Timing is everything! This admonition is sage advice from a literary guru to new authors. The headline caught the eye of Dr. Stephen Berberich because his manuscript, The Origin of Evil, is one of those uncommon novels with perfect timing.
In case you haven't noticed, as current headlines in the media attest, the human race is poised on the precipice of the most significant scientific breakthrough in the history of our species. In the past, it has taken eons for a species to evolve. Now, based on the seminal work of Cal State Berkeley geneticist Jennifer Doudna, scientists, using Doudna’s crisprs, are capable of modifying any existing strand of DNA to create a superior species. The editing process is analogous to Microsoft Office’s cut and paste process using biologic material. This is not science fiction, it is real and will soon be a fact to deal with in contemporary society. In Doudna’s newly published book of non-fiction, A Crack in Creation, she describes gene editing technology in terms of the good, the bad and the ugly wrought by tinkering with creation.
The news media has exploded with its coverage. Recently an entire segment on Fox News was devoted to the subject of genetic interventions. Meanwhile, the following reports aired on BBC:
. British scientists have performed the first genetic transplant to correct a life-threatening congenital abnormality in a fetus (2/3/15).
. gene therapy reverses sight loss (4/28/16).
. gene therapy, deaf to hearing whisper (2/7/17).
. gene therapy could help those with macular degeneration (4/28/16).
. gene therapy for depression kills prostate cancer cells (12/12/15).
. how to save lives with DNA testing (WSJ 8/2/17)
. Researchers have found a way to reliably remove disease-causing mutations from human embryos, an achievement sure to renew concerns over so-called designer babies (NYT 8/2/17)
Though gene transplant technology is still in its infancy, it will eventually grow into a thriving designer baby industry which allows desirable genes to be chosen by the parents and then imbedded into the DNA of their newly conceived babies. In theory and coming soon in practice, gene transplantation technology will be used to fast-track the evolution of a super-human species… evolution on steroids. This thread is the premise of the novel, The Origin of Evil. The manuscript was written over five years ago and the recent overabundance of media coverage will serve as a springboard to insure the success of this interesting novel.
Like Michael Crichton, Robin Cook and Dan Brown, after forty years in the fields of science and medicine, Dr. Berberich acquired the background and knowledge that enables him to imagine the future of tomorrow’s science. The Origin of Evil is a 76,000-word mystery/ suspense novel that is both riveting and educational.
Synopsis
Daman’s tale… a child born without a soul.
Scientists exploring the designer baby concept were responsible for a critical error in judgment. The consequences of that misstep were horrific, yet would not be discovered for years to come. However, by then it could be too late.
The Vatican-twenty years later.
Pope Peter II’s nightmares had crossed the boundary between disturbing dreams and harsh reality, and the actual consequences were terrifying. Renown geneticist Kevin McCarthy and his assistant, Meighan Cole, were urgently summoned to Rome and commissioned by the Holy See to investigate. McCarthy’s findings were shocking. Evil was rooted in the very structure of human DNA, and the laboratory mistake occurring years ago had spawned a generation of evil beings…and they were living among us undetected. Left alone, this new kind of evil would change mankind into an advanced species with no genetic soul. Meighan and Kevin had been chosen by the Pontiff to define and eliminate the threat, if that were even possible.
Dr. Berberich has self-published three techno-thrillers in the past six years, No Known Species, The Gene Trap and Shadows of Reality. These novels are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In addition, Shadows was a quarterfinalist in The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Writing Contest.
Dr. Berberich is a retired interventional cardiologist and graduate of Georgetown University, University of Pittsburgh and Emory University in Atlanta.
Stephen N Berberich MD, FACC
DOCSNB1.aol.com
Excerpt
The Origin of Evil
A novel
Stephen N. Berberich
Book I
The Root of All Evil
Preface
October 31, 1476—somewhere in the wilderness near Bucharest, Romania
The vibrant colors of autumn had all but vanished, replaced by the wicked winds of an early winter. Overhead, the filtered glow of a full moon pierced the cloud-strewn sky, casting eerie shadows moving ever so slowly across the rugged hillside.
Nightfall brought with it a shroud of dense fog that settled ominously over the battle-weary encampment. Its pervasive chill resisted the warmth of bonfires scattered here and there. A groundswell of fear seeped into the tent city. These brave men knew the angel of death would soon come calling.
Vlad, their leader, huddled in his quarters next to Brutus, his black German Shepard. He was steeling himself for the battle to come and carefully weighing his chances of survival. By all measures, the odds were not in his favor.
Vlad recognized he was a terrifying figure among those who had faced him in combat. Alas, too few had survived to spread the myth of his invincibility.
His enemies knew him as Kazikli Bey (Sir Impaler). This was the name given to him by the armies of the Ottoman Empire when they stumble on Vlad’s “forest” of impaled victims dangling from spiked wooden poles near his castle. The stench of the corpses and the sight of their suffering were so unnerving that the Sultan sounded the retreat and left the scene of the impending battle. Perhaps the memory of that afternoon would carry Vlad and his ragtag army through the horrors awaiting them at daybreak. Yet, there was one detail he must attend to before facing his destiny. He was not always the evil monster of legend and Vlad’s duty was to set the record straight about his life and times.
