all she could think was that he came across so British . That thought remained in her head as the young man on the desk outside Warwick’s office glanced up at a note that had evidently just appeared on his screen. With the air of condescension that only those in menial positions could produce he coughed to attract her attention, held her gaze a split second longer than was friendly and invited her to enter the office.
Although this time she was prepared for the contrast of the office compared to the rest of the clinic, the décor still struck her as out of keeping and an attempt to create an image. This was the office of someone who tried that little bit too hard. Warwick was sat behind his desk, and to his right was another man, slightly taller and slightly older, she guessed. He was bent over some notes on the screen to the side of the desk and looked up cheerfully as Rei entered the room. Warwick smiled with the sincerity of a lizard and started to speak.
“Miss Ishinomori, please allow me to introduce….”
“Dr Amar Malik,” Rei finished his sentence for him. “I am absolutely delighted to meet you, sir. I have read several of your papers on artificial DNA reproduction and screening. I am deeply honoured.”
“Not so honoured that you have read all of my papers. I am disappointed,” said Malik, nodding his head slightly and then grinning to ensure that his joke was not taken as a serious rebuke of Rei’s study. Rei blushed slightly and wished she had read all his papers too.
“I had heard that you were working in Walden Centre, but I certainly never imagined that I should be able to meet such a distinguished member of the profession. There are so many subjects that I would like to discuss with you.”
Warwick interjected simply by talking above his other two guests. “I’m sure you two could rattle on all day, but I, unfortunately, have work to do. Miss Ishinomori I’m sure that by now you are wondering about the background to the Lyal case on which you’ve been working.”
“Well, I have been thinking about it and….” Warwick held up a hand and stopped her mid-sentence again, and Rei decided that she would wait to be invited before she said anything at all to him.
“Dr Malik has been working on, and monitoring, Mr Lyal’s case. He was the original consultant for the patient, but more importantly, Mr Lyal’s whole reason for being at this clinic, in fact the whole procedure that enabled him to be alive at all, is largely down to Dr Malik’s vision.
“Well, I have had some help in certain departments….”
“Yes well, you may discuss that in your own time should you wish. Although I hope that you both remember how busy you are. But as I was saying, Mr Lyal’s very existence is linked to the work of Dr Malik.”
“Oh, I thought Mathew, I mean Mr Lyal, had a heart problem, and Dr Malik’s specialism is surely in….”
“You are quite correct, Miss Ishinomori,” Warwick interrupted, causing Rei to wince slightly, chastising herself for speaking out of turn. “However,” Warwick continued unabashed, “his coronary condition is only part of the whole picture. What I have to tell you about your patient will soon be common knowledge, if all goes according to plan, anyway. Now, what I shall tell you is, perhaps, somewhat incredible, but true and, basically straightforward at the same time.
“Mr Lyal suffered from angina, I take it that you have heard of this condition?”
Rei waited slightly too long before realising that she was expected to speak at this point. “Well, yes, of course. Although I thought there had been very few cases of it outside of South America and Africa for decades.”
“Quite right. Well Mr Lyal was one of those cases. He had heart problems as a child that weren’t detected early enough, and through his adult life has suffered from a series of coronary complications. The most severe of these led to a small myocardial infarction when he was 27,
Although this time she was prepared for the contrast of the office compared to the rest of the clinic, the décor still struck her as out of keeping and an attempt to create an image. This was the office of someone who tried that little bit too hard. Warwick was sat behind his desk, and to his right was another man, slightly taller and slightly older, she guessed. He was bent over some notes on the screen to the side of the desk and looked up cheerfully as Rei entered the room. Warwick smiled with the sincerity of a lizard and started to speak.
“Miss Ishinomori, please allow me to introduce….”
“Dr Amar Malik,” Rei finished his sentence for him. “I am absolutely delighted to meet you, sir. I have read several of your papers on artificial DNA reproduction and screening. I am deeply honoured.”
“Not so honoured that you have read all of my papers. I am disappointed,” said Malik, nodding his head slightly and then grinning to ensure that his joke was not taken as a serious rebuke of Rei’s study. Rei blushed slightly and wished she had read all his papers too.
“I had heard that you were working in Walden Centre, but I certainly never imagined that I should be able to meet such a distinguished member of the profession. There are so many subjects that I would like to discuss with you.”
Warwick interjected simply by talking above his other two guests. “I’m sure you two could rattle on all day, but I, unfortunately, have work to do. Miss Ishinomori I’m sure that by now you are wondering about the background to the Lyal case on which you’ve been working.”
“Well, I have been thinking about it and….” Warwick held up a hand and stopped her mid-sentence again, and Rei decided that she would wait to be invited before she said anything at all to him.
“Dr Malik has been working on, and monitoring, Mr Lyal’s case. He was the original consultant for the patient, but more importantly, Mr Lyal’s whole reason for being at this clinic, in fact the whole procedure that enabled him to be alive at all, is largely down to Dr Malik’s vision.
“Well, I have had some help in certain departments….”
“Yes well, you may discuss that in your own time should you wish. Although I hope that you both remember how busy you are. But as I was saying, Mr Lyal’s very existence is linked to the work of Dr Malik.”
“Oh, I thought Mathew, I mean Mr Lyal, had a heart problem, and Dr Malik’s specialism is surely in….”
“You are quite correct, Miss Ishinomori,” Warwick interrupted, causing Rei to wince slightly, chastising herself for speaking out of turn. “However,” Warwick continued unabashed, “his coronary condition is only part of the whole picture. What I have to tell you about your patient will soon be common knowledge, if all goes according to plan, anyway. Now, what I shall tell you is, perhaps, somewhat incredible, but true and, basically straightforward at the same time.
“Mr Lyal suffered from angina, I take it that you have heard of this condition?”
Rei waited slightly too long before realising that she was expected to speak at this point. “Well, yes, of course. Although I thought there had been very few cases of it outside of South America and Africa for decades.”
“Quite right. Well Mr Lyal was one of those cases. He had heart problems as a child that weren’t detected early enough, and through his adult life has suffered from a series of coronary complications. The most severe of these led to a small myocardial infarction when he was 27,
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