by Don Viecelli
Ingrid was furious and could barely constrain herself. She said out loud, “The bastards!”
Jack looked more composed, at least outwardly. He took a deep breath and began his story. “That’s not what happened, Ed. Let me start at the beginning.” Jack filled Ed in with what really happened on Mars starting with the murder of Ingrid’s father and the security guard on Ares, the murder investigation that followed, the interview with Ingrid, the anti-aging drug discovery, the kidnapping of Ingrid, Ivan’s confession to Ingrid, the discovery of a suspect in the murder, Wolfgang Strossberg, and the involvement of Ivan Hellstrom and possibly others in stealing the drugs and the formula and trying to take credit for the discovery. He ended with the illegal bugging at Ivan’s apartment, learning about the frame-up, the treachery of Captain Black, the break-in at Ivan’s valley home, rescuing Ingrid and returning to Earth. It took an hour to explain things. Ed jumped in every now and then to get clarification. All and all, it was a good story. Ed looked impressed, if not a little disbelieving.
Jack left a few things out. He did not tell Ed where they had been staying for the past three weeks, although a good detective could trace their rental car back to Southport, and he didn’t mention his new relationship with Ingrid. He also did not tell Ed about his plan to fix this mess. Jack knew Ed wasn’t going to like it. One step at a time, Jack thought.
“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Ed said, scratching his head. “You know who murdered this lady’s father, but you can’t prove it yet. You did an illegal bugging and break-in and got in a shootout with the President of SpaceMed. Ivan Hellstrom and a bunch of conspirators are trying to steal the drug discovery from the doctors. You’re being framed for the murder, but you have the stolen drugs and memcards from the doctor’s lab in your possession. Your boss, Captain Black, is a crook, and the pretty Doctor Ingrid Johanson here, whom you rescued, is really 60 years old. Did I miss anything important?”
“No, that just about covers it,” Jack replied, looking a little anxious. His story was rough around the edges, but it was the truth.
“Well then, I do have a few more questions to ask both of you, but I think we need to take a break. The restrooms are down the hall. You two freshen up. Don’t go anywhere now. I want to hear the rest of this when I get back.”
They all got up to take a short break. Captain Stiles left the room first. He obviously wanted to talk to somebody. Jack looked at Ingrid. He wasn’t so sure now that he made the right decision in coming here. The story did sound a little far-fetched.
“Do you think he believes us?”
“I don’t know, Ingrid. He probably doesn’t know what to think. We’ll find out in a few minutes, one way or another. I have to go to the restroom. We’ll show Ed the proof we have when he gets back.”
They went to the restrooms, freshened up and returned to the conference room. Jack poured himself some coffee. Ingrid opened a bottle of water. They waited a few minutes until Captain Stiles walked back into the room. He had two people with him, a large black man in a blue suit and a small Caucasian woman in a white lab coat. The man was carrying a leather briefcase. Jack looked at Ingrid and felt resigned to his fate. They stood up. It looked like they were going to be arrested.
“We’re telling you the truth, Ed. We can prove it if you give us a chance,” Jack said as Captain Stiles and the others stood by the table.
“Relax, Jack. I believe you. I want you to meet someone. This is Inspector Leroy Madison from the Federal Drug Bureau. And this is Doctor Alicia Olray from the SLEA Crime Lab.” Captain Stiles introduced Jack and Ingrid. Everyone shook hands and sat down.
“Inspector Madison is very interested in your story about SpaceMed. I’ll let him fill you in.”
“Detective Helms, Doctor Johanson, it’s nice to meet both of you,” Leroy said. “I think we can help each other. The bureau has been investigating Ivan Hellstrom and SpaceMed for some time now. We’re certain that his company is responsible for supplying illegal drugs to dealers here and on Mars. Last week, one of our space marshals captured a drug dealer on Mars who was selling narcotics to the miners in the main asteroid belt region. His name is Orlan Reddy. We’re fairly certain this man was buying his drugs from SpaceMed, but we haven’t been able to prove it yet. Mister Reddy somehow changed his appearance dramatically. He claims to have taken a new drug that reverses aging. He says people are calling it the “The Miracle Drug”. It’s some kind of fountain-of-youth serum. We’re doing DNA testing to find out if he is telling the truth. Doctor Olray is helping us on the case.”
