"Doctor Green?" His secretary said, "There's a Mister Edward Blanch here to see you." 

"No visitors today, Madeline." Hank said, continuing to tinker.

"I think you'll want to hear this one out, Doctor." Blanch called from the other side of the door.

Hank sighed, "You know Madeline," He said, "The whole point of your job is to make sure people don't make it to my door." 

"He wants to fund the project." Madeline stammered. 

Hank opened the door slowly, "Oh?" He asked. 

"Something like that." Blanch replied, Reaching out to shake Hank's hand. "You make a good first impression, Doctor." 

The two men crowded the small lab, it most mostly countertops, surrounding a large table in the center of the room.

"I apologize," Hank said, "We get a lot of visitors here, mostly students from the college up the road, begging to work with me." 

"They call you 'the mad doctor', don't they?" Blanch asked.

Hank swallowed, "Yes," he replied, "A term of endearment, I hope."

Blanch chuckled, "Yes, something like that, I'm sure." He replied, "I wonder, what is it you do here that earned you such a nickname?" 

"You know what they call me," Hank replied, "But not what they say I do?" 

"I know what they say," Blanch said, "But I'd like to hear it from you."

Hank nodded, "It's simple, really," He said, "What if you never had to say goodbye again?" 

"Go on." Blanch encouraged him.

"The fragility of human life," Hank said, "It could soon be a thing of the past. Step one, create a suitable replacement body, containing my theoretical genome." 

"This genome," Blanch asked, "Where does it come from? What is it, exactly?" 

"It's human, for the most part." Hank replied, "Our cells can be kept alive chemically for quite some time, nearly indefinitely. Think of it like a vaccine, the most widely effective vaccine on the planet." 

"And these copies, these new bodies?" Blanch asked.

"Perfect replicas," Hank replied, "Aside from the eyes, the genome turns them yellow."

"I see," Blanch said, "Could you override that?" 

"Theoretically," Hank replied, "But it'd be extra work, a custom job if you will, but it could be done. Why do you ask?"

"Well let me tell you why I'm really here," Blanch said, "My wife and son were taken from me. There was a car accident, and they didn't make it." 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hank replied, "But it isn't quite that simple. I need a sample of DNA to replicate them, without a sample there's not much I can do. And besides that, I've never had a successful human trial, just rats and mice." 

"If you had the sample," Blanch said, "And more funding than anyone in this town could ever offer you, Could you do it?" 

"I'd need facilities, staff, ample time." Hank replied.

"But could you?" Blanch asked. 

"Yes," Hank said, "I could bring them back." 

"Bring them back," Blanch clarified, "Permanently?" 

Hank paused, "No," He replied, "The genome isn't complete yet." 

Blanch leaned back, "I see." He said, "And if this project was funded, how could you guarantee it's success?" 

"Because it isn't about the money for me," Hank replied, "It's about saving my little girls life." 

Blanch nodded, took a small, clear tube out of his pocket, and sat it on the desk with a clack.

"There's your sample," He replied, "Begin your work, I'll get you everything you need." 

Hank picked up the tube, inside were two locks of hair. "Deal." He said, "What did you have in mind?" 

Blanch sat a small silver device on the table, and began to illuminate the room. The device painted a picture in thin air, a massive complex. "it'll be the size of four football fields, two floors above ground, sixty beneath." He said.

"It's unbelievable." Hank replied.

"And yet," Blanch said, "Soon to be a reality. The Clintax building, a center for the betterment of humanity." 

"I like it." Hank said.

"Most people do," Blanch replied, "It'll house thousands of employees, and billions worth of research material." 

"So you'll fund my project?" Hank asked.

"That was never the question," Blanch replied, "We both want the same thing, it was only a question of why." Blanch took a small flask out of his pocket and took a swig, "To a valuable partnership!" He gestured to Hank, offering him a swig.

Hank took the bottle, and took a sip, "To the Cerberus Project."