by Luna Wolf
Army? Is that where I was supposed to go? That's it? How does he know and I don't? I've always paid attention in all my classes. I think I'd remember the army being brought up as what was planned for us after the graduation trials.
Doctor Langsting clears his throat. "I'm glad to see you know someone else, as well." He goes to the door of the bus. "Now if you would kindly get on the bus, we can start our journey to your temporary home, and I can explain what's going on."
Arrow follows him without hesitation, before he notices that I'm not on his heels to step on the thing. I've seen ancient films. These things have never been safe.
Octavius pats my shoulder. “Never been on one of these things either, huh? It’ll be okay. You’ve got me to keep you safe with my spider reflexes.”
Heat raises in my cheeks. With a bit of a nudge, Octavius steers me with his arm to the bus, and steps up onto at the same time as me. Here goes nothing. Fully in the bus, the sliding door closes behind us. I can’t turn back now. Octavius guides me to a seat and has me sit down nearest one of the windows, while he sits on the outer edge.
I can’t believe I’m on this thing. I glance around. Echo sits with Arrow. Several other people take up the seats as well, three other girls and about a dozen guys. Why are we all here?
The bus roars to life and I jump, feeling the vibrations of the engine in my chest. After surviving yesterday, I never thought I’d go out like this. Octavius puts his arm back around my shoulders. “It’s okay. They need us for something special, or they would’ve killed us already. This contraption won’t kill us.
I nod. His logic makes sense, but it doesn’t stop the vivid images of crashed buses from sprinting across the front of my mind. The bus rolls forward, heading toward a black path, clear of all obstacles.
Doctor Langsting stands next to the driver, the rocking of the metal tube unfazed him. “Now that we have everyone here. I guess this is a good of time as any to tell you what you’ve been selected for.”
Only the rumble of the engine filled the silence as he gave a dramatic pause and pulls out a hologram disc. He turns it on and punches in a number into its file search. It pulls up a video of a woman writhing in pain, sores cover her face and arms. “Humans of Earth are quickly succumbing to a new disease; the News has dubbed it the Sterile virus. For anyone who contracts it, if it doesn’t kill them, it leaves them sterile. More than eighty percent of the population has become infected. This surge has been within the last six months. We’ve worked hard on trying to cure it, but nothing has helped. If it continues, the normal humans of our species will be extinct within the next two years.”
Another image appears of a planet that nearly looks like Earth, I squint my eyes, something’s off about it though. The doctor clears his throat. “A hundred years ago we found a planet that mimics Earth in almost every way, however, it’s still in primitive stages of life. It’s only been in the last decade that we’ve been able to send researchers to the planet. It’s seen as the new frontier, a way for us to start over and keep our kind alive. The New World Order wants to send you there, to continue our kind, be it with some enhanced abilities that come from your hybrid genes.”
I frown and raise my hand. He nods to me. “B-but doctor, w-we’re st-sterile as well.”
He nods. “Yes, you’re correct, but it won’t be for long. Today you will all be given hormone therapy that will jumpstart your reproductive organs. Yes, you do have then, but the chromosome responsible for making them active was turned off while you were still a zygote. It’s simple now to turn them back on and get your body used the surge of hormones. Over the next few weeks you will be trained on what will happen to you. How to care for a child. And finally, some of the dangers we know you’ll face on Earth 2. We want to give you as much of a fighting chance as possible.”
A girl clears her throat. I glance over my shoulder. Her ebony hair flows over her shoulders like a waterfall, her eyes a mismatched blue and green. She raises her hand and the doctor nods to her. “Do we have a choice in whether we want to do this? I don’t think I’m cut out for being a breeder.”
Breeder? That’s exactly what they’re turning us into. Cows to keep giving birth until we have grandchildren and the species continues.
