KILLS 99.9%. Patrick Ottuso

of Fabrini’s breakthrough, he could not give this bumbling fool any inclination of such a find. It was he who felt that Fabrini should not be allowed to join the staff. The repercussions from his peers would be very embarrassing. The request for human studies would have to be brought to the Board for discussion and the next board meeting was slotted for 8 weeks from now. Milton would get back to him about scheduling. Fabrini on the other hand, had no intention of waiting 2 months to hear from those idiots on the Board. Time was money. He would find his own means of taking his research to the next level.

      The classified ad just might work. If he could get some individuals to participate in his study while paying them a small stipend, he would be able to present even more information to the Board. Even if they reprimanded him for beginning his research without their approval, the results would speak for themselves and everyone would be happy. When he got the call from the veterinarian, his research took a different turn. Why didn’t he think of using primates in his research sooner? After discussing his research with Dr. Carter, including the harmless nature of his work, she was more than happy to collect two hundred dollars for each stage of the study. Her only concern was that the primates not be harmed. After further discussing the specifics of skin testing the primates, Fabrini felt that Madeline, the lowlands gorilla, seemed to be the most tame of the bunch. He would begin this phase of the study with her.

      First Impressions

      The research sounded quite interesting. Working with someone from the Rockefeller University was something to be proud of. She might even get her name in a publication of the findings. Not only that, the money was good and the troop wouldn’t be harmed. Paying off those damn student loans may be a little easier now and Dr. Fabrini sounded like he might be someone she would like to get to know better. Allison Carter didn’t think of the potential implications of allowing Dr. Fabrini to come into the Primate House, performing unauthorized experiments on her friends. There’s no harm in rubbing a small amount of gel onto a simian arm, she thought. As a matter of fact, she might even use the sanitizer for cleansing the primates and for treating superficial wounds and cuts…if the stuff really worked. Scheduled to meet with Dr. Fabrini on Sunday, Allison felt a little bit better about her current economic woes. Her future employer might even become more than a co-researcher.

      Donald left his basement apartment in Throgs Neck at 8:15 a.m. He had fifteen minutes to get to work and feed the “fucking monkeys” and clean the cages. While he hated his job, it did pay for his meager needs and for the rent. Last year, he should have listened to his brother who moved to Florida. Tommy worked for the sanitation department and was retiring to Vero Beach where his pension would be more than enough to sustain him and his wife of twenty years. His brother was fed up with traffic and the New York winters and encouraged his little brother to come with him and open up a twenty four hour diner, the first in Vero Beach. Donald thought about the opportunity for a while but decided against it when he heard that the wife/bitch was going to be the main cook at the diner. Donald wouldn’t be able to work by her side day in and day out—he would go nuts! While the weather was rough at times in New York, today was bright and cool. It might not be such a bad day after all, Donald thought. After dealing with the apes, he could get to Off Track Betting where he loved to play the horses. Even though he was in the hole for two thousand bucks, today might be the day to make it up. His friend Anthony gave him a great tip on one of the races. Anthony worked as one of the stable hands at Yonkers Raceway and got some inside information that Dancing Johnny, a two year old colt, was receiving steroid enhancing hormones and was going to literally run away with the race. Traffic was light on Pelham Parkway and Donald arrived on time as usual. The beasts were their usual annoying selves and a brief ruckus erupted as Donald entered the house. Madeline was the only one that Donald liked and he always gave her extra food. Sam, on the other hand really got on his nerves and once even tried to escape. Today, Sam was extra noisy, grunting and pushing against the cage, hoping for the door to allow an easy exit. Maybe today might be a good day to hold the son of a bitch’s food, Donald thought.

      The sun shone off of the metal roof on the Crosstown Diner like a beacon, summoning Allison to breakfast. Meeting Dr. Fabrini at 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning was not too disruptive of her sleep schedule and getting her buttered roll and cafe con leche was part of her routine on days that she worked at the zoo. She would discuss his research protocol with him today while at the same time introducing him to her primate buddies. She was curious to see the responses from each of the individuals, as the primates, especially Madeline, were quite perceptive when it came to encounters with strangers. The buttered roll was soft and tasty as usual and the cafe con leche was as frothy as the sea foam on Jones Beach during rough surf. Ready for another day, Dr. Carter pulled into her reserved parking space at the rear of the building, welcomed by a pair of robin red breasts busily forming their nest in a large hemlock tree. Allison was still fascinated by the fact that she could work in the Bronx but still look out her office window at such a beautiful ‘mother nature grown’ arboretum. Her morning welcome went as usual, with Madeline presenting her with a minimally-gnawed apple. While she waited for Dr. Fabrini’s arrival, Dr. Carter performed her usual perusal of the inhabitants and their cages. All seemed intact and the cages were clean, as were the food bowls. Donald had been in and out and had done his usual meticulous job. Sam, who had been sleeping, seemed a bit irritable, and was not as welcoming as he usually was. As a matter of fact, he appeared upset she woke him up from his sleep. Dr. Carter thought little of the mood change but decided that she would order some tests for Sam if it continued. She wasn’t aware of any other issues with Sam as Donald had not reported any change in eating habits or bowel movements.

      Dr. Fabrini arrived ten minutes late, blaming his tardiness on the traffic on the FDR Drive. He had never been to the zoo and he too was fascinated by the natural surroundings in the middle of a city. While at first hesitant, Dr. Fabrini took to the primates easily, offering them small treats as introduction. Dr. Carter did notice though how quickly Sam took the treat and then became extremely anxious for more. Madeline was not so easy to associate with. As Dr. Fabrini approached her, she actually withdrew despite the tasty peace offering. There was something about Dr. Fabrini that caused Madeline to be wary of him. With a little bit of coersion on the part of Allison, Madeline finally accepted the treat and retreated to a corner of her cage. With the introductions over, Dr. Carter and Dr. Fabrini settled down at her desk to discuss the research protocol. Dr. Fabrini would come to the zoo every Sunday and apply a sample of the Bourgal to a small area on the arm of one of the primates. The area would need to be shaven first to allow for penetration of the sanitizer onto the skin, avoiding the hair. Bacterial sample cultures would be taken at 1,2 and five hours after application and a microscopic evaluation of the sample would be performed, looking for any residual bacteria. No harm would come to the primates, Dr. Fabrini assured her. As a matter of fact, if the subjects had any cuts, abrasions or injuries, the Bourgal would also be applied to those areas to allow for more rapid healing. Cash payments would be provided at each visit and Dr. Carter would have the chance to join him at the Board of Directors meeting if results were promising. Who knows, “you might even be offered a position at the center,” suggested Fabrini. The morning sun surrendered to a blazing afternoon show of power as lunchtime reached Allison’s gastric juices. It was time for Louie’s famous culinary delights and Tremont Avenue was just a stone’s throw away. Allison decided that now would be a good time to get to know her cohort in crime better as she described her favorite eating spot. Dr. Fabrini welcomed the invitation and was looking forward to the best pizza in New York. Sam though, was still hungry.