Episode 15: The Cupids

(June 4^th, 2013) What’s the special role of the Scienticks’ colleague Frieda Meier and their supervisor David Sondermann in this story?

When Walter Bauer received a violin from his mother at the age of four, he found the notes on the strings by himself. When Walter’s music teacher recommended that he apply to the music school, he did. Walter knew it would have been be easy for him to get in, and it was. His mother reasoned, “Wally, you have the perfect pitch. It’s a Gift that cannot be trained. Every orchestra will want you.”

Walter knew that deep inside he was different from the other boys. He didn’t understand why they spent so much time doing their homework and wasting energy arguing with their parents for wanting to play soccer.

For Walter, doing homework was simple, like eating breakfast. Playing with other boys was strenuous, like waiting for the rest of the class to learn the fingering of a song. Deep inside, Walter knew that it was more than just his talent that made him different. In his mind, there was the world and then there were the children, who he had met at Home Camp.

It was called Home Camp because all the children were similar to each other, like a family, explained Benjamin the camp counsellor. He called it the place for the Gifted. Everyone had a Gift and they were unique. But the thing that drew Walter close to Home Camp was that he felt he belonged.

Ever since the first time he had attended Home Camp at the age of four, he hoped that his mother would take him back there again in the next summer. This she did. And in return, Mrs. Bauer received a modest remuneration from Benjamin every summer. They kept that information away from Walter.

It was at Home Camp, where Walter knew he was meant to be something greater than a violinist. It was at Home Camp, where Walter met Wendy who played the cello.

They didn’t speak to each other much. That was because Benjamin and Ixod had grouped them together in the music session. Instead of speaking, they played music and listened through the voices of their instruments. It was a relationship based on a conversation in musical growth. Walter drowned in the romantic music of Chopin, while Wendy tackled the virtuosity of Mozart’s scores.

The sound from Walter’s violin grew warm and mellow. It was a perfect compliment to Wendy’s strength on the cello. He softened the sharp edges for her and she expanded the gentleness in his tones. Together, for a brief period in their lifetime, they were the golden pair at Home Camp.

So, in the summer when Walter and Wendy were 17, Walter became furious when his mother said to him, “Wally, we are leaving the city, to bring you to a better school.” It was also the last year of Home Camp for Wally and Wendy’s year.

“We have bestowed and nourished the Gifts in you. Now you are ready for the world and to find your own homes,” Benjamin said to the Home Camp graduates.

Walter panicked. He took Wendy to the closest coffee shop and tried to have a conversation with her without their instruments.

“Wendy, will you come with me?” Walter’s voice was gentle, as if he was afraid to disturb the precious space between him and Wendy.

Wendy reached over the table to rest her hand on Walter’s. She whispered, “Wally, I have been invited to play at the Science Gala next year. I must stay and rehearse the repertoire with the rest. You must understand that, don’t you?”

Behind the mirrors in the coffee shop, Benjamin and Ixod sat hidden.

“The table sensors indicate a differential response between the subjects,” said Ixod.

“The male’s temperature has increased dramatically,” added Benjamin.

“But curiously, not the female’s,” said Ixod. “This recording shows the opposite of how she is reacting. It’s impossible to know how she feels simply by looking at her actions.”

“That’s incredible! Based on the chair sensors when they played together, her attraction level to him was as high as his,” added Benjamin.

“An attraction dependent on a common factor, it appears,” said Ixod.

“When the common factor is removed, the attraction is non-existent,” said Benjamin. “She doesn’t love him.”

“Who is the best candidate at the Science Gala?” asked Ixod.

“A PhD student in Neuroscience called David Sondermann,” said Benjamin. “Ambitious, driven, A-type personality. He is the best fit for the equation.”

Ixod nodded and watched Walter storm out of the store. She asked, “What about the subject male’s next candidate?”

“This will be a tricky one. We’ll have to organise a regional science fair in their town, let her win the travel award to bring her there.”

Ixod scribbled down some notes and asked, “What’s her name?”

“Frieda Meier,” said Benjamin.

Episode 14: Undercover

(April 26^th, 2013) Only the cleaning lady knows what’s going on, she’s entrusted with an important mission.

In the pile of debris she swept up, there was dust, hair and food crumbs. Each day, the cleaning lady observed and sketched the personalities of the researchers in the building. It was not difficult to paint the people’s characters, especially by observing their bench spaces, desks and personal garbage.

