“Not seeing what all the angst is about this. An old people, they keep a history, and survive into the modern era. What’s the catch?” Rod asked.
“They claim to be able to transform from one kind of mammal into another,” was Edward’s immediate reply.
Rod looked surprised. “Well now that’s different. How so?” Rod was now seeing this very differently, more like his brother.
Edward continued his explanation in a monotone and matter-of-fact manner.
“Simply put,” he said. “They are a primitive form of undiscovered mammal in one state and in the other transformed state, essentially human. They transform from primitive form to human form through ingesting ... human blood.”
Rod and Cindy were now laughing along with Adam, thinking this was one of Edward’s practical jokes but they soon realized it wasn’t.
“Vampires? Really, that’s what this is all about?” Rod was still smiling but was looking for a clue in the faces of his family that would shed light on what this was all about. For a moment, he thought Cindy must be in on the joke; instead she seemed as skeptical as he. She gave him that ‘alright, whatever’ look on her face, signalling complete and utter disbelief.
Edward followed, “No, this isn’t about vampires or the boogie man or any other fictional monster. These … folks … claim to be a new species that can transform from one physical state to another, over a short period of time.”
“Not really possible, is it?” Rod asked, somewhat incredulously.
Edward answered, “It is, in theory at least, when you think of it. Maybe just not in mammals. Caterpillars into butterflies, yes. And tadpoles into frogs, sure. But a kitty cat into my next-door neighbor, perhaps not.”
Rod said, “You’re serious? C’mon, this has got to be fake. Adam’s right. If this could happen, I’m sure we would have known about it by now. This kind of thing can’t just happen and go unnoticed for over one hundred thousand years. Surely there’s be some physical evidence somewhere. Somewhere in the archeological record. Or paleontological record.”
Rod looked at Edward, and Edward was quiet. So were Mom and Pops. They either had great game faces or something was up. It occurred to Rod and Cindy simultaneously that nobody was joking and therefore Edward must be totally serious. Adam was still skeptical, but Mom and Pops were saying nothing.
Edward said, “The vast majority of species that have ever existed on this planet have never left a physical record. So, reasoning that since no physical record has been left indicates that they do not and never have existed is false.”
Rod asked, “C’mon guys, you don’t ...”
“Yes, actually we do,” said Edward, breaking his brief but thundering silence. “We really do, at least to this extent. There is a lot of scientifically verifiable data and the promise of a lot more. Then there are the GPS locations. And there is C-14 and chemical evidence of the age of the documentation suggesting that the paper and ink are in fact old and correspond to the dates indicated. The sheer mountain of primary source information, if translated and authenticated, is enough to give me pause. And if the translated diaries, of which there may be hundreds if not thousands, are shown to be historically accurate contextually then there may be something to all of this after all.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Rod was still not certain that his family wasn’t pulling his leg, and neither was Cindy.
“It means that if many of the diary entries describing events can be verified in the historical record, either on the day in question, or soon thereafter, it would look increasingly like this is no hoax. Comparing them with the entries in the journals of well-known historical figures and the pattern of when entries are made, one could argue for authenticity, even if fantastical.”
“So, you believe all this, do you?” Rod wasn’t sold on the story and was as skeptical as Adam. Cindy remained pensive and quiet, keeping her thoughts to herself.
“Yes and no.” Edward continued. “I don’t dismiss the possibility simply because the story sounds crazy and like bad fiction. There is ample evidence of age and consistency. Faking this volume of primary source materials also doesn’t sound plausible. So, we have an implausible story that would normally be dismissed out-of-hand by any scientist, yet we also have plausible evidence that something strange is going on. So, I say we go back to our scientific method roots and act like the scientists we claim to be. We form a working hypothesis, do the research, bit by bit, and see where it takes us.”
Adam sensed this was now going in the wrong direction, and added in his last defense, “I can’t use federal monies for that. I get audited, and I’m not sure this story is the one I want to explain to the auditor.”
Edward said, “Then we use Institute money or our own. What do you say, Cindy?”
Cindy was the non-scientist in the family but her many other skills were essential. She kept track of the money and made sure the geeks didn’t improperly comingle funds.
“We have ample funds in the Institute’s discretionary accounts under Edward’s control and a whole whack more in the family trust. Money is not a problem. However, if we’re talking accountability and secrecy, it’s probably best to go with family funds. And there may be some legal exposure depending on how you decide to proceed.”
Adam asked, “Why?”
“Edward’s discretionary funds can still be questioned by the Institute, even if nobody is actually going to do that. Which, we all know, they wouldn’t. But, when things go downhill fast, and get hairy, there’s always some explaining to do. I’d pay out of family funds to start and if any of this is even remotely and possibly true and related to actual research, we can seek reimbursement from the Institute’s discretionary accounts later. We have a year to seek reimbursement under the Institute’s financial accounting guidelines if we want.”
