Free Space Chronicles: The Last Human War by Dean Sault

transferred to the Repro lab for implantation. This second matrix, the one in blue, is from a hair sample we found in his room at the quarry. I compared every segment against the original matrix.”
    Jix pushed a computer key, and a small strip of DNA extracted from each helix and began magnifying. As the expanding sections reached the limits of the 3-D image pad, a new portion carved out and magnification repeated. After ten such extractions, the blue segment began showing a small length highlighted in red. The red section continued to grow in size with each expansion until the senior scientist could easily see the blue DNA fragment, with its red segment, did not match the corresponding white strand. The older scientist was not impressed.
    “ We’ve seen this before,” the doctor said. “This is a good example of genetic aberrations we discussed on the flight to Quarry 33. I addressed this phenomenon in my Theory of Spontaneous Sequence Regeneration.”
    “No, doctor.” Jix shook his head emphatically. “This is not retro-translation. Watch.”
    As the younger Tanarac worked the keyboard, three-dimensional DNA fragments dissolved, replaced by a bar graph. The graph displayed dozens of white and blue bars, side-by-side. Each white bar exactly corresponded to its equivalent blue bar. He panned the graph to the right and a long series of paired bars passed until the white columns no longer matched the blue bars. Instead, both the blue and white columns disappeared altogether, leaving only a single set of red data bars.
    Jix turned to look squarely into Dr. Hadje’s eyes.
    “There ’s no corresponding original DNA.” He pointed at the red data columns. “This post-conception segment—it’s not even human!”
    Dr. Hadje leaned closer to the graph, examining every detail before he instructed his subordinate to get up from the computer. He ran several iterations of the raw data. Each time, the graph recomposed with the same result.
    The more experienced scientist entered another series of instructions and sat back in the chair while the mainframe hummed. After a few seconds, the 3-D pad projected the target DNA fragment, again all in red. There was no doubt. This segment did not match any human DNA in the agency’s entire data pool. Ten thousand humans and not a single match.
    “There’s more, sir.”
    Jix leaned over his boss’s shoulder to reach the keyboard.
    “I ran the analysis on the human woman. Same thing. She has a non-human strand embedded in her DNA, and the foreign gene strand in her code exactly matches the one in the male’s helix.”
    Dr. Hadje watched as two identical segments rotated slowly above the holo-pad and merged into a single, perfectly superimposed image, but Jix was not through.
    “I wondered about the source of these non-human segments, so I took the initiative to run a comparison of these DNA fragments with our entire genetic data base, not just humans. You won’t believe this, sir. These fragments are Tanarac.”
    It took a moment for this stunning revelation to sink in. Every scientist in the department took an oath of silence about humans. The oath included strict prohibitions against unauthorized tampering with human genetic code, and it carried the full force of law. It was inconceivable to Dr. Hadje that any of his scientists would do such a thing. Yet here, before him, was undeniable proof. Someone violated the oath.
    “Are you sure your samples were not contaminated?” He peered into the young scientist’s eyes, seeking confidence in these astounding results.
    “That’s why I’m here tonight, Doctor. I ran the tests a dozen times using different DNA samples from both humans. It’s always the same.”
    “How did this happen?” Dr. Hadje spoke to himself as he shook his head in disbelief.
    Jix responded slowly, almost cautiously. “You’d better see the rest of what I found.”
    The younger scientist’s tone changed to that of a nervous messenger about to convey