The first experiment she performed after speaking with Guri Bergmann had been to duplicate his results. After taking brain, liver, and kidney cell lines from random specimens in the lab, she activated the bcl-xl gene in each of them. Surprisingly, none showed any evidence of immediate mitochondrial damage or cellular failure.
Tired of calling the protein bcl-xl the whole time, she appropriately named it the Bergmann protein and the gene that coded it, the Bergmann gene. It made things move a little more efficiently for her in the lab. Plus, if she didn’t put her personal mark on the project, she wouldn’t be Samantha Mancini.
After an exhaustive analysis of these tissue samples, she determined that the cellular damage must take either weeks or months to fully manifest itself. It was the only explanation of why these cells had not already died after being exposed to the Bergmann protein.
A clanking noise interrupted her work. It sounded as if someone had dropped a toolbox on the bunker’s roof.
“Now what’s going on around here?” Samantha yelled aloud while looking up at the ceiling. “If this place collapses, I’m going to file the biggest worker’s compensation lawsuit ever! Neurono-Tek better give me overtime and hazard pay for this!”
The distraction was soon forgotten as she focused on the body in the glass room in front of her. Samantha sat at the computer console next to this encasement, diligently plotting her experiments while recording the ongoing results.
This Neurono-Tek bunker facility had been outfitted with the newest forensic accouterments. Most modern facilities in the world did not have such equipment, which was another reason why the NIH originally sought Alex’s assistance.
The most avant-garde tool at her fingertips was the holographic replicator. It had the capability of holographically reproducing any cellular material or even an entire person so that experiments could be performed without destroying or using up the original sample.
Samantha utilized this tool to create a separate replication of the victim’s body that was holographically positioned adjacent to it within the glass encasement. Unlike the original, it remained healthy and in its natural state before The Disease took its deadly toll.
“Now to see how this protein works on the whole body and not just a tissue sample,” Samantha announced to no one but herself.
She then activated the Bergmann gene throughout the holographic victim’s body.
While the experiment commenced, she watched the console’s digital display to evaluate the ongoing results.
“Let’s just speed things up a little and see what happens,” she said to herself.
Another bang echoed from the ceiling, accompanied by a sizzling sound. Samantha had no idea what made such a racket. Because she was so entrenched in her work, she paid little attention to the distraction.
Maybe it was something that the bomb squad was undertaking on the surface or maybe it was just the natural sounds of the bunker. It really didn’t matter. She felt secure in her hole in the ground and much safer than the men and woman on the surface.
The replicator accelerated the cellular processes on the holographic body by speeding up its biological time. It was a modern medical marvel. No longer did scientists have to wait years to see the results of their experiments on plants and animals. With this technology, what would take a lifetime of study could be accomplished in days or even hours.
Samantha watched in amazement for over an hour as the results flowed into her console. What the medical community had been missing since The Disease’s inception slowly displayed on the console, revealing the very nature of the condition.
But why did those people who were considered great generate the protein without any deleterious effect? She had pondered the question ever since Guri had told them of his original findings. It didn’t make sense.
Samantha slowly sipped on a coffee mug nestled between her palms, hoping the nectar would bring her inspiration.
“Why, why, why?” she said aloud numerous times, as if someone would magically appear and offer her a solution.
“Unless… ?”
An idea suddenly came to her.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense!”
Samantha began to frantically work at her console. Her body undulated as her fingers danced over the digital display. She moved so gracefully that one would have thought she were playing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony rather than conducting a world-class experiment.
CLANK!
The noise jolted her from her seat.
This had not been a sound from the surface or any noise that should be heard from a bunker. Something definitely was not right.
Samantha stood and walked over the bunker’s central console. She wanted to take care of the problem quickly so she could return to her experiment. She knew every extra minute that lapsed without a cure would mean additional fatalities.
The console showed no problem. All systems operated at maximum efficiency.
She turned her attention to the surface and watched one of the video displays in her bunker. Despite the previous excitement, the uniformed men and woman stood patiently on guard while the bomb squad sifted through the necroids’ remains.
There were bits and pieces of the nasty bugs strewn all along the garden next to the main scientific building. Like handling nuclear waste, the squad meticulously placed each leg, eye, antennae, or unidentifiable bug piece into its own separate bag. The process appeared tedious and Samantha surmised it would take at least a day to accomplish.
“Huh?”
The clanging noises continued but without any obvious answer. As the sounds became louder and more frequent Samantha could not simply dismiss them. She didn’t need to rely on any high-tech equipment to tell her something was amiss.
Samantha reached underneath the console and pulled out one of the emergency supply cases located throughout the facility. Sterilely sealed, she needed to place her hand on top of it to engage the unlocking mechanism.
Like opening up a bottle of soda, the case fizzed as Samantha raised the lid. Inside there was an assortment of survival needs, ranging from medical supplies to routine camping gear.