Doctor Langsting’s face fell into a frown. “I’m sorry to say, but no. You were all selected for the fact that you are near perfect hybrids, in form and organ structure. You’re the best candidates for continuing the hybrid genetics while also having children who should have no ill effects from the splicing at this point.”
Octavius raises his hand, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him be respectful to someone in a role of authority. “Does that mean I’m out? I have four eyes, sir, and Arrow over there has webbed fingers and blue skin.”
The doctor laughs. “Yes. We see those traits as something that can help with evolution. Your bodies are still pristine, with your heart exactly where it should be.”
We don’t have a choice. I’m not surprised. Am I capable of raising a child on a strange planet? I was raised by a team of doctors and nurses. I never had a mother or father, not like the ones we would sometimes get to watch in the ancient films.
Chapter Seven
Forrest
The bus stilled in front of a large, glass building. “We’ve made it to your new home for the next couple of weeks, while you’re prepared for the next phase of your lives.” Doctor Langsting turns on his heel and exits the bus.
I made it in one piece. That wasn’t so bad. Why did I let the fear grip me so bad? Octavius grabs my hand and pulls me from the seat. He grins at me before wiggling his eyebrows. “Let’s go make some babies.”
My entire insides light up with a broiling fire. Instantly my body goes invisible as he still holds onto my hand. He laughs. “Don’t worry, Squeaks, we can take things at your pace. Let’s go see our new prison. Have to admit, the potential of having free reign over a second Earth sounds pretty fucking amazing. I’ve spent so many years hating these people that it’s a shock for them to do something nice for a trouble maker like me.” He leads the way off the bus, my hand still in his, he doesn’t pull like Arrow, which is nice. With my heart-rate slowing down to a normal level, I reenter the land where people can see me.
I glance over my shoulder as Arrow, Echo, and the others get off the bus. Arrow stares at me for a second before his grey eyes travel where my hand holds Octavius’s. I let a small smile pull at my lips. Maybe he’ll learn by example that girls don’t like being tugged around like a wagon.
Doctor Langsting stops in front of the entrance, before pulling up the sleeve of his uniform to expose his bicep to a sensor. It reads his implant before the doors open wide, granting him access. He waves for us to follow him. Only the echo of all our feet thudding on the tile floor fills my ears as we walk down more white hallways. I must admit, though it was a bit cluttered, our ancestors had good ideas when it came to decorating. At least it gave the eyes something to focus on.
Octavius’s hand never leaves mine as we finally come to a stop in front of a set of double doors. Doctor Langsting grins over his shoulder at us before placing his right palm against the door. A green light runs underneath his hand before a ding pierces the air, I jump at the sudden sharpness of the sound. Octavius’s thumb rubs a circle into my skin.
The doors open to reveal a grand sitting area, that appears abnormal against the shining white of the tiled floor. Reds and golds made up the room's furniture. A large hologram ball stands off to the side. It looks like a wonderful place to watch films.
Doctor Langsting motions around the room. "We did some research and found, reds help entice lustful behavior. We want to give you all as much of a chance of liking each other as possible. That is why we won't be forcing you into groups, but rather, you can choose who want to be with. Since there are more males than females however, each female will have to choose four partners to coexist with."
I grip Octavius's hand tighter. Would he choose someone like
me? I hope so, I've come to like his personality a lot. He nudges me with his shoulder before grinning. Does that mean a yes?
The doctor leads the way to the left side of the room where four doors line the wall, each with a number floating as a hologram over it. "The girls' rooms are over here. You can pick which one you want, they're all identical. He opens the door with the three over it and we glance inside. A standard bed, lavatory, and something else I've never seen before. Like a tiny bed, but with bars surrounding it.
He steps inside the room and over to the contraption. Something about it feels familiar, but I can't place where I've seen one before. In a second he pulls something out of it and turns around. He holds an infant in his hands. My eyes widen. I've only ever seen one in films. We're not allowed to be around where they grow the babies in artificial wombs.
