CodinG The ChAos

April 2036

Dr. Irina Vernydub taps her heel nervously as she sits in a sterile non-descript office facing a monstrous mahogany desk. The office belongs to the director of the ROHGUE (Research in Optimizing the Human Genome for Unlimited Evolution) project, a man she has only seen from afar until now.

An established subject matter expert in the field of human genetics, Dr. Robert Krasinski began the ROHGUE project five years earlier with a group of well-established geneticists and other esteemed scientists from around the world. Irina immediately became fascinated with the group's mission to further the understanding of human genetics and its crucial role in the resilience and longevity of the species. Over the past several years, Irina had honed her own research in hopes of gaining a spot on Dr. Krasinski's highly coveted team.

Today is the day that she'll finally get her chance.

"Ah, the novachok. Welcome, newcomer."

Irina startles at the boom of Dr. Krasinski's deep voice and the click of the door closing behind her, thrown off by the use of her native language. She fumbles with her binder as she stands to introduce herself. Her impossibly tight twisted bun has given her an involuntary face lift.

"Dr. Irina Vernydub. It's such an honor to meet you, Dr. Krasinski."

Dr. Krasinski grasps Irina's outstretched palm in a quick handshake before he assumes his position behind his desk and Irina takes her seat. Dr. Krasinski wastes no time in getting down to business. No room for pleasantries in his office.

"So, Dr. Vernydub, I hear you have some information you'd like to share? Some research that may be of interest for the ROHGUE project?"

"Yes, I hope it will be of interest to you and your colleagues."

"Please, continue."

Irina shifts in her seat, flipping open her binder of research.

"As you know, the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Power Plant occurred fifty years ago and since then, there have been many efforts to understand the effects of extreme levels of radiation on the surrounding animal and plant life."

Dr. Krasinski nods, his frameless glasses slipping to the tip of his nose. Irina continues.

"Specifically, over the past few decades, there has been increased interest in studying the feral dogs inhabiting the exclusion zone around the power plant and how their genomes have been impacted by the radiation. Based on multiple studies conducted in the 2010's and 2020's, it's been demonstrated that these dogs have experienced more rapid degrees of evolution involving various genetic mutations."

Dr. Krasinski raises his eyebrows, signaling her to get to the point. Irina clears her throat.

"My team at the National Human Genome Research Institute has traveled to Ukraine on many occasions, collecting data over the past decade to further substantiate the findings of the previous studies on the dogs. I must say the results are quite astounding. Not only do the results support the implication of rapid genetic evolution, but the results also show an increased resilience to environmental toxins. And not just radiation, but heavy metals and other hazards. With this insight, my team and I believe that we can work to formulate a way to transmute this resilience to the human genome to increase life expectancy."

Irina pauses, short of breath out of the excitement of discussing her life's work.

"Yes, I've followed your work, Dr. Vernydub. It's very impressive," Dr. Krasinski says.

He removes his glasses with both hands and sets them on his desk. Leaning forward, Dr. Krasinski rests his elbows on the mahogany and clasps his hands in front of him. His tight-lipped smile precedes Irina's disappointment.

"Unfortunately, this is not the type of research we are supporting at the moment. We are strictly focusing on the human genome, not the genomes of other species."

Irina's heart drops into her stomach, her hands gripping the edges of her plastic binder. "Oh. I was under the impression that other proposals would be considered as well."

Dr. Krasinski shakes his head. "I apologize if you were misled by any of our communications."

Feeling like a fool, Irina closes her binder, avoiding eye contact with Dr. Krasinski. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to waste your time."

Irina stands abruptly as Dr. Krasinski responds. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Vernydub."

Expecting Dr. Krasinski to show her out of his office, Irina gives him a weak smile. She endures a moment of awkward silence as Dr. Krasinski makes no move to stand, then she nods before turning and escorting herself out in disappointment.

November 2038

Looking up at the towering glass building, Irina didn't think she would be entering its doors again after Dr. Krasinski dismissed her so quickly a couple of years before. But, to her surprise, an email sent directly from Dr. Krasinski himself popped into her inbox last week. Dr. Krasinski was vague in his message, but it was clear to Irina that the subject was urgent.

Now, she's here in Washington, D.C. walking into the same glass building to meet the doctor once again.

"So great to see you again, Dr. Vernydub. Please follow me."

Dr. Krasinski greets Irina in the lobby and leads her to a conference room with frosted glass down the hall.

Irina opens her mouth to ask why she was summoned but thinks better of it when she enters the conference room. The room is filled with men and women in white coats typing furiously on their laptops, and the ROHGUE logo is projected onto the wall on the opposite side of the room. Two seats at the table are empty, one at each end.

"Please have a seat."

Dr. Krasinski motions to the empty chair at the closest end of the table while he proceeds to the other end, to the chair located in front of the projected ROHGUE logo.

Irina settles into her seat. The other scientists acknowledge her with curt nods as Dr. Krasinski shuts off the lights and begins his presentation.

