A three-quarter moon radiated silver light across the night sky promoting a calmness that betrayed the turmoil of Stuart’s mind. The quiet of the night mocked him, willing him to scream out, but words failed him. He leaned forward from the back of the bench on which he now sat and cupped his face in his hands. “Is this what madness feels like?” he whispered to himself. Despite the events of the past weeks, Stuart had rarely doubted his own sanity. The idea that he had slipped through a wormhole into an alternate universe had, as unbelievable as it sounded, provided a logical explanation for the situation he was in. The professor’s claims now seemed irrefutable, leaving the reality of it being the hardest aspect to accept. But the professor’s latest revelation pushed him way beyond the realms of his own comprehension. It hadn’t occurred to Stuart that other parties were involved in the development of the technology. But during their last meeting the professor revealed to him that everything they did was under the strict control of a syndicate made up of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals on the planet. The work being carried out by his team in Oxford was a culmination of the research being performed by groups answering to this syndicate.
Stuart leaned back on the bench. He felt a sharp pain press into his shoulder. Turning to view the cause he discovered a screw sticking out from a brass plaque pinned to the wood. The plaque read:
In Memory of Professor Calvin James
Forever in Silent Contemplation
1932 − 2002
Stuart had no idea who Calvin James was or had been but he felt a sudden affinity with the man. He imagined Professor James sat on the bench pondering over his lectures or his research, or perhaps his family, a normal man contemplating normal things. He traced his finger over the word Memory and felt a sudden sadness. Not for the man himself but for the people he had left behind. Maybe he had a wife and children, probably grandchildren. Maybe they visited the bench and sat remembering the man that he was, the man he had become over the seventy years he had lived and touched their lives. Stuart looked at the word Forever and Professor Humphries revelations earlier that evening coursed back into his thoughts.
Having made it clear to Stuart that he no longer had much of a choice in the part he was to play in their research the professor went on to reveal the outreaching implications of the technology. He explained how one of the research teams had discovered a way of manipulating the genome so the effects of passing through the Harmoniser would alter the subject’s genetic makeup in the most profound way. The researchers had synthesised a gene sequence that when inserted into a person’s chromosomes would act as a DNA reset. This meant any genetic mutation occurring would be immediately rejected and the gene would return to the state it was in when the sequence was activated. In Stuart’s case, the trigger for activation would be on arrival in an alternate universe after passing through a wormhole. From this point on his body would be able to defend itself from the effects of hereditary genetic mutation, environmental influence, trauma, and even intoxication. Life-threatening conditions like cancer, heart disease and dementia would be eliminated. A person could sunbathe without fear of getting skin cancer or drink alcohol without fear of liver disease or brain damage. Of course, sunburn would still hurt and hangovers would still be unpleasant but the body would repair itself in the way it is designed to. “We will be giving humanity an upgrade to cope with modern life Stuart, with a few added extras.” The jovial way in which the professor had delivered this statement seemed inappropriate to Stuart and suggested that the man had clearly lost touch with reality.
What he went on to describe as “the cherry on the cake” confirmed they were now well within the realms of madness. He reiterated how the process of passing through the Harmoniser results in a perfect expression of a person’s genetic code. But without the insertion of the synthesised gene sequence this merely acted as a fresh start. The individual would still be vulnerable to all the factors that can affect the body’s genetic makeup. By inserting the “re-set gene”, as they had called the sequence, before the person transfers, the purest form of a person’s genome could be preserved. He then explained what “the cherry on the cake” was. It was this that Stuart struggled with more than anything else. The professor stated that the most amazing trait of the “re-set gene” was an accidental discovery. As already illustrated, the sequence was designed to stimulate the genes to preserve their current state. What they had not considered was the genetics of aging. Aging occurs due to a cumulative result of genetic alteration in a number of genes changing over time during replication. If these alterations are prevented during replication the subject does not age. Every time one of these cells replicate the genetic code resets itself back to the point when the sequence was inserted. The professor’s parting words washed over him once more:
By participating in this research Stuart, you will become part of a very exclusive group that will never get sick and will never grow old.
Stuart looked back up at the moon. He thought of Lauren looking at the same moon all alone trying to cope with the loss of her husband and the prospect of bringing up their child without him. He could not begin to imagine what the effect of his return would have on her let alone what the effect of the professor’s plans would have on the rest of humanity. The professor had emphasised to him how the initial success of the technology was dependent on him passing through the Harmoniser and paving the way for him to follow. He struggled to comprehend what would happen after that so he decided to concentrate on the one thing that he wanted more than anything else. To get back to Lauren.