S1E18_DOOMWATCH - THE GIESSEN CODEX

8/8/2019 S1E18_DOOMWATCH - THE GIESSEN CODEX

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/s1e18doomwatch-the-giessen-codex 1/9



DOOMWATCH

THE GIESSEN CODEX

By Grant Foxon

“There is no justice in Nature perhaps, but the idea of justice must be sacred”.

HG Wells.

The room was dimly lit. It was a conference hall with tables arranged in a u shape. On

the small stage stood a man he was blindfolded. All the scientists and farmers and

capitalists in the room sat around watching with eager anticipation.

“Begin the test”. The lead presenter announced.

A short thin man in a suit held to glasses of milk in his hand. He gave them one at atime to the blind folded man who drank of both of them. Then the blindfold was

removed.

“Well?” The lead presenter asked.

The former blindfolded man shook his head. The presenter smiled.

“You see, taste and nutritionally there is no difference between cloned cow

milk and normal!”

His audience applauded, but he was preaching to the converted.

The mood at Doomwatch was sullen. Adam was trying to go with out alcohol. Whilst

it was clear he was succeeding so far his mood at become cranky. Paul got most of the

oral bombardment. Timmons also got his fair share when he was there. He gave little

to Miranda unless she annoyed him and gave none to Eve. In fact he’d go out of his

way to compliment and congratulate her much to everyone else’s annoyance.

“So any new assignments boss?” Paul asked chirpily.“No” came Adam’s short reply.

Eve had handed out the morning papers, which Miranda was idly flicking through

when she noticed something.

“Wait a moment. I think I might have something here”. Miranda announced.

“What is it?” Paul asked.

“A piece here printed in a foreign news paper that apparently claims that

cloned cows milk is being sold and distributed throughout the UK without customers

knowing about it”. Miranda said.

“But does it really matter. I mean if it’s a clone of a healthy cow surely it’sexactly the same?” Paul asked.



Adam gave Paul a look that shouted MORON!

“It’s not that simple Paul. You see cloned animals tend to have short life spans

and are often born with severe problem. In fact cloned cattle are often given

antibiotics to them going through the first few months”.

“Antibiotics?”

Miranda took up the debate.

“Which could mean Paul that if you consume enough of the milk from a

cloned animal then you could ingest bacterium that fights antibiotics which

could leave you up a certain creek without a paddle if you need them”.

“And the effects on already ill people or your children could be devastating.

Surely Europe would never let this bill through?” Adam said.

“Maybe they don’t know?” Miranda asked.

Adam picked up the paper and read the article.

“The journalist is credible enough”.

Adam tapped a tune on the desk as his mind began to work.

“I wonder…you know what Miranda I think you have found our new

investigation. First things first ask that delightful Eve to send a few memos out

and then we can send you and the boy wonder here on a field trip. Literally”.

Miranda and Paul looked at one another.

“Not another trip to some muddy hell hole”. Paul cried.

“Now come on, you’ve seen the Redux version of Apocalypse Now, you

should be used to muddy hell holes by now. And you’re lucky the actor Martin

Sheen had a heart attack making that celluloid classic”.

Unsure if he was serious or not Miranda and Paul watched as Adam stormed into his

office and slammed the door.

“You know I think he made more sense as a raging alcoholic”. Paul said.

The Dewsdale Farm was a large modern establishment located in rural Surrey. The

farm was under control of Mr Shaw, an elderly scruffy idealist with a sharp mind. He

sat in his study reading the morning papers.There was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” he barked.

Collins was an upper class grad student who was studying agriculture and various

scientists. He had an irritating posh voice that grated on Shaw’s mind. However he

knew what he was doing.

“You sent for me Mr Shaw?”

“Read it!”

Shaw pointed to the article that Collins scanned quickly.

“But how did she get her story?” Collins asked naively.



“Some body has been talking out of turn that’s how she got her bloody story!”

“But everyone who knew it was in their best interests to sit on it and keep it

quiet”.

Mr Shaw began to pace the room.

“Yeah you’re right. Maybe someone mentioned it without realising”. Shawtheorised.

“Even then it’s not something one drops into polite conversation is it”.

“The clearance was given only if we keep it quiet. If this creates a shit storm

then its here that’ll be the…”

“Epicentre?” Collins offered politely.

“Yeah that”.

“People might not even care this is Great Britain after all”. Collins offered.

“I hope you’re right”. Shaw replied.

As if on queue the phone on the desk rang. Shaw picked it up.

