Read Online Red Queen by Christopher Pike - Free Book Online Page A

project where they’re trying to scan the genetic code of every person on earth.”
    â€œYou’re joking.”
    â€œI wish I were.”
    â€œHow many people has your company scanned so far?”
    â€œThat information is proprietary.”
    â€œPrivate?”
    â€œYes.”
    I fidgeted uneasily. “Have I been scanned?”
    I assumed he would say no, that I would know if I had been. But he stood and headed for his bedroom. He spoke louder as he disappeared from view.
    â€œI don’t know—I’ll have to scan you and compare you to everyone we have in our database,” he said, as I heard him going through his drawers.
    â€œYou’re going to do this now?”
    â€œIt only takes a few seconds. It doesn’t hurt.”
    â€œAll right.” It was hard to say no to a guy who wanted to give me a hundred grand.
    Russ reappeared a minute later with what appeared to be a narrow flashlight. Six inches long, it had a black metal exterior and a red tinted lens at one end. But the lens looked more like crystal than glass, and the thing hummed when he sat beside me and flipped on a side switch.
    â€œWe are now being recorded,” he said.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œThis is an official reading.” He paused and continued in a businesslike tone. “Jessica Ralle, do I have your permission to scan your genetic code into the data banks of West World?”
    I hesitated. “I guess so.”
    â€œYou need to say yes or no.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHold out your arm, please, and roll up your sleeve.” I did as I was told. He continued, “Rest your elbow on the arm of the chair. It will make it easier to keep still.”
    â€œOkay.” I discovered I was shaking a bit.
    He flipped another switch and a red beam emanated from the top of the scanner. The beam was narrow. There was no question in my mind it was a laser beam. I felt its warmth as itstruck my arm. The sensation was pleasant but short-lived. The laser was on a total of three seconds. The device beeped faintly, the humming stopped, and the laser vanished.
    â€œGot it,” Russ said, as he stood and walked toward his laptop. I rubbed the spot he had zapped. It felt warm.
    â€œHow does this device work?” I asked.
    â€œIt uses a laser to create a holographic image of your genes. Once your information is downloaded into the company’s database, it’s used to create a picture of your DNA.”
    I stood and walked over to where he was using a cable to connect the scanner and laptop. The screen flashed a wave of binary code, at incredible speed, before it settled on a picture of what I knew from basic biology to be an image of a double helix.
    It was so rich in color and detail, it literally took my breath away.
    â€œGod,” I whispered.
    â€œNot quite. It’s you.”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œYour essence. Because the image is recorded in holographic form, I can rotate it in any direction I wish, focus on any gene I want to.”
    â€œWas I already in your database or not?”
    He hesitated. “No.”
    â€œDo you see any problems with my genes?”
    â€œI’m not looking.” He glanced up. “I know you hear the reluctance in my voice when I talk about West World’s project. There’s a reason for that. What I just did to you isn’t like taking your fingerprints or even your blood. It’s much more intimate. I now have the ability to know a tremendous amount about you—more than you would probably want me to know. For example, say I saw that you have a fault in your M5H2 gene. That would mean your chances of developing colon cancer are ten times greater than normal.”
    I put my hand to my mouth. “Is that gene damaged?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œBut you just said—”
    â€œI told you, I don’t know anything about you because I chose not to look. However, if I change my mind and do look, I