S i b lings, p.14
S.I.B.lings, page 14
“Must be deep,” Drake chuckled. “You did not hold back on the tequila.”
“There's really no easy way to say this so I'm just going to put it out there,” Wade began. “Based on the information that was provided in the binders there are, at the very least, over 500 siblings out there. There's a breakdown that was provided and I'm just going to share that information with you. There are four different generations from what I can tell. The first generation proceeded in a rather conservative pattern. While we do not have an identity on the donors indicated, we do know that during generation one there were 90 siblings created. From there we were able to determine that Monty, you, Ross, and Dane have thirty siblings each out there somewhere. This investigation is just beginning, therefore, at this point, we have no idea how many survived the experiment.” Wade exhaled before continuing. “Drake, your situation is a little more complicated. It seems when your generation came around a single person had become the primary donor. Based on the breakdown in the document, you could possibly have a little over 400 siblings.”
Everyone turned to stare at Drake.
“You want to say that again?” Drake choked on his drink.
Wade chuckled as he responded. “During the 3rd generation, one particular donor was used at least 50 times, possibly as many as 400 times.”
“Is that shit even possible?” Drake asked. “I mean I know a man can be potent, however, is it possible for one man to deliver a sperm count of 400?”
“I’m going to make this as simple mathematically as I can. It is a fact that a man could fertilize two women per day through normal sexual activity.” Wade explained. “If he did that for one week, with two different woman each day, that could generate 14 children. If he continued that activity for a month, he could father up to 56 children. Multiple that activity by six months, you are looking at a total possibility of 336 children.”
Monty snickered. “So, the answer to the question, is it possible, is yes. It is possible.”
“The number elevates when you are using the IVF procedure. You could take a man's sperm and match it up to eggs of numerous women and create a multitude of children.” Wade continued. “If Chambers was able to take that donor's sperm, match it with eggs he withdrew from the females created in his lab, the number of S.I.B.s could be substantially higher.”
“Why is the range of numbers so wide for Drake?” Dane asked.
“Let’s take a closer look. Based on the documentation, the same donor number appears with an extended alphabet at the end. There are three hundred instances that have an A at the end. There are one hundred thirty instances that have a B at the end. The last entry has fifty instances with a C at the end. Giving a total of 480 possible siblings connected to this one donor.”
“Based on the breakdown it is reasonable to conclude that the a-b-c identifies the three Bradfords and not just one,” Ross summarized. “What if it is just that simple.”
Wade stared at him as his mind went back to the document Sapphire had shared with him. “The donor number next to Drake’s name has a B at the end. If we follow Ross’s suggestion that would mean that donor B represents Bradford II giving Drake 130 siblings.”
“Hell, that would make you the son of Bradford II, which makes you the brother of Bradford III.” Monty laughed. “What if it is just that simple?”
Drake sat up suddenly. “Wouldn't that mean that half of the Chambers estate would belong to me and possibly the other siblings once identified?”
“Technically yes,” Monty replied.
“Then wouldn't that give me precedence to be able to challenge Bradford III for the custody of the siblings?”
“That is a possibility as well,” Monty stated. “However, we would have to be able to prove it. Right now, this is speculation. We have no idea who donor A, B, or C is at this point. Until we do there is no legal remedy for you or any of the other siblings.”
“This makes it imperative for us to be able to identify who these donors were,” Drake stated.
“I think it is important for us to determine and identify the siblings first and foremost.” Wade stated. “Once we've identified them, we would be able to run the necessary tests to prove in the court of law or in the court of public sentiment which donors are related to each sibling. And at that time, it would be up to each one of you how you want to pursue or not pursue a relationship with these new the siblings.”
“In my case, we need to find Bradford Chambers III because I do believe our speculation may be right.” Drake stated. “I mean there is a reason why it went from 90 in one generation to over 400 in another generation. At some point in time, Chambers concluded that using one sperm donor would save him time and effort in finding other donors. Since we know that his whole theory was based on intellect, it is a safe assumption that he would use himself as the donor. I mean the man did have a very high IQ.”
“What I've come to learn in my years in business, is the quickest way to find any person or entity is to follow the money.” Dan stated.
Everyone turned to look at the man who had sat quietly throughout the discussion.
Dan smiled. “I know if I have not taught you boys anything else I have taught you as businessmen how to find the leader of any organization before we attempted a takeover. You go about this the same way. Ask yourself three questions. Where did this all start? Who was in charge of that organization? Who was the person making the decisions? Start with those questions and it will lead you to your answer.”
“Well, we know everything started at DiscoveryU,” Wade stated.
“DiscoveryU, the think tank?” Dan questioned.
“You know about DiscoveryU?” Wade asked as all of them stared, shocked at Dan’s words.
Dan nodded. “Years ago, I was one of the founding members of DiscoveryU. Back then it was a think tank designed to find the most brilliant scientists we could to help cure famine in the United States and around the world, discover cures for different diseases that we just couldn't seem to get a handle on, and a way to help with space exploration in addition to climate issues. Anything that you could think of to help our country become stronger. To help the world become a safer, healthier place was the original goal of the founders.”
