Authors: T. L Mitchell
SIXTEEN
The day started in a rush. Daniel woke me early for our drive to my father’s clinic in Chattanooga. I checked in on Nathaniel and Casey before we left.
Sometime during the night, Nathaniel had Jason to give Casey something for the pain. After the medication took effect, she slept soundly and her fever appeared to be under control.
Daniel was a little more pleasant to Nathaniel this morning. Maybe it was the fact he saw him in a different light. Daniel realized how much alike he and Nathaniel behaved when it came to the women they loved. I believe this is what softened Daniel’s heart toward Nathaniel. Daniel saw him as a man in love, and not a vampire.
The drive to the clinic was tedious. Daniel’s thoughts contemplated calculations and theories based on his previous research. I tried to block his thoughts from my mind, and keep my thoughts on something other than the vampires.
My fascination with the vampires was difficult for me to hide. The pale-skinned extraordinarily beautiful men had a certain air about them. I wasn’t sure if it was the overconfidence of who they were, or a certain sex appeal they possessed that bothered me.
“Thinking about the vampires again?” Daniel tossed up. My thoughts continued further than I expected.
“Yes.” I figured I would be honest. “Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious about them.”
“Professionally speaking, yes, I am interested in them.” Daniel’s voice was calm.
I looked at him for a long moment. “You want to know how it’s medically possible for them to exist.”
“Let’s be honest here. You can’t tell me that you’re not thinking the same thing,” he said glancing over at me.
“I find them fascinating.” Turning my head, I looked out of the window as he drove.
“Maybe a little too fascinating,” he shot at me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned quickly to look at him. Daniel’s tone came across with a hint of jealousy.
“All I’m saying is I think you might be just a little more interested in them than say the average person.”
“The average person doesn’t even know they exist. Try again.” I could tell where he was going with this conversation.
“Just don’t let your fascination control you. Richard seems to be highly fascinated with you. I didn’t like his little gesture last night. If he was such an honorable vampire, he wouldn't have flirted with you like he did.”
“Daniel, I don’t think he knew we were together.”
“Oh, I think he did.” Without warning, he turned off the road and headed over to a small shopping mall.
“Where are you going?” I asked holding onto the inside of the car as he wheeled it into the shopping center. I tried to read his thoughts but he had somehow put the thought from his mind.
Pulling the car in front of a jewelry store, I got the idea. I looked at him and shook my head.
“You know you could just piss on me and that would probably do the trick,” I said shaking my head.
“Well now, see that is where you are wrong. It would only work if he were a Lycan.” His voice purred with a wicked grin on his face. Jumping out the car, he ran around and opened the door for me.
I stepped out and he grabbed me by the arm as we walked into the small jewelry store. The sales clerk, a lady who appeared in her mid-forties looked up as we walked toward the diamond rings. She was dressed in what appeared to be a nice expensive dark blue dress suit. The dark blue appeared to accent her tanned skin, making her blond colored hair stand out.
“How may I help you today?” She approached the counter in front of Daniel and me.
“I’m looking for an absolutely beautiful engagement ring,” Daniel said pondering over the rings in the display.
“What price range do you have in mind?” she asked him.
“I don’t,” he said squarely.
“Well,” she paused unsure how to take him. “We do have a lovely selection of rings that start around five thousand.” Daniel raised his head and narrowed his eyes.
“Do you have anything else?” he asked as a warm smile crossed his face.
“I see. We do have another selection for around one thousand.” She returned his smile.
Daniel glanced toward me. I tried hard to fight the smile that formed on my face. The sales person had no idea what Daniel’s intentions were. She apparently underestimated his idea of a price range.
“Julie could you wait in the car for a moment?” he said pulling out his cell phone.
He gave me a wink before I turned and walked out of the store to the car. Outside I leaned against the car and waited for him to return. Inside the store, I could see him leaning over the counter. The sales clerk left momentarily returning with a large black box. Daniel appeared to be looking closely at the items she showed him. It was hard to see exactly what he was doing because his back faced me.
A moment or two later he pulled out his wallet. He waited at the counter watching the sales clerk. She returned to him with a huge smile and handed him the receipt and a small box. He turned and walked with long strides out of the store.
