The Eden Factor

By T.L. Peters

Josh McDonald and his childhood friend Adam Barnes are accidentally infected by a highly communicable viral vector containing super-charged DNA that rejuvenates the humane genome so as to prevent disease, regenerate damaged or lost tissue and reverse the aging process. Adam wants to leverage his immortality to assert global dominance. Josh, prodded by his quirky but kind-hearted girlfriend Belinda, hopes to thwart Adam's power grab by spreading the contagion to as many people as possible. Who wins in the ensuing struggle as the virus diffuses rapidly around the globe?

"There's no question that Peters is a master wordsmith." Gerry B's Book Reviews

"T.L. Peters' way of writing is wonderful." Kyanara

"The plot was very well constructed, flowed from beginning to end without any gaps, and did a good job of holding my overall interest." Nicole

"The book was really good….I loved this book." The Book Girl

"I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes Science Fiction, Suspense/Thriller, Mystery or Drama." Wynter

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.L. Peters
• Release date: Mar 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458032331

T.L. Peters

"There's no question that Peters is a master wordsmith." Gerry B's Book Reviews About the author: T.L. Peters is an ex-lawyer who enjoys playing the violin and giving his dog long walks in the woods. In between, he writes novels.

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The Eden Factor

By T.L. Peters

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 T.L. Peters

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Chapter 1

Josh McDonald, his plump pale frame topped by a grayish combover, squeezed out of his aging Chevy Cavalier and calmly looked around. The young accountant could never have suspected that he was about to set in motion events that would quickly and radically change the world. He had only come to the park that morning to meet Adam Barnes, the ambitious one Josh's dad used to say, who had called out of the blue asking to see him. Josh hadn't talked to Adam in years, but he wasn't surprised to see that his old school mate looked as perfect as ever, his thick raven hair sparkling in the sun.

I was sure you'd blow me off, Adam smiled, pushing himself off the picnic table with his lean strong arms. It's good that you've swallowed your pride and agreed to meet with me, because I've got some great news for you.

Josh's brown eyes wandered from Adam toward a handsome woman limping along a narrow creek that bisected the woodsy park, a noisy white poodle fussing about at her feet. She must have injured herself recently, maybe playing tennis, Josh speculated, since she was wearing an elaborate knee brace but otherwise seemed in excellent shape. Josh guessed that she was in her mid-fifties, a good two decades older than he, but Josh would have strained mightily to introduce himself had Adam not been there to ridicule his every clumsy step. Josh liked strong women. Adam checked her out too, but quickly concluded that she wasn't his type, too old he thought, and a little too husky.

July had been especially muggy in Pittsburgh that year, 2011, and Josh wiped his brow with a pimply forearm before glancing again at Adam's well attended physique. Always the show off Adam stretched to his full six feet five inches, the ripped muscles in his chest and stomach tracing a dynamic outline beneath the white Polo shirt.

What's so important that you had to fly up from D.C.? Josh whined, glancing down embarrassedly at his bare lumpy legs and his battered canvas sneakers. I didn't think you associated with the riff-raff anymore.

Adam yawned, relinquishing the stretch as easily as he overlooked Josh's sour grapes. Then he rubbed a small cut on the tip of his forefinger with an absent minded air of superiority. Josh let his eyes roam again, this time toward a grove of evergreen trees shading a narrow wooden bridge. He looked again for the handsome woman, but she and her pet must have ventured into one of the many paths ambling into the woods.

Let's go over to where it's cooler, Adam said, glancing toward the creek.

Josh frowned unhappily. He wanted to get this business over with as quickly as possible and didn't appreciate being shown up, especially not by some arrogant jerk like Adam. He didn't even know why he'd bothered to come, but he still followed Adam's lead, even skipping every few steps to keep up. Adam scooped up a rock and tossed it into the shallow water, pausing to watch the thin ripples flow outward and dissipate against the scraggly bank on either side. Then he sat down along the edge of the paint starved bridge deck, dangling his Adidas lowriders a few inches from the slow moving current. Once more he rubbed the tip of his forefinger briskly.

A splinter from that old bench, Adam complained, sucking on the cut for a moment and then carefully examining the tiny speck of blood reforming over the wound. Josh reluctantly plopped down beside his antagonist, careful to keep his pudgy calves away from the rough wood. He suddenly regretted his decision to wear shorts that morning and rocked forward until his bare skin was out of danger. Then he glanced down into the water. A dead fish about six inches long was lying on its side peering up at him with a darkly frozen eye.

Since subtlety was never your thing, Josh, I'll get to the point, Adam grinned, preening with self assurance. I recently took a job with Homeland Security as Chief Assistant to the Director. It's a big pay cut from being a star partner at the law firm, but I figure that a few years schmoozing the upper echelons of the federal government should give a real boost to my resume.

Josh glanced down again at the dead fish. Perhaps stirred by the gentle waters the unfortunate creature seemed to have turned slightly. This had caused the thick brown sediment underneath to billow up, obscuring its silvery form for a few seconds, though its lifeless eye remained persistently visible and vigilant. Adam hadn't yet noticed their silent guest and continued on glibly.

