The Einstein Pursuit (32 page)

Gambaro led them to the second floor, a trip that took nearly a full minute. At the top of the stairs, the landing opened on to a rooftop terrace dominated by a massive circular table. It was like something out of Camelot, only with ocean views. Seated around the table were an elderly woman and two men who were considerably younger.

‘Welcome,’ the woman said without standing. ‘I am Rita Dawson. And you are Jonathon Payne and David Jones, correct? Come now, which is which?’

They could tell from her accent that she was Australian, and based on her sunglasses – which were oversized and opaque – she was also blind.

‘Jon Payne, ma’am.’

Rita turned toward the sound of his voice. ‘Ma’am, is it? No need for formality. Rita is fine.’

‘David Jones,’ Jones announced.

‘Very pleased to meet both of you.’ She smiled and turned her focus toward Sahlberg. ‘Mattias, how long has it been?’

‘Too long,’ he answered as he stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. ‘You’re as beautiful as ever, my dear.’

Rita blushed as Payne and Jones looked on. ‘Please, everyone sit down.’

The younger men extended their hands in greeting as Payne and Jones approached the table.

‘Charles Fell,’ said the first, his words tinged by his Welsh heritage.

‘Benjamin Grossman,’ the second added with an Israeli accent.

‘Tell me,’ Rita asked, ‘what has Juan Carlos told you of our little collective?’

‘Enough to get us started, but clearly not everything,’ Payne replied.

‘Then you have more questions?’

‘We do.’

‘By all means, fire away!’ she implored. ‘We have nothing to hide. If we did, we wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.’

‘Let’s start there. Where are we? What is this place?’

‘This is one of the properties we own – a sanctuary where our members can find peace and quiet and, if need be, isolation. The rooms are all self-sufficient, but there are also communal areas such as the kitchen, library and media room. And of course the outside facilities: the pool, spa and sunset patio.’

Jones smiled at the mention of the pool. ‘Sounds like a pretty good deal.’

She nodded. ‘Our intention is to provide a stress-free atmosphere for our visitors. The more serene the environment, the more comfortable the guest. The more comfortable the guest, the more they can focus.’

‘Focus on what?’

‘Whatever issue they’ve come to tackle,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Our members represent a wide range of disciplines from countries around the world.’

‘And they can just show up whenever they’re in town?’

‘Of course. They are welcome here, or at any of our other residences.’

‘How many properties do you own?’

‘Several. In the United States alone, we have the west coast bungalows here, a ranch in Colorado, houses in Chicago, Seattle and New York City, a collection of villas on St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, and a breathtaking place in Malta.’

‘How does someone join the Einstein Group?’

‘Members must be invited. And invitations are extended only to those who have demonstrated a significant contribution to their field or fields.’

‘Tomas Berglund was a member?’

‘Yes.’

‘What about the lab in Stockholm?’

‘What about it?’ she asked.

‘Was it an Einstein facility?’

‘No,’ she answered. ‘The first we heard of it was after the explosion. It had nothing to do with our work.’

Jones spoke up. ‘That doesn’t make any sense. A facility of that size, with all the prominent names working there – how could he keep something like that a secret?’

‘It would take an effort,’ she admitted. ‘But the question that concerns us isn’t
how
he kept it a secret. The thing that worries us is
why
.’

Payne and Jones exchanged nervous glances.

Rita continued. ‘For the last three decades, Tomas Berglund has been one of our most treasured assets. His brilliance in the area of practical application was unlike anyone we have ever seen. His creativity was never challenged, but his impulses grew to be somewhat of a concern.’

‘Meaning what?’ Sahlberg asked.

Grossman cleared his throat. ‘No disrespect, Dr Sahlberg, but you certainly realized that Tomas didn’t always agree with the ideals of our institution. In particular, the ways in which we disseminated information to the general public.’

Jones laughed. ‘In other words, you have a bunch of secrets.’

Grossman nodded. ‘Tomas felt we should be more open with our discoveries. He argued that we should always look to push the pace of scientific advancement. We agreed with the latter sentiment – in fact, we like to think we were the motivating force behind many of the greatest scientific advancements of the past century – but we challenged his notion of how to share this information with the world at large.’

