Waking the Zed

Romancing the Dead



As soon as Enrico had waited for Dr. Klein to step out of Preservation Room 17, and then closed the door behind the both of them, he turned to her and smiled. “Your little farm girl seemed a bit shaken.” He shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. “She is still quite rustic for all her education.”

“Well, she’s actually a bit above average, I suppose,” Dr. Klein allowed. Then her expression almost appeared coquettish. “You know, I was concerned that you might find her attractive. She has that wholesome and sturdy look of a young Midwestern woman. To be fair, she’s also quite accomplished. I’m hard on her to keep her in place. I admit that I was also a little jealous. It was obvious that she found you attractive. Of course, what woman wouldn’t?”

“Ah, she’s just a peasant,” Enrico said, waving his hand dismissively. Then he fixed Dr. Klein with his dark eyes. “I pride myself on being a man of good taste and sensibility. When I am in the room with an actual lady like you, all I can see is that lady.” His hand went up to cup her chin. Then he artfully moved his fingers to brush her ear. Dr. Klein felt years younger and charged with emotion and desire. She had to stop herself from touching him back. They were, after all, standing out in the hallway and anybody could round the corner.

“You are a perfect man,” she said. “I think we might have time to visit my office for a few minutes. You weren’t serious about needing to show me something about work, were you?”

“Of course not,” Enrico said, bending down to whisper in her ear. “Everything is firmly under control. All I want to show you is my love.” He moved closer again and brushed his hand against her arm. She led him down the hallway to her large office suite.

First she turned to her assistant who looked busy answering emails in the outer office. “Karen, why don’t you take off for lunch after you finish?” Dr. Klein glanced meaningfully up at the clock. “In fact, take the afternoon off. I’ll need my office for an important experiment. Besides, I have driven you pretty hard over the last few weeks. You deserve a break.”

Karen, Dr. Klein’s administrative assistant, looked surprised. Pam was a plump woman, just on the other side of forty, and she kept herself tidy, but dressed in a sort of careless and dowdy way that did not compete with the doctor. “I have a couple of dozen emails left to answer, and I know you like me to be prompt. Also, I haven’t run the data backups yet, and you told me they should run every afternoon no matter what.”

“You’re always prompt and reliable,” Dr. Klein said generously. “So just this once we can let your correspondence go for another day. Don’t worry. I won’t dock your personal time for this. Run some errands, get a pedicure, or just take a nap before your husband gets home from the university.”

Dr. Klein turned to Enrico. He stood passively but looked impatient. “Karen’s husband works in the university’s information technology department, and he helped us set up our remote data backups in his spare time. Karen, herself, used to teach technology classes at the local high school before I spirited her away to assist me. They’re a lovely couple.”





“Your ability to put together a perfect workforce continues to amaze me,” Enrico said.

Karen still paused, somehow made uncertain by this unusual magnanimous gesture from a boss who paid her much better than the local school district but still expected a lot.

Dr. Klein opened her petty cash drawer and removed ten twenties. “Here, go buy a treat or something. When your husband gets home, you can surprise him with dinner reservations. It’s a bonus for a job well done.”

“Thank-you,” Pam nodded as she accepted the tidy pile of cash. She still looked like Dr. Klein’s unusual buoyant mood and generous actions made her feel uncertain. Even the doctor’s administrative assistants had been hired because they had good reputations for being exceptionally bright. But figuring out that Dr. Klein wanted the office to be alone for romance with Enrico just fell too far out of her life experience.

She and her own husband had married, shortly after meeting in a college technology class. They had never been able to have children, but had been everything to each other for almost twenty years. They were the type of plain, but pleasant people who were always up for a science fiction convention or renaissance fair. Karen and her husband had plenty of like-minded friends, but never had a thought for enjoying romance with anybody but each other. It was particularly that innocence, combined with the talent to do perform her many tasks that had made Dr. Klein eager to hire Karen in the first place.

The woman tried to understand the unspoken message between the lines, but failing that, she wondered if she was being replaced somehow. Uncertain, Karen carefully placed the money in her wallet, picked up her purse, and then left after repeating her thanks.

Then she carefully locked the outside door to her office suite. Finally, she let Enrico sweep her into his arms. First his lips brushed her brow, and then her ear, and finally he planted his lips firmly upon hers for a long and passionate kiss. His hands kneaded her neck and back, releasing the morning’s tension.

