Geneticide



Geneticide

Copyright ©2019 by Mesha Daniel M. Ed.

All rights reserved

This book is dedicated to my husband, Roland Daniel, who gave me many of the conspiracy theories that came together to create this book.  I would have never even attempted this fictional tale if it hadn’t been for the support and encouragement you have given me each and every day.  Thank you, Roland, for your off-the-wall scenarios and ideas that morphed into very scary and real possibilities.

Chapter 1: The Election

Chapter 2: HAMR and Algorithms

Chapter 3: The Reveal

Chapter 4: GenetiCODE

Chapter 5: Helen

Chapter 6: O.R.I.O.N.

Chapter 7: Wake Up Call

Chapter 8: El Paso

Chapter 9: On To The Next

Chapter 10: Crack in the Foundation

Chapter 11: The Truth is Out There

Chapter 12: Disruption

Chapter 13: Annihilation

Chapter 14: Absolute Power Corrupts

Chapter 1: The Election

Neon lights, a Nobel Prize

Then a mirror speaks, the reflection lies

You don't have to follow me

Only you can set me free

I sell the things you need to be

I'm the smiling face on your T.V.

I'm the cult of personality

I exploit you still you love me

I tell you one and one makes three

I'm the cult of personality

—Cult of Personality by Living Colour

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 10:56 PM EST

"Ms. Reynolds?  You have a phone call from your opponent.  He called to concede the election.’’  A tall gentlemen stood in the doorway, pointing to the land-line phone in the corner of the room.

Helen Reynolds, a 56-year-old woman, combed her blonde-from-a-box shoulder-length hair with her fingers. We did it!  I can’t believe we really did it!  She grabbed the shoulder of her 28-year-old, 6-foot-7-inch son Kaleb as she rose from the couch where she was watching the results pour in.  She not only won the electoral vote she won the popular vote as well.  The voters of 2024 seemed to fall in love with Helen’s story and what she stood for, and now she was the President-elect!  Helen took the phone call and was as gracious as could be.  "Yes sir!  Thank you so much!  Yes, yes, it was a good race, and you were an amazing competitor.  Yes, I will. Thank you again!"  Helen hung up the phone and made her way back to the couch.

Kaleb stood up and hugged his mother.  He was a large, fit man, who at times did not know his own strength.  He towered over his mother’s 5-foot 10-inch thin frame, as well as just about everyone he came into contact with.  He always had a look about him that suggested that he may just kill you for sport, and that made many people fear him.  Kaleb was known to anger very easily and has had more than his fair share of physical conflicts in the past.  He also had issues with impulse control, which prevented him from ever landing and keeping a full-time job.  Helen was his meal ticket, and she gave him an allowance of money every month.  Mom, you are the best! I love you so much! Helen had worked and fought so hard to raise Kaleb. 

After Kaleb’s father died, Helen was on her own, with a 7-year old boy who needed her.  She had sacrificed so much for her political career, including her time with Kaleb.  There were so many nights that Helen’s son went to bed without his mother there, but Helen had her sights set on something so much greater than the two of them.  Throughout the many years of working her way up the ladder of leadership, Helen had taken every opportunity that she could to stack the deck and make life easier for both her and Kaleb.  Now, this man in front of her, was sharing her success, and making history.  They had both come so far together.

The tall man was in the doorway again.  Ms. Reynolds?  They are asking for you.  Your supporters are waiting to hear from their newly elected president!

Helen stroked Kaleb’s dark brown hair, that seemed to be getting a bit long again, and put her son’s face in her hands.  Time to thank the supporters!  Let’s go make some history!

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 5:45 AM: 5 hours After Election (A.E.)

Helen addressed the group sitting at the large round table.  The media called this group The Six-Pack, and Helen referred to them as The Golden Circle.  This very small army consisted of:

Jim Huerta - a thin, balding, mustached man of 54, who was Helen’s running mate, and her balance.  He served as the Governor of Wisconsin and has been a very positive influence on the campaign.  Although he had been in many positions of leadership, he always had a very difficult time making decisions and being an effective leader.  This is what drew Helen to him, as she wanted someone that she would be able to rule over and order around, and Jim was her man.  His instincts were always spot on, and he knew what course to take in order to win, although it was always problematic for him to express himself fully.  He often worried about how people viewed him, and his goal was to be liked by everyone that he met.