“Are you still affiliated with them?” Wade sat forward.
“No, their focus changed. It became more about greed and power and less about helping people. When we first started, we had a board of billionaires whose focus was really to take some of this wealth that each of us had and make other people's lives wealthier so to speak. But about ten years in, they hired a young attorney. He had different views and ideas on how DiscoveryU could make billions off of some of these discoveries where our scientists were making inroads. The focus changed at that point. When that change took place, a number of us stepped away from the organization. Most of us were not there to get wealthier. We were there to make people’s lives easier. It no longer functioned the way we had originally started.”
“We have been attempting to get information on DiscoveryU's founding fathers. Do you have any information on them?" Wade asked.
“Oh, I'm sure I do. I don't throw away anything. And it's about time that you got around to looking into your parents’ origins. I wasn't there during the time that your parents were. I had left by that time. However, when I met with your father, he told me about the situation at DiscoveryU. He didn't go into a lot of details because we didn't have a lot of time to be honest, but he did tell me that he left the organization because of the young attorney…Ackerson, I believe he is a congressman now. The other man that was with him was Cunningham—Justice Cunningham. He’s on the Supreme Court now. They made a number of questionable decisions that I believe diminished the reputation of the organization.”
Monty glanced at Wade then spoke. “Those are some high-ranking names, Dan. Are you sure of the names? Are there any other people that you remember back during that time?” Monty asked.
“It was so long ago, son. I'm surprised I remember those names. But I do because they changed the makeup of the organization. They felt that they could make some government connections. You know, that would get them the funding to produce products without using our own funds. We were billionaires, we didn't need government funding. I felt it was an overreach. We had the money to do the research that we wanted to do. But they got into this thing of being funded through the government. What they didn’t understand is when you fund through the government then the government takes part ownership of whatever it is that the scientist does. It would also give them a say in the production or the distribution of whatever it was that all scientists would come up with. This approach defeated the whole purpose of the organization. The rich were going to have access to whatever we created, invented, or designed; and those that were less fortunate than that were going to be left out in the cold again. That wasn’t what we were about.”
“I think they understood what the government’s role was going to be. They just didn’t care.” Ross stated. “Their eyes were on how much money they could make off of someone else’s hard work.”
“Does the name Jason Rolfeman ring a bell?” Wade asked.
“Jason, sure,” Dan nodded. “I knew Jason back then. He and his wife were trying to conceive. He was hoping the work at DiscoveryU would assist them. He was very interested in genetics back then.”
“Dan, I need to find those papers on DiscoveryU,” Wade stated with a touch of urgency. “Do you have any idea where they would be?”
“Upstairs in one of the storage rooms,” Dan replied.
“Dinner is ready,” Rachel called out.
“Let’s eat, then we need to search for those files on DiscoveryU.” Wade stood.
Chapter 24
After dinner, all of the Tysons ventured upstairs in search of boxes with information concerning DiscoveryU. The one thing they all admired about Dan was his ability to organize. It was one of the traits that he passed on to Kate which allowed her to get them organized as children.
“Most of the boxes pertaining to work are going to be in that room over there,” Dan pointed his cane as he spoke.
“Good because I'm still having nightmares about that room over there,” Rachel pointed as she walked in the opposite direction.
“Why would Kate's room give you nightmares?” Dan inquired with a frown on his face.
Remembering the experience from opening his mother’s journal took place in that room, Wade spoke up to keep Rachel from responding. “She's just having a hard time living up to the memory of Kate,” Wade said as he followed Rachel into the room.
“No need to be concerned about that Rachel,” Dan smiled. "When Wade gave you the Kate Tyson Award, I was so proud. There is no woman that I have met so far who deserved it more than you.”
“Well thank you Dan,” Rachel stood in the room with her hands on her hips.
The men followed in behind her. Inside the room, which was a good 20 x 20 feet in size, there were white boxes stacked on each of the four walls. Each of the boxes were labeled. Some of the spaces had boxes from floor to ceiling, about 3 rows deep.
“The boxes are stored by entities and then by year,” Dan stated. "If you're looking for DiscoveryU, it would be on that wall where my investment documents are. Since that investment was during my early thirties, they are probably in the first row.”
Wade walked over to the wall that Dan indicated followed by Monty. They began moving boxes and passing them back to the other brothers.
“These are all businesses you invested in?” Ross asked.
“Yes, those are investments in different startup companies, DiscoveryU was one of them,” Dan replied.
“You invested in Microsoft?” Dane asked.
“And Apple as well as Tesla?” Drake looked up in surprise.
“I have invested in a number of things over the years,” Dan laughed. “I learned early to find ways to ensure our future without working hard all my life.”
“It is good to have passive income.” Ross chuckled. “You picked some good start ups, that is for sure.”
