by C. A. Farlow
Merilyn bit her lip, thinking. “The metallic odor could be from the discharge of the concussion weapon. But, Snow, are you sure that you smelled something female? If so, I know who was in that rotunda.”
McLaran turned to her. “You know?”
“Only if Ice and Snow are sure that the intruder was female.” The two wolves placed their foreheads together and closed their eyes. Moments later, they both looked at Lauren.
“They’re sure, Merilyn. It was a woman.”
Rising from the sofa, Merilyn drew herself up. “McLaran call in your Black Guard and arrest Gwenhwyfach of Hebrides. Remove her from her quarters and isolate her within the healing ward. Do not allow her to change her clothing or have access to water. Also, have all her clothing gathered up from her quarters and inspected for any weapons’ residue.”
Lauren gasped. “Snow just said she smelled those scents in the Council meeting.”
“I know. Gwenhwyfach favors a pine-based body soap, and she was present in the Council meeting. Lauren, stay here. I must take Ice and Snow with me to confirm that Gwenhwyfach was the one involved.”
“Of course.”
Merilyn turned to leave. “Please pass all this information on to Alexandra and have her meet us there.”
The Black Guard reached Gwenhwyfach in record time, bringing her to the Healing Ward for questioning. Ice and Snow circled her, while Merilyn glared at the woman who stood calmly in the middle of the room. Surely, she must be the one who attacked them.
Gwenhwyfach stared at the wolves. “What is the meaning of this? I am awakened in the dead of night and dragged from my quarters like a common thief. And then must be sniffed by these curs, as if I am their next meal.”
Ice growled.
“The central archives were broken into this evening and we have yet to determine what, if anything was stolen. No one is safe at this time.” Merilyn twisted the story to see if Gwenhwyfach would react.
Gwenhwyfach scoffed. “Nothing in the archives could hurt me. I can defend myself and my clan from harm.”
Merilyn tilted her head. “You more than anyone in the Keep can defend yourself. Do you own a concussion weapon?” She injected a disparate question to try and catch her out.
“Why would I, when I have my mindmagic?”
Merilyn did not respond. If the wolves couldn't smell anything unusual on Gwenhwyfach, then they would need to release her immediately, or face charges of unlawful arrest. They released Gwenhwyfach within the hour and escorted her back to her home with a cadre of Black Guard.
McLaran shook his head sadly. “Somehow she was able to change clothes and wash away any scents from her soap and from the attack. I fear this is a dead end and one that may have inflamed an already volatile situation.”
Merilyn sighed. “Indeed. I fear we have awoken the beast.”
Chapter Sixteen
AFTER THE INCIDENT IN the central archives, Lauren’s trips outside her solar were less frequent and more closely guarded by the companions. Days turned into weeks, and winter wound down. Lauren and Alex shared morning visits in the eastern solar office, and late evening get-togethers around the fire in Lauren’s quarters. Lauren continued to focus on her research into the Comin bioweapon and her understanding grew as she unraveled its complexities. It was not unusual to find one or more of the boys lounging about Lauren’s rooms while Alex attended to Keep business in the afternoons, keeping Lauren company and growing their own relationships with her. A calm settled over the group as spring crept closer, though everyone maintained a heightened sense of awareness against another attack.
It was on one of their late night runs through the forests outside the Keep that Lauren pulled up short. Her mind screamed. That’s it! I’ve got it! Snow collided with the back of Lauren’s legs, and they both ended up sprawled on the trail. Lauren pulled herself to her feet and turned to race back to her solar. Snow could hardly keep up with her headlong dash through the night. “Ice, Alex, Lauren is headed back to her solar.” The wolf’s panting echoed in the night.
Lauren raced up the stairs and burst into her office. She immediately began entering data into her analyzer. Then she linked her laptop with the analyzer and ran a simulation. When that was set to run, all she could do was wait. So she paced around the eastern tower. Snow huddled against the wall, trying hard to stay out of her way. “If this works, Snow, we’ve got it. All we’ll need then is to design a new gene sequence. And develop a method to transmute that sequence into the children.”