Fell explained. ‘New discoveries and new technologies often need to be released in a limited stream to protect humanity from itself. For instance, our scientists have developed a cure for the common cold. We’ve had it for several years now. However, if we flood the market with this product, there’s a chance the rhinoviruses and coronaviruses – the two most common cold viruses – will mutate into something more problematic. If we’re not careful, coughs and sniffles may be replaced by bloody noses and lung tumors.’

‘No thanks,’ Jones said.

‘And Berglund didn’t agree?’ Payne asked.

‘Tomas pushed for research we did not necessarily feel was in the best interests of mankind. The more we attempted to steer his endeavors back toward projects we were comfortable with, the more palpable his frustration grew.’

‘This is true,’ Sahlberg confirmed. ‘Tomas was frustrated by the methodical pace of the group. He would often reach out to me in the middle of the night in search of an understanding ear. Typically I could calm him down and make him realize that these were small concessions when compared to the greater good.’

Payne grimaced. ‘I’m not trying to be difficult, but what gives you the right – any of you – to determine what anyone should or should not be researching?’

Rita answered. ‘We have a responsibility to protect the world from the misuses of our collective knowledge, do we not? It is a tenet we have held to since the beginning. Without it, we are doomed to a similar fate as Oppenheimer. Having realized the magnitude of his atomic bomb, he said, “Now, I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.”’

Jones groaned. ‘Let’s hope that isn’t what Berglund had in mind.’

Payne studied his hosts, trying to get a sense of their mood. ‘When was the last time any of you heard from Berglund?’

Rita pointed at Sahlberg. ‘Mattias talked to him roughly two months ago. As for the rest of the group, it’s been closer to three months.’

‘Why did he pull away?’

Gambaro shrugged. ‘We aren’t sure why – nor do we know what he was doing. And that’s what has us worried.’

Fell nodded. ‘Someone of his skill, with his abilities, must be handled with care.’

Grossman agreed. ‘Monitoring his activities is essential.’

The comment upset Sahlberg, who pounded the table in frustration. ‘He’s not an experiment to be handled or monitored. He’s a man – a brilliant one at that. His thoughts are his, not ours. We have no more right to them than to the blood in his veins.’

Payne put his hand on Sahlberg’s shoulder and patted it gently. He wanted to quell the rising emotions before things got out of hand. ‘Everybody just take a deep breath. I can see where you’re all coming from, and everyone has a valid point.’

Jones spoke next. ‘Mattias is right: a man is entitled to think whatever he likes, without the need to answer for his thoughts. However, the fear felt by the rest of you is justified. I think we would all sleep a little more soundly if we knew exactly what he has been working on.’

‘What have you done to find him?’ Payne asked.

Rita answered. ‘Inquiries were made, but we were forced to do so delicately. We are not, as you might have guessed, a group that welcomes publicity. It was our hope that someone as recognizable as Tomas would be unable to fly under the radar for very long. Unfortunately, it seems we have underestimated his skill set. Apparently he is as talented at avoiding detection as he is in other areas. In fact, we were hoping you might be able to help us.’

‘With what?’

‘Filling in some of the missing details.’

‘We can do that right now,’ Payne said. ‘We know that Berglund was running human trials in Stockholm. The coroner located synthetic cells in several of the fire victims.’

‘So,’ Gambaro said, ‘we’re no longer dealing in hypotheticals.’

‘I’m afraid not. The cells are very much a reality,’ Sahlberg said. He went on to describe how his research in immortal cell lines might have influenced Berglund’s experiments. For the most part, the science was way above Payne and Jones’s understanding.

‘Does that technology pose a threat?’ Payne wondered.

‘That depends upon his intentions,’ Rita offered cryptically. ‘If Tomas was studying ways to prolong life, I imagine there are those who would stop at nothing to obtain his research.’

‘How does a synthetic cell prolong life?’ Payne asked.

Sahlberg answered. ‘If he can somehow overcome the limitations of a synthetic cell’s inability to replicate, then he could effectively design a human body that would flourish for an unnatural period of time. Synthetic cells would be immune to the ravages that destroy natural cells. Cancer and other diseases would not be a concern. What’s more, the natural processes that determine a cell’s life cycle would not exist. The cell could be manipulated to grow to a certain point, and then it would simply stop growing. With nothing to kill it off, it could remain that way for ever.’

