out of this – the cosmetics industry would be severely compromised if this became a commercial
product.’
Ethan frowned.
‘How come Hiram Conley was an old man then? If he’d somehow avoided aging, why was he looking about sixty when he was killed?’
Tyler Willis shook his head.
‘You’re getting it all wrong,’ he said. ‘Forget about your preconceptions, about some magical fountain of youth from which you drink and become forever young. These
things are the stuff of science fiction, and that’s the whole point. Science has been searching for a way to modify cells in order to slow or stop aging, but we’ve been looking in
entirely the wrong place.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lopez asked.
‘Hiram Conley was not in possession of some mystical vial or potion,’ Willis replied, ‘and he wasn’t genetically altered by scientists. He was suffering from an
infection.’
11
ASPEN CENTER FOR PRIMATE RESEARCH
LOS ALAMOS
The blast of the shotgun rang in Saffron’s ears as the Beretta’s powerful recoil slammed the butt into her shoulder. A cloud of choking blue smoke filled the
reception area and, as the ringing in Saffron’s ears subsided, she heard the piercing screech of an alarm and the crunch of glass beneath her feet.
She stepped forward and rammed the still smoldering barrel of the shotgun into the nearest scientist’s belly, doubling him over, then grabbed another by the collar.
‘The labs. Now!’
Saffron shoved the man headfirst through the remains of the door and into the reception area, the man sprawling onto a carpet sprinkled with shattered glass.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she turned to see Colin Manx’s pale features stricken with panic.
‘What the hell are you doing? You should have shot us out of here, not further in!’
Gripped by a rage coursing through her veins like acid, Saffron whipped Manx’s grip aside with a swipe of her free hand and grabbed him by the throat.
‘You’ll leave when I fucking tell you to, Colon, understood?’
Manx, all pretense of bravado vanishing before her wrath, nodded and backed away, the palms of his hands raised defensively toward her. Saffron turned to Ruby Lily and Bobby.
‘Ruby, watch out for the cops. Bobby, look for another way out of here just in case we’re cornered, okay?’ As the two teenagers nodded and dashed away she turned to Manx.
‘You, keep watch on this lot and don’t let them move. Think you can handle that without crapping your pants?’
Saffron didn’t wait for him to respond, reaching down to grab the scientist still sprawled on the carpet beside her.
‘Let’s go.’
The man reluctantly hauled himself onto his feet as Saffron jabbed the shotgun under his jaw and shoved him forward. Other employees, seeing one of their colleagues covered in blood and with a
shotgun shoved under his face, melted out of their way.
‘You’ll never get away,’ the scientist muttered as Saffron prodded him down a corridor toward the rear of the building. ‘The police will be here in minutes.’
Saffron nodded.
‘I’m counting on it. Now shut up and keep moving.’
The corridor ended in a solid-looking glass door containing an atmospheric chamber sealed off from the rest of the building. The chamber represented the transition between the normal atmospheric
pressure of the main building, and the low-pressure environment of the laboratories within, designed specifically to ensure that, in the event of a breach, air would always flow into the
laboratories and not out of them. This meant that any toxic chemicals or hazardous viruses within the center’s laboratories could not leak into the outside world.
‘Inside, Einstein,’ Saffron said, opening the chamber and shoving her hostage inside before following him in and sealing the door. ‘Do it.’
The scientist jabbed a couple of buttons on a panel and the air around them hissed gently for a few seconds before a small red light on the panel turned green.
product.’
Ethan frowned.
‘How come Hiram Conley was an old man then? If he’d somehow avoided aging, why was he looking about sixty when he was killed?’
Tyler Willis shook his head.
‘You’re getting it all wrong,’ he said. ‘Forget about your preconceptions, about some magical fountain of youth from which you drink and become forever young. These
things are the stuff of science fiction, and that’s the whole point. Science has been searching for a way to modify cells in order to slow or stop aging, but we’ve been looking in
entirely the wrong place.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lopez asked.
‘Hiram Conley was not in possession of some mystical vial or potion,’ Willis replied, ‘and he wasn’t genetically altered by scientists. He was suffering from an
infection.’
11
ASPEN CENTER FOR PRIMATE RESEARCH
LOS ALAMOS
The blast of the shotgun rang in Saffron’s ears as the Beretta’s powerful recoil slammed the butt into her shoulder. A cloud of choking blue smoke filled the
reception area and, as the ringing in Saffron’s ears subsided, she heard the piercing screech of an alarm and the crunch of glass beneath her feet.
She stepped forward and rammed the still smoldering barrel of the shotgun into the nearest scientist’s belly, doubling him over, then grabbed another by the collar.
‘The labs. Now!’
Saffron shoved the man headfirst through the remains of the door and into the reception area, the man sprawling onto a carpet sprinkled with shattered glass.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she turned to see Colin Manx’s pale features stricken with panic.
‘What the hell are you doing? You should have shot us out of here, not further in!’
Gripped by a rage coursing through her veins like acid, Saffron whipped Manx’s grip aside with a swipe of her free hand and grabbed him by the throat.
‘You’ll leave when I fucking tell you to, Colon, understood?’
Manx, all pretense of bravado vanishing before her wrath, nodded and backed away, the palms of his hands raised defensively toward her. Saffron turned to Ruby Lily and Bobby.
‘Ruby, watch out for the cops. Bobby, look for another way out of here just in case we’re cornered, okay?’ As the two teenagers nodded and dashed away she turned to Manx.
‘You, keep watch on this lot and don’t let them move. Think you can handle that without crapping your pants?’
Saffron didn’t wait for him to respond, reaching down to grab the scientist still sprawled on the carpet beside her.
‘Let’s go.’
The man reluctantly hauled himself onto his feet as Saffron jabbed the shotgun under his jaw and shoved him forward. Other employees, seeing one of their colleagues covered in blood and with a
shotgun shoved under his face, melted out of their way.
‘You’ll never get away,’ the scientist muttered as Saffron prodded him down a corridor toward the rear of the building. ‘The police will be here in minutes.’
Saffron nodded.
‘I’m counting on it. Now shut up and keep moving.’
The corridor ended in a solid-looking glass door containing an atmospheric chamber sealed off from the rest of the building. The chamber represented the transition between the normal atmospheric
pressure of the main building, and the low-pressure environment of the laboratories within, designed specifically to ensure that, in the event of a breach, air would always flow into the
laboratories and not out of them. This meant that any toxic chemicals or hazardous viruses within the center’s laboratories could not leak into the outside world.
‘Inside, Einstein,’ Saffron said, opening the chamber and shoving her hostage inside before following him in and sealing the door. ‘Do it.’
The scientist jabbed a couple of buttons on a panel and the air around them hissed gently for a few seconds before a small red light on the panel turned green.
Similar Books
