Next Lib/E

In a world where the very fabric of life has become a commodity, where scientific ambition outpaces ethical consideration, the boundaries of what it means to be human are violently blurred. Here, the hum of genetic sequencers and the whisper of corporate deals create a relentless current, pulling unsuspecting lives into its wake. It is a time when a man's own cells, once a part of him, can be declared corporate property, sparking a desperate flight for freedom.

Such is the plight of Frank Burnet, a man who survived leukemia only to find his unique, cancer-resistant cells patented and exploited by BioGen, a burgeoning biotechnology firm. The university, having sold the rights to his very essence, claims his cells were mere waste, granting BioGen dominion. When BioGen's stored cell line becomes compromised, their lawyers declare a chilling right: to extract replacement cells from Frank, or any of his descendants, by force if necessary. This legal loophole transforms Frank and his family into hunted prey, their bodies suddenly the most valuable of assets.

Meanwhile, another life, born of audacious experimentation, struggles for existence. Henry Kendall, a brilliant but reckless researcher, years ago introduced human genes into a chimpanzee embryo at the NIH. The impossible happened: a transgenic chimpanzee, Dave, emerged - a creature with the mind and voice of a human child, yet trapped in a primate form. Dave's existence is an anomaly, a secret the NIH is determined to bury, intending to destroy him. Henry, consumed by a paternal instinct for the child he inadvertently created, rescues Dave, bringing him into his family home, where his son Jamie embraces this extraordinary new brother.

The hunt for Frank Burnet's family intensifies when BioGen hires the ruthless bounty hunter, Vasco Borden. His target: Frank's daughter, Alex, a lawyer, and her young son, Jamie, who carry the same invaluable genetic markers. Alex finds herself thrust into a terrifying odyssey, constantly looking over her shoulder, shielding her child from those who would claim his biological inheritance. The pursuit is relentless, a stark illustration of a future where one's genetic makeup dictates one's fate, and the law offers little protection against the avarice of powerful corporations.

As these desperate narratives unfold, the world teems with other strange fruits of genetic meddling. A foul-mouthed orangutan in Sumatra gains notoriety for its Dutch and French obscenities, while an incredibly intelligent parrot named Gerard, capable of advanced mathematics, finds itself entangled in its own bizarre adventures. These vignettes serve as stark reminders of the pervasive, often uncontrolled, nature of genetic research, where creatures are altered, consciousness expanded, and the line between species blurs with alarming ease.

Behind the scenes, the machinations of corporate power players like venture capitalist Jack Watson pull the strings. Watson, a master manipulator, orchestrates a plan to sabotage BioGen's research, drive down its stock, and then acquire it, all while exploiting legal ambiguities to claim ownership over human genes. His nephew, Brad Gordon, a security chief at BioGen, becomes a pawn in these schemes, eventually framed for a heinous crime, his lawyers attempting to blame his actions on a "recklessness gene."

The separate threads of these lives - the fugitive family, the hidden chimp-boy, the genetically altered animals, and the corporate conspirators - begin to intertwine, leading to a chaotic convergence. A court battles over the fundamental question of who owns a person's cells, while Henry and Dave find themselves drawn into the perilous orbit of Alex and Jamie's flight. The climax sees frantic chases, narrow escapes, and a final, desperate struggle for autonomy against a system that seeks to commodify life itself. In the end, a judge delivers a pivotal ruling, declaring that no one can own another person's cells, but the journey to that truth leaves an indelible mark, forcing all to confront the profound and often terrifying implications of humanity's unchecked genetic ambitions.