Lemuria by Burt Clinchandhill (most popular novels of all time .txt) 📗

an experimental treatment at the hospital, and of all the things that could have happened, I think this isn’t one of the bad ones.”

“Wait, what? Wait for a second. Back up, please.” Jennifer waved her hands in the air. “Two questions first. Do you mean to tell me this is from the treatment at the hospital? And, if so, why am I talking to you about it, and not with a doctor?”

“Fair enough. Let me explain the first question. Yes, we are quite positive this happened to you because of the treatment in the hospital. Of course, we didn’t know this would happen. The modified G2 quiescent stem cells that were injected into your brain seem to have done more than we anticipated. We believe the modified stem cells identified the non-functional vomeronasal organ as a defect and repaired it. It’s quite amazing when you think about it.”

“And the second question?” Jennifer asked, still working on grasping what Mulder was revealing.

“Logynous Labs is one of the hospital’s primary benefactors, and we especially sponsor the Center for Genomic Medicine. More specifically, we sponsored the research done for the G2 quiescent stem cell therapy you received. When you signed the waiver for the experimental therapy, you also gave permission to share the results with us. And since you’re physically healthy, I asked the hospital to be the one to tell you about this.”

Jennifer shook her head a couple of times like a dog recovering from a bump on the head.

“Listen,” Mulder continued. “This doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

“Third question,” Jennifer said as if she didn’t hear him.

“Sure.”

“What does this mean?”

“To be honest, we don’t know. You were the first to get the treatment, so there’s no precedent. We don’t know what will happen or how this will develop. The hospital checked you out a couple of times over the past few weeks and, physically, you’re fine. But more important, perhaps, is how you feel. Do you feel any different?”

Jennifer searched her mind for a long moment. “I don’t think so.” She paused. “Perhaps there were a few moments where I felt different... emotionally. I think I might have blamed the whole experience of getting sick. I’m not sure.”

“Well, maybe it’s something, maybe it’s nothing. We can’t be sure.”

“So, what now?” A combination of fear and anger boiled up inside her. “I’m not planning on becoming one of your lab rats.”

“No worries.” Mulder tried to use his most reassuring voice. “In fact, I have what I think to be quite an attractive proposition for you.”

Jennifer winced. “A proposition?”

“Yes, and before you say no, please think about it. Now, I could ask you to make yourself available for tests from time to time and possibly even pay you for it, but I think I have a better proposition. I will leave the country soon for an expedition across the globe.”

“An expedition,” Jennifer sputtered when Mulder fell silent.

“Yes. You know I told you about our research with the isolated tribes?”

Jennifer nodded, reluctant.

“Well, I’m planning to visit my researchers in the field, witness the research firsthand and collect information about the evolutionary development at the sites. So, we’re going to visit each of the five locations for a few days and be back in no time. I would like you to join me.”

Jennifer’s face turned from pink to white and back. “What? Why?”

“Think about it. It’s a win-win proposition. A team of medical experts is going to be around all the time who can follow your progress and act if needed. I get to witness your progress firsthand should anything happen, and you get to see how evolution develops in humans. Information you can use for your own studies.”

Mulder switched off his computer and leaned back as the big screen powered down. Except for the humming of the air conditioning, the room was silent for a long two minutes.

Mulder broke the silence. “So, what do you think?”

“To be honest? I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Mulder took a deep breath. “I understand. And trust isn’t something anyone can give you. You need to feel it in your heart and soul. No problem. Listen, can I at least convince you to think about?”

“Where to first?”

“Excuses me?”

“Where were you planning to go first? What country?”

Chapter 18 – The Theater

Granite Bay, CA, The Present

A silver Buick Verano snaked its way through the Granite Bay Forest. De Cremonese followed the narrow road and wondered if he was still on the right track. The last sign that showed him to the Logynous headquarters had been a few miles back, but to his knowledge, he hadn’t missed an exit. “How far is it to my destination?” he asked his phone, clipped to the dash.

The GPS map on the screen disappeared, and the Lea avatar materialized. “You are less than one mile away from your destination.”

In the email invitation he received for the meeting today, he had clicked on a link that automatically installed an app on his phone. Seconds later, Lea had appeared and introduced herself as his personal assistant who would help him with everything regarding this meeting. If he wanted, she would book his flight, reserve a hotel nearby, and arrange a rental car—with or without a chauffeur—to get to the location. All he had to do was ask. Although he usually liked to be in control, this time he was fascinated by the technology. He had asked Lea if she would arrange a rental car for him. The only thing she’d asked was if he wanted a fully autonomous driving car, or if he would prefer to drive himself. When he confirmed he’d like to drive himself, she confirmed his choice of vehicle, based on the history she found about De Cremonese on the Internet in social media posts, blogs and interviews. When he got off the plane at McClellan Airport, his phone had automatically switched on. Lea had pointed him from the terminal to the car waiting for him in front of the building. She’d