said.

The two scientists entered the lab. The technicians stiffened at the sight of Heidegger, but quickly returned to their work.

"I want to see the most recent work done on this case," Klaus said. He waited for the tech to retrieve it and motioned that it should be given to Julie. "See if you can find something my researchers have missed."

[Julie Moon]

Julie watched the girl with fascination, as she fought against her restraints, writhing, and spewing gibberish. She was unphased by the display, patients with mental health issues weren't uncommon in her field, but few were quite as animated, or chatty. One of the technicians handed her a clipboard, the patients case file was attached, which she peeled open immediately and studied the results of the latest blood test. After a moment, her gaze snapped up, spearing Doctor Heidegger.

"Show me her ABG," she said to the nearest technician, he looked surprised, but promptly went about prepping a machine which looked like an old-fashioned printer with an LCD display.

"These values are all over the place," she said in an undertone, "What the hell have you been giving her?"

[Andrea Kaine]

The remaining tech looked uncomfortably between the two doctors and decided to respond. "Um... off the top of my head, I know she's getting phenothiazine and benzodiazepene for seizures... plus she's received a few more experimental courses of Nect-- I'm sorry, neocortisine. It's uniquely mutagenic. I can pull up her full case history if you want?"

Andrea had calmed herself and was now only slowly sliding back and forth beneath her restraints. "The angels... come for the mother and her child."

"She's more or less vegetative most of the time," the tech explained. "Every now and then, she'll have a fit like this, but we're not even sure if she's aware of anything outside her own head."

[Julie Moon]

"More or less vegetative?" Julie repeated, bristling at the technician, "Is it any wonder? This blood work makes a heroine junkie look like a regular at Starbucks! I want a full case history and whatever you can tell me about this... neocortisine."

She swept past Klaus and propped herself on a stool overlooking the readied ABG reader. It started up with a low hum, failing to drown out the demented gibberings of the patient, and started its cycle of blood analysis. While the machine did its work, she slipped on a pair of spectacles from her lab coat, and addressed the second technician.

"Run a PCR for each of the critical Owen-Lassiter sequences. I want a northern blot for every sample. And I want you to do this for every single patient to come through our doors in the future. Spread the word."

The first readings started to scroll up the screen, and she leaned close, "If you want my initial diagnosis, Doctor Heidegger, your researchers are suffering from a serious case of cluelessness."

[Doktor Klaus Heidegger]

Klaus considered Julie's request for the PCR. He had at first overlooked the procedure, mainly because he was only concerned with the genetics of mutancy. But his projects and cases were taking some interesting turns, and he could never say no to more data.

Klaus nodded his assent. "Do as she says. Dr. Moon will be consulting on as many cases as she can handle, and I expect full cooperation," he said to the tech, who was clearly flabbergasted by Julie's initiative.

He moved to look over his new colleague's shoulder. "Explain more, doctor." Klaus' face was still, but his eyes were sharp and alive. It was what he loved most about science--the hunt for knowledge. Answers. "I will have the dossier on neocortisine included in the case history."

He waved at the other technician to do his bidding and then return to work.

"I must say, the medicine, like this mutant, has been offering unexpected results."

[Andrea Kaine]

"Shattered dreams unfold on the landscape of tortured souls," Andrea murmured. "Birds in flight herald the dawn of many sorrows."

The first of the techs waded back through the lab equipment bearing a folder full of freshly printed paper. "Here's the case history for you, Dr... um, Dr..."

"Doctor Julie Moon," Andrea said in a clear, lucid voice. Her eyes were still fixed on a point on the ceiling, but her face was alert, expectant.

[Julie Moon]

"In my experience, doctor-"

Julie froze, distracted, not by the appearance of the waffling lab assistant, but at the sound of her name. She pulled away from the humming machine and slipped off the stool, helping herself to the case file from the unsuspecting technician. The patient, she glanced down at the folder, Andrea Kaine, looked suddenly attentive. Her body was still and the absence of her colourful babbling welcomed an oppressive silence into the room. Julie stopped at her bedside and smiled.

"Hello, Andrea. I'm Doctor Moon."

[Andrea Kaine]

Andrea laid her head down on the pillow so she was facing Julie. The girl's face creased as if in anguish.

"It's not your fault," she said quietly. "You didn't know he would lose his voice. Everything happens for a reason. I forgive you."

Andrea's eyes closed, and, with a deep, childlike sigh, she fell asleep.

[Julie Moon]

Julie stared at the sleeping girl, transfixed. She felt the eyes of Doctor Heidegger and the technician boring holes into the back of her head and the temperature in the room seemed to jump several degrees. Once her limbs thawed, she grasped the edge of the bed for support and gave Andrea a last cursory inspection. The case file opened in her hands and she cleared her throat, addressing Doctor Heidegger over her shoulder.

"As I was saying, doctor, I believe there are two kinds of scientist; those concerned with cause and those interested in effect."

Now she turned, with the weight of authority in her voice again, "It is my intention to determine the cause of the mutant phenomenon. Darwinist soothsayers call it the next step in human evolution. I call that bullshit. For all we know, mutation is an affliction at the genetic level, and we need to find a cure. So I will treat my patients no differently from a person with lung cancer or a kidney infection, and when a patient is handed over into my care, I need them to be forty-eight hours clear of your experimental horse-tranquilizers and mutagenic ju-ju medicine. Do we have an agreement?"