The Gene of Life

by Tetsuo Ted Takashima

  It was past ten in the evening. “Professor . . .”

  Max turned to look at Dona; she was staring at them.

  “Don’t worry. We’re on your side. We won’t make you talk more than you should.”

  “But there’s tons I want to ask her.”

  Dona looked at each of them in turn. Katya gripped her hand, and little by little, the fear in her eyes faded.

  “What were the buildings like? The buildings that the whites made the Brazilians build?”

  Dona closed her eyes and reflected for a long time until, at last, she began to slowly speak again: “A big building . . . more than a hundred paces long. There was a big machine inside. It made electricity . . . there were tools that let people see things closer . . . thin glass cylinders . . . and they all wore white coats.”

  “Microscopes and test tubes. A laboratory?” Katya asked.

  “Is there anything else you noticed?”

  “We got our blood taken once a week. But that was so long ago. Now they almost never take my blood.”

  “What kind of man is Gehlen?”

  “A kind man. He treated my family very well. He gave us food and cigarettes and drink. That’s why I . . .”

  “This is an SS officer we’re talking about,” Katya whispered in Max’s ear. “He must’ve done horrific things.”

  “Sometimes he was scary . . . he would hit me and the children sometimes, he would get drunk . . . he was afraid of something, was dreaming . . .” Dona’s voice quivered with excitement, but her words ended there. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “That’s okay, you can stop there.” Katya clenched her hand again. “Talk about something else. What kind of people were there?”

  “First there were a lot of young men. Many died. They died in agony . . . fitful with fevered nightmares . . .”

  “There are people who survived, too, right?” Katya asked.

  “A tall man with eyeglasses. A scary man. Everyone was afraid of him. The exact opposite of the whites that came in the past, the whites that came to transmit God’s voice . . .”

  “Dona, how old are you?” Max interrupted.

  “I’m . . .”

  Just then, a loud bang came from downstairs, then shouting. Max went to the door. They heard an explosion, then gunfire. Max jumped back as he heard heavy footsteps running up the stairs. The door swung open, and Feldman rushed in. His face was tense, and he was seething. Max had never seen Feldman like this. He held a gun.

  “How is she?”

  “She’s come to.”

  “There’s a door beside the window in the next room. It’s connected to the fire escape. Take the woman and run,” Feldman said. He took a magazine from his pocket and loaded his gun.

  “What happened?”

  “A raid by the enemy. They’ve come to take her back.”

  Dona sat up; she was watching them.

  “Hurry!” Feldman gave Max a car key and pointed to the door to the next room. “There’s a car waiting at the bottom of the fire escape. Protect her.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll keep the enemy at bay.” He trained his gun on the door.

  Gunfire intensified. Men shouted clipped orders at each other. Given Feldman’s instructions, it was clear the enemy had the overwhelming advantage.

  “Go! They’ll be coming up here soon.”

  One of the men rushed in. It was Simon. He held a submachine gun, and was bleeding from his forehead and arm. He turned to face the door, but he staggered and fell to one knee. Max offered a hand, but Simon brushed it aside and got up under his own power.

  “Get Benchell’s location out of her. Kill the bastard no matter what it takes,” wheezed Simon, who gripped Max’s shoulder. Then he took a handgun from his belt and put it in his hand.

  Max lifted Dona out of bed. Katya held her up from the opposite side. They entered the next room, opened the door by the window, and stepped onto the fire escape. Looking down, they spotted a BMW sedan parked on a narrow path. Feldman and his group had prepared for an attack like this. Max and Katya supported Dona and went down the stairs with her in their arms. The gunfire above grew even fiercer. The three got in the car. In the rearview mirror, they saw a group of people on the landing of the fire escape pointing at them and yelling. Max thought about Feldman, Simon, and their group, but he cast off the distraction and hit the gas. The engine roared, and they barreled down the lane to the main street.