I was still leaning against the car when he walked up to me and got down on one knee. He opened the box and held it up to me.
“Julie Ann Knight will you marry me?” he asked with a seriousness that I had never seen before.
Unfolding my arms, I looked at the ring. It was astonishing, appearing to be a ten-carat diamond in a beautiful princess cut setting. He took the ring from the box.
“Yes,” I breathed, then giggled.
Surprised by my giggle, he smiled and slipped the diamond on the ring finger of my left hand. I looked it over on my hand. The ring was truly beautiful. Glancing at him, he could tell I was pleased. I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.
“I love you, you silly man.”
“Well, I figured I needed to do something to put these hound dogs at bay,” he said chuckling. “You can’t trust anyone these days.”
“Well, this should do it,” I laughed. “We have got to get to the clinic.” He nodded and opened the door for me.
Within a few minutes, we had arrived at the clinic. Arrangements needed to be made for the equipment and office supplies, not to mention the building itself. Not exactly something I wanted to deal with at the current time. The edges of my heart still remained tender from the loss of my father.
Grabbing the key, I unlocked the front door. Daniel held tightly to the box with the two vials of blood. Walking through the office, we headed quickly down the hall to the back. I unlocked the second door. My hand wandered on the wall until I found the light switch. Clicking it on, the room lit up. Daniel walked in behind me and closed the door.
The room was large with three sets of computers and various kinds of medical equipment for testing. I knew Daniel felt right at home. He was already familiar with most of the equipment. He immediately turned on the equipment he needed. I went to the computer systems and turned on each one.
“Can you find the link to DalMar?” he asked while setting up for the blood samples.
“Give me a moment.” I sat down at one of the computers and searched the programs. Nothing. Rolling the chair to the next computer, I typed in a new search. “Got it.”
“Great.” He ran over to the computer. I moved aside while he typed in the security codes. The screen flashed twice and DALMAR INDUSTRIES SCOTLAND appeared.
A voice came over the computer. “Hello, Dr. Maxwell. How may I assist you today?” A computer generated female voice asked.
“Hello, CARA. I will need to access the GNI file number FC103-1,” Daniel said while he prepared the test samples of the first vial.
“GNI File number FC103-1 open. Preparing to run computations,” the voice said.
“CARA. Computer automated research assistant?” I asked staring at the screen.
“Yes. Lovely, isn’t she? CARA and I go back a long way,” he teased.
“Lovely,” I agreed flatly.
Daniel moved toward another machine and placed the test strips inside. Pushing a few buttons, the machine started. Daniel ran back and set up the second run of test samples.
“CARA access code L.Y.C.A.N. file marked Knight.” Daniel spoke while he continued working quickly.
“File Dr. Martin Knight project Lycan accessed. Would you like me to access the blood sample data banks?” she asked.
“Yes. Samples are already being processed.” He paused for a moment. “Julie, how much do you know about DNA modification?”
“Very limited. Just the basics I suppose,” I said intrigued by the computer screen.
“Overriding the central computer systems. I have access,” CARA stated.
“CARA, I need a full diagnosis of the blood sample. Compare lysogenic bacterial level to that of the GNI prophage cystinuria levels. Full screen grid.” Daniel had already prepared the second set of samples.
“All right, you know there are four bases coding genetic information in the polynucleotide chain of DNA. Adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine.” He kept working as he talked.
The computer screen flashed and there was a black screen with what appeared to be a DNA strand rotating. The blue and green DNA and RNA rotated and light yellow dots formed around the DNA side of the strand.
“Locating lysogenic bacterial levels. Comparing GNI prophage cystinuria levels. Computation complete, Dr. Maxwell,” the computerized voice stated as another screen popped up on the side.
“CARA, I am loading the second set of samples,” Daniel said while he loaded them into the system.
Amazed at how fast the computer had compiled all the data, I sat motionless. Daniel moved beside me and glanced at the screen reading the results. His eyebrows rose while he carefully examined the data.