Christian Brewer - a lanky, introverted, 45-year-old, measuring in at 6-foot 2-inches, who has mastered the art of coding, as well as anything else related to the digital world.  By all accounts or definitions, Christian is a complete nerd, and even though he has a rather high position in the administration, his attire is completely lacking in professionalism.  His unkempt hair falls over his ears and it usually requires more grooming than Christian had given it.  Very often, his five o’clock shadow could be seen by the first light in the morning, giving him the look of a homeless man.  His main job was to create algorithms to ensure that people read every article and saw every ad for Helen Reynolds.  He created a variety of webpages and sites where people could voice their opinions on the candidates.  Of course, he wrote scripts to get people talking and somehow always got people defending Helen.  A very smart individual.

Patricia Hunt - Patricia, or Trish as she is known to her friends, is the closest ally to Helen.  She packs a lot of power for her short stature of 5-foot-5 inches, and her beautiful, black, curly hair is cropped just below her ears.  She does resemble someone still living in the 80’s, wearing big earrings and large necklaces most of the time.  She is not a big fan of skirts or dresses, and she is generally seen wearing slacks and blazers.  Patricia and Helen grew up together, and she knows Helen better than she knows herself.  She is the same age as Helen, serves as her personal assistant, and would defend Helen possibly to the death.  She has always been pushed into the background, which has not bothered her in the least.  She can be trusted with everything and will do whatever is asked of her, even if it means she may have to go against her own beliefs.

Kyle Nash - Kyle is a buff, fit, 59-year-old who is in charge of the campaign funding and spending.  He is an ex-marine and serves as a father-figure to Helen’s son, Kaleb.  He is known to do almost anything to make a buck for the campaign, and he has been very successful in bringing in funding for Helen.  There has been no end to the list of donors and supporters of her campaign, because of his cunning tactics.  He has been responsible for collecting the most contributions ever during a campaign, and Helen’s funds had reached well over 1.6 billion dollars, all due to Kyle's hard work.  He has also been known to strong-arm and bully individuals who show resistance to his authority.  His stature of 6-feet-4 inches makes him a complete mass of muscle.  Kyle will do whatever it takes to complete a task and may even have the ability inside him to take a life.

Sophia Edwards  - Sophia is one of Helen’s media spokespersons. Her thin-framed 43-year-old body is always quite hidden by her over-sized clothing, due to the fact that she does not like to wear anything confining.  Her shoulder-length dark brown hair is usually swept back away from her make-up free face.  She is married to the award-winning investigative newspaper reporter David Edwards, who is not a huge fan of the new president-elect. The couple has a 14-year-old son, Ivan, and the three of them try to spend as much time together as they can.  Sophia has wanted a position like this for as long as she can remember and is not always happy with her husband’s comments and articles about the new president-elect.  Helen is aware of David’s dislike and seems to always be a bit cautious of Sophia.  Sophia desperately wants to keep this job and knows that she needs to earn Helen’s complete trust to feel secure in her new position.

Samantha Wright  - Samantha is the other media spokesperson and is the youngest of the group, at age 32.  Her long, dark, wavy hair covers her face most of the time when she is on her phone, making it difficult for others to determine if she is actually working on something or just ignoring everyone.  She seems to be very distracted most of the time, and everyone seems to give her a pass since she is so young.  She was chosen for this position because she has great insight into using social media and knowledge in reaching young voters.  She is constantly dressed to the nines and is extremely photogenic, which are two other reasons Helen chose her as a media spokesperson.  Samantha has gotten quite a lot of attention from many media sources, including several tabloids because of her beauty and intellect.  She has become known as the Six-Pack Sweetheart making her a target for stalkers and internet trolls. She is very secretive about her past, and the only thing that anyone knows for sure is that she has no real family.

