Sea of a Thousand Words

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Sea of a Thousand Words Page 32

by Christine C. Wallace


  “Wèi? Zhè shì sheí?”

  “I have no idea what you’re saying,” Garance muttered to herself. Fumbling through her limited Chinese vocabulary, she managed to ask, “Nǐ shuō Yīngwén ma? “

  The woman answered, “Yes. I speak English—I’m Canadian.” There was a moment of silence and then she called out, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

  Garance hesitated. What if this is some way for HighTower to lure me into revealing information? She looked around her confines and sighed. Merde, what have I got to lose? She replied in a hoarse whisper, “I am a journalist—investigating suspicious deaths that involve HighTower. I was searching for a scientist named ‘Chen’, but they must have discovered what I was up to.” Garance paused to allow the woman time to process her explanation before continuing, “I met with his nephew a couple days ago in the I.D.—that’s when they grabbed me…”

  “Shhhh, don’t say anything else.”

  “Who are you?” Garance asked.

  “My name is Niu Tián, I’m the sister of the scientist you are looking for, but I can’t tell you anymore. My son, the young man you met with—is he safe? Are you sure he wasn’t captured as well?”

  “Yes, I mean… I think he is fine. I saw him escape before they threw a blindfold over me… Can you tell me where we are? How long have you been here?”

  Another voice broke into their conversation, Garance recognized it as the one who had been crying. Garance was forced to wait as the two voices spoke back and forth in Mandarin. Finally, the woman she’d addressed called out to her, “Did you see my daughter—was she with her brother? She must be so afraid… Her name is ‘Biyu’. We’ve been here for many days—I’ve lost count. Please, tell me that my children are safe.”

  “I don’t know about your girl. I’m very sorry—I only met your son and he was alone. Do you know… can you tell me—have they located the scientist yet?”

  “Do not say his name in here—do not let them know you are involved in any way—they are ruthless!”

  “It’s important that I talk to this man. He’s involved in something…” The light reappeared underneath Garance’s door as a metallic clang echoed in the hallway. She heard footsteps growing louder until they came to a stop at her door.

  HighTower Office. New Seattle WA. Aug 21. 2033

  47°32'59.7"N 122°02'38.7"W

  The built-in intercom buzzed and the automated personal assistant answered, “West Coast Director Terrance’s office. This is Flora. How may I be of assistance?”

  A similar voice replied, “The representatives from Huang Biotechnologies have arrived, they are currently waiting in the main lobby.”

  Amanda turned her attention away from the monitor and addressed the robot. “That’s fine, Flora. Have them take the elevator up and wait in the foyer. Please don’t allow them in until I tell you to do so.”

  “Confirmed, Director.”

  “And have a pot of Lapsang Souchong tea brought up for our guests.”

  “Certainly. Shall I procure your usual beverage as well, Director?”

  “Not yet. I’d prefer to get them out of here as quickly as possible. I’ll have my latte afterwards, Flora.”

  “As you wish.”

  Amanda returned to the video call on her monitor. “Thank you for holding, Nelson. The Huang scientists are on their way up as we speak. I thought it best to confirm that we’re on the same page with this Revelations issue.”

  CEO Bank’s voice sounded far away and tinny. “If by ‘on the same page’, you’re referring to removal of all evidence in our possession and denial of its existence then, yes indeed Mandy, we are on the same page. Look, there’s no time to discuss this, I’m headed to D.C. right now. This recent publicity stunt from Kaleka has all the stuffed-suits on Capitol Hill whipped into a feeding frenzy. I want you to ensure the entire Revelations project goes away. All loose ends tied up permanently.”

  “Very well… But it’s such a shame, after all the time and resources we’ve put into it. The field tests were going so well. Nonetheless, I thoroughly understand. We’ll have it resolved by the end of this meeting.”

  “Excellent. Give me a detailed update after you’re all finished. Oh, have you received any more updates from Trip yet?”