“Cytosine?” I asked looking at Daniel. “Cytosine is the chemical base that is pyrimidine coding genetic information in DNA and RNA.” My attention turned back to the computer screen when it showed the percent totals of the levels.
“You would be correct. CARA, I need a full diagnosis of the lysogen levels.” Turning toward me, he continued, “Since Lycans are basically the product of a gene which is carried from birth, Jason and I have isolated the gene. We located a bacterial strain. This strain contains a hyper mutable phenotype which is unable to replace uracil with thymine in its DNA.”
“Okay, wait.” I thought aloud. “If the uracil appears in the DNA by mistake then the result would be that the strain begins to undergo a much higher rate of mutation than the other bacterial strains. The Lycan gene is a provirus? But what about the purines? ”
“Yes. Purines appear in the DNA, which is carrying the hereditary codes. We discovered that in our Lycan DNA, it is considered a virus similar to lysogenic bacteria. The lysogen is a bacterial cell whose chromosome contains the integrated viral DNA. The Lycan gene. The bacterium contains in its genome the DNA of the Lycan virus which is lying dormant, passively letting itself be replicated by the bacterium, then when the bacteria replicates its own genome it is then unable to reactivate and destroy the bacteria at the time of the virus’s choosing.” Daniel’s attention was back to the computer.
My mind was trying to comprehend the logistics. Frowning slightly for a moment I glanced back to the screen.
“So what you are saying is this bacterium is a virus which has the capability of inserting its DNA into the genome of the host bacterium for long term dormancy, so that the bacterium replicates the viral DNA along with its own and passes it to its offspring?” I added.
“Yes. It then chooses when it wants to reactivate and finish its lytic cycle. Basically, at a certain age or when there is a certain type of mental stress or stimulation. Like an awakening. The individual can then turn into a Lycan.” He glanced at me then back to the screen.
My mind drifted back to that first night I turned into a wolf. I remembered the adrenaline rushing through me. I remembered the familiar feeling of the fire blazing over my skin as I changed. Even to the beginning when Daniel had my blood boiling with his tender yet seductive taunting.
“So you seduced me into a Lycan?” I breathed.
“Well, um… ” He paused. “I didn’t think it would hurt if I tried a different approach.” He looked up from his work with a sly grin on his face.
I wondered if this was what I was going to have to look forward to with him the rest of my life. I smiled to myself, realizing this was another one of the many things that attracted me to him. It was just his way.
“If Lycans are hereditary, then where would that leave the werewolves? I mean, you said if a person is bitten by a werewolf they can turn into a werewolf.” I asked changing the subject.
“Yes. We discovered the werewolf venom acts as a type of lysogenic virus once it enters into the human host. In theory, we believe this is the reason for the mutations.” He paused staring at the screen. “All right. The mutation began here.” His finger pointed to the yellow dots along the DNA strand. “CARA, are the new samples ready?”
“Compiling data,” the voice replied.
I thought for a moment. Lysogenic, this was a bacterial virus. Mostly hereditary.
“You are looking for a suppressed bacterium on a cellular level? Hereditary?” I asked looking at the screen.
“Yes. The lycan gene is a provirus. Keep up, Julie. The effects of the werewolf venom are similar to bacteria. Remember, I said that if the host carried the gene they would turn, if not they would die?” He rambled on.
“Yes.” My mind was still lingering on the concept of a provirus.
“All right, the werewolf bacterium thinks that the lycan gene is a related host. See the cystinuria levels are sky high here. Meaning there is a cellular mutation.” Daniel pointed to the screen.
“Computation complete.” The computer screen flashed again now showing another set of the DNA strand.
“CARA, search and automate lysogenic gene 112 and isolate cystinuria levels.”
“Lysogenic gene 112 found. Gliotoxin levels high.”
“There!” he said excited by his findings. “It worked. Unbelievable. The Lycan venom contains high levels of gliotoxins. You were right. The gliotoxin is the substance that acts mainly against certain viruses by preventing the replication of a virus. When we introduced the Lycan venom into Casey, it worked on the cellular level to protect the cells from the werewolf venom. The Lycan venom is our antidote.” He looked at me with his eyes wide. “Casey is going to be fine!”