The Genetic Lottery: (A Futuristic Thriller) (EGALIA Book 1)

by Allison Goh

  All of you who have worked so hard to get where you are today should be properly rewarded. We should not and cannot, simply hand over the riches of tomorrow to these children, who have been unjustly enriched by a genetic head start.

  I present to all of you, a solution! The Infinity Chip. This chip will allow you to unlock your true potential. The benefits include increased productivity, memory, concentration and efficiency and best of all, this chip eradicates the need for sleep!”

  Alex paused to let the remarkable benefits of his product sink in the minds of the enthralled audience and smiling widely, he continued:

  “The Alpha5 think they have outsmarted us, but now, I’m giving you the most powerful weapon known to man, time. A wise man once said that Time is the greatest equalizer and he is only partly right. With your increased brain capacities, perfect powers of recall and no need for sleep, you will not only level the playing field, you will surpass it.

  There is no need to fear these genetically selected children. With the Infinity Chip, you will be able to work harder, faster and tirelessly and go beyond all your wildest expectations to achieve success. I urge of all you to join me, to take the next step for mankind. Together, we will advance a more equal and efficient Egalia and we will out-think all those who dare to stop us. ”

  The speech ended with loud cheers and the camera panned to an exuberant clapping audience. People started chanting his name, “Alex! Alex! Alex!” Alex smiled widely and waved to the audience. Alex shook Mayor Wayne’s hand who was looking a little overwhelmed, but before he could recover, he was quickly embraced by Alex, to even more cheers. With a final bow, Alex and Mayor Wayne walked off the raised platform and were quickly whisked away by their respective security teams.

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  Back in the Mayor’s office, Alex extended a warm handshake to Mayor Wayne. “Thank you for supporting Etak Inc. and the Infinity Chip Oliver,”

  Alex said.

  Mayor Wayne didn’t know what to say. Frankly, he had been a little startled by the forcefulness of Alex’s speech and he was thinking of the angry phonecalls he might have to deal with from Congress later on. It was no secret that many members of the Congress enjoyed luxurious lifestyles beyond their paychecks with the support of the Alpha5. But what’s done is done. It was too late to back out now.

  Mayor Wayne returned Alex’s handshake and said, “Of course! You have been supporting my campaign for almost 3 years now … it’s time I returned the favour!”

  With genuine gratefulness in his voice, he continued, “The Infinity Chip is wonderful! Now that I don’t need to sleep, I have so much time on my hands. Once the people try it, they will be hooked! They will be grateful to me then, for introducing the world to you. My staff is predicting a good rise in my poll numbers next quarter,” Mayor Wayne said with a wink.

  Alex laughed and nodded. “Quid pro quo for us then! Thank you so much, once again, for your support for the Infinity Chip, Oliver.”

  Mayor Wayne nodded enthusiastically, “Of course! Speaking of which, you know I have a daughter… and her birthday is coming up…”

  Alex cut in with a smile and said, “Oh yes, your daughter! You speak about her so fondly all the time. You know what, I’ll arrange for a consultation for her if you want… a new chip to enhance her job prospects!”

  The Mayor beamed, elated that Alex was offering exactly what he wanted. He agreed readily, “Yes yes, she would love that, perfect birthday present for her. She’s turning 18 soon. She’s smart enough already though, takes after me! But well, to compete with those genetic abominations…”

  Alex nodded, “That is exactly why this chip was invented in the first place. We need a fair and equal playing field, advancement for all and not just a select few!” Alex huffed with practiced indignation.

  “Not to worry, I’ll schedule her with the best Infinity specialist we have! She will get the best!” Alex said.

  The Mayor thanked Alex for his generosity and escorted him out his office. Back in his office, Mayor Wayne thought about how excellently this fiasco with the Alpha5 children managed to be resolved. The Infinity Chip couldn’t have come out at a better time! Not only had he managed to calm down and distract the people, his dark horse Alex Etak, looked to be a winning bet!

