LJ Idol Season 9 Week 18 - Disinformation
“Dr. Engles?” Dr. Joy Velasquez stood in the doorway looking at Don Engles. The assumption was easy to make, since he was the only person in the lobby aside from the receptionist.
Engles stood unhurriedly and smoothed his slacks. A close observer might notice him surreptitiously wiping sweaty palms dry as he did so.
"That’s so formal. Everyone here has a doctorate. Please, call me Don.”
"Thank you for coming in, Don.” Velasquez shook his proffered hand and ushered him into the office.
Please, have a seat. I understand that you were with tursiops side of the project for some time?”
Yes.” Engles relaxed into the chair with a smile.
"I’m going to get straight to the point, Don. Why did you leave them, and apply to the avian group?”
"Well, that’s kind of a long story. Suffice it to say that the lead researcher, Dr. Hiller, and I had a disagreement. I did not feel that my skills were being used to their full potential, and I had my doubts about the effectivity of their methods. Doubts that, I am sad to say, have thus far been confirmed by their lack of progress with the subjects.”
“And thus your departure and subsequent interest in the avian program?”
“Honestly, I’ve always had an interest in avian research, and a yen to fly. You’ll see on my CV, I have had my pilot’s license since I was sixteen. I think my experience in the air would help avoid any disorientation one may experience in melding with one of the corvids. I’ve followed your research and noted that this was especially a problem during flight - something that I am already used to. The fact that your team had already made contact and seemed to be having good success was just a bonus.”
“And your education? Your degrees were aimed towards marine biology.”
“I think you’ll find, if you look over the transcripts I enclosed, that my degree course wasn’t clearly defined for several years. I focused for a number of years on general biology as an undergraduate before deciding to go the marine route. As I said, I’ve followed your research, and that of your group while I was in the tursiops project, and I think my general knowledge would be an asset. Sometimes someone who isn’t so focused can see other options. Think outside the box.”
Velasquez’s head nodded as Engles spoke. “Sometimes I think our recent specialization can be our downfall. As a species, we have been so successful because of our lack of specialization - we can’t out-anything the animal world… with the exception of thinking. And with these projects, we’re finding out that we may not have been as far ahead in that area as we thought.”
Engles smiled. “And another thing, Joy - if I may call you that - I want to colonize. Since I didn’t see that happening as part of the tursiops project, and the avian project is doing so well….”
He shrugged.
“I suppose that might seem a bit mercenary, but I’ve always had the urge to explore. A need to see the stars that was instilled in me early on by my favorite writers. And I guess I’m still hoping that we’ll find Barsoom out there somewhere, even though we now know it wasn’t on Mars.”
A smile spread across Velasquez’s face and she slapped the desk between them. “It’s like you’ve read my mind. I keep telling myself Burroughs just had the planet wrong, and we just have to find the right one!”
Engles reached out, laid his hand across hers, and looked deeply into her eyes. “Joy, I would go anywhere, do anything, jump through any hoops, to be on that first colony ship. I have a feeling you understand that. I will do everything in my power to be an asset to this team in the hopes that I will be chosen to go. If you’ll give me the chance.”
Velasquez didn’t shy away when his thumb stroked her hand. Nor did she break the eye contact as she slowly removed her hand from his.
‘Game and set,’ thought Engles. ‘Now to finish the match.’
“You realize, of course, that even the scientific team members are expected to be a complete part of the colony - we aren’t expected to return, so expanding the colony will be up to everyone included.”
Velasquez blushed slightly under her olive complexion, realizing how this sounded coming immediately after his obvious flirtation.
“You’ll need to go through a complete battery of psych testing to make sure you’re a match for not only the avians, but your possible fellow team members.”
“I have a complete understanding of what is expected from the team members, Joy. And might I say, I don’t expect these particular requirements to be onerous ones. Aside from my interest in the avians, and my background in flight, there was one other thing that led me to the avian project.”
“And that was?” Velasquez tried to return her voice to the scientific professional level she expected of herself during an interview.
“The chance to get to know you better.”
Velasquez hid her face behind a fall of hair as she busied herself picking up the file in front of her. “I’ll set up the appointment for you with the psych group. Do you have any preference as to day and time?”
“I’m wide open right now, Joy, being unemployed as I am. I can be here any time you need me.”
“I’ll have my assistant, Linda, contact you with the details for the testing, Dr. Engles. I tend to agree with your opinion - I think you would be an asset to the avian project. I’m sure there will be no problems and we’ll be seeing each other again… soon.”
“I look forward to it, Doctor Velasquez. I very much look forward to it.” Engles stood. “Thank you for your time. I’ll let myself out.”
Engles managed to wait until he had left the building before allowing himself the true smile that had been building. The interview had gone particularly well and, he thought, he rather doubted that that ridiculous little woman would be in any particular hurry to check on his story with Jacob Hiller.
