Extinction Series (The Complete Collection)

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Extinction Series (The Complete Collection) Page 32

by James D. Prescott


  Jansson clicked again. Now the newest arm of the Salzburg chromosome, the 48th chromatid, appeared. Across from the COL1 gene was LRP5, a different version of the same gene, along what geneticists called an allele. In every chromosome, our genes were arranged along the length of each chromatid. On one side were the alleles we inherited from our mother and on the others the allele we inherited from our father. Which of the two competing genes got expressed depended on which was dominant and which was recessive. Of course, since Salzburg was not an inherited chromosome, and since the genes within it seemed to be appearing one by one, it meant the first four genes that showed up were the ones that got expressed. However, LRP5, the gene which coded for denser bone mass, appeared to be dominant, which meant subjects who had previously shown signs of weakened bones would now begin to see the opposite. Throughout the explanation, Mia thought at once of Grant and Zoey, how she had seen both of them experience a significant increase in bone density over the last few days.

  “Are you saying the new genes yet to show up will all be dominant?” she asked.

  Jansson shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, though it is certainly looking that way.” The doctor then clicked another button. This time, it was a feed from a maternity ward security camera.

  “What is this?” Mia asked, uncertain.

  “These pregnant women all have the full Salzburg chromosome,” Jansson told her.

  “You’ve detected abnormalities, haven’t you?”

  Jansson tilted her head. “I’m not sure what to call it. To date we’ve studied dozens of pregnant women with Salzburg, each of them with varying levels of health and fitness. What we don’t yet understand is why every one of them is expecting twins.”

  Chapter 11

  Washington, D.C.

  “This place is too expensive,” Kay protested, looking around at the plush leather chairs and the walls liberally covered with hundred-year-old sketches. Restaurant 1789 was one of the priciest in Washington and also one of the stuffiest. Old English aristocracy seemed to be the theme and even the waiters added to the sense you’d somehow been transported back in time. They looked like butlers, but the food was supposed to be terrific and that was one of the reasons Kay’s fiancé, Derek Johnson, had brought her here.

  The other was that it was their three-year anniversary. The small bouquet of flowers he had brought was in a vase on the table next to her. In all the time they’d been dating, Derek had never made a single misstep. He didn’t swear or raise his voice. He never forgot their anniversary or her birthday. He was so thoughtful and kind, not to mention successful. His work as an investment banker had led to a series of promotions and raises. It was all rather sickening really. They had planned their wedding for the following spring and yet right about now she wasn’t so sure they would live to see it.

  Derek sat across from her, smiling, oblivious to the impending danger. Six-two and well-muscled, Derek balanced his impressive physique with a baby face. With brown eyes and skin the color of café latte, he was a sight to behold.

  “Stop being silly,” he said, taking her hand into his. “Your hands are cold. Are you feeling all right?”

  “It’s only a chill,” she lied. She was trying hard to focus on the evening, to forget about the pictures Laydeezman had sent her and the disturbing future they foretold.

  “I was worried you were gonna miss our anniversary dinner,” he said, a twinkle in his eye.

  It took Kay a moment for the comment to register. “Oh, the fashion show in New York. Yeah, I gave it to Sarah. She’s been dying to cover the fashion beat. In exchange I agreed to take her story on the hidden dangers of ergonomic office chairs.”

  Derek laughed, his teeth dazzlingly white. “The dangers of ergonomic office chairs. Sounds like a hard-hitting piece.”

  Kay squeezed Derek’s hand, her features becoming set. “All joking aside, if I told you something really bad was about to happen, would you agree to run away with me to Vegas and elope?”

  Derek’s eyes grew wider. “Are you crazy? What would your parents say? Heck, what would my parents say?”

  “For once, I just wish you could be a little selfish.”

  Derek’s back straightened, the way it always did when he was feeling attacked. “Have I done something wrong?”

  Kay shook her head. “No, of course not. You never do anything wrong. You’re always thinking of everyone’s feelings.” Her voice trailed off.

  The waiter approached and Derek waved him away. “Give us another minute or two.” He turned back to Kay, who was staring at him intently.

  “I know that look.”

  She tilted her head. “What look?”

  “That dazed and dreamy look you get when there’s something you’re dying to tell me.”

  Kay nibbled at her bottom lip, a terrible habit which tended to crater the inside of her mouth and reveal her true feelings all at once.

  “Out with it,” Derek demanded, trying to sound tough, but reaching over to brush her cheek with the back of his hand. “Is it about the carjacking? I heard of a guy who was terrified of dogs before he went to a hypnotist. After a single session he went out and bought a Great Dane.”

  Kay smiled weakly. He was trying to cheer her up. “It isn’t the carjacking. I found something out yesterday, something I’ve sworn not to reveal, and it’s eating me up inside.”

  He leaned forward, concerned. “Spill it. You can trust me.”

  The phone in Kay’s purse pinged and she pulled it out.

  “Honey,” he protested, an old note of disappointment in his voice. “I wish for once you could just put that thing away.”

  “This could be really important.”

  Derek motioned between the two of them. “That might be so, but tonight is our anniversary and to me this is more important.”

