Species Unknown [Book 1: Aves]

ONE

Day 00
2035 Annual Geneticists Recruitment Expo
California State University
Banquet Hall

Present-day...

AT FIRST, THERE WAS SILENCE. The deafening nothing settled over the anxious crowd as they stood in front of the grand stage. The rapid thrumming of my heartbeat seemed to be the only noise in the building.

Seconds turned into minutes as the silence grew until suddenly it began. I swore I could hear the crowd's simultaneous intake of breath as the stage lights slowly began to dim. As it did, the room hummed with the collective anxious excitement of hundreds of fresh out of college science graduates.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what led me here. I was never one to pursue such ambitious goals, but something about this opportunity seemed too good to pass up. Maybe it was the promise of something different. The promise of a new start and endless possibilities. Or maybe it was the scientist in me clawing to the surface, ready to jumpstart my career like the hundreds of young people gathered around me.

Breaking me from my thoughts, the blood-red curtains awoke, retreating off the stage to reveal a sizable black monitor. Static noises followed soon after, ringing throughout the room as the monitor flickered to life. The blank black screen faded to reveal a greying yet well-groomed man draped in a crisp white lab coat. He was only visible from the shoulders up, but I swore I knew that salt and pepper hair. A wave of recognition washed over me, and if the roaring cheers were any indication, I was not the only one to put a name to his face.

I sucked in a a sharp breath. There on the screen was Dr. Richard Grant; founder of C.R.O.S.S. Laboratories and the father of modern genetic technology. You didn't know science if you didn't know him.

Through the monitor, he looked upon the crowd with an air of magnanimity equal to his achievements. His angular features displayed his fierce grey eyes that seemed to flash with haughtiness. His thin lips curled up into an almost predatory smile as he looked down at the swarms of eager faces. When the spectacle of his appearance began to fade, so did the cheers. The increasing silence prompted Dr. Grant to start his opening speech.

His calculating grey eyes scanned the crowd before he sucked in a steady breath and spoke, "Imagine a world where nothing is finite..." his cool voice began, taking a dramatic pause before continuing, "...a world where modern technology can bend reality as we know it. Imagine no more, that world is now. That world is our reality to manipulate as we see fit. Welcome to the new age of science. Welcome to the era of genetic modification!" He announced exciting another wave of applause that erupted throughout the crowd.

Waiting until the noise died down again, he schooled his proud features back into his signature stoic expression.

Clearing his throat, he spoke again, his steely authoritative voice silencing the lingering cheers, "Each of you have traveled far to come to California for a chance to work at my esteemed genetics lab. I must say I am elated by the number of young people as moved by science as I am. It would be an honor to work with any of you bright young minds, but I'm afraid I only have a few internship positions open," he said, his seemingly apologetic expression only betrayed by the monotone of his voice and I found myself taking a step back.

He wasn't what I expected. I had painted a picture in my mind of what he would be like after years of studying his theories in pursuit of my degree. Seeing his steely features in front of me now, I almost couldn't believe he was the same man pictured smiling next to his lab coat-clad companions on the back of every genetics digital book.

Despite his pleasant words, I couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't genuine. Something was definitely off about him, and looking at the crowd around me, I wondered briefly if I was the only one to see through his ruse. If anyone could tell, they didn't seem to care. Instead, the eager faces around me stayed fixated on the monitor awaiting his next words.

After a few moments, the murmurs in the crowd aroused from his previous announcement died down. Satisfied, Dr. Grant began again.

"Thank you for understanding. Now, let's begin," Dr. Grant said, his steely grey eyes flicking somewhere offscreen to grab something. He pulled out a thin black tablet and began scrolling through something hidden on the screen. His fingers paused when he found what he was looking for, and he looked back up at the crowd.

"Here I have the list of names of the interns I have chosen based on merit to come work at each of my three laboratories. First off, the intern that will be working with our Pisces department is Leilani Ono," He announced, followed by a round of congratulatory applause from the crowd.

"The intern that will be working with the Canis department is Riley Desario," He continued, followed by another wave of cheers.

"And finally, the intern that will be working with the Aves department is...Aurora Hall."

Groans of disappointment echoed throughout the building after they announced the last name but for me, time stopped. My head spun when a wave of sense slapped itself into me. That was my name. I'm Aurora Hall. My breath came in short gasps while my mind reeled with the realization of what had just happened. He chose me.

"Selected interns, please make your way backstage to collect your access passes and your site locations. As for the rest of you, on behalf of C.R.O.S.S. Laboratories, I must say your continued support is appreciated and I hope you all apply again next year. Thank you, and good day." Then, with a click, the monitor went black.

I was so caught up in my disbelief that I just barely processed Dr. Grant's final announcement. By the time I refocused on my surroundings, the crowd had already begun clearing out except for two people who were making their way backstage. The chosen interns. Snapping out of my blissful daze, I set after them, eager to begin my new life.

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Hey beautiful people!

I hope you liked the first chapter of my book. This chapter is from the perspective of Aurora (as will most chapters be). However, if I swap perspectives, I will make it obvious and feature the character's name in bold at the beginning of the chapter like in the prologue (which features Dr. Grant's perspective).

I have big plans for this series as I am going to make multiple books (one for each department). Just a quick note: Aves refers to the classification of birds. Canis refers to wolves. Pisces (is an outdated term that) refers to fish.

Happy reading!