"Good morning, everyone!  I know I asked for an early start today, but we have a lot of work to do before inauguration. We have to be ready for anything and everything.  Our last administration taught us what not to do, what not to say, and what not to tweet . Chuckles made their way around the table as Helen took a deep breath.  So first off, what a wonderful night it was!  We made history and we won BIG!  Thank you all for making this campaign a huge success.  I appreciate all that you have done to get this campaign into presidential mode.  With that said, we need to really discuss a couple of things that will impact all of you, both on a loyalty and security level.  OK.  Here we go.  As you know, our fundraising has been just through the roof, and we did not need to spend a lot on advertising, mailers, etc., which means we still have a lot left over.  For the past year and a half, we have been over-reporting what we were spending, and putting that money elsewhere.  I know this comes as a shock, but we had to do it in order to ensure that our plan would be successful. I—"

Excuse me, Helen, Jim raised his hand.  What is this plan are you referring to?  I have no knowledge about a plan for the campaign funds.  We have to be very careful how we—

Yes Jim, I am quite aware of the earning and spending rules.  That is why we have been routing funds the way that we have.  $100,000 here, $300,000 there, anytime we would get a large increase of cash we reported that we were spending a lot more than we actually did to keep everyone at bay.  Helen took a deep breath and a very serious look moved over her face. "What you are about to hear and possibly discuss can NEVER leave this room.  Notice that Kaleb is not sitting here at the table, and there is a good reason for it.  We have had a plan in action for a little over a year, and it was finalized a couple of weeks ago by Christian.  The information was so sensitive, and we were so afraid of leaks.  Now that the election is over, and the purchase has been completed, I am ready to let you all in on one of the biggest plans our country has ever seen, and probably ever will see."

Jim got up from the table and made his way toward Helen. What the hell is this?  He whispered, What are we doing?  You saw the trouble the last administration got into when they did not report funds. The Justice Department was all over it, and it ultimately cost many people their jobs as well as their freedom.  Jim wiped his brow with his fingers and waited for an answer.

Helen, calm as ever, put her hand on Jim’s shoulder and smiled.  Jim, she whispered back, there is no need for alarm.  We did everything properly and by the books.  They can’t come after us, because we reported that we spent the money, and so there is nothing for them to find.  Everything will be clear very soon, I promise.  Please take your seat so we can get started.

Helen took another big breath and looked out around the table in front of her.  "As I was saying, we have had a plan in the works for over a year, and we took a big risk a few weeks ago to make it official.  This information that will be shared with you WILL NOT leave this room.  That means no one outside this room can know any of the details that are about to be shared with you.  I forbid any of you discussing this with your spouses, friends, children,  ANYONE .  We WILL NOT have leaks, and we WILL NOT repeat what the last administration went through.  If anyone in this room  reveals ANY of this information, he or she will pay harshly for it.  I am not messing around here.  Helen looked over to Christian.  Do you have the documents?  Let’s get everyone to sign before anything else is discussed to ensure that our house is tight and free from leaks."

Christian, came forward with a MacBook™ Pro under one arm, and a large folder under the other. He set down the computer and adjusted his glasses.  Yes, Helen, he began, I have the documents here.  I hope everyone has a pen.  Please read EVERY word of this document.  It is very important that you understand what you are signing, and what the consequences will be should you breach this contract.  Christian began passing down the five copies of the document in question. 

Contract?  Consequences??  Why do we need to sign a contract?  Sophia quickly grabbed a copy of the document and began leafing through it.  What is this about, Helen? 

Helen stood up and walked over next to Christian.  Do you want to tell them, or should I?

I think this part needs to come from you.  They need to hear you say it.  Christian swallowed hard and looked down at the table.  resistance

All right.  Let’s get this part out of the way.  For the past eight years, people have fought and resisted everything the current president has had to offer, say and do.  This cannot happen anymore.  Our message will be the same every day, and anyone who strays from it will be publicly punished for it.  The room was deathly quiet.  Everyone sitting at the table was scouring over the document.  "Look. I am not trying to be a hard ass here, but we all saw what happened with the last administration, and I will not allow that to happen in mine.  You all are my Golden Circle, my Six Pack.  What is discussed and planned here will stay here unless I say otherwise and I give the order for it to go public.  Does everyone understand?  Now is the time for me to know whether or not you should remain here.  Again, I will state that if you are found to discuss and share information with anyone outside of this room, you will be publicly punished.  Now let’s—"

Pardon me, Helen, Jim raised his hand again.  "What does ‘publicly punished’ mean?  I am reading through this document, and that term is used over and over. What are you referring to here?"