  Feeling especially exuberant, Mayor Wayne decided to pack his things up and go home early. Walking out, he checked the Alpha5’s stock prices on his watch and was rather pleased to know that it had plunged even further in the few hours since the release of the news about the Infinity Chip. Alpha5’s deteriorating financial health was received with great satisfaction by Mayor Wayne.

  “I may finally be rid of those tiresome Alpha5 CEOs!” he said, before catching himself and looking around frantically to see if anyone had heard him. He was sick and tired of them always lording over him, knowing they had Congress in their pockets. They never treated him with respect and viewed him only as a pawn.

  Mayor Wayne smiled to himself as he walked to his POD capsule. The tides have turned! He felt satisfied with the predicted outlook of his political future and couldn’t wait to tell his daughter about her birthday present.

  Chapter 4: When Brian met Lyxa

  Her turquoise ponytail swished as Lyxa stepped out of her POD capsule and walked into the main branch of the Infinity Clinics that were now spread all about the city. Etak Inc. had converted most of their property investments into Infinity Clinics after the successful launch of the Infinity Chip.

  It was almost as if they had anticipated their need for real estate, Lyxa thought. Not that she was really surprised. In the competitive city of Egalia, you had to be at the top of your game to succeed, and Alex Etak wouldn’t have had such a rapid rise in the business world if he wasn’t razor sharp. Lyxa felt a small pang of admiration for the man.

  He had even become friends with her father! Lyxa had seen many men try to worm their way into her father’s inner circle, hoping that his position as the Mayor would grant them some favours. However, Lyxa had seen equally as many who had failed, once her father saw through them, and he did so easily.

  Her father tolerated social climbers but would always keep them at an arm’s distance. But not Alex Etak, her father seemed to genuinely like him. Seems like nothing the man of the hour couldn’t do these days, Lyxa thought. After Alex Etak’s successful speech introducing the Infinity Chip two weeks ago, the remarkable new invention rapidly became the talk of the town. Everyone was buzzing about this new invention and edging their friends on to try it out. Her father’s endorsement was the final nail in the coffin. After Mayor Wayne publicly acknowledged that he was using the Infinity Chip and loving it, customers came pouring into the Infinity Clinics in troves and now there was a waiting list of 2 months! Lyxa marvelled at how quickly the Infinity Chip had become the most coveted luxury item on every Egalian’s wishlist.

  Scanning her appointment code at the entrance of the Infinity Clinic, Lyxa tried to clear her head as she tried not to feel ungrateful. After all, she was getting priority access to the Infinity Chip and thanks to her friends incessant chattering about it, she knew exactly how long the waiting list was for it and how much of a privilege she was being bestowed by getting an appointment so soon.

  Truthfully however, Lyxa was nervous and scared. She didn’t want this Chip, no matter how much she knew everyone else wanted it. Frankly, she felt she didn’t need it. Since she could remember, Lyxa had always achieved the best grades in school and she prided herself on her excellent work ethic. Of course, she knew the real reason everyone was falling over themselves to get it. The threat of the Alpha5 children.

  She sighed as she thought about that entire mess. Frankly, she didn’t understand the hatred the people felt toward the Alpha5 children. She felt that they were projecting their own insecurities onto them. A convenient scapegoat, a tangible target to vilify and gossip about, so that they didn’t need to face the real problems. The suffocating stress that most people felt in Egalia’s highly competiti
ve environment, the constant scrutiny of your personal wealth and achievements and the vindictive jealousy that followed when other people knew you were one step higher than them on the corporate ladder. The Alpha5 children simply symbolized the ultimate excess of the rich and powerful and people were resentful about that, and more so, worried that they would be outshone and perhaps made redundant.

  But even Lyxa had to admit, she too felt a twinge of anger when she heard about the news. In fact, one of her closest friends, Pamela Aculle, youngest heir to the Nutrienas empire, was one of them! Lyxa was angry that Pamela had never told her and underlying that, also a tinge jealousy.

