Out of the Shadows 035
A 5-star machine-augmented MIDNIGHT'S WAR novel
The reporter looked up with a friendly smile. “So tell me about these patient investors. European, I’ve heard?”
“In part. Not entirely.”
“Old money?”
“I understand some of them have been investing wisely for quite a long time.”
Porter laughed. “Very diplomatic, Elliott. But you know I have to at least ask the question.” He flipped through his notebook. “I’ve done a little research into your new board members. They’re an interesting group. A few of them appear to have extraordinarily limited digital footprints.”
Elliott kept his expression neutral. This, too, was anticipated. “I’m sure you know many of the most successful international investors prefer to maintain their privacy. Attention seekers like Elon Musk and George Soros are the anomalies.”
“Sure, sure. Though it’s unusual to find corporate executives with literally no presence before the 2000s. Even the most old-school Europeans usually show up in some sort of newspaper archives, society pages, that sort of thing.” Porter’s tone remained light and conversational. “Take Mr. Medici, Lorenzo de Medici, for instance. Wonderful name! Does he have any relation to the historical family?”
“I believe there are some distant connections.”
“Very distant, I imagine, since the main Medici line died out in the 1700s.” Porter made another note. “Although I suppose in Italy, it’s quite common for people to claim some connection to the famous old families.”
Elliott was beginning to realize that Porter had put more time into his background preparation than his casual demeanor suggested, but he forced himself to remain calm. “That may well be. I have to admit, it never occurred to me to ask the man about his family history. I certainly didn’t share mine with him.”
“Touché. Very well, let’s talk about the state of the core HemaTech product,” Porter continued, his tone still friendly. “Your work on utilizing mRNA therapies to extend longevity is genuinely groundbreaking. I’ve spoken with several academics who say you’re years ahead of the competition. Possibly even decades.”
“We started with some good ideas and we’ve been fortunate to attract some exceptional talent to the team.”
“Yes, now, about that talent…” Porter flipped to a new page. “I’ve been trying to reach some of your research team for background over the last two weeks. I was very surprised to learn that several of your top scientists recently left the company. Dr. Sarah Patterson, Dr. Mark Stahl, and Dr. Michael Greener. All three of them resigned from HemaTech fairly soon after the change to private equity was announced.”
Elliott kept his expression carefully neutral. “Staff transitions aren’t unusual when a company undergoes major structural changes.”
“True. Though it’s noteworthy that all three of them were involved in your longevity research.” Porter’s voice remained conversational, but Elliott detected a subtle shift in his posture—the journalist was circling closer to something. “I tried reaching out to them for comment. Dr. Greener wouldn’t return my calls. As for the other two…”
He paused, consulting his notes with what seemed like genuine puzzlement.
“This is where it gets strange. Dr. Sarah Patterson apparently died in a car accident three weeks after leaving HemaTech. Single vehicle accident on 101; her Tesla allegedly malfunctioned. Dr. Stahl had a heart attack while hiking in the hills two weeks after that. Both were in their thirties, and in excellent health according to colleagues who knew them.”
Elliott felt his throat tighten. “Yes, I heard about the accidents. Tragic losses.”
“You heard about them?” Porter eyes narrowed, and for the first time, Elliott saw the sharp intelligence behind the friendly exterior. “Patterson and Stahl were your lead researchers, weren’t they? The core of your longevity team?”
“They were important members of the team. I wouldn’t describe them as the core—”
“Come now, Elliott.” Porter leaned forward slightly, his tone still friendly but with a slight edge starting to creep in. “Dr. Patterson published three papers with you as co-author. Dr. Stahl presented alongside you at the International Longevity Symposium. These weren’t random lab techs you barely knew. These were your stars, your closest colleagues.”
“Their departures were unexpected,” Elliott admitted. “And I didn’t have much contact with any of them after they left, but then, as you know, I’ve been very busy.”
“Why did they leave?” Porter’s pen was poised over his notebook. “I mean, you’re on the verge of a breakthrough longevity tech, you’re flush with new investment, and three of your top scientists suddenly leave the company? Isn’t that highly unusual?”
“I’m afraid the company’s non-disclosure agreements prevent me from discussing the specifics of their departures, Mr. Porter. And I certainly couldn’t speak as to what their personal motivations might have been.”
He knew he’d made a mistake when he saw Porter’s eyes light up at the mention of his last name. Dammit! Distancing was the act of someone with something to hide.
“NDAs.” Porter nodded slowly. “Those must be some serious NDAs if they prevent you from even telling people why your key researchers left.” He made another note. “You know what I find very interesting, Elliott? I spoke to a former colleague of Dr. Patterson at Stanford. He said she called him the day before she died, and told me that she seemed extremely excited about something she’d discovered at HemaTech. It was something she said ‘changed everything.’ ”
Elliott felt Chiara shift slightly in his peripheral vision. “That may well be. I don’t know anything about her private conversations.”
“Her colleague told me she was planning to write a paper about it. Apparently, it was about some unusual genetic markers she’d identified in your test samples.” Porter’s friendly demeanor was still in place, but his questions were becoming more pointed. “Markers that didn’t match any known human variations.”
“Contamination is always a concern in genetic research,” Elliott said carefully.
“That’s what I thought too. But Dr. Patterson was apparently convinced these markers were integrated, not contamination.” Porter leaned back, studying Elliott’s face. “Here’s what puzzles me, Elliott. You have three top researchers resign suddenly. Two die in accidents within weeks. The third won’t talk to anyone. Meanwhile, your company cancels a billion-dollar IPO and takes private money instead. And strangest of all, a company that used to be as accessible as the next silly startup in the Valley with beanbags on an open plan suddenly hires a security team that looks more like a private military unit than a collection of retired mall cops.”
Out of the Shadows is available in Kindle, KU, audibook, and hardcover editions.