More bones. Human, but not that of a Homo sapiens sapiens. A prehistoric ancestor, forgotten until now.
The team Lin had brought with her made trip after trip, returning with empty containers, filling them, then leaving to return the specimens to the ship waiting at the surface. Peyton watched in amazement as the chambers were emptied. She counted five different human species in total. The other chambers held other animal species: a large feline, a seal, a porpoise, and many more.
Peyton activated her comm. “Mom, what is this?”
“Let’s speak when we’re done. We have to preserve the samples.”
When the last cold chamber was empty, Lin told the research assistants to wait at the submersible. Then she gestured for Peyton to follow.
They snaked through the dark passageways to a series of cramped offices. Lin pulled open a drawer and rifled through the files. She opened one that was scribbled with German handwriting, then began to read the pages to herself.
“Mom.”
Lin looked up as if she had forgotten her daughter was still there. She seemed almost possessed.
“Whose research is this?” Peyton asked.
Lin said nothing.
“It’s yours, isn’t it? You collected those bones. Why?”
Lin took the folders out of the drawer and piled them on the desk. Finally, she faced Peyton. “Switch to channel seven.”
When they were alone on the comm channel, Lin spoke again.
“Our Citium cell was the original. Committed to the core belief. The founding question, we called it.”
“What question?”
“The question every sentient mind asks itself at one point or another: Why do I exist?”
“The answer’s here on the Beagle?”
“Yes and no. We named the sub the Beagle in honor of another famous ship of the same name.”
“The ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world—when he formed his early beliefs, what became the theory of evolution.”
“That’s right. We believed that Darwin’s theory was only half of the true picture of the nature of humanity—that the full truth was even more shocking.”
“And you found evidence of your theory?”
“Yes. We called our work the Extinction Files. We believed that by studying the genomes of extinct and living species, we could finally unravel the greatest secrets of the human race. What we found was… it was something none of us would ever have imagined.” Lin paused, as if considering what to say next. “But we needed more data to confirm our theory.”
More data, Peyton thought. “In the cordons, they took DNA samples from every patient.”
“I was only told that the data would be collected, not how. Nevertheless, right now, somewhere in a Citium lab, those billions of genetic samples are being sequenced. If we can obtain that data, and combine it with the samples down here, we’ll finally know the truth.”
“What are you telling me, Mom?”
“There’s a code—buried in the human genome. And if our theory is correct, what it leads to will change our very understanding of human existence.”
EPILOGUE
In the days after the X1-Mandera pandemic ended, the South Australia Relief Alliance, or SARA, was inundated with refugees seeking help. Luckily, they had a new staff member.
Andrew was thankful for the work. It kept him from thinking about what had happened and what he had done. He would never forgive himself, no matter how many patients he treated, how many lives he saved. For the rest of his life, he would carry a debt that could never be repaid.
Charlotte had tried to get him to move on, but he couldn’t. She insisted that time heals all wounds. He wasn’t sure he believed that. But he wanted to.
He stepped into a patient room and closed the door. His prosthetic arm held a simple attachment, his other hand a clipboard with the patient’s name. His own name had been something of a dilemma. Andrew Shaw was technically dead. And if anyone ever came looking, he didn’t want to be found. In that sense, the remote, outback aid camp was the perfect place for him. All there was to do here was work and spend time with Charlotte. They had a lifetime to catch up on.
“Hi,” he said. “My name’s William Moore. I’m the attending physician today. How are you feeling?”
Avery sat in the conference room in the low-rise building in Research Triangle Park, the same room where she had interviewed with Rubicon Ventures so many years before. The same man who had interviewed her back then, David Ward, sat across from her.
“I’m proud of you,” he said.
“I’m proud of me too.”
“Seriously, Avery. Listen for a second. What you did was beyond the call of duty. There’s no award this nation confers that even begins to recognize the type of risk you took or the skill you displayed. What I’m trying to tell you is, I know what you did, and everyone up the Rubicon chain of command knows. And we appreciate you.”
Avery fidgeted in her seat, unsure what to say. After a moment, she asked what she’d come here to ask. “My father?”
David nodded. “Was very well taken care of. We had him transferred to the Dean Dome. He’s still there. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming.”
“Thanks.”
David leaned back in his chair. “Can we trust them?”
Avery knew he was asking about Peyton and Lin Shaw. What she didn’t know was what to say. “Time will tell.”
“It would be nice to know ahead of time.”
“I don’t see what option we have.”
David let the chair ease forward. “Lots of people are unhappy about Lin Shaw’s immunity agreement.”
“I don’t blame them. But they’ll have to get over it. We need her.”
“You’re sure?”
“This isn’t over. We don’t know what’s next. It could be worse than the pandemic. We need to start dismantling the Citium. We need somebody who’s been on the inside to do that. We can sort everything else out once we’ve finished this.”
“All right. I can live with that.”
Avery stood, and David walked her out. At the door, his tone softened, “Don’t worry, okay?”