"This is not a real child. It is a life mimicking A.I.. Each of you girls have been given one. It will mimic everything you'll run into with a real baby, including growing to the age of three. This is to prepare you before you go to Earth 2. Now, once you've decided who your partners will be, it will be up to all of you to work together to raise the children. Do not leave it just up to the girls. The A.I. will be scoring you on your ability to raise it without almost killing it." He nods to someone behind me.
"If we score low does that mean we don't have to do this?" The girl with the ebony hair sounded from behind me.
He shakes his head. "No. We only have you four girls. If there were more females than males here, yes."
She huffs. I can't say I blame her, she doesn't seem like the type to ever been good at something like this.
Doctor Langsting makes eye contact with me, and I freeze. What does he want from me? He presses something near the ear of the infant, and its eyes flutter open before it lets out a cry. My spine seizes, god that's awful. "Velma, come here. Try and sooth it with instinct. You may not have been raised by a mother, but taking care of babies comes from something primal we've never been able to breed out."
He holds the screaming infant out to me. I step forward, heart racing, as I let go of Octavius's hand to take it from him.
"When they are this small you must support their necks, or you risk hurting it." I place my hand under is neck, before supporting the rest of its tiny body with my other arm. "That's it. Now make your hand comfortable and support its head with your arm. Let me see if this is a boy or a girl."
I stare at the screaming face. Something about it oddly calms me even though its cries hurt my ears. Doctor Langsting opens its white romper and then peeks under the diaper's hem. "You have a baby boy here. Take diligent care of him."
A boy. I readjust him in my arms and rock him slightly, moving when I'm nervous always helps me calm down. “Shhh…baby it’s okay. There’s no need for you to cry this much.” I keep my voice even and soft. His cries still as he turns his head in the direction of my voice. His blue eyes stare into mine. He gurgles.
“See, you’re a natural. The A.I. have specialty designed insides to intake formula and food, so you can experience all digestive and diaper changing scenarios that may arise. You’ll find formula bags in the food preparation area, which I can show you now, along with the boys’ rooms.”
Should I leave him here or take him with me? I don’t want to put him down. Stepping out of his way, I let the doctor pass me before following him. Octavius stops me to peer over my shoulder at the baby. “He’s so tiny. Hey, little guy.”
The baby tilts his chin up to get a better look at him.
Two girls step up to us, identical in every way, from their auburn hair to their brown eyes. The one on the left coos. “He’s so cute! Are you going to name him?” She glances over her shoulder at the group who’s currently seeing the boys’ dorms, they’re just like any of the dorms in any sector, nothing new for them. “Can we give them names?”
Doctor Langsting grins before nodding. "If you would like to, you may."
I stare down at the baby for a moment. He'll have a name from the beginning, he won't have to wait until he reaches maturity to be called something besides a slew of numbers. "Forrest."
I like that name," the twins say in unison.
"Th-thank you. I-I'm Velma."
The one on the left touches her chest. "I'm Rosie, and this is my sister Pansy."
Pansy nods, a freckle rests near the outer corner of her left eye the only difference I can tell between them. "Nice to meet you."
Octavius places his hand on my lower back. His warm touch sends a shiver up my spine. "I like that name, too. I think it fits him." With a nudge, we walk together back to the group, who is now in the food preparation area.
"You all know how the food packages work." The doctor holds up a brown pouch. He touches the black sphere to his left that rests in a silver frame. "This is the newest model. All you do is place the pouch inside and then select the type of meal you chose, it'll do the rest of the work for you." He then steps back to a water dispenser machine. "Velma, come here and I'll show you how to get the formula."
I step forward through the group.
He points to where a blue light that glows next to a white one. "If you want formula, tap the blue sensor. If you want water, then the white one will give you free water. None of your food credits will be used. Go ahead and try it for him."
