The Fugitive Grandma Lives

Chapter 20 - A Solvable Problem

Calvin stood before a group of scientific colleagues in front of a marble conference table inside an exclusive retreat in Rancho Mirage, California. He was speaking before the Nutravision Board of Advisors, a gathering of alumni from The Human Record project, most of whom he'd known for years. All the men had distinguished careers in biology and genetics, along with doctorates, medical degrees plus various awards and recognition.

And while they all had more traditional scientific credentials and were much better at applying classic techniques of research and analysis, they lacked the founder's drive and imagination. They also lacked his billions. They listened in respectful silence as he guided them through an hour-long presentation. Tim Schlesinger and Harvey Hamilton also sat in the back of the room behind the scientists.

Calvin was explaining a series of recent studies he had conducted with one of his private research teams in Singapore. A projector displayed 3-D computer models of human chromosomes, strands of code composed of the nucleic acids guanine, adenine, thymine and cytosine.

"My focus is on the telomeres, the protective ends of the chromosomes that guard the genes essential for life. Each time our cells divide, the telomeres get shorter, less able to prevent damage to this core DNA. As the telomeres get smaller, we come closer to death."

All of this was basic knowledge for the scientists in the audience but Calvin added the explanation for the benefit of Tim and Harvey. It was important they both understood as well, although each for different reasons. He clicked a remote at the project and the screen switched to a video of mice in the Singapore laboratory.

"What if we could reprogram our genes to lengthen these telomeres throughout our lives? This would have the effect of strengthening our cells, fundamentally improving the raw material that sustains us throughout our lives. We could protect people from chronic conditions and the degeneration of organs. We could prevent the effects of aging and even reverse them. I've seen evidence of this in my own research with mice, treating them with therapies that reactivate the telomerase in their cells."

"You're manipulating a mouse's enzyme in a laboratory," one of the scientists said. "It's going to be more challenging to do this with humans in a real world environment. How can you modify a person's chromosome to restore this projective layer around the core DNA? I've never seen this happen in a human subject."

"I have," Calvin replied. "I've seen it in a drug we developed at LifeGen."

"You're talking about Helixin? They took that off the market."

"True it failed at its initial purpose. That's because we failed to see an underlying value that was even greater."

"Greater than curing cancer?"

"We were on the verge of curing something much bigger than any single disease. There was a reaction I studied in one of the clinical trials. I only saw it happen once in a patient with specific genetic mutations. But if we can understand the interplay between those mutations and the drug, we can tweak the chemical compounds. And if we do that, I believe we can create a new form of personalized medicine for significant life extension. I am talking extension that can continue indefinitely."

"An immortality drug."

"Where is this patient?" asked Raj Balakrishnan, one of the other scientists, inquired skeptically. Raj had a reputation as one of the most brilliant researches in the Human Record project but also one of the most prickly and unmanageable. "If you really have evidence then we have to put it through peer review, Calvin. You can't just speak to us in hints and riddles like you do with the press."

"I can't divulge details just yet, my friends. But I will in due time. I promise you that. We are all here because we share a deep awe and commitment to scientific progress. We went as far as we could with the Human Record, but now it's the next step in our journey. We have to take things into our own hands."

The presentation ended and the respectful silence ended in a swirl of gasps and mutterings.

***

After the meeting, Calvin retired to his nearby estate. He removed a bottle of vintage single malt scotch from the custom bar. Harvey arrived and he poured drinks for both of them.

"Your scientists seemed a little doubtful," Harvey said.

"They'll come around," Calvin replied. "They know they'll never get another chance to be part of something like this."

"I must say, Calvin, you've inspired me," Harvey said. "I thought there was nothing left for me."

"There's always something left."

"How long have you been plotting this?"

"My whole life. Since I was a young boy when my father told me we would all die. He said it was inevitable. I told him he was wrong. Death doesn't have to happen. It was a solvable problem."

When Harvey finally left, Calvin brought his laptop out to the balcony and curled up in his leather viewing chair under the night lantern. He brought up the photo of Stella Valentine, the one he'd taken from the Helixin clinical files. She resembled his own grandmother, who meant so much to him and died painfully from a long bout with cancer when he was still so young. He remembered the funeral service, looking up at the casket as his mother and father loomed over him in their crisp, black funeral attire.

That was the day that Calvin's father told him that death was inevitable. It was the first of many disagreements.

Tears welled up in his eyes as Calvin as he closed the image of Stella on his laptop. He had raced through life, from one accomplishment to another, chased by painful memories that always threatened to catch up with him. Power, money and prestige had never healed the sadness in his heart. Even he would have to admit, there were some phenomena that science could not explain and technology could not fix.

Calvin wiped away his tears and logged on to a program that gave him secure, remote access to an anonymous computer. The machine was part of a massive botnet farm that interfaced through an endless rotation of IP addresses. He'd hired Tim Schlesinger to set this system up so that nothing he did on this computer could ever be traced back to him.

Once safely logged into the botnet, he entered the Comic Club chat room under the name of his secret avatar, The Seer. And he sought out his new online friend Captain Justice, also known as Johnny Valentine.