CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"What do you mean he's pointing a gun at you Dad; has he gone mad?"
"Yes, I suspect he has, Edward, but I think you'd better talk to him."
Carlisle handed the phone over to his brother, who took it awkwardly in his left hand while his right hand held the gun.
"Uncle, what the fuck is going on?"
"Don't swear, Edward."
"You're pointing a gun at my father and you're telling me not to swear? You fucking asshole!"
"I'm doing this for your father, Edward. If he agrees to help me with my research, I could save him."
"What do you mean, save him? What are you talking about?"
Anthony looked over at Carlisle who was shaking his head, pleading with him with his eyes not to say any more.
"Your father is dying, Edward. He has pancreatic cancer. If you help me find what I'm looking for, I can save his life. You'd want me to do that wouldn't you?"
"Oh, Jesus!" Edward cried out, and tears started rolling down his cheeks as the significance of his father's strange telephone conversations over the past few days suddenly became clear. Bella could only half-hear the conversation so had missed the bit about cancer and didn't know what was going on. She had heard Edward say the word 'gun', but hadn't heard a shot.
"You've guessed what I'm looking for, haven't you? I'm surprised it took you so long. I'm nearly there though, Edward, I've almost cracked it, and when I do my discovery will change the world. There'll be no more sickness, no more death, unless it's an accident. Can you imagine a world like that, Edward?"
"I can, uncle, but it wouldn't be a world I'd want to live in. I don't think you've thought this through."
"There's nothing to think about. I'm getting old, Edward. I don't want to be ill anymore and I'm not ready to die just yet. I don't want your father to die either. I need his help and I may need your help too, but first of all I want you and Miss Swan to bring the arm to my laboratory. Nobody else must know of it, do you hear."
"I'm not doing that, you idiot. I'm not prepared to help you mess with life as we know it. You're fucking crazy if you think I'm going to help you defy nature. I want to speak to my father. Put him back on."
Anthony passed the phone back to Carlisle who was distraught. "You'd better convince him," he said with venom.
Carlisle took a deep breath and composed himself, then held the phone up to his ear.
"I'm sorry, son. I was going to tell you about my illness to your face when you came home next week. I haven't had the diagnosis long, so I haven't been purposely keeping the news from you."
"When did you get to know, Dad?"
"The day before you broke up with Annabel. I didn't want to say anything then as your life was already in turmoil. Will you forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you, and I want to be there with you, but what do you want me to do? Do you want me to comply with Anthony's wishes?"
"Absolutely not, son, and if Anthony shoots me now then I've only lost a few weeks of life which are going to be painful ones, so actually he would be doing me a favor. So if this is the last chance I have to speak to you, I will tell you again that I love you and I'm so proud of you. Keep an eye on your mother as often as possible."
Edward was sobbing now. "I will Dad. Please try to convince Anthony to stop doing what he's doing. He hasn't thought of the consequences. Please talk to him.
"I'll try son, I'll try."
Anthony snatched the phone from Carlisle.
"Are you bringing the arm to me, Edward?"
"No. You can go to hell, you stupid fucking prick. And if you harm one hair on my father's head, no amount of death-defying drugs will save you because I know how to destroy the tissue and believe me, uncle, you'll burn on this earth slowly and painfully before you burn in hell."
Edward disconnected the call and fell into Bella's arms. She held him as he sobbed and she felt his body shaking from a combination of shock and grief. She was at a loss what to do or say as she hadn't heard the whole conversation, but she could guess part of it. As she was consoling him her cell phone rang and she saw it was Seth. After a brief conversation she switched her phone to silent as she didn't want any more interruptions.
Edward's sobs abated and Bella dried his face with some tissues she had in her backpack. When he had calmed enough to speak, he told her how the conversation went and Bella was horrified that he had to find out this way that his father was terminally ill, and also that his fears about Anthony's intentions had been confirmed.
"I can't believe it, Edward. Do you honestly believe he could create a drug that could keep humans alive forever?"
