1 Escaping the Void

Hung in space a beautiful green and blue planet shone like a jewel, radiating the sunlight off its surface. This was earth, but not THE earth. It is one of millions of "earths" scattered throughout the universe, capable of supporting life. Approaching from the void of space was a large, metallic, block-like object. It appeared to be a spaceship, or perhaps more fitting a tomb of sorts.

A young man stared at the looming planet as the spacecraft approached. His eyes were overflowing with emotion, however he tempered his emotion before all the scans were complete. His eyes flashed to the terminal next to him which confirmed the planet could support human life. It also noted that there were already lifeforms below before it sputtered and the faint light faded away.

The young man sighed to himself. The sound echoed throughout the room, but strangely no other sounds could be heard. "I can finally escape this prison" he muttered to himself.

The young man sunk back into his reverie remembering the events that brought him to this place. Before he ever stepped foot on this interstellar sail boat he was a simple scientist on earth....THE earth. He was one of the many cogs in the academic machine, researching mechanical engineering with an emphasis on sustainable systems. At that time he was a tenured professor who was highly respected, and one of the leading voices in his field. He was around 60 years old, at the peak of his academic career.

One of his hobbies was collecting ancient technology. He enjoyed seeing how far technology progressed and these old artifacts were a great reminder. He also enjoyed the challenge of restoring them back to working order. After buying a lot of old decrepit artifacts, he stumbled across a disc of forgotten files containing a long dead scientist's research into genetic therapy. The disc contained thousands of textbooks, research papers, and the personal journal of the scientist. Because the disc even needed an ancient computer to be correctly accessed it had lain neglected and undiscovered for hundreds of years.

At first he was frightened, because this line of research had been outlawed hundreds of years ago in the Genetic Research act. This legislation was originally designed because a new genetic treatment to eradicate the common cold had been developed and released for public consumption. Somehow a mutation occurred and resulted in a worldwide plague that almost wiped out humanity. In order to prevent such a thing from ever occurring again, humanity completely outlawed genetic research.

Originally the young man was going to turn in these files to the proper authorities, but he decided to read the research journal first, just to satisfy his curiosity. What he discovered amazed him. This scientist had made significant progress into extending the lifespan of simple bacteria. The journal made some very bold claims. The final excerpt stated,

"Feb 24 - Today signals a landmark in my research. These bacteria only live for approximately 12 hours, however after applying my GENE restructuring technology this particular bacterial strain has survived for one month before it finally died. This technology has extended its lifetime by 60 times!! Can you imagine if the same could be applied to the average human being? They could live for approximately 4800 years!!

Mar 4 - Somehow the government has found out about my work. They will be coming at any moment to take everything. Most likely I will be reeducated, incarcerated, or exterminated. If you are reading this, I was successful in hiding these important discoveries away. If you can, find someone to carry on my work. This is a discovery that could be the greatest discovery humanity has ever known!"

The final date appeared to be around 15 years after genetic research had been outlawed. At that time there were probably many former experts in the field, who just couldn't let their life's work waste away.

With such astounding results, the young man couldn't help be moved. Although he was at the peak of his career, in as little as ten more years he would be forced to retire and spend his remaining days fading into obscurity. The allure of these findings were too tempting, and he ended up conducting secret research. Imagine what he could accomplish if he could live for thousands of years!! First he poured through the textbooks and relevant research of that time to gain a proper background in genetics. After two years he felt that his foundation was strong enough to reproduce the experiments outlined in the journal.

Six months later he was able to produce bacteria of the same quality as before. By this time he knew enough to start applying his own theories and deductions to further this line of research. After another year he made another breakthrough. He currently had hundreds of different experimental strains being tested. One in particular had been living in the artificial nutritional media for over nine months with no signs of degradation or death.

Unfortunately this great man fell into the same trap as his predecessor. His interest had blossomed into an obsession. He began neglecting his normal duties and as his former grants began to lapse the University began to pay closer attention to him. Unbeknownst to him an investigation was launched. As is the nature of bureaucracy, the investigation inched forward slowly and after another 2 years they had enough evidence to present to the authorities.

