Yeti Unleashed Page 5

  Inside, Drayton sat at his desk and glanced over the bank of video monitors connected to the security cameras that provided a view of the facility’s perimeter at the top of Cinder Mountain. A bright sun beat down like a hot fire turning the mountain’s surface into an oven. The air conditioning system seemed to work overtime, keeping the compound cool, especially the animal care units. The security chief took a notebook and checked off items as he had found them during his rounds, a daily log of conditions on the mountain facility. Everyone wore their ID badges and all seemed normal. The Primate Research Facility was secure.

  Drayton was tall and lean with long arms and oversized hands. He possessed a penetrating gaze that caught most people off guard. He massaged his aching right leg, which pained him more than usual. The thigh still contained the bullet from a gun battle with a gang drug dealer while he was on the Houston police force. Because of the wound, he limped and was forced to take a disability retirement. After a disagreeable divorce, it was easy to obtain his private security license when he moved to California. He wished he could see his two adult children more often but with them living on the East Coast, the visits were few and far between.

  He decided to locate the veterinarian, Dr. Gerald Siscom, and make some inspection rounds in the animal units and labs. He found the man, sitting with his feet on his desk at one end of the Animal Care Unit, chatting with one of the animal care technicians. He smiled as Drayton entered.

  “Hello, Bruce,” the veterinarian said and waved off the technician, who disappeared through a side door.

  “Hello, Jerry. Got time to make a quick walk-through of your units and labs? I need to assure myself all is ready for this visit.”

  “No problem. We can do it now.”

  Dr. Siscom rose and retrieved a sterile white paper coverall, hair covering, and mask from a cabinet. He handed them to Drayton. “Put these on and we’ll be off.” The veterinarian also donned a coverall along with a hat and mask.

  Once they were appropriately attired, Siscom led the way through the side door and down a short hallway lit by strong fluorescent lights. He opened a door into a room with several scrub sinks and a magnetic floor pad that would remove any loose particles from their shoes.

  “We need to wash up before entering,” Siscom said, and he began washing his hands with the antibacterial soap.

  Finished washing, the veterinarian pushed a button on the wall next to a door. With a loud whoosh the door slid open and the pair entered an air lock, waited for the door to close behind them, then opened the front door, which opened with another whoosh.

  Drayton limped into a brightly lit room filled with four cages on each side of a short aisle. Inside each cage was a chimpanzee, each of whom promptly came alive with squawks at the arrival of the visitors. One of the chimps jumped onto the front of its cage and hung there, its large brown eyes peering down at Drayton as he walked by. A nauseating aroma, a mixture of animal chow, animal odor, and urine greeted the security chief, pushing his rolling stomach into his throat. At the end of the aisle, they entered another air lock then passed into another animal care unit.

  Immediately, Drayton sensed it was a different place.

  The two cages were much larger than those belonging to the chimps, the bars different--larger, stronger--and the room was not as brightly lit. The temperature of the unit was much lower, in fact, downright cold. Drayton wished he had brought a sweater.

  It was the unit that housed the Yeti.

  In each cage paced a large, hairy creature, their large red eyes fixed on the pair. A bolt of anxiety shot through Drayton as he gazed up at the gigantic beasts. They snarled when the men entered the unit.

  At one end of the unit a young woman in a white lab coat sat at a small desk, writing. Dr. Siscom approached her as Drayton followed.

  “Millie,” he said. “How are you”

  Millie Harbaum was one of two graduate research assistants spending a year at the facility. She was plump with dark Italian features, long slender fingers, and green eyes that sparkled at Siscom’s approach.

  “Fine, Dr. Siscom, fine. I see you brought the Gestapo with you.”

  Drayton placed a hand over his heart and frowned. “Stop it, Miss Harbaum. You’re killing me,” he said.

  Millie laughed, her head tossed back. Her eyes sparkled. “Just kidding, mein furher.”

  “Millie, please,” Drayton pleaded.