Helen stopped mid-sentence and looked angrily at Jim.  "Jim, what do YOU think it means?"

Well, Jim started, I suppose you mean that an individual who betrays you will be publicly fired and—

Let me stop you right there, Jim, Helen continued, "When I say publicly punished, I mean publicly punished.  In the old days, how were people publicly punished?  What were the methods that our law enforcement and government used?  Public hanging?  Electrocution?  Shooting squad?  Gasps and sighs filled the room.  Helen looked around the table, at her trusted group, and everyone seemed to have a look of horror and fear.  A small giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head.  What is wrong with all of you?  Do you really think I am serious?  After everything we have been through?  I mean, really??  Helen directed her attention back to Jim.  Jim, when I use the term ‘publicly punished’ I mean that your name will be released to the media and my team will place all blame on you should you choose to let information or certain facts out of this room.  Again, I cannot stress to you the importance of your loyalty and security with the information that is about to be presented to you.  Christian, please collect the documents and ensure that everyone has signed.  Stamp and seal them."

Jim took a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead and his upper lip.  You really had me going for a moment there!  I think you had us all going.  Jim darted a look towards Sophia.  Jim whispered, So what do you think of all of this hubbub, Ms. Sophia?

Sophia pursed her lips, and whispered back,  Not really sure what to think about all of this.  I am still dealing with the fact that we won.  She gave Jim a half smile and turned her eyes back toward Helen. 

Samantha was busy looking at her phone as she often does, and Helen was trying to stare her down and regain her attention.  Helen cleared her throat and waited for Samantha to look up from her device.  Samantha, are you with us now?  Helen rubbed her hands together very forcefully as she continued to stare at the media spokesperson. 

Samantha finally lifted her eyes toward the front of the room and smiled.  Oh.  Sorry. Had to answer a question.

I cannot believe I am saying this, but there will be no more phone use by anyone while we are meeting.  That is one way that information can get out unintentionally.  Helen breathed a deep sigh and asked,  Christian, did you get everyone’s signed document?

I still need Patricia’s. Christian motioned towards Helen’s most trusted.

Oh yes.  Here you go.  I just wanted to read over everything to make sure there wasn’t a public hanging or shooting squad paragraph in there somewhere.  She winked at Helen, who did not seem that amused by her comment.

Now that everyone seems to be focused once again, we can get started.  Christian is going to lead us through the plan that we have had in place for over a year.  Christian?  Are you ready?

OK.  Christian looked around the table and nervously attempted to smile.  So here we go.  We all know that Helen was able to raise a lot of money during the campaign, and according to our records, she raised a little over two billion dollars, which is the largest amount ever earned by a presidential candidate.

Wait just a minute there, bud, Kyle stood up shaking his head.  "I have done all of the books, events, expenses, and fundraising, and I HAD NO discrepancies when it came to our campaign finances. What genius did the math on that one?  We only raised 1.6 billion, which is nowhere near two".

Christian nodded his head as he continued.  "Yes, Kyle, you did the books based on what was given to you.  I was asked to funnel funds from the donor accounts throughout the campaign, and those funds were placed in sheltered accounts until a few weeks ago.

OK, STOP!  Kyle was clenching his fists and his jaw.  "How did you funnel money out of our accounts without us even knowing?  This sounds way illegal to me!  Just so you know, I am NOT going to jail for something I knew nothing about!"

Don’t worry, Kyle, Helen began, "no one is going to jail.  At least no one will if we keep all of this within these walls.  I know this is a lot to take in right now, but we decided to test everyone’s loyalty.  Those documents you signed will allow the team to completely throw you and your family under the bus in the event of a data breach . People will lose their careers and people will lose their freedom.  Just be aware.  Please continue, Christian."

