Breeders (Breeders #1)

by Ashley Quigley

  “Ms. Langley, my name is Jord. I have been assigned as your Carer this week and will be conducting Phase Two, Ok?” I nodded in compliance. Jord smiled sweetly at me, “Have you been experiencing any unusual symptoms in the past week?”

  “No,” I replied.

  “Have you ever experienced dizziness, light headedness or nausea?”

  “I have had some of those symptoms during menstruation only.”

  “Thank you. Have you experienced any headaches, shortness of breath?”

  “No.” My answers remained the same each week, yet the questions still came.

  “Have you experienced any blurred vision or problems with your eyesight?”

  You were required to answer truthfully, as further testing in Phase Three would confirm your answers given in Phase Two. Failure to answer truthfully would result in disciplinary action. I zoned out, automating my answers from memory.

  “Ms. Langley. Please pay attention. I’ll repeat the question once more only.” Tight, clipped tones snapped me back into reality.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  “Have you had any vaginal discharge or irritation?”

  “No,” I answered in surprise, paying more attention to this new set of medical questions.

  “Have you had sexual intercourse?”

  I straightened in the chair. Whoa, hold on a second! This was new. What was this about? Promiscuity wasn’t encouraged but there were no laws against having different sexual partners before you paired with your life mate although this was severely frowned upon. “No I have not,” I tested the waters. “Why do you ask?”

  Jord checked her chart again, tapping a manicured nail on the screen in front of her. “It says here that we are required to ask about your sexual history at each of the medicals.” A chill shot up my spine, my nerves once again getting the better of me.

  “Thank you, Ms. Langley. You may now move onto Phase Four.” Jord escorted me further down the corridor to a door at the end that I had never been in before. I looked at her nervously. “As you are coming of pairing age, you are no longer required to undergo routine testing in Phase Three. You can proceed straight to Phase Four.” She smiled reassuringly, “Please scan to enter.”

  The door slid open to reveal an elderly gentleman with slick dark hair. Silver strands matched the silver jumpsuit he was wearing. His face was kind, but his eyes betrayed him. He gestured for me to enter. “Ms. Langley, I am the Healer who has been assigned to your Phase Four testing. Please change into this gown.”

  He held up a flimsy piece of cloth with an opening at the back. I will give you a minute. I stood nervously. Looking around, I noticed there were no other exits or entrances. He was waiting for me to get changed whilst he was there. This made me extremely uncomfortable. Clutching the cloth to me, I undid the tie on my wool coat, draping it loosely on the back of a metal chair. I unbuttoned my blouse slowly, quickly throwing the robe over my head before my shirt dropped to the floor. Stepping out of my skirt, I tiptoed to the steel grey reclining chair in front of me. Lying down, I gripped the cloth robe tightly closed, as anxiousness built up in the pit of my stomach.

  I cleared my throat, signaling that I had changed as instructed. The medical gown flapped open above my thighs. “Ms. Langley, you are reaching the pairing age and are required to undergo Phase Four testing as I am sure your Carer explained to you. My name is Dr. Brand. I am a fifth generation Healer, and I am required to do a slightly more invasive procedure on you than you currently are used to.”

  Not looking up from the electronic chart in his hand, he continued to scroll through my results with his left index finger as he spoke. No one had warned me of this, but I assumed this was the normal procedure for Phase Four. I lay very still whilst I was being examined by Dr. Brand, trying to take my mind off the exam by wondering what rarities we would be able to come by at the market.

  His raspy voice floated up from my feet. “Ms. Langley, we are almost done here. I’m going to give you a mild sedative for the last part of this testing as it is painful for some.” Jord appeared out of nowhere, hovering to the right of me, fidgeting with my arm. I wasn’t even aware that she had re-entered the room. As she leaned over me, swabbing my arm in preparation for the sedative, I noticed there were tears in her eyes. A sharp prick, followed by a searing pain through my veins, twisted me in the chair. Dr. Brand held my legs down, the robe gaping at my thighs. I started to panic as I felt my body become numb and my eyelids heavy. Something was definitely wrong. Eyelids fluttering, I tried to communicate my fear, the wooziness slurring my speech.

  As I drifted further from consciousness, I heard Jord whisper softly in my ear, “I’m sorry.”

  Chapter 4

  My eyelids felt heavy and my mouth was dry. A repetitive mechanical noise was all I could hear. I felt like I was moving in some sort of forward motion. I was lying in a bed that was much too big for me. Slowly sitting up, and adjusting to the light, I looked around. I was no longer at the medical station in Phase Four testing with Dr. Brand; this much was obvious. I was in a magnificent rectangular room. The walls were draped in a soft, luscious, pale yellow material I had never seen before. The ceiling was covered in tiny globes that resembled stars in the night sky.