Anyway, Adam cleared his throat, a signal to his simpleton friend to pay attention. We're in desperate need of forensic accountants to trace the flow of funds to and from various terrorist organizations. It would be the perfect job for you, Josh. It pays well, it's the kind of close detail work that you're good at, and you can be as grouchy as you like and nobody will much care.

Josh touched the gleaming surface with the heel of his shoe and stirred the water gently. The sediment had by now settled beneath the cadaver, whose pectoral fin bobbed slowly as Josh kept pushing water against it. The mouth seemed to open a little too, although Josh couldn't tell for sure.

So what's in it for you, Adam? the accountant bellowed suddenly, still intent on the fish.

Catching a glimpse of the little corpse for the first time, Adam saluted the eavesdropper with a foul smirk. He recovered his cool smugness quickly though.

Despite your various personality challenges, you're a first rate accountant when you put your mind to it. It'll be a feather in my cap if I can recruit people like you for the department, and since I was in town anyway on business I thought I'd give it a try. But if you insist on being a slacker the rest of your life, it's really no skin off my nose.

The sunlight had just cut a brilliant swath through the trees, illuminating the fish with a dazzling sheen that caused Josh to squint at it a little. After wiping some sweat from his mouth and nose, Josh finally got around to the dreary business of responding to Adam's offer.

Washington's an expensive place. I'd have to make twice as much as I do now just to break even. And I hate the idea of bootlicking some politician just to keep getting my paycheck. Plus, I always get sick when I travel outside the country. Why should I take on all this hassle when I can live out my days here in Pittsburgh filling out tax returns for old ladies?

Adam tossed another rock into the stream, this time not waiting for the ripples to exhaust themselves.

The starting salary is one hundred fifty thousand a year with guaranteed annual raises of about eight percent and with a monthly housing allowance. The government will even put up your down payment if you decide to buy a house. It's a pretty good deal no matter how you slice it. Plus, it's a civil service job, so you can't be fired unless you really screw up. And you'll be doing mostly background intelligence analysis and interpretation, which means that you shouldn't have to travel much. Any more gripes?

Momentarily stymied, Josh resumed contemplating the defunct fish.

I'll have to think about it.

Adam tried to put the issue more squarely.

You aren't married, your parents are dead, no brothers or sisters or any other relatives to speak of, and I dare say no friends either. Come to Washington with me and get a fresh start, and quit mucking around with that fish. It's gross.

Josh defiantly muttered the first words that came into his head, which was his custom whenever he felt insulted.

How do you know that I don't have any friends?

To show his disgruntlement Josh tore off a low lying branch and thrust it down into the water, the point brushing against the dorsal fins and causing the creature to rotate onto its back. Then he began poking the scaled armor until a few shallow indentations appeared in the decaying flesh.

Are you still dating that girl? Adam grunted, trying not to look down at the fish. What's her name, Belinda?

How'd you know about her? Josh snapped.

The sediment was billowing up again, and he could barely see the fish now.

I work at Homeland Security, remember? I have access to lots of information. Anyway, maybe she can come too. She's a school teacher, right? There are plenty of teaching jobs around D.C.

Josh jabbed the stick into the water once more, but he couldn't tell if he hit the fish or not.

We've sort of had a little falling out lately. I doubt whether she'd want to.

Well, that's okay, Adam countered quickly. You won't have to consult with anybody then. You can just pick up and move.

Josh was irritated that Adam was making so much sense, and so he decided to ram the stick into the fish's head. After the blow the fish disappeared completely under the brown sediment. Then a burst of warm air smacked up against Josh's cheeks, followed closely by a sour metallic odor. Sickened by the smell Josh jumped up and ran off the bridge and onto the grassy bank. Adam followed, and the two ended up trudging through some tall weeds, gagging and panting.

What did you do anyway? Adam groaned when his nausea had finally lessened.

Josh coughed and spat to get the rancid taste out of his mouth. The odor was beginning to drift away now in the soft breeze. Josh looked over at the creek again, but the fish was gone.

It must have given off some sort of gas, Josh stammered. I hope whatever killed it isn't contagious.

You probably pushed it out into the current, Adam coughed again, glancing at the wide flat rocks shimmering in wavy reflection just below the surface. Anyway, it's long gone now. I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like we touched it or anything.

Josh inspected the point of the stick and then heaved it into the water. It floated gently downstream before disappearing around a weedy bend. Then he turned to Adam, who was now quizzically examining his wounded finger.

Healed fast, Adam beamed, twisting his palm toward Josh to display the now unsullied flesh.

Like I said, I'll have to think about your offer, Josh frowned.

So in other words you're turning me down?

Josh said nothing. He tried to look Adam in the eye but couldn't seem to pull it off. Adam had a point. It really was rather silly of him to walk away from such a lucrative job, especially since he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. But he couldn't see himself working for Adam. The disgrace of it would be just too much too bear.

I can't believe it, Adam grimaced and shook his head slowly. Once a loser, always a loser I guess. But then again, it's your life, not mine.

Are you finished? Josh snapped.

