CodeY

by Lamar Rutherford

  “You know there were a couple of tests for CodeY that we never gave Keece. Want me to try to do those while she’s in for her other testing?” asked Radi, a little cautiously. “Her OB is a good friend, so I could probably arrange it, and she would never know.”

  “I don’t see why. It’s not like anything is going to change based on the results. I’m certainly not going to change my wife at this point! And, as far as I know, there’s no going back when someone is pregnant!” answered Pele, jokingly.

  Radi in his scientific mode, could still not resist the opportunity for research. “No, I know. It’s mostly just data for the research. It may never matter, or it might be interesting if it ever comes to light what we’ve been up to.”

  Pele shook his head, unconvinced. “I don’t know. And I think we better make darn sure it never comes to light!”

  Radi, doing his best to be more persuasive now, “Come on man. After all this time and effort? Why not? There’s no harm and from what we know, she may be the best fit of all our spouses. I promise she won’t suspect a thing.”

  Pele still looking skeptical. “Isn’t one of the tests the IQ test? How are you going to sneak that one in during pregnancy testing?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll think of something,” said Radi, a bit pensively. He continued, still with hope. “I’m sure the nurse can pull it off, but she can always stop if it seems like Keece is getting suspicious.”

  “Fine,” Pele said with hesitation, then added emphatically, “But she better not suspect anything.”

  Cole remained silent, thinking back on all the files Radi had shown him on each of their candidates. He suspected if Pele had any idea, there would be no way he would let Radi do more testing. He would have to find a time to share that with Pele, but now, with Radi here, was definitely not the time.

  Chapter 17

  A month later, Cole’s wedding reception was in full swing. Radi and Pele were leisurely leaning on the bar, waiting for their drinks, as they watched their wives. Sophie was holding Devan’s tiny hands as he bounced to the beat on his wobbly legs. He was very excited about the loud dance-beat music played by the DJ. Keece effectively bobbled to the rhythm, her big belly swaying back and forth. Even pregnant, she moved gracefully.

  Radi interrupted their quiet observing. “So, are you ready for the arrival of your new little princess?”

  Pele smiled warmly. “Fortunately, it’s still a couple of months away. But yes, I’m super excited.”

  Radi, still adjusting to the fact that in a few short years, his life had completely changed with both a wife and a son, shook his head. “It goes faster than you think.”

  Pele agreed. “I know. We’re both trying to treasure every last minute we have together, just the two of us. Hey, did you ever do the additional testing for CodeY on her? She never said anything, so she must not have suspected.”

  Radi looked uncomfortable. “Yah, I did. Cole and I actually debated about saying anything to you about that.”

  Pele, surprised, when did they ever keep anything from each other? “Why? Why wouldn’t you tell me about it? I can’t believe she didn’t score well.”

  Radi took a deep breath. He had hoped to avoid this moment. “No, that wasn’t the problem at all, actually the opposite.”

  Pele looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Radi, realizing there was no way around telling Pele at this point, answered, “She scored really well, in fact, too well on a couple of factors. Remember when we did the experiments? If two rabbits were the high scorers on a characteristic and we bred them, we usually ended up with offspring that had some sort of issues? It was as if they were both too strong in an area and Mother Nature objected. It was weird, but it happened twice.”

  Pele, his brow furrowed now, answered slowly, “I do remember. The one pair ended up with blind Albino babies, and the second only had one offspring, but it was clearly not right, completely anti-social with any other bunnies.”

  Then he continued, almost angry now, “What does that have to do with Keece and me? Are you saying we’re too well-matched?”

  Radi with a heavy sigh, continued rapidly. “I believe there is a risk, yes. You both scored off the charts on the logic part of the IQ test. I never imagined you’d find a girl who would score as well as you on that aspect.

  You’re also both extremely high on fast-twitch reflexes. I don’t think the risk is as great on that factor. If you were bunnies and that was the only high-risk factor, I still wouldn’t let you breed to be safe, but…

  “Anyhow, the risk with your IQ logic scores is much higher and concerning.”

  Pele, very upset now, asked in a measured tone, “Radi, can you clearly explain to me the risks? What are you saying? That Keece and I might have children with birth defects or disabilities?”

  Radi was almost visibly cringing. He clearly was uncomfortable sharing this information. He wished he’d never insisted on the additional tests, or at the very least, never mentioned the risk to Pele. “The risk is that your kid has a genetic defect like autism or something else. It’s much higher when the combination for two people who score this high.”

  Pele, determined and annoyed now, asked, “What exactly is ‘much higher’?”

  Radi, trying to remain scientific to temper the tense emotional situation, answered carefully, “It’s difficult to say exactly, but somewhere around 30-40% higher than the typical risk of 4%.”

  Pele almost screamed at Radi now in frustration. Why did I ever agree to let him do more testing!? “What are my options? Abort? Not have kids with my wife? I can’t do that at this point. I love this woman. What am I supposed to do? I can’t tell Keece our child is at risk of being abnormal!”

