Free Spy Thriller: An Involuntary Spy: An espionage thriller (Involuntary Spy Espionage Thriller Series Book 1) by Kenneth Eade

now?”
         “Here?”
         “If you want.”
         “Slow down, why don’t you just take me home and we’ll talk about it there?”
         “Okay.”  Seth could feel his heart beating faster and, well, other things tingling too.
    Robin’s apartment was clean and cozy.  Unlike the apartment of a scientist – more like an artist’s place. She had collected little knick knacks from her travels and, of course, she had plants – lots of plants.  There were green leafy plants and ferns and flowering plants all over.  And her balcony was a rose garden.  She also had a collection of orchids – Seth’s favorite flower.  Robin entered the living room with a drink in each hand, the ice gently tinkling like little wind chimes.
         “So you like orchids?” she asked, handing him his drink, then sat down next to him closely.
         “Love them.”
         “What do they remind you of?”
         “Well, they’re very feminine.”
         “You’re very observant.  You know, orchids are very delicate and need special care, just like all feminine things.”
        “I know all about orchids, and feminine things.”
         Seth took his cue and reached over to stroke her hair, gently pulling her face closer to his.  Their lips met with a tender and powerful force.  At that point, they melted into each other and Seth felt a flush of sensations over his entire being.  Hands wandered naturally, and each caress became more exciting and pleasurable.  Where the body ended and the soul began was a mystery in this ancient game of combinations.

16
     
         Back at the lab, Seth and Robin switched back to their “working relationship.”
         Robin was bent over her microscope, examining slides from a sample of Bt soy.
         “Seth, I don’t get this,” said Robin.
         “What’s going on?”
         “Well, there is supposed to be just one gene in this soybean plant, along with the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter, of course.”
         “Yeah, that CaMV virus thing always freaks me out.”
         “Well, that viral gene has to be there or the plant can’t produce the proteins from the engineered gene.”
         A genetic sequence from the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (similar to the HIV virus in humans) was the “promoter” that was used in every GMO food, whether it be the gene for artificial insecticide, or the herbicide resistant gene, to “turn on” the gene, so it would produce the proteins that gave the desired effect.
         This was discovered by independent researchers in Europe in 1993 after GMOs had already been approved by the European Food Safety Authority, and it caused a big controversy.  Why?  Because Germinat didn’t tell the regulators of the existence of the viral gene.  They were unaware of it when they approved the genetically engineered foods.
         Bacteria and viruses were the materials of choice in engineering GMOs because they are natural cell invaders, and that, after all, is what genetic engineering is all about – forcing something into a cell that didn’t belong there naturally.  The researchers in Europe were concerned about the safety of the viral gene because it produced several proteins instead of just one; each protein having its own function or trait. 
         One shut off the plant’s ability to protect itself from viruses.  Another produced random proteins in cells, the effect of which nobody would know for years or maybe even centuries.  Another suppressed the plant’s anti-pathogen defenses, making it unable to naturally defend itself and making it highly susceptible to certain pathogens. 
         The researchers concluded that the viral gene promoter was a toxin, leading to the question of whether it would express itself in the food products made from the plants...
         “Seth, are you dreaming?  I said look at this.”  Robin seemed both surprised and upset.