The Lazarus Factor

THE LAZARUS FACTORNICK CROWCOREY PRESS INC. Copyright © 2023 by Nick CrowAll rights reserved.The Lazarus Factor is a work of fiction. The story, names, characters, and incidents are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.First Edition.Created with Vellum CONTENTSStay Up To DateWhat is real?1. Harvard University2. Harvard University3. Ibrahimi Mosque4. Harvard University5. Ibrahimi Mosque6. Harvard University7. Aeter Pharmaceuticals8. Harvard University9. Himalayas10. Aeter Pharmaceuticals11. London, United Kingdom12. Hotel Solert13. Harvard University14. Harvard University15. Santorini16. Harvard University17. Mount Auburn Hospital18. Mount Auburn Hospital19. London, United Kingdom20. Aeter Pharmaceuticals21. ⠀22. Beauport House23. Beauport House24. Beauport House25. Route 12826. Ministry Of Sound27. London, United Kingdom28. Freemasons’ Hall29. Freemasons’ Hall30. Freemasons’ Hall31. Office Of The Chief Medical Examiner32. Freemasons’ Hall33. Aeter Pharmaceuticals34. ⠀35. Aeter Pharmaceuticals36. Somerset House37. Somerset House38. Somerset House39. Green Terrace Apartments40. Green Terrace Apartments41. Presidential Suite, Lanesborough Hotel42. Green Terrace Apartments43. The Presidential Suite, Lanesborough Hotel44. Green Terrace Apartments, Spitalfields45. Primorsky District46. Aeter Pharmaceuticals47. Green Terrace Apartments, Spitalfields48. Spitalfields District49. Green Terrace Apartments, Spitalfields50. Spitalfields District51. Green Terrace Apartments52. Spitalfields District53. Train À Grande Vitesse54. Train À Grande Vitesse55. Train À Grande Vitesse56. Château De Montségur57. Château De Montségur58. Château De Montségur59. ⠀60. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht61. Farmhouse In Montségur62. Aeter Pharmaceuticals63. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht64. Place De La Comédie65. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht66. Technohull Seadna 999 Tender67. Bell 429 Helicopter68. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht69. Bell 429 Helicopter70. ⠀71. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht72. Amels 188 Luxury Yacht73. Survitec Inflatable Life Raft74. Salamis Naval Base75. Harvard University76. 1369 Coffee House77. Davis Square78. Davis Square79. HimalayasAcknowledgmentsSelected references This book is dedicated to Dr. Sarah Tishkoff. STAY UP TO DATEJoin the email list at:https://www.nickcrowauthor.com/email-list ABOUT THE LAZARUS FACTORA secret hidden in our genetic code will rewrite history as we know it…Sara Morin, a brilliant computational biologist, makes a discovery that will fundamentally change our understanding of human evolution. But when she publishes her results, she ignites a firestorm she never expected.Hunted by a ruthless assassin, Sara finds herself partnered with New York Times reporter Marcus Byron. Together they race across Europe, through Cathar castles, Aegean islands, and beyond. On the run, Sara must decipher a mysterious set of genome sequences.As they begin to uncover answers, powerful forces turn their sights on Sara. If she can’t decode the sequences in time, she’ll end up dead—and the world will never know the shocking truth about the people who rule it. WHAT IS REAL?The Rosicrucians are a secret society that originated in the early 1600s. Notable members include Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Davinci, Isaac Newton, and even Thomas Jefferson.Likewise, locations such as the Beaufort House, the Freemasons’ Hall in London, the Château de Montségur, the Ibrahimi Mosque, and even the Saydnaya Prison are accurately described right down to mosaics, tombs, and torture methods.Apart from the central conceit of the novel, all the science is factual. This includes the lab work, experiments, and genomic analyses. CHAPTER 1HARVARD UNIVERSITYCambridge, Massachusetts12:05 PM, June 8th W ith a click, the monk locked himself in the bathroom stall. He unslung his backpack and dropped it on the lid of the toilet. Leaning against the door, he closed his eyes, drew in a breath, and began to chant.“Om mani padme hum…om mani padme hum…”Words of generosity, wisdom, ethics, and perfection—Buddhism’s eightfold path distilled into the fewest syllables.Slowly, his muscles relaxed, and peace filled his mind. Only then did he open his eyes and unzip the backpack.Inside glistened the upper and lower receivers of a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle. Carefully, he removed the two halves of the gun, connected them, and retrieved a thirty-round magazine. It snapped easily into the Bushmaster’s magazine well.He lifted the rifle to his shoulder and sighted down the length of the barrel. He’d trained as a soldier before he became a monk, and he found the rifle simultaneously alien and familiar. While the materials and the mechanism were new to him, the method was the same: point and shoot. He knew he’d have no trouble using it effectively.He centered himself again. “Om mani padme hum…om mani padme hum…”He was here for a single purpose, and he needed to be focused. Yet a tiny part of him still hesitated. What he was about to do was not in any sutra or shastra. In fact, it was antithetical to nearly everything Buddha taught. But he was bound by duty, by obligation, by a deeply rooted sense of responsibility. This mission had received the abbot’s blessing, and his brothers depended on him.The monk slipped two additional magazines into his jacket pockets, then completed his preparation by pulling a black ski mask over his head. Leaving the backpack behind, he crossed from the restroom into the hallway. He walked quickly. He should have been raging with adrenaline, but he remained relaxed, steady.His eyes locked on a sign above a doorway. He couldn’t read the words, but he’d memorized their shape: Fitzpatrick Lab. Lifting the rifle to his shoulder, he burst through the door. Screams erupted as he scanned the room, but he tuned them out and muttered the mantra under his breath.“Om mani padme hum…om mani padme hum…”His gaze flicked to a group of young people a few feet away. Two men and a girl. Brown hair.There she is. He aimed the rifle at the girl and pulled the trigger.But even as she fell, he saw he’d erred. She wasn’t the one. Her wrist was unblemished. His target had a small bird tattooed just above her right hand.He continued to breathe slowly, his heart rate steady as he made his way deeper into the laboratory.“Om mani padme hum…om mani padme hum…”Then he saw her—frozen with terror by a lab bench, her hands raised in submission.His finger flexed, and he fired three rounds into