Finally he released her and said. “Let me rub your back, Ada. Your muscles are knotted. You know that you work much too hard. You need to find more time to relax.”

“Oh, you know I would love a massage,” she said. “Then maybe I can rub you a little bit.” She spoke breathlessly and finished with a flirtatious wink. The pair settled down on the large sofa she kept in the outside area of her office suite. Enrico’s clever hands kneaded Dr. Klein’s neck and shoulders gently, seeming to find all the right places to touch and caress. She felt as if her muscle’s natural tension dissolved under his warm touch. She leaned back into his body and felt his lips graze her neck and ear. Despite her age, Dr. Klein felt enveloped in a cocoon of protection and desire created by the handsome young engineer.

“Ada, I’ve been eager to talk to you about something. Maybe we should drop this charade,” he whispered into her ear. The kiss of his breath on her skin seemed to draw all resistance out of her body. No man had made her feel this way since she had been a student no older than Pam Stone. But those young lovers had been fickle, and Dr. Klein had learned to subsume romance under her ambition. She had done that for three decades until she encountered Enrico, who must have been a very young child when she first prefaced her name with the title of doctor. Pam had not even been born yet.

Though Enrico seemed completely engaged in Dr. Klein, he allowed his thoughts to roam elsewhere. Enrico supposed that his employer must be a millionaire several times over. He made a very good salary as a biomedical engineer for this firm, and he could have his pick of jobs all over the world. But he pictured another lifestyle for himself. If she succeeded in rousing her frozen clients, her income might be limitless. Every family with enough money would be eager to consign their loved ones to Future Faith Cryonics. He assumed she would still allow her work to absorb most of her time, and he would have plenty of time to enjoy her money and whatever other amusements that would bring him.

Enrico did share some of Pam’s concerns about Dr. Klein’s delusions though. This experiment might be totally bogus. He barely regarded it from any sort of spiritual angle, but only thought of profit. But even if she failed, she would still be incredibly rich. Perhaps Enrico could divert Dr. Klein’s energies towards some more practical uses for her famous name and resources.

Success or failure, Enrico would win.

“Enrico, what do you mean when you say we need to end the charade?” Did he want to end their affair? Her heart seemed to block her throat.

“Ada, I never want to lose you. I want you to be my woman forever.” He still whispered in her ear and allowed his hands to caress her with practiced ease. “You and I could marry so we wouldn’t have to pretend to simply be coworkers any longer.”

If only she would agree, perhaps he could leave his position here. The doctor could certainly afford to hire another engineer. He’d make sure his replacement was a woman, dowdy like Karen, or possibly an unattractive man. Then he could retire to manage her estate.

Sometimes managing Dr. Klein’s complex assets might even require some travel. He could see the world in luxury on the pretense of checking out investments or visiting relatives or something. He pictured cruise ships and luxury hotels around the world. Plenty of women would probably be happy to amuse him on his travels, and he would just have to come home intermittently to service the old hag.

“We could dine out together, and I could show you off.” His voice became a seductive low growl. “We will buy season tickets to the ballet, the symphony, and the ballet. Our life together would be a constant round of culture and entertainment. I could see you in a different beautiful dress every night. We would always have some novelty to anticipate.”

“Enrico, you’re about thirty years younger than I am,” she whispered. “You’re handsome and have a good profession. You could have your pick of young women.”

“I can only see you,” he said. “Don’t you know that your presence blinds me to everybody else? When I’m away from you, I still can’t think about anyone else. Besides, a woman like you should not be alone and unprotected.” His expression projected absolute concern and sincerity. “I want to take care of you.”

“You want to protect me?” she asked, suddenly turning to face him. His lips grazed hers and then moved to her neck. “Nobody has said anything like that to me since my father died.”

Enrico looked amazed. “I cannot believe it. I am sure you have broken a hundred hearts.” He stroked her hand. “Yes, I want to help you, protect you, and of course, romance you whenever you need it.”

Enrico paused. He had to be careful, but he needed to test the waters. “Also, I’m not entirely happy with your financial manager. I believe he skims your profits. You’ve told me that he always calls you with some investment scheme or another, and I think he just wants to suck commissions. You work so hard you don’t have time to babysit him too. You know, there are a lot of wolves out there, and I want to guard you.”

