We stood at a large tree near the castle, looking out over the city and the river. Fireworks exploded over the water, lighting up the banks on both sides. Each flash illuminated the people packed tightly together at the river’s edge and up here around us. A little boy nearby was shouting, “Feuer! Feuer!”
She turned and looked up into my eyes. A look that made my heart hurt.
“What is it?” I said.
She pursed her lips, accentuating the wrinkles there. Sadness in her eyes. Regret. Perhaps some fear. “This is wonderful. And we’ll do it again. But in six months it will be over. You know that.”
I refuse to accept it. “No. They can’t tell us what to do.”
Tears filled her eyes. “They can do anything they want, Pate. And we are powerless.”
“I refuse to believe that. There must be some option. Some way. It isn’t fair.” I reached up and brushed away a tear that had appeared below her left eye. “We belong together. I’ll figure something out.”
She came into my arms. I held her tight for a moment, then she pulled back and looked at me. Fireworks lit up the side of her face. The castle tower loomed behind. In this dim light, it looked strong, for all its nine hundred years. But dawn would show that it was merely a ruin.
“No, Pate. I won’t spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. In fear. My early life was…” She shook her head. “I won’t do it.”
“Eris, please…”
“I have to go back now. You know they won’t be fooled for long by our body doubles in the city. I don’t know when the next time will be.”
“Body doubles? She is good?”
She smiled. “I told her you would know who was behind it.”
“You talked to her? My Director?”
She gave me a funny look. “What?”
“Well, I figured it was her who did this. Was it your Director, not mine?”
“Pate, there aren’t two Directors. It’s the same person.”
Mortals As They Walk is a riveting sci-fi thriller that delves into the ethical quagmire of genetic engineering.
Pate Williamson, a once-promising tech innovator now living on the streets, is recruited for a secretive project promising riches—but at a cost. Eris, a woman grappling with the loss of her family and child, joins the same experiment, seeking answers to her past. Meanwhile, Salim, a teenager raised in a carefully curated lie, discovers his true identity as a product of this very project, making him a target in a dangerous game.
Spanning from 2006 to 2038, their stories intertwine across continents, from the cobblestone streets of Heidelberg, Germany to the windswept cliffs of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. As they uncover a conspiracy involving nanobiots, in vitro modifications, and corporate greed, they’re hunted by black market forces desperate to exploit their unique DNA. With the fate of humanity’s future in their hands, Pate, Eris, and Salim must decide whether to end the experiment that created them or risk its misuse.
Blending high-stakes suspense with profound ethical questions, McDowell crafts a narrative that echoes Gattaca and The Island. This thought-provoking tale explores free will, identity, and the cost of perfection in a world where science can rewrite destiny.
Available from select retailers in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.
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