“The Chief Medical Examiner on Mars found an unusual substance in the man’s blood stream,” Doctor Olray interrupted. “You should know her, Detective Helms. Her name is Doctor Zheng. The substance she found produces enzymes that seem to reverse the aging process and regenerate living cells. It’s a revolutionary leap in regenerative medicine and could be the missing link many have been looking for. Doctor Zheng claims the same substance was found in one of the murder victims you were investigating on Ares. She also claims it can be found in you, Doctor Johanson. Is this true?” Everyone was staring at Ingrid.
“Yes. I took the drug too. My father and I discovered the missing genetic code that can prolong life. It took years of DNA research to find it. Ivan Hellstrom wants to take credit for the discovery. That’s why he had my father killed.”
“Do you have any proof of this?” Doctor Olray asked.
“We have samples of the drug in this bag. You can test them if you wish,” Jack answered, opening the bag and handing her a vial.
“I would like that very much,” Doctor Olray said excitedly, holding up the vial and examining the clear blue liquid. “I would also like to take a sample of your DNA for testing, Doctor Johanson—if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. I can tell you how the drug works while you do the test,” Ingrid offered. The two women left the room while the men continued to talk.
“We also have the memcards the murderer took from the lab and Doctor Johanson’s home after he killed the doctor,” Jack added. “It contains data on the production records and lab tests Ingrid and her father performed. Ivan Hellstrom was looking for the new formula; the one that would allow mass-production of the drug.” Jack explained how he obtained the drugs and the cards.
“Taking it from the house without a search warrant will make it inadmissible in court, Jack,” Ed commented.
“I know. So will this recording I took in Hellstrom’s apartment.” Jack played the recording he obtained by bugging Ivan’s apartment on Mars.
“So Hellstrom and Captain Black are involved in the murders then,” Leroy stated.
“Yes, but I have to go back to Mars to prove it,” Jack said.
“And how do you intend to do that?” Ed asked.
“I want you to implant a hidden microphone and transmitter in my body so I can return to Mars and meet with Hellstrom.”
“What do you plan to do?” Ed asked.
“I will offer Hellstrom the new formula and Ingrid’s agreement in return for a piece of the action. I’ll record everything I can when I meet with him and Captain Black.”
That will be very dangerous, Jack.” Ed was worried. “What about the drugs?”
“I have to take them back as part of the negotiation or Hellstrom won’t believe me.”
“And Ingrid?”
“She has to come with me. She’s the only one who can open the lock box on Mars where she put the memcard with the new formula and her copy of the agreement.”
“They’ll try to kill you as soon as you give them the items,” Ed warned.
“I’m willing to take that chance. It’s the only way to catch Ivan and find out who else is involved.”
“I agree with him,” Leroy said, weighing the pros and cons. “I think it’s worth the risk. We can make it look like we’re after Jack and Ingrid too. I have marshals on Mars who can help protect them. It might be the only way we can get enough evidence to co
nvict Hellstrom.”
“All right. I’ll talk to the director and see what he thinks. I can’t make any promises, but it sounds like a good plan to me, too.” They spent a few minutes going over more details. Then Captain Stiles and Inspector Madison left the room to talk to the Director of SLEA. There was nothing else Jack could do now, but wait.
Chapter 20
Mars
Ivan Hellstrom and Captain Black were meeting in Ivan’s office at SpaceMed. Ivan was angry. It had been almost a month since Jack and Ingrid left Mars and Captain Black still couldn’t find any trace of them.
“Where in the hell are they, Captain?” Ivan ranted. “We need to find those people now!”