Irina stiffens as she watches Dr. Krasinski flip through countless slides. She listens as he explains the current proposal to move forward with a novel type of gene therapy. A therapy that is based on her research. A therapy that is not based on human DNA, but on the canine DNA obtained from the Chernobyl studies.

As Dr. Krasinski continues, Irina's mouth falls open in shock. The ROHGUE team is formulating an intramuscular injection containing a vector of canine DNA for human use to counteract any adverse effects from radiation and extend the human life span. Essentially, a vaccine for immortality.

Wrapped up in a whirlwind of thoughts, Irina fails to notice that Dr. Krasinski's presentation is over until he flicks the lights back on.

Her eyes wide, Irina scans the room of scientists. Most are middle-aged men and only a couple are women around her age. They all stare at her, waiting for a response. Irina feels like a rabbit caught in a fox's den.

Irina nervously clears her throat. "With all due respect, Dr. Krasinski, this goes beyond the limits of my research. We are still investigating the effects of inbreeding on the evolution of the dogs in the exclusion zone. We need more time to discern the genetic differences caused by radiation versus inbreeding."

"We do not have the time, Dr. Vernydub. We are under pressure from the government to develop this new treatment. Not only to prolong life, but to preserve it. The threat of nuclear war is greater now than it ever has been."

"Surely there are other ways to-"

"Either you agree to be a part of this proposal or not. We are moving forward with this regardless of your decision. We at least wanted to give you the courtesy of choice."

Although stunned, Irina stands her ground. "I cannot condone this proposal. It would be absolutely reckless to continue with so many unknown variables, not to mention the incomplete genome sequencing to understand the risks."

"If you do not want to be a part of this project, you may decline."

"Please, you're making a mistake," Irina begs. "We don't know the dangers of this type of gene therapy, especially cross-species. You cannot just introduce canine DNA into a human cell without consequences."

Dr. Krasinski scoffs. "Do you think we have not done any due diligence, Dr. Vernydub? Of course, we have run preliminary in vitro studies with human cells and there have been no observed adverse effects."

Irina blinks and swallows, scanning the room before continuing. "You all must understand that in vitro studies are not always predictive of what will happen in vivo, in human beings themselves. What about idiosyncrasy? You cannot predict unexpected reactions."

The scientists remain silent, not one of them questioning or objecting. They are just sheep in white lab coats, herded together and brainwashed into thinking this proposal is ethically and scientifically sound. Irina is dumbfounded as she glances back to Dr. Krasinski who sits in his chair at the far end of the table, crossing his legs and folding his hands.

"I... I don't know what else to say. I do not agree with this approach," Irina says.

Dr. Krasinski sighs, though his eyes do not display any disappointment in response to Irina's declaration. "Very well. As I said, you are free to decline your participation; however, the proposal will proceed. If you have nothing left to add, then you may be on your way, Dr. Vernydub."

September 2041

Walking through the city on her way home one afternoon, the display of an electronic billboard stops Irina in her tracks. The screen flashes with bright colors, brilliant greens and yellows. The ad is eye-catching, immediately drawing the viewer's attention to a happy scene.

A set of grandparents are smiling in a luscious garden of flowers with their young grandchildren as a German Shepherd playfully greets them with a sunflower in its mouth. The grandparents and their grandchildren are laughing as one of the grandchildren accepts the sunflower from the dog with a gentle pat on its head.

"We'll never miss a moment now that we've had CaniGENE!" The grandfather exclaims.

"It's one simple injection, just like the flu shot!" The grandmother adds.

"Thank you for helping Grandma and Pop-Pop, Niko!" The granddaughter hugs the German Shepherd.

CaniGENE - Man's True Best Friend

The screen cuts to another ad, but Irina can't tear her eyes away. It isn't until someone bumps into her shoulder that she is brought back to reality.

They did it. I can't believe they actually did it, she thinks as she rights herself.

A sudden chill slips beneath the collar of Irina's coat and she instinctively draws it tighter against her neck as she continues her walk home.

January 2044

Irina's vision blurs as she stares at the projected news reel on her living room wall. Her brain only reads one word.

Feral

She catches snippets of the broadcast, unable to truly comprehend what she is hearing.

CaniGENE...

Single injection...

Rapid mutations...

Psychotic breaks...

Increased salivation...

Heightened sense of hearing...

Hysteria, delusions...

Loss of impulse control...

Increased reports of violent crimes...

Police unable to contain...

Doctors have no treatment...

Irina's hands fly to her mouth. She forgets she is holding a full plate of grilled chicken and potatoes, and everything falls to the floor. The porcelain plate shatters and the food splatters onto the hardwood.

Within seconds, Irina's Dachshund, Mila, trots over and begins cleaning up the mess, savoring the fresh chicken as Irina remains unmoving, unable to pull her eyes away from the chaos playing out on the screen.

***

Author's Note: The studies on the feral dogs living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are real. A Google search will bring up articles detailing the research and some of the findings so far. As a scientist, I find it both fascinating and heartbreaking to read about the everlasting effects of such a devastating disaster.

P.S. Certain letters in the title of this piece are capitalized for a reason. If you have some knowledge of DNA and genetics, you'll probably be able to figure out why!