‘You’re talking about immortality,’ Jones stated.

‘Yes and no,’ Grossman replied. ‘No one can say for sure what the neurological impact of immortality might be – the reality of never ageing beyond a certain point may drive a person insane – but Tomas’s research was aimed at extending human survival.’

Jones shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘I’m starting to see why you guys liked keeping track of Dr Berglund.’

‘Then I’m hoping you’ll assist us further,’ Gambaro said. ‘Based on your experience with the MANIACs, you are particularly suited for the task at hand. We can finance your endeavor in any way that you choose, so long as there is no direct association with our group.’

Jones stared at Payne, who stared right back. Neither needed to be psychic to know what the other was thinking. Their operations with the MANIACs were classified above top-secret. How in hell did the Einstein Group know about their training?

‘You guys work fast,’ Payne said with a laugh. ‘Granted, I kind of figured that your group had government connections, but still …’

Rita cocked her head to the side and faced Sahlberg. ‘You didn’t tell him?’

Sahlberg shrugged. ‘I didn’t know I could.’

‘Tell me what?’ Payne asked.

‘His file, please,’ Rita said.

Fell raised a briefcase off the floor, opened it, and removed a manila folder. He slid the folder across the table to Payne.

‘Jonathon,’ he said in a comforting voice, ‘you’re a legacy. We’ve been following your career for quite some time.’

‘I’m a
what
?’ Payne demanded.

He whipped open the folder and stared at its contents with a mixture of excitement and confusion. On top was a black-and-white photograph of four people sitting around a table, their glasses raised in a toast. Payne recognized the man in the middle as Jonas Salk. To his left was a much younger Mattias Sahlberg. Next to him was a sighted Rita Dawson. And to Salk’s immediate right was a college-aged Andrew Payne.

‘My father?’ Payne asked incredulously. ‘My father wasn’t a scientist.’

‘No,’ Rita explained, ‘but he was a visionary. He understood that scientific discovery comes with a cost – a
literal
cost, one that can be measured in dollars and cents. He realized that most investments would never see returns, not when financing projects on the fringe of known science, but he endorsed these attempts regardless. He supported projects like the polio vaccine and others that were dismissed as flights of fancy. Without him and those like him, the Einstein Group would be little more than a debate club.’

Payne furrowed his brow. ‘My father was still an undergrad at Pitt when the polio vaccine was announced. There’s no way he could have financed Salk’s research.’

‘Not alone,’ Sahlberg agreed, ‘but don’t underestimate his powers of persuasion. Your father took it upon himself to approach every big-money family in the Pittsburgh area in his search for support. And in the forties and fifties there were quite a few big-money families in the area. He convinced the Carnegies, the Rockefellers, the Mellons and the Heinz family – not to mention all of their friends on Wall Street – to support Salk’s work.’

‘You’re too young to remember the magnitude of Salk’s discovery,’ Rita explained. ‘When the polio vaccine was announced, the news swept over the country like a joyous wave. Radio programming was interrupted to broadcast it. Those who had televisions were able to watch the announcement live. Remember, this was an era when even presidential addresses were taped and then broadcast at a later time, so a live feed was extraordinary. Shops and department stores relayed the news across their loudspeakers. Businesses closed so that employees could go celebrate. Even judges suspended their trials so that they could rejoice.’

She smiled at the memory. ‘But what I remember most was the sound of the church bells. They rang from coast to coast, loudly trumpeting the defeat of the horrible plague that had affected so many children. All of it thanks to your father and men like him. It was his first contribution to our cause, but it certainly wasn’t his last. In our circles, everyone would come to know and respect him. Turn it over. Read the inscription.’

Payne flipped the photo over and saw a handwritten note. The writing was scribbled and unsteady, but still legible.

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your tireless efforts in dedication to our goal. Though the world may not come to know your name, you will never be forgotten by those behind the scenes. When the millions of mothers pray in thanks for the salvation of their children, know that it is you to whom they are thankful. May the world bring you as much happiness as you have brought unto it.