Jade Kerrion
Author Bio:
Jade Kerrion unites cutting-edge science
and bioethics with fast-paced action in her award-winning Double Helix series. Drawing rave reviews for its originality and
vision, and described as “a breakout piece of science fiction,” Perfection
Unleashed, and its sequels, Perfect
Betrayal and Perfect Weapon, are available in print and e-book through Amazon and other major
retailers.
TITLE: Deleted Scene from “Perfection
Unleashed”
I love the
extra features that accompany movie DVDs, like the director’s commentary, movie
bloopers, and deleted scenes. My debut novel, Perfection
Unleashed, which won multiple
awards, is frequently compared to an action movie, anime, or graphic novel, and
today, I thought I’d give you a peek into one of its deleted scenes.
But first,
what was the scene in question, and why did I delete it?
The deleted
scene was the prologue, and it set the context for the entire Double Helix series. The scene helped
transport readers from “today” into the “not-so-distant future,” and described key
players in a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution, including mutants
with psychic powers. It also introduced Galahad, the perfect human being, and
foreshadowed the existence of the abominations, inhuman by-products of the path
to perfection.
Clearly it
was an important scene, but why did I delete it?
The prologue
didn’t do much more than the first chapter did. By the first chapter, readers
are introduced to Galahad, and hear the banshee-like wails of the abominations.
By the first chapter, we know that mutants with psychic powers populate our
world, even though we have to wait until chapter three to meet Danyael, the
alpha empath, Galahad’s physical template, and the protagonist of Perfection Unleashed.
It was a
hard decision. The prologue was the scene that launched the movie in my mind,
which eventually became the Double Helix
series. I was, perhaps not irrationally, deeply attached to the scene. Still, in
the final count, the prologue slowed down my attempt to plunge my readers
straight into the action. I took a deep breath and hit delete.
Figuratively
speaking, of course. The prologue never made it into Perfection Unleashed, but I did save it as a deleted scene, and I’m
grateful for the opportunity to share it with you today. I hope you enjoy
reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
PERFECTION UNLEASHED—PROLOGUE
The large
octagon-shaped building that housed Pioneer Laboratories seemed especially
desolate on that Christmas Eve when the child was born. It brooded as it kept
watch over the manicured lawns all around, unimpressed by the gently falling
snow. The lights that usually spilled from its many windows had been
extinguished, save for one glowing softly from the highest floor.
Shepherds
did not keep watch over the child that night, but scientists did. Two gray
haired men whose seeming age was belied by the youthful vigor in their lithe
frames waited in the dimly lit birthing chamber, speaking in lowered tones
about nothing in particular. It would have been bad luck to speak about the
only thing on their minds—the child—even though they knew, logically, that that
no amount of conversation could change the outcome of that night. Still, they
could not bring themselves to anticipate success or even discuss outcomes, not
after having failed so many times before.
No angels
heralded the birth of this child. It was the soft beep of the incubator as the
timer ticked down to zero. Conversation stilled as the scientists moved quickly
to the machine. They exchanged glances but said nothing as one scientist held
his hand over the incubator’s controls. The moment of truth was at hand; the
successful birth of this child would redefine the boundaries of genetic
manipulation.
The
scientist inhaled deeply before pressing down on the switch that would open the
incubator and release the infant from the now-perfected artificial birthing
process. Both scientists held their breaths as the translucent cover of the
incubator swung silently to the side to reveal its precious contents.
The rules of
life were broken. The science of life was rewritten in that single magical
moment when the child was delivered into the world.
The
perfectly formed, healthy male infant was the most beautiful thing the
scientists had ever seen. With trembling hands and near reverence, they lifted
the child from the chamber and wiped the birthing fluids from its soft skin
before wrapping it in warm clothes. Warm and content, the child transitioned
from incubator to world without the slightest fuss, making a soft gurgling
sound—a happy sound—as it snuggled into the scientist’s arms.
