Gene Therapy Dose 04-A β (Acquiring Funding)
By Dr. Zephyr
NOTE: This chapter has been divided into two parts, A and B. This is because the chapter is quite long, and it makes more sense to post this finished section now rather than wait for the entire chapter to be finished. For that reason, the ending here is quite brief, as the story is continued immediately after the events here in part B.
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Log 01 β Air Travel
Before the annual fundraising event happening in only a week, I needed a secure bank account to hold any newly acquired funds. It was for that reason that I was boarding a small regional jet bound for the Cayman Islands after a short layover in Miami. Even though I had only paid for economy seats, it only took some brief chitchat with the airline employee to be upgraded to business class; I didn't even need to ask.
The plane was on the small side, only four seats across in economy and three in business. I took my seat and started reading on my Kindle to kill the time until we left the gate and they made the announcement to "turn off all electronic devices." It was only a moment before I had to get up again to give a woman access to the window seat. She was in her mid-to-late 20s, and had a look about her that said she had earned her seat in business class. Her prim pantsuit made it obvious that this trip to the Caribbean was primarily business rather than pleasure.
I offered my hand and gave a brief introduction. "Hello, I'm Dr. Zephyr. It's nice to meet you...?"
She gave my offered hand a shake. "Haley Lampe." Releasing my hand, she started to turn away, but realized she didn't actually want to end the conversation with only a greeting.
Haley would likely emerge from the protection of her tough business woman persona on her own; I didn't need to usher her along. I returned to my book and ignored her furtive glances. After the stream of boarding passengers had trickled to a stop, the business class stewardess started making her round before we left the gate. When she reached my row, she leaned in far too close to be casual and asked if I needed anything.
I gave her a suggestive grin, but only asked for "some water, please." I had already caught her eye when she greeted me during boarding. She let her hand linger as she asked Haley the same question.
Haley was a little put out by the flight attendant's familiarity toward me, but had a hard time reconciling the jealousy. "I'm fine, thank you." She put a little too much force into the 'thank you' for it to be considered friendly.
Before I could return to my book, Haley interjected awkwardly. "So... Umm... why are you visiting the Caymans?"
I gave a shrug. "Business I suppose; I need to open a new bank account. How about you?"
She gave me an understanding look. "I'm an attorney, and the firm I work for is sending me to take care of some business for a client. It's not terribly exciting, but the pay is good... And a weekend in the Caribbean is a nice bonus."
Despite her standoffish attitude when she boarded the plane, Haley was definitely above average in regard to attractiveness. "Not too much travel for me, I'm a professor at X University, a molecular geneticist to be precise. How about you, what kind of law do you practice?" I realized that she might be useful beyond a sexual encounter.
The stewardess stopped by, placing a cup of water on a paper napkin rather deliberately. She gave me a sly smile and moved on to deliver more drinks. When I turned back to Haley, she had turned toward me in her seat, and was leaning forward eagerly. "I studied nonprofit law, but unfortunately I work for a rather typical corporate law firm. It isn't what I hoped, but it's a job, and it pays well."
Nonprofit law is perfect for what I need, so the look of surprise I gave her was mostly genuine. "What a coincidence! I'm going to be starting a charitable foundation soon, and I know we'll need a good lawyer on the staff." I gave her a kind smile. "I wouldn't ask you to leave your job or anything, but maybe you can recommend someone?"
She was obviously interested, but didn't want to appear overeager. "I'm sure I could provide a recommendation... But what kind of organization are we talking about here? What's the background?"
I felt hesitation revealing anything at this stage, but knew that her advice would be useless if she didn't at least know the basics. "Well, first of all, I recently came into a large sum of money. That's the reason for this trip. As a scientist working on genetic conditions, I've met several generous philanthropists, who have agreed to fund my charitable efforts. There isn't a real specific goal right now, but the idea is for it to be part research organization continuing my work. The other part would be aiding women and children in need that have difficult circumstances."
She was looking at me like I was an angel in the guise of a man. "Wow, that sounds amazing Dr. Zephyr... and very generous of you to devote your time like that... It does seem like a really complicated setup though..."
I took a drink of my water, and noticed a folded piece of notepad paper hidden under the napkin. "Please Haley, call me David. I know it's going to be difficult to set up, so that's why I plan on getting an attorney involved first thing."
She was looking at me intently, I could see she had made up her mind. "Let me work for you, David. This is exactly the sort of work I was hoping to do before I started law school. I know I don't have a lot of experience... but I can make up for that with dedication."
I gave her a broad smile which she soon returned. "Absolutely Haley, I would love to have you. What about your current job though?"
Her voice was melodic with happiness as she quickly explained that she could finish her assignment in the Caymans, and then start helping me with my bank account right away. She'd give notice to her firm, and would be available full time in two weeks. She made it clear that she wanted to move to wherever I was located, and two weeks would be plenty of time to sort things out and arrange the move.