“Leave it to me. If it’s for you, these lips are zipped,” Thompson replied, matching Max’s volume with a serious frown.
“These test results are a private matter. And I want you to keep the fact I was here to yourselves, too.”
“Roger that,” he said with a wink.
The whole time, all eyes were on Max, Katya, and Thompson.
“I’d like to borrow a room for a while. Someplace quiet would be nice.”
“How about the computer room? Not too many people there. It is a bit cold, though.”
“We’ll be all right,” Katya said.
Thompson led them to the computer room.
“The JSX-3A. It’s not quite as high-powered as Aztec’s supercomputers, but it’s close to the fastest supercomputer in speed. It can analyze the structure of proteins.” Katya lowered the blinds and sat in front of the terminal.
“A person’s genome is an encyclopedia, and we’re about to open it,” Katya said, inserting the disc. The DNA sequence appeared on screen. “Father Yunov’s DNA. Now we can compare it to Dona’s, Aska’s, and Gehlen’s.”
“Hurry up. There’s no time.”
“Don’t get hasty. You want to find out about the purified proteins’ composition, too, don’t you?” Katya peered at the screen. “This thing has all the latest programs for gene analysis and protein structure analysis.” She began to type. Max went to the window and looked out from behind the blinds.
“Hurry. Someone’s coming,” Max said.
“It’s calculating huge amounts of data. Even with this overgrown calculator, it’s going to take thirty minutes.”
“We haven’t got that kind of time.”
Katya kept typing. “I set it to send the results to your university folder.”
“You know the password?”
“It’s not the most secure password if you can guess it in a hundred tries—and I got yours on the second try. The first time, I tried your date of birth. The second time, I tried Alex’s. I memorized it when you showed me his medical chart.”
“That’s an amazing and praiseworthy talent.”
“There’s no need to envy my paltry talents.”
Max came behind Katya and looked at the screen.
“That ‘talent’ isn’t what I wanted at all. You could do it even better if you felt so inclined. But the silly thing is, you’re never so inclined.”
“You’re the one who told me to accept people’s compliments,” Max said.
“When you were in junior high school, you won the California Math Olympiad. What number did you place nationwide?”
“I never went to the nationals. It coincided with a local football game. The nationwide champion was the girl who placed second in California.”
“That’s incredibly ironic.”
“She became a world champion and won the Fields Medal.”
Katya sighed. Max reached out and tried to switch off the unit. Katya grabbed his hand while continuing to type with the other hand.
“Wait, I still need to put in the finishing touch. I need to make sure that once the info makes it to the university, it erases all traces this ever happened. This program is important.”
“Now that’s a talent I don’t have.”
They left the computer room.
“There’s going to be a huge commotion in five minutes,” Katya said in Max’s ear, nodding her head to the researchers who were whispering while looking at them.
They left the lab and drove to a McDonald’s. It had been over thirty minutes since they set the Eoghan Institute supercomputer to crunch the DNA analysis and purified protein analysis.
As she ate her burger, Katya connected her cell to the laptop she’d taken out of her backpack, and opened the university files. On the screen, the base pairs and their related gene appeared alongside a model of the proteins they’d purified there. The data the supercomputer had crunched had been transferred.
“This is the data re the A cells and Aska’s DNA,” Katya said.
“No, Father Yunov’s data, as extracted by that talented young man.”
“What did you find? “
Max pressed a key. The screen split into a top and a bottom segment. “The top is Aska’s DNA. The bottom is Father Yunov’s.”
“They’re the same! It makes sense, if the priest had Aska’s bone marrow fluid transplanted into him.”
Max nodded and took a sip of coffee.
“Then let’s extract the DNA of the A cells from the priest’s bone marrow fluid, and multiply it via cloning. Then we can transplant it to you.”
Max typed some more. As, Ts, Gs and Cs flowed across the screen alongside numbers and images. The two stared in silence.
“Wait!” Katya said. “The X5-6 regions of chromosome 3 are different. So they aren’t totally identical, and there are more differences besides. This didn’t exist before, though.” Katya traced the numbers on the screen with her finger.
“The transplanted bone marrow fluid has changed since it entered the priest’s body.”
“Tell me in a way I’ll understand, Professor.”
Max was thinking, his fingers still on the keys until he slowly drew them away.
“A cells are changing even as they extend telomeres, repair chromosomal damage, and repair the cells in other organs. But at the same time, some segment of the genes in A cells is switched on for a short period of time, turning off their proliferative function for a short time.”
“So that’s why both Yunov and Gehlen had to transplant A cells on a regular basis—and why Gehlen traveled with Dona at his side. You knew about this?”
“I figured that might be the case when I first looked at Gehlen’s genes. And now we’ve proven it.” Max turned off her computer. “The genes of A cells have functions that defy our common understanding. They can rejuvenate other cells. But that function can’t be maintained for very long. When A cells are taken away from their original body, something happens. There’s no question they harbor some other unique properties—including the fact that it’s extraordinarily difficult for the bearer to conceive. The ovulation cycle probably lasts ages.”