  No wonder Pamela always had perfect hair, perfect skin and perfect grades, all without trying! She was always a tiny bit jealous that Pamela seemed to get everything so easily while she was relentlessly hardworking. But Lyxa knew Pamela and loved her for it. She was a sweet and spunky girl, full of enthusiasm for fun and games. Lyxa had never felt an ounce of competitiveness from her. In fact, Pamela spent most of her time clandestinely obsessing over Evian Zine. Only Lyxa knew about her crush, and while she tried to encourage Pamela, she had always vehemently denied it. Lyxa chuckled to herself as she thought of the many times she caught Pamela doodling Evian on her Ebooks.

  She sighed, she did miss her and she was worried. Ever since the news leak, Pamela had gone completely off the grid. She would have to find a way to contact her, Lyxa made a mental note to check up on her friend. But first, Lyxa steeled herself as the sleek appointment machine in the reception resonated with the appointment code she had scanned, and the screen showed which room she should head to for her meeting with an Infinity specialist. “I can do it, I can do it…”s Lyxa muttered under her breath, mentally prepping herself up, as best as she could, for a foreign object to enter her brain.

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  Lyxa was as startled as Brian when they met. Lyxa took in the face of her new Infinity specialist and was shocked to see a young, handsome face staring into her green eyes. Brian too, was startled. He knew his first ‘patient’ was going to be the Mayor’s daughter, but nothing prepared him for the vision that was Lyxa. With escaping tendrils of blue hair framing a lovely heart shaped face, punctuated with startling green eyes, Lyxa was certainly a sight for sore eyes, Brian thought as he stared at Lyxa.

  Lyxa cleared her throat nervously and straightened her white formfitting dress, and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Lyxa. Are you the specialist?” Laughing nervously, she added, “You look really young!”

  Brian replied, “Hi, I’m uhm… Brian. Yes! I’m the specialist. It’s a great honour to meet you Ms Wayne. I’m young but I know what I’m doing. My parents were actually the head developers of the Infinity Chip. I’ve been told to take good care of you. All of us here at Etak Inc. are so grateful for the Mayor’s support…”

  Brian wasn’t really consciously aware of the PR drivel he was spouting. His palms were sweaty and he was panicking. Shit, shit shit. I can’t do this. Wow, she was beautiful… Ugh, don’t get distracted. Act normal, act normal… Brian reminded himself fervently.

  Two hours before this scheduled appointment, Brian was a nervous wreck in his room. His parents had asked him for a favour, the first time they had initiated conversation in months actually. They asked him to oversee the installation of the Infinity Chip for Mayor Wayne’s daughter, and he was to make her feel as welcome as possible. His father, John Green, lead developer and executive director at Etak Inc. had even cracked a few jokes as to how he should really get to know the Mayor’s daughter better, seeing as they were both 18.

  This was all new for Brian. His father never made jokes and his parents never asked him for anything. This must be a big deal, Brian thought. As his parents tried their best to banter with Brian, Brian couldn’t help but feel depressed. His parents had become so distant from him that they struggled to even make small talk with him, he observed with half indignation half melancholy.

  This had all started three years ago when an up and coming businessman, Alex Etak, gave Brian’s parents funding to further develop their technologies. His parents were neuroscientists, specializing in pain relief. Funding was scarce and difficult to procure. Especially after the successful implementation of the Genetic Lottery, scientists were gradually marginalized as there was less need for research on the human body since babies of the Genetic Lottery were guaranteed to lead long and healthy lives. The Green scientists led a meagre life but they were happy, or at least Brian was. He recalled how his parents would come back from work early every night and after checking in on his school work, would spend hours talking to him about his day. While his parents were never particularly expressive with their feelings, one thing they loved to do was to explain the mysteries of the universe to him. And while he didn’t understand much of the scientific lingo they used, his parents’ enthusiastic energy for science rubbed off on him at an early age.

  He had been happy for his parents when they first were offered funding by Etak Inc. Brian knew how much they loved science and their work. However, as they spent more and more time in the laboratory, and less and less on family time, Brian couldn’t help but feel resentful and wished they had never gotten the funding in the first place.

