Breeders
By Ashley Quigley
Copyright © 2014 by Ashley Quigley
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
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ISBN 978-0-620-61082-7
First Edition
I dedicate this to my husband, family and friends;
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
Preface
Having been trained as a biological scientist, I became interested in the ethical issues and controversies surrounding genetic breeding and designer babies. I started to wonder what would happen if your genetic prowess was the new currency and determined your place in this world. Would our interference of natural selection by genetic breeding create super humans? This book has inspired me to investigate further the human reaction to a situation which could threaten our entire existence. Although the book centre’s around science fiction, the scientific terms and genetic references are factual and make reference to studies performed worldwide, where researchers are trying to select for genetically favorable characteristics and disease free humans.
Chapter 1
Mondays are happy days for us, good family days. Most days are the same, mundane even, but Mondays add some variety to the week. Not only is it the first rest day for Superiors, but it is also the day we get our full medical, the results of which determine our supplies and rations for the week. Lying in bed, I can hear the birds chirping outside. They signal the start of spring, letting us know the sun is rising. Mother is up and shuffling in the kitchen, starting the preparations for today.
Food is abundant in Quadrant Four, provided your medical goes well. Some families have not been as lucky as us, but still they have more than they need. Our genetic viability has been solid for generations. Disease free, we obtain points each week which are uploaded onto our individual databases. Points can be used to obtain toiletries, clothing, anything at all really. Food rations are determined according to the cumulative number of points obtained by an entire family. Last week our points had been good, and provided a few rarities from Centre Market, which we used to spoil ourselves. The perusal of the market after the weekly medical makes the whole trip just that little bit less daunting. Beach Town has its own market, but Centre Market is more vibrant and has many things that we can’t get back home: honey and brown sugar for example, and lavender soap and such.
Every medical day, Mother and I wake early and prepare the last of the previous week’s rations for breakfast. Father and Alec get to rest in for a bit as we potter around. Men are not expected to work on medical days and have come to see it as a free day, a day where they do not have to report for duty in their various Sectors. Father is in the Agriculture Sector, having descended from a long line of botanists and growers. My brother Alec has reached the age where he is being taught the knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation; expected to join the Sector full time.
I swing my legs off the bed, yawning slightly and stretching. The first rays of sun glint off a mirrored doorway leading to the lavatory area. I walk slowly over to the mirror and observe myself. Having reached twenty years of age I am fully developed, thanks to a combination of good genes from my familial line of descendants and a healthy and active lifestyle. Long auburn hair cascades down my back in soft curls. I am slender, but not to the point that I look starved. Medium height and medium build, the perfect average, or so I have been told during the weekly medicals. Holding out my arm I insert my wrist into a small opening in the mirror. A whirring mechanical sound indicates the implantation device in my wrist is being scanned.
‘Good morning, Ariet’.
“Good morning,” I reply, but it’s not as if the machine or the Creators can hear me. It’s more out of a silly habit which often makes me giggle to myself.
‘Please complete your morning analysis.’
It’s the same routine every morning and has been all my life, yet every day that one instruction frustrates me. What if I don’t need to ‘go’ straight away? Tea before bed, my favorite luxury, has resolved this issue for me, but the annoyance of constantly making sure I am sufficiently hydrated before bed, so I may wake up with enough fluid to provide for my daily testing, tests my patience. After finishing, the automated response sounds.
‘Thank you, Ariet, have a prosperous day.’
The green light above the unit flashes, indicating that a urine sample has been successfully obtained and analyzed. The information gets sent to the Creators who will alert us of any issues at the weekly medicals. Splashing cold water on my face, I walk back to the window in my bedroom to watch the sun rise, my favorite part of the day. I fail to see the green light stop flashing and turn to yellow.
Mother hums softly to herself whilst preparing hard boiled eggs on the cooker. She is beautiful. They say I get my aesthetics from her. I have her milky, unblemished skin, petite frame and auburn hair. But I can only aspire to be as loving and nurturing a mother as she has been. Without turning her back, “Coffee is on the counter, freshly brewed.” She has this uncanny ability to know when her children are around her, and we have spent our childhood trying to surprise or startle her, but to no avail. She smiles sweetly at me, “Did you scan, Ariet?”
“Yeeeesss Mother, same as I do every morning.”
“Don’t yeeessss me. You know what happened when you missed your morning scan last year. I’m just making sure you don’t forget again.”
I shudder as I recall the incident. I had woken up earlier than usual and wanted to go for a run. Not needing to use the lavatory straight away, I headed down into the woods, finding the path that lead straight to the beach, my secret place. After a five mile run, with the waves lapping at my feet, I turned and decided to head back. A beating sound raised my suspicions that something was wrong, and I hurried back to the house. The sound got closer and closer, blasts of sand and salt air caught me, whipping around my face like tiny insects attacking me.
