He snorted. On the side, right. It was actually a funny joke, and he found himself surprised at his response to it. At the mention of his research location, he frowned slightly. Samuel had no idea. And he wasn't sure how willing he was to tell.
As they walked out onto the street and turned right, walking along the block, Archer grew quiet. His question made him fidget slightly, glancing down at the sidewalk to watch his feet. Now, he could lie, or he could be truthful. He was strongly considering lying, but that was disrespectful. If nothing else, he owed Samuel some respect.
With a deep breath, he looked over at the other man with a blank expression. "It's actually the reason I'm here." He paused. "I heard rumors of this building housing strange tenants, and...I thought that it was worthy of investigation. I arrived here and began collecting samples. Most of the tenants are very phobic concerning science, they don't want to be involved. But I was able to attain one sample..." He trailed off, trying to think of how to word this.
"The young man had moved in after the event that caused the...werewolves you speak of. It was an isolated twenty-four hour period wherein the residents of the building experienced a change in their bodies and minds. Physical and mental change, if you will. Then there was a second event for the period between sunset and sunrise, wherein the residents were affected again. This time, the young man transformed into a lion." He realized how silly this was, but he had seen it. "And I know it's ridiculous, but I obtained a sample from the creature and tested it. They had the same mitochondrial DNA, Samuel. It was identical."
His expression was excited and cautious all at the same time. "I tested both samples repeatedly, but the results were all the same. The mitochondrial DNA was the same, but the nuclear differed slightly. I believe that that difference was caused by a change in gene promotion, a shuffling of the traits if you will." He paused, glancing down at his shoes. "It's preposterous, I know. But I've seen it." Griffin's voice was a ghost in his head. "It isn't a prank or a ruse. It exists, and it could change the way we view the human genome."