Vlad dragged a makeshift bench close to the smoldering embers at the center of his tent and began to write:
“I, Vlad III, was born in Transylvania in the year of our Lord, 1431. My father, Vlad II Dracul, was first in line to become the future ruler of Wallachia. Regrettably, the identity of my true mother remained forever
hidden from me. Perhaps that matter contributed to my many eccentricities.
“As ruling princes, my brother and I were well-educated by both Romanian and Greek scholars commissioned from Constantinople for that purpose. It was here that I learned the skills of war as well as the disciplines of science, mathematics, and the arts. During this period of my life I was, in every sense, a normal child.
“In 1436, our father, Vlad II, ascended the throne of Wallachia, but in 1441 rival factions in league with Hungary amassed an army and ousted him from power. In order to reclaim his throne, father entered into an agreement with the leaders of the Ottoman Empire. As an expression of his allegiance to them, father sent his two legitimate sons to serve as hostages in the Ottoman court. Soon after the covenant was struck, Vlad II regained his rightful position as King of the Realm.
“Sadly, the status quo was not to last. In December of 1447 the enemies of our father, with the aid of John Hunydi, rebelled against the throne and killed my father, the king, in the marshes somewhere near Baltemi. At the same time our eldest brother and heir-apparent to the throne was blinded and then buried alive.
“Surrounded by constant turmoil and the horrific deaths of family members, I began entertaining thoughts of the macabre and the pleasures derived from grisly killings; though I would not act on these morbid impulses until later.
“After the death of our father, I fled to Moldavia seeking safe haven with my uncle and protector, Bogdan II. Alas, within months of my visit, he was assassinated. Thereafter I fled under cover of darkness to Hungary, where I reconciled with my father’s former rival, Hunyadi.
“Death was smothering me from every direction. To allay my anxieties, I began impaling stray animals on sharpened sticks and then watching for hours as they suffered and died. The agony of living creatures was my only respite from the torment dwelling inside of me. At the time, I knew my actions were wrong, but that sense of guilt quickly passed. Now that I’m older, concepts of right and wrong have no meaning for me and I am free to do as I please.
“Because of my reputation for cruelty, I was chosen to lead an army into Wallachia to recapture my birthright. Ultimately, I killed the king, Vladislav II, in hand-to-hand combat. I can still recall the exhilaration I felt as I saw him take his last tortured breath.
“Several decisive victories against the Ottomans followed. Those battles prompted the Sultan Mehmed II to send envoys to me in an effort to end the hostilities between our countries. I answered the Sultan’s petition by nailing the envoys’ turbans to their heads and then killing them. As I recall, it was the first public display of my dark side.
“In response to this affront, the Sultan sent Hamza Pasha, the Bey of Nicopolis, to kill me. I countered by launching a surprise attack that soundly defeated the Turks at their campsite. The Bey’s soldiers, along with their leader, were captured and summarily impaled in a nearby forest. In deference to his military rank, I saved the highest and most prestigious stake for Pasha.
“At the end of the day, the sheer number of victims burdened my troops, so the method of death had to be refined. The last impalements were carried out by attaching the victims’ legs to a horse and then having the animal drive a sharpened, oiled stake ever-so-gradually through their torsos while my men and I watched. The victims were then hoisted in the air and allowed to die slowly.
“In a separate encounter, the Turks actually turned back in fear when they chanced upon a large number of rotting corpses impaled on the banks of the Danube River.
“Impalement was my preferred method of torture. I recall feasting amongst a virtual forest of dying victims who had been hoisted atop pointed stakes while my executioners on the ground went about amputating vital parts of the suffering. Their cries of anguish were music to my ears.
“As time passed, I spiraled ever deeper into an abyss of evil. I roasted children alive and fed the burned flesh to their mothers. I cut off the breasts of wives and forced their husbands to dine on them. After that I had all of them impaled. Suffering became an addiction I craved.
“I suppose I should feel some sort of remorse…but I don’t. I’m convinced something vital is missing inside, and I can sense its absence. It is a part that most men cherish… not me.
“Some of my countrymen still insist I am a great crusader and a hero. Maybe I was that as well. Above all else, I hope they remember me for what I am, not what I am purported to be.
Signed Vlad III - The Impaler
After finishing this final duty, Vlad arose from his bench and settled into an improvised bed on the ground next to Brutus.
Little is known about Vlad’s final battle. History reports that his troops were soundly defeated somewhere in the forests between Bucharest and Giurgiu. Folk lore tells us that Vlad was captured and unceremoniously decapitated. His head was taken to Constantinople as a trophy, and his body was buried somewhere in an anonymous gravesite deep in the forest.
It is clear that Vlad’s life did not herald the origin of evil, nor did his death end its existence on earth. Far from it.
Jeff Martin, his friend, Hawk, and his dachshund dog are captured by Osage Indians. Eventually they escape and find their way home. Due to his unusual shape Adolphus is called a Spirit Dog.