She took out the flashlight and walked over to where she thought the noise sounded the loudest. The epicenter seemed to emanate from a metal grate the bunker facility used to recirculate the air.
Samantha pulled over a chair and propped it against the wall. After taking off her high-heeled shoes, she steadied herself so she could get a better look through the grate’s horizontal crevices.
“I hope it’s only rats,” she hesitantly complained, knowing all too well what might be creating the noise.
Taking her flashlight, she aimed it through the grating and down the shaft. Rats would have been a pleasant surprise, but instead she was met with rows of beady red eyes staring back at her.
She screamed at the top of her lungs. The necroids remained impervious to her superhuman vocal projection. In fact, they seemed to thrive upon it and began moving in a frenzied motion toward the source.
Climbing upon one another, they started to gnaw at the metal grating, attempting to make a hole large enough for them to enter the facility. Their protruding jaws full of razor sharp teeth had no problem overcoming this minor obstacle.
Samantha jumped off the chair, dropping the flashlight in the process.
“I should’ve called out sick this week!” she yelled.
While running back to the console in the center of the bunker, she surmised that the necroids must have tunneled their way through the earth and entered one of the bunker’s ventilator shafts. In times of emergency they can be automatically sealed off. Samantha, however, never realized such a problem like this would arise and had kept them open.
She could almost kick herself at the thought. A simple press of a button could have prevented this mess. Now the whole project, and more importantly, her life, was in jeopardy.
A few necroids swarmed the flashlight she had dropped and began to devour it as the rest
poured in through the vent. Samantha counted about sixteen in total, but in her haste she may have forgotten a few.
She looked into the supply crate under the console, hoping for some immediate answer to surface.
Nothing!
“Couldn’t they have put at least one can of bug spray in here!” she yelled.The necroids approached her like a pack of hyenas closing in on its prey. Samantha wanted to call for help but knew none was available. She was trapped.
Chapter 24
“We’ll hide in here,” Alex said while leading the group to a large open structure.
Because they had no other option, the others followed, most without even hearing what he had to say.
The deserted archeological site had been cordoned off to the public with yellow ribbons and signs saying KEEP OUT surrounding the area. With the progression of The Disease, the Israeli government had pulled most of its archeological funding and transferred it to emergency medical relief. Other countries also did the same, leaving this particular site dormant for over six months.
While everybody else either hurtled the yellow tape or ducked under it, William barreled through like a charging rhino.
Though the lights were not turned on, plenty of sunlight accommodated the area, providing them with ample visibility. Large metal poles surrounded the site’s perimeter while a metal roof reminiscent of a circus tent covered it.
“This will do perfectly,” Alex said while placing a cylindrical silver strip along one of the metal poles. Holding in place magnetically, it did not make a sound or signify in any way its functional status.
William looked at it as if it were some sort of joke. “I’m sorry Alex,” he said while trying to catch his breath, “but what are you trying to prove by hanging that magnet?”
“Let’s not take me away in a straitjacket just yet,” Alex responded. “That magnet, as you call it, is an infrared disrupter. It’s the same thing that the UAA utilized back at Crete to hide themselves. Now, I’m doing the same so the Israelis, or any other lingering UAA soldiers, don’t spot us.”
“But we’re the good guys,” William blurted. “The Israelis would let us go.”
“Yea,” Alex scoffed. “After the security verification, full body scan, and a long talk with the U.S. Embassy, we’d all be set free. But that could take days and time is not on our side.”
William nodded his head in agreement as the body scan certainly did not pique his interest.
“This is interesting,” Jonathan pointed out after they all had a minute’s rest to catch their breath and regain their sanity. “This place is supposed to be the oldest Christian church ever excavated.”
Continuing to read a wooden signpost attached to a stone base, Jonathan went on to say, “Archeologists believe this site dates back to the late third century.”
“That’s still when Christianity was outlawed by the Romans,” Marissa said. “Believers had to pray secretly, most of the time sequestered in catacombs, until the religion was finally legalized in 313 A.D. by Emperor Constantine.”
Feeling for the first time relatively safe, hidden by the infrared disrupter, they began to explore the area and breathe a slight sigh of relief. They were standing on top of a rectangular floor decorated by mosaics in different geometric patterns and colors. Walking around the site and reading the signposts on the floor let them mentally decompress from the ordeal they had just encountered. Plus, they had to stay there a little longer before they could safely board the Stratoskimmer without being spotted.
Jonathan said next what everybody had been thinking.
“I must admit. I was not able to find anything while in Megiddo that could help us on our journey. “
“I had a little trouble focusing up there,” William said. “Call me odd, but when there are a bunch of lunatics trying to shoot or electrocute me, I find it difficult to concentrate. You know what I mean?”
No one had anything else to add. They all knew there was no way they would be able to investigate the surface of Megiddo today or even in a week due to the recent events. Their window of opportunity had closed too quickly and left them without an answer.
