The Perfect Specimen

Dr. Derek Singh is sure that one of planet Victoria's millions of venomous insects holds the key to destroying cancerous tumors-and jumpstarting his stalled career.

Unfortunately, the traps he sets each night capture nothing but dust, and his competitive colleagues don't share the venom they've collected. The clock is running down on his two-year grant and he's making no progress.

When his young neighbor-one of the few native-born children-finds out he studies "bugs," she is eager to bring him all the specimens he needs. Derek worries she'll be bitten or stung, but soon discovers Mia is in danger from a far larger predator-the corporation that funds him.

The Perfect Specimen in a prequel to the novel Six.

M. Luke McDonell is a San Francisco-based science fiction writer and visual designer. Her five-minutes-into-the-future fiction explores the effects of emerging technology on individuals and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Shoreline of Infinity, The Overcast, The Arcanist, Perihelion, New Reader Magazine, and more. Learn more at https: //mlukemcdonell.wordpress.com