Maria, their new found friend and team member, had already allowed herself to be operated on, and Loudon MacIver, their doctor, had come in at short notice and removed some eggs from Maria. From these, Louisa had prepared some egg cells which had been enucleated and forced into the genetically primed GO-stage.
While they were doing that, Jason, the Professor and Don had extracted some cells from the skin tissue they had found and genetically copied them using several tried and tested processes developed over the past ten years at the I.G.E.G.G.M.
This time round, the Jason-Wainright process would not be necessary. In theory, all they had to do now was to first take a genetic copy of a nucleus which had been taken from one of the skin cells, then insert it into one of the egg cells, apply the spark of electricity and the process of cell reproduction should begin.
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“Before we go any further, I think there’s something you should all see…” Don announced proudly to the group.
“Oh no...I recognise that tone. You’ve found something more haven’t you?” Louisa chirped up.
“ You might want to call it that. The thing is, I’m pretty sure the new approach is going to work... But I must admit that I couldn't stop wondering why the J-W process didn’t work? The egg-cell kicked the nucleus out…Why was that? Was it because the egg-cells of a virgin are genetically different to those of a non-virgin? We know that’s not the case...so there must be something else happening. Okay, granted, part of that may be supernatural and we may never be able to identify what’s going on there. But…maybe, genetically we’re missing something...Could the nuclei of Jesus Christ be slightly different from nuclei extracted from normal human cells? Maybe ‘God made man in His image' but man can’t make God in man’s image! Is there a fundamental difference in the genetic makeup of Christ, in comparison to a normal human? And if so, what is it that we have been missing?”
“An interesting train of thought, Don. What are you getting at?” The Professor asked on behalf of the others.
“....Well, now we have complete cells to dissect from the skin sample, we can really look inside the cell and the nucleus to see what the differences are. So, as well as doing my other work, I spent some time separating out all the chromosomes we could find in the nuclei of the new skin cells, which we found embedded in the resin of the thorn, and although I expected to find twenty-three different chromosome pairs, I found twenty-four!…"
"....and when I broke them down into their constituents I found twenty-five different chromosomes!! That’s an extra chromosome pair with two new chromosomes that we’ve never seen before!”
“You’re kidding! Are you sure?” Jason couldn’t believe his ears.
“I’ve counted them over and over again, identified all the normal ones...plus two extra which only ever seem to exist together in a special chromosome pair. Look for yourselves…” Don sat down again at the Smithsonian, and flicked a switch on the front panel, connecting it to the overhead screen. All eyes turned to the image overhead.
“What you can see are the two chromosomes that shouldn’t really exist…”
On the screen there were two blurred images, one long and thin, and the other almost round with a diameter of about half the length of the other. They both glowed lightly with changing tones of colour, due to the MVWLE effect they had discovered in the G-type blood. The images on the screen shimmered, vibrating and shaking before their eyes.
“I tried everything, even freezing a sample in liquid nitrogen, but I can’t get them to stand still. They’re vibrating or moving so fast I can’t get a clear picture of what they look like. I even tried recording the images on high speed digital tape, and looked at the recorded frames on slow motion and freeze frame. It didn’t make any difference...the pictures are still blurred. If you look at them closely, sometimes the images fade in and out too. It’s almost as if sometimes they’re not there.”
“Maybe we’re not meant to be able to see them...if we could, we could copy them, or alter them…maybe that’s the whole point...they’re there but beyond our reach...we can see them but we’ll never be able to ‘touch’ them...” Louisa suggested dreamily, her eyes locked on the images on the screen.
“Perhaps Louisa has got something.” The Professor added. “ And perhaps that’s why the J-W process didn’t work for the G-type blood. Maybe, without these two additional chromosomes the egg-cell rejects the donor nucleus...Maybe they act like a security key of some sort, somehow checking to see that the egg cell comes from a virgin, and if it does, telling the egg cell to accept the nucleus and start the reproduction cycle…Who knows? We’ll probably never know what function or purpose these two beauties perform. Perhaps it's God's little secret!”
“I wish I knew what was going on!” Jason said loudly. “It really bugs me, all this state-of-the-art science, when in fact we haven’t really got a clue what we’re doing...It's almost as if we’re just little worker ants beavering away at the coal face, carrying out a job automatically, as ordered!”
The Professor put his arm around Jason shoulders.
“And what a privileged job it is too! Okay, so maybe we don’t know what function these two new chromosomes perform, or why they’re necessary, and maybe we are only doing ‘a job’. But just think...God has selected us from the whole of mankind to do this job for him. That makes us really special. Blessed. We shouldn’t knock it. Sometimes, my boy, it’s good to have a few unexplained mysteries left…it gives us something to strive towards…"
"…Even if we take a copy of the nucleus we’ve reproduced and insert it into the egg and it does seed and the egg does become an embryo, and even if we don’t really understand how it worked or what function these chromosomes perform, all we can know is that God chose us for this task, and we were the first and only people in the history of mankind to do it! That is one fantastic achievement in itself! I think it’s fair to let God keep some things to himself! Don't you?” The Professor patted the back of Jason’s head lightly and Jason blushed.
