The Doomsday Key

"What is it, Andrea?" he asked.

She lifted a sheaf of Post-it notes. "Senator Gorman's office has called three times, wanting to check on your progress."

Henry took the notes. He hated to have someone breathing down his neck, but he also understood the senator's agitation. While Jason Gorman had only been Henry's student, he still felt a stabbing pang of grief at the boy's untimely death, especially with the brutality behind it.

"I also came down here to remind you that you have that appointment with Dr. Kokkalis from Washington in another hour. Did you want me to fetch you something from the cafeteria before then?"

"I'm fine, but since you're here, I can use a fresh set of eyes on this data. Especially before I talk to Washington. See what you think."

Her expression widened, barely masking her delight.

"And I appreciate you coming in on your day off," he added as he led her toward the computer station. "I couldn't have gotten this all done without your help."

"No problem, Dr. Malloy."

The computer modeling had finally finished its third run. The screen displayed the chromosomal mapping for the corn sample planted in the test field out in Africa. All of the chromosomes were black, except for a single one highlighted in white.

Henry tapped it on the screen. "Here you can see the radio-marked foreign DNA engineered into the genetically modified corn."

Andrea leaned closer. Curiosity crinkled her brow. "What's the source of the DNA? Bacterial?"

"Most likely. But I can't say for sure."

Still, Andrea's guess was on target. Most genetic modifications were engineered via bacterial recombination and gene splicing, taking beneficial traits of certain bacteria and incorporating them into the plant genome. One of the earliest successes was when genes from Bacillus thuringiensis were inserted into tobacco plants. They made the plants more insect resistant, requiring the use of less insecticide in the fields. The same method was now used in corn. Such biotechnology had grown so prevalent over the past ten years that currently one-third of all corn grown in the United States was genetically modified.

"If it's not bacterial DNA," Andrea asked, "then what?"

"I don't know. It's patented and classified by Viatus. It's only listed in the file as Dt222. The Dt stands for 'drought tolerant.' But that's not what I wanted to show you." Henry pointed at the screen. "This assay was sent to me by Jason Gorman two months ago."

"Two months ago?"

"I know. The boy was so excited to be involved in that African field study. He wasn't supposed to disseminate this information. It was a violation of his confidentiality agreement. I warned him to be more discreet and to keep quiet about it. I can only imagine his desperation on that last morning. Yet he still had the foresight to preserve whatever data he could."

Andrea nodded. "What did he send out that last morning?"

Henry tapped at the keyboard, bringing forth the latest data. "Let me show you. They had just harvested the first generation of corn from the seeds planted. He sent the complete analysis of that harvest, including an entire DNA assay. Here are the results."

On the screen appeared a second batch of chromosomes. Again a majority of them were color coded in black, denoting normal corn DNA. But instead of a single chromosome in white, a second chromosome above it was stippled in white and black.

"I don't understand," Andrea said.

"Look closer."

Henry zoomed in on the picture of the transformed chromosome. It now showed a fine mapping of the individual genes, displaying a striping of black and white.

Henry explained, "The foreign DNA is incorporating itself into another chromosome, invading its neighbor."

"It's spreading?"

He sat back and stared over at Andrea. He allowed some excitement to enter his voice. "I can't say for sure. But I've compiled the data three times. Maybe the first sample that Jason sent was from a different hybrid. They could be testing more than one version of the corn out there. But if they're not, it would suggest that the genetic modification is unstable. It's changed from one generation to the next. The sample's become more foreign and less corn."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea. But someone needs to know about this. I've already passed on an inquiry to the Crop Biogenics division at Viatus. I'm sure they'll want this data. I may even be able to worm a new grant out of the corporation."

Andrea shifted to her feet. "Then maybe I can actually get that raise you keep hinting at." A shadow of a smile played over her face, catching a bit of his excitement.

"We'll see."

Andrea checked her watch. "If you don't need me, I should be getting home. My dogs have been cooped up all day. They're probably crossing their hind legs and dancing to get out."

Henry walked her to the door. "Thanks again for coming in on your day off."

Andrea paused at the door. "Are you sure I can't get you something to eat before I go?"

"No, I'm going to finalize the assay and upload it to the server. It shouldn't take long."

She waved as she exited. The door whooshed closed behind her.

Henry returned to his computer station. It would take him less than an hour to formalize his report. While the file Jason had sent from Africa cast little light on the young man's death, it did illustrate a brave heart, something his father could be proud of.

"You did good, Jason," Henry mumbled as he made a final review of all the files.

Over the next fifteen minutes, he typed a few notes and observations. He wanted to impress Viatus. Their Crop Biogenics division contracted with laboratories around the world to perform their assays, though mostly in India and Eastern Europe at the moment, where costs were cheaper. But Princeton's genomics laboratory was one of the best in the world. If he could persuade the corporation to toss a little business their way...

A slow smile spread as he worked.

A knock on the door interrupted him again. His smile widened. If he knew Andrea, she had not taken him at his word. She must have gone to the cafeteria to fetch him a bite to eat.

"Be right there!" he called out. He crossed the lab and swiped his proximity keycard to unlock the door.

5:30 P.M.

Monk climbed into the cab outside the train station. His partner was already in the backseat, giving directions to the driver.

"Carl Icahn Lab on the Princeton campus. It's on Washington Road."

Monk settled into the seat next to him, straightened his suit jacket, and leaned back. He rested a briefcase on his lap. He stared down at the custom-made Ta

He sighed, earning a glance from his new partner.

John Creed hunched a bit in his seat. Though wiry as a starved terrier, the man stood within a fingerbreadth of seven feet. He was one of Sigma's newest recruits, clean-shaven, with lanky red hair, freckled over most of his face. Despite his boyish features, his expression remained steadily dour.

Monk frowned and asked him a question that had been nagging him since they'd first met. "So, kid, how old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?"