“Hello. Yes speaking…..I see no of course…Doomwatch? Our pleasure….”

The conversation lasted a little longer but Collins thought Shaw was about to

positively explode.

“Doomwatch. They’re coming here!”

“Here? When”

“She didn’t say. Damn it! How are we meant to fence them?!” Shaw screamed

in a blind fury.

Adam felt his entire being become engulfed in waves of melancholy. He was

trying to quit drinking. He kept himself secluded because at times generally more so

in the afternoon he would develop shakes. They were out of his control, which is

perhaps why he felt so conscious about them.

He looked out of his window at the sights of London. There were recent talks

that Doomwatch would be one of the departments that would have to be moved for

cost reasons up North.

Adam looked down at his hands. A slight pulsation was occurring outside his

control. There was a knock at his office door. Adam quickly sat down behind his desk

and rested his hands there to help stop the shakes.

“Come in!” he cried.

Eve walked in.

“I’ve rung them and set up a visiting time”. Eve smiled politely as she

spoke.

“Thanks Eve”. Adam replied.

Eve turned and left the room closing the door quietly behind her as she left. Adam put

his arms crossed on the desk and rested his head. He was feeling tired and lethargic.

Not so much stressed as detached.



“The meetings been arranged” Eve told Miranda and Paul.

“Good. I wonder if the press are gonna go to town with this one?” Paul

asked.

“It depends is Jordan getting married again this week?”

Miranda replied sarcastically. Paul grinned.“You know one day something good and happy will happen here”.

“Don’t be daft. We get cloned cows, eco terrorists, and general shit”.

Timmons sat at his desk looking at the file in front of him regarding the cloning

debacle. The leak should never have occurred. Palms were greased but the cloning

research from the states was evident that the risk from cloned animals was minimal.

The vetting procedures would see that the meat was safe. And now…and now a storm

had been created by the media. There would have to be an investigation. Relations

were on the mend with the USA and this could once again throw a spanner in the

works.

And all because some left wing vegan journalist stateside got the intel. And now

Doomwatch were involved. The Americans already hated the UK government body.

Dezak had burned his hands over here in the UK and he had lots of important friends

in his native country. The potential for a disaster here was imminent. A good report

was needed of Doomwatch. And that depended on the fickle psychology of Adam

Quist. Timmons skimmed the file. He was glad he wasn’t a gambling man. Timmons

reached for the phone and dialled a number.

Adam Quist had gotten changed into a spare nice suit. He applied some cologne in the

vain hope he would feel cleaner. He didn’t. He walked out into the main Doomwatch

room where Eve was busy filing.

“You look good boss”. She commented pleasantly.

“Really. Only…I don’t feel it”.

Eve leaned in closer and adjusted Adam’s collar.

“There you are boss. All good”.

Adam smiled.

“Thanks Eve”.

He then left the building.

Mr Shaw anxiously paced his office whilst he waited from his conference call to go

through to Texas. All of a sudden he heard Bud Donahues voice.

“Shaw you old English son of gun how the hell you doing?!”

Bud announced over enthusiastically.

“I’m fine. I need to talk with you Bud”.

“Sounds ominous. The clone Bulls haven’t knocked up all your cows

have they?”



Bud laughed at his own joke.

“Not quiet. There’s been a leak. Some journalist apparently in the

states contacted papers here. It’s come out about the clones. People

are pretty unhappy about it”.

Shaw tried not to sound so desperate.

“Shaw, Shaw people are always pissed. You look at the natural human

Utopia. I bet in Plato’s vision everyone’s pissed”.

“People here aren’t so forgiving”.

“We’ve got the import licenses and the UK has had to drop its more

stringent anti-cloning laws because of the EU. So what’s the

problem?”

“People want to know if the meat is clone meat. We’ve released too

much into circulation to withdraw it all”.

Bud laughed out loud.“That’s your business Bud. Look for goodness sake it tastes the same,

it looks the same. Some left wing morons want to get on their high

horses and shove their heads up their asses then screw them. I gotta

go”.

With that Bud hung up. Shaw slowly replaced the receiver.

“Bloody yank morons!” Shaw momentarily exploded in a rage.

There was a knock on the door.

“What!” Shaw screamed.

Collins opened the door smiling.

“Mr Quist is here from Doomwatch”.

Shaw expelled his anger and nodded.

“Show him in”. Shaw applied a fake smile to his face.

Adam Quist entered the office.