"I don't know, but if anyone can it'll be him. I'm sure given time he'd find a way to slow down the degeneration of cells so a human could live for hundreds of years, but it's wrong; you can't mess with nature."
"What do you think we should do with the arm now?"
"Burn it! We've got to get back to Seattle and burn it, Bella, so no-one else is tempted to do this. The rest of the body has been burned and the arm should never have fallen into our hands. I blame myself for taking bits of it to my uncle; I was so stupid."
"No you weren't. Your intentions were totally logical. You were inquisitive, and that's what good scientists are. Nothing new would've been discovered if scientists in the past hadn't asked 'why did that happen'? Like Penicillin for instance; if Fleming hadn't been curious about that bit of mold on the Petri dish, he would never have discovered a treatment that's saved millions of lives. You gave the samples to your uncle for the right reasons, so don't forget it."
Edward nodded at her, then started weeping again.
"My father's dying, Bella. I can't imagine my life without him."
"I'm so sorry, Edward. I'll help you through this, I promise."
Bella held him in her arms as he wept again for his father, but if Bella had been looking at the road in front of them, she would have seen Jasper and Alice drive past on their way back to Seattle, but she didn't see them as she was concentrating on the man she loved who had fallen apart in her arms.
"So, Anthony, are you going to shoot me?"
"I don't know, Carlisle. Are you going to betray me?"
"That depends on what you do next. Why don't you put the gun down for the moment. I'm not going to destroy your experiments or run off to the Government, or even get you committed. Can't you just relax and we'll talk this through."
Anthony toyed this over in his mind then threw the gun across the bench where it came to a stop next to a filing tray. The moment of madness had passed and he buried his head in his hands.
"Let's take a walk down to the lake, Anthony. It's better to talk there than it is up here surrounded by all this mess."
Anthony nodded then slowly stood up and with Carlisle's help, made his way carefully through the glass doors into the sunlight and fresh air. After the musty stench that surrounded them in the laboratory, the aroma of freshly cut grass was like French perfume to their senses and they both took a deep breath of clean air at the same time.
Carlisle assisted Anthony as they walked down the slope to the bench. "You need a walking stick" he suggested, but Anthony went "Pfft" and waved his hand dismissively in the air. They made it to the bench and sat in contemplative silence for a few moments, surveying the still water on the lake that was only being disturbed by the ducks and geese who were enjoying the warmth of the early evening sun.
"So, you're going to try and talk me out of carrying on I suppose?"
"No, I'm not, because anything I say would fall on deaf ears, wouldn't it? I just want you to stop for a moment and think of the consequences of what might happen if you succeed in discovering whatever is slowing down the degeneration of these cells."
"What is there to think about; people will live longer. If they wanted to they could live forever."
"But haven't you thought of the implications for our world, Anthony? The impossible dream of endless life has blinded you to the reality of how our society exists on this small, overcrowded planet."
Anthony thought for a moment but then turned to reply to Carlisle with a determined look on his face.
"Tell me, Carlisle, what is so wrong in humans living long, healthy lives? Only a few thousand years ago, a human's life expectancy was less than thirty years. Now we can expect to live into our eighties, nineties and even over a hundred if we're lucky. Improved living conditions and medicine has allowed this to be, so what is so wrong about taking the next step in our evolution? Can you explain that to me, Carlisle?"
"The reasons why it's wrong are endless, Anthony. What about jobs, for instance. Have you thought of people's jobs?"
"What's that got to do with it? What jobs, whose jobs?"
"Well if people started living for hundreds of years, you would have generations of people unemployed. There are millions of people looking for work in America today, now, this minute. What would happen if you were lucky enough to have a job, but not allowed to retire until you were, say, five hundred years old, and then after that, how long would your retirement be, and who would pay for it? Come to think of it, would you be happy to be a miner for several lifetimes, or a street cleaner, or even a doctor?"
"Well people could change careers."
