Read De Novo (The Gene Thief Series Book 1 - Short Story) for Free Online Page B

meant saving this child she saw on the news.
    Locating and copying genes was all she knew how to do in life and all she wanted to do. Ever since Kira woke up in that apartment as a confused and naïve teenager, just five years ago, this was her entire world. Besides, who else gets to travel the world and make copies of other people's genes? When she put it that way, she figured she had it pretty good. Working a 9-5 sounded much scarier than what she did.
    Her mind escaped this good news for a second and thought back to that shaman. His eyes continued to haunt her. The way he failed to react, and the look of expectation on his face. Never before had she snuck up so elegantly and perfectly, and yet had the feeling that the element of surprise was nowhere to be found. Maybe he had started that incense of hallucinogens on purpose. As she went over the sequence of events and how they took place, that vine began to stand out as more and more of a lifesaver. They probably would've tied her up and sacrificed her to the merciless gods of the rainforest. It never sat well with her that she had to steal these genes. One of the only rules had to follow was the one found on a note left in the apartment. It was there when she woke up in the room and stated very clearly that if she questioned the process, her life would take an unpleasant turn. Ever since that note Kira toed the line, but deep down she knew that her thirst for answers would become so insatiable, that it would take over.
    For now, she was back in her apartment, home again.
    Ready for the next mission.