The Extinction Trials(86)

At the final interview, there was one man waiting for her in the conference room overlooking the river. He needed no introduction, but he extended his hand and introduced himself nonetheless.

“Hello, Maya. I’m Darius Aldridge. Thank you for coming.”

“I’m honored, Dr. Aldridge.”

“I’m just Darius around here. And we’re honored that you’d apply here at Genesis. I just have one question for you.”

Maya swallowed.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m interested in the work Genesis is doing.”

“Why?”

“I want to save lives. I want to create something that changes the world.”

“Why?”

Maya inhaled. “My father died of a rare heart condition. They created a genetic screen for it a few years later. They would have found it during a routine physical if he had lived a few years longer. I’ve always wondered what my life would have been like if that test had been delivered to market a little sooner.”

Aldridge stared at her. Maya felt the urge to fill the silence.

“That’s what drew me to genomic medicine. I want to go home every day knowing that I might develop a test that would save someone’s father. Or mother. Brother or daughter.”

Darius nodded. “I know exactly how you feel, Maya. Welcome to Genesis Biosciences.”





Maya’s first few years at Genesis were the toughest of her life. It wasn’t the long hours. Or those few times she cried at her desk. For Maya, the hardest part about the job became disconnecting. She thought about work when she was at home. In the shower. On the way to work.

She didn’t date. She didn’t make many friends outside of work. Her life was Genesis Biosciences and her research.

But everything changed when she met Sherman Parrish.





The first time she met Parrish was on a Saturday afternoon when he knocked on her door. He was wearing the uniform of a pest control company, and he nodded when she cracked the door.

“I’m very sorry for the interruption, ma’am, but the building HOA has asked me to do a bug treatment on your unit. You should have gotten a notification about it.”

Maya nodded. “I did. Come on in.”

The man breezed through the apartment, checking in hard-to-reach places and deploying small boxes, and then he was gone.

He returned two weeks later, and this time, when the door closed, he didn’t venture deeper into Maya’s apartment. He squared on her and said, “I have an admission to make.”

Maya bunched her eyebrows. “What?”

“I’m not a pest control specialist, though I did search your apartment for bugs—and planted some myself. We’ve been watching you, Maya.”

A bolt of fear ran through her. She cut her eyes to the door, but Parrish held his hands up. “It’s not like that. I work for the government. I’m here to recruit you—that’s why we’ve been surveilling you.”

“Recruit me for what?”

“An operation that could save the world.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The company you work for—Genesis Biosciences—is not what you think it is.”

Maya put her hands on her hips. “What is it then?”

“A scientific terror organization, one dedicated to taking control of the entire human race.”

Maya laughed out loud. “Oh, you are good. Who planned this? Darius?” She looked around. “Are you filming this for some kind of streaming prank show? You almost had me.”

But Parrish wasn’t laughing. He stared at Maya. “This is no prank, Dr. Young. It’s the most serious thing you will ever be involved in, I can assure you.”

Parrish reached into his pocket and took out a small data drive and offered it to Maya. “This will convince you. I’ll be back tomorrow—and we’ll discuss what to do about it.”





When he was gone, Maya set the data drive on her dining table and paced in the living room, biting her lip. What if the guy was a total lunatic—a stalker with psychotic delusions? She should call the police. Yes, that was the only prudent thing to do.

When the emergency operator answered, Maya explained the situation as best she could and waited while they connected her to the appropriate authorities.

The line clicked and she heard a deep sigh before Parrish spoke. “I told you, Maya, I’m with the government. Don’t feel bad, we expected you to do this. We’ve built a profile on you. It’s why we chose you—you are someone who does the right thing.”

Maya’s heart was racing. Fear gripped her. “I…”

“Just look at the data on the drive, Maya. It’ll change everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”





Parrish had been right. The data did change Maya’s mind.

Contained on the drive was Genesis Biosciences research data related to Maya’s work into a cure for dementia. What she saw in those files kept her up the whole night. It occupied her thoughts at work the next day. She no longer saw Genesis in the same way.

That night, a knock sounded on her door again, and Maya opened it to find Parrish standing there. He didn’t say a word, only walked in and turned as Maya closed the door.