Five term Democratic senator David Welles stood poised to be the next president. A high-profile tour of Australian genetic research facilities would only cement his claim on the nomination.
Things went well, until the Perth branch of Genetico. Welles was being shown a top-secret process to rewrite a "corrupted" DNA, when terrorists took over the facility.
This seemingly random act soon proved to be a targeted strike at Welles. He was secured in the experimental lab. Then one of the terrorists took a DNA sample from Welles and prepared the genetic chamber. Another terrorist entered the chamber and activated it. They then imprisoned Welles in a second chamber and inserted a second genetic sample.
Meanwhile, the terrorists went through the motions of a normal hostage situation. After two days, the procedure was complete. The terrorist emerged, now a duplicate of Welles right down to his DNA. The true Welles was released as well, to discover he was now a twenty-two year old Palestinian woman. Totally bewildered, he was dressed as a lab technician. The plan was for Welles to be executed and framed for helping the terrorists. Thus, they would now have one of their own as president and the true Welles dead.
However, before he could be executed, an American Delta Force struck. An explosion separated Welles from his captors. In the ensuing mayhem, the terrorists were all killed. The fake Welles was “rescued”, but the true Welles wasn't implicated in the attack.
Having no other option, Welles continued as his new self, Syriana Nasser. He discovered his new identity was no researcher, but a convict. Released as a test volunteer for another project, Welles went through with the project, seeing no way out.
She was returned to prison until the facility was ready to resume testing. In the weeks this took, Welles became intimately acquainted with life in a women's prison. When the chance came to volunteer again, she eagerly took it.
The new process was intended to cause major mutations on bone marrow. Despite the deaths of over two dozen prison “volunteers”, research continued. For some reason, possibly the fact that his genetic make-up had already been corrupted, Syriana not only survived, but gained super-human abilities! Her bone marrow mutated into a helium-like substance. While still behaving like bone marrow, at her mental command it takes on a lighter-than-air quality, enabling her to float and eventually fly.
The researchers wanted to keep Syriana in custody for study, but the high attrition rate of the experiment made it a PR coup to show a success who was given the agreed-upon reward: her release from prison.
Now a free woman, Syriana had only one goal: the death of President David Welles. However, before she could even begin, media reports flashed the assassination of the American president by a “lone gunman.”
Feeling a mixture of sorrow and relief, Syriana now faced a blank future. After some thought, she returned to the U.S.
Taking the identity of AirPilot, she has become a “super-hero”, while as Syriana, she has proven a successful real-estate salesperson in Los Angeles. AirPilot has proven to be a popular public figure, becoming an unlikely role model for women and minorities.
Sometimes she wonders what they'd think if they knew their great “minority hero” was a white male inside?
