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Bryce said. 
    “As did we. But it’s not — while we haven’t been able to understand the source of the infection, I do believe we’ve found a treatment.”
    Bryce’s hair on the back of his neck stood up. Could he be telling the truth? After so long; so much time spent chasing a dead-end… “A treatment? Like an antidote?”
    “Yes — well, we’re not finished yet. The first two subjects didn’t survive, but I think we’ve isolated the culprit in the viral cell’s makeup, and I think we can figure out how to heal your mother.
    “But Bryce, I need something from you in return. Your performance in the Rangers hasn’t gone unnoticed. I know about your accomplishments so far; your quick mind.
    “Dwight Maynes is a close friend of mine from Cambridge — we studied together in our introductory courses, and I’ve been picking his brain lately about his men here in the special forces. You see, we need someone like you out at the research lab,” Whittenfield said. 
    “Someone like me?” Bryce asked. “A soldier?”
    “No — not just a soldier. I saw your test results. The comprehension, deductive reasoning skills — off the charts, Bryce. I don’t want someone who can wield a gun; any grunt with two eyes and arms can do that. I need someone who can protect our interests; interests that I’m afraid will be under scrutiny very soon. This notebook was just the first incident: whoever’s after my father’s research — my research — is going to continue snooping around until they find what they’re looking for. 
    “If you agree to leave with me now, I can fill you in with the specifics of the job on the way. I am prepared to make you an offer up front — take it or leave it — of one million dollars. If you stay with me for all six months, I’ll pay you another million. I know you’d like to get back your mother, but give me the next six months of your life, and you’ll be set for the rest of it.
    “Oh, and suffice it say, anything we can do for your mother’s health will be done. If we find a treatment — and I believe we will —  for your mother’s paralysis, you can consider her healed, all expenses paid.”
    Bryce was stunned. Two million dollars in six months? He couldn’t imagine what this guy would want him to do — it seemed too good to be true. “Well, it sounds like a pretty fantastic offer, but I don’t know anything about your company — what’s the catch? Why are you so interested in protection?”
    Whittenfield sighed, but didn’t hesitate in his response. He stood and walked to the foot of Bryce’s bed. “The reason you have never heard of us is that we have been continuing along the same line of research since the mid-1930s that has paralleled a similar, yet much more popularized topic in American culture.
    “My father’s initial experimentation in the field of crystal-Uranium synthesis led to a small team of researchers — my father included — discovering the unique characteristics of the Uranium element’s isotopes. The work was highly classified, but of extreme importance to the U.S. Government, and in 1939 an official project was initiated, called the ‘Development of Substitute Materials.’”
    Bryce glanced up sharply at the man standing before him. His mind raced as he tried to place what this man — James Whittenfield, Jr. — had just said. Where had he heard of that before?  
    “My father’s research was paramount to modern American history. What my father’s discoveries led to — what that team ended up becoming — was the foundation for the atomic bomb. Their project was called the ‘Development of Substitute Materials,’ but the American population now knows it by its codename: ‘The Manhattan Project.’”

10:46 PM - UNIVERSITY OF New Mexico - Department of Ancient Studies, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
    Professor Jensen Andrews felt exhausted, and it was only Wednesday. It seemed like as he got older, the days got shorter, yet