“Peter, what would you say if I told you I’d found a cure for the common cold?” Johnson spun around in his chair to face Peter.

“I’d say you were like all the other scientists, and I bet you failed,” Peter replied in a dignified voice.

“No,” Johnson shook his head, “Peter, my boy, this pill will completely rid you of any cold symptoms within four hours, and they won’t come back!”

“Wow, if only I had a cold right now we could try it.”

”Mr. Johnson, Sir, can I come back in now?” Peter wrapped his arms around his bare chest and peeked inside the back door of the lab.

“Petah, what’re doing out here with your shirt off?” Davy appeared from behind the door with a large bag of trash.

“I’m getting sick so Mr. Johnson can test his cold remedy on me,” Peter explained.

“Oh,” Davy frowned, “Well, at least you get to do important things. Ms. Bates treats me like her housekeeper. All I do is clean her office.”

”I’m sorry, Davy. Look at it this way, we probably won’t be working here that long anyway.”

“To be perfectly honest, I don’t see what Mike and Micky were on about. Everyone here seems like normal people just doing their jobs. No one really looks suspicious,” Davy observed, staring through the window at the scientists, running around frantically.

“But I thought they were doing “important” experiments. A cold cure really isn’t important. We don’t need it,” Peter pointed out.

Davy nodded in agreement, “You’re right. Maybe they’re just covering up the real experiments. Or perhaps there aren’t any experiments at all. Maybe it’s just a big controversy.”

“What should we do?”

“Let’s just finish off this day like we suspect nothing. Can’t give them any reason to fire us on the first day.

“Boys, c’mon now. We’re not paying you to,” Ms. Bates paused at the door, trying to phrase what it was they were doing. “Well, we certainly pay you to work so let’s go.”

”Ms. Bates, I’m suppose to be here,” Peter explained.

“Oh, I see. Davy, we had a minor explosion, but it made a pretty major mess so get in here and clean it up,” Ms. Bates turned around and went back inside.

“What’d I tell you? Cleaning, it’s all I’m good for,” Davy muttered. He frowned, whipping out a rag from his back pocket, and proceeded inside.

“Where are they, Mike? Where are they?” Micky paced back and forth in front of Mike, who was calmly reading the newspaper.

“Micky, would you cool it? They’re fine. They’ll be home in a few minutes.”

“Are you sure this was a good idea? I mean, maybe we shouldn’t be meddling in their business. They’re scientists, they have power.”

“Am I sure? Of course I’m sure, and up until a minute ago, I thought you were too. You’re Micky; you live to meddle,” Mike folded the paper in half and tossed it aside, leaning back on the couch.

“I do not live to meddle,” Micky objected, only receiving a knowing smile from Mike. “OK, maybe I enjoy meddling, but I don’t live to do it.”

“Right, you live to be annoying.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Micky smiled, shaking his head slowly as he spoke, “Well, Mike, on a scale of one to ten you’re about an nine point nine-nine right now. I’m trying to talk to you seriously, and you’re not listening.”

”Seriously? What is so serious? We’ve done nothing wrong,” Mike chuckled at Micky’s expense, “Peter and Davy got jobs down there. Any two guys could have done that. Any two.”

“Hey guys,” Peter opened the door and slipped in, greeting the two of them while taking off his jacket, pausing while he sneezed.

“Hey,” Mike and Micky replied in unison, glancing towards each other in question. They stood and walked over to the door where Peter stood.

“So, how was work?” Micky asked, trying to make it sound as normal and every day as possible.

“OK, I guess. Except,” Peter was interrupted by yet another sneeze.

“Why do you keep sneezing?” Mike said.

“Yeah, that was the “except” part. I got a cold and Johnson’s medicine stuff didn’t work. So now I’m sick,” Peter trudged over to the couch and collapsed on top of it. Mike and Micky joined him as he continued, “Johnson is the guy I’m working for. He’s been experimenting with this cold cure and he sent me outside without my shirt to get me sick so he could try it. Well, it didn’t work.”

“That’s ridiculous. What right do they have to make you sick just to test something on you?” Micky said.

“Apparently the same right that they have to do the experiments in the first place,” Mike said, “Did you find anything weird or unusual while you were there?”

“No, not really,” Peter replied, “Except,” he sneezed.

“Why, Pete? Why do you always sneeze after the “except”?” Micky demanded, as Peter chuckled, recovering from the sneeze.

“Except, what, man? What’s going on?” Mike prompted. Before Peter could explain, Micky looked around, finally noticing the person who was absent from coming home with Peter.

“Where’s Davy?”