Cranax Outbreak Read online

  Table of Contents

  CANDICE LIM

  CRANAX OUTBREAK: SOME OF US WEAR DESIGNER GENES PART 1

  PROLOGUE

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  ALSO BY CANDICE LIM

  Copyright © 2020 by CANDICE LIM

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  CANDICE LIM

  Candice Lim writes over-the-top Sci-fi romance. Published by Daily Science Fiction, Scientific Malaysian & FIXI.

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  CRANAX OUTBREAK: SOME OF US WEAR DESIGNER GENES PART 1

  CANDICE LIM

  In the alternate 2020, the scientific nation of Asia Nova is ruled by a group of elite scientists called the Community. All others are the Peasants. It’s the prime time of genetic engineering. Artistic dreams are frowned upon and non-academic hobbies can only be pursued in secrecy.

  The wrestle for power in the Community thrust the demotivated Roxy Riley into the path of the covert party who has abducted star scientist, Jane Hershey.

  While battling her crippling self-doubt and anxiety, Roxy spirals into a bigger problem when she finds herself in an accidental quest to rescue Hershey and protect her family from the Cranax virus plaguing her city. All while figuring out who her real friends are and who wants to get in her genes.

  The last person Roxy expects to run into is her high school ex, Samuel Maximoff whom she left for the Community. Turns out, he might be the only one who can help her and she might not want to lose him after all.

  Cranax Outbreak is the first book of the Some of Us Wear Designer Genes trilogy fueled with dark humor, scientific puns and a no-cliffhanger HEA that may offend some readers.

  PROLOGUE

  “As the director of Project Cranax, I disapprove of this action!” Jane Hershey stood up so abruptly the chair legs scraped against the hardwood floor. Her glare darted between George Tucker, Edmund Ong, and Adenine Cash sitting in a line at the other end of the glass conference table. George and Edmund were Hershey’s teaching colleagues at Connor University. Cash was their project collaborator who was appointed CEO of Meds and Drugs Pharma two months ago.

  “Whatever you’ve planned in your crooked minds, it’s against the Ethics. It goes without saying whoever goes against the Council suffer from dire consequences.”

  “Seems like you still don’t get it.” A twisted smile tugged at Cash’s glossy red lips. “Your pet project has failed to prove its worth. Our grant reviewers are already hitting the brakes. It’s time we reexamine our objectives.” She glanced around the soundproof conference room where all eyes were on her. “Well, we could make it look like an accident.”

  George cleared his throat and leaned forward as a surge of anger rose in Hershey. His blue eyes sparkled with dark fervor. “Now if what Cash said is right, this is the only way we can ensure the continued existence of the entire project. The virus holds the ticket to the Community and beyond.” George traded knowing looks with the other two. “All you need to do is to unleash it.”

  “Are you out of your mind, George?” scolded Hershey in disbelief. “We haven’t fully understood the epidemiology of Cranax yet. Trust me, none of us can control it when it’s out.”

  The three shared a condescending look before George let out a chuckle. “Hershey, you have the gene. Cash has the antiviral drug. Everything is laid out for you. You just need to give us the green light. What’s stopping you?”

  “The gene therapy has not passed the human trials. So far all we got is numbers on the screen. What if we were wrong? And that the anti-Cranax gene is ineffective? Do you think we could keep everything in control with just one pill? I thought you knew better. Cranax has displayed an extraordinary mutation rate, greater than anything we have known before, which is why we are still here. One wrong move and it would spell disaster.” Hershey felt her lips tremble with anger. “As long as I have a say in this matter, I’ll never give the nod. This is madness.”

  “What happened to our evermore optimistic Dr. Hershey?” Cash’s lips turned up in a smirk. “I don’t remember you were such a coward.”

  “I’d rather be a coward than a murderer,” Hershey flicked off the hologram screen and clutched her tablet. When she turned to leave, Cash stood up and aimed her Zapper in Hershey’s direction. Zapper was a non-lethal stun gun, exclusively licensed to members of the Community as one of the perks.

  Cash had stood up, finger on the trigger. A smirk on her face.

  Hershey’s heart lurched, unable to believe Cash, her partner of ten years, had resorted to this. “Are you crazy?”

  “Whoa, calm down. Don’t do anything stupid.” Edmund rose to his feet.

  “Don’t waste our time, Hershey. You’ve two choices. Work with us and together we rule the world. Or stand out of our way,” spat Cash, meaning business.

  Hershey’s jaw clenched hard. “Forget this crazy idea of yours. We can still make it right.”

