Welcome

Welcome to the Bioquest homepage.  We hope The Corporation didn't give you too much trouble on your way over, but then again maybe you're on their side.  If you're not sure yet then have a look around and stop by the tavern on your way out.  Bioquest is one of those stories that is meant to draw in creative minds and also ask difficult questions.

The first bioquest novel has been taken out of print for some revisions, but it should be available again come Decembre.  In the meantime enjoy this web site (the comics and short stories are especially cool),  or have a look see at the exerpt from the Bioquest novel below.

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Excerpt From the Novel

            Julia sat at the restaurant booth quite content to play with the ice in her latte while her twenty year old boss, Thomas continued to rant and rave.

            “Honestly Julia you’re on the way to an early termination at this rate.  Seriously, class-A citizens like us either live glamorous productive lives or they don’t live at all.  It takes a lot out of the city to support people like us.”

Julia turned her disinterested eyes up at the waitress as she gently placed the bill on the table’s smooth surface.

            “Miss, you’re a class-B citizen, right?”  The waitress looked slightly confused and embarrassed but answered, “Class-C, Miss Cline.  Class- B’s are law enforcement and social work.  In fact most waitresses are class-D citizens, but this restaurant is fairly well accredited so….”

Julia nodded impatiently, “Right, right, whatever.  You have a set life quota don’t you?”

            The young woman nodded, “the most we’re allotted is forty years. I hear the military will let you live as long as you want, well...provided you don’t get shot.”

            Julia waved a hand, “There’s no way I’m getting involved with the military.  Way too much bad blood between us.”  She pointed her finger at the young woman in exclamation. “How much allowance are you given?”

            The young woman frowned, “Anywhere between forty and sixty credits a week, plus whatever I can make in tips here.”

            Julia’s eyes widened and she whistled, “Forget that!  I’d rather get put down early than live in that kind of squalor.”

            The waitress suddenly looked very offended and retreated to some of her other more agreeable customers. 

Thomas leaned over the table.

            “You’re a great journalist Julia, and you’re only eleven years old.  I’m not letting someone as young as you snuff it just because you couldn’t keep your quota up.  I have a reputation to maintain as an employer.”

            “A journalist is only as good as the story she finds Tom,” Julia replied taking a cigarette out of her purse.  She lit it, took in a long drag and looked wearily out the cafe’s window.

            “Honestly Tom, if things stay as quiet as they have been I’ll be more than glad to step into a clinic and out of this life for good.”

            Just then a flash of white light caught Julia’s eye and she froze.  She strained her neck in an attempt to see around the buildings and through the windows. 

            “What is it?” Thomas asked.

            “Huh”, Julia exclaimed, “Its only eight o clock, right Tom?”

            Thomas nodded, “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

            “City ordinance says that the street patrols are restricted from conducting sweeps until after curfew.  That’s not for another two hours.”

            Thomas shrugged and lifted his glass.  “That’s right.  Registered citizens need to have a chance to get back in their homes.  Why?”

            Julia smiled, “Well, I thought I saw...”

            Another flash of light blazed in the reflection of a window and Julia grabbed her purse.

            “Thomas, get the bill for me.  I think I just found my story!”

            Thomas jumped up and grabbed her arm.  He had seen the white blaze as well and didn’t like where this story could lead.

            “Julia, No!  They’re sweepers.  They must have a reason for opening fire so early.  You don’t know who may be out there.”

            Julia shook her arm free.  “Life is always worth living if you’re allowed to risk it once in a while.”

            And with that she was gone.

Julia launched herself out of the café and ran full tilt towards the outer rim of the city.  It was a hunch that this was where the light came from but since the outer rim had been abandoned since anyone could remember and only used to dispose of waste it was a perfect place for runners to hide.  As a class-A citizen she wasn’t allowed there and could be shot, but she was also a journalist and breaking the rules to get the truth was part of her job.

            She hadn’t traveled more than a few blocks when she saw a small red creature dart across the empty alley way in front of her.  She pressed her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.  Animals weren’t allowed in the cities.  This creature was not supposed to be here. 

“Well this must be what the sweepers were after,” she thought to herself, “So much for my story.”

The long sleek animal loped across the alley way then trotted back and gave a few soft muffled barks.  Within moments five children wearing plain white uniforms ran out of an abandoned ware house and down the alley way after the creature. 

Julia recognized them right away as class E citizens.  They were orphans that were yet to be evaluated and integrated into the city.  Two older women were following them and one was carrying a baby.  Finally a small mulatto girl dressed in old tattered clothes ran after them.  It was obvious she had lived the longest on the streets.  Suddenly the girl paused and looked up at the journalist.  Slowly her face changed to surprise, and then horror.

            Julia quickly hid back against a wall and held her breath.  They were running… in groups.  During the sweeps most people just scattered in all directions like cockroaches trying to save themselves.  But these people were running together and in a very specific direction.  It was almost as if it were planned, or premeditated.  They were actually going somewhere, she was sure of it, but where?  Where were they going?  Why were they helping each other?  It all seemed so...strange. 

            “C’mon,” She heard a voice say, “It’s not much farther.  Everyone keep up and stay together.”

            “Keep up and stay together?”  She thought curiously.  Suddenly she felt a slight tingle forming in the pit of her stomach.  Something inside her was stirring.  A fear or a premonition. 

            “Go,” It said, “go with them before it’s too late.  Go before they strap you to that damn clinic chair and suck the life right out of you. Go, Go NOW!”

 

            Before she could even process the thought white lights flashed through the streets once again and two patrol men came running onto the scene.  By then the street dwellers were gone, but unfortunately Julia was not.

            “HEY YOU STOP!”

            Julia raised her hands and her purse high above her head in surrender.  “I’m Julia Cline!  I’m with the evening news!”

            The sweepers didn’t care.  They raised their rifles high and fired a bolt of electricity straight at her.  Julia felt a painful surge and saw a blinding light, then she died.  Julia was dead before she hit the ground.

            Thomas watched silently from an alley way as his fallen journalist was pawed over by the large brutish patrol men.  His stomach churned as they took her small body away and dumped it in one of their filthy bio waste trucks.  They never even checked her I.D.

            Thomas turned away and let the bile and vomit crawl up his throat and splatter on the ground.  Because of regulations he was not allowed to directly accuse the city’s law enforcement of any specific crime through his practice, but he could still humiliate them with the story that Julia would have covered had she been alive.

            Thomas activated a small communications device on his wrist.  It was small enough that the sweepers wouldn’t be able to pick it up but strong enough for him to contact his office from anywhere in the city.  A young woman appeared on its small monitor screen.

            “Jordan, we have a lot of coverage to do.”

            “What is it?” Jordan asked.

            Thomas took in a deep breath and held it a moment.  It wouldn’t do any good to tell anyone about Julia’s death right now.  There was nothing any of them could do about it after all...nothing except this.

            “There’s a mass exodus of street dwellers evacuating the city, and the sweepers are practically letting them walk out.”

            Jordan smiled and laughed.  “That’s a good one, Thomas.”

            “Yes,” The executive replied in all seriousness, “It is.”

            “Where are the runners going?” Jordan exclaimed.

            “It looks like they’re going towards the woods.”

            Jordan made a face, “What?”

            Thomas nodded and laughed nervously.  “Yeah, talk about crazy huh?”

            Jordan smiled eagerly, “Julia is going to be really mad at you for scooping her.  She’s been bored for weeks!”

            Thomas suppressed a grimace, “Yeah, should make a great story.”