Christian adjusted his glasses again and continued.  "You just heard us say that we have routed money into other areas in order to put our plan into action.  I created accounts where some of the donated money would go to instead of it going to the War Chest.  Don’t ask me to explain it, just know that the way it was done was legal, and no one will ever question it.  This is the part that cannot seep outside the walls.  We were able to route around 375 million dollars into our alternate accounts, and we used that money back in May to purchase Bitcoin with a profile that I created months before.  Bitcoin is completely anonymous, and a great way to make financial transactions online using the dark web.  Once the Bitcoin was purchased, we began reaching out to Lineage.  We made the CEO an offer he could not possibly turn down.  We transferred 368 million dollars in Bitcoin to Lineage over two and a half weeks ago to purchase the entire company."

Kyle crossed his arms and shook his head.  Are you absolutely certain that it cannot be tracked?  I mean, there was investigation after investigation on just about everything over the past eight years, and I don’t think that is going to stop.  I know everyone seems to love you, Helen, but I don’t want anyone finding a smoking gun.

Christian adjusted his glasses and swallowed hard.  Kyle, I assure you that I covered our tracks very carefully, and there is no way that anyone will be able to determine or find out that money was filtered and moved and then used as Bitcoin.  When Bitcoin is used, it is completely anonymous, and encrypted.  No one will ever be able to find out who purchased and traded the Bitcoin.  At this time, if the media does get a hold of this information, it will be because someone in this room stated it.  Christian looked back over at Kyle.  No one will ever know.  Even the CEO of Lineage is not aware of who actually purchased the company.  Right now, he is just counting his money, and that is all that matters.

Why the secrecy, and why Lineage?  Sophia folded her arms and leaned back in the chair. I mean, why in the world would this administration spend that kind of money on a DNA company?  What the hell is up with that?

Christian took a deep breath, looked over at Helen, and began to speak again.  Do you remember a few years ago when Lineage was asked to give up information on that guy that killed his entire family?  Do you remember that?  Lineage got dragged through the mud because they gave up the DNA information and then the guy was sent to prison for the rest of his life.  He killed himself a year later because he never thought he would get caught.  He probably would have gotten away with everything if someone had not mentioned that he gave his DNA sample to Lineage.

Yes, I remember the case, sighed Sophia.  My husband was the one who brought the privacy issue to the forefront, and then all of the DNA companies closed down any and all relationships with law enforcement.  So why do we want to purchase Lineage?  I am still trying to make the connection here.

Let me explain it to you, Christian continued, you see, Lineage is the biggest DNA testing company in the world, and when their kits went on sale for $49 a couple of years back, there was a massive surge in people purchasing kits for their family members.  This information can be most useful for our administration in so many ways.

Jim put his hand up again. "Wait, wait, wait!  Are you saying you want the DNA information of our private citizens who put their trust in us?  What in the hell are we going to do with that information?  People already have conspiracy theories against the government.  You mean to tell me that we are going to live up to those conspiracy theories?  You have to be joking again, right?"

Helen stood up from the table and walked over next to Christian.  This information is vital to our next big part of the plan.  I know it is hard for you all to see the big picture, but here is the break down.  We purchased Lineage, and we plan to revamp it and make it our own.  We already have access to all of the millions who have donated their DNA, which will help us tremendously in ways that will be apparent to you in the near future.  Now, if the Lineage purchase gets out to the public, we are all dead in the water, and the last eight years will look like a picnic compared to what we will go through.

Jim stood up again and put his hand on Helen’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.  Why didn’t you tell me about this?  I thought we agreed that there would be no secrets. 

"Yes, I know Jim, but this was something that NO ONE could know about.  Christian and I sat in a room and we put this plan into action over a year ago, and I didn’t select you to run with me until July.  I know I should have included you, but I did not want this getting out before the election.  Not that you would let it slip out, but the fewer people in on the plan was the better solution in my book.  I hope you understand."

What choice do I have?  I hope you believe that I am loyal to you.

Yes, Jim Helen grabbed and held Jim’s hand, I trust you, and I know that you are loyal.  We did not want any of this to go anywhere, so we kept it from everyone.  When the big picture is revealed, all will become clear.  Helen looked over Jim and addressed everyone at the table. We will tell you all more of the plan tomorrow, as I feel that you are a bit overwhelmed by what we have told you thus far.  Helen looked at her phone.  Sophia, where are we supposed have those interviews with the press?

