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just..."
    "I understand, sir. Can you please tell me what occurred next?"
    "Uhm, once I recovered my senses I entered the panic code."
    "The panic code?"
    "Yes, on the alarm system. We have various emergency protocols, as is common for high net-worth households, and I initiated the panic protocol."
    "Which is what exactly, Mr. Graves?"
    "Well, uhm, what it does is locks down the house with steel blast doors at every door and hallway, while simultaneously alerting the Police Department."
    "So every room in the house is sealed off from one another?"
    "Yes, sir, that is correct."
    "So you didn't enter the den?"
    "Oh no, no, I wouldn't have even if it hadn't been sealed. I was terrified. I waited for the police to arrive."
    "Thank you, Mr. Graves. I sincerely appreciate your perseverance."
    Alton walked back to the prosecution table.
    "One last question, Mr. Graves," he said, turning around and looking into Arthur Williams' eyes.
    "Who was in that den with Geoffrey Bartell?"
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    JEFF LANDED IN DC with a knot in his stomach. The flight had been uneventful but he was plagued by an encroaching sense of dread. He dialed Geoffrey as he exited the terminal building, the briefcase his only luggage. His palm felt clammy against its handle. He didn't know what was in it, but he had a good idea. Senator Denville was a permanent fixture in Congress and currently headed up the Senate Committee on Ethical Biogenics. If he had "come around" then the briefcase most likely held a tidy sum of money, possibly one installment of a much larger package.
    "Good, you've landed," said Geoffrey without any preamble.
    "Yeah, heading for the taxi stand now. Where am I going?"
    "The Jefferson. Presidential suite. Grab the key at the front desk, go up and wait. Denville will come straight up at two PM."
    "Awfully cloak and dagger," said Jeff as he stepped out into the frigid DC air. Unusually cold for this time of year he thought vaguely as he headed for the nearest taxi cab. "What are we discussing with Denville?"
    "Not much to discuss. Just exchange pleasantries, give him the briefcase, ask about his grandkids, and head home."
    "Come on, Geoffrey, don't treat me like a child."
    "Look, there's not anything to discuss; I've already set everything up. This trip is just logistics. That's why I sent you."
    Jeff swung open the cab door and tossed the phone onto the back seat with a scowl, then climbed in behind it. "The Jefferson," he snapped at the driver. After taking a steadying breath he lifted the phone again. "You know what, Geoffrey? Maybe I'll just turn around and head home," he said, making no attempt to disguise the anger in his voice. "You're the one who gave us the pep talk about being a team, remember?"
    There was a tense silence before Geoffrey responded. "Okay, you're right. And I apologize."
    "Apology accepted. Now tell me why I'm here."
    "Well, it seems the good senator has had a change of heart," said Geoffrey with a note of pride in his voice, "It appears he's realized the benefit of early detection and prevention of hereditary disease."
    Jeff's stomach fluttered. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
    "Yes I am, Jeff. This very afternoon Denville will be recommending that the Biogenics Committee classify fetal gene manipulation as a safe and acceptable disease prevention technique."
    "Can he convince the entire committee?"
    "He's confident that he can, yes."
    Jeffrey watched the trees slide by the cab window as he absorbed the news. They were bare and brown and their skeletal fingers grasped in vain at the few rays of sun filtering through the cloud cover. Further out the Potomac was a golden sliver against the grey skyline. From here one could almost conceive an aura of worthwhile purpose emanating from the city. But Jeff knew better. He disliked the game of politics, yet he endured it as a necessary evil in pursuit of the life-saving improvements he believed GenLabs' could bring to the human