Blueprints of Tomorrow

**Chapter 1: Patient Zero**

Sarah Martez da Silla recognized the mutation on her screen, but it was her patient's words that made her blood run cold. The man twisted his wedding ring, knuckles white, voice barely a whisper. "The clinic promised this treatment would work. They promised we'd have a baby."

Her mind flashed to last Sunday's dinner - her brother Marco and his husband sobbing at their kitchen table after their seventh failed IVF attempt. The same desperate hope in their eyes.

Morning light filtered through the blinds of her University of Dundee office, casting bars of shadow across mountains of research papers. She squinted at the sample data again, her stomach knotting.

"These protein markers are impossible," she muttered, reaching for her coffee.

Hannah Morgans slipped into the office, clutching files to her chest. Her postdoc's usual enthusiasm was tempered by an unusual gravity.

"The other samples match," Hannah said quietly, laying printouts on the desk. "Every single one."

Sarah's phone lit up - Adam Watterson calling. She put him on speaker.

"The WHO bulletin just dropped," her mentor's steady voice wavered slightly. "Global male fertility rates are in freefall. Twelve percent decrease this quarter alone."

"Adam, I need you here. What we've found..." Sarah glanced at the security camera in the corner, its red light steadily blinking. "It's not something for the phone."

"Twenty minutes," he promised.

Hannah fidgeted with her lucky mouse figurine. "Should we contact Scott? His protein work-"

"Careful what you wish for," came a familiar voice. Scott Pittner lounged in the doorway, his casual pose betraying the tension around his eyes. His Neogenix consulting badge glinted at his belt.

"Didn't expect you in Scotland," Sarah said carefully.

"Funny thing. Three trial sites, three patients, same impossible markers." Scott closed the door behind him. "Like the ones you're hiding on your screen."

Sarah studied her old colleague. The Scott she knew lived for scientific discovery. But something darker lurked beneath his forced smile.

"What's Neogenix really doing, Scott?"

He sank into a chair. "Officially? CRISPR trials targeting SPOCD1. Unofficially?" His fingers drummed the armrest. "I've seen things in the New York lab that keep me up at night."

Adam arrived as Sarah pulled up the complete dataset. His tweed jacket couldn't hide his exhaustion.

"These mutations," Sarah explained, "they're engineered. The sperm cells are showing immune memory."

"Impossible," Hannah breathed.

"That's what we thought about designer babies," Adam said softly. "Until it happened."

Sarah's phone chimed. Andrea Paulis: "They stole my research. Need to talk. Secure channel only."

Through the window, she spotted a dark sedan idling in the parking lot, its tinted windows reflecting the morning light. The same car she'd seen yesterday, and the day before.

"We go public," she declared, touching the locket at her throat - her reminder of why she'd chosen this field.

"It'll cause chaos," Scott warned.

"People are being used as lab rats," Sarah shot back. "Whatever Neogenix is doing, it's changing human evolution itself."

She thought of Marco, of Patient Zero, of countless others desperate for children. Of the changes being passed down through generations.

"I'm contacting Andrea," she decided. "But first, we need to sweep for bugs. Hannah, secure server. Adam, ethics protocols. Scott-"

"I know things," he interrupted, all pretense gone. "Things that could burn Neogenix to the ground. If you're really doing this..." He met her eyes. "I'm in."

As they dispersed, Sarah watched a young couple pass below, hands clasped, dreaming of family. She touched her screen, sending the encrypted message that would change everything:

"Andrea - we have proof. Time to stop them."

The sedan's engine purred to life.

---

**Chapter 2: The Antidote Conundrum**

Hannah's phone buzzed. Through the lab's windows, protestors gathered on the quad, their signs visible even from the third floor: "SAVE OUR FUTURE" and "STOP THE STERILITY CRISIS."

"Scott's found something," she said, balancing a tray of petri dishes. Her hands trembled - the latest round of self-administered treatments left her nauseated, though she hadn't told the others.

Sarah looked up from her microscope, exhaustion etched in her face. On the wall-mounted TV, a news anchor reported on another fertility clinic bombing. "What is it this time?"

"He has proof about Neogenix. Real documents."

Adam set down his tea. "Tell him to bring it here. Personally."

Scott burst in minutes later, tablet clutched to his chest. His usual frenetic energy had hardened into something darker. "It wasn't evolution or environmental damage," he said. "Neogenix engineered it."

Sarah crossed to him. "Show me."

They gathered around as Scott revealed files buried in Neogenix's cloud architecture - project plans, molecular diagrams, trial data. Each swipe of his finger exposed another layer of calculated destruction.

"They're targeting the fertilization genes deliberately," Scott explained. "Creating the crisis so they can sell the cure." His voice cracked. "Phase one: release the gene drive. Phase two: document the collapse. Phase three: sell the solution."

Hannah's stomach lurched - not from the treatments this time. "I need to tell you something," she whispered.

The others turned as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing the injection sites. "I've been testing a reversal therapy. On myself."

