The Miracle Strain (23 page)

Suddenly she heard footsteps to her right, and saw a man walk out of the shadows. He had clearly been waiting silently inside the door, perhaps guarding it. The man strolled over to the center of the cavern to join the others, and as he passed the first large torch she recognized him.

Gomorrah.

What was he doing here? Why had he been invited to the Cave of the Sacred Light to oversee this obviously important meeting? Gomorrah was only the second operative. She was the first. And yet he was here, included, involved--valued.

Resentment burned through her when she saw the Father acknowledge her rival. Then she watched him turn back to shake the guest's hand. Perhaps it was just her imagination fueled by her shock at seeing Gomorrah here, but something in the Father's firm handshake conveyed a bond that made her feel jealous. This visitor must be powerful indeed. Then at that moment he moved, turning his head into the light.

It was Dr. Carter.

She wouldn't, couldn't, believe it. How could the blasphemous scientist be in the Brotherhood's Sacred Cavern? She shook her head, as if to clear it and regain control. As she'd learned in the training camp, control was everything. Her eyes refused to focus for a moment, but after a few deep breaths all became clear. She hadn't been mistaken. Dr. Carter was here, and not as a prisoner or enemy, but as an honored guest. What trick had he played on the Father to make him invite him here and take his hand in friendship?

Bile rose in her throat as the group suddenly began to move again to the doorway where she waited. She retreated into the shadows behind the door and fought to keep her composure as she saw Gomorrah and Bernard, then the others pass within feet of her. Dr. Carter was so close she could have reached out and touched one of the black hairs on his head. Now she could hear every satisfied word.

"So we are agreed?" she heard Father Ezekiel say, extending his hand in a final farewell.

"Yes," replied Dr. Carter. "I'll tell you as soon as we've found any unique genes in the samples. And obviously I'll contact you when--and if--we find a match for your Messiah."

Find a match for your Messiah?

Maria could scarcely believe her ears.

They were working together.

The scientist had convinced the Father to work with him. An alliance, so unholy it took her breath away, had been struck. No wonder she had been warned off the geneticist and frozen out of any plans. The Father, the man who preached uncompromising righteousness, had in desperation been duped into doing a deal with the devil. She watched Bernard apologetically place a blindfold on Dr.

Carter and lead him down the narrow corridor toward the Great Stairs. The Father stayed behind with Helix, Gomorrah protectively by their side.

"I hope we're doing the right thing, Brother Helix," she heard the Father say. "I still feel uncomfortable about working with him."

"Don't worry," she heard Helix say, soothingly. "You've made the right decision. You'll see."

This was too much. The Father was being led astray by his own Champion of the Primary Imperative. Maria stepped out of the shadows, taking them all, including Gomorrah, by surprise. She made no attempt to hide the rage in her voice. "Father, don't listen to him. How can you deal with the atheist?"

Gomorrah tensed, ready to match any move she made.

Ezekiel took a moment to regain his composure, his black eyes angry. "Nemesis? What are you doing here?"

She gave a bitter laugh. "I came to convince you to let me finish the scientist. But I can see Brother Helix would rather I shake his hand."

Ezekiel said, "These are things you don't understand."

"Understand? Oh, I understand quite well. You have somehow decided to use Dr. Carter's blasphemy to help you in the holy quest. It makes no sense--like using the light of Lucifer to guide you to heaven."

She could see the Father's jaw muscle clenching as he tried to control his own anger.

"Let me explain something to you," Helix said. "Dr. Carter's genetics offer us a unique opportunity to find the Messiah. An opportunity we cannot take without his help--we need him alive and on our side until he has found who we seek. That is the only reason the Righteous Kill has been postponed."

She ignored him and kept looking at the Father. "But Dr. Carter will meddle with the very essence of God. How can you allow that--whatever the ends?"

Ezekiel shook his head. "Finding the New Messiah is all that matters. Everything else is unimportant. The Primary Imperative goes beyond simply choosing right or wrong. I have to consider the ultimate greater good, even if it means dealing with evil along the way--"

"But good and God are about ideals, not deals. You taught me that. The scientist has corrupted you and Brother Helix is letting him--"

"Nemesis," snapped the Father, losing his temper and patience. "I don't care what you think. The deal is going ahead. You have nothing more to do with the matter. Now let Gomorrah escort you from here, then return home and calm down. Brother Bernard or I will contact you shortly." With that the Father and Helix turned on their heels and strode back into the Cave of the Sacred Light. She had been dismissed.