  Amanda looked at Flora, “Any messages?”

  “There has been no correspondence from Mr. Ashfield since his last text was logged on August 15th, 1600 Pacific daylight time. Shall I scan the records again?”

  “No, that’s not necessary. Thank you, Flora,” Amanda shook her head. “There’s nothing to report since his arrival at ‘Hyde Island.”

  Amanda’s assistant interjected, “’Haida Gwaii’: A northwest chain of islands formerly known as the Queen Charlottes. The original name was returned to the indigenous people in the year 2010. Approximately 70% of the islands are populated by a First Nations tribe called the Haida. The northern island has two large settlements of indigenous people; Skidegate and Old Massett are the main…”

  “Thank you—that will be enough, Flora.” Amanda brushed the assistant away with a flick of her hand as she responded to Bank’s query, “Ashfield’s last message stated that Dr. Chen was on the north end of that island somewhere. I assume the coverage up there is pretty unpredictable, I’ll call you if we hear anything else.”

  “Great. I’ll feel better when I hear from Trip. Once that scientist is out of the picture, this whole mess will be much easier to clean up.” Nelson paused and Amanda heard him shout directions to his navigation computer to avoid the protesters crowding his limo. She heard muffled voices yelling and loud banging noises in the background.

  “Sir, is everything alright there?”

  “Yeah, it’s just another one of Kaleka’s agitated mobs. He’s got the bleeding-heart liberals all riled up about those goddamned refugees. What a pain in my ass… Alright Mandy, you get those Huang Biotech boys in line and shut down this train wreck for me. We’ll reconnect this afternoon.”

  “Understood, Nelson.”

  Amanda sighed and clicked off the screen. She stared at the floral patterned rug in front of her desk for some time until the sound of voices coming from the antechamber broke her contemplation. Flora moved toward the door, “It appears that the Huang delegation has arrived, Director. Would you like me to admit them?”

  “Yes, have them come in. Cue up all remaining Revelations files onto the large screen—and Flora, have an internal sentinel drone deliver product container—H233-N1. I want it brought directly to me and no one else.”

  Flora showed the scientists into the office and placed a call to security as Amanda skimmed through the documents. Once the formalities had been seen to and her guests were seated, Director Terrance went straight to the heart of the matter. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid that I’ve got some rather bad news to deliver this mornin-- although I doubt it will come as a total surprise to you. It’s become apparent that the Revelations project has run its course: What with the increased media attention and difficulties with the Marshall Islands test… Our CEO believes that the prudent course is to terminate the project and eradicate the evidence that implicates HighTower.”

  The Chinese delegation conversed animatedly as Amanda returned to her desk and scrutinized the Revelations file. She coolly deleted each document after reading—but not before transferring them to her personal device. At last, Enlai Hán, the former director of Huang’s laboratory—cleared his throat to speak. “Director Terrance, we are most distressed to learn of the termination of this project. I understand that culpability is of utmost concern, however, we would respectfully ask Mr. Banks to reconsider. There is much that can be salvaged from our efforts, and while it is… unfortunate that we have not been able to decipher Dr. Chen’s encryptions, I can assure you, we are making great strides toward developing a new and possibly, superior delivery method for the enzyme.”

  Amanda lightly tapped her forefinger on the desk as she listened, her l
acquered nail barely touched the leather blotter. “Dr. Hán, I appreciate your team’s commitment to the research—truly I do, however I’m afraid that HighTower Security Authority’s position on this matter is non-negotiable. Now, I must ask your scientists to relinquish their clearance identification and passwords. I regret the way this has turned out—I too, saw great promise in the Revelations program.”

  Setting their badges and corporate devices on the tray in front of them, the Huang delegation rose to leave. As Flora ushered them toward the door, Amanda rose and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Dr. Hán—might I have a word with you in private?”

