Immortal

by Kelvin Kelley

The door slid shut with a clang, and Amelia jumped. She glanced at Charles who stood stoically in the middle of the large elevator, before she glanced down. The breath caught in her throat as she realized that she stood on a grate, and could see clearly through to the unending darkness below. She grasped the pipe next to her and held on for dear life as the elevator suddenly shot upwards. An uncontrolled gasp escaped her.

  “You okay?” Charles asked, as he stepped towards her with concern on his face. He reached up and touched her shoulder. She swallowed, and then answered.

  “Fine.” She said shortly, and looked away. Just then the elevator came to a halt and startled her again, but she fought back any vocal reaction. He saw the reaction run through her face. The doors slid open. He gripped her shoulder.

  “Come on.” He said warmly. “It’s okay.” He took her hand and led her out of the elevator. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she stepped back on firm ground. The door slid shut behind them, and once again she jumped.

  “Where are we going?” She managed to get out, as she followed him down the hallway.

  “To check on the latest report. They have a Guardian down in one of the harvest rooms, with a specimen still there.” As they walked down the hallway, a door slid open, and a gurney was wheeled out by a Guardian. Sarah lay peacefully asleep, oblivious to their presence as she was wheeled past them. Amelia looked after her, confused. “She’s fine.” Said Charles. “Just an embryo implant.”

  “Embryo?” Asked Amelia.

  “Yes.” He began. “Perpetuation of the species.”

  “Species?” She asked, her expression betrayed her lack of understanding.

  “Yes. Human kind.” He turned and began to walk.

  “But there are no babies.” She said, as she followed.

  “No. Not in New Sebastian.” He answered. “No new babies, anyway.”

  “What do you mean?” She asked.

  “The embryos are clones.” He said matter of factly.

  “Clones?” She asked.

  “Yes. Clones. Perfect copies of our citizens.” He laughed. “There’s even a copy of you running around here some where.” She stopped, and placed her hand against the wall to steady herself.

  “Copies.” She said unsteadily. He stopped and turned.

  “You didn’t know?” He laughed. “Really? I thought sure that you of all people knew.” He stepped close to her again. “You okay?” He asked. In her mind, what he had told her was like a whirlwind.

  “Yeah.” She lifted her head and straightened up. “I’m good.” They began to walk down the hallway again, and approached a doorway.

  “That’s where the rejuvenation technologies come from. The clones. The specimens. Perfect genetic matches for each of our citizens, which means little chance of rejection when organs are replaced or upgraded.” He said, as the door ahead slid open. He stepped into the dimly lit hallway, and she followed. They rounded the corner into the long hallway, with one side lined with the incubation tanks. “And here they are.” He said. “The newest crop of specimens. The future of New Sebastian.” He said as he stepped towards the tanks, looked into one, then another. He tapped on one of them. “Hello!” He yelled. He continued to walk, and she followed close behind him. As her eyes adjusted she began to see the fetuses as they floated in the tanks. Her stomach turned. Suddenly now that she could see them, it was like she could feel them as well. As if all of them suddenly cried out to her. Begged her. Begged for her help. She swallowed deeply as they continued to walk, and averted her gaze from the tanks. She had to keep her emotions under check. She knew that she couldn’t let Charles see how this affected her.

  As they rounded the next corner, she noticed the burn marks near the control panel on the door which stood wide open. A small rectangular machine, with thin metallic arms busily worked at the damaged control panel. Charles spoke as he stepped around the machine.

  “The specimens damaged the doorway in their escape.” He said, and stepped through the open door, and as she followed she saw the angry scars around the perimeter of the door, where the Guardian’s control sticks had burned through. The air was acrid as they continued. Through another doorway, they entered the vast warehouse location, where row upon row of shelving ran as far as she could see. She hurried to catch up with Charles.

  “The warehouse?” She asked. He nodded. “Thought so.” She said. “Recognized it from the surveillance video.” She kept pace with him as they made their way through the vast room, and though she occasionally glanced at the vats on the shelves, she could not tell what they might hold inside. As they entered a center aisle, a Guardian approached.

  “Chancellor.” It said in its metallic flat voice.

  “Has the system been re-reprogrammed to account for the damaged product?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “The product that was damaged…has this created any issues with citizen health?”

  “It does not appear so at this time, Chancellor. The product was registered for storage only. Unused product from the last harvest.”

  “So the product was assigned for a single citizen?” Charles asked the looming Guardian.

  “Affirmative.” Replied the Guardian. Charles nodded his head, and began to walk again, as he headed to the far end of the main aisle towards the steps. Amelia followed quietly.

  “That’s good news at least.” Charles said.

  “What did it mean…unused product?” She asked.

  “When a rejuvenation or upgrade is approved and scheduled, the necessary parts and organs must be harvested in preparation for the process. In most cases, the specimen is no longer viable after the harvest of the needed product, but it would be a shame to just discard of the remaining product. You never know when something else may come up after rejuvenation. We found it best to store the remaining product, at least until such time as another replacement specimen was viable for any new procedures that may be required.” They reached the steps, and he continued up. She hesitated.

  “Viable?” She asked. “After the harvest, the specimens are no longer viable? What does that mean?”

  “You know. Viable. In that the specimen can longer maintain the quality of the product in a self sufficient matter. If that is the case the specimen is disassembled into the various product components, and they are stored until such time as a replacement specimen is ready.” He stopped at the open door, and turned back to her. “It’s all quite efficient, don’t you think?” He asked rhetorically, then turned and went through the door. She ran quickly up the steps, even as her mind numbed with the realization that had begun to take hold. The specimens, the clones, she realized, were killed, and taken apart piece by piece. And as she came to the threshold of the door, she stopped and turned back and looked into the vast warehouse. She ran her eyes back across the row after row of tall shelving for as far as she could see. And in each row, on each shelf, was a part of what was once a living being. A human being. She shuddered, closed her eyes tight, then turned and followed Charles.

  “Charles!” She said, and ran a few steps to catch up with his fast pace. “The intruders that we’re looking for…you said they were specimens?”

  “Exactly. One was pulled for harvesting…the female I believe. The other escaped the farm, and infiltrated the harvest ward. That one was male I am told.” Amelia walked ahead in silence and shock. The specimens were not just clones, but living and breathing sentient beings. Their entire society’s premise of rejuvenation did not come from tissue cultures grown in labs and biotechnologies as they had been led to believe, but from murder. Suddenly Charles stopped by an open door in the hallway. “Here we are.” He paused and began to step into the room. She touched his arm, and asked.

  “Sir? The boxes. Back in the cavern. Did they contain product, sir?”

  “Oh no, Amelia.” He laughed. “That’s the holding area for the incoming shipments of our food.”

  “Food,
sir?” She blinked. She clearly did not understand.

  “Yes, Amelia. Food. You know, white meat, brown meat, the cakes, buns, sparkle waters. All of that. We have it all shipped in from a remote location where it is made. Totally automated of course. It’s like a large offshore factory of some kind. Never been there myself, but the system seems to work just fine. We have never had any shortages. The supply has always been exactly what we’ve needed.” He turned and entered the room. She followed after only a moment’s hesitation, and instantly wished she had not entered the room. Her eyes widened, and her entire body became numb as she looked at the broken torn body lying on the gurney. The grossly bizarre metallic arms still rested in its chest. The hair had been moved away from the face, and she clearly recognized the face. Though it was much younger than the face she knew now, with no wrinkles or withered skin. The face of the poor broken girl that lay there was that of Elizabeth Mackary. Lady Mackary.

  Chapter 28