Incensed, she moved to follow Father Ezekiel but Gomorrah blocked her way. She felt her rage boil over then. She wanted to fight with Gomorrah and hurt him just to vent her frustration. And when two of the Inner Guard approached, she considered fighting them all.

But she knew that would achieve nothing--and there was much to do.

Taking a deep breath, she turned away and walked down the corridor to the Great Stairs. Increasing her pace, she tried to walk off her anger at the Father's weakness. Until now she had always held him up as a paragon--the perfect blend of kindness and uncompromising righteousness. But the great man was growing old and had allowed Brother Helix to be duped by the scientist. Gradually she regained control of her molten anger, allowing it to cool into granite resolve.

She focused her mind on one single thought--her own primary imperative: Dr. Carter will pay for what he has done. And she,the avenging Nemesis, will exact that payment. Deep down she was convinced that Father Ezekiel didn't really want this deal to go ahead with Dr. Carter. How could he?

And as she mounted the Great Stairs it became increasingly clear. The time for waiting for orders from Brother Bernard and the Father had passed. The time had come to take matters into her own hands.

Chapter Eighteen.

Crick Laboratory

Boston

Jasmine Washington suppressed a shiver as she sat in the Crick Laboratory and watched DAN sequencing the genome. She knew that the Genescope's complex brain didn't understand the significance of what it was doing now. Although its supremely powerful eye could see, it couldn't recognize what it was seeing. And although its brilliant mind could read, it couldn't comprehend what it was reading. DAN just blindly scanned the genetic letters written in the dyed DNA inserted beneath its "smart eye." And its "virtual mind" thoughtlessly deciphered the program encrypted there, determining which amino acids and eventual proteins were being coded for.

The Genescope didn't care about the identity of the subjects it analyzed; it only distinguished among the genes that constituted them. To DAN the whole was not greater than the sum of the parts. On the contrary, it believed that the parts made up the whole, and were therefore all that mattered. Unlike Jasmine, the Genescope didn't care that the DNA it was currently analyzing might contain the genetic blueprint of a carpenter who lived two thousand years ago: a man known to the world as Jesus Christ.

It was two days since Tom had returned from his trip to Tel Aviv and she was as relieved as anybody that he was safe. But when he'd first shown her the tooth and nail he'd brought back with him, she had been unable to show the same unbridled enthusiasm as the others. Although neither sample challenged her belief in Christ's ascension into heaven, just the simple realization that they could be genuine was enough to disturb her. She couldn't shrug off the nagging, deeply unscientific doubt that any secrets they might contain should perhaps remain hidden.

She looked over at Bob Cooke. The Californian was pale beneath his tan and looked unusually tense. His bench and Nora Lutz's beside him were littered with pipettes, gels, and neat racks of Eppendorf tubes full of dyed DNA. "Not much longer now," she said.

"Yup," said Bob with a tight smile. "Seven minutes. The time it takes to cook a good steak."

"Tom better hurry," said Nora, "or he'll miss it."

"Don't worry about him," said Jasmine. Tom had disappeared an hour ago to check on the patients in the ward, but he knew when he needed to return. "He'll be here."

When Tom had convinced her to embrace Project Cana, she had done so mainly out of loyalty to him, and concern for Holly. She had never really believed they would find an authentic sample, or if they did that it would contain anything. But now she wasn't so sure. In the last two days she had helped Tom, along with Bob and Nora, prep the so-called Nazareth Samples. She had watched the drill going into what might be an authentic tooth from Jesus Christ's mouth, extracting the DNA from deep within it. And she had personally scraped blood remnants from a nail that might have actually nailed Christ to the cross.

She took a deep breath. It was frightening and she felt a little out of control. Soon, very soon, she would know for certain if the Nazareth Samples were genuine, and if they contained the genes of God.

"How's it going?" said Tom, bounding into the room. He was breathless and his blue eyes were bright with excitement. "Almost there?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we're close now. A few minutes."