Cindy continued, “On the legal exposure side of the equation, and while I don’t know what exactly you are planning to do, it does occur to me that you aren’t just going to go looking for these other library collections, correct? You intend to burgle and maybe even steal them, right?”
Clever girl, Edward thought. Cindy could connect the dots faster than anyone he had ever known. She saw patterns, inferences and suggestions. Her abductive reasoning skills were superior and immensely practical.
She would have made an amazing scientist but her love of physical conflict, numbers and financial systems, as well as her insistence on differentiation within the family, weighed against such a course. She always felt the gravitational pull of the family businesses but wanted no direct role in the academic details. In the end, she believed, it was unhealthy. Besides she had other important and in demand skills in addition to finance expertise to contribute and she was more interested in them than in “vampires”. And, to boot, she was a mom with two little girls to manage and nurture.
“No, of course not”, said Adam. “Theft is out of the question.”
“Where’d you get that from?” Rod queried, looking at Cindy with that “whaaat, we’re not crooks” look.
Mom and Pops knew better what was in Edward’s felonious mind and for Edward the path they needed to be on was clear. He was not altogether surprised that Cindy could reconstruct his thoughts but then she was a very clever girl.
“Cindy’s right. We need to locate them, evaluate them and then steal or copy everything we can before the collections are moved out of reach. We need to know what is in these collections and why they exist. Since I doubt we can expect any cooperation from these furry folks, we must be prepared to take more extreme measures. But solely to confirm facts and their existence in an objective manner.”
Adam couldn’t believe what his Dad was saying. “Have you fucking lost your mind, old man? We can’t do that. It’s against the law. Everywhere. Even in Edward land.”
“No, yes, and yes. No, I haven’t lost my mind, at least not yet anyway. Yes, we can do that and most probably will. And, finally, yes,
I understand that it’s illegal. That’s why we won’t do anything outrageous by ourselves alone. Unless we must, of course. But maybe some of our BFF’s will help. At least that’s what I’m counting on. People owe us. Governments owe us. Now they need to repay the debts outstanding even if it may be somewhat awkward. And in this case, it will definitely be awkward. For sure.”
“No, no and no. That is bat shit crazy and I’m not going to jail for this. Not this fantasy, anyway.”
Edward said, “I completely agree that it sounds that way but hear me out. First thing is whether any of these collections really exist, right? I mean if they don’t, what’s the harm? We probe. If they do exist then that tells us a lot we can only otherwise infer, at best, at this moment.”
He continued, “Second, assuming the collections do exist, we need to control them to either prove or disprove the underlying assertions in the Beneviste books.
Edward paused then said, “Look, I don’t have a strong opinion about what’s really going on here. But I can say that if there is any possibility that these amazing folks do exist, we need to find that out. Scientific method, step by step, that’s how we roll.”
“A waste of money.” An enormous waste of money. I say no.” Adam wasn’t buying what his father was selling. Not by a long shot.
Cindy said, “The family trusts have approximately six hundred eighty-nine million net liquid cash and short-term assets available, give or take a few thousand dollars of daily interest accruals. A lot more when we add in the long term and illiquid assets. This entire matter may take up, say, around a million or so. Max. Less if our government friends do some of the heavy lifting. How do our lives change if we spend the million? To put it another way, that’s less than fifteen days accrued interest at five percent that we’re never going to spend anyway.”
Adam looked at Cindy and said, “Geez, Cindy, I thought you were the responsible one. This seems so wrong on so many levels, I don’t even know where to begin.”
Adam looked over to Mom and Pops and said, “Mom, you’ve been awfully quiet. Pops, you too. What do you say?”
Maria looked over at her son, and said, “I’m with your Dad on this one. I’d rather look a little foolish to my family than ignore potentially one of the greatest anthropological finds in the history of the world. If we’re wrong, then well, we’ll be the butt of your jokes forever. If you’re wrong, you’ll thank us later. Like you, I have grave doubts about this entire matter and there are probably a thousand better explanations to account for these materials that don’t involve new life forms on this planet. If we can eliminate the obvious possibility of fraud, then I don’t really care what the real explanation is as long as it’s not the one we’re debating. Spend the money and get the answers we require. Pops?”
“Si-mon, querida. As you say. And Edward. It’s worth a look and we can afford the experiment. Are we done here?” Pops was always quiet, except when it came to his sons, but in all other matters he was happy to defer to Edward and his wife.
“Alright Dad make your calls. This is going to turn out badly but call in your favors and let’s see if any of this shit exists. And if it does, Dad, then what?”
“Then we begin by translating what we have. And by locating and accessing all the other materials, just like Cindy said.”
“But why? Adam asked, incredulous.
“Because we need to know who they are, what they are and what they’re up to. I’m uneasy not being at the top of the food chain. I suspect you won’t be either if any of this is true.”