--------------------------------
This is part of a continuing story. In chronological order, the stories are:
Week 5, Week 9, this week, Week 11, Week 17, Week 4, week 12, Week 7, Week 16, Week 8, and Week 6 ( Week 15 kind of wraps aroud Week 6)
Engles stood unhurriedly and smoothed his slacks. A close observer might notice him surreptitiously wiping sweaty palms dry as he did so.
"That’s so formal. Everyone here has a doctorate. Please, call me Don.”
"Thank you for coming in, Don.” Velasquez shook his proffered hand and ushered him into the office.
Please, have a seat. I understand that you were with tursiops side of the project for some time?”
Yes.” Engles relaxed into the chair with a smile.
"I’m going to get straight to the point, Don. Why did you leave them, and apply to the avian group?”
"Well, that’s kind of a long story. Suffice it to say that the lead researcher, Dr. Hiller, and I had a disagreement. I did not feel that my skills were being used to their full potential, and I had my doubts about the effectivity of their methods. Doubts that, I am sad to say, have thus far been confirmed by their lack of progress with the subjects.”
“And thus your departure and subsequent interest in the avian program?”
“Honestly, I’ve always had an interest in avian research, and a yen to fly. You’ll see on my CV, I have had my pilot’s license since I was sixteen. I think my experience in the air would help avoid any disorientation one may experience in melding with one of the corvids. I’ve followed your research and noted that this was especially a problem during flight - something that I am already used to. The fact that your team had already made contact and seemed to be having good success was just a bonus.”
“And your education? Your degrees were aimed towards marine biology.”
“I think you’ll find, if you look over the transcripts I enclosed, that my degree course wasn’t clearly defined for several years. I focused for a number of years on general biology as an undergraduate before deciding to go the marine route. As I said, I’ve followed your research, and that of your group while I was in the tursiops project, and I think my general knowledge would be an asset. Sometimes someone who isn’t so focused can see other options. Think outside the box.”
Velasquez’s head nodded as Engles spoke. “Sometimes I think our recent specialization can be our downfall. As a species, we have been so successful because of our lack of specialization - we can’t out-anything the animal world… with the exception of thinking. And with these projects, we’re finding out that we may not have been as far ahead in that area as we thought.”
Engles smiled. “And another thing, Joy - if I may call you that - I want to colonize. Since I didn’t see that happening as part of the tursiops project, and the avian project is doing so well….”
He shrugged.
“I suppose that might seem a bit mercenary, but I’ve always had the urge to explore. A need to see the stars that was instilled in me early on by my favorite writers. And I guess I’m still hoping that we’ll find Barsoom out there somewhere, even though we now know it wasn’t on Mars.”
A smile spread across Velasquez’s face and she slapped the desk between them. “It’s like you’ve read my mind. I keep telling myself Burroughs just had the planet wrong, and we just have to find the right one!”
Engles reached out, laid his hand across hers, and looked deeply into her eyes. “Joy, I would go anywhere, do anything, jump through any hoops, to be on that first colony ship. I have a feeling you understand that. I will do everything in my power to be an asset to this team in the hopes that I will be chosen to go. If you’ll give me the chance.”
Velasquez didn’t shy away when his thumb stroked her hand. Nor did she break the eye contact as she slowly removed her hand from his.
‘Game and set,’ thought Engles. ‘Now to finish the match.’
“You realize, of course, that even the scientific team members are expected to be a complete part of the colony - we aren’t expected to return, so expanding the colony will be up to everyone included.”
Velasquez blushed slightly under her olive complexion, realizing how this sounded coming immediately after his obvious flirtation.
“You’ll need to go through a complete battery of psych testing to make sure you’re a match for not only the avians, but your possible fellow team members.”
“I have a complete understanding of what is expected from the team members, Joy. And might I say, I don’t expect these particular requirements to be onerous ones. Aside from my interest in the avians, and my background in flight, there was one other thing that led me to the avian project.”
“And that was?” Velasquez tried to return her voice to the scientific professional level she expected of herself during an interview.
“The chance to get to know you better.”
Velasquez hid her face behind a fall of hair as she busied herself picking up the file in front of her. “I’ll set up the appointment for you with the psych group. Do you have any preference as to day and time?”
“I’m wide open right now, Joy, being unemployed as I am. I can be here any time you need me.”
“I’ll have my assistant, Linda, contact you with the details for the testing, Dr. Engles. I tend to agree with your opinion - I think you would be an asset to the avian project. I’m sure there will be no problems and we’ll be seeing each other again… soon.”
“I look forward to it, Doctor Velasquez. I very much look forward to it.” Engles stood. “Thank you for your time. I’ll let myself out.”
Engles managed to wait until he had left the building before allowing himself the true smile that had been building. The interview had gone particularly well and, he thought, he rather doubted that that ridiculous little woman would be in any particular hurry to check on his story with Jacob Hiller.
--------------------------------
This is part of a continuing story. In chronological order, the stories are:
Week 5, Week 9, this week, Week 11, Week 17, Week 4, week 12, Week 7, Week 16, Week 8, and Week 6 ( Week 15 kind of wraps aroud Week 6)