Alex and Ice burst into the solar and settled down with Snow to watch. Lauren all but ignored them. After two hours, Lauren’s computer dinged, and she rushed over. Reviewing the information scrolling across the screen, she screamed, “Yes! That’s it! We’ve got it!” Lauren did a happy dance in the middle of the room.
Alex stood. “What have you found?”
Spinning around, Lauren grabbed Alex by the shoulders. “The cure, Alex, we have a cure. All we need is a method to transfer it to the children. I need to talk to Merilyn and the healing technicians.”
Alex staggered back. She complied with Lauren’s request, “I’ll call Merilyn, and she’ll decide how to proceed.”
Merilyn arrived slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. Her rumpled appearance told Lauren that she was sleeping at her desk again. “All right, I am here. What is all the excitement? I have not heard Alex’s voice that high since she was ten.”
Alex rushed over to her. “Lauren has a cure! A cure!”
“What? How is that possible? It’s only been a matter of weeks. Please explain.”
“I know.” Lauren was panting, she was so excited. “I’ll try to explain. Alex, the bioweapon design you discovered on the Comin Homeworld is the key.”
“Please tell us what you have discovered.” Alex settled on the sofa. Merilyn did as well. Lauren added another log to the fire in the open hearth to take the chill off, while she gathered her thoughts to present a coherent summary. Snow and Ice snuggled up in their wolfy ball on the rug before the hearth.
Lauren began in a rush. “The Comin harvested a naturally-occurring retrovirus that exists in their deep deserts. They then reengineered it based on the Terran genome. They had mapped your entire genetic makeup but went one step farther. They determined the function of each chromosome, if not each gene.”
Merilyn frowned. “How would knowing our genetic make up to that degree mean anything to them? Are we not identical to them?”
Lauren paced the room, too excited to sit. “Knowing your genetic make-up is everything that led to the success of this weapon and its lingering effects. I believe the Comin engineered their retrovirus to activate a previously benign sequence of genes through sexual replication thus creating a disease within future generations.”
“Are you saying the Comin made us their weapon? We transferred that on to our children?” Merilyn appeared appalled by Lauren’s conclusions. Worry clouded her face.
Lauren knew the grave consequences of her theory. This would spell the death of the Terrans with this generation, if she wasn’t correct. “Yes. Your initial hypotheses were correct. You carried this with you from Terra Prime or wherever you were exposed. With the initial release of the weapon, the virus spread throughout your population even as you travelled away from your solar system.”
Alex paled. “Then we are doomed to die.”
“What? No! Now that we know what they did and how they did it, all we have to do is engineer a new virus that will overwrite the Comin viral gene sequence with a new benign one. Removing the targeted sequence will genetically re-engineer the children’s DNA. Essentially we’re rebooting their genome like rebooting a computer.”
Merilyn stared at her. “We cannot experiment on our children as if they are analyzers.”
Lauren shook her head. “I’m not suggesting we experiment. I took a copy of Alex’s genome and ran it through a sequencer. I compared her genome to the genome designed by the Comin. The comparison didn’t show
any differences. Alex was already infected, her DNA overwritten. If the Comin did use a retrovirus, then your entire population is infected. And ultimately will need to be treated.”
“So, we do not have any uninfected individuals.” Alex sighed.
“But what if I had access to an uninfected genetic sample?”
“Where would you get that?” Merilyn stilled and narrowed her eyes. Her gaze felt like a laser cutting through Lauren, and she shifted under the intense scrutiny. “No, that is not possible. You did not take a sample from the prisoner did you?”
“The prisoner?” Lauren felt physically assaulted by Merilyn’s assumptions. They were so far afield of what she had done that she couldn’t immediately answer.
“You did. Did you not.” Merilyn rose from her seat and stalked up to Lauren.