  “All right, Mr. Drayton. I’ll ease up for now. What do I owe the honor of this visit from our security chief?”

  “Dr. Olson is paying us a visit sometime in the next few days so I’m making some last minute rounds. Everything shipshape here, Millie?”

  “Of course it is. Like always.”

  “Can you take us through the labs, please,” Siscom asked. “Just a quick walk-through will do. And prepare yourself--Radner will come through later.”

  “That little weasel?” Millie said. “Jesus, the man gives me the creeps.”

  “Millie!” Siscom said. “He is our director. A little respect is due.”

  “I dunno,” Millie said. “I think we need to do a genetic analysis on the man. Not sure he’s human. Gosh, what if we found otherwise?”

  Millie laughed and led the men through an air lock and to the other labs in the facility.

  Chapter 5

  Harry sat in Dr. Chloe Rawling’s office that was just off her DNA laboratory and was separated from it by a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. From her desk, the head of Cal Pacific’s DNA lab could look out over the myriad of machines and computers, humming away, doing genetic analysis of all kinds for many different faculty. She was tall, had blonde hair that fell in loose curls on her shoulders, and wore wire-rimmed glasses. Harry always thought she was an attractive woman and remembered Professor telling him, much to his dismay, that she was married to her lab. Today, she wore khaki slacks and a pale blue silk blouse. No perfume that he could tell.

  “Care for a cup of coffee, Dr. Olson?” she said, as she poured a cup from a carafe on her desk.

  “So now I’m Dr. Olson, Chloe? It was Harry, remember, when I worked for Professor. And, thanks, I’d love some coffee.”

  Dr. Rawlings handed Harry the Styrofoam cup, poured another one, then sat at her desk, smiled, and nodded. “Fine, Harry. That seems quite a while ago, doesn’t it? Professor Kesler’s death happened what, six months ago? Ages.”

  Harry nodded. “Yes, about that. I miss him, Chloe. I do miss him.”

  “Yes, he was a great friend. We used to eat our lunch together when he first came to Cal Pacific. Did you know that? You did? Then he began eating in his office and rarely ventured into the faculty cafeteria so I saw less of him the last few years.”

  “I know he held you in high esteem,” Harry said.

  “It’s nice to hear. The last lunch we had together was when he was doing the DNA analysis in some of the bones you uncovered during your first Mongolia expedition. A long time ago.”

  Harry set his coffee on the desk and shifted his weight in his chair. “I came to ask if you knew anything about the Yeti genome, Chloe. Professor had some papers suggesting that its genome had been sequenced. Know anything about that?”

  Dr. Rawlings shook her head. “Nothing much. I know they’re working on it up at the Primate Facility. But they have their own sequencers and analyzers there, so I wouldn’t necessarily know anything. They wouldn’t keep me informed as to their progress. What were in his papers?”

  “Just that the Yeti genome had been sequenced and that it, possibly, was closely related to modern humans. Or some distant hominid. The papers were vague on most points.”

  Dr. Rawlings took a sip of her coffee and thought for a moment. “If the complete Yeti genome has been sequenced--which would be a major achievement in its own right, as in lining up all the individual sequences in their proper order--but if it has, I seriously doubt anyone could have done the comparative analysis with the human genome in the short length of time the Yeti have been at t
he facility. It takes a lot of hard, complicated work to sort through both genomes, comparing the sequences to each other.”

  “Computers would help, right?” Harry said.

  “Yes, computers would be invaluable, but it still takes time. We’re talking three billion base pairs, Harry. It would take time to sort through them all. Then one has to double check the substitutions and make sure they’re accurate. Quite a task.”

  “It would be, yes.”

  “In recent months, numerous DNA studies of ancient humans have all converged on one conclusion--Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbred. Although to scientists this may appear unsurprising or even obvious, we must remember that until fairly recently the predominant scientific theory was that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens never came in contact with each other, let alone interbred. Science is only beginning to dispel the myth that Neanderthals were primitive cave men. But for some, the idea that up to twenty percent of Neanderthal genes are still present in the human race is still very hard to swallow. However, a new study, which utilized a more superior method of testing, leaves little room for doubt--many human beings alive today are the product of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens interbreeding.”

