Unraveling the Double Helix

In a world where genetic engineering had become as common as breathing, society had fractured into a rigid caste system based on the supposed perfection of one’s DNA. At the top of the hierarchy were the Elites, their genes meticulously crafted to grant them unparalleled beauty, intelligence, and strength. They held the reins of power, occupying the highest echelons of government and industry, their lives a tapestry of privilege and luxury.

Below them were the Enhanceds, those whose genetic modifications were deemed less comprehensive or impressive. They were the middle class, holding respectable jobs and living comfortable lives, but forever relegated to the shadows of their Elite superiors.

At the bottom of the ladder were the Naturals, those born without the supposed blessing of genetic alteration. They were the outcasts, the marginalized, their unmodified DNA a mark of shame and inferiority. Relegated to menial labor and confined to the decaying fringes of society, they were little more than an afterthought in the eyes of the genetically refined.

Amidst this world of engineered inequality, a young woman named Vera emerged. Born a Natural, she had grown up in the slums, witnessing firsthand the toll that genetic discrimination took on her community. Her parents, both brilliant scientists, had refused to conform to the societal pressure of genetic modification, believing that true worth lay in one’s character and actions, not in the sequence of their DNA.