“Mr Quist, please do come in”.

Shaw offered his hand.

“Thank you Mr Shaw. It’s certainly a fine establishment you have

here”.

“Do you know much about agriculture Mr Quist?”

Shaw asked.

“I live in the country I’ve learned a few things. Please call me Adam”.

Shaw smiled.

“Adam it is can I offer you a drink”.

“Black coffee please”.

Adam replied quickly.“Good choice”.



Shaw nodded to Collins who took the hint and put the kettle on.

“Now I presume you’re here because of the cloning story”.

“Yes”.

“To be honest I think you’ve had a wasted journey. Our animals areperfectly safe. Cloning as a science has moved incredibly fast of late.

And it is the future”.

Adam considered his reply.

“Of that I have no doubt. However certain research suggests there

maybe some issues regarding antibiotics”.

Shaw smiled.

“Mr…Adam, we’ve moved on a hell of a lot since Dolly the sheep.

Clones are not always born weak now”.

“But the first batch you had imported from the states I gather. Wereyou with them for their first few days of life? Do you know for 100

percent they’re safe and healthy and were not issued any drugs?”.

Collins arrived with a black coffee.

“Thank you”. Adam smiled. Collins nodded and left the room.

“Adam I guarantee the animals are safe. You can run any tests you

like”.

“We are a few of my people are at one of your other farms where you

have cloned animals running some tests. Look I do not want to close

you down if the clones are safe I shall leave and never bother you

again”.

Adams hand began to shake that he held the coffee mug in. He quickly placed it down

on a nearby table.

“Are you alright?” Shaw asked.

“Yes. It’s nothing”. Adam replied.

A county away and Paul’s well worn boots were caked in mud. He and Miranda hadarrived at a farm where some of the cattle were cloned. Miranda was examining the

various blood and tissue samples kept for such a reason. Whilst Paul waited

awkwardly in a nearby field. Miranda returned.

“Well?” He asked impatiently.

“I’m no vet but the cloned samples appear to be just as healthy as the

natural counterparts”.

“That’s good isn’t it?” Paul asked.

Miranda’s expression said differently.

“Possibly”.



“Possibly?”

“Yes, the records of the cattle’s births as it were are not kept here. If

these animals were pumped with drugs in their formative stages then

it doesn’t show up on a blood test. And as there is apparently so many

of these animals now in the food chain and have bred various

elements might also have gone into the mix”.

Paul thought for a moment.

“Is there really a danger of an earlier immunity to antibiotics?”

“Preliminary cloning tests showed the animals were weaker. We’re

playing God here Paul. I can see the advantages to issues like

starvation but I’m not 100% convinced cloning has moved on

sufficiently for this technology to be put to use. We don’t know how

many of these clones are already in the food chain”.

Adam left the farm bemused. He didn’t really see the big deal with cloned animals.

Perhaps it was a natural lethargy which along with the DT’s had took residence in hismind following the lack of alcohol going through his bloodstream. He climbed into

his landrover and fired it up and sped off.

Shaw couldn’t tell if the meeting with Adam Quist went well or not. It certainly didn’t

seem to go particularly bad at all. It was then that he received a phone call. Shaw

wasn’t expecting one.

“Hello?”

Shaw was shocked to hear Bud on the other end of the line.

“Bud…how….what who?”

Adam was tempted to divert to a bar or off license en route back to Doomwatch. To

have the cooling alcohol calm the burning immediate firestorm within himself. He

didn’t feel any better for not drinking.

Shaw was shocked by the news he had just heard. Collins knocked on his door.

“How did it go?”

Shaw turned around and punched Collins hard in the face.

“You bastard! You leaked the story. Don’t try and deny it I know”.

Collins rubbed his bleeding nose and casually stood up.

“Yes I did. And if you want a reason then I’ll give it to you. You treat

me like I’m nothing. I saw an avenue to make a lot of money and do

the right thing”.

Shaw couldn’t believe the betrayal.“Get out and don’t come back!”



“Don’t worry I don’t intend to”.

With that Collins walked out.

Back at Doomwatch everyone sat around discussing.

“There could be issues developed later in life. In fact this could blow

up. I believe further testing needed to be done before these clones were

released into the food chain. Genetically it is impossible to tell them

from natural born creatures”.

Miranda announced.

“Sounds like we don’t have much of a choice or an answer then”.

Paul replied sourly.

THE END.

Documents

S1E18_DOOMWATCH - THE GIESSEN CODEX