  Radi, doing his best to diffuse Pele’s anger, “Pele, calm down. This is why we debated about telling you. I didn’t see any need to give you reason to worry. I know there is nothing you can do. We can’t do extra testing on the child at this point because we can’t tell anyone about the experiment, or we’ll all end up in jail. All you can do is all the normal testing and hope for the best.”

  Pele replied sarcastically, “Thanks,” and walked away, frustrated and unhappy.

  He knew his anger was somewhat unfairly aimed at Radi and Cole, but he could not help himself, Radi and this stupid experiment.

  As he left, he headed outside for some air, his mind spinning. The night air was refreshing, and the evening quiet once he got far enough away from the party. A full moon hung boldly on the horizon. How could this be? How could a child with this wonderful woman be anything but perfect? He thought back to their experiments and remembered how excited he and the other guys had been when they bred their two superstar rabbits. And then, how horrified when they saw their offspring. Was he destined to relive that, but on a much more personal level?

  For a moment, he was angry. Angry at Radi and Cole, and that he had ever participated in CodeY. He would have never pursued Keece if it had not been for the experiment. But then he stopped himself. He was so grateful to have her in his life. As much as the whole premise behind CodeY seemed like a really bad idea, he was so very happy to have met her, and that she was his wife. His beautiful, wonderful best friend and lover. But he also sincerely hoped rabbits and humans were very different. He knew he would spend the next four months worrying about the child, studying every test result on her health, searching for any signs of irregularity. And praying it was simply a normal, healthy baby. Nothing special, just please, let it simply be normal.

  The Hardship 2032

  Chapter 1

  Dust danced in the sunlight as it billowed around the cars jockeying for position on their way into the parking lot. Pele patiently waited his turn, watching the melee of anxious parents and excited kids as they tumbled out of their cars and eagerly headed to their soccer matches.

  Pele could see his daughter Raney on the nearest field, with her small girlish frame and long ponytail, always with the thin rainbow braid down the right side, sh
e was unmistakable amongst all the young boys. Pele thought back to those nerve-wracking years before she was born and during her early childhood, where he had watched every move she made so closely, so concerned she might have some genetic flaw. After Radi’s testing had raised concerns that he and Keece were too close of a match and that their kids could reflect this with some type of abnormality, Pele was very grateful and relieved they were almost all in the typically “normal” range. Pace was slightly on the spectrum for autism, but with careful attention to diet and care, it was manageable, and he was fairly well-adjusted.

  Normal for all of them might also be an understatement. They were clearly gifted. Raney played soccer with the boys. Girls, even three age levels up, were no match for her, so they had asked her to play on the boys’ team instead. She was still playing an age group up, but it was a much fairer match. Her academics were also always at the top of her class. Keece spent a great deal of time finding ways to keep both Rane and her siblings challenged in their studies and activities.

  After Rane seemed fine, Pele and Keece had rolled the dice again and had twins, Pace and Kala. Of course, Keece had no idea the risk they were taking, she knew nothing about CodeY, the genetic experiment Pele and his two friends Cole and Radi had schemed up years ago when they were in Med-school together. Their experiment trying to breed genetically stronger, more heat-resistant rabbits, led them to try to find their ideal genetic matches. After years of failure, they had each found women that matched their criteria, and that they loved and married.

  Now, years later, they all had children with these women. However, the “ideal mate” theory, Radi’s belief that their genetic matches would also be good mates for them intellectually and emotionally, had not worked out so well, at least not for Radi and Cole. Radi was divorced and Cole’s marriage was struggling. Yet, they did all have some very talented children. Pele was the only one who felt like he had found his ideal match in every way. He considered himself very fortunate to be married to Keece, still his best friend and lovely wife. Not that they did not have their differences and challenges, but none they had not been able to work through.

  Pele stepped out of his SUV, which was just big enough to pull a horse trailer when needed. He had long ago given up his zippy sports cars for the more practical family vehicle, a trade-off he considered well worth it for all the escapades they embarked on together.

  He could see Keece and the twins on the far side of the field, the two young ones wrestling each other as usual. He headed in that direction. The twins were six, both adorable with curly blonde mops of hair and the same mischievous grins as Keece, the one Pele was so drawn to when he first met her. The twins were inseparable. Kala kept a careful eye on her brother, helping if he ever had trouble in social situations. Pace, on the other hand, was fiercely protective of his smaller twin. Truth-be-told, Kala appeared petite and almost waiflike, but there was nothing fragile about her. She almost never backed down in any competition, but if she ever did, it was usually because she had a better way to beat her opponent. Regardless, Pace had her back.

  Their soccer games were later that afternoon. They both played well, but neither had the passion for the game Rane had at their age. Maybe because Rane was such a Daddy’s girl, she knew how much he loved the game, that feeling of rushing down the field, weaving amongst the players, working the ball towards goal, and the camaraderie of the team. He had many fond memories of when he competed for the US on the Olympic team. He treasured the fact that he could share this passion with his daughter. And she really was remarkably talented. He never talked about it with coaches or parents unless they asked him something specific. He did not want to be that gloating parent, but he knew her skills were rare. She was so agile and coordinated, but more than that, she could read other players in a way he had never seen in such a young player. It was like she knew what they were going to do before the player knew it themself.

