Gene Mapper Read Online Free PDF

wiped them with a handkerchief from his pocket. I thought the fogged lens effect was another Zucca touch, but apparently he was actually drinking something hot from a mug the same size as those used by the café.
    “Are you home right now?” I asked.
    “Home office.” Kurokawa put his glasses back on. Now I noticed that his hair, always as carefully arranged as a doll’s, was slightly out of place here and there.
    “Did you even get any sleep?”
    The contact from Mother Mekong couldn’t have come in later than ten last night. Kurokawa was conferencing with L&B at four-thirty a.m. Then he conferenced with me, and this meeting was scheduled through half past four. Which meant he hadn’t slept. No wonder he looked tired.
    “I’ll get some sleep after we’re done. I’ve got another meeting tomorrow morning at four. If I don’t sleep, I won’t be in any shape to talk.”
    He put his hand to the back of his neck and shook his head from side to side. A waitress with a tray of empty cups and glasses came over quickly, smiled as she took his mug, and walked away. He returned her bow casually.
    Zucca offers full service combined with total augmented reality, but people’s need for human contact is another reason it’s popular. I started coming here after work with friends from my polytechnic, but the chance to communicate with some pretty nice-looking people adds a bit of color to the drabness of everyday life.
    “Sorry to take your time, but before we get started I need you to get me up to speed for tomorrow. Enrico is going to be there, and if that weren’t enough, the VP is sitting in. We’re going to talk about the SR06 package you delivered.”
    “You mean Barnhard?”
    I had a sinking feeling. There was no way I could isolate the intruder’s DNA before tomorrow. Kurokawa would catch the heat instead of me, and he’d be hung out to dry, if not by the industry then at least by L&B.
    “Yes, the one and only. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Enrico, but it was Lintz who managed to grow Mother Mekong into a five-star project. It’s getting lots of attention from all over the world. He’s worried, of course.”
    “Do you need me to back you up?”
    “It’s all right, Mamoru. Get a good night’s sleep and keep working on your analysis. That’s the most important thing right now.” He sighed. “I’m sorry to say this, but Lintz is becoming a problem. He really ought to leave everything to Enrico. He knows the project in much better detail. Recently Lintz has been all over every little thing …”
    It was rare to see Kurokawa grope for words. His face darkened. He closed his eyes, knitted his eyebrows, and grasped his lower lip between thumb and forefinger. Suddenly he looked very young. His glasses and seemingly painted-on hair had always drawn most of my attention, but with his flawless skin and darting pupils, I realized he could easily pass for a teenager.
    “I’m sure Enrico’s livid, but Lintz has taken over the investigation. At least that’s what seems to be going on. A few people have seen him chewing Enrico out over the last few hours.”
    I’d heard about Barnhard’s political savvy. If he decided Enrico wasn’t making the cut, he’d not only make sure he was out, he would make sure no one in the industry remembered him after he left. Good thing I was a freelancer. We were usually insulated from corporate politics.
    “If Barnhard starts stirring things up, people on the front line will lose their motivation,” said Kurokawa. “I want to prevent that by making sure he isn’t worried about the technology. I hope you can help me.”
    “All right. What do you need to know?”
    “Let’s keep it short. If I can explain the principle behind color mapping, and why we weren’t able to do L&B’s logo in full color, I can get over tomorrow’s hump. That’s all. Go ahead.”
    “That’s all” was a lot. Where to begin? For a moment I was stumped. I had hardly understood the