• Chapter 4
    Aug 27 2025

    Chapter 4 Summary
    On the thirty-ninth floor of the sleek Met Building in St. Louis, DanielBruner’s office exudes wealth and power. The mahogany-paneled walls, etched with delicate plant artwork, and the floor-to-ceiling glass offering a commanding view of the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River, set the stage for the empire GenaSeed has built. Bruner himself, a self-made titan of biotechnology, presides from behind a futuristic desk bristling with technology — a man at once anchored in tradition and driven by innovation. At his side is Jeffrey Kruger, the sharply dressed COO, who shares the confidence of power but conceals anxieties of his own.

    Their morning meeting is shattered by a disturbing news broadcast. A video has surfaced showing a man — allegedly Walter Jenkins, oneof GenaSeed’s senior executives — tied to a chair, beaten, and threatened. A note accompanies the video, now in the hands of the FBI. Jenkins, supposedly on a European vacation, has been unreachable for two days. The story instantly rattles Bruner and Kruger. For a company that thrives on public image and investor confidence, even the hint of scandal could be devastating.

    Bruner calls in Sandra “Sandi” Brown, the poised Vice President of Communications, who immediately begins shaping a strategy todefuse the media storm. Their approach is calculated: express skepticism about the video’s authenticity, emphasize Jenkins’ vacation, and hope the entire affair dissolves as a hoax. Yet beneath their polished words lies unease. Why would someone target Jenkins? What leverage could they hope to gain?

    As Bruner urges Kruger to return the FBI’s call, Kruger excuses himself — but instead of heading to his office, he slips into the stairwell, descends several floors, and takes a carefully concealed route out of the building. Once outside, in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, he makes aclandestine call. His contact, a gruff man with an Eastern European accent, was supposed to have Jenkins in custody. But the man claims Jenkins was never at the hotel where Kruger tracked him. Someone else, it seems, has taken Jenkins.

    The conversation grows tense. Accusations fly, and Kruger’s control frays. The man insists he has fulfilled his end of the bargain, pocketing his advance payment and warning Kruger never to call again. He makesit clear: if Kruger pursues him further, retaliation will be swift and deadly.Shaken, sweating, and suddenly aware of the precariousness of his scheme, Kruger smashes the burner phone, scattering its remains in trash bins along the park trail.

    What was supposed to be a clean, quiet operation has spiraled into chaos. Walter Jenkins is missing, but who holds him is now a mystery. And as Kruger returns toward GenaSeed’s gleaming tower, he knows one thing with certainty — his carefully laid plan has collapsed, and theconsequences may come crashing down on him sooner than he ever imagined.

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    16 Min.
  • Chapter 3
    Aug 26 2025

    Chapter 3 Summary

    Tony arrives at Talon Air, where he checks in, reviews the maintenance report on his Piper, and prepares for a short business flight to St. Louis. After completing his pre-flight inspection, he takes off under clear skies and settles in at cruising altitude. While retrieving his iPad, Tony discovers a mysterious slip of paper hidden in his case. The note warns him that “GenaSeed has killed many who tried to stop them” and cautions him about his associations. Startled, Tony recalls briefly leaving his case unattended during a meeting with a GenaSeed representative and wonders who could have slipped it inside.

    Before he can puzzle it out, his plane shudders and the engines begin sputtering. Though the instruments initially show normal readings, the Piper rapidly loses altitude. Tony runs through possible causes—fuel issues, clogged injectors, magneto failure—but the engines suddenly recover, only to fail again as he attempts to land at Yeager Airport in Charleston. Fighting to maintain altitude, Tony uses every ounce of his piloting skill to coax the Piper toward the runway, narrowly avoiding a crash into the hillside. With the stall alarm blaring, he forces a hard landing, bouncing once before skidding safely onto the runway.

    Emergency vehicles rush to his aid, and Tony, though shaken, emerges unharmed. The Piper, however, is disabled and towed to maintenance. Grateful to be alive, Tony exchanges introductions with Eugene, one of the responders, before heading to file his emergency landing report. Resigned, he acknowledges that his trip to meet with GenaSeed will have to wait.

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    11 Min.
  • Dominance Unleashed - Chapter 2
    Aug 25 2025

    Chapter 2 Summary
    In Chicago, Jennifer Bennett, a sharp, driven investigative journalist for CoreBusiness Magazine, struggles to wake up after returning late from the LABConference. At forty-one, she is dedicated to her work above all else, havingsacrificed marriage and relationships to pursue her career. She covered theconference at the request of her editor-in-chief, Neil Turnbull, who values hersharp instincts and persistence, even though the biotech story was outside herusual business beat.

    While eating breakfast and catching up on the news, Jenniferis jolted awake by a breaking story from St. Louis. A disturbing video, mailedanonymously to a local TV station, apparently shows a man tied to a chair,beaten, and threatened by unseen assailants before gunshots are heard. Theaccompanying note claims the victim is Walter Jenkins, GenaSeed’s long-servingchief research scientist, who has not been seen for two days. The footage, whichappears to have been shot in a warehouse or industrial space, is now in thehands of the FBI.

    Shocked by the news and recognizing its potential connectionto the conference she just covered, Jennifer calls Neil immediately. Hecautions her against chasing after what might be a hoax or a diversion, urgingher instead to finish her LAB Conference article in time for publication.Jennifer, however, is convinced the Jenkins disappearance is too coincidentalto ignore. Reluctantly, Neil grants her 48 hours to pursue the lead on Jenkinswhile insisting she complete her LAB piece by day’s end.

    Though aware of the risks — and reminded by Neil thatwhoever created the video might not appreciate a journalist digging into theirbusiness — Jennifer decides to push forward. Her instincts as a truth-seekeroutweigh her hesitation, and she commits herself to uncovering whetherJenkins’s disappearance is real and what it might reveal about GenaSeed.

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    12 Min.
  • Dominance Unleashed - Chapter 1
    Aug 21 2025

    Chapter1 Summary
    Anthony “Tony” Russell begins his day speeding westward on Interstate 64 towardRichmond International Airport. A former military pilot turned successful techentrepreneur, Tony made his fortune by licensing advanced AI algorithms thatcould sift through massive data stores for hidden patterns. Rather than retirein luxury, he has devoted his wealth to environmental activism, particularlythrough his organization EnvironLife, which seeks to expose unethicalpractices in agricultural biotechnology.

    Fresh from hosting the LAB Conference on LimitingAgricultural Biotechnology, Tony reflects on its success: the event drew theattention of governors, senators, and national media, thrusting him into thespotlight as a leading critic of corporate biotech. His chief target isGenaSeed, a massive multinational that dominates the global seed market bylocking farmers into exploitative contracts and genetically engineeredseed-chemical systems. Farmers under GenaSeed’s thumb are left impoverished,often unable to escape the cycle of dependency, while the company fends offlawsuits with its vast legal and financial power.

    Unexpectedly, during the conference, Tony wasinvited to meet Daniel Bruner, GenaSeed’s powerful and combative CEO. Given thecompany’s years-long efforts to discredit him, Tony is suspicious of theinvitation, but also curious about Bruner’s motives. He prepares to fly to St.Louis in his newly purchased Piper Seminole, eager to put the plane through itspaces on the 600-mile trip. Despite lingering unease, Tony looks forward to themeeting, uncertain whether it represents an opportunity for dialogue or a dangerousconfrontation with a corporate giant that embodies everything he opposes.

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    12 Min.