The Genetic Experiment

by E S Richards

  Zahyra flinched at the idea, having to remind herself that Heather was simply using fear tactics to try and get her to be more obedient. What she didn’t realise however, was that she was also presenting Zahyra with an opportunity.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologised fictitiously again. “It’s just that I know so little about this place, everything is just so new to me. Perhaps if I was given a bit more freedom? If I could look around a little more?”

  Heather laughed in front of her.

  “I’m afraid, Zahyra, that after your little stunt today you will not be given more freedom. You will not be rewarded for disobeying the rules. That is not the kind of structure we abide by here.”

  Zahyra’s eyes drifted away from Heather’s once more. She had expected as much, but it had been worth a chance.

  “If you want to learn more about the facility however,” Zahyra perked up once more, “then I can provide you with some reading material. This is a wonderful place we live in and I don’t blame you for wanting to absorb all the knowledge you can.”

  It wasn’t the goal Zahyra had been working towards by any means, but at least having a way of learning more about the safe haven was a step in the right direction. If only she could choose the materials herself. Anything Heather provided her with Zahyra suspected would be laden with propaganda and trickery.

  “That would be great,” she replied anyway, knowing to take a win when she could get one, no matter how small. “Thank you.”

  Heather appeared to be finished with Zahyra from that moment and she turned to look at the screen on the table in front of her.

  “Let me just file this report,” she mumbled. “Then I will escort you to the study area. You cannot stay there, but you can collect some material from the library section.”

  Zahyra nodded silently. Hopefully that meant she could find something in the library herself to broaden her knowledge about what was really going on in the safe haven. Ten minutes later they were on their way.

  When they arrived at the study area it was exactly how Zahyra remembered it from her tour. There had to be over a thousand books piled up against the walls, covering a whole range of different topics. The tables in the middle of the room were mostly filled with people around her age or a few years older. Their armbands were a smattering of different colours, from grey to green, black and white. There was no one present with a red or purple armband Zahyra noted, those being the only other colours she had come across so far.

  Heather led Zahyra to a section that contained books about the safe haven and instructed her to select two or three. She then moved away and began speaking to someone wearing a black armband, undoubtedly the oldest person in the room at only a few years Heather’s junior.

  Zahyra eyed the magnitude of books in front of her, never having seen so many in such good condition before in her life. She ran her fingers across the spine of several of them, appreciating how they were woven together. Most of the titles didn’t make sense to her and she took a step back to crane her neck at those piled higher up.

  “So you’re the new newbie?” A voice suddenly spoke behind her. Zahyra whirled round to see a young man in a grey uniform, grey armband to match standing behind her, his hands on his hips.

  “Name’s Zac,” he smiled at her, “glad you’ve arrived. I was getting tired of being the new kid on the block.”

  Zahyra stared at the young man. He had dark hair, cut closely against his head and a thin black moustache creeping along his top lip. If she had to guess she would say he was only three or four years older than her. He seemed friendly, but Zahyra had learned quickly not to trust anyone in the facility so she kept her guard up as she took in the man.

  “What?” She asked carefully, not fully understanding what the man – Zac – was saying to her.

  “You’re the newest arrival?” He said, more as a statement than a question. “That was me four months ago, wandered in from the outside world. It’s weird getting used to this place isn’t it?”

  Zahyra realised quickly this was the person Professor Welbeck had referred to that morning when she’d asked about her mother. The last person to arrive at the safe haven before she had. Glancing over to where Heather was still in conversation, Zahyra jumped at the opportunity.

  “It’s weird,” she agreed with a nod of her head. “What do you make of this place?”

  “Weird, but great, don’t you think?” Zac seemed genuinely happy to be in the safe haven and Zahyra’s optimism immediately fell. “All the technology is crazy, I’m in here almost every day trying to learn more about it. Until I get my band of course.”

  Zahyra gave Zac a puzzled look at his last sentence and he leapt at the opportunity to explain, relishing finding someone who knew less about the safe haven than he did.

  “Band,” he pointed to the grey armband he was wearing. “I’m hoping for red, but anything’s better than grey really. Grey is just non-essential, given to everyone who either hasn’t been banded yet or just doesn’t fit anywhere else. Red’s the colour to be in my opinion, they get to go out on the front line, see all the action. What do you want to be?”

