Generations Down the Rabbit Hole (Cont.)
01 Feb 2018MMMMMalcolm
Kay reported another interesting bit she found.“This says a scientist named Timothy Meyers discovered what we now know was the Mycoid virus on October first, 3155. That alone is not that remarkable. It’s when Jacob got a glimpse of Timothy’s research that things changed for him and Olivia. He said that as the Mycoid virus broke down Thargoid tissue, certain patterns in the alien cell structure began to emerge. These patterns were present in every Thargoid tissue sample they acquired. It provided the guidance they needed to determine the formula required to merge Thargoid healing with human tissue.” Kay looked up at me; her eyes wide as dinner plates. “You’re holding the formula for self-healing human tissue.”
I stared back; just as shocked as she was. Shaking myself, I eventually stammered out some words. “That’s a big discovery, but it’s not enough to fill that journal. What else does it say?” Kay mumble read some more then slammed the journal down beside her and snatched up the laptop. A few quick key strokes later she screamed then quickly cut it off with her hands over her mouth.
“What is it?” I asked, irritated by her hesitation.
“Jacob was a biologist. He did his doctoral thesis on progenitor cells. He reported their progress to Ms. Prince on the human / Thargoid merge. But he and Olivia secretly experimented with progenitor cells as well and kept those results to themselves. When they added progenitor cells to their equation, they not only slowed the aging process, they were able to reverse it based on the number of cells and amount of alien tissue used.”
I let out a slow whistle. “That explains their age mystery and why they were being hunted. A discovery like that doesn’t just change your life; it changes everyone’s life. It could totally reshape inhabited space. Are there any more surprises in this third journal?”
“No, that’s it.” Kay set the journal aside and picked up the fourth one in the stack. I nervously ran my hands through the locks of my hair. How deep was this rabbit hole? Did I really want to go any further?
“The next one talks about their own personal paranoia afterward. First Jacob and Olivia were jealous no one took their reported research seriously. Ms. Price dismissed it as glorified progenitor cells. Then they became concerned about the amount of attention their employers were giving to the destructive nature of Timothy’s discovery. They felt deceived about the true intent of their research and so they began to report false conclusions while they looked for a way out of Hollis Gateway. They grabbed their research and their journals and stowed away on the INRA ship that came to get Timothy.”
“How did they do that?”
“She doesn’t say exactly. Just stated that they did and then snuck off the ship at the first station it stopped. That’s when they changed their names to Eric and Natasha Romanov. Even though their love for one another was deep, they never officially married. They thought the paperwork would lead their pursuers right to them. Over the next century they hopped from system to system, never staying in one place longer than five years, while they continued their research.” Kay gasped as she read further. “Olivia was sad to discover the worst side effect of their research was it left the recipient sterile. They couldn’t have any children.”
“Is that when they decided to kidnap me?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” Kay replied. “It doesn’t mention you or any other child. She was sad about the fact but she doesn’t disclose any thoughts about surrogacy, adoption, or kidnapping. She said they continued experimenting on the lam and focused on eliminating the side effect. Her last entry talks about their decision to move to Alioth in 3240; they hoped to find refuge from their Federal and Imperial oppressors.”
I was getting frustrated. Four journals and nearly two hundred years of history and none of it pointed to me. There was only one journal left. I feared we were traveling towards another dead end. I paced back and forth as Kay opened the last book.
“They applied for Alliance citizenship under the names Eric and Natasha Romanov. Once approved, they acquired jobs as clerks in the science division of the Alliance Navy. They thought about running twice, once when they heard reports of an assassination attempt against Maximillian Weaver in 3250; and then again when they heard INRA had stolen the Mycoid Virus vaccine from a base in their system. They didn’t run though. Instead they tried something different, as they both thought Alliance space was their best chance for survival.” Kay stopped reading aloud, but she wouldn’t look at me either. I was furious. What could she be hiding?
“What, what did they try?”
“They…” Kay started then hesitated. “They befriended a couple; their neighbors. They thought they would seem less suspicious if they hid in plain sight. The couple’s name was Jim and Maurine Goodwin; scientists in the Alliance Navy.”
I snatched the journal from Kay. There it was in black and white my parent’s name, their occupation, and their home- my home, Alioth. I was an Alliance citizen.
“It says they thought they were finally safe by 3276. INRA had long been dissolved, plus everyone looking for them had to have been dead by then, as they were the only ones who tested their research. Only, they weren’t safe. The camera system Jacob installed caught someone sneaking around one night while they were babysitting me. My parents were away on a mission. They didn’t want to take me with them but they couldn’t just abandon me either. I was only two years old. They fled to Earth and changed their names again to Tom and Nancy Simmons. It doesn’t say how they acquired the permits granting access to Sol; I’m guessing they forged them. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is my parents may still be in Alioth wondering what happened to their son.”
For a long moment I stood just staring at the words. My hands were shaking. I dropped the journal on the couch. This time Kay did embrace me. Unlike last time on Earth, when I faced the death of who I thought were my parents and I was numb to the world, I accepted her consoling. I absorbed the warmth of her affection. I drew strength from her tender care; relishing in the fact I was not alone. Then without a word, I rose up and prepared for the next leg of my journey. I was going to Alioth.