The Strand (standard:other, 1837 words)
Author: A.M. Snead	Added: Oct 06 2002	Views/Reads: 3417/2315	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Brian O'Connell never believes the source of life would be discovered in his lifetime, let alone by Brian himself.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

miraculous find. 

Saunders pursed his lips then nodded.  "Fine.  You feel so strongly
about it, I'll take a look.  But," Saunders held up one finger in 
warning.  "If you are wasting my time with this, I guarantee you will 
never be sent out for field work again.  Are we understanding each 
other?" 

"Yes, Sir." 

Saunders took the prepared slide and crossed the room to a row of
microscopes lined up along one counter.  He secured the slide beneath 
the lens and pressed his right eye to the scope as he adjusted focus. 

Brian held his breath and watched the man go rigid.  He seemed unable to
speak as he stared through the scope and twisted a second lens around 
to get a different perspective.  But Brian knew each perspective would 
yield the same results.  He had looked at this from every angle 
possible and still came up with matching realities. 

Straightening suddenly, Jerry Saunders' eyes narrowed and bore into the
younger man.  "Where did you get this?"  He whispered. 

Brian smiled.  "It was sent to my motel room while I was on assignment."


"From who?" 

"I don't know."  Brian shrugged.  "It came to me anonymously." 

Saunders shook his head and rubbed a nervous hand over his mouth.  "Was
there anything with it?  A note, perhaps?" 

"A note, yes."  Brian said. 

"Well, what did it say, man?" 

Brian cleared his throat.  "It said that this piece of wood contained
the source of life on earth." 

"Just a casual little note letting us know that the greatest mystery of
life is now solved, huh?" 

"Yep."  Brian licked his dry lips and stared at the floor.  "But to tell
the truth...I got the impression that whoever sent this has known about 
this for a long time.  The note wasn't written as if this were some new 
discovery." 

Saunders looked at the microscope and shook his head.  "Impossible."  He
murmured.  "If something as mind blowing as this had been discovered 
years ago, it would have been reported." 

"Maybe..." Brian offered slowly.  "Maybe they had no evidence to back up
what they already knew...until now." 

"How could they know it without the evidence?" 

Brian moved to the microscope and motioned Saunders over.  "Take another
look.  And tell me what you see." 

"What?" 

"If you had to describe what you see here, how would you explain it?" 

Pressing his eye against the scope a second time, Saunders studied the
slide for a long time, still suffering disbelief at what he was seeing. 
 Brian understood this because, even now, after looking at it for hours 
on end, he still had difficulty convincing himself it was real.  But 
what was even more unbelievable to Brian O'Connell was the fact that it 
had been right there in front of them for centuries, and they had 
passed it off as fable. 

Saunders backed away from the microscope and sagged against the counter,
his strength sapped.  "I guess..." He swallowed tightly and licked his 
lips.  "In layman terms, I guess I would describe it as superhuman DNA. 
It's unreal, like something you'd extract from...Superman." 

"Exactly."  Brian breathed.  "I did extensive tests before ever bringing
it into this lab.  I matched it against human DNA in a multitude of 
tests and came up with the same results."  He couldn't suppress the 
grin that slid across his lips.  "Now, it is common knowledge that no 
human DNA is exactly alike, not even identical twins.  Yet this..." He 
gripped the scope with an anxious hand.  "This matched everyone.  The 
DNA found in this piece of petrified wood contains a set of strands 
unlike anything we have ever seen before.  And the truly awesome aspect 
of it all..." He forced his pulse to slow as he continued.  "It didn't 
only match human DNA...it matched the DNA of all life forms." 

Saunders eyed him intently.  "So it proves that human and animals did,
in fact, evolve from the same source." 

Brian shook his head.  "That's just it.  It proves just the opposite. 
Secular strands matched that of non-human DNA, while the specific, more 
dominant ones matched that of human beings.  It's as though one single 
source was the result of all life on earth, yet still managed to 
somehow keep the two DNA lines totally separate." 

"What're you saying, O'Connell?" 

"I'm saying that humans and animals did not evolve along the same
evolutionary lines.  In fact," He paced the floor, flexing his hands at 
his sides.  "I think this proves that we- as well as all life- did not 
evolve at all."  He paused in the middle of the floor and looked at 
Saunders.  "Man has always existed in this current physical state." 

Saunders rubbed the back of his neck.  "And how, exactly, did you come
to that conclusion?  The scientific world will rip you apart if you 
come to them with that." 

"If I come without the proper evidence, yes."  He stepped quickly back
to the microscope.  "Take another look at this DNA strand.  And for a 
moment pretend the extra, magnificent strands aren't there.  What do 
you see?" 

Breathing deep, Saunders leaned over the scope once again.  When he
raised up, he looked at Brian uncertainly.  "It's normal human DNA." 

"Exactly."  Brian whispered.  "And if this is the source of life- and
what else could it be- then whatever this came from existed in our 
current physical state, yet contained the...I don't know... genetic 
resources to construct and manipulate life to its desired 
specifications." 

Eyes narrowing, Saunders cocked his head to the side.  "You're getting
at something.  What is it?" 

The moment of truth had come for Saunders, and Brian wondered how well
he would receive it.  When it had first come to Brian, he had instantly 
rejected it.  But after studying the evidence there was no denying what 
so many had known all along. 

"There was a little more to the note than I told you." 

"And...?" 

Brian exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding.  "And I know
where this piece of wood came from."  He met Saunders' intent stare 
with both excitement and uncertainty.  If what he had discovered in 
this piece of extraordinary wood was the truth, and there was no 
denying that for him anymore, then there was more hope for mankind than 
science had ever dreamed.  But he wondered...even with the evidence 
that science required...how many would still reject this stark reality? 


Jerry Saunders was staring at him expectantly.  Brian cleared his throat
and detected a dryness in his mouth.  Why was he so reluctant to tell 
Saunders the rest of the story?  But then he knew, didn't he?  
Saunders- and himself as well- had always scoffed at this kind of 
thing.  Brian had worked hard to gain the respect of Jerry Saunders, 
knowing it would provide him a foothold in the scientific community.  
But after today, he wondered if all that would be lost. 

"Spit it out, O'Connell."  Saunders pressed.  "Where did this come
from?" 

Brian nodded slowly.  "If you remember, I was doing field research in
the Middle East." 

"Yes...and?" 

Brian breathed deep and let it out slow.  "This piece of wood...it came
from an ancient wooden cross in Jerusalem."  His heart pounding, Brian 
met Jerry Saunders' widening eyes.  "Jerry, this DNA we've been looking 
at...it came from the blood of Jesus Christ, reputed Son of the Living 
God." 

~ The End ~ 


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