Adam smirked cooly and then strolled back to his silver BMW. Along the way he flicked his thumbnail occasionally over his healed finger, as though not quite believing that it didn't hurt anymore. Josh watched him drive off and then looked back at the creek. He was about to search for the fish when he spotted the handsome woman limping out of the woods. Attracted by her mature chest, Josh began to walk toward her trying to think of some witty line. When the woman spotted him she whirled around and began limping away as fast as she could, but not before her dog swiped its nails a few times over Josh's exposed shins. Josh yelped, but when the woman still didn't acknowledge him, he hopped away painfully. He was about to get into his car when he looked back and saw that the woman was now strutting away without any trace of a limp. She must have noticed the change too because she suddenly bent over, rubbed the offending knee and then removed the brace. She carefully executed a few deep knee bends and then jogged off with the brace clutched under her sturdy arm like a football while the poodle skipped cheerfully behind. Josh was used to rejection and would have quickly forgotten the incident had he not just then looked down at his own naked legs and found them to be unscratched, not even a few vague red lines to mark the poodle's assault. Because he bruised easily and generally liked feeling sorry for himself, Josh stood there for nearly a minute waiting for some ugly contusion to make its way to the surface. Yet the skin remained painlessly plump and pale.

He thought about going back to the creek to look for the fish but decided that it was a silly idea. As he drove off he couldn't help feeling more energetic than he had in a long time. It must have something to do with getting rid of that creep Adam Barnes, he thought as he glanced down at his unmarked shin once more.

Chapter 2

Josh had an appointment that morning with one of the few significant clients that he had managed to retain from his late father's bustling CPA practice, a psychiatric clinic in one of Pittsburgh's rundown neighborhoods. The head shrink had left a text message for him to stop by. Josh assumed that the doctor wanted his help in developing a new payroll system for the clinic, a bland and dreary assignment that Josh considered one of his specialities. It wasn't so much that Josh enjoyed doing dull repetitive work. It was just that he had a knack for it, and he had come to realize that if you must hate your job you might as well be good at it. His personality, or lack of one, was what had cost him clients. In theory he would have liked to become more personable, charming even, but he had grown so accustomed to his peculiar habits and ways that he didn't feel like expending the substantial effort he thought it would take to change.

The clinic was located on the sixth floor of what looked like an oversized concrete bunker wedged between two equally repulsive public housing condominiums. Always a little wary of muggers, cowardice being another of his burdens, Josh hurried from the parking lot to the clinic without incident. Soon he was meandering through narrow, gray carpeted hallways with occasional hazy squares of dusty light shining down on his balding scalp. Getting lost as usual, it took him a while to reach a thin cheap wooden door marked Child and Adolescent Services. He shoved it and glanced around. He was always a little wary about the nutcases as he liked to call them that he might find there.

It was a rather large waiting room and smelled of old rugs and antiseptic spray. Low slung card tables were slid about the dull bristly carpet at haphazard angles, and all sported great heaps of abandoned multi-colored building blocks and legos of various shapes and sizes. A small circular model train track, from which a plastic red caboose had been rudely toppled, lay in a far corner near an exotic fake potted plant. In the middle of the room two grade school boys, squatting on spindly legs with sharp elbows dug into their bony knees, were picking at their noses with great concentration. A few washed out teenagers sat along the walls staring dully into space, while others tried to sleep. Near one of the tables a drooling toddler was pounding a purple magic marker against his forehead. Other than for the squeaking of the magic marker and the pleas for calm from a scraggly haired young man who was apparently his dad, the room was quiet.

Josh shuffled up to the receptionist, an overweight woman in a cheap threadbare sweater who was sitting behind a finger smudged glass pane. The woman was staring fiercely into a grimy computer monitor and acknowledged him only when he persisted in gawking at her.

Dr. Jenkins is with a patient right now, Mr. McDonald, she sputtered with cool formality after flicking her spectacled eyes at him. If you could have a seat, he'll be with you momentarily.

Josh was used to being put on hold by the hired help and inconspicuously took a seat between an old woman who had apparently forgotten to put in her dentures that morning and a slobbering teenager who seemed to have just dozed off. His stomach growling, Josh wondered why the receptionist hadn't offered him the usual complement of donuts and coffee. Maybe I'm about to be fired, he thought vaguely before taking another look around. He watched the toddler pounding his fists against the wall as the scraggly haired man yelled at him to sit down and be quiet. None of the other patients seemed to care. Finally a couple of white coated female shrinks had to be called in by the yawning receptionist to handle the situation. They promptly injected the boy with a long syringe, and soon the youngster slumped down onto the carpet like a beached jelly fish. As Josh observed the boy's glazed eyes recede gradually to the back of his skull, he recalled reading somewhere that modern psychiatry had become largely a drug pushing affair.

A few moments later Dr. Jenkins stumbled into the waiting room and frowned when he spotted the gloomy accountant. After complaining to the receptionist of a sore back, the doctor waved for Josh to follow him. It again occurred to Josh that he was about to be fired. He had a sense for such things. His suspicion was confirmed seconds later when he was handed a check in final payment for all services rendered.

Too bad things didn't work out after your dad died, the