Chapter 12

Harry and Dixie returned to Radner’s office where they continued an animated discussion of Roku and Millie’s sudden disclosure. They had Dr. Pauling on the videoconferencing monitor. Radner was still disturbed by her keeping everyone in the dark until after Roku’s birth.

“What should we do with her?” he said, as they settled into the leather chairs. “I can’t believe this.”

“Her?” Harry said. “I’d say our immediate problem is what to do with Roku.”

Radner retrieved small bottles of water from a fridge and handed them to Harry and Dixie then returned to his desk chair.

“We decided that back in the animal unit,” Dixie said. “He’s to be destroyed.”

“Then Miles is right,” Harry said. “What about Millie?”

“Termination,” Radner said. “It’s the only appropriate course of action.”

“Her career will be over,” Dixie said. “Ruined.”

“She chose this path, Dixie,” Radner said. “This course of action. No one forced her to do this.”

Harry and Dixie both nodded in agreement.

“I have to agree,” Dixie added. “But let me add this to the discussion. Something for everyone to consider. Isn’t destroying Roku tantamount to murder? After all, it has human genes, Millie’s DNA, as its foundation.”

“Jessums, honey,” Harry said in an exasperated tone, holding his hand in the air, “the thing doesn’t look human. It’s a freak. How can you suggest it’s human?”

“Because it has human DNA,” Dixie continued. “Do you have to look human to be human?”

Radner took a gulp of water before speaking. “How much human DNA makes one human? A hundred percent? Seventy percent? Fifty percent? Who decides? I just know the thing needs to be destroyed, the sooner, the better,” he repeated.

Harry shook his head in disbelief.

“Millie crossed a line no scientist has been willing to cross for decades,” he said. “But listen to me, this changes everything. A reputed humanzee, or human/chimp hybrid, called Oliver was DNA tested and found to be a chimpanzee, albeit one which slightly differed genetically from the more familiar chimps in being bipedal and having a smaller head. Oliver may have been a mutant or represent an unknown species of ape. It is currently believed that he represents a geographical subspecies of chimpanzee. He did not associate with other chimps in captivity and was sexually attracted to human women instead.

“This meant he was never bred. Oliver’s habitual bipedal gait is now believed to be a result of early training and habit, although he mastered it to a greater degree than most trained chimps. It’s worth remembering that evolution is a never-ending process and that it’s possible for bipedalism to develop in other apes. In a publicity event, a woman declared her willingness to be inseminated by Oliver and even to have the mating filmed for scientific purposes, but this offended public sensibilities and did not happen. Had Oliver been a genuine hybrid, then like most male hybrids, he would probably have been sterile anyway.”

“Thanks for the information, Harry,” Radner said, “but I hardly see how that applies to our present situation.

Harry sighed. “Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin wanted to rebuild the Red Army, in the mid-1920s, with Planet-of-the-Apes-style troops by crossing humans with apes. Stalin is said to have told Ivanov, his scientist, that he wanted a new invincible human being, insensitive to pain, resilient, and indifferent about the quality of food they eat. Their only legitimate source for the claim comes from a 2002 paper in the academic journal Science in Context, by the Russian historian of science, Kirill Rossiianov. Rossiianov’s study follows the ill-fated attempt by the Russian physiologist Il’ya Ivanov to crossbreed humans with anthropoid apes. His research offers an important warning about the ethical abuses that can occur when proper standards are not enforced, but Rossiianov’s paper clearly demonstrates that creating super-warriors had no part in Ivanov’s work. The alleged quote from Stalin is not found in the paper, and there is no evidence that Stalin ever made such a statement.”

“I don’t see the point,” Radner said, obviously exasperated. “We all know Millie crossed a line and breached a moral no-no. As I see it the solution for the creature is simple. The question is what should we do with her?”

Pauling, who had remained quiet during the discussion, finally spoke. Harry could tell the man was visibly disturbed.

“Folks,” he said. “I can’t say enough how bad this is. It’s bad. The trustees will never tolerate Millie remaining on the faculty once they learn of this. And I cannot keep this from them. They have to be informed. She’s in your department, Harry. You’ll have to tell her.”

“Tell her to destroy Roku and that she’s fired all in one day,” Harry said. “What a great job I have.”

‘I’ll go with you,” Dixie said. “I have a certain rapport with her.”

But when they returned to the Animal Care Unit, Millie wasn’t there. They found Siscom in the small lab, working.

“How’d it go with Dr. Pauling?” he said after they entered the lab.

Harry ignored the question. “Where’s Millie, Gerald? Have you seen her?” he demanded, his tone terse, his spine stiff.

“Not since you all left here earlier. She may have gone to say goodbye to Roku. She had become very close to that creature. I was going to euthanize it later this afternoon. Funny thing though, I feel I’d be killing Millie in the process. It carries her genome.”

“Millie’s been terminated, Gerald. As of now. I need to tell her. You have no idea where she is?”

“Like I said she might be at Tika’s cage saying goodbye to Roku. Let’s go see. I’d like to be with her when you tell her.”

“Fine,” Harry said, and the trio walked to the cage area.

Millie wasn’t there.

Neither was Roku.

“Okay, Gerald,” Harry said, irritation rising in his voice. “Where is she? She’s gone and taken the chimera with her.”

“I have no idea, Harry, honest.”

Harry strode through the Animal Care Unit, searching the area. “Gerald,” he continued, “it won’t look good on your record if I learn you have abetted her in this travesty and in taking Roku.”

They stopped at the airlock.

“Harry, I swear I knew nothing of Millie’s plan until shortly before delivery, and, by then, it was too late. She never took me into her confidence prior to that. You’ve got to believe me.”