  Kay grunted her agreement, but continued opening her Facebook messenger app.

  In one quick motion, Derek snatched it from her hands and set it on the seat next to him.

  Kay glared up in disbelief. “Derek Bradley Johnson, you give me back that phone or I swear…”

  He giggled. “If you swear to put it away. For God’s sake, Kay. Seems all you do these days is work, work and more work.”

  She held her hand out, palm up and glared at him. “Phone. Now or I walk.” She was bluffing, but he didn’t know that.

  “Tell me first.”

  Kay crossed her arms and drew in a deep breath. At the table next to them was an older couple. The skin on their arms hung loosely while their faces looked impossibly taut. “So that alien spaceship that’s been plastered all over the news these last few days,” she said, keeping her voice low.

  “What about it?” Derek asked, handing Kay her phone back. “Was it a hoax? I’ll bet that it was.”

  She shook her head. “I wish it was. Apparently there’s another one out in space and it’s heading this way.”

  Derek’s complexion grew two shades lighter. “Heading this way?”

  “Apparently the government knows and has been keeping it under wraps.”

  “How long before it gets here?”

  “Thirteen days.”

  “And when it does?” he asked. “What happens then?”

  Kay shook her head. “Nobody knows. But you saw the press conference with those scientists. According to them the ship they found on earth not only killed the dinosaurs, but may also be making people sick.”

  “So you’re saying that in less than two weeks we might all be dead?” Derek leaned back in his chair. The couple next to them glanced over, annoyed. “Figure of speech,” he offered apologetically. “Enjoy your meal, folks. By the way, I hear the crème brûlée is to die for.”

  Kay fought back a burst of morose laughter. Here they were discussing the end of the world and Derek was still taking time to put people at ease and recommend desserts.

  Whispering now, Derek said: “And how is it you know all this?”

  “I have a contact in the Whit
e House,” she told him.

  “White House? Don’t you write for the Lifestyle section?”

  “At this point I don’t care so much about that anymore. My new contact says he has something much bigger.”

  The skepticism on Derek’s face was unmistakable. “Bigger than the extinction of all life on the planet? How do you know this guy isn’t jerking you around? I mean, he could claim the government’s hiding any number of things.”

  Just then a ping sounded at the table next to them. The older gentleman reached into his suit jacket and removed his phone and a pair of reading glasses. A moment later another ping rang out from a different table, followed by two more nearby. Kay and the others in this part of the dining room glanced around as pings and pongs fired off from every direction. It seemed the whole world was texting at once. Kay turned back to see Derek scrolling through his own phone, his face a mask of worry. Kay did the same and saw five texts waiting for her. She went to the one from her father first.

  Kayza, have you seen the news?

  He always used her first name when he was worried or afraid.

  Gasps filled the restaurant as she opened the browser window she had set to the Washington Post home page. It was a story about the Pope declaring that extraterrestrial beings were welcome in the church. She frowned and flipped to CNN. There in bold black letters was a headline that didn’t surprise her, but one that sent shivers up the back of her arms nevertheless.

  “Astronomers detect alien craft on collision course with earth.”

  Nearly everyone in the restaurant was messaging friends and loved ones or scrolling through news articles, all with the same dire announcement. Kay knew the low buzz of fear people had been feeling before was about to turn to panic.

  Then without warning, ten messages popped up on her phone in the span of a few seconds. One of them came from her Facebook account. She opened the app and saw that Laydeezman had just sent her something.

  Now you know I was telling the truth, and I see that you can be trusted, you’re one step closer to getting the exclusive I promised you…

  Kay waited. She saw he was typing.

  38°88’77.78” 77°04’76.60”

  And you may need this: 2028569587

  She typed back. “Is that a phone number? I don’t even know what I’m looking for.”

  You’ll know it when you see it. You have one hour.

  “There’s got to be an easier way to do this.”

  This is not a game. It’s for my security. You now have fifty-nine minutes. When the clock reaches zero, it’ll be gone, and I’ll find a reporter more willing to help protect her sources.

  “Shit,” Kay blurted out.

  Derek glanced up from his phone, fear clouding his dark eyes. “Maybe you’re right about eloping in Vegas.”

  Kay shot up from her seat and grabbed her bag. “Honey, I gotta go.” She got less than five feet away before she ran back, grabbed the flowers and kissed him. “Happy anniversary!” And with that she was gone, her fiancé watching stunned and bewildered as she flew out the door and into the night.

  Chapter 12

  The massive Boeing C-17 Globemaster III shuddered and Jack clamped down on the squeeze toy in his hand. His jaw was also busy, kneading a wad of gum the way a baker might knead dough. The frantic activity was intended to do more than merely distract his mind from his visceral hatred of flying. It was supposed to keep the painful pressure from pressing against his eardrums. Needless to say, neither the squishy toy nor the gum were doing anything other than tiring him out.

  This was the final leg of their journey, first from Joint Base Andrews to St John’s, Newfoundland, and from there to an improvised airstrip in the dead center of Greenland.

