Gavde looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“That’s how I would have designed it. If it was left alone, it would operate as intended, infecting the entire ship. If it was disturbed, whoever did it would be killed in minutes with all those prions blowing at them and infecting them.”
Gavde nodded again. “That makes sense. Whoever designed these prions was very clever. I would say that the longer-lasting prions would take days before any symptoms would manifest, allowing the disease to spread beyond any possible quarantine.”
“Designed?” Harris asked. “So you’re confirming this is man-made?”
“Because of small but specific differences in the two types of prions, I have to assume they were engineered. However, it’s very unlikely they were produced from scratch. I would guess that they started with a prion source that was similar in some ways and then biochemically altered. But I’ve never heard of a prion disease that’s even close to this. Where they found it, I don’t know.”
“Anything else, Dr. Gavde?” Harris said.
“One more interesting point. We detected trace amounts of argon, so we believe the cylinders containing the prions were sealed with the inert gas.”
“Why is that important?” Locke asked. He found the entire conversation both intriguing because of the science and nauseating because of its implications.
“The fast acting version begins to break down within minutes if it isn’t acting on a cell. It’s life span — if a prion can be said to have life — is very short. They act quickly, but must replace themselves just as quickly. Once all the human cells are robbed of their cadherins, the prions themselves dissolve. I would bet that the longer acting ones do the same, only over a longer time period. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover this fact until all of our prion samples had destroyed themselves.”
Another answer to why they hadn’t found any prions at the crash site. They had broken down long before the plane crashed. Their inherent self-destructive nature also made sense if Garrett was going to unleash these prions on an unsuspecting world and had a bunker to hide in. All he had to do was wait out the end of civilization, and eventually the prions would self-destruct, leaving the earth wiped clean of humanity for him to emerge and claim for himself.
“Can anything kill these prions before they’re released?” Locke asked.
“We did some quick tests of their durability. They don’t break down unless they are subjected to a temperature above 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. The other way, of course, is with saline. The salt is highly corrosive to them.”
“I’ve got to make some calls,” Harris said abruptly, opening her cell phone and striding down the hall.
“You were lucky to get to that device before it was used to infect that ship,” Gavde said. “I hate to think there might be more of this stuff out there.”
Locke was sure there was. The only question was where.
FORTY-ONE
“That’s ridiculous,” Dilara said, unable to control her amazement at Garrett’s assertion that the Flood was a water-borne disease. “The Flood story is a central theme of many different ancient texts.”
“And you believe that waters actually covered every mountain on earth to a depth of 15 cubits?” Garrett asked, obviously enjoying the repartee. He seemed to have forgotten that Dilara was the enemy.
“That’s just as ridiculous. There isn’t enough water on the planet.”
“Then you concede the story can’t be taken literally. If you’re ready to throw out one portion of the story, why do you adhere so vehemently to another part?”
“Floods were a common calamity in the ancient world. Most settlements were built at the water’s edge. Tsunamis, hurricanes, rivers overflowing their banks. It happened all the time. It makes sense that stories of God’s retribution would encapsulate some of these events.”
“Pestilence was also common in previous millennia,” Garrett said. “Why is it so hard to believe that Noah survived a plague?”
“The Bible is very specific,” Dilara said. “I’m quoting the King James version now. ‘And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.’ It also talks about how the water covered the land. ‘And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.’”
Garrett held up a finger. “The Bible also says, ‘And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.’ That description could easily describe the effects of a plague.”
“Then why doesn’t the Bible say ‘plague’ instead of ‘flood’?”
“Who knows? Perhaps it was mistranslated long ago. Or maybe it’s because the plague seemed to stem from the flood water itself. Every beast that drank from the waters was destroyed. I know this for a fact.”
“Because you found the Ark,” Dilara said contemptuously. “That begs another question. If it was simply a plague, why did Noah build a huge ship to hold animals? It makes no sense.”
“Ah, you’re making assumptions again. And yes, I discovered where the Ark is.”
“You mean, my father discovered where the Ark is.”
“True enough. He was a brilliant man.”
Dilara noticed his use of the past tense. She’d long ago given up believing her father was alive, but the certainty with which Garrett used the past tense was nonetheless heartbreaking.
“What was the relic?” Dilara asked.
“A remnant of the plague.”
“One that remained intact for thousands of years?”
“As difficult as that is to believe, yes. Think, Dilara. Rex Hayden and his staff were reduced to skeletons. I know you saw the results. The relic from Noah’s Ark gave me the seed to start with. I simply modified it.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want to kill every animal on earth. I am a biochemist by training. My company has resources that most others can only dream of. The plague from Noah’s Ark was actually a prion. It was viciously lethal, attacking all animal matter and reducing any soft tissue to its base components. With years of research, we were able to reduce its effectiveness to one species. Humans.”
“So you can be not only Noah, but God as well? You make the decision to wipe out humanity, and then you become the patriarch that repopulates it?”
“I didn’t make the decision. God did. If He didn’t, why did He allow me to find the Arkon-A? I’m simply his instrument.”
“Arkon-A is the prion from the relic?”
“That’s what I called it,” Garrett said. “Arkon-A was the original disease. Arkon-B was our unfortunate first sample that worked on humans. Too virulent. It would never have worked for my vision. It simply killed too fast to spread among the general population. That’s why I took my time and developed Arkon-C. That strain will be the one dispersed in two days.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Let’s face it, Dilara. You are not going anywhere, and being an archaeologist, you are one of the few people who can truly appreciate what I’ve done. Someday I even hope to go back and excavate Noah’s Ark myself. I could use someone of your talents in my New World. Perhaps you will accompany me.”
She choked back bile. “I’d rather die.”
“You might change your mind after our new flood has wiped the earth clean. Being one of the last women on earth may be a headier experience than you can imagine.”
She could see that he was actually attracted to her. Like most men who craved power, one woman wasn’t enough for him, no matter how beautiful Svetlana Petrova was. And with a task like repopulating the earth, why wouldn’t he want to build a harem? The thought disgusted her, but she might be able to use it to her advantage in