  “I err,” Zahyra didn’t have an answer for his question, still gradually absorbing what he said. So grey armbands signified the non-essential people in the facility, that was a useful thing to learn at least. Zahyra noticed Zac staring at her expectantly and drew herself away from her thoughts so she could engage with him.

  “I’m not sure, black maybe? They’re the scientists right?”

  Zac shrugged in response. “Yeah that’d be an alright choice I guess. You here for science books then? I can help you if you want?”

  “Actually,” Zahyra started, wondering if she could truly trust Zac. “I just want to find out a bit more about this place for now, how it’s really run, what goes on here. You know anything like that?”

  “Sure!” Zac grinned and moved around her, making his way towards a separate pile of books. Zahyra watched him as he pulled things out, considered them and then either added them to a pile on the floor or put them back on the shelves.

  “Here,” he said a moment later, handing Zahyra a collection of six differently sized books. “I put a few science-y ones in there as well, just in case.”

  “Thank you,” Zahyra smiled, “appreciate it.” Then she noticed Heather finishing her conversation with the man in the black armband across the study area and started to turn and walk away from Zac.

  “Wait,” he called after her, “where are you housed? Be good to see you again.”

  Zahyra paused, “I’m not actually sure,” she replied honestly and Zac laughed.

  “I know what you mean, this place is definitely confusing. What time do you eat then?”

  “Oh, six, one and seven I think.”

  Zac’s face fell. Clearly he didn’t have meals at the same time as her.

  “Maybe I’ll see you back here sometime then instead?” He continued hopefully, “Like I said, I’m here most days!”

  “Yeah maybe,” Zahyra finished with a smile, “see you.”

  As she walked away from Zac clutching her books she turned her head slightly to see him watching her walk away. He had seemed sweet, and it was nice to find someone who had an interest in her without knowing that she was a Zero. But when she saw Zac wave goodbye to her once more Zahyra’s heart ached for Cain. The mystery of what had happened to him was still tearing her apart inside. She knew her heart was reserved for him and him alone, no matter how friendly the men in the facility turned out to be.

  Heather looked at her choice of books carefully once Zahyra had reached her side and gave an approving nod. Five minutes later Zahyra was locked in her room again with them, nothing to do but read until her timekeep signalled that Heather would be arriving for supper. She pulled one out at random and lay down on her bed, positioning the pillows to support her back before she began to read.

  The safe haven was established in the year 2012, eight years before the nuclear warfare that d
estroyed most of the planet. It was designed to be a refuge for the most important members of society in case anything ever happened that would require them to escape. After the bombings of 2020 it was given its first practical use and those residing within it strived to do anything they could to save humanity.

  Over the years the function of the safe haven has adapted and evolved along with the changing world outside it. Its doors have long been open to those clever enough to find them, and each new arrival signifies a new hope for humanity. The work that goes on within the safe haven aims to help rid humanity of the genetic mutations that resulted from the nuclear warfare. As each new generation forms, new questions and answers are found within the safe haven, with our devout team of scientists hoping to lead the way into a new era.

  In a world where countless lives have been lost the safe haven is a beacon of hope to those dedicated enough to flourish and thrive in. Without it, the world would continue to dissolve and any hope for a new start would be lost in the ruins of the ancient civilisations.

  One page in Zahyra put down the book and sighed. From its design it looked to have been written fairly recently, a piece of propaganda she had expected to find in the library’s archives. As much as she was intrigued by how the safe haven had been established and what it had originally stood for, she knew there were more pressing matters she had to deal with.

  Assessing the other books Zac had chosen for her, her eyes fell on a smaller pamphlet, no more than ten pages in length. She pulled it out from between two of the larger books and gazed at the title. Printed in large, bold letters were the words ‘The Cure’ staring her in the face. Immediately she started to read.

  The pamphlet described how the genetic mutations had evolved from the nuclear warfare. Explaining how each generation had exhibited stronger mutations due to selective breeding in the early days after the bombings. She skimmed the first few pages, reading brief introductions to each new generation from Zero’s up to Gen 5.

  The title on the next page of the pamphlet gripped her attention immediately: ‘Generation 6: The New-Wave’. Zahyra’s heart somersaulted in her chest.

  She read on to discover how it was believed Gen 6 mutants would evolve much like the generations before them, but that the scientists within the safe haven believed their mutations to be on an entirely mental level. They wrote how this New-Wave of mutants would be the most dangerous the world had ever seen, with the abilities to control people and things entirely with their minds. The whole page was entirely theorised but Zahyra gasped at the things it was suggesting this New-Wave of mutants would be able to do.

