Genes, page 1
Other Books by Mary Ting
ISAN, International Sensory Assassin Network, Book 1
Helix, International Sensory Assassin Network, Book 2
Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
Awards
ISAN—International Sensory Assassin Network, Book I
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction & Fantasy
2019 Benjamin Franklin Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction—Post-Apocalyptic
2018 American Fiction Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction
2018 International Book Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Young Adult Thriller
2019 Readers' Favorite Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Young Adult Action
2018 Readers' Favorite Awards
SILVER MEDAL—Young Adult Fiction—Fantasy / Sci-Fi
2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
FINALIST — Action Adventure
2019 Silver Falchion Awards
Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
BRONZE MEDAL – Juvenile / Young Adult Fiction
2019 Illumination Book Awards
Genes
An International Sensory Assassin Network Novel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Mary Ting
All rights reserved.
Cover Credit: Michael J. Canales
www.MJCImageworks.com
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher, except where permitted by law.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-64548-011-2
Published by Vesuvian Books
www.vesuvianbooks.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One — My Twin
Chapter Two — East Compound
Chapter Three — Release
Chapter Four — Meet and Greet
Chapter Five — The Plan
Chapter Six — Regroup
Chapter Seven — Black Market
Chapter Eight — Like Old Times
Chapter Nine — Old Friends
Chapter Ten — Meeting Mitch
Chapter Eleven — Explosion
Chapter Twelve — Unexpected Reunion
Chapter Thirteen — Home Base
Chapter Fourteen — My Father
Chapter Fifteen — More Training
Chapter Sixteen — Ozzie
Chapter Seventeen — The News
Chapter Eighteen — Brother from Hell
Chapter Nineteen — Councilor Chang
Chapter Twenty — Helix
Chapter Twenty-One — Welcome Back Brooke
Chapter Twenty-Two — Confused Brooke
Chapter Twenty-Three — Preparation
Chapter Twenty-Four — Others
Chapter Twenty-Five — Crystal Tower Casino
Chapter Twenty-Six — The Girls
Chapter Twenty-Seven — My Life
Chapter Twenty-Eight — Payton’s Team
Chapter Twenty-Nine — Going Home
Chapter Thirty — G.E.N.E.S.
Chapter Thirty-One — Lovely Brother
Chapter Thirty-Two — One More Chance
Chapter Thirty-Three — Too Late
Chapter Thirty-Four — Time to Rise
Chapter Thirty-Five — Boom
Chapter Thirty-Six — Nightmare
Chapter Thirty-Seven — Aftermath
Chapter Thirty-Eight — Next Plan
Chapter Thirty-Nine — The Facility
Chapter Forty — The Source
Chapter Forty-One — Inside Facility
Chapter Forty-Two — Goodnight
About the Author
Chapter One — My Twin
Ava
I sprinted to Zen’s office at the rebel base, my pulse thumping along with my footsteps. When I’d learned I had a twin from my father’s journal, I was possessed by the need to find her.
I had not found her through my own efforts but by fate. Well, by Zen’s blood test.
Zen didn’t say a word when I entered, but his wary eyes followed my every anxious step.
His old, rickety desk was empty. No TAB. No monitor. Just a scratched-up metal surface that had seen better days.
Chairs were lined to the side. The dilapidated wall of plaster and metal beams were to my left—destruction long ago untouched, unrenovated. So not his office then, but a place for a debriefing?
I gave Zen a tightlipped smile as I slid into my seat. Do I speak first?
The news Zen held would be life changing for me. No longer alone. I had a twin. A sister I could confide in, trust, with whom I could share the loss of our mother. The thought set my heart dancing.
Let’s get on with it.
I inhaled a deep breath and tucked my hands under my legs to keep them steady.
“Zen.” I gave him a curt nod.
I have information about your twin. I believe this is a topic I should share with you first. That was what he’d said to me when he’d ended the debriefing fifteen minutes earlier.
“Ava.” Zen raked his hair back, his brown eyes gleaming darker.
He seemed to have aged ten years.
Zen placed his hands on the table and then set them back in his lap, parting his lips to say something, but didn’t. He did that several times as if unable to make up his mind.
I would be nervous, too, if I were the messenger for something like this. He wasn’t talking to me about the weather.
“You’ve given us a lot of information to process, but I’m ready to find out who my twin is,” I said, still processing the torrent of mind-blowing news he’d thrown at us at the meeting. “I still can’t believe all the girls in ISAN have special natural abilities—they don’t need HelixB77 serum.”
“It was the reason why the protein drink was created. The drink not only suppressed their gifts, but it was a form of birth control as well.”
“I don’t know which is worse. On top of the unfathomable list of crimes, ISAN had taken their memories and given them a new narrative, one that would ensure they stayed obsequious.”