They are coming to us, and they will be setting up here in about 30 minutes. We have ABC first, then Fox, CNN and finally MSNBC.  After that we have the talk show rounds to do.

"Alright everyone, I want to thank you all for being here early today.  Please take the rest of the day to recharge, and we will convene here again tomorrow morning, same time.  Jim, Trish, Sophia, Samantha, let’s get our talking points down before the press gets here.  We all need to employ the same message.

******

Sophia turned off the engine of her car in the garage.  What was she going to do with the information she was handed today?  Her husband, a journalist for the Washington Crier, would be able to see right through her.  Sophia took a deep breath and opened the car door.  God!  It is already 7:45!  She lugged out her laptop bag and her purse as she made her way into the house.

Hey there, David said, as he was closing the fridge.  Just grabbing some wine. Would you like a glass?

Oh yes please, Sophia answered, been one hell of a day!

So, what has the slave driver been up today?  I am sure that you had the circuit of interviews.  I saw a few glimpses of you on CNN and Fox News.  David poured Sophia a tall glass of wine.  Here you go.

Sophia grabbed the glass and took a rather large gulp. Yep, we were everywhere.  It all seems like such a blur right now, after what occurred early in the morning.  I am still in disbelief.

Really?  So, what happened?  Hey, did she fire that Samantha yet?

Sophia took another large drink from the glass. No, but I am not supposed to talk about it with anyone.  It is top secret.

Top secret huh?  Ooh.  Sounds so official!  So…presidential!  You can’t even share one small, minute detail with your loving husband?

I had to sign an agreement. If I break it, really bad things can happen…Really bad things.  I have to show that I can be trusted.  Please understand.

David put his hands up in the air. OK, I get it. You were the one who brought it up.  I am just doing my reporter thing.  I’ll stop now.  He took out the wine and filled up Sophia’s glass again.  You look like you need a bit more.

Sorry.  I just need her to trust me.  Right now, she is on the fence about me, and I need to prove myself to her.  I wish I could talk about it I really do.  I could use another opinion and another viewpoint, but right now I have to keep all of it to myself.  Believe me when I say that I am truly sorry we cannot discuss this right now.

David wrapped his arms around Sophia.  No worries. I understand your dilemma.  Hey on a high note, I got my Lineage results today.  Just a couple of hits to unknown individuals.  But, hey. I am like 68% Western European, and 28% English and Scottish. Wow.  Like I didn’t know a lot of that, already right?

Sophia tensed up and moved away from David.  I totally forgot about your submission.

David looked hurt.  I thought you wanted me to do it.  I mean, we talked about how I could finally, maybe get some information about my background.  My history 

No, it’s not that.  I just forgot is all.  A lot has been happening in the past week or so.  Sophia smiled and walked into the living room.

David followed her and looked at his watch. Ivan will be home shortly.  He had a project that he needed to work on with his school group.  Should we order out for dinner tonight?

Sure. What sounds good?

"How about chicken wraps from Wrap it Up ?  Ivan loves them, and I know you do, too.  I am not sure how many more dinners we have left with you, and we should take advantage while we still can."

I agree.  Alright then.  I am going to get out of these clothes and put on some Mom wear before Ivan gets home.  I really need to decompress.

Sophia made her way to their bedroom and closed the door.  She had totally forgot that David had submitted a sample to Lineage, and now after what she heard this morning, this could be trouble.  What does Helen want with the company?  What could the team possibly do with DNA samples?  Sophia’s mind had been racing all day.  Yes, you can tell a lot from someone’s DNA, but how could that help Helen?  Sophia could not believe that she had to keep this to herself.  She and David always shared everything.  Watching Helen play nice with all of the reporters and journalists really weighed heavily on Sophia.  After what she witnessed with the team early in the morning, she was beginning to realize that maybe David was right about Helen.  She had been so worried that David’s words could force Helen to let her go.  She would really have to be careful from now on.  Once she felt that Helen could trust her more, she would let David in on what was going on, with the warning that everything must stay between the two of them.