  Just as Max and Katya sped past Feldman Antique Dealers, several men dashed out of the building and into two cars parked out front. They hurriedly started the engines and made shrill U-turns in pursuit of Max and Katya’s vehicle.

  Max took a left at the first intersection. He looked in the rearview mirror; Dona was unconscious and resting her head on Katya’s shoulder.

  “How’s she doing?”

  “You’re a doctor, aren’t you? We’re making a seriously wounded patient with a weak heart exert herself.” Katya was peering into Dona’s face.

  The car zoomed through nighttime Berlin. There was no one else in sight, except for the occasional car going in the opposite direction.

  “Where are we going?” asked Katya.

  “We’re going back to the research facility.”

  “They’re here!” Katya looked back.

  Their headlights were drawing closer. Max slammed down the accelerator.

  “Where’s the police station!?”

  “In the opposite direction!”

  That pair of headlights was soon joined by another. A loud crack broke the rear window. Katya screamed. “They’re firing at us!”

  In the rearview mirror, Max saw Katya duck and pull Dona down. Bullets were glancing off the car, but they couldn’t hear the shots. The enemy was using silencers.

  “They’re trying to kill us!”

  “Just keep as low as possible!” He pushed the accelerator down even more.

  Their bodies were pressed against the seats, and the roar of the engine surged. Each time he turned the wheel, the screeching of the tires resounded through the night. Katya held onto her seat belt, trying not to scream. “Were you a racecar driver before you turned to science!?”

  “I seriously considered it for a time. Thought I’d choose a life on the edge!”

  “Why do we have to get killed like this!?”

  “Ask them, not me!” He turned right, and their bodies swayed left. They soon left the business district, and the streetscape changed. There were almost no other cars on the road now, and the buildings were spaced farther apart. The headlights pursuing them had disappeared.

  “Something’s wrong with Dona!”

  Max slowed down.

  “She’s been shot! In the back!”

  There was a high wall ahead. It was a closed-off factory. Max slowed and turned off the lights. Everything went dark. They drove along the wall and came across a broken gate. They slowly entered the factory, which cast a deep shadow upon the large, empty grounds. Max backed the car between the buildings. He turned off the engine, and all was quiet. All they heard were cars going down the highway in the distance. Their eyes adjusted, and the shadow of the factory approached from both sides like phantoms. Max turned on his penlight and checked the backseat.

  “The bullet penetrated her chest.” Katya was pressing down on Dona’s chest with a handkerchief, which was already soaked red.

  Max leaned over and put his hand on Dona’s neck. “Her pulse is weak. It’s almost totally gone.”

  Dona’s eyes opened. “Aska . . . my . . .” She was barely audible.

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “As . . . ka . . .”

  “You’re saying ‘Aska,’ right?”

  Dona nodded slightly. “In Domba . . .”

  “Domba?”

  “My . . . village . . . fourteen—”

  Max stretched out an arm and put a hand to her neck again. Her pulse . . . it was gone.

  “She’s dead, isn’t she,”
Katya sobbed.

  Suddenly, a white light blinded them. They closed their eyes and covered their faces. The inside of the car was as bright as day from the headlights of the car stopped directly in front of them.

  Three shots echoed in the factory. The silencers had been removed—intimidation shots.

  “Get out of the car,” a voice ordered them. “All we want is the woman. If you don’t come out before a minute passes, your car will be full of holes.”

  “Dona’s already dead,” Katya said, her voice trembling.

  “Thirty seconds left!” the man yelled.

  “What do we do?” Katya asked.

  Max was thinking.

  “Ten seconds!”

  “Come in front.” Max unfastened Katya’s seat belt. Katya jumped to Max’s side.

  “Put your seat belt on and duck down.”

  Max braked and revved the engine. Then he stuck his arm out the window and fired at a headlight. He stepped on the accelerator the moment the light went out. He could smell the tires burn as they screeched. The car burst forward, and shrieks of surprise and anger flew through the air. The car rocked violently. Max’s seat belt dug into his chest, and they heard metal dent and glass shatter. He shifted into reverse, pushed down on the accelerator, and swerved. He backed up about a hundred yards and the gunfire picked up.

