The Soul of the Matter Read Free Page A

luck. Sooner or later, some IT person or senior researcher at HBC would notice the computer activity and ask Stephen about it, drawing unwanted attention that could be problematic.
    â€œRemember, there’s at least two sets of codes to break, maybe athird if your intuition is correct,” Alex said. “The number I gave you is the very low end of what we’re facing.”
    â€œRelax, go home, get some rest. Something will come to us,” Stephen said calmly, though inwardly he was bothered by his own words. He’d always been a straight shooter, known for his integrity. Yet his single-minded pursuit to break the codes had led him to more and more deceit, for what he told himself were good reasons.
    â€œWhat’s the saying? From your lips to God’s ears,” Alex replied.
    Trying to ease the tension in the room, Stephen said, “I’m not worried about what God hears; I’m more concerned what He’ll do.”
    â€œNear as I can tell,” Alex said, walking out the door, “if He exists, He doesn’t do much of anything.”

Chapter 4
    T o work off frustration, Alex decided to walk down the ten flights of stairs to the service entrance instead of taking the elevator.
    He had to find out what they were decoding. It didn’t help that he doubted the source of their work and, by extension, Stephen. The encryption they were decoding was extraordinarily sophisticated. It was difficult for a materialist like Alex, who believed only in the natural world, to think that the coded information was based on DNA, despite what Stephen had said. And the apparent relationship of DNA’s coding to the laws of physics was also hard to fathom, yet he seemed to see it himself. The implications were profound.
    One of his biggest worries had always been misuse of science by big business and government. It was the reason he had joined a group of scientists and ethicists who met twice a month to discuss the use of science. Until a few months ago, it had seemed a safe thing to do.
    Then Elena began attending. She had said she was an independent European journalist investigating international networks that were determined to manipulate genetic research to their advantage, regardless of its impact on others.
    Curious about what she knew, Alex had gone to coffee with her after a few meetings, often in the same café, to discuss the threat they agreed unconstrained science posed to humanity. He found her thoughtful, informed, and well-intentioned. She radiated eastern European mystery and sensuality, with short, frosted blond hair, dark green eyes, and soft features layered on top of what, at times, seemed like a hard foundation. Despite his strong marriage, he was drawn to her, and she seemed to encourage and welcome the interest. Itdisturbed and enthralled him, though he told himself nothing would ever come of it.
    Two weeks ago, she had turned the café discussions to Boston-area biotech firms, HBC in particular, saying their work was leading toward unprecedented genetic technology. She talked about Stephen, claiming that he had a myopic focus on research that others would exploit to genetically modify life in unimaginable ways.
    To defend him, Alex told her that he knew a little about Stephen’s work and was confident that his intentions were good and broader than she thought.
    She pressed him. He told her general things—nothing about encrypted information and his efforts to help Stephen decode it. Elena said that it was clear that Alex was aiding Stephen in important ways and insisted he find out more, lest he became an unwitting tool for the very things he said he opposed.
    Alarmed by her interest and pressure, he cut off contact and stopped attending meetings.
    It wasn’t enough.
    Just that morning, Elena had shown up outside his MIT office. “I understand your confusion,” she said. “You’re in a tough position. You’re worried about Stephen’s