Database: 05. Phoenix Project Report

(Note: Melanie... this is one of the documents I mentioned. Now that your security clearance has been raised, I think its time you understood the full picture. -AG)

*** LEVEL VIII SECURITY CLEARANCE ONLY***
***IT IS A FEDERAL AND INTERNATIONAL CRIME TO READ OR POSSESS THESE DOCUMENTS WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORIZATION-UN Charter, Special Appendix C NGO and Corporate Benevolence Waivers) ***
***VIOLATORS WILL BE PUNISHED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW***

THE PHOENIX PROJECT, SPECIAL REPORT 15 September, 2014

Covered in this brief:

I. Successes
II. Challenges
III. Next steps

PART I. SUCCESSES
While the general public remains content to generate amusing tornadoes of sound and fury over the basic facts of evolution, we have made such incredible progress in our study of the precursor Hominid species that it renders these minor squabbles utterly irrelevant. Our advances, achieved through decades of diligent research and ingenious experimentation by Abstergo's best and brightest, have finally led us to a full understanding of the teleological origin of our species. We are now prepare to embark on our THIRD major phase or research into our progenitor creators, Homo Sapien Divinus (H.S.D. hereafter).

The first stages of Abstergo's study of H.S.D. began with nominal efficiency in the 1950s following Rosalind Franklin's pioneering but censored discovery of Triple Helix DNA. Our scientists achieved further success in the late 60s with the discovery of the fossilized remains of four H.S.D. specimens near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Evidence of this precursor race had already been the subject of speculation and rumor for many centuries before, but with modern scientific techniques we were able to confirm their existence beyond any doubts.

Phase two began in 1971 with the creation and funding of Abstergo's first official Precursor Habitation Expedition. By the end of that decade, seven large-scale Denisovan sites located in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia had been discovered and partially excavated. These discoveries were not made without setbacks, however, and the quality of the data was often questionable. But we entered the 1980s with no doubts as to their importance. It was at this time, too, that a concerted effort was made to recover as many tools, artifacts, and curios as possible from these and other sites.

Phase three has now been in full operation since 2004, guided by the explicit mandate to sequence an entire precursor genome by the year 2018. So far we feel we are in good position to meet that goal. In parallel with this project, an adjunct team has been tasked with the job of acquiring as many distinct samples as possible and extracting whatever useful genetic memories we can obtain. Their work, tangentially related to the sequencing project, will be invaluable in the long term as a source of advanced scientific and historical knowledge.

In conjunction with the H.S.D. genome project, additional teams have been tasked with sequencing the genomes of related species in the homo genus. To date, these teams have made the following progress:

Homo Sapiens Divinus (~04%)
Homo Sapiens Sapiens (COMPLETE)
Homo Neanderthalensis (COMPLETE)
Homo Erectus (~17%)
Homo Antecessor (~04%)
Homo Ergaster (~13%)
Denisova Hominins (~02%)
Homo Habilis (~16%)
Homo Sapiens Idaltu (~27%)

Initial reports indicate that at least some of these hominids, like us, owe their existence to the Precursor H.S.D. species. The genome of Homo Neanderthalensis (Neanderthals), for example, bear unmistakable signs of deliberate craftsmanship. Further archeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals may have been explicitly designed and built as a military or expeditionary force. Research into this field of study is in its infancy, but is ongoing.

PART II. CHALLENGES
Progress with the H.S.D. genome has been slow since our project began in 2006 in collaboration with researchers at Rosalind Franklin University. As the functional half life of DNA is approximately 500 years, we are resigned to the fact that most remains of H.S.D. organisms will contain at best 0.625% of their original information.

Secondly, acquisition of actionable remains has proven difficult. We suspect one reason may be that the H.S.D. species, at the height of its cultural development in 80,000 BCE, had an almost universal preference for cremation over the elaborate burial rituals preferred by lesser hominids (ourselves included). We also know that, following the large-scale Toba extinction event, the H.S.D. species died off very rapidly as members of the Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalensis advanced at a startling rate. Further evidence indicates that these latter species dismantled and salvaged almost all precursor sites as a means of survival.

However, in recent months, we have discovered the existence of two potentially fruitful sources of intact H.S.D. DNA. One source has been confirmed recently: a recurring, though extremely rare breed of human male archetype born with enough Triple Helix DNA to account for 5% to 6% of his total genome. Colloquially called Sages by previous generation, these specimens – if captured alive, or with enough genetic material intact – would enrich our search for precursor DNA samples immeasurably. The second source is classified pending confirmation, but early results are promising.

PART III. NEXT STEPS
The "Tactics and Strategies" committee advises the following courses of action in the near future:

1. Utilize Animus technology to locate humans with trace amounts of embedded Triple Helix DNA. As has been demonstrated by the findings of the late Dr. Vidic, crossbreeding between H.S.D. and H.S.S. did occur on more than one occasion. Average ranges in normal humans typically run from 0.0002% to 0.0005% of the total genome, while the DNA acquired from Subject 17 was an extraordinary 0.952%.

2. As mentioned in Part II, make all efforts to locate more "Sages." Living samples are preferred, but any remains younger than 3 or 4 millennia would give us a significant advantage.

3. Locating so-called "Blood Vials," purported to contain the preserved blood of Precursor luminaries, would also prove invaluable. It is not known how effectively the vials have preserved these samples, but they are nevertheless a promising source of additional information, especially if acquired in bulk.