Alex ran through their recent experience in his head. After imagining Megiddo from an aerial view and reflecting upon all the different stones, walls, and pillars that encompassed the area, he was also left with nothing. He found no pattern or discernible clue that could be gleaned from this recent escapade.
Frustrated, Alex blurted, “So where to now?”
Jonathan tried to answer, but Marissa interrupted, “Wait. Before we go any further, I need to hear the end of this Bible code story.”
“You’re right,” Jonathan agreed. “I have been the keeper of this information, but you all here have been the keeper of me. I must complete the story before we go any further.”
“To begin with,” Jonathan said, “what if I said something cryptic to you, like: take heed, every dizziness spell ends almost evenly. What would you think?”
“I’d think you had too much to drink,” William responded first, as if he were playing some word association game.
Alex interjected, “I’d say you were trying to tell me something about The Disease.”
“That is correct!”
Marissa, William, and Guri all looked at Alex like he were a mind reader. It had certainly not been what any of them were thinking, and they were amazed he came to that conclusion so rapidly.
Alex quickly explained, “It’s just a simple code. I used it with my friend all the time when I was a kid. All you need to do is take the first letter and skip the next three in that pattern to decipher it. Take Heed, Every DizzIness Spell Ends AlmoSt evEnly. You see how The Disease is embedded within the sentence?”
“But the whole Bible code can’t be that easy,” Marissa quipped, skeptical the code could be uncovered with such a sophomoric trick.
“It isn’t,” Jonathan said. “Many have attempted, though, to decipher the Bible using such simple skip patterns. In the twentieth century, a rabbi discovered by using a skip pattern of 50 letters in the Old Testament’s books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy he could spell out the word Torah in Hebrew. But the pattern led him no further.”
He leaned back to stretch. The wince in his face and a slight groan gave a clue to his discomfort.
“All you alright?” Marissa asked, noting his obvious discomfort.
“Yes,” he said through a forced smile. “My back just isn’t what it used to be, nor am I as I young as I once was.”
Marissa felt suspicious about the answer. It seemed to her as if it may be more than just a simple backache.
Jonathan continued, hoping not to draw any further attention. “Even Sir Isaac Newton, the man who first published the laws of gravity, learned Hebrew and spent most of his career attempting to decode the Old Testament. When they cleared out his desk at Cambridge after he retired, they found that most of the papers in it dealt with theoretic theology and not mathematics or astronomy.”
“That’s amazing,” Alex said. “Such a brilliant mind. Did he find anything?”
“Not a thing. He used statistics, abstract mathematical equations, and even the movements of the planets and stars, but in the end, he was met with only failure and frustration. It was certainly not the way he expected to finish his illustrious career.”
Helicopters flew over their tent and descended upon Megiddo. Soldiers began to jump out even before it landed. Donning thick black body armor, they scoured the city looking for any residual UAA combatants.
“Looks like we’re stuck here for a while,” William said, peering out of the tent at the continued commotion. “I hope someone brought something to eat. I’m famished!”
“Because of my hypoglycemia,” Guri said, “I need to eat something, too, before I get lightheaded.”
“You guys are like two little kids,” Marissa said, pulling out a few medical supply bars from her black bag. “Here. Take one of these. I’m all out of lollipops.”
/> “These wouldn’t happen to be lactose free, would they?” Guri asked, taking one of the bars.
Marissa shook her head no while William devoured one of the treats. “Alex, Jonathan, would either of you care for one before they’re all eaten?” she asked.
Though their recent adventures had made Jonathan appear slightly gaunt, neither he nor Alex accepted the food and graciously declined Marissa’s offer.
“It wasn’t that Sir Isaac Newton wasn’t smart enough to decipher the hidden Bible code,” Jonathan continued through William’s loud chewing. “It was that he lacked one major tool… a computer. You see, the code is time locked and human technology has to reach a certain level before uncovering its more complex secrets.”
“So what would Newton have done if he had a computer?” William inquired as particles of food sputtered out of his full mouth.
“He possibly could have changed history as we know it. Events such as the rise of Adolph Hitler, the Holocaust, assassinations of presidents, and certain natural disasters have all been predicted within the Bible code.”
“How does it work?” Alex asked.
“It all lies within the original words God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai almost 3,400 years ago. Christians recognize them as the first five books of the Old Testament and call it the Pentateuch while those of Jewish faith refer to it as the Torah.”
Marissa commented, “I would’ve expected you to say the entire Bible. That just seems awfully short to contain such a large amount of information.”
“Conceptually, yes, but mathematically, no. When viewed in its original Hebrew version, the Torah is a continuous strand of 304,805 letters without any spaces, just as it was first chiseled in stone many years ago.”
Jonathan took his Bible out of his back pocket and placed it on the mosaic-decorated floor. Opening to its last page, he removed a quarter-size disc and held it in his open palm. Alex and the others watched intently while mentally drowning out all the noise surrounding them.
The New Reality Page 15
