Chimera Apocalypse is a novel based approximately 50 years in the future and is to be released on Amazon this summer. In this novel, I included a vignette chapter on the effects of the apocalypse on a Mars colony. The rest of the book doesn't touch this subject, but the chapter I wrote screams for more. I have decided to expand this thread here on RoyalRoad. I am excited to get feedback as I develop this concept. Please enjoy the first few chapters of the original book, Chimera Apocalypse, which sets up the rest of the novel as well as this story line. Enjoy. Walt Prologue   Chimera (Definition) 1. Greek Mythology. a fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. 2. Any grotesque monster having disparate parts.   After completing the successful Extinction Survival series, I began research for a medical murder mystery involving genetic manipulation using CRISPR technology. What I found was amazing. It seems that most of the evolutionary changes that the world has witnessed are likely from viral infections. In short, up to fifty percent of our DNA may have come from viruses inserting their genetics into our genome. That begged the question: if a virus could evolve a species, could it also devolve or regress an organism as well? If viruses can add nucleic acid chains to the host’s DNA, couldn’t it also subtract them given the right code?          In this series, the answer is yes. A terrorist group detonates a small nuclear bomb near a level four biohazard facility. The radiation releases bacteria and other infection vectors stored within.          Most all living creatures are affected as chunks of their DNA are lopped off or shuffled by the contagion. Plants and animals regress to different evolutionary levels while adapting to the environment they live in. The knowledge that our present DNA is so reliant on these, the tiniest forms of life, means that anything is possible.          Having a medical background, including genetics and immunology, I know that there are plenty of reasons to challenge this narrative. But if you decide to accept this premise, you’ll find that this story is far more than a zombie or horror novel. It’s about people and the way we react when survival is on the line.          As far as this series is concerned, I make the plot plausible enough so that you can believe the tale. This novel takes place over fifty years in the future. The tech I describe and places I visit are all futuristic versions of our present day. Could such a virus devolve living organisms? In 50 years, who knows. After all, who would have taken Jules Verne seriously when he wrote his novel about visiting the moon. And how believable was it in the late 1800’s that someone could go around the world in eighty days? Just remember that when you read my work. It will be quite a ride if you do. Walt Browning February, 2024