Page 31 (2/2)
I heard exclamations of disappointment Matthew took pity on them
"Give or take about fifteen hundred years"
"Holy shit!" Scully blurted, looking as though her rational world had been turned inside out
"That’s older than old I just can’t believe there’s a vampire at Yale"
"You’ve obviously never been to the astronomy department," Game Boy said "There are four vampires on the faculty there And that new professor in economics--the woman they hired away from MIT--is definitely a vamp Rumor has it there are a few in the chemistry department, but they keep to themselves"
"There are witches at Yale, too" My voice was quiet, and I avoided Shotgun’s eyes "We’ve lived alongside humans for millennia Surely you’ll want to study all three creature chromosomes, Professor Roberts?"
"I will" Chris’s s your DNA, Professor Bishop?"
"Let’s take one creature chroht be willing to let students pore over his genetic infor thely "So it’s witches who sparkle?"
"It’s really limmer," I said "Not all witches have it I’ the words felt freeing, and when nobody ran screa from the room, I was flooded with a wave of relief and hope I also had an insane urge to giggle
"Lights, please" Chris said
The lights ca on several projects?" Beaker pro this, too" I reached into e manila envelope It was stiffened with cardboard inserts so that the contents wouldn’t be bent and dae frohtly colored illustration of the mystical union of Sol and Luna shone in the lab’s fluorescent lights Sohtened, his eyes fixed on the page
"Hey, that’s the che ofthat in class, Professor Bishop"
I gavenod
"Shouldn’t that be in the Beinecke?" Shotgun asked Matthew "Or somewhere else that’s safe?"
The eht have iined it The expression on Matthew’s face told me I hadn’t
"Surely it’s safe here, Richard?" The prince-assassin was back in Matthew’s smile Itthe flasks and test tubes
"What are we supposed to do with it?" Mulder asked, openly curious
"Analyze its DNA," I replied "The illumination is on skin I’d like to kno old the skin is--and the type of creature it came from"
"I just read about this kind of research," Jonathan said "They’re doing mtDNA analysis on medieval books They hope it will help to date them and determine where they were anism had inherited from all its maternal ancestors
"Maybe you could pull those articles for your colleagues, in case they’re not as well read as you are" Matthew looked pleased that Jonathan was up to date on the literature "But we’ll be extracting nuclear DNA as well as un protested "The parchh a chee and the changes it underwent during e the DNA--if you could even extract enough to ith"
"It’s difficult, but not impossible," Matthew corrected "I’ve worked extensively with old, fragile, and daed DNA My methods should ith this sample, too"
There were excited looks around the room as the implications of the two research plans sank in
Both projects represented the kind of work that all scientists hoped to do, no e of their career they were in
"You don’t think cows or goats gave their hide for that page, do you, Dr Bishop?" Beaker’s uneasy voice quieted the room
"No I think it was a daemon, a human, a vampire, or a witch" I was pretty sure it wasn’t human skin but couldn’t rule it out entirely
"Human?" Scully’s eyes popped at the idea The prospect of other creatures being flayed to make a book didn’t seey," Mulder whispered "I thought it was a y," I said "The book this came from isn’t just bound in creature remains--it’s completely constructed fromatically "Desperate tiet ahead of ourselves," Matthew said, plucking the page froers "We’re scientists The whys coh for today," Chris said "You all look like you need a break"
"I need a beer," Jonathan muttered
"It’s a bit early in the day, but I completely understand Just remember--you talk, you walk," Chris said sternly "Thatto each other outside these walls either I don’t want anyone to overhear"
"If so about witches and va D&D," Xbox said Ga," Chris repeated
The door swooshed open A tiny woman in a purple miniskirt, red boots, and a black T-shirt that read STAND BACK--I’M GOING TO TRY SCIENCE walked through
Miriam Shephard had arrived
"Who are you?" Chris deer Hi, Diana" Miriam pointed to the can of soda
"Whose is that?"
"Mine," Chris said
"No food or drink in the lab That goes double for you, Roberts," Miriaer in Chris’s direction
"Hu an applicant," Beaker said, confused
"I’, was hired, and got s"
Miriam held up her ID card, which was, as mandated, attached to her lanyard
"But I’an "Who did you say you are?"
"Miriam Shephard And HR waived the interview after I showed them this" Miriam pulled her cell phone out of her waistband "I quote: ‘Have your ass in my lab at nine AM, and be prepared to explain my mistakes in two hours--no excuses’" Miria, which was stuffed with laptops and paper files "Who is Tina?"
"I a Tina stepped forward "Hello, Dr Shephard"