People didn’t take much notice of her. In the odd times when she was greeted, it was because of an upcoming holiday. The conversation would begin like this: “Have a nice long weekend…” And then an empty pause would arise, allowing the natural instinct to call out the cleaning lady’s name to be suppressed in the subtle manner that all scientists have learned to do. No one remembered her name and all have forgotten to ask. The conversation would end with the cleaning lady closing, for example: “Have a nice weekend, too, Frieda.”

The cleaning lady didn’t mind that people couldn’t remember her name. In fact, she enjoyed remaining unheeded. It made her disguise much simpler and her real job convenient. She was selected because of her talent. Human behaviour fascinated her, especially humans in research institutions.

The cleaning lady was the only one in the building who was aware of Frieda’s secrets. She simply looked at her desk. At first glance, Frieda’s desk seemed like a space belonging to an ordinary person. Through the cleaning lady’s eyes, it was a maze of meticulous pretence. She had positioned the computer screen in a way so that, when the sunlight hit it, a shadow covered her face. No one would be able to see her expression and who she was watching. Instead, Frieda could observe the entire lab from her seat with the reflections from the cabinet’s glass doors. Like with a motherly instinct, the cleaning lady knew Frieda was hiding something, although she couldn’t quite tell what it was.

It was her batter of keen observational skills and talent that attracted the cleaning lady to The Scienticks.

“How well are you at keeping secrets, Adele?” The Deliverer asked the cleaning lady the first time they met.

“I don’t have a husband and I don’t plan to get one,” Adele responded.

According to Adele, human behaviour was easier to comprehend, when there were no humans around. This character allowed her to see through Frieda and more importantly, the unique gift in Jakob, who was clueless of what was happening to him. She waited until the seasons passed and for the right moment to let him know that he was a special one. Letting him know too soon would have been disastrous, like teaching a child how to swim butterfly before he can float.

Adele’s cleaning trolley was the perfect vehicle to disguise her mission. Although it was a piece of public property, the researchers treated it like the cleaning lady’s personal space. They averted their gaze from it, some out of respect and some out of disdain. Therefore, it was the most convenient hiding place for the messages she forwarded to Jakob’s friend, Ardevan. Likewise, it was completely ordinary to park a cleaning cart anywhere in the research building, including the basement, beside the animal facilities. No one would find her suspicious.

“We should start with the smart one,” the cleaning lady said one day. She reported her findings to the Deliverer on a regular basis.

“Ardevan? Yes, it would make most sense to get to him through Ardevan,” the Deliverer explained. “It will take time until this mission is complete. Then Jakob and his friends will start looking for us. Ardevan should be able to find us, with their help, but they must do it on their own. This first letter contains the clue.”

The cleaning lady received a letter from the Deliverer. It was written in mojibake, a language Adele read like her mother tongue. She had learned it when she was recruited 10 years ago.

“How long should we wait?” the cleaning lady asked.

The Deliverer lowered his gaze, leaned back into the plastic chair, and folded his hands on his warm belly. “For as long as it takes, Adele,” he said. And then he added, “Keep an eye on them, will you? They have good hearts, play too much by the rules. So they get scared and become anxious.”

“Of course,” said Adele.

“Alright then,” said the Deliverer.

Adele’s feet stayed where they were.

“What is it, Adele?” asked the Deliverer.

“The Frieda girl,” muttered Adele. “She’s unstable.”

“Hmm, more so than a month ago?” asked the Deliverer.

“Yes, she has been pretending to be more organised than ever before. The notes written in her lab book don’t make any sense. They are completely unrelated to her experiments,” said Adele.

“I see,” the Deliverer paused for a moment and then he asked, “Do you think it’s related to the incident?”

The cleaning lady nodded.

“Alright, I will have a chat with Walter and Wendy,” said the Deliverer.

Episode 13: A Secret Victory

(February 26^th, 2013) Finally, time has come to test the mysterious drug on their humanised mice.

Jakob’s hand shook when he picked up the mouse by its tail. He was excited. Like the fingers of a pianist before a performance, no matter how much he had practiced, he couldn’t control the adrenaline pumping. Tonight, Jakob was going to find out the result of the months-long experiment. Unlike the pianist, whose hard work is paid off by practice, Jakob may find a negative answer, or worse, no answer at all.

Standing beside him, watching, were Ardevan and Leona. They have worked together for a year now but it felt like they had known each other for a decade. When Ardevan saw Jakob’s shaking hand, he knew, without any doubt, that he did not get a good night’s sleep.