“I found one,” Wade handed the box to Rachel, “It has DiscoveryU written on the outside."
“Dan, would you mind if we set this up in your study? Rachel asked.
“You may want to use the dining room table,” Dan suggested. “There are a number of documents and photos in there that you may want to spread out to get a full picture of the concept of DiscoveryU and compare it to what it turned into.”
“I’ll take these downstairs and get started,” Rachel stated.
“You don't have to do that,” Wade glanced over his shoulder at her.
“Are you kidding? First off, this is what I do for a living. I'm an investigative reporter. I know what things to look for in these documents. Second, this is turning out to be the story of a lifetime. There is no way I'm going to miss out on any part of it. My gut is telling me that we're not only about to break open the case on the serum, but we’re also about to get some information on the P.I.E. organization too.”
“That’s the organization the mayor of Richmond was talking about on the news. Why do you think info on them will be here?” Dane asked.
“Because two of the names involved in the P.I.E. organization are the same two names that are connected to DiscoveryU.” Wade explained. “We know that the serum is being used to kill people. We know that the P.I.E. organization is the main entity using this serum. I have a feeling we're going to find that the connection between the S.I.B.s and the P.I.E. organization is going to be the serum. Rolfeman and Ackerson are going to be the major players in this game, with Chambers as the distributor.”
“Don't forget we have a third name now,” Monty stated. “The name Cunningham came up. Do you know how powerful Cunningham is?”
“I hope we are wrong,” Rachel said. “But if Justice Cunningham of the Supreme Court is involved in either case with P.I.E. or the S.I.B.s. that would mean that the man who heads up the intelligence committee in the Senate, the man who heads up the judicial committee in the House, and one of our Supreme Court justices are involved in a conspiracy against our country.”
“It is my understanding from what Alex Burnett shared with me about the P.I.E. organization, it's main focus was on the superiority of the white race. Cunningham is black.” Monty stated.
“A Black justice who seems to have disdain for his own race, one who is willing to go against his own best interests sounds foreign to you?” Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Like I said, I think we're going to find something interesting in these boxes that will link the two organizations together.”
Dane placed his box down and then took the one from Rachel. “I'll get us set up downstairs.”
“I’m right behind you, Dane,” Rachel said as they left the room.
“Here’s another box with DiscoveryU on it,” Monty passed that to Drake.
“Here's the third,” Wade stated lifting the box.
“There shouldn't be any more than that,” Dan stated. “Like I said, I didn't stay with them long.”
Monty and Wade went through the remaining boxes on that wall.
“I don't see any more with DiscoveryU on it,” Wade said as he glanced around the room. “There is a wealth of information in this room. One day I'm going to have to come and just spend some time here going through all of these documents. For now, let's go through the boxes we have, to see what we can find.”
“I will tell Consuela to prepare some sandwiches and drinks for us to go through these boxes.” Drake stated as he turned to walk out with the boxes.
“My Lord you just finished eating Drake,” Dan said as he followed them out of the room.
“I know I just used up all of that energy finding these boxes. Now I'm going to need new energy in order to go through them.”
Dan smiled. “I’m going to let you boys go through those while I go to bed. Lock up when you leave.”
“Will do,” Monty replied as he closed the door behind them.
Chapter 25
An hour later the documents from inside of the boxes had been spread out in three areas. The dining room table where Rachel and Wade sat reading was covered with documents. Monty sat at the kitchen table reading through contracts that were found in the box. On the island, where Dane sat at one end and Drake at the other, was covered with food, drinks and other documents.
“Look at this,” Ross, sitting in the family room with folders spread out on the coffee table, held up a folder. “These are pictures of a variety of people and a bunch of old newspaper articles.”
“Are they clear enough to see?” Rachel asked. “Some of these documents seem a little blurry. I mean you can still read them but they're not as crisp.”
“They are pretty clear,” Ross stated. “Look,” he placed the other pictures on the table causing them to spill out of the folder. He held up a newspaper article. “Wade, I think this article is about your mother.”
They all stood and walked over to the sofa where Ross was seated.
“It is a news article about a study that would help with Alzheimer's patients.” He explained.
Wade took the article from Ross as Rachel looked over his shoulder. “Look how young she is,” Wade whispered.
“Your dad was a lucky man. She was a good-looking woman. “Drake stated.
“Was?” Rachel chuckled. “She looked just like that the day I met with her, not a day older. You have her eyes,” she said to Wade.
“All intense and shit,” Drake laughed.
Monty's attention was elsewhere. He picked up one of the pictures that had spilled out onto the table. He stared at the picture of four men holding drinks. “I’ve seen this man before.” Monty looked closer. “This man was in the room when I met with Chambers.”
Wade, who was still looking at the picture of his mother, shook his head. “That was Joe in the office, the ex-sheriff from Bristol.”
“No, not when I went to the office with you. I’m talking about when I was a child.” Monty pointed to the picture. “I remember him walking out the door. He questioned young Chambers about a product he was working on.”
