The present world afforded rich prey for blood and wealth in the international drug dealers and the sex slavers that congregated in just about every major city east or west; and even the youngest fledgling could feed on this mortal underclass with some success. Even the youngest fledgling could befuddle, outsmart, and easily dispatch the more organized of mortal criminals, and pocket the stacks of cash lying around in gangster hideaways and drug depots, and if he or she could not, well, best to keep that secret from the elders of the tribe as well as from one’s own companions, as far as immortals like Gregory were concerned.

“It’s not the cloning that interests me here,” said Fareed, “though it’s an immensely interesting subject.”

“Irresistible to many,” Gregory answered. “I’m sure.”

“It’s this doctor. Something’s wrong here, or perhaps I should say something’s strange.”

“I’m listening.” Gregory sat back looking at the four long streams of cards. “Why are they just red or black?” he asked under his breath.

“First off, she’s not who she claims to be at all.”

“How can that be?” Gregory asked. He gathered up the cards and shuffled them, as expertly as a dealer in a gambling casino.

Fareed explained.

“She’s created an identity and a record for herself using, as far as I can tell, the records of four deceased researchers in genetics. I’ve pretty much tracked all of this to its roots. She came to work for you ten years ago. And I understand, she never met you and you never laid eyes on her. And she’s been publishing brilliant papers and reports ever since. All to do with genetics and genetic engineering, medicines genetically perfected for the individual user, that sort of thing. The cloning has gone on under the radar. I’ve cracked into her secret records. But she’s too clever for matters to be transparent. She writes in German and English mostly, and I’m sensing the use of a highly sophisticated personal code.”

“And all this strikes you as dangerous, as a justification for us to intervene? Or do you want to bring her over? Make her one of your own staff?”

“Well, that’s how it started,” said Fareed. “I thought just maybe she’d be a brilliant addition. But now I’m quite obsessed with something else.”

“And that is?”

“Why did she create this fake identity? She’s obviously brilliant. So why would she do that? I can’t find a single shred of evidence as to who she was or might have been before she created this persona for Collingsworth Pharmaceuticals. It’s as if she came into existence ten years ago.”

Gregory was listening now intently. “Well, how could you find any evidence, I mean, if she doesn’t want you to?”