The other scientist
gingerly touched the child’s tiny, perfect hands and then smiled as the
delicate, little fingers closed tightly around his. He looked up at the other
man, almost afraid to hope even though he longed to believe. “Do you think…?”
“We would
need to run tests over the course of the child’s life, but I think it’s safe to
say that it’s done.”
Yes, it was
finally done. Genetic manipulation had always been part art, part science, and
completely magical. What began with the unraveling of the double helix and the
cracking of the code of life in the Human Genome Project had finally led to
mastery over life itself. The human genome had been mapped, scrutinized, and
analyzed. Gene therapy, genetically modified food products, and cloned pets
were parts of everyday life. Cloned human beings, once deemed impossible and
outrageous, were steadily becoming the norm.
The journey
was also littered with failures. Mutants tarnished the purity of the human
race, typically created inadvertently as a result of genetic selection taken to
an extreme. And in the past few years, increasingly dangerous psychic-level
mutations threatened to tip the balance of power entirely.
But there
was still that last step—the creation of a human being from a swirling mixture
of nucleotides, building the double helix of life a base pair at a time, one
gene at a time, to create the perfect human being. For the two scientists, it
had been a lonely and difficult road, littered with failures, but the child
born on a cold and quiet night made it worthwhile. They forgot the nagging
despair they had felt during those long nights of painstakingly careful genetic
coding, forgot the helpless anger they’d felt at the mocking derision of their
colleagues. They held success now—sweet success—in their hands.
“What shall
we name the Gene Child?” one scientist asked as they left the birthing chamber
together. Their footsteps echoed hollowly down the empty corridors as they
walked towards the nursery, carefully carrying the product of thousands of
hours of work. “Gene Child” was an interesting and potentially acceptable
scientific classification for this unique creature that had neither father nor
mother, but it would need another name. “How about Galahad, after the last, the
peerless knight of the mythical Round Table?”
The name
seemed appropriate for the perfect little being. The scientist carrying the
child set it down in the crib that had been prepared, a smile curving his lips
as he gazed upon the sleepy infant. “Welcome, Galahad,” he said. The birth of
the Gene Child was their ultimate gift to the world on this quiet Christmas
Eve.
But another
voice was heard that night. Deep within the bowels of the building, a low,
inhuman moan, aching with pain and anger, shuddered its way from behind the
thick walls of its prison to break the calm silence of that perfect starless
night as something far too grotesque to be human welcomed Galahad—its
brother—into the world.
About The Double Helix
series:
His genetic code sourced from the
best that humanity offers, Galahad embodies the pinnacle of perfection. When
Zara Itani, a mercenary whose abrasive arrogance exceeds her beauty, frees him
from his laboratory prison, she offers him the chance to claim everything that
had ever been denied him, beginning with his humanity.
Perfection cannot be unleashed
without repercussions, and Galahad’s freedom shatters Danyael Sabre’s life.
An alpha empath, Danyael is rare
and coveted, even among the alpha mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution. He
wields the power to heal or kill with a touch, but craves only privacy and
solitude—both impossible dreams for the man who was used as Galahad’s physical
template.
Galahad and Danyael, two men, one
face. One man seeks to embrace destiny, and the other to escape it.
The award-winning Double Helix series, consisting of Perfection
Unleashed, Perfect Betrayal, and Perfect
Weapon, will challenge your notions of perfection and humanity, and
lead you in a celebration of courage and compassion. Science fiction, urban
fantasy, and action-adventure readers will enjoy this thrilling roller-coaster
ride as it twists and turns through a world transformed by the Genetic
Revolution.
Social media and buy links:
Perfection Unleashed: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords
Perfect Betrayal: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords
Perfect Weapon: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords
~*~*~
BACKUP LINKS (if, for
some reason, the links above do not transfer through a simple cut and paste)
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeKerrion
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JadeKerrion
Perfection Unleashed
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008E98YFM
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/175081
Perfect Betrayal
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009YLG59Q/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/249761
Perfect Weapon
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009YMFSE8
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/249762