  “Head down!”

  Bullets pierced the car. The car blasted through the factory toward the main gate, only to find a new pair of headlights coming at them. Max swerved, but they were rammed from behind, changing the car’s direction. Part of the backseat caved in, and Dona’s body fell under the seat. Another car crashed into their side.

  “I can’t steer!”

  The car flipped diagonally and slid with only two tires on the ground.

  “We’re going to crash!” Katya shouted, but as soon as she did, they slammed against a concrete wall.

  “Run!”

  Max undid his seat belt and opened the door. Katya’s head was hanging. Everything reeked of gas. Max shook her by the shoulders and her eyes squinted open. Her forehead was bleeding. She reached for the door handle, but her seat belt kept her in place. She moved her left arm to undo her seat belt and grimaced; her arm was covered in blood.

  “Are you okay!?”

  “My arm! It won’t move.”

  Max jumped out and went to the passenger side. Katya’s seat belt was jammed. The stench of gas was getting worse. Max quickly removed his pocketknife from his pants pocket and cut her free. “Go ahead of me!” Max tried to open the rear door, but it was mangled from the collision and he couldn’t open it.

  “Get away! The car’s leaking gas!” Katya shouted.

  Max pried the door open. Dona’s body was sandwiched between the body of the car and the seats. He pulled with all his might, but her corpse wouldn’t budge. Then the hood caught on fire. The driver’s seat burned, illuminating their surroundings.

  “She’s already dead!” Katya grasped Max’s jacket and tried to drag him away from the car.

  The flames spread to the backseats, and heat and smoke enveloped Max. Dona’s body was right in front of him. Max desperately reached out for her.

  “Do you want to die, too!?” Katya shouted as she clung to Max. Max put some distance between him and the car.

  Suddenly, a pillar of fire flared, and the car exploded. The blast flung them to the ground. For a second or two, they were dazed. The flames engulfed the car. The smell of burning gasoline and chemicals was overwhelming. Max opened his eyes. Katya was on top of him. She had leapt to shield him.

  “Are you okay!?”

  “I don’t know.” She got up and pulled Max to his feet.

  Inside the flaming wreckage was Dona. Perhaps the answer he had been seeking was there.

  “I need her!” Max groaned.

  In a corner of the lot, the car that had rammed into them was ablaze. Its leaking gasoline created a sea of fire. Two men got out of the car and staggered toward them. All that was left of the car within the inferno was its frame.

  “Let’s go!” Katya held Max in her arms and started walking away.

  The roaring flames lit up the area as bright as day. A car came from the gate, and they heard gunfire behind them. Max and Katya ran toward the factory building, the sound of the car’s engine getting closer and closer. Katya tripped and fell. Max lifted her up. With a screech of tires, the car stopped so close it almost touched them.

  “Get in!” It was Jake, poking his head out the window.

  The rear doors were open. Max pushed Katya inside, and when they were both in their seats, the car took off. They looked back to find the other car was still burning.

  “Dona . . . ,” Max groaned. Katya grasped his hand.

  “Are you okay, Professor?” Feldman was sitting next to them.

  “What do you think?”

  “Where’s the woman?”

  “Everything’s gone.”

  Feldman sighed. He stared ahead and remained silent. Moments later, a rumbling explosion. They closed their eyes, but flashes of light danced at the backs of their eyelids.

  “Dona, I as good as killed her myself. If only I hadn’t pushed her so—”

  “She was already dead,” Katya said. “You checked for yourself, Professor.” She put an arm around his shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned in. He could feel her powerful heartbeat, and it helped him to gradually calm down.

  They drove out of the factory.

  “The neo-Nazis attacked us so they could take her,” Feldman said.

