Read Online Species II by Yvonne Navarro - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Yvonne Navarro
Ads: Link
other three men—Laura Baker had been overheard referring to them as the “Pentagon Three,” which had made even him smile—waited, their faces solemn and silent. Today Burgess wasn’t smiling, though—no one was.
Least of all Dr. Ralph Orinsky.
Spread across the table in all their lurid detail was a stack of eight-by-ten color photographs of the crime scene, and now Burgess tapped the one closest to him, as though the person on the other end of the secure telephone line could see his movement. “The FBI lab came up with significant irregularities in their test results,” he said, more for the benefit of his three comrades. “Thus we sent Dr. Baker samples from the Orinsky crime scene and asked her to study the DNA. Dr. Baker, if you would, please tell us what you discovered.”
One of the things he found most appealing about Laura Baker was the way she came straight to the point. No frills, no fancy words. She just went for the short and sharp, and sometimes killer, statement.
“The substance found in Dr. Orinsky’s wounds was a combination of alien and human DNA.”
“What do you mean, ‘substance’?” asked one of the men at the table. “Are you talking about blood?”
“No, I’m not. We have more investigation to do with Dr. Orinsky’s notes and the tests he was apparently running on blood samples which were found in his lab, but I’ve been advised to leave that to the FBI team and work with them if they need my assistance. Rather, I’m talking about a conspicuous amount of an unidentifiable mucouslike substance. The DNA in this substance is structurally similar to Eve’s, but it is not a perfect match. And obviously, Eve has not left the compound.”
All four men were now staring at the speaker phone as if the woman on the other end could see and interpret their expressions. “What are you saying, Dr. Baker?” demanded Colonel Burgess. “Are you suggesting that—”
“Yes, gentlemen,” came her reply. “This means that there’s another one out there.”
There was no hesitation. “How can this be?” demanded the first of the three men seated around the table. By far the heaviest, now his pudgy face had gone an unpleasant shade of pink. “Who could’ve generated one of these creatures? The Japanese? The Russians? Or maybe the Chinese—”
“Christ,” said the man next to him in disgust. His fingers ran nervously through his dull, steel-gray hair and his eyes were small and flinty.
“I don’t know who else has the technological expertise to carry out this sort of experimentation,” Laura interjected: “It is quite possible another government picked up and recoded the message originally sent to Arecibo containing the DNA code. But we’re not talking about a simple medical experiment that can be performed in even a well-equipped medical facility. These are specialized procedures that require unique equipment and machinery, much of which is available only here in my lab at Monroe. As you are all aware, the expense of this project is tremendous.”
“None of our Intelligence sources suggests that any foreign power is involved,” Colonel Burgess said with finality. “We can’t rule it out, of course, but the probability is extremely unlikely.”
The third man in the Pentagon Three team, the one who was usually the quietest and whom Burgess knew wielded the most power in this room, finally spoke. “Why do you think Dr. Orinsky was targeted?”
There was a beat of silence as Dr. Baker considered this. “I haven’t a clue,” she answered at last. “But my staff and I hope to find some answers among the research notes found in his lab. We’re still working our way through them.”
The first of the trio spoke again. “Dr. Baker, given your background with these creatures, how would we start looking for this thing?”
This time there was no delay in her answer. “Blood testing is the only way to identify the presence of alien/human DNA. Based on what happened
Least of all Dr. Ralph Orinsky.
Spread across the table in all their lurid detail was a stack of eight-by-ten color photographs of the crime scene, and now Burgess tapped the one closest to him, as though the person on the other end of the secure telephone line could see his movement. “The FBI lab came up with significant irregularities in their test results,” he said, more for the benefit of his three comrades. “Thus we sent Dr. Baker samples from the Orinsky crime scene and asked her to study the DNA. Dr. Baker, if you would, please tell us what you discovered.”
One of the things he found most appealing about Laura Baker was the way she came straight to the point. No frills, no fancy words. She just went for the short and sharp, and sometimes killer, statement.
“The substance found in Dr. Orinsky’s wounds was a combination of alien and human DNA.”
“What do you mean, ‘substance’?” asked one of the men at the table. “Are you talking about blood?”
“No, I’m not. We have more investigation to do with Dr. Orinsky’s notes and the tests he was apparently running on blood samples which were found in his lab, but I’ve been advised to leave that to the FBI team and work with them if they need my assistance. Rather, I’m talking about a conspicuous amount of an unidentifiable mucouslike substance. The DNA in this substance is structurally similar to Eve’s, but it is not a perfect match. And obviously, Eve has not left the compound.”
All four men were now staring at the speaker phone as if the woman on the other end could see and interpret their expressions. “What are you saying, Dr. Baker?” demanded Colonel Burgess. “Are you suggesting that—”
“Yes, gentlemen,” came her reply. “This means that there’s another one out there.”
There was no hesitation. “How can this be?” demanded the first of the three men seated around the table. By far the heaviest, now his pudgy face had gone an unpleasant shade of pink. “Who could’ve generated one of these creatures? The Japanese? The Russians? Or maybe the Chinese—”
“Christ,” said the man next to him in disgust. His fingers ran nervously through his dull, steel-gray hair and his eyes were small and flinty.
“I don’t know who else has the technological expertise to carry out this sort of experimentation,” Laura interjected: “It is quite possible another government picked up and recoded the message originally sent to Arecibo containing the DNA code. But we’re not talking about a simple medical experiment that can be performed in even a well-equipped medical facility. These are specialized procedures that require unique equipment and machinery, much of which is available only here in my lab at Monroe. As you are all aware, the expense of this project is tremendous.”
“None of our Intelligence sources suggests that any foreign power is involved,” Colonel Burgess said with finality. “We can’t rule it out, of course, but the probability is extremely unlikely.”
The third man in the Pentagon Three team, the one who was usually the quietest and whom Burgess knew wielded the most power in this room, finally spoke. “Why do you think Dr. Orinsky was targeted?”
There was a beat of silence as Dr. Baker considered this. “I haven’t a clue,” she answered at last. “But my staff and I hope to find some answers among the research notes found in his lab. We’re still working our way through them.”
The first of the trio spoke again. “Dr. Baker, given your background with these creatures, how would we start looking for this thing?”
This time there was no delay in her answer. “Blood testing is the only way to identify the presence of alien/human DNA. Based on what happened
Similar Books