“Of course. You’re right....I know you’re right…I just wish we could understand...”
The Professor smiled. Jason’s thirst for knowledge was almost touching, and reminded him of his own inquisitiveness when he was younger.
“By the way...outstanding job Don!” Jason congratulated him. “So are we ready to go to the next stage now?” He looked around the group. Everyone nodded.
“Okay, so I suggest that tomorrow morning we come back, and we go for it. Tomorrow is going to be D-day, take two. Louisa, can you prepare three egg cell samples ready for implantation? Don, can you make sure all the equipment is ready? And Professor, can you bring the doughnuts?”
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Chapter Sixty One
Oxford, England
Monday 12th Dec 7pm
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It had been a long time since Maria had been on a date. Nervous wasn’t the word. She had spent hours in front of the mirror, checking and rechecking her make-up a thousand times before she had finally left the house. After three hours in the hair salon, spending a hundred euros on a new hairstyle that afternoon, she hoped it was all going to be worth it.
Her mobile phone rang.
“Hi! It’s me. I’m outside. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m just coming…” She answered, checking her make-up and hair for the last time. This was it. She hoped he liked what he saw.
As Maria stepped out of her front door and came down the path, Don stepped out of his car and went round to greet her. She came up to him and kissed him on his cheek.
“You’re…you’re…you’re beautiful!” Don stammered in disbelief. The transformation was incredible. When Don had first been introduced to Maria in the lab he had instantly felt attracted to her. She was admittedly a very attractive girl, but on that occasion, she had not been wearing any make-up and was dressed quite plainly. Tonight, on the other hand, she was dressed to kill. Her hair was different and light danced in her eyes. She looked stunning. A
sense of pride swept over Don. He hadn’t gone out with a lady on a date for a long time, and he could hardly believe that he would be going out with someone as attractive as Maria tonight.
“I’m a very lucky man!” he said, smiling at her.
“Why?” Maria asked, fishing for compliments. ‘And why not? If you can’t get a few compliments on a date, when can you?’ she thought to herself.
“Because tonight I’ve got to be one of the luckiest men alive. You’re...you’re ‘wow!”’
Maria blushed. She had never been a 'wow' before!
“And you’re not so bad yourself!”
The fact that Don had found the courage to ask her out was a measure in itself of how much he had changed since the start of the Haissem project. Over the past few months he had not only found a belief in God, but he had also found a belief in himself. He liked Maria, she was single…why shouldn’t he ask her out?
It had been a long time since Don had felt so nervous. It had been even longer since Don had been attracted to any girl as much as he was attracted to Maria.
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The meal had been cleared away, and Don and Maria were finishing their coffee when it happened. Don paid Maria a compliment, Maria blushed and Don leant forward across the table and kissed her firmly but gently on the lips.
For a second Maria looked slightly shocked. She opened her mouth as if to say something in protest, then thought better of it, smiled, and kissed him back.
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Chapter Sixty Two
Oxford, England
Tuesday 13th Dec 11am
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The group stood around the plasma screen following Jason’s every move. Jason had invited Maria along to witness what could possibly be the moment of conception for the child she would carry, and the others welcomed her warmly. After months of work, the moment of success could be approaching.
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Jason inserted his arms into the mechanical grips which controlled the robot arms inside the ventilated hood of their specially designed equipment.
They had prepared three nuclei, each a genetically reproduced copy of an original nucleus which had been taken from the skin sample found inside the crack of the thorn. The plan was only to try and create one embryo. If it worked on the first pass, they would not use the other two egg cells.
On the plasma screen they could clearly see the donor nucleus inside the tip of the pipette, glowing with the MVWLE effect they had come to accept as normal from the G-type genetic material. Under Jason's guidance, the robot arms carefully lifted the micropipette.
Slowly and carefully Jason moved it closer to the egg cell. In minute movements, with sweat running off Jason’s forehead inside the bunny suit, he slowly used the tip of the micropipette to pierce the outer membrane of the egg cell. Once the wall of the egg cell was pierced Jason moved the pipette further inside, then carefully, very carefully, expelled the nucleus into the centre of the cell. He withdrew the pipette and left the nucleus behind in its new home.
“Well done, Jason. You’re doing great!” The Professor turned away from the screen to face Jason and congratulate him.
All eyes, including Jason’s turned to the plasma screen. On the large overhead projection above them the MVWLE light was still clearly visible, which was a good sign in itself. The seconds ticked by. Five, ten…fifteen. The cell made no attempt to expel the nucleus.
“Okay, Jason. Apply the electric spark across the cell.” The Professor instructed.
“Here goes. Keep your fingers crossed...”
“If you don’t’ mind...I’d rather pray…” Maria whispered, just loud enough for the rest of the group to hear.
Jason pressed the green button on the outside of the equipment and a minute pulse of electricity flowed across the cell. It only lasted a millionth of a second.
