Biohack
Page 32
The captain gave a slight nod.
“Captain. Our quarry is the oldest form of life on earth.”
The captain paused, then smiled as if he understood. But how could he? He couldn’t possibly fathom that today’s voyage would change the face of the world.
The clock is now ticking. Project Ezekiel is underway. The only question is how many millions will die.
Read the next exciting part of Kaden’s adventure, in which she takes on a global conspiracy with the help of family members she didn’t know she had.
Get Catch and Kill on Amazon now or go to jdlasica.com/catch .
Fact vs. fiction
Biohack is based on the genomics revolution that is at our doorstep today, not in some dystopian future.
Fact: A drop of blood, a fleck of skin, a strand of hair pulled out by the root, a trace of saliva left on the back of a stamp—any reasonably intact genetic material is sufficient for a capable laboratory to stitch together a person’s complete genome for whatever purposes they choose.
Fact: Whether a person is alive or dead makes no difference.
Fact: The science in Biohack is based on what’s already possible or soon will be. Descriptions of gravesites, legends, and celebrities—living or dead—are based on extensive research. Yes, there is a Roman Street of the Dead below the Vatican. Yes, Pinkerton detectives did thwart grave-robbers in the act of stealing Lincoln’s coffin.
The fascinating advances in CRISPR technologies and reproductive genetics are moving at such a fast clip that the author created a dedicated website where you can see it for yourself:
BirthrightsUnlimited.com
Acknowledgments
No novel is the work of a single individual. More than a hundred people have contributed to Biohack in some way, including experts in the fields of genetic editing, microbiology, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics as well as people knowledgeable about human trafficking and equal rights for LGBTQ people.
For helping me on my path from nonfiction to fiction, I’m indebted to my editor, Katrina Diaz Arnold, as well as instructors at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers summer workshop, author James Frey, and former Esquire fiction editor Tom Jenks. For genetics-related matters, a big thank you to my science editor, Kira Dineen, host of the DNA Today podcast. For editorial insights, I’m indebted to members of the Tri-Valley Writers community, especially George Cramer, Alex Sato, Gary Lea, John Bluck, and Eloise Hamann, and my beta readers, particularly Janet Fullwood, Denise Howell, Dana Maclean, and Blake Gowing, Athena T.T. Lee, Kay Smith, and Elizabeth Janke of Goodreads. You are all-stars.
This is a thriller where one of the lead characters happens to be nonbinary. A special thanks to Cameron Stiehl, board member of the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation, and author J.S. Davidson for the sensitivity readings. Whether a nonbinary or bigender person chooses the personal pronouns she, he, they, them, ze, zir, or makes another choice, please ask and respect their wishes. See Davidson’s YouTube video on the subject: “A Lesson in Gender Identity v2.0.”
This series has been in development for a long time. Whether we’ve met at a conference, exchanged emails, or otherwise, I’d like to credit these giants of the genetics field in particular: Jennifer Doudna, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Eric Lander, George Church, Leroy Hood, and Lee Silver. You’ll find a full list of source materials at birthrightsunlimited.com .
A quick note to the venerable biohacking community. Biohacking has at least three definitions, and this novel has nothing to do with the good folks who are into self-improvement through nutrition, exercise, and meditation. I tip my hat to you—keep on doing what you’re doing. (The other books in this series are not about biohacking, you’ll be happy to know.)
Finally, thank you to the scores of authors who’ve lighted the path, especially Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Blake Crouch, Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Margaret Atwood, Neal Stephenson, Cory Doctorow, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, A.G. Riddle, Tim Tigner, Mark Dawson, Michael C. Grumley, Matthew Mather, Marcus Sakes, Patricia Cornwell, Stephen Coonts, J.D. Robb (cough cough Nora), Ridley Pearson, Michael Connelly, Sandra Brown, and so many other storytellers. You should read them all.
Last, thanks to my readers. Let’s stay connected. Please join my Best of Indie Readers’ Circle .
– J.D. Lasica
About the Author
On the writing front, J.D. Lasica is the author of Darknet (John Wiley and Sons) and Catch and Kill , Book 2 in the Shadow Operatives series. Over the years he has been a newspaper journalist, books editor, and columnist for Engadget.
On the tech front, J.D. has been a tech entrepreneur and an executive or senior manager at several startups, including BabyCenter. (Ah, yes, babies!) He has been a pioneer in social media and grassroots media as well as a longtime champion of the idea that we all have stories to tell. J.D. was one of the first 20,000 bloggers on the planet, and he co-founded Ourmedia, the world’s first free video hosting platform (yes, before YouTube).
J.D. has spoken at the United Nations, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, the Institute for the Future, and at dozens of conferences on four continents. Besides speaking to college students and aspiring authors, he continues to be active in the social good sector.
J.D. lives in Greater Silicon Valley with his wife and their hyperkinetic dog, Holly. He is working on Book 3 of the Shadow Operatives series.
Please stay in touch with J.D. here:
jdlasica.com/connect