CHAPTER 6
Immari Corp. Research Complex
Outside Burang, China
Tibet Autonomous Region
The project director strolled into Dr. Shen Chang’s office and tossed a file onto his desk. “We have a new therapy.”
Dr. Chang grabbed the file and began riffling through the pages.
The director paced the length of the room. “It’s very promising. We’re fast-tracking it. I want the machine ready and subjects treated with the new therapy within four hours.”
Chang dropped the file and looked up.
The scientist opened his mouth, but the director waved him off. “I don’t want to hear it. The singularity could happen at any time — today, tomorrow, it could have already happened for all we know. We don’t have time for caution.”
Chang began to speak, but the director cut him off again. “And don’t tell me you need more time. You’ve had time. We need results. Now tell me what it’s going to take.”
Chang slumped in his chair. “The last test was a strain on the local power grid, we exceeded our capacity onsite. We think we fixed the problem, but the regional power authority has to be suspicious about what we’re doing. The bigger issue is that we’re low on primates—”
“We’re not testing it on primates. I want a human cohort of 50 ready to test.”
Chang straightened himself and said with more force, “Setting the morality aside, which I urge you not to do, we would simply need a lot more data to begin a human trial, we would need—”
“You have it doctor. It’s all in the file. And we’re retrieving more data now. That’s not all. We have two subjects with sustained Atlantis Gene activation.”
Chang’s eyes widened, “You, two, how—”
The man pointed to the file in a quick, cobra-like motion. “The file doctor. It’s all there. And they’ll be here, soon. You better be ready. All you have to do is replicate the gene therapy.”
Chang was flipping through the pages, reading, and murmuring to himself. He looked up. “The subjects are infants?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Uh, no. Well, maybe. Or maybe not.”
“Maybe not is the right answer. Call me if you need me, doctor. Four hours. I don’t have to tell you what’s at stake.”
But Dr. Chang couldn’t hear him. He was lost in the notes of Dr. Katherine Warner.