The seconds passed by, each and every member of the team holding their breath. Nothing was happening. The little nucleus looked quite happy to just sit there in the centre of the cell, continuing to glow and emit MVWLE light.
So far so good. The nucleus was not being expelled.
It was twenty minutes before Jason spoke again.
“Okay, everything seems fine so far. Let’s get lunch, take a break and come back in six hours. If it’s going to work, the cell should divide in about seven hours time.”
Over lunch in the Lamb and Flag Don had a thought.
“I know the average time the cells take to divide is seven hours, but since its Jesus Christ’s DNA, who’s to say that the cells might not divide sooner? Seven hours is the average time it takes human cells, not cells from God! What happens if it divides while we’re having lunch...we’ll miss it!”
Thirty minutes later they were all back in the lab, sitting around the plasma-screen in their bunny outfits, watching the screen.
The hours ticked by, minute by long, uneventful minute. As if in a hypnotic trance, the team stared at the screen, each scared to look away even for a second just in case they missed something.
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Outside, the rain ran down the windows, and a storm was gathering itself in the distance. Lightning streaked across the sky, the interval between the lightning flashes and the booming thunder steadily decreasing. The storm was moving closer. They could hardly have picked a more atmospheric time to conduct the next stage of the experiment.
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Seven-and-a-half hours went past and there had been no obvious activity within the cell. It hadn’t divided. The team was restless, worried that it wasn’t going to work after all.
“Perhaps we have to increase the duration or strength of the electric pulse?” Don suggested.
“I was wondering about that too.” The Professor joined in. “What works for normal human blood may not work for the G-blood.”
“But how much do we increase it by? We don’t want to risk damaging the cell!” Jason asked.
Outside the rain was getting heavier. The storm was almost directly overhead now and the skies were growing darker by the second.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous flash of light and the windows shook. Above the laboratory a bolt of lightning cut through the air and found the shortest path to earth, striking the conductor on the roof and racing through the metal pole, down the side of the building.
It had travelled the depth of one floor when it inadvertently found that its path had been broken, the cable it was travelling along having accidentally been severed at some time by the mechanism which allowed the window cleaners to traverse the outside of the building.
In an instant the pulse of lightning improvised its path to the ground and jumped onto the metal of a window frame on the third floor laboratory, beside where the Haissem team were standing staring at the plasma screen. The lightning ran along the window frame and then leapt half a metre through the air to the inside wall of the laboratory, boring its way through the plaster and forcing a path into the metal framework of the building.
As the lightning jumped from the window to the metal girders inside the wall, before coursing its way through the building to the ground, an electromagnetic pulse swept throughout the laboratory and a deafening thunderclap burst in the air around them. Louisa and Maria screamed. The team around the plasma screen jumped backwards from the window, and like a pack of dominoes, they fell on top of each other in a heap on the floor, leaving only Jason remaining standing behind the lab bench.
For a few moments there was silence, each of them stunned and temporarily blinded by the powerful lightning flash. Then slowly, sight returned to their eyes, and through the ringing in their eardrums they could once again hear the rain pounding on the window outside.
“What was that?” Louisa asked, kneeling with her head bowed and her hands resting on her knees, waiting for her head to clear.
“Lightning…the building got hit by lightning!” Don replied, reaching up a hand to the edge of the bench and slowly pulling himself to his feet, then helping Maria up and offering a hand to the Professor.
<
br /> Jason’s eyes were the first to fully recover. His eyes returned quickly to the overhead plasma screen, taking a few seconds to readjust to the projected image of the embryonic cell in the Petri dish.
“Have you guys looked at the screen yet?” he exclaimed loudly.
The image on the screen was incredible. Where previously there had been just one small cell with a nucleus in the centre of it, now there were two individual cells, and while they watched each of the cells divided again, and suddenly there were four.
The speed with which the cells were multiplying beggared belief.
“Yes...YES!” Jason shouted loudly.
“Fantastic!! Bloody fantastic!” The Professor joined in rather uncharacteristically, slapping Jason hard on the shoulders.
“YessSSSS!” Louisa jumped up and down, clapping her hands together in excitement.
Don turned to Maria, smiling at her through the visor of the bunny suit. She smiled back, tears visible in her eyes.
“God certainly does work in mysterious ways,” Jason concluded. “While we were worrying about just how much of an electric pulse to give the cell, God provided his own!”
“Incredible! And do you realise, that none of us actually saw the moment it happened? We were all momentarily blinded by the flash. Perhaps we weren’t meant to witness it after all!” The Professor added.
Jason stepped away from his equipment and joined the rest of the group underneath the overhead monitor.
The Professor reached out and shook Jason’s hand.
“Congratulations lad. You did it!”
“No…We did it! Congratulations to us all!” Jason protested.
With his arm around Louisa’s shoulders, the Professor returned his gaze to the screen. Unnoticed by the others Don had taken Maria’s hand. A sense of wonder had descended upon the team, and together they stood in the silence as the cells divided again, from four to eight, and then from eight to sixteen.
BOX SET of THREE TOP 10 MEDICAL THRILLERS Page 124