“We do,” Dixie said. “Harry’s just upset. This is a lot to fathom in one afternoon.”

“And deal with,” Harry added.

Satisfied that neither Millie nor Roku were in the Animal Care Unit, Harry and Dixie returned to Radner’s office. Siscom followed. After learning that Millie could not be found, Radner exploded. Harry had never seen the man in such a rage.

“I’ll find her,” he said in a loud voice. “She hasn’t had time to leave the facility grounds.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Bruce,” he said into the phone, nearly shouting, “I want you to search the facility for Dr. Harbaum. When you find her, bring her to my office. Get all available security personnel on this...What?...Just find her. She may have a little creature with her. If she does, take it to the animal unit. Now get on it.”

He hung up the phone, stared at Harry.

“Bruce Drayton and his men will find her. She couldn’t have gone far.”

“Yes,” Dixie said. “I remember Bruce, your security chief. Good man.”

“Since the Yeti’s escape,” Radner said, “Bruce has really beefed up security here. Millie can’t go far.”

Harry nodded. “He was a go-to guy on that search, for sure.”

“I need to go to the security office and check on this, Harry,” Radner said. “I’m sorry for blowing up like that. This is unbelievable, simply unbelievable. Why don’t you and Dixie relax in the conference room here? I think you’ll be more comfortable. I’ll have some coffee and sandwiches brought in.”

“Oh, that would be great, Miles,” Dixie said. “I’m starved. We haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“Good. I’ll stop by the kitchen on my way out. Make yourselves at home.”

After Radner exited, leaving Harry, Dixie, and Siscom sitting in the overstuffed chairs in the conference room, Harry smiled at his wife.

“Just another day in paradise, sweetheart,” he said. “The hits keep coming.”

“Stop it, Harry,” she said. “These things come with the territory, that’s all. Departmental chairmen deal with these sorts of things all the time.”

“Chimeras? Human-animal hybrid creations by their staff? I doubt it.”

“Nowadays, it is possible for a couple of university students to concoct new life forms in the comfort of their own basement. Regrettably so, our laws have not been able to keep up with the pace that scientists have made with their creations.”

“Society has always lagged behind,” Siscom said.

“In turn, the entities being created are not at all illegal but certainly could pose a risk to society, by and large,” Dixie continued. “There is no telling what may happen if these life forms are allowed to mate, if they can. Still, eagerness can be seen in the eyes and minds of scientists on a global level just waiting to unleash their next creation to the world. That all seemed liked fantasy just a short time ago.”

“Yes,” Harry said. “It can create a huge problem. Look at Roku.”

“To give a concrete example, scientists have made mice with an artificial human chromosome in every cell of their bodies. Such an act is being praised as a breakthrough that may lead to different cures for a wide scope of diseases. Researchers have had much success by transferring cells from human embryos into the brains of mice. These very cells began to grow, and, in time, made the mice more intelligent. The mice showed that they were able to solve a simple maze and learn conditioning signals at a more enhanced level than if compared to before their transformation. I’ve read that critics are quick to question whether a practice of injecting parts of humans in animals carries more benefits than risks.”

“Yes,” Siscom said. “Even now, it is apparent that growing human organs inside of animals is not science fiction, but pure reality. Japanese scientists have started using pigs to grow human organs inside of them. The entire growth process takes up to twelve months to complete.”

Dixie shot him a somber, frustrated look. “What should be the guideline for this type of research? I don’t think anyone has figured it out.”

Harry shook his head.

“As you said, the science is way ahead of the theologians and philosophers. They better catch up and fast before we have a nightmare on our hands.”

***

Dr. Bernard Wickingham sat in the opulent office of the president of the University of California, Merced. He had no idea why he had been called to this meeting.

He thought his Biology 101 class was going well. As far as he knew, there were no complaints.

He sat across an antique polished teak desk with ivory-looking inlays around its edges, obviously a high dollar item. Pictures and sculpture decorated the office.

John Ingersoll, university president, strode boldly into his office and nodded at Wickingham. He was a tall man with rugged features, in his fifties, tanned, and thick glasses perched on a hawk-like nose. He sat at his desk and opened a folder in front of him. Wickingham’s heart started to pound.

“I’ll make this short, Dr. Wickingham. I have a letter here from the president of your former employer, Cal Pacific University.”

“Yes?” Wickingham’s heart fluttered, skipped a beat.

“In this letter, he outlines the reasons for your termination from Cal Pacific, something you failed to mention in your application here.” He pointed to a paper on his desk. “You never mentioned you were terminated. I know Reginald Pauling, so I thought I would give him a call since we seemed to know nothing about you. You just dropped into our laps one day, so to speak. Anyway, what I learned came as a great surprise, and Dr. Pauling outlines the facts here in his letter. It seems you were terminated for trying to extort lab and office space from your departmental chairman by threatening to divulge certain embarrassing facts about the man. What these facts were are not outlined here and not pertinent to this discussion. But the overall charge is apparently supported by a witness.”

“Doctor, I--”

Ingersoll held up a hand.

“It belies common sense that you figured no one would ever discover these sordid events, but they have finally caught up with you.”

“Doctor, please--”

“You will not speak further,” Ingersoll said. “You are here to listen.

Wickingham slumped farther into his chair, eyes toward the floor.

“In view of these facts, Dr. Wickingham,” Ingersoll said, “and in view if the fact that you were not forthcoming on your application or during your interview, I have no choice but to terminate your employment with UC-Merced. I’m sorry. But a man in your position needs to realize that honesty is, after all, the best policy. I will not entertain questions or comments at this time. Your final paycheck will be mailed to you. Good day, sir.”

Ingersoll stood and strolled out of the room, leaving Wickingham’s brain reeling and his stomach churning.