"But there would be no jobs, Anthony. Nobody would get sick or die, remember? Let's take this further, what about relationships and marriage. Would you want to be married to the same person forever?"
"You could get divorced."
"What if you're religious, and you've married in a church in front of God. Do you promise to be faithful, but only for a hundred years?"
"That's just being stupid, Carlisle."
"No, it's being practical. The whole structure of our lives would have to be reviewed and re-written, even for people who get life sentences in prison. Would life really mean life, and would mass murderers also be entitled to this treatment?
Anthony didn't have a reply to this and remained silent.
"Alright, Anthony, what about medicine? Doctors and nurses and all the drug companies and businesses associated with keeping us alive. All these people would suddenly be out of work, apart from those involved in obstetrics. Come to think of it, how many babies could a woman have in an extended lifetime, five, ten, a hundred? Medical Insurance, Life Insurance, thousands of companies would go to the wall if Anthony Masen discovered the secret to long or endless life. "
Anthony stared at him incredulously, but Carlisle wasn't finished yet. He could tell Anthony was at a loss for words as the realization that he hadn't thought this through hit home.
"So tell me, who are you going to give it to?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you can't give it to everyone."
"Why not?"
"There are seven billion people in the world already, Anthony. What's going to happen to the population if everyone starts living for hundreds of years? We can't feed the world's population now, so what the hell do you think will happen when the population suddenly explodes?"
Anthony thought about this for a few moments.
"Well we could just give it to a few chosen people, then at least we would still need hospitals and insurance."
"Okay, let's examine that scenario. You announce to the world that you can extend life indefinitely so you can get your Nobel Prize, but only the chosen few are going to have this benefit. Who gets to choose who gets the treatment and therefore live much longer? Would that be you, or would the decision go to a committee?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you would effectively be creating a master race. Those who've been chosen will be strong and fit and will live for hundreds of years, and those who aren't will live short and sickly lives. Can you imagine the resentment that will provoke?
Anthony was speechless.
Carlisle was on a roll now and he wasn't going to stop. This was his only chance to get Anthony to see sense and stop what he was doing before it was too late. He had to play his trump card now.
"Will you just give it to Americans, or will the Russians and Chinese get some too?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far."
"No you haven't, Anthony. If foreign powers suddenly realized that the great and good of America were suddenly living to more than a ripe old age, they'd want to know what the hell was going on. Think about all the despot leaders the world has seen over the past few centuries, and there are quite a few in the world today. Do you honestly think they wouldn't start a war to try and get their hands on the stuff.
Anthony put his head in his hands and squeezed his temples in exasperation.
"I only want to help people, Carlisle. My whole life has been dedicated to that end, and when I saw what was in front of me, I just wanted to use this discovery for good. The money it could earn the lab could've paid for more research; the possibilities were endless."
"I know, Anthony. I understand your dilemma, but you know you mustn't carry on with your experiments now; there's too much at stake."
Anthony nodded his head and Carlisle put his arm around his brother's shoulders as they sat in silence watching the ducks paddling around the lake, oblivious to the discussion that had just taken place that could have changed the world forever.
Anthony eventually stood up. "I really need to go and clean up my lab."
"Do you want any help?" Carlisle offered.
"No, I'll be fine. I think you need to go and talk to your son and put his mind at rest and then help him come to terms with your condition."
"You're right. I'll call him as soon as I leave here. Let me help you up the slope though."
Anthony leaned on Carlisle's arm and they both struggled up the incline to the doors of the lab. Once inside, Anthony pulled the door shut and locked it from the inside.
"You should leave that open; it smells a bit musty in here," Carlisle said with a friendly smile.
Anthony laughed, "I think it's me who smells musty. Now off you go and call my nephew. He must be worried sick."
Carlisle embraced his brother. "I'm glad we were able to sort this out. You've an unblemished reputation in the world of science; you should leave the world with that untarnished."