  Pele had started testing her skill with this for fun. They would start to watch a game, and then after a few minutes of watching a team, he would pause the game before one team started another play and ask her to guess which move they would make. It was uncanny how many times she got it right. He would ask her how she knew, and she’d shrug and say, “he always goes to the right on the second kick,” or something along those lines. She seemed to have the ability to memorize each player’s typical moves. And she was still only eight! He could only imagine how useful that skill would be as she got older.

  Keece thought some of the skill might come from the virtual reality games she often played. They always had repeating patterns, but Pele knew it was partially because both he and Keece had high levels of pattern recognition in their genetics. CodeY had definitely worked for this aspect of Rane’s talents.

  As Pele crossed to the other side of the field, he saw Radi watching the game on the adjacent field. Radi’s oldest son Devan, a year older than Rane, played in the same league with her. Pele always liked it when they played against each other because he knew Devan would look out for Rane. He was sort of like the big brother she didn’t have. Rane also looked up to Devan. She revered his programming skills. Both of them were into coding even at their young ages. Devan was exceptional at it, but he was also a bit serious and scientific. Raney could always make him laugh. She would spend hours looking over his shoulder as he developed some program or cracked some gaming code. Pele knew Rane was also careful on the field not to make Devan look bad. He was a good player, but no match for her agility and canniness. She was careful not to make that obvious.

  “Hey man, I’m surprised to see you here,” Pele greeted Radi.

  Radi explained, “Yah, I had to trade Sophie weekends for the kids so I would be free when Cole gets to town next weekend.”

  Pele realized he had almost forgotten Cole was coming for a visit. Cole and his family had moved back to Virginia a couple of years ago to be closer to his relatives, hoping they could help raise his kids. His wife, Ava, had gone back to work as a litigation attorney. Pele wasn’t sure if Cole was working full-time yet as a cardiologist or not. He knew Cole and Ava were still struggling, partially because the kids were a handful and partially because of the challenges with their marriage. Ava had always been temperamental, but the kids seemed to send her into overdrive.

  Pele did sympathize somewhat with Ava. The couple of times he had spent time with Cole’s family, the kids did seem to be a bit unruly, especially the two middle ones, Jayden and Jaya. They were like two mischievous monkeys, climbing everything in sight and always looking for some way to surprise or pester their parents or siblings. The two of them with Pele’s twins, Pace and Kala, seemed to double the trouble whenever they were together. Even Keece was at her wit’s end the last time they visited. The families had all gone to a wedding at a farmhouse near Pala Casino and, between the four of them instigating a rotten apple war, climbing the barn rafters, dumping hay on their siblings, and trying to ride the goats, Pele was pretty sure everyone was ready to lock all of them in a stall and throw away the key! Both families made a hasty early exit partway through the reception, hoping the bride and groom would not lose their deposit because of their children’s antics. Ava and Cole moved across country shortly after that debacle.

  Pele quickly replied to Radi, “Oh that’s great. What’s on the agenda for the weekend?”

  “I’m not sure, but I know we’re definitely planning on going out Saturday night,” answered Radi. “Think you’ll be able to break free and join us? Maybe even for a little Patron Polo? I hear the new version is great,” he added, trying to entice Pele. He knew Pele had been burning the candle at both ends lately. Pele worked half time as an Orthopedic surgeon, and half time on a top-secret job for the government, but, unfortunately, recently both jobs seemed to be demanding more and more of his time.

  “Of course, I’ll join you, maybe not for Patron Polo. I’m not sure I could even wrap my head around that right now, but for a drink or two for sure,” said Pele, doing his be
st to sound enthusiastic. Saturday nights were the one night he tried to save for Keece. His schedule had been so nutty lately that he treasured these peaceful evenings in her company. She almost always managed to lighten his mood and ease his stress.

  His orthopedic work had become more and more difficult to manage as his reputation had grown, and the need for new joints continued to rise. His specialty, regenerative joint growth, where they could grow a new joint from the patient’s own tissue, had become especially successful and popular.

  His other work for the government, unfortunately, was also more and more in demand. He had been working for about ten years now in close conjunction with a neurosurgeon, Johann Dober, on enhancing a person’s natural motor skills with devices that connected to a person’s own neuromuscular structure. They’d had a couple of breakthroughs recently, so the military was pushing them even harder for their prototypes. Much of the pressure was due to the increased military activity around the world.

  In previous years, the western and eastern powerhouse countries had joined forces to squelch the brutal Islamic extremists, ISIS. The “super-powers”—Russia, the United States, Germany, China, Great Britain, and others—all still very different in their own governing philosophies, could at least agree on one thing, to unite against and quell the brutal practices of ISIS. They came together and drove out or destroyed everything they could that was associated with ISIS. The ISIS extremists, their forces in shambles, went underground.