"Mr. Hammond's vault is this here"

Jocelyne stared at the door indicated by the butler. It was a huge circular steel door of at least three meters in diameter, located below the villa of Hammond, similar to those of the banks. Judging by the size, it was likely that not even a jackhammer would be able to break through it.

"How did Hammond open it?" Mitch muttered, not understanding how a single person could open such a heavy door.

"The key currently in miss Jersey's possession triggers the automatic opening. Also, it disables all safety devices inside" the butler answered.

"Safety devices?"

"The key in miss Jersey's hand has a microscopic design on her handle, invisible to the naked eye. Inside the door lock there are sensors that detect this design. If someone tried to cast the key, the sensors would activate the alarm devices and anything inside the vault would be instantly incinerated, including people"

Ian wrinkled his nose. "Hammond didn't really care about expenses, not even safety"

"Beyond this door is potentially very dangerous knowledge" Jocelyne murmured. "Naturally Hammond wanted to keep her safe. I can't imagine what he could have done in the wrong hands"

The girl pulled out the key and went to the door. With a little reluctance, she slipped it into the only lock present.

She didn't even need to turn it: the instant the key and lock met, the door clicked and slowly began to open. "Printed circuit recognized. Access allowed. Welcome, Mr. Hammond" said a metallic voice.

When the door finished opening, the group could finally see what was on the other side: rows and rows of shelves containing an abnormal amount of sheets and binders.

"Here we go" Alan whispered. "Do we really want to do it?"

"We have come this far. We might as well carry on"Ellie replied.

"Yeah, we have to at least see what's there" Sarah gave her a hand.

"After all, it was Hammond's last will" Jamie said.

"Not reading the legacy of the best geneticist ever would be an attempt on science" Mitch muttered.

Jocelyne let out a deep sigh. "We have to do it. For Hammond"

Jocelyne knew why Hammond had entrusted her with that knowledge. Partly it was because the old tycoon knew she would use it right. Most importantly, Hammond wanted to make sure that Henry Wu, his best friend, was also remembered for something other than upset the balance of the world.

Although many people had begun to agree with Wu's vision, and Jocelyne herself did not think she was wrong, the scientist's gesture would always be remembered as a foolish and reckless act that could have enormous repercussions. Wu did not care: for him, the important thing was that life on Eden continued to exist despite the cumbersome human presence. But Hammond did care. He didn't want his best friend to be remembered only as a madman; he wanted to be spoken of as the genius who, for better or for worse, had given humanity a more advanced science than that provided by any other scientist.

The scientists behind her nodded. "For Hammond" they said in chorus, and entered.

Jocelyne stood at the door, knowing that she would be useless: after all, she was unable to understand the complex language of science. Therefore, she would leave the job to the scientists, who could translate it for her. Robert, Mitch, Jamie, Ian, Sarah, Ellie and Alan began rummaging through the binders and extracting the various files one by one, reading them avidly.

Most of that research went back decades, when Hammond and Wu were still busy creating hybrids, but nevertheless it was enough to take the scientists' breath away. The work that Wu had spent in designing life looked like the work of a sculptor intent on giving life to the perfect statue. The wax figures Hammond kept in the hybrid corridor were only a tiny part of the truth.

Whole stretches of DNA from every living species, completely decoded. Studies on the production of certain enzymes. Hugely complicated calculations to ensure the right energy consumption. Modifications at the cellular level, replacing 'fallacious' parts with extremely efficient ones. Methods for accelerating growth. Indeed, an extremely accurate description of the functioning of chlorophyll photosynthesis, something that no scientist had ever been able to provide. All this in itself would have revolutionized the entire human civilization, but it was only the beginning.

Wu had not limited himself to studying life, but also the means by which life could interact with matter and modify it to its advantage. Whole researches based on the psychic power of the brain, based on frequencies so low as to alter the composition of atoms; calculations on how much, how and why this would interact with the environment and circumstances; studies to increase the areas of the brain necessary for this task, modifying neurons to make them real quantum computers; and finally, to use psychic power so much that it can even bend spacetime, moving for enormous distances in less than a fraction of a second, or even break time barriers allowing to perceive, even if only partially, the dangers at a distance of different minutes after their arrival.

