Ohber answered, "I am alive for now. That is the best I can hope for. Why did he abandon us? Is he finished with our experiments?"
Valeri defended her father. "He didn't know you were being neglected. The scientists promised him they were caring for all of you. After Monday, he was too busy to check. He trusted the others."
"He likes to remind us that this is his project. That should mean it is also his duty to make sure all are cared for. He certainly found time to give us a new illness, though some were already sick. The scientists took blood, but did not care for our wounds." Ohber looked away and continued. "I think he is done with us. We no longer serve a purpose. He does not care if we die now."
"I will speak to him again tomorrow. He will be calmer then. I can make things better for all of you. I refuse to believe he would allow you to die. This program has a long way to go. He still needs you. It's just so difficult to argue with him over this. He isn't just my father. He founded this program and has the power to fire me. If that happened, I wouldn't be allowed in this lab." Valeri gently touched his face. "You are my friend. I will not let you give up. Stay alive for me, please."
Ohber smiled, "I will continue to fight as long as possible. Do not fret. I will not ask you to defy your father. He is your family. I am nothing."
Valeri whispered, "That's not true. You are more important to me than you realize. In fact, you are everything that matters."
Valeri returned to the lab. She organized the data, ran the blood tests and cleaned the room. The maintenance people must have been banned from the premises for the week too. She tossed the trash into the recycler. Maybe, if she did her job well enough, Reginald would be more willing to listen to her suggestions. She even scrubbed the walls in the hallway and bleached the shower. With only a few minutes left in the work day, Valeri checked the schedule to see what the scientists had in store for her friends. Nothing was scheduled. That frightened her more than any new experiment could. If there were no new tests, the aliens were expendable, and she still had not discovered what their fate would be.
Valeri reached for the phone and hurriedly tapped a message to Victor. It read, "Hurry with the information. Tests almost complete. Bad situation. What happens to unusable aliens?"
He instantly texted back, "Have lots to tell you. Meet me in the park. Apartment may be watched. Bring food."
Of course, he was hungry. He always was. Why would her apartment be watched? Did her dad think she was doing something to sabotage his study or was there someone more sinister involved? What or who would she have to take on to save the aliens? It didn't matter. She would fight to the death if necessary. The aliens were the innocent ones in this mess. What did her dad do to get them all into this? Could she get out? Valeri couldn't answer her own confused mind.
