Humankind 2.0

MI7 is expecting an eccentric new recruit in the person of Chasha Jones, self-described (only partly tongue-in-cheek) as "the most intelligent woman in London". She's hard-working, insightful, and fun to work alongside. But the day she's due to begin, there's no sign of her.

Then, outlandishly, it turns out she's hitched her wagon to a completely different star.

Specifically, she's joined forces with an eccentric Brit called Hector Raynebow. Raynebow used to be an environmentalist, but he's rejected all that on the grounds that humanity, in its present form, is incapable of saving the world: It is too self-centered, short-sighted, and fractious.

Don't worry, though, he has the perfect solution: Humankind 2.0, an exponential advance on homo sapiens, developed via cutting-edge gene technology. His “new humans” will, of course, be intelligent and rational enough to act with the necessary altruism.

Yet more than a few governments don't hear the words "new humans"; they hear "super-soldiers". And the question is, assuming Raynebow really is capable of developing such things, who is going to get their hands on them first?

John Mordred is assigned to investigate. Once he’s 2,000 miles from home and hemmed in by hostile forces, guess who turns up to help? Yes, it’s Chasha Jones.