Zen rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck to the side to ease his tension. “Yes, that’s why I left. Anyway, let’s talk about the reason why I asked you to meet me. Rhett told me you read your father’s journal. And I did, too. So, I know what you know. But your twin has no idea about you. In fact—”
“I know she doesn’t. She couldn’t unless she was told about me here, or if she read the journal.” The metal chair legs scratched the floor as I scooted closer and crossed my arms on his desk.
“You keep saying she. Is there a reason why?” He unbuttoned the top button of his long-sleeved shirt.
I cracked my knuckles and flexed my fingers. “You took samples of our blood, and then you said you found my twin. So it must be Brooke or Tamara. Don’t keep me waiting, Zen. Who is it? I’ll be fine with either one. I just need to know.”
I shoved away the thought of Brooke, who hung onto life by a thread. I could only deal with one thing at a time. Right now I needed to know who my twin was.
Brooke or Tamara.
His throat bobbed. “I’m afraid it’s neither. You don’t have a sister. You have a brother.”
I struck back against the chair breathlessly, the momentum almost tipping me back.
“But you said you tested our blood. Me. Brooke. Tamara. And ... and ... Oh, God.”
No. It couldn’t be. But yes, it could. He had beautiful silver eyes. He looked part-Asian like me. But ...
Gene is my twin?
Zen said, “Fraternal twins don’t always look alike and don’t have to be the same gender. Sometimes, they have differently colored hair. One may look more like the mother, and the other the father. Twin only means you shared the same uterus.”
“Yes, I know.” I didn’t mean to snap at him, but his words gave me no comfort. He was explaining something I already knew adding more fire on the blazing torch. I inhaled a deep, calming breath. “I-I don’t know what to say. All this time, I assumed ... I was sure I had a sister. Does Gene know?”
He already answered that ... I can’t even think.
Zen relaxed his shoulders, looking less rigid than when I first entered. “I told you first. However, I did question him to find out what he knows.”
“What did you ask?”
“I asked him if he had siblings. If his parents were alive. The usual. How do you feel about Gene being your brother?”
I tapped my foot like a drummer in a rock band. “Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” I already knew the answer.
Zen rested his folded hands on the table and hiked an eyebrow. “If it’ll make you feel better, we can run another blood test. But it will have to go at the bottom of the list of things I need to do.”
At the bottom. My needs are not important to you. I get it.
Though his face was a portrait of a calm scientist, his sharp tone suggested I’d dented his ego. He had a lifetime of experience in a lab and I had none.
“I would like that, if it’s not too much trouble.”
After going back to ISAN and risking my life to get a sample of HelixB88 as he’d asked, I had at least earned a second blood test. I had to be sure. And no matter how confident he sounded, there was always human error.
“All right. Not a problem.” Zen relaxed his clenched fingers on the table. “You’ve spent some time with Gene. Have you seen him do anything special?”
I fixated on the clean wall behind Zen. “If there is something special about him, he never showed me and none of his supervisors said anything. Even during our training, he didn’t stand out. Why do you ask?”
Zen rubbed his temple and frowned. “His DNA indicates he’s different from other males in ISAN. Though his genetic signature and yours are similar, his test shows something unique, as does yours.”
“Maybe I can ask him? Can I see him?”
Zen closed his eyes, and then opened them, the lines on his forehead deepening. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. He’s not cooperating.”
Was he worried?
I gave him a sidelong glance. “You’ve got him locked up. I would have an issue, too.”
“No. We’re treating him well. I did explain we needed to evaluate him before we set him free.”
“I’d like to see him now, please.” My voice was clipped, leaving no room for disagreement.
Zen released a swift breath. “Fine. But don’t expect much.”
“I don’t expect much from people in general. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break.”
“I’m sorry, Ava. I know how much you’ve been through.”
Do you? Do you really? I didn’t know Zen well. I hoped he didn’t throw those words around lightly. He looked and sounded sincere, but could I trust my senses?
I leaned back and crossed my legs. “It is what it is. I don’t think about the past much.”
Zen nodded once and rose. “Come with me. He’s behind the wall.”
I almost ran into him when he stopped well away from the door. Instead of leading me into another room, he placed his palm on a panel.
Red light zigzagged over his hand. Then a section of wall to his right slid up, along with a thick steel door behind it. A descending staircase materialized in the dim light.
A hidden room.
“You had that built?”
“Yes. For this specific reason. We are at war, Ava. I have to prepare for everything.”
I understood his reasoning. Going against a network such as ISAN would require resources and creative planning. And secrets.
Zen tilted his head. “Go ahead. I’ll be right here. He might not welcome you if he sees me. Just a warning. Two of my men are down there. They know who you are. I already informed them you might be visiting.”
I trusted Zen, but the assassin in me hesitated. A narrow stairway would make a good trap.
Stop the nonsense thoughts. You’re fine. Rhett is right outside waiting for you. Zen is on your side.
The door clicked shut behind me when I descended the steps. A cool draft and a sterile scent greeted me. Two men waited next to a long, rectangular table equipped with high-tech machines.
