The Last Genome – Part I
The world hadn’t been ready for the Decay.
It started quietly—an unexplained illness spreading through a few small towns. At first, it seemed like any other virus, but as people became weak and lethargic, doctors found that the disease was unlike anything they had seen. Symptoms appeared suddenly: fatigue, fever, organ failure. Within months, The Decay swept through continents, leaving devastation in its wake. It wasn’t long before cities turned into ghost towns, their streets filled with the echoes of lost laughter and life.
Dr. Ava Chen, one of the world’s leading genomic scientists, stared at the chaos unfolding outside her laboratory window at the Genomic Research Institute. Her heart felt heavy. Half of the global population had succumbed to the disease, and the scientists in her team were racing against time to find a cure.
“Any progress?” Ava asked, glancing at Dr. Mara Adebayo, her colleague who was deep in thought, poring over genetic charts.
“Nothing that works,” Mara replied, pushing her glasses up her nose. “We’ve mapped out every known genome and tried every treatment. The Decay has no weaknesses.”
Ava sighed, running her fingers through her disheveled hair. She felt like they were chasing shadows. But just as she was about to sink into despair, Dr. Isla Sanders burst into the room, her bright eyes alight with excitement.
“I found something!” she exclaimed, clutching her tablet as if it were a treasure.
“Isla, we’ve been through this before,” Mara said, tired but curious.
“No, listen! This is different!” Isla insisted, tapping frantically at the screen. “I was analyzing ancient genomic sequences, and I stumbled upon a genome that seems immune to The Decay.”
Ava felt a flicker of hope. “What do you mean? What species?”
“It’s not a species we know,” Isla said breathlessly. “It’s from an extinct hominid—something that existed millions of years ago. It appears to have developed a unique immunity that we’ve never seen in any other genome.”
“What kind of immunity?” Mara asked, leaning in closer.
“It’s hard to explain,” Isla said, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief. “But the sequences suggest it had the ability to withstand extreme cellular degeneration. It could hold the key to saving us.”
Ava’s mind raced. “But how did it evolve that immunity? And where did this genome come from?”
Isla hesitated, glancing at both women. “That’s the weird part. The genomic structure doesn’t fit into any known lineage on Earth. It’s like it comes from… another world.”
Mara frowned. “You mean an alternate timeline?”
“Exactly! An evolutionary branch that never made it to our history. But its genetic code is almost identical to ours.”
Ava felt the weight of Isla’s words settle over her like a shroud. Could they really have stumbled upon the solution to humanity’s greatest crisis? “We need to analyze it further. If we can replicate this immunity in humans…”