  “Wrong,” Max spat out. “It was to kill her.”

  Katya’s body twitched.

  “If they’d wanted to just take her back, they wouldn’t have acted this recklessly. Their mission was to kill her.”

  Feldman didn’t reply.

  “If you hadn’t kidnapped her, she wouldn’t have died.”

  “No. They never intended to nurse her back to health to begin with. At that farmhouse, they were waiting for orders. They couldn’t take her out of the country with those wounds. They would have killed her eventually. That they didn’t kill her immediately only shows how valuable she was to them. All they did was let her live a little longer.”

  “Pure conjecture,” Max snapped. “Plus, I find it hard to believe you intended to save her.”

  Katya opened her eyes and stared at Max with a shocked expression.

  “In any case, we underestimated them. They must have predicted an attack. And they were lightning quick to act. She must have been terribly important to them.” Feldman said.

  “Or they didn’t want to hand her to us.” Max said.

  “We’re back to square one now,” Feldman muttered half to himself.

  An uncomfortable silence came over the car as it continued down the dusky roads.

  “Simon died,” mumbled Feldman. “He was my last comrade. We’d been fellow fighters since the end of the war. Sixty-three long years.”

  “Do you want me to cry you a river?”

  “He was the eldest son of a wealthy jeweler in Berlin. He had a younger sister and brother, so they were a family of five. He had many Gentile friends, too. But one of those friends tipped the Nazis off to their shop. His parents and brother were taken to Auschwitz and killed. He and his sister managed to survive. They were sent to a medical facility.” Feldman heaved a sigh. “But not as patients. They were sent there as guinea pigs.”

  Katya stiffened.

  “They were twins. The Nazis must have seen them as valuable test subjects. And so they were sterilized. They surgically removed the genitalia of a thirteen-year-old boy. His sister died three days after Allied Forces freed them. She had mentally deteriorated by that point. One wonders what they did to her at the camp.”

  The car went silent.

  “That doesn’t mean you can break the law,” Max said. “We’re living in the twenty-first century, and this is a civilized country. It’s not Nazi Germany, and it’s not Prohibition-era Chicago. In
the few days I’ve known you, how many people have died? Ten? More than ten, I’m sure. Who are the people that attacked us? They’re not just your average thugs, that’s for sure.”

  “They’re well-organized. They acquire intel quickly, and they’re accustomed to using weapons.”

  “Yes, but who are they?”

  “We don’t know, either.”

  “You people are hiding something.”

  Once again, the car went silent. All they could hear was the hum of the engine.

  “Did she tell you anything?” Feldman asked.

  Katya glanced at Max.

  “She wasn’t in pain. The fact she died while unconscious was a blessing.”

  Feldman said nothing. He closed his lips tight and stared intensely ahead.

  They were driving back into the city.

  “Let’s look for a hotel somewhere,” Feldman said, the thought having just occurred to him.

  “Take us to the research facility. After that, we will never see each other again.”

  “They might come after you.”

  “What they’re after are that horrid hand and Dona. The hand, they’ve already taken, and Dona’s no longer with us. They’ve got no business with us now.”

  “Just be careful. Whenever you’re on the phone, walking around town, driving, or doing anything else. Wiretapping and shadowing are not the sole province of TV shows and movies.”

  “I’ve already experienced more than I bargained for.”

  “I pray you and the young lady are able to return to lives of peace,” Feldman said, albeit a little halfheartedly. Then he ordered Jake to go to the research facility.

  They arrived at the research facility in about ten minutes. Max and Katya stepped out of the car. Feldman rolled down the window and was about to say something, but Max turned his back on him and walked away with Katya. Jake started the car back up without another word from Feldman.

  “Are you really okay with leaving things like that?” asked Katya as she watched the car drive off.

  Max just kept walking.

  The guard looked surprised when he saw them, but then he smiled and winked, and opened the door for them. He apparently thought Max was looking after a drunk Katya. The two staggered into the building.