  Brian had been hurt by the change. Increasingly, his parents appeared more and more distant and as their conversations lessened, so did the emotional gulf between parent and son. Brian quickly realized that his parents were much more interested in their work and getting more and more money to fund their work than what he was doing at school or how his day had gone.

  As the days went by and his parents got themselves bigger and bigger laboratories, Brian realized that his parents would only pay attention to him if he pursued what they pursued – the Infinity Chip. So he tried to take an interest in what they were doing and fortunately, stemming from the interest he had developed in science from young, he discovered had quite a knack for it. However, even as he passed all his science classes with flying colours, graduating university early and even passing the employment tests at Etak Inc. to become the youngest ever certified specialist, the gulf between him and his parents was so wide that he felt it would never be the same anymore. This was exacerbated by the fact that though Brian’s parents no longer needed to spend hours in development, especially after the successful launch of the Infinity Chip, their new roles as executive directors at Etak Inc. now consumed them and they seemed to be partaking in never-ending business dinners and investor meetings.

  In fact, ever since the Infinity launched, his parents had become reluctant to even talk about work. While his parents used to respond enthusiastically if he discussed scientific progress in the lab, they now brushed aside the topic. Even as he surfaced scientific developments regarding the Infinity Chip, wanting their help to do more long-term experiments on a larger scale, his parents uniformly dismissed his requests. Though he didn’t want to think the worst of his parents, Brian couldn’t help but think that ever since the announcement of the Infinity Chip and the resultant boom of clients, his parents had become almost entirely unconcerned and detached from the technology they had help create and instead, paid much more attention to the promotional and hence monetizing aspect of the Infinity Chip.

  Not one to give up, Brian continued with his scientific explorations and just as he had started to collate some hard evidence as to the long term efficacy of the Infinity Chip, his parents had asked him install one into his very first patient. Brian couldn’t refuse his parents. Though he was angry at them, his soft heart gave in once he felt his parents tried to warm up to him, albeit with a favour to ask from him. He had agreed readily once his parents asked but later regretted it.

  He wasn’t ready to have his own patient. Thus far, he had only experimented with the Infinity Chip in the safe environment of testing labs. And with his recent research on the long-term efficacy of the Infinity Chip, Brian wasn’t sure he could install something he still had lingering doubts about on an actual human being. Truth be told,
he felt that the Infinity Chip shouldn’t have been released so quickly to the masses with only a few years of experimentation in the laboratory. He had tried to go to his parents again but they had just as coldly dismissed him as before. Sensing he would get no support from his parents, Brian tried to convince himself he was over-thinking things. However, as much as he tried, he couldn’t get over his residual fears and doubts about the Infinity Chip and he just wasn’t ready for the responsibility of having to install something so permanent in an actual human being with his own two hands.

  All these feelings erupted again once Brain got over the initial shock of seeing Lyxa for the first time. Brian’s palms were sweaty and he was having a nervous breakdown on the inside.

  Thankfully, Lyxa didn’t seem to notice as she eased into the patient’s chair. Brian steadied his voice as best as he could and said, “I’ll just do some preliminary checks, if everything is fine, we will be able to put in the Infinity Chip at the next appointment.”

  Lyxa took a deep breath, a cold sweat starting to form at the nape of her neck. Too late to back out now! She thought.

  “Are you nervous?” Brian asked, noticing the tense expression on Lyxa’s face.

  Lyxa remained silent, hoping to disguise her true anxiety.

  “Don’t be,” Brian said. “I’m a pro, I’ve totally done this like a million times before.”

  Lyxa looked at him and said, “Really?”

  Brian laughed, “No no, actually you have the honour of being my first patient!”

  Lyxa flinched, “What? Is this safe? Wait a minute…”

  Seeing Brian’s panicked face as soon as the words left her mouth, Lyxa couldn’t help but laugh, her nerves temporarily calmed when she saw how panicked Brian looked.

  “Relax! I’m just joking. My father couldn’t be happier with his and I actually know two friends who had theirs installed last week and they have been bragging about it non-stop actually, you should see the way they act about it at school…”