"Hannah, no." Sarah grabbed her arm, examining the marks. "How long?"

"Three weeks." Hannah pulled away. "My eggs are showing the mutations. I couldn't wait for approval while my chance at having children disappeared."

Adam slumped against the bench. "The risks-"

"I know the risks!" Hannah's voice rose. "I also know it's working. My mutated protein levels are down 40%."

Before Sarah could respond, Andrea arrived from Vienna. They quickly caught up on both revelations - Neogenix's plan and Hannah's experimentation.

"We need an antidote," Sarah finally said. "A counter-gene drive."

"And we need to open-source it," Andrea added. "Let the world's scientists help perfect and distribute it."

"That's insane," Scott protested. "The liability-"

A rock shattered the window, making them jump. Outside, the protest had grown violent. Police lights flashed across tear-stained faces.

"The liability is already on us," Sarah said quietly. "Every day we wait..."

They worked through the night, mapping out the antidote while protests raged below. Hannah documented her symptoms, providing crucial data even as Adam watched her with worried eyes. Scott uncovered more Neogenix files, revealing the depth of their deception. Andrea's AI models showed promise and peril in equal measure.

Near dawn, Hannah's dark web contacts confirmed what they feared - underground labs were already attempting dangerous fertility treatments. Time was running out.

"We need to vote," Sarah announced. "On releasing this to the world. Everyone needs to be sure."

One by one, they shared their fears and hopes. The debate lasted hours. Outside, the sun rose on another day of uncertainty, of couples learning they couldn't conceive, of bodies betraying their owners.

Finally, they reached consensus. Project Prometheus would proceed.

As they dispersed to begin their work, Hannah caught her reflection in the broken window. The injection sites were barely visible now, but she felt the changes in her cells, in her future. She thought of all the others waiting for hope.

"We're doing the right thing," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Sarah squeezed her shoulder. "We're doing the necessary thing. Sometimes they're not the same."

In the parking lot, a dark sedan idled, its tinted windows reflecting the chaos of the world they were about to change.

---

**Chapter 3: Undoing the Lock**

Sarah stood at the edge of the debate stage, her fingertips tracing the fresh bandage on her forearm where the security guard's grip had left marks. Through the curtain, she heard the restless murmur of the packed auditorium—scientists, politicians, parents clutching each other's hands.

"Two minutes, Dr. Martez," whispered a production assistant.

She nodded, checking her tablet. Adam's update from the lab showed the gene drive primed and waiting. Scott's biohacker networks stood ready worldwide. Hannah's latest blood work made Sarah's stomach clench—elevated white count, organ stress, the experimental treatment taking its toll.

Her phone buzzed: "Signal's being jammed at the lab. They're trying to block our livestream." Adam's message carried an urgency that made her pulse quicken.

"Dr. Martez." The voice behind her belonged to Lawrence Chen, Neogenix's CEO. His charcoal suit was immaculate, but shadows lurked under his eyes. "A shame we meet like this. Your research truly is brilliant."

"Brilliant enough for your company to steal and weaponize," she replied.

Chen's smile faltered for a moment. "My daughter was diagnosed infertile last month. Seventeen years old. So believe me when I say this isn't just business." He straightened his cuffs. "The Genetic Protection Act will pass tomorrow. There's still a place for you with us."

"I've seen your test subjects' children."

"Sometimes progress demands sacrifice." Something raw flickered across his face. "Consider carefully which side of history you want to stand on."

"Thirty seconds!"

Chen leaned closer. "We found Prometheus. Your servers were compromised three days ago. Fascinating approach—shame it won't see daylight."

Sarah's mouth went dry, but she held his gaze. "We'll see."

"Please welcome our debaters: Dr. Sarah Martez da Silla of the University of Dundee and Mr. Lawrence Chen, CEO of Neogenix Global!"

The lights seared Sarah's vision as she walked out. Billions watched worldwide. Andrea Paulis sat in the front row, her discovery the spark that lit this fire. Their eyes met—a silent pact renewed.

What followed was more than debate—it was revolution in real time. As Sarah presented the crisis, Chen tried to shut her down. When their systems were jammed, they had backups. When security moved toward Andrea, the audience pushed back. Every obstacle Neogenix threw up, they'd prepared for.

The gene drive's release sent shockwaves through the auditorium. Chen's composure cracked as his phone exploded with alerts. But it was Hannah's deteriorating condition that kept Sarah's heart in her throat—each update from Adam a reminder of what they risked.

"The fertility crisis isn't over," Sarah told the cameras as the world watched. "Our solution isn't perfect. But humanity's future can't be patented."

Later, as crowds swelled outside and the gene drive spread across networks, Sarah received two messages. The first from Scott: "It's done." The second from Chen: "You've opened Pandora's box. Pray we can close it."

In the lab, Hannah's fever spiked. The revolution they'd started would have to wait—first, they had to save the one who'd risked everything to make it possible.