  Sitting up slowly, I swung my legs around to the side of the bed. My feet planted firmly in a luscious wool carpet of pure white. Next to me was a huge decanter filled with a cold orange liquid. I sniffed it, not sure if this was something I could trust. I was still under the impression that I was either hallucinating or this was a bad dream. I tried to stand. Feeling slightly woozy, I wobbled over to the opening in the wall on the left of me. Entering slowly, I noticed the most lavish of lavatories; the kind I did not know existed. There was a huge hole in the floor with what looked like jets all around. I turned on the tap and soft, sweet-smelling water stared to fill it. A bathtub. My mother had told me stories of this from the Old World. We no longer had such luxuries as we lived to conserve every natural resource we had access to. Or so I thought; this observation raised alarm bells.

  Turning back, I noticed there were no windows in each of these two rooms. Searching further, I noticed a rectangular metal door on the far side of the room. Running my hands up and down the door, I desperately looked for a way to open it. There appeared to be some sort of control button to the side of it. I pushed a large square button and the lights dimmed around me. Another button opened a panel with vast amounts of fresh fruit and food. I gasped at the variety of them all. There were many I had never seen. A third button slid the door open. A sudden jerk threw me off balance, and I swung back into the room still holding onto the door as support.

  A train, I’m on a train. I must be heading home. I felt a bit relieved, like this had all been some misunderstanding. The train moved faster than I had ever known was possible. Holding onto the wall for support, still light headed from the sedative I had been given, I walked slowly towards the end of the carriage. It opened automatically as I approached it. This room was similar to the one I had awoken in; it was extravagant and glorious. The walls and floor were covered in plush cream carpeting; cream and blue patterned couches lined each side of the carriage. In one of them sat the dark haired Creator I had seen at the medical previously. Hair standing on end, I slowly backed towards the door I had just come through, never taking my eyes off him.

  “Wait. I mean you no harm.” Anxiety and tension strained his voice. “My name is Mason, Mason Black.”

  “I would like to go home please,” my voice barely a whisper.

  He let out a long deep sigh, “I’m sorry, but that is not possible.”

  “What?” I hissed at him.

  “You have been selected.”

  “Selected for what?” I clutched the wall behind me coaxing my wobbly legs to keep me upright.

  “You have been identified as having a unique genetic code; a code which has caught the attention of the Creators. Because of your genetic code you have been selected to pair with a Creat
or.”

  I felt my whole world crash down on me. “I’m not twenty-one yet. I still have time to choose. That is the law of the New World.”

  “No, you don’t. I am sorry to say that that choice is no longer yours.” He leant back in his chair, resting his palms on his thighs, his posture perfect. “Please sit so we can discuss this further.”

  I crept along the wall towards the chair nearest to me. Perching on the edge, ready to flee, I glared at him.

  “You have been monitored closely since birth,” he explained further. “This unique genetic code came to the attention of the Creators when you and your twin had your first screenings at a few days old. You were selected then. Since your birth, we have watched you develop over the years, paying specific attention to any illness, disease, your menstrual cycle even.” He cleared his throat as if this last part made him uncomfortable.

  This was absurd, I was losing my mind. The shock at my situation swiftly turned to rage. “You have been spying on me?”

  “No, not spying, monitoring.”

  “That means the same thing to me.” My voice raised an octave higher and I could feel myself starting to lose control. “This is a huge invasion of my privacy and I would like to return to my family. Right now. Do you hear me?” I screeched at him.

  “That is not possible. I am sorry. This is your future now.”

  I looked around the room frantically searching for a way to escape. Although brightly lit to the point of almost conveying warmth, there were no windows, no openings, and no view to the outside world. I was trapped.

  His steely gaze caught my attention. As if reading my mind, “There is no way off the train whilst it is moving. That is because we are underground, moving at high speed.”

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed myself to wake up, back in my bed, back in my home, together with my family. My Family. I snapped my eyes open. Glaring at him “Does my family know where I am?”

  “No. No one but a select few of the Creators do. Your family has been told that you have been quarantined due to the detection of a rare illness, as is standard procedure. In time, we will tell them that you did not survive the illness.” His face took on a pained look. “For your sake and well-being, you need to say goodbye to your family, mentally. This is a new start for you and there is no going back.”

  Shock prevented the tears that had formed in my eyes from falling. I dreaded asking the next question, fearing what the response would be, but I had to know. “Has a mate been selected for me?”

  Leaning forward, he clasped his hands loosely in between his legs, pinning me with those cold eyes of his. “Yes,” he whispered. “Me.”

  Rolling over and moaning softly, I stretched out into my fingers and toes. Opening my eyes slowly, sun streaming in, I convinced myself that I had just had the worst nightmare. Still sleepy, I swung my legs off the side of the bed. This was not my room; I panicked. And we were still moving. I must have collapsed and blacked out.

  This room was different to the one I had woken in before. Again, the room was decorated in soft pastel colors, clean and fresh yet warm at the same time. A huge window spanned the far side of the room, mountains and foliage whizzing past us. Usually I would take a moment to soak up the beauty of a new place that I had never seen before, but panic steered me around the room looking for some kind of object to use to pry the window open. I searched frantically for something to aid my escape, bordering on the edge of hysteria.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I spun around in terror, my arms flailing as the train rounded a corner. Hanging onto the curtain for dear life, I looked to where the voice was coming from.

  “Well you are not me, and I can do what I like.” I shouted in retaliation, fear taking control of my voice.