  “I am only vaguely familiar with the science behind the theory,” Harry said, taking a swallow of coffee, intrigued by Dr. Rawling’s story.

  “The new research recently published has utilized a technique that involves partitioning genomes into short blocks to calculate the statistical likelihood of distant or recent interbreeding and tracing back the biological ties that exist between humans and Neanderthals. The method can more confidently detect the genetic signatures of interbreeding than previous approaches, and has further enabled the researchers to distinguish between two possible scenarios--the first is that Neanderthals occasionally interbred with modern humans after they migrated out of Africa, the second is that the humans who left Africa evolved from the same ancestral subpopulation that had previously given rise to Neanderthals.”

  “So the Yeti data may take time to unravel?” Harry said.

  “In summary, Harry, it’s similar to the work done with Neanderthal DNA and its genome, which took years to unravel. We are still debating their relationship with modern humans.”

  “Yes, I can see that it’s complicated. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to human evolution. And you know nothing of Kesler’s involvement in any of this?”

  “No. Wish I could be of more help.”

  Harry sat silent for a long moment.

  “Another area of intense research, Harry, is the field of endogenous retroviruses, ERVs for short. And they may play a pivotal role in shedding light on this subject.”

  “Endogenous what?” Harry said, leaning forward in his chair.

  “Endogenous retroviruses. Endogenous retroviruses are endogenous viral elements in the genome that closely resemble and can be derived from retroviruses. They are abundant in the genomes of jawed vertebrates and they occupy up to eight percent of the human genome. Endogenous retroviruses provide yet another example of molecular sequence evidence for universal common descent. Endogenous retroviruses are molecular remnants of a past parasitic viral infection. Occasionally, copies of a retrovirus genome are found in its host’s genome, and these retroviral gene copies are called endogenous retroviral sequences. Retroviruses, like the AIDS virus or HTLV1, which causes a form of leukemia, make a DNA copy of their own viral genome and insert it into their host’s genome. If this happens to a germ line cell, for example, the sperm or egg cells, the retroviral DNA will be inherited by descendants of the host. Again, this process is rare and fairly random, so finding retrogenes in identical chromosomal positions of two different species indicates common ancestry.”

  “Wow,” Harry said. “That’s amazing.”

  “Yes,” Chloe said, smiling. “And if your scientists can show that the Yeti genome contains ERVs exactly as in humans, well...” Her voice trailed off.

  “The results would be earth-shattering,” Harry said.

  “Revolutionary.”

  The two sat in silence for a while, contemplating the possibilities, then Harry rose. “Well, I won’t take up any more of your time, Chloe. I know you have important work to do.”

  “How is married life treating you?” she said, standing, then escorting Harry to the door.

  “Oh fine,” he said. “Some night, Dixie and I need to have you down to dinner. It would be great fun.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll look forward to it.”

  “By the way,” Harry said, “how is Bernard Wickingham to work with? I know you’re both collaborating on a project.”

  Dr. Rawlings rolled her eyes and smirked. “Thinks he’s God’s gift to women,” she said.

  ***

  Millie Harbaum was alone in the Animal Care Unit observing the female Yeti. Among her many duties was the weekly drawing of blood samples for chemical analysis and genetic research. The many blood tests were done in order ensure that the female, whom she had named Sasha, remained in good health and free of disease. Each week her blood was taken, chemistries performed along with cultures, both bacterial and fungal. Jimmy performed the same duties on Bentu, his male Yeti.

  Earlier in the day, Millie had entered Sasha’s cage after Dr. Siscom tranquilized her and drew the blood sample into a large syringe. The beast had lain immobile in the cage while Millie stuck the large-bore needle into her neck vein. Afterward, Millie had sat with Sasha for a few moments, stroking her massive head. Sasha’s tongue partially protruded as Millie listened to her labored, rhythmical breathing. With care, she touched the long, stained fangs, teeth she knew could rip one apart without much effort. Millie had grown accustomed to Sasha’s odor, a mixture of foul body perspiration and decaying food. It no longer caused her stomach to do summersaults each time she entered the unit.