Chapter 2: HAMR and Algorithms

Welcome to your life

There's no turning back

Even while we sleep 

We will find You acting on your best behavior

Turn your back on mother nature

Everybody wants to rule the world

—Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears

Tuesday, October 17, 2023: 13 months Before Election (B.E.)

I know I have found where the human soul resides.  We have all been told that our soul, our true being, is found in our brain, but that is not quite the case.  Our true self is found in our DNA.  Our genetic structure can determine our beliefs, our dreams and possibly, even, our loyalties.  DNA can map out our eye color, what allergies we have or will have, illnesses we may encounter, and, Dr. Emilio Rodarte took a deep breath.  And even our sexual preference.  Everything about us can be profiled using our DNA.  I have been conducting research, and the data has been pretty impressive thus far.

Oh my God! Helen’s eyes were glued to the 55-inch flat screen television that she had on her campaign bus.  We have to go see this guy.  This could be it!  I can see it now!

What do you mean, Helen?  This guy is talking about using our DNA to profile us in a way that sounds, well, intrusive.  Christian looked closely at the small, round man on the screen.  You can’t possibly want to meet with this quack

I told you that I have been working on something for quite a while now.  No one knows.  I mean, no one.  I have been thinking about a way to bring people together, and this may be the key.

Christian looked over to Helen and shook his head.  "You say no one knows?  Not even Patricia?  I mean, you tell her everything .  You tell her stuff about me that I would rather you didn’t."

No, Christian, Trish doesn’t even know.

I don’t know what? Patricia walked into the lounge area of the bus with a puzzled look on her face and an open laptop.  What are you plotting now, Helen?  Don’t tell me you have another plan to take over the world!  You have been making that promise since we were kids!

Helen looked a bit embarrassed and smiled at Patricia.  No, it really is nothing.  Christian was asking about some message boards that he has been creating.  He asked if you had seen them yet, and I stated that you don’t even know about them.  Helen darted her eyes at Christian, and like a good boy, Christian nodded in compliance.

Maybe I can see them later.  Right now, I just need to know which speech you are going to use today, so I can get it ready for this afternoon.  Trish was focused on the computer screen.

Oh.  I want the one that we used last week on bringing congress back together to do their job.

Trish clicked her trackpad and looked up.  Got it.  Let me revise it a bit for you.  Be back in a bit.  Trish walked out of the lounge area and off the bus.

Christian looked back up at the television screen. I do not see how this ‘DNA junkie’ is going to help you get elected.  Does he really think he can predict everyone’s future from their DNA?  Give me a break!

That is not why I want to see him.  Once I am elected, I am going to want to get things done in Washington.  For the past eight years, there has been so much conflict and hate on all sides, and now is the time for a leader to bring civility and respect back to the White House.  DNA may be the way, especially if Dr. Rodarte is correct about profiling loyalties.  Helen seemed almost in a trance as she continued staring at the screen.  I believe that he is the key.  Look at our schedules and find some time for the two of us to pay Dr. Rodarte a visit.

Thursday, December 21, 2023: 11 months B.E.

Helen and Christian flew to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to meet with Dr. Rodarte.  Dr. Rodarte was a small man in stature, but a very intelligent individual.  It was apparent he hadn’t missed any meals even with all of the long days and nights researching the human genetic code.  His white lab coat looked a bit snug on him, especially with his hands in his pockets.  With his small, round glasses, salt and pepper beard, he strongly resembled a young Santa.  Hello Ms. Reynolds!  What an honor it is to meet you!  What do I owe this most amazing visit to?  Emilio reached out his hand to shake Helen’s

Oh hello, Dr. Rodarte!  I am such a fan of your research.  You have stated many times that you have found where the human soul resides, and according to you, it is literally within us.  Helen shook Dr. Rodarte’s hand and almost appeared star-struck.  I wanted to come and hear it firsthand for myself.  Please tell us about your research, Dr.  Helen looked over to Christian.  Oh.  This is Christian Brewer.  He is just as big a fan as I am.  We are very interested in your findings.

Dr. Rodarte rubbed his bearded chin and looked at both Helen and Christian carefully.  "What is it you want to know more about?  I hope you are not taking notes to shut my research down when you get elected.  My work has