All I could think was, I didn’t scan, I didn’t scan, I didn’t scan. Adrenaline mixed with panic propelled me as fast as possible back toward the house. Three hovercrafts had found my location and continued to monitor me as I headed home. It was the automated message from the hovercraft that had terrified me the most: ‘Ms. Ariet Langley, please return immediately for your morning scan. Failing to do so will result in severe disciplinary measures.’
As I had made my way up the slope towards our dwelling, the hovercrafts continued to keep track of my every move. Mother had been pacing frantically in front of the window, and I’ll never forget the look of fear on her face as she caught sight of me propelling along the pathway. It was only when the green light had signaled a successfully completed scan that I heard the hovercrafts move off into the distance that I breathed again.
House arrest followed for the next month as punishment from the Creators, and my portion of t
he weekly ration contributions had been restricted to the bare minimum. That mistake had cost my family. A mistake I had never repeated again, but it was a constant reminder to us of how the rules have to be strictly adhered to.
Father’s twirling of Mother around the kitchen to the angelic tune she was humming snapped me back to the present. My parents are happy. After twenty-two years of being together they are still in love. They had been lucky enough to have found each other at the age of twenty-one, the pairing age. A pairing is arranged by the Creators if you have not selected a mate during this period. Superiors have two options when it comes to pairing with your life partner. Find a mate before you turn twenty-one, or a pairing will be arranged for you. You are expected to produce two offspring in the first three years of marriage. No more, no less.
My parents met when Mother had attended a medical in Quadrant Four whilst she was visiting family. Love at first sight saved them from what could have been an unhappy existence. “We better start getting a move on if we want to get the good seats on the train,” Father turned to me. “Morning, my Ariet.” It is his term of endearment for me. I am always ‘His Ariet’.
“Morning, Father. I’ll go and get Alec up.” Kissing him on the cheek, I go to wake my twin brother.
I nudge Alec with the ball of my foot. He detests it. “Get up. Father wants to leave in 30 minutes. Make sure to bring your supply bag down with you. We’ll need help carrying the rations back.”
Alec is not a morning person, especially not on these mornings. He hates needles, and the weekly medicals are always an issue for him.
“Ok, Ok. I’m coming. You know, it won’t be the worst thing in the world if we get to sit in the middle of the train, might spice things up a little.” I laughed. His auburn hair shone in the rays peeking through his curtains.
“You know how Father is. First in to the medical, first out. Hurry up, I’m going to change.”
Chapter 2
The walk to the train station was my favorite part of the journey. We lived in the uppermost corner of Quadrant Four, which lay parallel to the sea. The population was fifty thousand and rising steadily. It was the smallest of the four Quadrants, but was doing well. We were making advances in the Biotechnology and Agricultural sectors. Some of the Superiors had been selected to work with the Creators on certain projects, which was a great honor, as Superiors and Creators rarely crossed paths. We were slowly rebuilding the world after a devastating illness that almost wiped us out over a century ago now. All dwellings in the New World are similar in shape and design. Your dwelling is assigned to you by the Creators when you have successfully paired.
All families in Quadrant Four had their medicals on the same day, and the walk to the station was filled with laughter and catching up. Although the station was jammed with Superior families, it never ceased to amaze me how organized the chaos was. People simply filed in line with their families. Neighbors waved and greeted each other. We stood in line patiently, slowly shuffling forward. Only one family was allowed on the train at a time, where each family member was scanned and allocated seats. The travelling fee for the medical was, thankfully, largely reduced in comparison to regular travelling fees and was deducted from an individual’s total number of points accumulated.
There had been an instance, when I was younger, where a Superior had travelled extensively, using up all their points and had not allowed enough for the train ride to the medical. A harsh punishment was bestowed on him, the details of which I had never learned, but it had been instilled in me from an early age that our survival depended on the weekly Medical.
The train moved slowly out of the station. I loved to watch the residents of neighboring towns boarding, taking in new faces and surroundings. Our little town was aptly named Beach Town. All Quadrants radiated out from Centre Town and were made up of locational sub-divisions. I had learned over time, from people who had travelled and returned to the other three quadrants, that sub-divisions in all Quadrants were much the same as ours.
Our population consisted of survivors of the Great Illness that destroyed the Old World; who were genetically Superior to those that had succumbed to the disease. As the train moved towards Centre Town, slowly dipping and gliding through the hills and mountains around us, Father swiveled around in his seat leaning towards Alec and me, a serious look on his face. “You two need to keep your eyes open at the medical. This can be an opportunity for you both to find a mate. You have one year to select a partner or one will be provided for you.”