“No way!”
“That’s just another way to survive. If they had a kid every year while being that long-lived, their family structures would buckle and the population would explode. If three hundred years is their life expectancy. If we assume they live to three hundred, then they’d have to be three times less fertile than normal.”
“So, they only ovulate once every three months?”
“I don’t know, but if their bodies evolved for population control, they might be ovulating only once a year. For the Nazis, Aska is a gift that keeps on giving. I bet as kids they age normally until they mature, then they stay young through their ES cells, abnormally long telomeres, and special telomerase capable of repairing genes. It’s not so much ‘eternal life’ as it is extreme longevity. Gehlen and Yunov started transplanting in their late forties and managed to freeze their bodies in time.”
“Then why did Benchell have the villagers with such valuable genes killed off?”
“Probably because . . .”
Katya suddenly looked blurry. Max felt his consciousness slipping away. He grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. Katya watched his face.
Max looked out the window at the cars in the parking lot. A man was reading a newspaper in a blue sedan. It was familiar scenery in the suburbs of California. The seconds ticked by. Gradually, the world came into focus again.
“They learned how to artificially generate cells with the same genetic information as Aska and her people, so they no longer need them.” Max didn’t use the word “clone.” Katya was already aware.
“They have the same DNA as Aska’s people? So, they’re clones.”
“Yes, as has already been done with animals.”
“Aztec is applying it to humans.”
Max nodded.
“Immortality. Humans have finally achieved their dea
rest wish.”
“But that isn’t the Nazis’ motivation. They’re trying to create the Fourth Reich, the world Hitler dreamed would happen after the Third Reich. And with this breakthrough, that’s no longer just a dream. They even tried to wrest control over the Vatican.”
“But they failed.”
“Next time, they may succeed.” Max looked out of the window. He thought about Yunov’s youthful appearance. “They’re trying to conquer hearts and minds not with military force but by their works—armed with the immortality humans have always craved.”
“Are you going to call Feldman?” Katya asked.
“He’ll stay in Europe for now. The Americas aren’t the only place Nazis fled to.”
“He should give up. Sixty-three years. I can’t imagine spending all that time chasing Nazis. He could have led a different life.”
“It’s what he wanted. For him, this is his best life.”
“Do you believe that? A life spent hunting people down, capturing them, sometimes killing them. I wouldn’t be able to stand it. He’ll regret that’s what his life amounted to in the end. I wonder what he’ll think about when he’s at death’s door?” She looked at Max, confused.
Max kept looking outside. He was sensitized to the word “death” and Katya knew it.
“Let’s go back to Aztec,” she said. “There’s some research going on over there that might cure you. Aska was definitely taken back there from Rome.”
“It’s too dangerous. They tried to kill us.”
“You only have so long to live, Professor.”
“Even if we get inside again, they’re not going to show us their research.”
Katya met Max’s eyes. “It’s our only option.”
CHAPTER 27
They left McDonald’s and Katya began driving them home.
“Have you noticed?” she said, looking in the rearview mirror.
“I noticed five minutes ago. Let’s change places.” She pulled over, and Max exited the car. Just then, a black Grand Cherokee passed by. There were two middle-aged men in the front seats. Tinted glass hid who was in the back.
“Maybe nothing to do with us?” Katya wondered.
“We can’t be sure.”
As Max started the car, his cellphone rang.
“Where are you now?” It was Feldman.
“I’m heading home.”
“Why not take a little detour? We’ve heard a strange bunch is waiting for you near your house.”
“A strange bunch? Must be your people then?”
“It’s not funny, Professor.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in the US. Not even fifty miles away.”
Katya pointed to the rearview mirror. The Cherokee was chasing them. The man in the passenger seat held a submachine gun.
“Call me back. Looks like you’re not the only strange bunch in town.” Max accelerated, and the SUV sped up.
“Is that a handgun the man in the passenger seat is holding?” Katya said.
“It’s the type of gun that can shoot way more bullets.”
“They don’t mind shooting us in the middle of the city?”
“Why don’t you ask them.” Max stepped on the accelerator. Katya shrieked, as she was slammed back into her seat. Max’s cell was ringing again. He put his hand in his pocket and turned it off.
“The light’s red. Be careful!” Katya cried.
Max pushed on the accelerator and flew through the traffic lights. Cars honked from all directions, and the screech of brakes filled the air. The Cherokee had stopped at the intersection. Katya clasped her hands, her eyes shut tight. Max turned the first corner and continued.
“You’re crazy,” Katya said, her gaze fixed forward.
“When our lives are on the line, sure.” He kept turning down side roads, and when they were no longer being tailed, they left town. The clear blue sky stretched to the horizon. The Mercedes zoomed down the freeway until the straight desert road turned into a green mountain road.