The door to the lab opened again and Jack walked in, followed by Alex. No one wanted to miss the moment when DAN revealed what made Christ different from other men.

The Genescope's growl suddenly changed tone. Lights flashed on the black sweeping neck.

"This is it," she said.

And everyone fell silent.

Tom Carter hadn't slept in almost three days but he couldn't imagine feeling more alert than he did now. He still hadn't come down from the adrenaline of his visit to the Brotherhood's vault and all he wanted now was to see DAN's analysis of the samples.

He saw Jasmine stand. "Before DAN starts there are a few things you guys should know," she said. "First of all the Genescope's been configured to give us an overview on both the nail and the tooth sample. The nail results will appear first. But because the sample was so corrupted we'll be lucky to read more than a third of the genome from it. So don't be disappointed. The tooth sample should be much better. The overview for both will be presented on the monitor and by DAN on voice box."

Tom watched the large screen beside the Genescope suddenly flicker into life, displaying the GENIUS logo.

Jasmine added, "Once we find anything of interest we'll activate the virtual reality headset so we can look at any genes closeup in 3-D." The great black swan gave a warning grumble. "Can we have quiet please? DAN, are you ready?"

Instant hush. Only the shuffling of feet as everyone edged closer to the monitor. In the silence DAN spoke:

"Scan complete on Nazareth Nail sample. Results available. Please choose between options highlighted on screen: ToplineFindings; Analysis by Chromosome; or Detail Gene Search."

"Detail Gene Search, please, DAN," demanded Jasmine.

The screen suddenly changed as letters scrolled down too fast to read. From time to time the flow would momentarily freeze, filling the screen with countless letters, formed into triples. Each triple was a codon, specifying a particular amino acid: ATG AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA AGC TTT TTA AAT CGT AAC GAC GCT TTA GGG CTT AAT CCA CCA CAT GGC CTG GAT ATG CAC ATT ACC AAG AGA GGT TCG GAT TGG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT GGC TTT ATA TTG CTA TGC TAT GTT GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA GCA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA TTT ATA TTG CTA GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT ACG TTT TTA AAT CGT GGC GTT GTG ATG TTC GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA ACA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG AAC GAC GCT TTA GGG CTT AAT CCA CCA CAT GGC CTG GAT ATG AAA GTT AGC AAG TCT ACA GGT GAA GTT CAA GTC GAA TTT TTT AAC CAC GTC TAC AGA GGT TCG GAT TGG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT GGC TTT ATA TTG CTA TGC TAT GTT GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA GCA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT TTT ATA TTG CTA GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG CTG GAT ATG CAC ATT ACC AAG GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC TTG TAC TTT ATC TGT TGG GGT CTA AGT GAT GGT GGT AAC CGY ATT CAA CCA GAC GCA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA TTT ATA TTG CTA GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT ACG TTT TTA AAT CGT GGC GTT GTG ATG TTC GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA ACA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG AAC GAC GCT TTA GGG CTT AAT CCA CCA CAT GGC CTG GAT ATG TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA ACA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG AAC GAC GCT TTA GGG CAT AGA GGT TCG GAT TGG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT GGC TTT ATA TTG CTA TGC TAT GTT GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA GCA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA TTT ATA TTG CTA GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT ACG TTT TTA AAT CGT GGC GTT GTG ATG TTC GTG ATG TTC TTC ATT GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC AGA TTG ACT AGA ACA GTC TTT GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG CTG GAT ATG CAC ATT ACC AAG GCG GAG AAC AAG GGC TCC TTG TAC TTT ATC TGT TGG GGT CTA AGT GAT GGT GGT AAC CGY ATT CAA CCA GAC GCA GTC TTT GGC AAC GAT ACG CTA TCA TTT ATA TTG CTA

GCT CCA TTC TTC GAG TTA TGG GCA GTG TTT GCA GTC TTT ACG TTT TTA AAT CGT GGC GTT GTG ATG TTC...

Whenever the screen froze, a number flashed up on the screen, signifying which of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes the DNA code related to. Next to it was a percentage figure, denoting how much of the total genome had been analyzed. Then the speed scrolling would start again until the whole genome had been analyzed. The final percentage was 32 percent.