“I’m doing the best I can, Ivan. We lost their trail on Ares where we found the police shuttle. I’ve got people in the agency looking for them, here and on Earth. We’ll find them, don’t worry,” Captain Black said defensively.
“The word is getting out about the drug. I can’t make enough to meet demand. I need the new formula to increase production,” Ivan explained impatiently.
“I don’t understand, Ivan. Can’t your scientist’s figure it out?”
“It’ll take them years. Cracking that genetic code took genius. It’s not something just anybody can do.”
“You’re sure the woman didn’t take it with her?”
“I doubt it. They left in a hurry. The formula still has to be here on Mars. They’ll come back to get it.” Ivan kept pressing home the point.
“I have people monitoring all the shuttle ports. If they show up, we’ll spot them,” Captain Black countered.
“Ingrid still has a copy of the agreement we signed. I need to destroy that contract. Then SpaceMed will be the sole owner of the drug,” Ivan said forcefully. “This will be the most sought after drug of all time. It’s the fountain-of-youth! The first step to immortality! Nothing will ever be more important. Do you understand how critically important this is to me?” Ivan asked for the final time.
“Yes, I do. I’ll find them for you, I promise. But you still owe me for using my drugs to frame Detective Helms. I can’t very well steal them back from the police evidence room, now can I?” Captain Black retorted.
“You’ll get your drugs as soon as I can make more of it. You know how long it takes. I’m barely producing two vials a week. Find that detective of yours. He has the drug vials he took from me. That would pay you back.”
“There’s something else I need to tell you. The space marshals picked up Orlan Reddy the other day. He must have used some of your anti-aging drug because he looks much younger now. It’s causing quite a fuss back on Earth. The bureau wanted his DNA tested. My crime lab people found something in his blood and sent the lab results to Earth. It matches the substance found in the doctor. They’re asking questions now. What do you want me to tell them?”
Thiswasa setback. Ivan thought for a moment. He knew Orlan would never talk. If he did, he would be killed, no matter where the authorities hid him. However, Orlan’s capture would complicate things. Word about the drug’s remarkable properties would spread like wildfire once it became known. He had given several vials of the drug to his co-conspirators for helping him gain control of the discovery. It was only a matter of time before some of them took the drug. The dealers had already sold the drug to several of their wealthiest clients. Now the clients were clamoring for more. Ivan was generating far more demand than he could fulfill. It was all part of his plan, but it was only the first step. It looked like it was time to take the second step.
“Tell them the detective and Ingrid are behind this. They stole the new drug and now they are selling it illegally. Maybe the marshals can help find them faster.”
“And if they do find them, then what?”
“Have them sent back here for questioning in the murder of Doctor Johanson. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“All right, Ivan. But it’ll be hard to go to trial and convince a jury that they were involved in the murders.”
“Who says they’ll ever stand trial? They’ll both be dead long before that happens,” Ivan replied bluntly.
Captain Black thought for a moment. He wasn’t all that convinced Ivan could take care of the matter as easily as he said he could. It looked to him like things were getting out of hand. It wasn’t something they could control any longer. He just wanted what was his. He was getting tired of the pressure. It was time to get out before it was too late. He could start a second life somewhere else. He didn’t need all this aggravation anymore. He suddenly felt old and tired.
“Fine. I’ll do what I can.” Captain Black shook Ivan’s hand and left the building. He needed to find Jack and get those drugs back. Things were getting a little too hot for his liking.
Just a little more time and I can leave all of this behind me, he thought. He went back to the police station.
After Captain Black left, Ivan called Wolfgang into the room. “We need to fly to the space lab. Get the shuttle ready.” Ivan packed his briefcase and cleaned off his desk. It was time to make preparations for the second phase of his plan.
Later that afternoon, Ivan and Wolfgang left Mars on the company shuttlecraft with Wolfgang piloting. They flew past Ares and headed for deep space. They flew for almost two hours at top speed until they reached the outer ring of the main asteroid belt where mining operations began. Hidden among the many barren and lifeless asteroids, some as large as two miles in diameter, was Ivan’s latest project—a large, fully equipped and operational space lab: built and maintained using private funds from SpaceMed and his illegal drug trade.
