96 Souls Page #6

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Bazinga!

Ashes!

Activated carbon.

A purifying agent.

I'll wager my life it's

the triggering agent.

Billion-year-old carbon!

Yes!

Careful.

It's super... get it

all on the plastic.

Go ahead.

Ok.

Ok, here we go.

Are you ok?

Wow.

It feels robust.

Damn.

Too many variables are at work.

We need a subject to

properly document this,

or it remains a theorem

without any proof.

The psychology department

has the biggest research pool.

Do you want me to get

someone from there?

No.

I have someone in mind.

I'll be back.

Listen, mister.

I don't turn tricks, if that's

why you wanted to meet me.

No, no, nothing like that.

I'm from cu.

Speak English.

The university down the road.

You a teacher?

More of a scientist.

Bioscience.

I study ways to improve life.

Look around here.

You got your work cut

out for you, playa.

Those supposed to mean you cool?

What, these?

You may be a

professor, but you in

need of some serious

streetcreducation.

Do you remember when you

helped me the other day?

Yeah, when you was running

like a mad scientist?

Very good, yes.

Well, you struck me as a

possible subject for our study.

You want to study Bazemint?

What for?

I'll be honest.

I don't know.

But when we first

met, I saw potential.

And I think there's

value in pursuing that.

Are you sure you're

not trying to mingle me?

Mingle you?

Yeah, because I don't do that.

Anymore.

Look, I'm not planning

any tricks here.

I assure you my intentions

are strictly scientific.

And the cheese?

I can get you a couple

hundred dollars for your time.

What you looking

for, professor Jack?

That, Bazemint,

is precisely what I

hope you can help me find out.

This gonna be on YouTube?

Scientific experiment or

cat video... I wonder which

will get more hits.

Y'all got al-Gore-rhythms?

Algorithms?

Yes, we use them.

That sh*t really

gone change the world?

They already have, for sure.

What's your name again?

Ram.

You named after a goat?

My full name is ramble.

You named after a

goat taking a stroll?

My father's name

is Penku Tambel.

He's a big Creedence fan.

So he named me after

his favorite song,

"ramble tamble," except mine

is spelled with an e-l, not

an l-e.

Jeez Louise.

Sorry I asked.

We're all set, Jack.

You ready?

What I'm supposed to do?

Just relax.

You all right?

I don't know what

it is about you.

Yeah, I get that a lot.

How does it look, ram?

There is a lot here, Jack.

The good news... your

heart rate stayed normal.

You were never at risk.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Was that ok?

Why did you hold my shoulder?

You looked like you needed help.

Did I screw up already?

No.

No, you were fine.

We've had a good start.

I need to study what we

did here before we do more.

Can I call upon

you in another day

or so to do another session?

Ok.

But I need something else.

Well, my funds are limited.

Don't trip off that.

I don't want more cheese.

I want you to find

someone for me.

Find someone?

That's not what we do.

But you full of

science swag here.

I mean, look around.

You got some serious,

ginormous science swag.

We wouldn't be the best

people to help locate someone.

I don't even know

where to begin.

You a scientist?

Yes.

You a scientist,

in a big-ass school.

And you got

al-Gore-rhythms, right?

Algorithms, correct.

Listen.

You got computers.

You got a way to do it.

No one else has ever cared

to help me with this.

There are missing persons

organizations that can help.

Don't you think I

seen them already?

They couldn't do nothing.

It's different if

you give it a try.

Look, you says you

want to improve life.

Start with me.

Start with this life.

I can't promise we'll

succeed, but I tell you what.

We'll give it a shot.

Who do you want to find?

Well, it's hard to

talk about, because it

ain't no one's business.

It's your mother.

How did you know i... I want

to know where's my mama?

Is she still in the area?

Did she move away?

It's been so long.

And she was always sick.

But I think she's around here.

Can you help me find her?

We'll try.

Thank you.

Professor Jack, when

you were staring at me,

what did you see?

I still need more time

to understand things.

But I can tell you this.

Don't ever deny yourself and

your ability to do things,

Bazemint.

You know your

friend from dinner?

Brenda?

Yes.

She's working with the

county health administration.

Ask if she can check

if Bazemint's mom ever

turned up in the system.

What is her name?

Nina.

Nina Orleans.

And what name did

your mother give you?

Simone.

Simone.

Redfield.

Dr.

Redfield, it's Trixie Tao.

We had enhanced

background checks done

on all the prospective jurors.

It's unbelievable.

What's unbelievable?

I'd understand

if he was correct about

two, maybe three, people.

That's the norm.

But he was spot on with

every single person.

We've never seen that before.

Details, Ms. Tao.

Who is he?

Your

colleague, Dr. sutree.

He flagged several of

the potential jurors

as not trustworthy

before he became ill.

They all had passed the

initial standard screening

that was done.

But when we went back and fed

the info into our new security

tap, six of the individuals

had enough in their backgrounds

to make them ineligible.

I just sent the results to you.

By the way, how is he?

I need to contact him.

Do you know what this means

for any challenge that

ends up in front of a jury?

Yeah, don't worry.

I'll set something up.

Here's what we came up with.

There is a Nina

Orleans in the system.

Committed to Teargarden

15 years ago.

An addict.

Apparently the addiction

took her over the edge.

She had a daughter.

And the daughter was taken

away and placed in foster care.

That's who we're looking for!

Is she still there?

Oh, there's an issue

with Teargarden.

They've never kept good records.

They've since cleaned house.

About five years ago,

the times ran an expose.

Unfortunately, there's a

gap in the information.

Is there another

place we can look?

Well, I would suggest

going right there.

There's piles of

handwritten case records

that have never been entered.

I wouldn't know where

to begin to look.

Oh, I can help you with that.

Brenda, I wanted to let you know

how wonderful it

is that you have

been of such great assistance.

I'll call Blythe Bowlby,

and I'll set everything up.

John can accompany you.

He is familiar with

the data interface,

and he'll know

who to speak with.

Great.

And thank you very

much for the gift, ram.

You're very welcome.

It says it all, doesn't it?

Predocs work so many

hours in the day

that we're always pooped.

So what kind of

music you into, man?

I really don't know how

that is of importance.

It can be.

Depending.

Depending on?

Well, when I slam

through coding,

listening to grizzly bear helps.

But that's an exception.

I don't like lame-stream.

Fascinating.

Or when I'm clubbing, MC

boy, "transmission of love."

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