Chapter 32
Edward, having read both the Beneviste diaries and the Book much more carefully and with a much more open mind than Adam, had a much better understanding of their potential importance, especially the Book. Adam was, after all, a computer geek, brilliant, but a computer geek nonetheless. Edward hadn’t been completely truthful at the family confab and had hidden his excitement about this discovery. Edward feared that Adam wouldn’t take this evidence seriously, and, in treating it lightly and without careful thought, he might rashly turn everything over to the federal authorities in Ottawa and DC.
In Edward’s opinion, this simply couldn’t be allowed to happen. Adam was both headstrong - read stubborn - and his own man; yet Edward also knew that Adam was frequently given to making impulsive decisions. Most of these impulsive decisions were harmless when related to his vocation, computer software. But his genius didn’t extend to every field, although Adam sometimes thought it did.
Adam thought he alone would decide what would eventually happen with these materials as the putative director in charge of the Portland DataLab Project processing facility. He believed this largely because he was the man presently in possession of the Library and because he found it. But in this instance, he was dreadfully wrong. He needed to have all the facts to make such a monumental and consequential decision and he would get that help, whether he wanted it or not, from his father and mother. Both Edward and Maria felt it was a decision that could have far reaching historical, cultural and religious ramifications. It couldn’t be decided while Adam was angry at his father and upset by the turmoil in his personal life.
Pops believed that Adam was perfectly capable of making any decision at any time and what his wife and Edward were doing was a far more dangerous game. No ascribed level of importance was worth deceiving your own child and he would have nothing to do with it. Rod was with Pops on this and Cindy covered her ears and walked out of the room when Edward tried to explain what he and Maria were about to do.
Always the worker bee first, Edward considered what rotten timing this disagreeable situation with Hannah had become. Laying aside the emotional meltdown Adam was experiencing, Hannah was a trained cultural anthropologist and a good one. If this wasn’t right in her sweet spot of skills, nothing was. While Hannah was very capable in her chosen field, what made her even more valuable to Edward was that, to him, she was still family. Hannah could keep a secret and be discreet. She had, many times, and these were the little details that seldom escaped Edward’s highly focused attention.
Edward, like Adam, had never conceived that Hannah would dump his son. Not because Adam was such a great catch or was any better at relationships than Edward but simply because things seemed otherwise fine; simply put, it had never really crossed his mind that there might be trouble in his son’s paradise.
Edward thought long and hard about calling Hannah and asking for her help. But, he reasoned, he was probably screwed either way. If he spoke to Hannah about this, Adam would probably go nuclear and it would dredge up all kinds of father/son bitterness neither had ever been very good at resolving. On the other hand, if he didn’t speak to Hannah, Edward would lose out working with one of the few anthropologists who could be trusted with a secret of this magnitude.
So, Edward spoke to Maria. Maria told him in no uncertain terms that a discovery, no matter how huge, could never be more important than breaching trust with his own son. Hannah was a lovely girl and she prayed that Hannah and Adam could still find their way to work things out. But Adam was their child, not Hannah. Adam came first and foremost.
Besides, she noted, that ship had already sailed and there was no turning back for them now. Hannah had made her decision, Maria said, now she would now have to live with it. Maria reminded Edward that he, too, had made decisions in his life, momentous decisions, and had found ways to live with them even when they were uncomfortable or bitterly distasteful. Edward didn’t like revisiting the past, especially his own, so he told Maria he intended to do as she advised.
But that deft evasion was as close to a broken promise as it could get without being an outright and deliberate lie. A prevarication, for sure. But he had already made up his mind well before the family confab about what had to be done as well as the reasons behind it. He loved his son and would never needlessly hurt or mislead him. Intentionally deceive him, yes, he would certainly do that. But sometimes particular matters are simply mo
re important than the hurt feelings of an immature computer genius. Sometimes, even at the risk of immense pain to your family, to the very people you love and who trust you the most, you must, of necessity, make difficult even deceitful decisions.
Such was the situation he pondered as he began the short walk over to his office at the Institute.
Misleading Maria would be unfortunate and not without its own unique set of adverse consequences. This decision would be seen by her and Pops as a betrayal of the entire family, not just them. Maria frequently felt as though she had to clean up the ill effects of the chaos Edward could occasionally reign down on them all, especially when ill-conceived decisions were made by him in isolation. Edward was fully aware of his own failings and inability to carefully consider all the potential ramifications of his sometimes-arbitrary decisions. He was cognizant of his occasional failure to fully comprehend the consequences inevitably flowing from those arbitrary judgements.
But, he told himself, he wasn’t always wrong and more often than not, nobody ever knew or even cared about his little secret projects and the decisions made behind their backs. This would not be the case here. Everyone would find out, and soon. By then his actions would either be justified, and his dissembling forgiven, or like Adam, he would be looking for a new way to verbalize “I’m sorry, so very sorry”.
His old friend and Canadian mentor, Dougie Fraser, had frequently reminded him, as a new arrival at the Institute, of the old maxim, “Sometimes it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission”.
Certainly, more expedient anyway. Of course, it also helped to be right in your judgements.
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