Science Fiction: Genetics

By Richard S. Levine

The following stories were written by Richard S. Levine and have appeared previously in other publications. Each story relates to genetics or epigenetics in some fashion. “You Can Choose Your Parents” refutes the notion that you can’t choose your parents. “Liar” examines the life of a young woman who visits a Lie Bar. “The Library of Pain” probes a psychologist’s patient who has issues with pain. In “It’s in the Stars” we meet a couple who wonder if fame will be in the stars for their children. “My Brother’s Keeper” is a clone mystery that takes place on Mars.

Richard S. Levine has had short stories published in several print and online magazines including OG's Speculative Fiction, Raygun Revival, The Fifth Di, and The Lorelei Signal. To learn more about Mr. Levine's writings and his award winning classic video game, "Microsurgeon", please see his website.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard S. Levine
• Release date: Nov 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311022639

Richard S. Levine

Richard S. Levine has been a math teacher, a software engineer, and a video games designer. Now he's busy writing speculative fiction. He has had stories published in Emerald Tales, OG's Speculative Fiction, Raygun Revival, The Fifth Di, The Lorelei Signal, and other online and print magazines. "A Comic on Phobos" received a nomination for Samsdotpublishing's James award. To learn more about Mr. Levine's writings and his award winning classic video game, "Microsurgeon", please visit his website. You can also check out my interests on Pinterest at pinterest.com/ricklev/.

Book preview

Science Fiction: Genetics

By Richard S. Levine

Copyright © 2015 Richard S. Levine

Discover other titles by Richard S. Levine at http://www.rickslevine.com

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Cover images from jpl.nasa.gov

Saturn image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Earth image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/NIMA

Mars image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

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The following stories were written by Richard S. Levine and have appeared previously in other publications. Each story relates to genetics or epigenetics in some fashion. You Can Choose Your Parents refutes the notion that you can’t choose your parents. Liar examines the life of a young woman who visits a Lie Bar. The Library of Pain probes a psychologist’s patient who has issues with pain. In It’s in the Stars we meet a couple who wonder if fame will be in the stars for their children. My Brother’s Keeper is a clone mystery that takes place on Mars.

Contents

You Can Choose Your Parents

Liar

The Library of Pain

It’s in the Stars

My Brother’s Keeper

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You Can Choose Your Parents

This story was published in The Fifth Di (Mar 2012). It’s a familiar quote. Search on it online and you’ll find over 20,000 references. Add the results from You Can Choose Your Family or You Can Choose Your Friends and there are over 150,000 references. But what if you could? After all, this is science fiction. In You Can Choose Your Parents, Valor struggles with his choice.

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On his thirteenth birthday, Valor completed a poem about his adopted mother, Belstra, while watching her perform some humanly-impossible flips. He said, Wow, that’s so cool. I want to be able to do that.

Very soon you will, she replied. Without the suit, of course, you’ll be able to do even more.

Will I really look more like you and Dad?

Yes. Oh yes.

Valor heard footsteps and then saw his father enter the room. Dad, today’s the day!

I know, son. You’ve decided then?

Yes, I can’t wait to go through genetic adoption.

It will be very different on Titan you know.

I know. You’ve told me that since I was five.

Belstra walked over to touch Valor’s hair. You won’t have this anymore.

You and Dad wore spacesuits most of my life. I guess I can give up hair and stuff.

Jordan put his hand on his son’s shoulder. You made a difficult decision. I’m proud of you.

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Years later, Valor stood a few hundred feet outside one of the environmentally controlled Titan laboratories.

He had often been happy on Titan, like the feeling he got when he first saw the rings of Saturn. But now on his eighteenth birthday, he wondered if he was living the life his father wanted or the one he wanted.

The entire rig vibrated, as the drill dug deeper into Titan’s frozen crust. Jordan might have fallen off if he hadn’t kept a tight grip on the control stick. This better work, he said.

Valor was the youngest student ever to enter the mform mining graduate program at Titan University. He wasn’t positive that the drill would work, but he decided to tell Jordan what he wanted to hear. You know it will, Dad.

It’s stuck! Jordan yelled. What do I do now?"

That drill’s as hard as anything else in the solar system. He ran closer to the drill and shouted, Change gears!

Jordan looked at Valor. What?

Valor hesitated. Change gears