In GERMLINE journalist Oscar Wendell introduced us to a new breed of special forces and the surprising humanity these elite and deadly soldiers are capable of. Now read the first chapter of EXOGENE (US | UK| AZ) – a story of war from the perspective of one of these genetically engineered soldiers.

Live forever. The thought lingered like an annoying dog, to which I had handed a few scraps.

I felt Megan’s fingers against my skin, and smelled the paste—breathed the fumes gratefully for it reminded me that I wouldn’t have to wear my helmet. Soon, but not now. The lessons taught this, described the first symptom of spoiling: When the helmet no longer felt safe, a sign of claustrophobia. As my troop train rumbled northward, I couldn’t tell if I shook from eagerness or from the railcar’s jolting, and gave up trying to distinguish between the two possibilities. It was not an either‑or day; it was a day of simultaneity.

Deliver me from myself, I prayed, and help me to accept tomorrow’s end.

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Also check out The Subterrene War Clips – an in-world introduction to the destruction and political intrigue tearing the front-lines apart. Welcome to hell. Welcome to Kazakhstan.