“Too much coffee, Jake?” asked Ardevan, positioning the video camera towards the experimental cage.

Jakob placed the mouse in his hand in the holding chamber, “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep last night.” He then took a deep breath and whispered: “Here we go.”

Leona handed Jakob the feeding spoon. It contained either plain water or water spiked with sugar. Only Leona knew which type of water was on the spoon.

“Thanks, Leo,” Jakob inserted the spoon into the holding chamber. The mouse gave the water a quick sniff and then started drinking.

As soon as the spoon was empty, Jakob opened the trap door to release the mouse. It headed straight for the lever closest to Ardevan – the lever that meant “pleasurable”.

Once the mouse pressed the lever, it waited for its first reward. Jakob handed it a chocolate flavoured pellet.

Then it was Ardevan’s turn.

“Aye? Iyo?” spoke Ardevan.

The mouse made a sound, “Aiiii”.

Ardevan handed it a second pellet and returned the mouse to its home cage.

“Was that Miceonian?” asked Leona.

“In fact, it was Oromo, a macro language of Ethiopia. I thought I would teach them the language of the land of their creators,” clarified Ardevan. “By the way, it said ‘yes’. Shall we proceed to the next subject?”

Soon, all four mice were given the test. After each animal had been tested ten times, Jakob spoke, “It’s not possible. How can they all say ‘yes’ to every stimulus?”

“If the drug works then it makes sense,” responded Ardevan.

“What about the controls?” asked Leona.

“Of course, Leo!” Ardevan took out another mouse cage from underneath the kitchen cabinet. “Meet the untreated siblings.”

“So, if these mice answer ‘no’ to the unsweetened stimulus, it would mean that the drug had worked?” asked Leona.

“And a victory,” Jakob smiled back. His candid confidence tickled Leona’s heart.

By midnight, the gang was finished with the control mice.

“Alright, we have all the data now,” said Jakob. “Let’s reveal the blind experimenter’s data.”

It had worked and they were in shock.

“Guys, this means that we have found the perfect drug for people who can’t resist sweets! It will work for obesity, diabetes, the options are endless!” Jakob cheered.

“Slow down, Jake. How will we publish these data?” Leona brought him back to reality.

Jakob became sombre and slouched into the couch. He felt worse than he had this morning. After a sleepless night and all the adrenaline rush, he realised that he was not able to tell the world about their discovery.

“In any case, we deserve a celebration,” Ardevan appeared with a bottle of sparkling wine. “To us, The Scienticks!”

“To Ardy, the mastermind,” smiled Leona. “We have successfully interrupted Frieda’s publication!”

“I could not have pulled it off without you guys,” smiled Ardevan. “Hey, why don’t you guys just stay over tonight? Jake is going to have a stressful day tomorrow.”

“Oh, no! I’m going to have to repeat all these experiments again with Frieda with the real Hans Peter, Kris and Neils,” moaned Jakob. “My PhD is training me to be a liar!”

The guys transformed the couch into a sofa bed for Leona, and Jakob wriggled himself into Ardevan’s sleeping bag.

“I still don’t understand. It seems like Ixod and The Scienticks always knew what we were up to. It doesn’t make any sense that she would just let us finish the experiment without any more information,” pondered Leona aloud.

“We did bring down the Coryphodon,” interjected Jakob.

“Something just doesn’t feel right,” Leona shuffled on the sofa bed. “Ardy’s mojibake lessons, the mysterious cleaning lady, the sudden appearance of the drug from TickTechs, they all must have some sort of a connection.”

“Oh, Leo! You think too much,” groaned Jakob. “I just wish I could publish this and tell the world about our findings.”

“Not in this academic world. Who is going to believe the humanised mice and not question the origin of a mysterious drug?” grumbled Leona.

Before Jakob could respond, Ardevan shouted, “The academic world! That’s it!”

“What is it, Ardy?” asked Leona.

Ardevan explained, “The numbers that Ixod wrote in the letter. She said that we should only use it when we are in academic danger.”

“Oh yeah!” responded Jakob and Leona.

“‘Only in the most extreme cases of emergency, you may find the Deliverer at 204880808685689. Remember, only establish contact when you are in academic danger’ That’s what was in the letter,” repeated Ardevan word for word.

“But, what do the numbers mean and who in the world is the Deliverer?” ask Leona.

Ardevan paused for a moment and said, “I have no clue.”