Anthony nodded his head and practically pushed Carlisle out of the door. "Go on, off with you" he said and closed the door behind him.
Carlisle started walking up the corridor and as he heard the door close fully he heard a click. Was that the lab door being locked again? Maybe he imagined it, so he kept on walking, thinking about the difficult phone conversation he was soon going to have with Edward.
Anthony locked the door and walked over to his bench. He picked up some papers that were strewn across his keyboard and shuffled them into a neat pile. He removed his gun from the bench and placed it back in the drawer then nudged the mouse on its pad, which brought the image of the skin sample back onto the screen in front of him. He sat for several minutes watching one particular cell slowly dividing to become two separate entities, then turned his attention back to his notebooks detailing his results so far.
His left knee was throbbing painfully just from that short walk to and from the lake and he could see that it was swollen without pulling up his trouser leg. His other knee was hurting too today and his finger joints were stiff and sore, partially due to the arthritis, but also because he had been writing so much over the past few days. He thought about Carlisle's suggestion to get a walking stick and scoffed.
He leaned over his bench and pulled another notebook out from underneath some files and looked at the calculations once again. He was so close; he just needed that last smidgeon of inspiration and he would have the result he was looking for.
He thought about what Carlisle had said to him and it made absolute sense. The planet couldn't support billions more people, and only giving it to a chosen few would cause bitterness and resentment, and yes, it could start wars, but that wouldn't stop him continuing with the research. He wanted it for himself. He wasn't going to sit in his chair and deteriorate when he held the answer to good health and long life in his hands. He wanted more than the three score years and ten that this fictional God had promised him; he wanted at least double that, and more if it was there for the taking.
"Stuff you, Carlisle and Edward," he said to the air around him. "What you don't know can't hurt you."
So Anthony turned back to his experiments, and the angels held their breath as the earth wobbled on its axis once more.
They had been sitting in their car for over an hour. Edward was still in pieces and Bella was at a loss what to say to him. She had held him, she had kissed him, she had whispered words of support and love, but he was still unable to hold it together for more than a few minutes and then another wave of despair would engulf him. She had run out of tissues and Edward had his head buried in one of her sweatshirts which was now soaking wet with his tears.
She was holding Edward's phone when it rang, and she saw from the screen that it was Carlisle.
"It's your Dad" she cried and shook Edward's arm.
"Dad!" he choked out as he grabbed the phone. "I presumed you were dead."
"Not yet, son; not yet."
"Are you still with Anthony?"
"No, I'm in my car. We had a long talk and he's agreed to stop the research."
"Thank God, but how did you manage that?"
"We talked about the implications it would have for the world and eventually he saw sense."
Edward let out a sigh of relief even though on the face of it that was the least of his worries.
"I'm coming home, Dad."
"Alright son, when you can but don't rush. I'm not going to die tomorrow so no need to panic. I've got things to do in the next few days, people and places to see, so leave it for a while. We can talk on the phone anytime remember. Anyway I think both of us are too emotional for rational conversation at the moment."
Edward laughed grimly. "Alright Dad, I'll come home before next weekend though. We're on our way back to Seattle from Forks at the moment and I've a lot to tell you."
"Oh, okay, well I'll look forward to that. Goodbye son."
"Goodbye Dad. I love you."
Edward switched the phone off and looked at it, wondering how many more conversations he had left with his father. He had been so cavalier before about keeping in touch with him until recently, and now he was appreciating every precious second when he could hear his voice. The words of an old song came into his head; #you don't know what you've got till it's gone#, but his dad hadn't gone yet, and at least he would be able to spend some quality time with him before the end, and for that he was grateful as many people didn't get that luxury.
He rubbed his face with a dry part of Bella's sweatshirt then turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.
"Let's get home" he said as he drove the SUV out of the parking lot, then he floored the gas pedal and powered his way along the tree-lined highway, anxious to get away from the surrounding forest that contained a dangerous secret, and get Bella back to Seattle and the relative safety of the city.