  “No, you can’t. One, that is dangerous; and two, you have me to think about now.” I looked at him stupidly. This must be some new trick he is playing on me to get me to warm up to this idea.

  “The Creators have deemed us mates, and we are now responsible for each other.” Scanning the full length of my body with those blue eyes, he looked at me in part disgust, part amusement. “Planning on showering anytime soon? It’s gross. Plus you need to scan. You missed one yesterday, and we have been warned.”

  “Yesterday? How long have I been out?”

  “Two days, give or take.”

  Staring blankly at him, I managed to get control of my nerves. As calmly and as strongly as I could muster, “There has got to be some way around this. Some mistake maybe? I’m sure if we speak to the Creators we can work this out, and you can return me back to my family.”

  “No, the arrangement has been made, and our pairing files are being created. We have been inputted into the system as life partners. I am your mate now.”

  “What, wait, what files? I haven’t signed anything. I have to sign the agreement with my mate. That’s what the Partnering Law says,” my voice was starting to become a screech again.

  “Yes, but it also says if a mate is chosen by a Creator, and not the individual themselves, the partners have to abide; consent is not required. Creators can also override any decision when it comes to pairing. If they feel that it serves the greater good.” Sadness was now evident in his demeanor.

  I thought for a minute. “Yes, but I didn’t know they kidnapped people and forced them to pair with absolute strangers, away from the support of their family and the life they had known.”

  He blinked at me, looking unfazed by my argument. “Please, calm down, Ariet. Scan, freshen up and join me in the main carriage for breakfast where we can discuss this further.” He exited my room without another word. I held on tightly to the curtain. It was all I could do not to collapse onto the ground in utter despair.

  Approaching the main carriage, Mason was sitting at a dining table laden with food. The preparation of which looked intricate. I stood there for a few minutes watching him, trying to learn as much about him and my surroundings as possible, determined to find a way out. He looked up as if sensing my presence and gestured for me to join him.

  Approaching slowly, I locked eyes with him. Why did they pair me with him, a Creator? I was a nobody from Beach Town. Sure, he was nice looking, handsome even. He had what looked like a strong build under his sleek cream suit. But, then again, we were all slender and good looking. Genetic selection by the Creators over the last few centuries had ensured the prosperity of a Superior race. Sitting opposite him, my body unwillingly sank into the soft padded arm chair. I took in the spread of food before us.

  “Eat,” he said. “We’re almost there.” My lips were dry, and the hunger I felt filled my stomach with nausea, but eating was the farthest thing on my mind. I picked up some kind of cinnamon bread dipped in sugar and proceeded to nibble at it.

  Breaking the silence, I kept my eyes trained on the moving hills outside the window. “Explain this to me again, please. I need to know what is happening. Why have they paired me with you of all people? I don’t even know you.”

  “Me of all people? What is that supposed to mean?”

  Surprised by the flash of hurt in his eyes, I replied quietly, “I didn’t mean to insult you; I apologize. What I meant is that you are just a stranger to me. And it’s Law that Creators and Superiors cannot pair, never mind having an arranged pairing.”

  Sighing in what I could only imagine to be frustration, he looked up at me. “We have detected a marker for a gene that few humans carry. In fact, only one hundred or so people in our population have been confirmed as carriers over the last thirty or so years. The Creators have been waiting for you to come of pairing age. This was always to be the plan for you.”

  “What do you mean, what gene, what plan?”

  “You have been earmarked for the Genetic Breeding Project. You are no longer classified in our system as a Superior, but are now a Breeder.”

  “A what?” Placing my hands over my ears, I started shaking my head furiously. “No, No, No…” Trying to find a momentary escap
e, I tried to convince myself that if I could hold my breath long enough, I might just be able to pass out, to escape this nightmare.

  I was unaware that Mason was now standing next to me; he placed his hands firmly on my arms and gently removed them from ears. I curled my fists into a ball, fighting the contact. He spoke calmly, “Ariet, do you need me to sedate you again? I wouldn’t like to, these drugs are not good for our systems when used continuously.”

  Yanking my arms from his grip, I glared at him. “A Breeder? That is against my rights, you can’t make me. I won’t take part in this.”

  “It’s not me who is doing this, Ariet. This decision was already determined at your birth. Your twin does not carry the gene.”

  “Alec? He was also tested?”

  Sitting back down opposite me, he slowly buttered a warm slice of crispy bread, never taking his eyes off mine, “All Superiors and Creators are routinely screened at birth and a genetic map created.”

  “Do my parents know about this gene I carry?”

  “No, and they will never know.”

  I thought silently about this for a while. If this was true then my family has remained untouched, unharmed by the people that took me. The knowledge that they were safe and living life as they had known it comforted me somewhat. “Why have they picked you as my mate?”

  “I also carry the gene. They hope to breed two carriers to get a human who is capable of expressing the gene, meaning we have one copy of the gene but don’t use it.” I raised my eyebrows questioningly at him. Sighing impatiently, “The gene we carry is recessive; if two recessive carriers mate, they have a one in four chance of producing a homozygous offspring: a child who will be a true carrier of the gene.”