“Where are we going? Isn’t it dangerous to be someplace so isolated?”
“Wasn’t it your father who said that life is to be enjoyed?”
“Yeah, when we’re not getting chased by gun-toting psychos. I’m really not in the mood right now to enjoy the great outdoors.”
After about two hours on the road, there were no more houses in view.
“There aren’t any stores past this point.” After filling the gas tank, they bought food at the neighboring supermarket.
Once they hit the mountain road, Max put the convertible’s top down. The cool air felt great. Katya squinted into the distant mountains. After about another hour, a lake came into view, its blue water shining between the trees.
“This was definitely worth the risk,” she said, her words trembling in the wind. A small log cabin was on the lake’s shore. Max parked in front.
“My villa. Or rather, my brother’s and mine.”
The logs were about a foot in diameter, and a deck surrounded the house. A wide window faced the lake, and the living room had a stone fireplace.
After the sun went down, the temperature dropped. Max and Katya sat in front of the fire. The only sound punctuating the silence was the crackle of the flames. It was past eight, and they didn’t hear any noise from outside.
“It’s quiet.” Katya leaned against Max and snaked an arm around his waist. All they could see through the gaps in the curtains was darkness.
“When despair for the world grows in me,” Max recited, “and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”
“‘The Peace of Wild Things’ by Wendell Berry,” Katya said.
“I guess you didn’t spend all of your time studying.”
Katya smiled.
“But no matter where I went, I never had any peace of mind. I was only ever dragged forward while cowering in the shadow of death.”
They went quiet for a bit, lost in their own thoughts.
“I’ve told you about my father before,” Max said. “When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dark, and of silence. Whenever I closed my eyes to fall asleep, I plunged back into the terror of death coming for me. Of never waking up again. Then I’d jump up and turn on the lights. I’d turn on all the lights in my room, and just keep my eyes open and listen to rock music with my headphones. I was telling myself I was still alive. After two straight days of that, I’d be exhausted. But that was better than the fear of death.”
“I wouldn’t be able to take it.”
“Now imagine how shaken I was when I saw my dad floating on the lake. Just like that, death was no longer so far away. I knew that was the point I’d reach someday, but I’d thought it was still miles away, only to realize it was right in my face. The year after my father died, my brother gave me my father’s diary. I kept it on my desk for months. I was too scared to read it. I didn’t want to know the details of his misery—or that was the excuse I told myself. I was just scared to face death. One night I started reading it. He’d been scared out of his mind by death, just like me, but his terror was deeper and crueler.” Max stared at the fire, as though he were staring into the distant past.
“My father saw his own father die. My grandfather shot himself. Back then no one knew about genes. He was an elite navy man with a bright future, but his illness began at forty. It was a curse. My father found his father in a naval hospital bed bleeding from a hole in the head.” Max put a log on the fire. The flames went up, illuminating Katya’s face. “I faced setbacks and pushed through them many times. I told myself I didn’t want to die defeated like my dad or grandfather.” Max turned to the
side, pretending to avoid the heat. He didn’t want Katya to see his eyes were filled with tears.
“You hear it, right?” he asked. “It’s the sound of the waves.”
They could hear a faint rhythmic sound above the wind.
“My father died in that lake. It was winter nineteen years ago.”
Katya’s eyes opened wide. “So, this is where you were camping?”
“I come here once a month but now it’s been a year and two months since I’ve come. My brother always came with me when he was well. But two years ago I started coming here alone. Before the cabin, we used to pitch tents. The two of us built this cabin seven years ago, in memory of our father—that is, to remind ourselves that we will die too. Staying here for the night was a reminder of our determination to fight.”
“We already found the key to treating you.”
“We know the shape of the key, but we don’t know how to forge it, or even where the door is. And even if we find the door, we don’t know where that door leads.”
“It’s okay. Everything will work out.”
Katya gently put her arm around Max’s neck. Max hugged her tight. He felt a dampness on his lips. It felt full of life. It felt like life itself.
The flames wavered, casting long shadows on the curtains.
The sound of shattering glass and a rumble cut through the air. Max pushed Katya down to the floor. There was a hole in the windowpane facing the lake.
“We’re getting shot at!”
Max covered Katya’s body. More glass shattered as violent impacts shook the room. Bullets pelted the logs, but they couldn’t hear any gunshots. A silenced automatic rifle. They lay down on the floor and waited for the shooting to stop. Eventually, the night was silent once again.
“Stay here.” Max tried to crawl to the bedroom, holding the poker that was by the fireplace.
“Don’t!” Katya grabbed Max’s arm.
“There’s a gun in the closet—”
Before Max could finish the sentence, more rounds punched through the walls. Photo frames and vases on the mantelpiece shattered. Katya shrieked and clung to Max. A figure appeared in the window. Max broke free of Katya’s arm and ran beside the door with the poker.
The Gene of Life Page 29