  Cash’s laugh reverberated through the spartan walls. “You’re not in a position for negotiation, Hershey. I take that as a ‘no’. Now, kindly hand over Cranax.”

  “Never!” Hershey swore through gritted teeth. “You want to start a massacre. Don’t forget you’re not immune. None of us are. The last thing you want is your face on newsfeeds for unleashing a virus capable of wiping out the entire human race.”

  “Hershey, let’s not be so negative.” George stood up and spread his arms in a conciliatory gesture. “This is the road not only to riches and fame. Think about early retirement. No more teaching. You can buy your own island haven if this goes according to plan. It’s okay you don’t see the light right now. I promise things will clear up the next time you check your bank account.”

  Hershey’s glare darted between Cash and George.

  “Made up your mind yet?” Cash sighed and rolled her eyes. “My hand is getting tired.”

  Hershey lunged at Cash and grabbed the barrel of the Zapper, trying to wrestle it out of her hand. “You’ll never get your hands on Cranax.” Cash writhed and struggled to free herself from under Hershey’s weight. The muzzle of the gun dug in Hershey’s stomach as she loomed over Cash.

  A sickening buzz rang out in the room. Pain burst through Hershey’s back and spread down her spine. A scream ripped from her throat. Her whole body
went numb when Cash pushed her away. “Urgh, get lost!”

  Hershey staggered back and knocked on the edge of the conference table, where she grappled on for support. Her vision blurred and the world wobbled around her. Hershey turned at George where another Zapper pointed in her direction. George’s finger was on the trigger.

  “Sorry, Hershey.” A smirk quirked up the corner of George’s lips. No guilt or remorse on his face.

  Cash grimaced in disgust as she checked her coat for lint. “When it happens, you’ll thank me for pushing for this, Dr. Hershey.”

  As darkness consumed her vision, Hershey passed out. It wasn’t a graceful defeat. She collapsed on the floor in a pile, her limbs sticking out at odd angles.

  “Now, we’ve one less person to split the profits with.” Cash placed her Zapper on the table and plopped in her chair with her legs crossed. She smiled at the men. “Everything’s going according to plan.”

  “What―what are we gonna do with her now?” Edmund glanced anxiously at George and Cash.

  Cash drummed her fingers on the armrest and glared at Hershey. Look at you, the great Dr. Jane Hershey. Where are you now? At my feet. Cash smirked to herself and drew her attention to the men looking expectantly at her. “You two, take her to the Underlab.”

  “Us?” Edmund’s eyes widened at George.

  Cash rolled her eyes. “She isn’t going to crawl herself there.”

  “Why do you want to complicate stuff? We can get rid of her right away,” sighed George.

  Cash snorted. “Why the hurry, George? Can’t wait to take her out?”

  George looked away, his lips in a grim line.

  Cash gazed into the distance. “I want Hershey to live to witness the day Cranatol, the antiviral drug of my invention, monopolizes the world market. I want to see the look on her face when she learns she’s made a grave mistake by distrusting me. I want to hear her say in her voice, ‘Oh, Dr. Cash, you were right all along. You were the true genius’.” She snapped back into the present. “In the meantime, she’ll make for good insurance if Cranax goes out of control.”

  “Fine then,” sighed George. He rolled up his jacket sleeves and bent over Hershey’s unconscious body. Edmund followed suit.

  “Hurry up. We’re going to get Cranax.”

  George and Edmund traded surprised looks. “From where?”

  Cash sneered. “Well, there’re only a few BSL-4 labs around here.”

  1

  ROXY

  “I cannot put this in a better way, but Roxy, this is awful.” Dr. Jane Hershey, my final year mentor, broke the agonizing silence, kicking me straight out of the purgatory to the fires of hell. Her eyes burned on the tablet. My tablet. The one with the pink heart-shaped sticker on it. Scrutinizing every number with her eagle gaze. “My whole life in research, I have never seen values so low as such.”

  A sick feeling scorched in the pit of my stomach. I fumbled for something to say, but nothing came out, so I just made some noise. “Um…”

  “Have you tried using the protocol I suggested the other day?” Hershey finally looked up over her platinum-framed glasses. Her eyes probed into my soul. “Have you, Roxy?”

  “Um, yeah. That’s what I got.”

  “Hmm, that’s strange. It shouldn’t be that difficult when everything is automated nowadays. Back in my days, I’d have to mix the reactions myself.” The Queen of Genetics turned away, this time to the multiscreen computer where her fingers danced on the holographic keyboard. It wasn’t a pet name. Hershey was crowned as the Queen of Genetics during the International Annual Science Pageant Award in celebration of women in science.