The screen changed one last time to reveal a chart showing all twenty-three chromosome pairs down the left column and the percentage of readable DNA in each of them down the right.

"All chromosomes corrupted," informed DAN. " No exceptionalgenes found in readable sections. More information needed toextrapolate missing segments."

"No good?" asked Alex.

"No," said Tom. "But since we've only been able to read a third of the sample it doesn't tell us much. DNA is pretty robust stuff but because of the corrosion of the nail and the way the blood cells have decayed over time, major sections of the genetic code are either illegible or destroyed. So all we know for sure is that there are no unusual genes in the third we can read."

"So what now?"

"We wait for the tooth DNA. It's been protected by the enamel surface so it should be fine. We know from studies of the DNA of Egyptian pharaohs, sometimes a thousand years older than this sample, that genetic material taken from within a tooth or bone is the most robust form of DNA there is."

As usual, Alex wanted to know more. "But how do you know there's nothing there?"

His father liked words, not dumb numbers, and he wasn't used to being the only boy in class who didn't understand the blackboard. So Tom pulled a printout off the printer next to DAN. "Look, I'll show you," he said, spreading out the paper in his hand. "It's easier to see the raw data on a printout."

Jack walked over to join them.

Tom held the printout so both could see it. "This should be clearer."

"Are these the chromosomes?" asked Alex, putting on his glasses, and pointing at the numbered headings.

"Yeah. Imagine it's a map of the United States where there are only twenty-three states. The twenty-three pairs of chromosomes are the states, and the genes are like towns or cities within these states. Within the genes, you've got the base letters that are like individual citizens. The order of these letters determines what proteins each gene produces. These proteins maintain and develop your body. Make your hair grow. Digest your food. Repair cuts and so on. This topline data sheet is only concerned with genes, and unusual ones at that. You know? Genes that are outside or on the extreme edge of the standard healthy genome."

He pointed to the "abnormal genes" box on the printout under the number twenty. "If there's anything unusual here you would see the genes highlighted. But as you can see, all the genes in this chromosome are within the bounds of normality. The ones that haven't been corrupted by the corrosion on the nail anyway." He indicated the top of the sheet. "If you look here, you can see that for the total genome--the intact bit we were able to scan--there are no really unusual genes. Nothing."

"So you hope that any unique genes are in the seventy percent you couldn't scan?" asked Jack.

"Yes."

Jack turned back to the Genescope where Jasmine and Bob were checking the tooth scan. "And you believe the more complete DNA from the tooth will allow us to see that?"

"Maybe."

Alex pored over the printout. "How does DAN know where the genes are within all the letters?"

"Only a small percent of the three billion letters of human DNA actually code for functioning genes. The others, particularly the so-called introns, don't appear to do anything at all. Every gene is bracketed by a particular combination of letters called stop and start codons. These tell DAN where to look. For example, most genes start with the amino acid methionine--that's ATG. So whenever DAN reads ATG it knows a gene is beginning. TAG on the other hand tells DAN when the gene is finished. So it only bothers to read the letters between these markers--in the so-called Open Reading Frames. It ignores the rest as gibberish."

"Scan of Nazareth Tooth complete. Results available. DetailGene Search option selected," interrupted DAN, behind him.

"We've got a good read," said Jasmine, the excitement audible in her voice. "Virtually perfect."

Tom turned with the others back to the screen.

"No genes found outside or on extremes of Standard HumanGenome," announced DAN abruptly.

"What?" said Tom, stunned. He couldn't believe it.

Jasmine released a huge sigh, but whether it was of dismay or relief, Tom couldn't tell.

Jack muttered a quiet but distinct "Shit."

Bob and Nora stood staring at the screen.

Alex just shook his head and frowned.

Tom checked the topline analysis. The genome scan showed no unusual genes at all. Nothing. It wasn't possible. The most remarkable thing about the tooth genome was that it was too perfect. It was an almost exact fit with the notional Standard Healthy Genome that everyone was compared against, but was always different from. Christ's genome--if indeed it was his--had only one real abnormality. It was too normal. No defect at all was visible in his genetic makeup. But apart from that, nothing.