  Seats on the C-17 were arranged along both sides of the fuselage facing inward. That meant any equipment could be loaded and strapped down between the two rows of passengers. Among them were the crates of safety equipment and supplies, not to mention the scientific gear—portable mass spectrometers, DNA sequencers as well as the rows of computer servers tasked with monitoring Anna’s status and providing her access to external sources of knowledge.

  The military transport plane shook again and Gabby put a gentle hand over Jack’s. He turned to her, chomping away. Gabby held out her hand.

  “Hand it over.” She was talking about the gum. “I can see it isn’t doing you an ounce of good and it’s been driving me nuts for the last hour.”

  Jack laughed and plucked it out of his mouth, massaging his tired jaw muscles in the process.

  “We land in less than thirty minutes,” she told him, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. “Try to rest.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  She cocked one eye, glaring at him. “If this is about Mia, try not to let Grant hear you. He may not be a full-blown geneticist, but we don’t need him feeling like Monday’s leftovers.”

  “Grant’s got nothing to worry about,” Jack said. “And Admiral Stark assured us they have an experienced team of scientists already in place to assist us.”

  “It’s your old man who got to you.” She had an uncanny way of being able to read Jack’s mind.

  He nodded and then shook his head. “Said he saw me at the press conference and wanted to patch things up while we still…well, you know.”

  “While you still had the chance,” Gabby said. Her gaze peeled away, lost for a moment in her own tangled thoughts. “We all have things we’d like to set straight before the end,” she finally said. “It’s hard to blame him.”

  “I don’t blame him for seeking resolution. I just don’t have the headspace to be worrying about crap like that.”

  A deep crease formed on Gabby’s brow. “You’re not the only one with a Mack truck pressing down on your shoulders, Dr. Jack Greer.”

  “That’s not what I mean. In all these years, he’s never reached out before. Then he sees me on TV and suddenly feels the burning need to reconnect.”

  “You think he’s being opportunistic. Jumping on the bandwagon because he thinks his son is famous.”

  Jack rubbed his hand along the leg of his pants. “Maybe part of me is worried that he means it.”

  “If you ask me,” Gabby told him, “I think you’re scared witless you’re more like your old man than you care to admit.”

  Jack didn’t reply to that one. He was busy trying to wash down the sudden bad taste in his mouth.

  Through a gap in the equipment, Jack watched Anna on the other side of the plane. She was seated next to Grant and the two of them appeared to be engaged in rather heated debate. Jack watched for several minutes. He couldn’t make out what they were discussing. All he could see were arms in the air and expressions of frustration.

  “I’ve been meaning to discuss something with you,” a voice called out from his right. It was Rajesh and he had a concerned look on his face.

  “Is it about Anna?” Jack said, returning to the show on the other side of the plane.

  “I’m afraid it is. Before leaving, we ran a final diagnostic and detected a rather strange anomaly in the program running her cognitive abilities.”

  “Those Jersey Shore reruns are making her dumber, aren’t they?”

  The stale quality of Rajesh’s smile told Jack it was best he not make light of the situation.

  “Please tell me those Sentinel goons haven’t managed to infect her with another virus.”

  “No, nothing like that. Given Anna’s desire to become more human, I suppose it’s a wonder her efforts to expand her own general intelligence would not have gotten there sooner. You see, during our analysis we discovered an algorithm she had written herself, designed to replicate the full range of human emotions.”

  “But I’ve seen her express sadness at being scolded or happiness when Mia and I returned from meeting with the president.”

  “Yes, and those are genuine and healthy feelings she is experiencing.” Rajesh held Jack’s gaze. “But there is a whole other spectrum within
this new algorithm that might be problematic.”

  “Are you talking about anger and violence?” Jack asked, concerned.

  “No, nothing that extreme, although we will shut her down if she ever becomes dangerous to those around her.”

  “Why don’t you just go in and remove the algorithm?”

  Rajesh shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s become far too ingrained in the rest of the progress she has made. Removing it would mean carving out a huge chunk of her existing abilities. In other words, it would be like giving her a lobotomy.”

  Jack crossed his arms. “So Anna is no longer a young girl of ten.”

  “No,” Rajesh said, continuing the thought. “I would say she is closer to a teenager now.”

  “They grow up so quickly,” Jack said, hiding his concern. He couldn’t imagine having to shut Anna down, or worse yet, disconnect her permanently. With any luck this was only a phase she was going through, one traversed by himself and billions of others over the course of humanity’s time on earth. But even at her accelerated rate of development, he wasn’t sure she’d live to see her twenties.

  Jack felt the plane bank to the left. A moment later, Captain Mullins returned from the cockpit.

  “Is everything all right?” Jack inquired, fighting the sudden urge to work the squishy toy in his hand.

  Mullins stopped and braced himself against the bulkhead above Jack’s seat. “Should be fine. We’re circling over the airstrip just waiting for an okay to land.”

  Jack caught the subtle flash of fear in the captain’s eyes. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Are we low on fuel?”

  Gabby slapped his leg. “Will you stop being so paranoid?”

  “We have more than enough to circle for another twenty minutes, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mullins said rather curtly before stomping away.

 

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