"I'm sorry, Daniel, but the university budget has been slashed and many programs will have to be cut as a result." Nigel Ford, head of the Research Group had been a scientist before going taking the headship of the department and there were times when he deeply-regretted that choice. He had thought it would put him in a position to lobby harder with the university administration for support of the department but today that looked hopeless.
"Damn, Nigel. We go through this every year. Can't those idiot drama queens ever manage a budget from one year to the next." Daniel Harrison was angry as he hated taking time from his work for these types of meetings. He was the leader of the Applied Genome Research team and he was one of the world's best in working with recombinant DNA.
Ford replied, "This isn't the same annual song and dance. The Feds cut the budget massively and the university may not survive. Genome research doesn't have many friends in the political world and they have been trying to stop this for years. I'm afraid the news is that we have to close the department."
"Damn it, man. Damn it!" Harrison shouted and went on, "Those idiot politicians are so repressive of science that they make the Pope's attitude toward Galileo look enlightened."
"Don't forget I'm the messenger, Daniel. My thoughts about their simple-minded attitudes are it at least as contemptuous as yours. You know as well as I that politicians will use any possible tool to manipulate voters."
"I'm sorry, Nigel. You don't deserve this but it makes me so damn mad." Harrison settled down a little bit but he was obviously still fuming.
"It gets worse, Daniel. We can't keep the lab open and we will have to find some way to manage the animals or we won't have any choice but to sacrifice them."
"NO, hell no. I am double-damned if I will slaughter them. I've got twenty-four dogs in the advanced program. The research into creating a larynx in them was very successful and we have been playing a library of words to them since they were pups. The trouble isn't giving them the ability to talk but rather in showing them that they can. We are so damn close, Nigel. We are SO close!"
"I really can't tell you how sorry I am about this and ..."
"If I could find some way to move the dogs, how could anyone stop me from smuggling them out of here?" Daniel was absolutely not going to permit anyone taking his dogs. He loved all of them and it would ruin his research to lose them. He was this close to success and he was dying to hear at least one talking.
"I will pretend I didn't hear that, Daniel," said Ford and then he winked.
"Well, there's nothing more to be said, is there," replied Harrison.
"Not now, no. If there is anything further, you already know the protocol."
"Yes, of course. No telephones and we only talk in-person or communicate by postal mail. That's clear. I need to get back to work, Nigel." Clear on what he needed to do, Harrison shook hands with Ford and turned to leave the room.
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