  Something about Sasha drew Millie close to her. Maybe it was the daily routine, or the times spent in the cage with her, or the effect the caressing had on the graduate assistant, but Millie felt a certain communion with the great creature. Each time she entered the cage, she did so with pounding heart but soon it gave way to a longing, a feeling of desperation, of empathy for the animal confined in the small enclosure. As a young girl, Millie both loved and despised zoos, feeling sorry for the many animals confined in their small spaces.

  And as strange as it seemed, Millie felt Sasha, in her own way, reciprocated those feelings. That she understood Millie had grown to love her. In fact, Millie knew that the creature knew she had a friend in the research facility. It would be hard to leave Sasha when her time at the compound was up.

  Jimmy Winkleman, on the other hand, appeared to be just putting in his time. At least that was the way it appeared to Millie. Besides being curt and irritable, he was gruff with Bentu, spoke to the animal in harsh tones, handled his sedated form with crude movements, and complained daily of the unit’s smell. When not tranquilized, Bentu either sat in a far corner of his cage, staring at Jimmy through glowing eyes, or paced up and down at the cage’s front, never taking his eyes off the assistant. Whereas Sasha had stopped with her incessant growling and snarling, Bentu howled and snarled all day long and never calmed down after Jimmy’s arrival. Millie was convinced it was the way Jimmy treated the creature.

  Her mother was Italian while her father came from English stock. John Harbaum was a dentist in Baltimore and had wanted Millie to follow his career path. But spending all day in someone’s mouth didn’t seem much of a way to occupy one’s time, even if the income was satisfactory. Seeing the Indiana Jones movies convinced her she wanted to become an archeologist so she enrolled in college with that as her plan. But a professor talked her out of it, maintaining there were no jobs and the pay was dismal. So, she got her degree in history and worked for a while for the State of California. But the dream of living an archeologist’s life didn’t die, and she managed a scholarship at California Pacific University, studying first under Dr. Kesler then Dr. Harry Olson. When the Yeti had been
captured and returned to Nevada, it was announced that two graduate assistant fellowships were being offered to live at the Primate Research Facility for a year and help study the creatures. She applied and was accepted and soon found herself atop Cinder Mountain and face to face with the Yeti.

  She’d had the usual love affairs of high school and college girls but no one boy ever made it the top of her list of requirements for a long-term relationship. Once at Cal Pacific, she devoted her time to her studies with only an occasional date, usually with an undergraduate she met in lab. Now, at the research facility, there were no eligible men, which didn’t matter as she was consumed by her work.

  Millie hadn’t expected to bond in such a way with Sasha. Observing the way Jimmy interacted with Bentu, she couldn’t understand his cold detachment that translated into his rough handling of the animal. Initially, she thought the differences in behavior was due to Bentu’s male gender but the more she observed, the more she realized it was due to the way Jimmy treated him. She decided she was only responsible for her own actions and put the matter out of her mind. She had work to do.

  ***

  The lights were off in the Animal Care Unit. The chimps were sleeping, having been fed by the technicians several hours earlier. It was quiet in the Yeti unit as well. Sasha slept in a far corner of her cage, rolled on her side, her heavy breathing punctuating the quiet in a regular rhythm. Millie had left earlier in the evening, after watching the creature eat her evening meal.

  Bentu was different story. He sat in the center of his cage, panting, nostrils flaring, his red eyes glowing like the dying embers of a campfire. His breathing, although quiet, was quick, frenetic. The creature sat and rocked his giant frame back and forth, never stopping. And those eyes, embedded in a massive skull under a furrowed brow, stared straight ahead. He glared at the front of his cage, never looking to either side, seemingly transfixed on some invisible object just beyond.