  “Most assuredly, Director Terrance.” As the other scientists were escorted out of the office, Hán returned to his seat and poured himself a cup of tea. Amanda walked to the foyer and met the security drone, signed for the secure container she’d requested and turned to her automated assistant. “Flora, I’d like you to leave the room while I discuss some matters with Dr. Hán—it should only take a few minutes.”

  “I acknowledge your request, Director Terrance. However, I am compelled to remind you that protocol requires a recording of interactions with non-HSA staff, pursuant to regulation bravo-oscar-zulu-nine-four, subsection…”

  “I am disregarding the standard protocol in this instance, Flora. You may code it as management override if you must. Please close the door behind you and await further instructions.”

  “Very well, Director. Your retraction has been noted. May I place the order for your afternoon latte at this time?”

  “That would be fine, thank you.”

  Enlai Hán studied the exchange between the director and her assistant. If he was to try and salvage anything out of the abandoned Revelations project, it would be wise to understand what kind of person this new manager was. He smiled benignly, allowing things to play out in their own time. Amanda returned her full attention to Dr. Hán, “I’d like to thank you for staying behind—may I call you Enlai?” The scientist nodded, choosing to brush off her westernized familiarity. “You may call me Amanda for the sake of this conversation,” she purred, sitting on the edge of her desk. “To tell you the truth, Enlai, I am rather intrigued by the comment you made earlier… regarding a ‘superior delivery method.’ Is this true? Have you come up with something else that might work?”

  “I believe we have, Director Terrance. As you are aware, we’ve been stymied in our attempts to replicate Dr. Chen’s aerosol delivery system. Without his data and samples, it might take us months—even years. However, we’ve recently incorporated a cellular prion protein. In doing so, we can devise an altogether different dispersal method: Using epithelial cells as models for the prions has shown promise. And then of course, once we applied the CRISPR/CAS-9 ‘knock-out’ technology—well, I don’t mind telling you, it was quite an exhilarating revelation to be sure.” Dr. Hán’s enthusiasm increased as he described the results. “This process has allowed us to target the same RNA sequences that Chen’s lab partner weaponized. Our preliminary results are encouraging. That is why news of the termination of this research came as such a devastating blow to my team.”

  “Yes well, it was a big disappointment to me as well.” Amanda tilted her head, brushing her loose hair behind one ear. “Enlai, if you could use fewer scientific terms this time—please enlighten me. How is this new system of yours going to make everything better? After all, Chen’s aerosol method was phenomenal—in so far as meeting our specific needs.”

  “Yes, it was an elegant solution, no doubt,” Hán agreed. “But even so, it came with limitations—namely that of selectivity: Once the aerosol agent was deployed, there was no way to predict who it would contact—or rather, who it would miss. Do you follow me?”

  “We weren’t able to filter out specific targets—or protect certain individuals. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Precisely. Other than donning a gas mask or biohazmat suit, anyone in the vicinity of the drone’s spray was affected. I recall that several Wad Sherife doctors from the first field test were lost from the collateral damage.”

  “Yes, that was a shame. Does your new method impact the virulence—could we expect the same levels of fatality?

  “I believe that by capitalizing on the prion particles toxicity, we could make the delivery system easier to control. We would still achieve the high morbidity rate that HighTower requires, but without the randomness associated with Chen’s aerosol delivery method.”

  “I beg you Enlai, take the technology down a notch. I’m still struggling to comprehend your meaning.”

  Dr Hán clasped his hands together and said, “I am referring to simplification and precision. For example, if it was dispersed into a community’s drinking water—rather than inhaling the enzyme, the subjects ingest it.”

  “Ah ha, I see,” Amanda leaned back and contemplated the scope of Dr. Hán’s statement. “Could you manufacture this new version soon—that is if you had a facility and adequate funding?”

  “Well, without HighTower’s support and protection, the answer would be definitely not. Unfortunately, we are now left with nothing but our raw data.”

  “Let us say—for argument’s sake—that funding wasn’t an issue. What then?”