“Do you think Mr. Margolis is dishonest? He came very highly recommended.”

“Who recommended him, another scientist?’ Enrico shrugged as he allowed Dr. Klein to rest her head on his chest for a moment. He felt her stiffen a bit at the mention of her money so he eased off.

“We can save that discussion for another time. Your assets are your own. I only want to be your man.” Then he cupped her chin gently with one hand and stroked her cheek with his other hand. “Will you marry me, Ada? Then we can be a couple. We can go out to nice dinners and enjoy parties together. Perhaps we can take some time to travel. We don’t have to hide our love behind closed doors any longer. Let’s be free to love each other like we deserve.”

Apparently his question took the doctor by surprise. She had never intended to let her relationship with the handsome young engineer go this far. In fact, he had surprised her by pursuing her in the first place. She may have chosen him for his job over some other candidates because of his charm and good looks, but Enrico’s credentials were impeccable as well. She had not hired him to be her lover. It had just turned out that way.

“You know that I’ve never been married, Enrico,” Dr. Klein said. She pulled away slightly. “I have to get used to this idea.”

“I’ve never married either. Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect person. Fate has finally been kind enough to bring us together here.”

“People may wonder about us,” she whispered. “There is the age difference.”

“I’m not a child, Ada. You are still strong and healthy and best of all, beautiful.”

“I can’t give you a child, you know,” she said. “I’m past those years. When I was younger I always thought I’d get married and have children eventually, but I’m past that now.”

“I am not concerned with your ability to have children,” Enrico said. “I am only concerned about you, Ada.” He lifted one hand to wave it dismissively. “Besides, if you want a child, perhaps we could adopt one. I still have connections in South America, and I believe they could help us. We could have our choice of lovely children who favored both of us.”

If I want children, I could father a stable of them with a dozen mistresses on your money. Enrico smiled at this secret thought. He imagined keeping families all over the globe, each one hidden from the others, and especially from his bride. He imagined fathering children in a dozen skin tones with a virtual harem of women. Each family would eagerly await his return from business travels, and only Enrico would know the truth.

Maybe I could even have one or two of my own natural children brought here under a bogus adoption scheme. To keep mother’s from squawking, I could hire then as nannies and tutors. They would be paid well enough to insure their silence. Besides a sensible woman would be sure to see how many advantages he could give to a child living on Dr. Klein’s wallet. He grinned at the irony of staffing and populating Dr. Klein’s home and business with his former lovers and their offspring.

Meanwhile Dr. Klein could continue her work and keep making them richer. His smile broadened even wider, but Dr. Klein thought his excitement was only at the thought of their upcoming union.

“Oh, Enrico,” she said. “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met.” Her open expression let him glimpse a vision of her former beauty. He remembered the striking younger scientist featured in all of the publicity about the virus blocker. If only he had met her then.

“Oh, Ada,” he breathed. He had been patient, and now his prey was almost trapped. The thought excited him, and he thought this might be a good time to seal the deal by servicing the old witch. His hands moved towards the fastening on her blouse as he touched his lips to her neck.

Then Dr. Klein’s cellphone chimed. To Enrico it sounded like an explosion. She had it set to produce different tones for each caller on her contact list. It was an efficient way to filter calls without having to retrieve her phone each time. Enrico moved his hands to massage her shoulders, hoping she would ignore it.

She pulled herself away with an effort. “That’s Ms. Stone.” Immediately her expression changed from the flushed look of a woman in the heat of passion to a stern and professional mask.

“What can Pam Stone want?” Enrico said. “She can handle the lab a bit longer, can’t she? Everything else is in order.” His voice was almost plaintive. “You said we’d have three hours.”

“Enrico, this experiment is very important,” Dr. Klein said. “I can’t afford to have a student ruin it.” She rose to read the text message that was sent just after the attempted call. Dr. Klein sighed and shook her head. “I have to go. Can we continue this discussion at dinner tonight?”

“Why do we have to wait?” Enrico asked, trying hard to plead with his eyes. “I want you now. I want to spend the rest of the day knowing that you have agreed to be my wife.”