She is such a power. Lauren took a step back. “Whoa, calm down. No, I didn’t take anything from anyone. Well, except the sample from Alex.” She grimaced and turned an apologetic look to Alex where she sat on the couch.
Merilyn stopped her advance on Lauren and folded her hands into the sleeves of her robes. She is so angry. Alex looks so hurt. “Then tell us what you did do. Where did that sample come from?” Merilyn began tapping her foot impatiently.
Lauren turned back to her laptop. “Actually, I didn’t think it would work, I thought the genetic make-up of the two samples would be too divergent. My simulation showed that the two samples were genetically close enough to allow a comparison with the Comin genome. That allowed us to identify the specific chromosomal site of the virally- introduced sequence. We weren’t comparing the entire DNA strand, just the sequence where the Comin data said the virus strand should be. Since we know which gene sequence to compare the simulation didn’t take long.”
“Who is this source?” Alex frowned. “There is no one here that would not be infected.”
Lauren saw a small smile curl Merilyn’s lips. She gets it.
“Let her finish.” Merilyn waved a hand at Alex.
“So I ran a comparison of the uninfected genome and the Comin viral genome and identified the infected gene sequence location. From that, I was able to find that sequence in the Comin data, and understand how they created it. Now we can design a new virus accordingly.”
Alex stood, eyes wide in awe. “You used your own genome as a comparator.”
“Yes.”
Merilyn slumped into a chair. “I do not know how you got here, but I knew you were needed here. You are our salvation.”
Holding up her hands to halt any further praise, Lauren stopped Merilyn. “No, I’m not your salvation. Luckily, I studied retroviruses in school as part of my oncology research.” She turned to Alex. “Remember I told you about cancers on my world, Alex.” Alex nodded. “In some of the cancers, a virus was responsible for changing the cells and initiating tumor-growth, similar to what the Comin did with their bioweapon. But we have a bigger problem here. I can’t design and test a new virus, build new genomic sequences, or create a means of cellular introduction without a full lab and samples from the children. Your technicians will have to do that. But how are you going to get them this information, without telling them about me?”
“Let me worry about that. You will have your samples and all the equipment you need.” Alex rose from the sofa and moved to kneel before Lauren. She took her hands. “We will be forever in your debt for this miracle.”
“Alex, stand up. You don’t kneel before anyone, least of all me. I don't want anything from you, but being your friend.” Embarrassed, she pulled Alex to her feet.
Never breaking eye contact with Lauren, Alex ordered, “Merilyn, please prepare everything Lauren needs. And call the Council together. We have news that will rock the Keep to its foundations.”
Merilyn grinned at the pair and left.
Alex held Lauren in a gentle hug, “I am in awe of you, Dearheart, in what you did, what you discovered.” Lauren felt her face blaze with a blush that started in her toes. She hid her face in Alex’s chest and snuggled further into the grasp of her love.
Chapter Seventeen
THEY DECIDED THAT NEWKIRK would act as go-between for Lauren and the healing technicians caring for the children. He was a respected theoretical technician, and his interest in the children would be seen as a natural offshoot of his active and inquisitive mind. So Newkirk began interacting with the technicians, suggesting ideas and proposing possible treatments. He planned visits to the archives when the other technicians were present. He attended review sessions. He even went so far as to frequent the pub that the healing technicians favored.
Over the course of a month, the healing technicians began to design a genomic treatment to repair the children’s DNA, testing various delivery methods. Lauren did not share her baseline analyses with them. She knew someone would identify her untainted DNA and question where it came from. They all were so focused on the children, no one asked about the preliminary data. She and Newkirk focused their new work on studying various delivery methods. Lauren was invigorated and so excited she often went without sleep and forgot to eat.
While the research on the sequencing continued, Lauren investigated using nanotechnology as a delivery method. She knew nanotechnology had various uses in her universe: as drug-delivery systems, as a way to diagnose various cancers in situ, to target treatments at specific sites, and for blood purification. The Terrans used nanotechnology in the construction of and repair of Keep buildings, water-purification, and communications. Lauren didn’t know if she could alter their technologies for medical use.
