The Genesis Code Read Free Page B

perch and onto the floor.
    Stretching his arms above his head to free the kinks from his neck and shoulders, Madison forced himself out of bed and onto the polished wood floor. He caught sight of his reflection in the antique mirror above his mahogany dresser. The reflection, staring back at him with vague curiosity, looked tired.
    His pale blue eyes, framed within red-rimmed eyelids, were slightly puffy from too many nights of fitful sleep. His strong jaw-line bore the stubble of a day’s growth of beard, and his dark hair stuck up in several different directions above a handsome but weary face.
    This, he could tell already, is not going to be a pleasant day.

Three
    Deserted Parking Garage
Harlem, New York
    A man in a dark Italian suit sat behind the wheel of a 700 series BMW parked in a row of empty spaces in the derelict parking garage. He kept the windows rolled up to keep out the stench of stale urine. The car idled softly, its engine running to keep the AC cool. The man checked his watch and sighed impatiently.
    Within moments, the passenger door opened and Takeyo Arakai sat down on the black leather passenger seat. The interior of the BMW smelled faintly of expensive cigars.
    Arakai paused a moment before speaking.
    “It’s done,” he said, cracking the knuckles on his left hand.
    “You’re certain?”
    Arakai turned and flashed a cold smile. “Quite.”
    “And the rest?”
    “The stage is set,” Arakai replied.
    “Excellent. The Council will be pleased.”
    The man reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket and removed an envelope. He handed it to Arakai.
    Arakai took the envelope without comment and deposited it into a pocket in the folds of his jacket.
    “What about Ambergris’ notes and papers?” the man asked.
    “Not to worry. I’ve destroyed his papers. Removed his hard drive. Unfortunately…”
    The man raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
    “I was unable to access the Triad Genomics mainframe. We have no way of knowing if Dr. Ambergris stored any of his notes on the main server.”
    The man removed his eyeglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger.
    “I understand,” he said.
    “There is also one loose end left to tie up,” said Arakai, holding up an electronic key card he had removed from Dr. Ambergris’ office.
    “Very well. But remain accessible. We may require your services again shortly. I will contact you within the next twelve hours.”

Four
    Millennium Tower, Street Level
Manhattan, New York
    Flavia Veloso was going to make it big. Fresh out of journalism school at NYU, she had recently landed a much-coveted job as a field reporter for the morning news on WXNY, Channel 10. With her exotic Brazilian good looks and driving ambition, Flavia was determined to climb to the top of her profession.
    And yesterday, her producer had dispensed her biggest assignment yet, a series of reports on the much-anticipated International Biogenetics Conference at New York’s premier convention facilities in the Millennium Tower.
    Flavia was tired from a night of only four hours of sleep, but her late-night Internet research session had paid dividends, providing useful background information that she could include in her on-the-scene reports. She reviewed the facts catalogued in her mind.
    Built in tribute to its own stunning global success, and the resulting dizzying heights of its stock price, biotech conglomerate Triad Genomics’ seventy-five-story Millennium Tower dominated lower Manhattan. The elegant high-tech tower, designed by the most prestigious architectural and engineering firms from a dozen countries, was the latest jewel in the New York skyline.
    Constructed from high-strength concrete, a material twice as effective as steel in reducing the wind sway that plagues modern skyscrapers, the Millennium Tower’s immense weight was supported by an inner ring of thick concrete cores and an outer ring of widely spaced “super columns”—a sophisticated