The professor had not been idle during this time either. His nine month strain, had continued to thrive during these two years. All the other strains, no matter how impressive had all fizzled out and died, or simply devolved into rapidly dividing cellular masses that bore little resemblance to the former bacteria.

Even though he knew the production method, the gene sequence, and even what genes were modified; he could not figure out why this particular combination resulted in such extreme longevity. All of his experiments leveraged certain key factors of cellular function, namely preservation of telomeres and regulation of cellular checkpoints. He knew that if the telomeres did not degrade he could ensure an infinite number of cellular cycles, but this alone was not enough because without regulation the cells would be nothing more than a cancerous explosion.

One fateful day the professor sat at his desk with a vial of recombinant GENE therapy. This was the 'Nine month' strain. Every day it was his habit to take this reagent out and study it while he thought about his next steps. He was never short of ideas, but choosing the right direction to proceed was just as important as the subject matter. Going down a rabbit hole would waste tremendous amounts of time. With the nine month strain as the foundation for future work he used it as a reminder. It also served as a goal to be exceeded. He was currently splitting his time between understanding the mechanisms behind why this strain was so effective and trying to surpass what he had already created.

"Science never rests at good enough" he laughed to himself as he pondered the obsessive nature of his profession.

A knock at the door aroused him from his reverie.

"Enter!" he said in a booming voice.

The door opened and four men filed into the room. The professor stood to his feet with a smile plastered on his face. "Dean Milner, what a pleasure! Come, sit. What brings you to my office at this late hour?"

The Dean wore a smile on his face that did not reach his eyes. He and a grizzled man with a large firm frame wearing a dark well pressed suit sat in the chairs directly in front of the Professor's desk. The other two men, dressed in similar suits had to remain standing at the back. "Professor Ullrich, I hope you have been well" he said politely.

"I cannot complain, but these old bones seem to creak more as the days go by," he laughed.

"Where are my manners, can I offer my guests some tea? I was just about to enjoy a cup myself." he continued with a nod towards a tea pot with steam rising from within.

"That would be lovely, thank you professor," replied the Dean. The grizzled man continued to stare with a stone face and simply shook his head. The two men behind did not respond at all. A glint flashed through the Professor's eyes as he poured two cups. He poured a splash of milk in each and set the cups on the desk. Picking up the vial of 'Nine month' strain he presented it to the Dean, "Sweetner?"

The Dean waved his hand with a smile, "No I'm trying to cut back."

The professor nodded and poured the vial into his tea cup before turning his attention back to the men in his room. He pondered these visitors, while he sipped the tea, before getting to the point, "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

As expected the grizzled man took control of the conversation, "Professor Ullrich, we have reason to believe that you have been engaged in illegal activities...."

"Oh?" he replied as his right eyebrow slightly arched.

The grizzled man raised his right hand and one of the men behind handed him a manila folder filled with a stack of papers approximately 3 cm thick. Laying it on the desk he simply stared into the professor's eyes while beginning his accusations, "If you take a look at this file, you will see that we have been monitoring you for quite some time. We found some..." he paused for a second before continuing, "irregularities in your behavior over the past few years."

Professor Ullrich picked up the file and impassively flipped through the pages while the man spoke. "Approximately three years ago your publications and research began to decline."

"I'm old and not quite as energetic as I used to be." The professor interjected while waving a dismissive hand

"Furthermore," the man continued "your spending habits have been quite peculiar. Agar, and nutrients all in large quantities. Incubators, and certain antique relics that are all related to gene sequencing...."

"It is no secret that I have an interest in ancient technology and am a collector." the professor lied with a straight face.

The grizzled man's face became red as he slammed his hand on the desk, "Cut the crap professor!" He pointed his finger as spittle flew from his mouth, "this is merely a formality. You are being arrested on suspicion of violating the Genetic research act! You will be tried and prosecuted under the full force of the law!" Turning his head to the side the man spit on the floor in disgust, "You are the worst kind of enemy to mankind. The death penalty would be too light for you. Men arrest him!"

As the men began to move towards him the professor's face broke out into a smile, "Is this really necessary? We are all civilized men, I will come willingly."

The Dean had a sympathetic look on his face, "This is just protocol professor. Surely you understand..."

The professor's eyes glassed over briefly, "It seems I am getting senile in my old age..."