Lauren called Merilyn one afternoon and asked that she invite Newkirk to come up to her solar for a discussion. Newkirk arrived twenty minutes later, sweating, out of breath, and smelling like the stables.
“I’m sorry. I didn't mean for you to rush up here from the fields.”
Newkirk smiled. “That is all right. You call, and we all come immediately. Your ideas are always of most importance. What can I do for you this fine afternoon?”
“Would you like to clean up first, maybe have Stewart bring fresh clothes up? I’m certain this may turn into a long discussion.”
“That would be great.” He heaved a sigh, grinning even more broadly.
Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Lauren contacted Merilyn and asked her to send up a change of clothes for Newkirk as well as some food and drink.
While Newkirk freshened up, Lauren mindspoke Alex and asked if she would like to eat with them while they discussed her ideas.
Shortly, Alex, the other two boys, Ice, and Snow arrived in the eastern solar. Lauren turned to the wolves. “Would you guys be willing to relay our discussion on to Ffrwyn? That way we can avoid another incident like the last time.” Everyone laughed as they remembered when Ffrwyn had attempted her descent from the solar. It took all five of them, with ropes and tackles to get her down the circular stairs.
Newkirk appeared from the bath, and they all settled in to hear Lauren’s new ideas. “I don't think we can use an existing live virus on the children. It’s too dangerous. We might be introducing a new problem that could crop up in the future.”
Newkirk nodded. “The technicians are discussing using a bacterium, gathered from the hot springs, as the delivery mechanism. We would inject the new genetic materials into the bacterium nucleus and then infect the children.”
Lauren rubbed her forehead, deep in thought. “But how can we specifically target the exact genetic sequence we need to replace? Bacterial vaccines are typically used to create an immune response that allows the body to fight an infection. But the children can’t fight their own genetic make-up.”
“So what are you thinking about, Lauren?” Newkirk asked.
“When we were out the other night, MacDonald was explaining how you use nanotechnology to filter water. If we could modify those purification-nanites to use their filtering abilities on the genomic sequence, could we have them filter out the Comin sequence?”
“But they are not desig
ned to be injected into humans.” McLaran’s brow wrinkled.
“True, but I think she has an interesting idea. All we would have to do is alter the programming to identify genes, filter specific gene sequences, and remove them. Then we could add in the new ones.” Newkirk stroked his lips. “I wonder if I can befriend the water-technicians, and get some more specifics on the nanotechnologies they use.”
The discussion continued late into the evening. Topics ranged from specifics of genetic treatment to how to befriend someone in water technologies without raising suspicions, to the growing rumors of plots against Alex. Ice and Snow stated they would keep their ears open about the plots, and Ffrwyn agreed she could listen to the discussions in the stables. The topic shifted back to Lauren’s idea.
“Once we have a delivery system, we can share the information with the Council and begin the treatments.” Alex beamed.
“Hang on, Alex. We have a long way to go yet. We’ll need to test anything your technicians design before we start a full treatment program.” Lauren tried to temper everyone’s enthusiasm. She knew that they were a long way from a trial. She didn’t want to rush into something that could as easily kill the children as save them.
Alex sat back and frowned. Between the children, the risk to their future, the rumors of plots real or otherwise, and the threats to her right-to-rule, Alex was stretched to her limits. Lauren knew it was all taking a toll on her. Lauren reached for Alex’s hand. “Easy, Dearest, we must proceed in a methodical manner.”
Alex squeezed it in return. “I will be patient. But we must get this resolved as quickly as possible. I am uncertain how long I will be able to govern Terra before another challenge is levied, and this one will not be settled as easily as the last.”
“I will face any challenge for you. You know that I am yours to command,” MacDonald stated.
“Thank you, Tavish. But this time, I will need to meet the challenge myself. Tricks with a tartan and a blade will not stop this one.”