  My world was split into two classes- The Community and the Peasants. Hershey belonged to the Community, the upper class of Asia Nova who held doctorates in STEM fields. To get there, they must first pass the National Science Program which I was in. The peasants were everybody else. The Community was the only way to the Council, the governing body of Asia Nova.

  Asia Nova had not been a part of the old world order until the Asia Novan Revolution two centuries ago. Back then, life wasn’t any better either. Humanity suffered in the dark era of global warming, world hunger, and scientific refutations.

  Science was never a profitable investment and lawmakers were driven by greed. Ancient scientists sacrificed years and lives to ameliorate the lives of the common people. Yet their voices were unheard and their names unsung. It took the concentrated effort of one person to change their destiny forever.

  Prof. Zelda Rose became the founder of Asia Nova. As a postdoctoral climatologist and virologist, Zelda predicted the onset of the Heat that later led to an outbreak of Cranax, an ancient virus strain liberated from the permafrost containment of the melting ice poles.

  The origin of the Heat was still in question. Her proposal for a vaccine development to combat Cranax was rejected by her superiors. When Zelda sought external help and conducted secret experiments to find the cure, her vindictive superiors sued her, resulting in her imprisonment in an asylum.

  Zelda found herself in the company of three fellow scientists whom she later worked together to escape. They sought refuge in an abandoned laboratory complex and continued their work on the vaccine development. She led a covert operation later called the Asia Novan Revolution to vaccinate the volunteers who supported her hypothesis.

  But they were still too late.

  Cranax had struck the old world before they could reach half the nation, wiping out three-quarters of the population. The scientists didn’t give up. Zelda and team joined forces with the survivors and took over a decade to reconstruct the new world. Under a single government, they established Asia Nova, a nation based on the doctrines of science.

  The Asia Nova dream was to create a utopian world that would overcome the limits of humans, which had failed in the old world. The vision came at a huge price. For some to get to the top, they had to shove the rest out of the way and send them to the bottom, even by unethical means. The survival of the fittest all over again.

  I relaxed my shoulders not realizing how long they had been tensed. My guess would be the start of my final year. Since the start of my final year project to be exact. The fears of doing something wrong always haunted me. What if I added the wrong chemicals? What if I used the wrong formula? What if the results sucked? What if the machine exploded in my face?

  Maybe being a peasant wasn’t a bad idea after all. I’d contemplated dropping out the third time today. The stark bleakness of the lab reflected my state of mind. I wondered how much of the inflated tuition fee went to the renovation. The chilled air pricked my skin and dampened the remaining enthusiasm left in me.

  Sometimes I wondered if I was cut for this program at all. At 17, all the soon-to-be school leavers were given a chance to join the National Science Program. I’d no idea how I’d made it on the shortlist. I thought it was a glitch. But the Council never made mistakes. Unlike myself.

  “Are you still with me?”

  I snapped to the present. Hershey was staring at me and didn’t look pleased. Panic welled up in my chest. “I’m sorry?”

  Hershey fell back in the swivel chair with a sigh. She had a creepy stare that made uneasiness crawl over my skin.

  I grasped desperately and without avail to recall what she said. I could taste blood when I realized I was chewing my lip. She stirred in her chair when I cut her off.

  “Oh yes!”

  Her brows drew together as her head jerked back. Regret slapped me right in the face. “Yes? I was asking if there’s a chance you got your calculations wrong.”

  “Uh, I’m not sure.”

  She turned to the screens and docked the tablet to her computer. A chain of numbers popped up on the main screen. “Transfer completed.” A mechanical voice announced. Hershey unplugged the tablet. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you,” I muttered.

  “Double-check everything. Try out the new protocol and report to
me at the end of the day.”

  I nodded. It’s best not to say anything when you’re dumb. I was walking towards the door when she called me back. I could feel the bile rise in my throat. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and mustered a neutral expression.

  Hershey’s legs crossed gracefully, her pristine long coat cascading down her sides. Her auburn hair was tucked neatly in a French bun, not a strand astray. The only thing that showed she was in her thirties was the fine crinkles on her forehead and around her eyes. Everything about her advertised professionalism and exuded the ideology of the Council.

  “If Prof. Zelda Rose had given up, we wouldn’t have a chance to live in this utopian world. Believe in yourself, Roxy. You can do it.”

  I nodded.

  “In reason we trust.”

  “In reason we trust.” I slipped through the double door that hissed open. Out of the lab, the knot in my stomach finally disentangled.