Alec and I looked at each other nervously. I got it; I got the importance of what Father was saying to me. But I wasn’t ready for this. I was still enjoying life, young and free. Looking at Alec, I could tell he felt the same way, although his pairing situation was not as dire as mine. He had already developed feelings for another Superior, their family resided in Beach Town as well. How serious it was for them we were not yet certain as he kept his silence strong on this matter. All I knew, at this point with absolute certainty and had known for a very long time was that I did not want a mate selected for me.
Some arranged pairings were happy, and life partners had eventually learned to love each other, but for many this was not the case. Arranged life partners, Selecteds as they had been termed, were paired according to genetic variability in order to prolong human life and maintain diversity. Genetic in-breeding between bloodlines was of huge concern to the Creators, and we were strongly encouraged to diversify and look for mates in Quadrants that were not our own. We only had to abide by one simple rule: Superiors could not pair with Creators, a small population responsible for our survival and our current state of existence. A few of the Creators known as Elders had formed a new Government based on medical necessity and were the highest accumulative point’s earners in the New World.
The train slowed as we approached the edge of Centre Town, the walls enclosing the Great Tower looming before us with tall trees shrouding our view. No Superior had seen beyond the walls of the Great Tower. It was arranged that our Medicals were performed at different stations around the edge of Centre Town. We were forbidden to cross into the forest, to get in any proximity to the boundary wall and, ultimately, the Great Tower.
As we approached the platform, I sighed inwardly, knowing this was to be my brother’s and my last medical before we reached pairing age. We filed off the train into separate lines of male and female. Medicals included weekly psychological monitoring and evaluation to maintain a successful genetic pairing. Happy but nervous faces peered around and waited for the barriers to the medical stations to be lifted.
Father gave me a quick wave as his line started to move forward, beyond our sight, “See you back at the market.”
Alec winked and stuck his tongue out as he filed in behind my father. “I can help you find a mate if you like. What about that one, that one or that one?” he pointed around aimlessly.
Laughter broke out at my expense, drawing unwanted attention from the male line of Superiors. He grinned ridiculously at me. I rolled my eyes in retaliation, making a mental note that I owed him a sibling rivalry comeback at some point. Standing in line behind Mother, our queue moved forward slowly; our wrists out in preparation for scanning.
As we got closer to the gates, Carers greeted us in full-length white jumpsuits, their cheerful but professional voices guiding us to our testing stations. Their pristine uniform sets them apart from the drab brown and grey clothing that Superiors were allowed to wear. I moved forward on autopilot. Scanning the crowd, dark hair and steel blue eyes caught my attention. A jolt of electricity surged through my veins as I realized I was being watched. Grabbing Mother’s arm tightly in panic, my voice barely a whisper, “Mother, there is a Creator, staring directly at me. To the right, by the archway. There, look!”
She turned hesitantly in the direction of the Creator, pretending to scan the crowd further than the area he was standing in. Turning back to me she whispered through clenched teeth, “Stay calm, and don’t draw any att
ention to yourself. I’m sure it’s nothing.” Her face and voice were reassuring, but her eyes glinted with concern.
“Ladies above thirty-five years of age please proceed this way; ladies below thirty-five years of age please proceed this way.”
The separation of female Superiors into age groups was normal as the tests performed were dependent on age; however, I couldn’t get rid of the nervous pit forming in my stomach. Turning to look away from the icy glare of the Creator, Mother gently squeezed my hand as she moved towards Phase One of the testing stations. “Bye, I love you. See you at the market.” I nodded silently. Glancing around nervously, I noticed that the Creator who had locked eyes with me moments ago was no longer there.
Chapter 3
Phases One, Two and Three of the medicals were performed in different sectors of the testing station. Each station was armed with Carers, one designated to you per medical testing session. The Carer was responsible for administering the test and escorting you from one section of the station to another. Phase One of the weekly medical was a routine full work-up. Bloods were drawn, heart rates were examined and full body scans were performed. They took place in a room equipped with machines, cords and monitors, all linked up to a plasma in front of you, so you were able to see your results as they came up. The room was sectioned off into 12 white cubicles. Fellow Superior females were undergoing the same battery of tests around me.
I couldn’t help but think of Alec as I was being stuck with a variety of needles. He was probably freaking out right about now. Poor baby. A smile sneaked through my lips. He absolutely hated this. It wasn’t great, but I didn’t mind it too much. I always hoped for the best result, so I could share the points with my family.
“Ms. Langley, well done. You are ready for Phase Two.” Phase Two testing was not my favorite. A battery of questions was asked from a report generated from the daily urine and metabolite checks performed at your dwelling. The questions were usually routine and didn’t really vary much from week to week, but they were long and complicated. A pretty dark haired Carer took her position in the chair next to me. She had a lovely welcoming face and her voice dripped with warmth. It always amazed me how Carers had the uncanny ability to soothe your nerves just with the way they spoke. I suppose that’s why they were deemed Carers.
Breeders (Breeders #1) Page 1
