Ghostwalker 03 - Night Game

Gator. I believe we need research and yes, I admire his brilliance, even while I condemn the things he did. I do not put it before morality, but do you have any idea how far ahead of his time he was?”

    “So you’ve said, more than once. Who are you trying to convince, Lily?”

    “DNA was first sequenced in 1977. It wasn’t until 1997 the first genome was sequenced.
    Don’t you see what that means? He had to have been years ahead of the game. With the things he did, we should be able to figure out better gene therapy and possibly which viruses to use as vectors without the possibility of triggering cancer in unstable cells.”

    “Lily…” Gator raked a hand through his hair in agitation. “You aren’t going to get me to see him as some kind of a world savior. He deliberately caused a child to get cancer, not once but repeatedly.”

    “You aren’t listening to me, Gator. Don’t you see how the research he did, monstrous or not, could be beneficial? It all happened years ago. We can’t change what he did, but we can acknowledge his brilliance and use what he found out. It’s the only way to bring some good out f the horror he inflicted on us all.”

    He breathed deeply to calm the temper pushing so close to the surface. Lily didn’t know what he was capable doing. No one did. Not even Whitney. And he suspected Flame was just as capable of the same mass destruction as he was. “Damn him to hell, Lily, for what he did to her. For what he did to all of you. All of us. I’ll do my best to find her, but I doubt she’ll be very cooperative. I wouldn’t be under the circumstances. I guess you’d better explain exactly what genetic enhancement and gene doping is to me. And do your best to explain in terms I can understand.”

    He couldn’t look at her. Didn’t dare look at her. He didn’t want to have to kill Flame Johnson. He didn’t want to have to look at her face, knowing what a monster had done to her and put a gun to her head, but he might have no choice. Lily was giving him no choice, and right at that moment, he was nearly as angry with her as he was with her father. She had no right to ask this of him. They both knew it wasn’t going to be simple bringing Flame back into the fold. Damn both Whitneys to hell for this.

    “Basically, gene therapy uses genes to treat or prevent disease. A gene can be inserted into a damaged cell to repair it. At this time, researchers are testing different approaches to gene therapy. They can replace a damaged gene that causes disease with a healthy one.
    They can knock out a mutated gene that is malfunctioning and they can introduce a new gene into the body to fight a disease.”

    Gator stuffed two more shirts into his duffel bag. “In theory, gene therapy is a good thing.”

    “In any experiment, Gator, there’s going to be failures; it’s how scientists learn.”

    “Tell that to Flame.”

    “I don’t have to. Do you think I don’t know what she went through? I’m the one reading her files firsthand. You’re getting the watered-down version.” For the first time, Lily looked angry, her eyes dark with temper. “I thought you’d be the best person to approach about this. You’re always calm and you think things through. Throwing stones at me isn’t going to help Flame.”

    “Is that what you think I’m doing? I’m hearing this for the first time. I’m struggling to understand not only what he did to Flame, but how it impacts all of our lives. How did you react, Lily, the first time you realized what he’d done? Did you immediately think to yourself what a brilliant scientist he was, or did you wonder how it would affect you and Ryland and your kids, because it damn well made me think about it. Did you picture Flame as a child so sick and miserable she couldn’t walk, with no one to comfort her?
    Because I did. I’m sorry I’m not handling this to your liking, but someone needed to kill the son of a bitch.”

    Lily winced. “Someone did, Gator.”

    He rubbed his forehead and the sudden headache pounding at his temples. “I’m sorry, Lily, that was completely uncalled for. Tell me a little more about enhancement and why gene therapy is such a great thing. I swear, I’ll try to listen with an open mind.” He flashed a small grin at her. “And try to speak English. I have to actually understand what you’re telling me.”

    Grateful that he was at least willing to try, Lily sent him a small smile in return. “I’ll do