The space lab looked like any other mining operation facility. It housed almost 50 people, including some who actually mined the nearby asteroids to make hydrogen for fuel, oxygen to breath and water to drink. It could be moved to a new location at a moment’s notice. The space lab manufactured some of the illegal drugs Ivan sold on the black market. Ivan was now using the facility to produce the new anti-aging drug in one of the micro-gravity chambers.
The shuttlecraft landed on one of the two landing pads on the spinning space lab and taxied into a small hangar. As soon as normal atmosphere was established, Ivan and Wolfgang exited the shuttlecraft and walked to Ivan’s office. Ivan immediately wanted to meet with his chief biochemist, Doctor Akihito Tanaka.
“Tell Doctor Tanaka I want to inspect the drug processing chamber,” Ivan told Wolfgang. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir. I’m going to check on security?” Wolfgang left the room to notify Doctor Tanaka and check security operations. Ivan left shortly afterwards and met Doctor Tanaka, a small, thin faced, studious looking Japanese man, at the entrance to the micro-gravity chamber where they put on special magnetic shoes to walk in the lab.
“How’s production going, Doctor Tanaka?” Ivan asked as they entered the lab.
“We are making some progress, Mister Hellstrom,” Doctor Tanaka replied. “The enzymes are hard to synthesize as you well know. Conditions in the lab must be perfect.”
“Have you been able to increase production at all?”
“No. The rate is the same as before, one hundred milliliters per week. We can only produce more if we build another line. I know this is disappointing, but we have not been able to improve upon the basic formula. The genetic code is too complex.”
Ivan was disappointed. He was as perplexed as the chief scientists he had working on the problem at SpaceMed. The human genome was deciphered over ninety years ago and the basic DNA code was well understood by scientists. Ivan mulled over what was known. The human body contains over 100 trillion cells. Inside each cell is a nucleus that combines two complete sets of human DNA—one set from the male and the other set from the female—that include nearly 25,000 genes sliced together on the same twenty-three chromosomes. These genes contain the codes for life, from the day the first single cell organism spontaneously sprang from the primordial chemical soup on Earth to develop into the complex biological human beings a
live today.
The human genome is like a book with words written in digital code. The words are only three letters long and the alphabet is made of only four letters. Ivan knew that these four letters, made of nucleotides, combine into base pairs to build long strands of material made up of nucleic acids called DNA that contain all the information needed for life. These DNA genes possess the ability to copy themselves and could replicate indefinitely. However, when making copies, the genes substitute one of the letters in each word to make a slightly different chemical called RNA. RNA uses the slightly different code to create a new alphabet of twenty amino acids that can form themselves into new shapes to produce proteins.
Ivan knew that almost everything in the human body is made up of proteins, or made by proteins. Proteins are responsible for switching genes and cells on and off. Proteins enable DNA to replicate. One would think that replication should then lead to immortality with death only resulting from accidents, diseases or some other unpreventable cause. Ivan knew better than this. Nature only allowed a species to live long enough to adapt to its environment and reproduce. Ivan thought it was ironic that nature had programmed in death to make way for the survival of the fittest.
Ivan knew that the cells in the human body start dividing from the moment of conception. It takes only 47 cell doublings to make a human body of a 100 trillion cells from a single fertilized egg. It was a mathematical progression that is only stopped by nature. Written deep in the genetic code of every cell is a program that tells each cell when to stop dividing. Some cells stop early in life and some cells never stop and repair themselves throughout life. Scientists thought they had found the answer on one of the chromosomes. It was a biochemical called telomerase. Lack of this chemical caused the cell to stop dividing and die. The presence of this chemical caused the cell to become immortal. It was the reason that some cells in cancer tumors divide endlessly. Scientists cured cancer fifty years ago, but they still could not find the answer for human immortality.