Scientists weren't even halfway there before they exclaimed: "This is going to revolutionize the world!"

Through his enormous work in the field of genetics, Henry Wu had opened doors to transform any other scientific field into something more advanced, something that humanity has never seen.

In the medical field, cell modification could erase all diseases. In the energy field, studies on photosynthesis could have allowed humanity to obtain a clean, infinite and low-cost source of energy. In the technological field, brain studies could be used to improve artificial intelligence. In the astrophysics field, piercing spacetime could have guaranteed interstellar, or even intergalactic, travel...

These were just a few of the countless applications Wu's research opened up.

As she listened to the scientists talking about it, Jocelyne understood why neither Wu nor Hammond had wanted to reveal that knowledge. If humanity had obtained them only a few years earlier, before the world changed, they certainly would not have been used in the right way. Like all things, they would be capitalized and used as tools of oppression.

But now, the world was slowly changing. It was no longer corporations and financial groups that dictated the law, but nations, and in the Eden Union there was no distinction between weak and strong nations. With capitalism stripped of its absolute power, humanity could now enjoy the fruits of Wu's labor in complete freedom... just as Wu would have liked. Just like Hammond would have liked.

Jocelyne felt there was something moving in all of this. And as she watched her friends as her scientists continue to rummage through the various files, she promised herself that she would carry out Hammond's dream. And Wu's too.

Suddenly she thought of a detail: "Excuse me, did you say that these searches are talking about decoded fragments of DNA?"

*********

[Recognized element: DNA fragment, claw section. You have unlocked the deadly scythe mutation]

Sobek snorted. "It would seem to work" he muttered as he continued to watch the numbers scroll across the screen in front of him.

[Recognized element: DNA fragment, lung section. You have unlocked the fire mutation]

[Recognized element: DNA fragment, muscle section. You unlocked the gamma mutation]

When Jocelyne had come to him saying that maybe she could comply with her request, he had not believed it right away. After all, not a month had passed since she had asked the humans to decode his DNA. However, apparently the girl she had found a loophole.

"Wu had completely decoded the DNA which he then used for each of his hybrids" she said. "As a result, your DNA is likely to share many fragments with these. It doesn't hurt to try"

After that, she had placed a monitor in front of him on which an infinity of letters scrolled. Those letters were Sobek's genetic code. If the spinosaurus had to read it, it probably wouldn't have taken a lifetime to do it all. Fortunately, he only needed a glimpse of it for the System to consider it valid, and human technology allowed letters to scroll across a screen at breakneck speed, so he could finish in no time.

By the time he was done, he had unlocked several boxes in the [Mutations system], but not all of them: at least a dozen of them remained locked. "It worked, but it's still not good enough" he said. "I need my complete DNA"

Jocelyne looked a little disappointed, but she recovered quickly. "Do not worry. Now that we have this, we have already done a lot of the work and know exactly where to start. Once I get it to the right people, they'll decode the last missing traits in no time at all"

"If you succeed, you will have my gratitude"

"Forget about it. That's what friends are for, right?"

The two continued to converse for a while, then Jocelyne left. Finally alone, Sobek began taking a look at the mutations he had unlocked, but one in particular immediately caught his eye as soon as he opened the [Mutation system].

[Atomic mutation]

'What the hell... are you kidding me? That's not what I think, is it?' Sobek was tempted to see her right away, but then he stopped. The [Mutations system] looked different from the other [Secondary systems]: there were warning notices everywhere. Evidently, using mutations was risky. After mulling it over a bit, Sobek decided that it was better to wait until all the mutations were unlocked before starting to study them, so that he could immediately understand their best potential and not make irreparable mistakes. After all, if what Jocelyne had said turned out to be true, she wouldn't have to wait too long.

After all, things were going well for the moment: he could afford to wait a bit. He was not in danger of life and even if there was still the risk of a nuclear catastrophe he was not so urgent. Unless there were some strange surprises, he could relax.

Well, unbeknownst to him, a surprise was on the way, and it was pretty strange; but at least, it wouldn't be a bad surprise.