“Ava.” The sandy blond lowered his Taser. “We’ve been expecting you.”
The second man with dark, buzzed hair pushed a button on a TAB, and the other half of the room lit up, revealing a thick glass panel dividing the space between guard and prisoner.
Gene lay on a cot, the only thing inside his polished, clean cell. He sat up cautiously when he spotted me, his gray eyes bright and wide. His hair a bit disheveled but he looked healthy. Not battered or bruised. No mark of being mistreated.
Gene wore the same clothes he’d had on when Tamara had kidnapped him. She’d needed his help to carry Brooke out to safety.
Poor Gene. He was a means to an end.
I would say he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was fate. Good fortune for the both of us.
Gene had been there all along and I had missed it. My obstinacy had cost us time. Better late than never.
My heart skipped a beat when I approached him.
Aside from having the same color eyes, Gene and I shared no similarities. He had a prominent forehead, a sharper nose, and a square jawline.
Gene met me at the glass wall, his gaze hard as if I had disturbed him. “What do you want?”
I flinched. There was nothing friendly about his tone, and his expression had changed, too. Gone was the affable smile he’d given me when we’d trained together. Still, I understood. I would be unhelpful too if I were held captive.
But he was my brother. I had to accept that fact and hope he would accept it, too. I had much to tell him, so much time to make up for.
Something told me not to tell him just yet.
“Nothing.” I recoiled a step.
He eased his frown and tempered his tone. “I can’t believe you’re alive. How? You were dosed with HelixB88.”
Whether he was concerned or surprised, I couldn’t tell.
“Do you want me ... dead?” I was almost afraid to hear the answer.
Gene drew his face closer until his nose touched the glass. “No, of course not. I don’t want you dead.”
Relieved, I relaxed, but the way he slowly craned his neck from side-to-side, examining me as if I was some kind of science experiment, left me unnerved.
“No, not dead. Of course not,” he continued, his voice taking on a cruel edge. “HelixB88 would have been an easy death. Not the kind for a traitor who deserves a long one.”
What?
I took a step forward, raising my chin. Surely, I had misheard him. “What did you say?”
He cocked his head and met my stare with astute boldness. “You heard me, Ava. You’re nothing but a traitor. Traitor to your team. Traitor to Mr. Novak. Traitor to ISAN.”
It took me a moment to register, and when the words sank in, hurt was a ball of flame in my chest. Meeting my brother was not going the way I hoped.
Gone was the passive boy who didn’t look like he could hurt anyone. Tamara had disliked him at first. She’d said he was too arrogant. Well, I would have preferred someone cocky over this hate-filled monster.
Brother or no, if he stood in my way, I would kill him.
I slammed the divider with my palm. An icy ache piercing through my hand.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I gritted my teeth with fresh anger surfacing. “You have no idea how much we’ve been through, you and I. Taking away our memories was just a small part of the whole picture. So don’t say things you’ll regret. You need to know everything before you pass judgment.”
Gene placed his palm over mine, still on the glass, and for a second I thought he was going to apologize. But his blazing eyes could have burned me to ashes.
“I know everything. Everything ISAN did to you, to the other girls, to me. Novak trusted me because I understood it was all necessary for the future we were building.”
I dropped my hand, my ears burning. “And you believe him? You don’t think what he’s doing is wrong? To take away our choices, our lives. We’re not robots.”
Gene lowered his finger and traced an X on the glass. The moisture from his skin left a faded mark. “For the good of science and for the future, sacrifice is necessary. If I were Novak, I would have dissected your brain just to see that chaotic mind of yours. What else can you do, Ava?”
He pressed his forehead to the glass and gave a malicious grin, a promise he would act on his words if given half a chance.
I shuddered in disgust. Sick sycophant. A Novak and ISAN lover. There would be no changing his mind. He had fallen too deep.
He believed in ISAN. How many felt the same? How many knew the inhuman things Novak had done—was still doing—and didn’t fight back because they believed in his cause, too?
I slowly retreated, one step after another, still facing him. He looked like a wild animal ready to unleash his hunger upon me, the prey. So different from the boy who’d been on our unit. No—ISAN’s team, not mine. We had been training against the rebels, my friends.
When I didn’t answer his taunt about my abilities, his jaw clenched. He rounded his fist against the glass.
“Come back, Ava. Don’t you want to stay and tell me all the horrible things you’ve been through? What ISAN did to you? You weak, pathetic freak.”
Freak? I loathed that word.
“Shut up. You”—I pointed at him—“are dead to me. I’m done with you.” I was glad I had listened to my instincts and withheld the news of us being twins.
He laughed without humor, a dry sound. “Your rebels are going to die. We have big plans. Perhaps when you’re caught, Novak will let me dissect your brain. And then the rest of your body. I would love to see what’s inside you, how everything connects. You’re a traitor, Ava. A traitor. Do you hear me? A traitor. A traitor ...”
