Altered Genes: Genesis Read Online Free Page B

herself lost in a sea of names she couldn’t remember, overwhelmed by the constant touching. Lightheaded, she gripped the top of a chair with one hand and focused on the elaborately carved backrest to keep from fainting.
    “I don't feel well,” she said with a grimace to her aunt who hovered protectively nearby.
    The older woman extricated her from the crowd and guided her to an empty table where she pulled out a chair and turned it so she could sit.
    “Rest…drink some water.”
    She nodded, afraid to speak, and sat.
    The room began to spin, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. She closed her eyes, but the dizzying sensation got worse. Saliva flooded her mouth.
    I’m going to be sick!
    Panicked by the thought, she placed her hands on the tabletop and pushed herself up. A spasm of pain shot through her stomach. Her knees buckled and she fell forward, hitting her head on the edge of the thick wooden table with a heavy clunk.
    The last thing she saw was the glass of water her aunt had offered, lying broken in pieces on the floor beside her.

5
    The American
    March 23rd, 12h00 GMT : Beijing, China
    T ao Jiali finished her briefing and stood at attention. The three stars on the sleeve of her uniform signified a rank of importance. She was special, not only the youngest female colonel in the People’s Liberation Army but also the grand-daughter of the elderly man who sat at the end of the table.
    “Questions?” she asked after a deferential pause.
    The ten men who sat around the brightly polished table looked to the elderly man. He wore a plain green tunic and sat below a painting of Mao Zedong. Aside from two Chinese flags on a small pedestal in the middle of the table, the painting was the only decoration in the room.
    “Proceed,” he said with a slight nod and pushed back his chair.
    The generals jumped to their feet and stood at attention as he exited through a private door, flanked by two guards.
    When he was gone and the door firmly closed, the room erupted as they debated the plan the President of the People's Republic of China had just approved.
    Jiali watched them argue over her grandfather’s decision. They were fools—old fools. What had been done was done. Now they all had to deal with the consequences. She collected her papers and placed them neatly in a manila folder before giving the generals one final look and taking her leave.
    “Come along, Captain, we have work to do,” she said as she stepped into the hallway.
    Chen Gong jumped up from his chair and followed her down the corridor. Always running, he thought. It had been like that since her driver had picked him up at the airport. She was his boss now, had been from the moment he handed her the package from London. Even then he knew enough about Colonel Tao Jiali to not argue.
    Some said she was callous, had ice in her veins. Perhaps, he thought , but it ran in her family. Rulers rule, and followers follow.
    “Where are we going, Colonel,” he asked the back of her head.
    “The research facility.”
    He stopped mid-step, his feet rooted to the floor. A brave man in most matters, the thought of visiting the lab made him uneasy. He shook off his apprehension and ran after her.
    A few hours later, they reached their destination, the Shahezhen Army base on the outskirts of Beijing. The car slowed to a crawl as they approached the gate.
    From his position in the back seat, Gong surveyed their surroundings. Bright metal halide lamps on tall masts illuminated the grounds. Security was tight, much more so than the last time he had visited the base. He noted the razor-sharp concertina wire that ran along the top of the electric fence and the armed soldiers positioned every twenty feet.
    There’s more that I don’t see, he thought as two soldiers stepped forward and motioned the driver to halt. If they recognized Colonel Jiali’s car, it didn’t show with their abrupt manner.
    “Identification,” one of them demanded while the other stood