  “We would still have to reverse-engineer the weaponized enzyme that Zhao Xu created—the one that Dr. Chen destroyed. Without any of the original material…”

  “Could you find any traces of the weaponized enzyme from, say, a test subject tissue sample?”

  Hán mulled over Amanda’s question for several seconds before responding. “If the tissue samples were properly preserved, then we would be able to detect and replicate the CRISPR proteins by employing shotgun proteomics.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It is a ‘conditional yes’, that’s correct.”

  Amanda bent over the table to retrieve the locked container. She placed it in front of Dr. Hán. Returning to her position on the edge of her desk, she stretched out her long watched the scientist, waiting for his reaction. Dr. Hán examined the case. He glanced skeptically up at Amanda and then placed the box back in the center of the table. “Is this a test, Director Terrance?”

  “Call me Amanda, please. What do you mean, ‘test’?”

  “Is this a HighTower scheme to determine whether I can be trusted not to continue with the Revelations project? I’ve heard stories about what happens when you people want to eliminate potential weak links. Because I can assure you, I have no…”

  “Enlai, I am presenting you with an opportunity. But this ‘test’ issue that you mention is a two-way street: Can I be sure that you won’t mention our conversation here to anyone else in the HighTower organization?”

  “Director, I ‘m not entirely clear on what conversation we are having. So please, it’s your turn to enlighten me.”

  “Alright, let’s frame it in the hypothetical, shall we? Let’s pretend that there is a faction within the HighTower company—possibly board members with deep pockets… And certain individuals in this faction might believe the CEO’s reticence to stick with the Revelations program to be somewhat shortsighted, maybe even self-preserving. Let’s just say that this faction—hoping to weather the storm that our adversaries have kicked up, might be inclined to fund a small and discreet team of researchers to finish what has been so far, an extremely successful pilot project.”

  “I see,” Hán replied, choosing his words carefully. “Is it possible that this conjectural lab and imaginary team of scientists would need a leader—presumably someone who could liaison with a certain high-ranking contact?”

  “Why yes, I’d assume that they would require one—and whoever they were, I’m quite certain they’d be compensated very handsomely.”

  “Hold on—are we talking about theoretical tissue samples or the real thing?”

  With the tip of her shoe, Amanda slid the box closer to Dr. Hán—stopping at the edge of the table. “This box contains frozen tissue from the
last Marshall Islands test subject—Refugee number 31. We biopsied the lungs before cremation. I’ve kept it under tight security, in the event we were provided with such an opportunity.”

  “Well then, I’d say that if this scenario ever came to fruition, I’d like throw my hat in the ring—I am first and foremost a scientist after all, and would like nothing more than to continue this research.”

  “How soon could you start—hypothetically?”

  “How soon could you fire up your jet?”

  “As soon as you reassemble your team, Enlai.”

  Dr. Hán couldn’t believe his luck. He had assumed that his only chance to protect the Revelations CRISPR reboot would be to bribe or blackmail this new director, yet here she was—offering it to him. Slapping both hands on his lap, Hán rose from the sofa, saying, “Let me catch my team before they reach the limousine. We will return to Hong Kong at once.”

  “Oh no, no—you’ll not be anywhere near the old facility. You are no longer working with Huang Biotech, nor officially, for HighTower. You are to be set up in a laboratory outside of Ho Chi Minh City. You will report to me—no one else.”

  “Vietnam?”

  “Is that going to be a problem?”

  Dr. Hán shook his head. Amanda took the box from the table and placed it in his hands. “This must be safeguarded with your life—both of ours depend on it.”

  “I understand completely. Thank you, Director Terrance, you’ve given us an opportunity that you will not regret, I promise you.”

  “I hope not. Get started as soon as possible and keep me informed—I’ll send you a direct number.” Amanda smoothed her skirt and walked him to the door. “As a matter of fact, it appears as though we will have a new location to test your prototype: An island on the Pacific Northwest coastline called Haida Gwaii.”

 

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