My eyes widen. Water hasn't been free since I was a kid. Stepping closer, I readjust Forrest in my arms, so that my right hand is free to catch the formula. The warm, yellow-cream colored glob lands in my palm. A small nub placed at the side of it. It reminds me of the breasts we would see in anatomy films. Will I have fuller breasts soon, so I can feed a real child?
"Now, just place the nub near his mouth and he should know what to do on instinct."
"I want to see!" Rosie calls from the group.
I turn around, before placing the nub near his mouth. He latches on without a second's thought, greedily sucking down the pouch.
"See, that's perfect. Now," Doctor Langsting taps his implant and a hologram screen appears in front of him. He selects all of our implant numbers before sending us a file. "I just uploaded the guide for A.I. If something arises and you have no idea what to do, pull up the file for I.C.A.W and she'll walk you through the steps you need to take for you to help the child."
That'll come in useful, I'm sure, because I have no idea what I'm doing.
"Every day you'll have six hours of classes on Earth 2, to learn the skills you'll need to survive there, and the.... challenges you might face." During this time, your A.I.s are programmed to not need you. So you will not get critiques on during that time of the day."
The ominous tone around challenges leaves a heavy sensation in my gut.
"So, this isn't all just about reproduction?" A deep, baritone voices says from the back of the group." My gaze travels from Forrest to the tall guy standing at the back. His skin could meld with shadows, by comparison it makes the canary-yellow of his eyes pop.
"No, far from it. That's only a small part. You're going to Earth 2 to start anew. You have knowledge of your ancestors to keep you from making the same grave environmental changes they had on this world. You're going there, so that our species will survive for more generations, but never let them forget the past of this Earth."
I nod. I won't let any of my children waste the Earth like our ancestors did three hundred years ago.
Doctor Langsting claps. "Now—"
"Can we see our babies now? I want to hold mine," Rosie interjects.
He nods. "We'll go turn on your A.I.s and then we will go to the labs so your implants can be upgraded to ones that will release hormones that'll jump start your reproductive organs."
I wince, having my implant upgraded has never been fun.
Forrest finishes the last of the formula, the pouch is a tiny ball of film now. I rub it between my fingers and palm, turning it back into water before drying my hand off on my pant leg.
Rosie and Pansy clap. "We're so excited to meet our ba
bies!"
The ebony hair girl huffs. I wish we did have a choice, so that she wouldn't have to do this against her will. She couldn't be unhappier looking if she tried.
We stand in the labs. Echo is the first one to have his implant updated. First an assistant to Doctor Langsting numbs the skin over the implant before making a shallow cut and extracting it with a set of thin tongs. With another set of tongs, she grabs a micro-sized balloon, that they say is filled with the all the hormones we’ll need for the next six months. After that point, our bodies will be able to create the hormones on their own. We watch on a screen behind her that shows up close both the micro things. The balloon attaches itself to the implant wrapping spindly legs around it. She places it back within the cut and cauterizes it with a laser pen. The small scar will fade in a few days.
“Next.” She looks at the rest of us, ready to get the show on the road.
Arrow steps forward. “I’ll go.”
With each person she gets faster, making the process take only a couple of minutes. When my turn comes, I hand Forrest over to Octavius, who holds him with such care I think he’s afraid he’ll break him. I rub at the spot, it itches and stings all at the same time. She’s by far the best upgrader I’ve ever had. Normally they hurt a lot more to have taken out and put back.
“Tonight, you will watch ancient films centered around parenting, and you have I.C.A.W to guide you if you need it. Have fun getting to know your babies, and eat something. Get to know each other. You’re only here for a few weeks. It’s important for you to develop a dynamic that’ll help you on this journey. In the morning, I’ll come and get you for your first Earth 2 course.” Doctor Langsting smiles at all of us before he ushers us out of the lab.
I take Forrest back from Octavius. His shoulders relax. “I was terrified I was going to drop him. I remember as a toddler, I watched a doctor drop a baby that was mixed with jelly fish. She was never right after that.”