Dr. Klein remained firm. “Perhaps you could grill up some wonderful vegetable kabobs for supper later and we will enjoy ourselves at our leisure. If you don’t feel like cooking, maybe we can order out. There’s a nice little Greek Deli called The Mediterranean in my neighborhood with vegetarian platters fit for a prince. I ordered them last night for supper, but they are so good I could enjoy them every day. The actual cafe closes their inside seating after lunch, but the owner will deliver dinner if I ask. Apparently my virus blocker vaccine saved his mother’s life a few years ago, and he has vowed eternal gratitude.”

“So, I have a rival,” Enrico said with mock sincerity. “We may have to duel.”

“Well, he certainly knows his way around a kitchen. You might have a rival if he wasn’t almost as wide as he is tall,” Dr. Klein said. “He is an excellent cook, and he’s actually fairly interesting on the scale of deli owners, but I prefer my men a bit slimmer. His parents came from Greece, and the irony is his name is Hercules.”

“This Hercules sounds like an interesting character. Well, to assuage my jealousy over Hercules, if everything goes well today, would you consider taking a vacation day off tomorrow?” Enrico asked.

“I’ll consider it. We have a lot to get past today, you know. I might have to wait until next week until I can afford to take off.”

Enrico doubted that Dr. Klein would ever actually take a working day off unless she was so sick or injured she could not rise from her bed. She really is not so young any longer, and she seems the type who might work herself into an early grave. Of course, that might be convenient for him as well. Once he had married her, perhaps his South American connections could even assist him with that too. He believed they had access to poisons that could effectively mimic disease and eventually cause an early demise.

Poor Dr. Klein, a world famous scientist, might be found at the office in the morning. Enrico imagined headlines in the newspaper and all over the Internet. She would have stayed to work late and suffered an apparent heart attack from stress and overwork.

He wondered how long he would have to maintain their marriage so nobody would be suspicious that he was anything other than her grieving husband. Perhaps a slower poison would be safer. It might mimic a disease so that nobody would be surprised when Dr. Klein died tragically.

“I have to go now, my love,” Dr. Klein said. She frowned thoughtfully at the text message for a moment. “Can you get the clinic prepared and then meet me in Preservation Room 17 in a few minutes? I’ll need some techs ready to transport the clients, of course.” In an instant, Dr. Klein had returned back to her professional tone. She ran a hand through her loose hair, checked her face in the small mirror, added a quick swipe of lipstick, and then turned to leave.

“Anything for you, and for the advancement of human knowledge,” he said seriously. She nodded and left him to compose himself and straighten up his clothes.

He took his time in front of the mirror to arrange his hair and make sure his clothes were adjusted. Meanwhile, he whispered to himself, “It’s like romancing the dead.” Working in this place, surrounded by all of the frozen clients, made the phrase seem particularly ironic. Unlike either Dr. Klein or Pam Stone, he was an engineer and not a scientist with medical training. He found the dead bodies, floating in their sparking solutions quite distasteful. He could hardly wait until he could marry Dr. Klein, retire from his position, and spend his time as he chose.

When Pam Stone, the intern, had told him she felt like her job was like babysitting corpses, his agreement had not been entirely insincere. The young scientist was a fool though, unable to dismiss a bit of present discomfort for future gains. He did not care what happened to the young scientist, but he supposed she would manage to move on to some other grunt job, even if a well-paid one. Meanwhile, he could live out a fantasy, all financed by Dr. Klein’s estate.

He left the office to attend to his tasks. Meanwhile he pictured luxury cruises, yachts, and exotic destinations. He thought about penthouse apartments and beach villas. There would be fine dining, culture and entertainment, and above all – passion. He pictured young women of a dozen different ethnicities and nationalities, all waiting for his embrace.

“I could father a whole new race,” he practically sang to himself. “Maybe I will call them the people of Enrico.” He pictured children, all as handsome and charming as he pictured himself. The superior beings, all fair of face and brilliant, would eventually grow in numbers and spread through the world. I will only be doing the human gene pool a favor.

Perhaps if Pam is still around, I’ll even give her a couple of my offspring. She’s intelligent enough, if a bit blunt and naïve in a sort of corn-fed way. She has an interesting face. Any children we had together would surely be intelligent and handsome enough to please me. She seems like she could be a sturdy mother for my gifts. Maybe next week, after I have sealed this deal, I’ll go mend some bridges with the intern.

With that though in mind, Enrico emerged from Dr. Klein’s office and went out to meet his destiny.