  She thought of Asher and wondered whether he had ever exhibited any of the things that were described in the pamphlet. To her he had been just a normal child, but how many of these things had actually been going on in her brother’s head that she was completely unaware of.

  Catching herself, Zahyra suddenly stopped. She forced herself to remember that what was written in the pamphlet was not necessarily true, and she couldn’t trust anything the safe haven did or said. She knew her brother, and he was as far from a dangerous mutant as anyone could be. Turning the page she assessed the information about the apparent cure.

  It described how a pure human – a Zero – would be needed to produce the cure. Only using information found within their original DNA matrix could something be synthesised to produce an antidote. Most of the phrases Zahyra didn’t completely understand, but she recognised it to be talking about what was going on in her T128 trial. She shuddered and continued to skim the rest of the pamphlet. There was very little other information that she could make sense of and reluctantly she began to re-fold the paper.

  Whether this information was true or not it had only confirmed one thing to her: she had to find her brother. Asher had to be alive somewhere within the facility and there was no way Zahyra was going to sit back and let them experiment on him the way they were doing to her.

  Scrunching the paper into a ball she flung it wildly against the wall of her room. Her brother was not a mutant. And she was going to get him out of there.

  Chapter 8

  Asher sat in his room. He stroked the soft fabric of the bed sheets with his hand and stared blankly at the wall in front of him, considering what was going to happen. The wall was carved straight out of the mountain face, reminding him of the mysterious facility he was being held in.

  He longed for his sister, for his mother, even Cain. Anyone who could tell him what was going on; to explain to him that this wasn’t going to be a repeat of the camp he’d be taken to. He shivered at the thought. He missed the sunrise. The cool breeze of the wind on his face. He missed his home.

  The safe haven scared him. He wasn’t being treated badly, not compared to the camp where the mutants had kept him. But he still didn’t feel safe. The branding he had been given in the camp still itched on his right arm. The raw imprint of a zero, submitting him to his fate as someone without a genetic mutation. Or so he had thought.

  When he arrived at the safe haven with Zahyra and Cain he was sure that would be the start of his new life. Living happily in a place that would be his new home. New friends. New adventures.

  The scanning process had been the first thing to make him feel unsettled there. He had no idea that Cain wouldn’t be allowed to remain in the facility. Even though he had found out about his Gen 4 status – through a horrible example – Asher still thought Cain would be allowed to stay in the safe haven.

  In the few days he had known him, Asher had seen how important the man had become to his sister. The way she looked at him; he didn’t completely understand it but he could tell there were feelings between them. Feelings in some ways like the ones he had for his sister, but in some ways also different. Something he didn’t think he’d experienced yet.

  The look on Zahyra’s face was painful when the lady with the Identifier had said Cain was unsuitable for housing. Asher believed that the safe haven was a place where everyone could come together, despite their mutations. The stories that his mother had told him were always happy, always highlighted the importance of the community here. Nothing he had experienced so far related to anything he had ever been told.

  After Zahyra’s scanning Asher had been ready to step up and take his place. Join his sister as a Zero. It still surprised him that that’s what she really was. All his life he’d envied her ability to see more colours than he could. He’d loved the stories she would tell him about how everything looked different, more magical.

  He wasn’t angry that Zahyra had kept her true ranking a secret from him; even at his age he understood the perils that accompanied being a Zero. No, he was just surprised. Hurt in some ways that she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him the truth. At least not until right before she had known it would come out.

  Still, once he had known he had been ready to join her. The scanning process had been weird. The sound deafened him and it went on for so long. The helmet had shuddered quickly against his head as he wore it, like vibrations. It hadn’t been a comfortable experience but he’d said nothing. He’d gone ahead with it because he had known what the outcome would be. He was a Zero. As plain and true as the empty circle on his arm told him. But for some reason that hadn’t been the case.

  As far as Asher was aware there were only five generations of mutants. Gen 6 didn’t exist, but for some reason that was what they were calling him. Everyone immediately treated him differently because of it, but he didn’t feel any different. He felt normal. He felt nothing. He felt like a Zero.

  Pulling the bed sheets closer around his body Asher thought back to what had happened only a few hours ago. He had remained strong when the lady had announced he was a Gen 6. It had to be a mistake he’d told himself, so he just went along with it. Now he knew that had been the mistake. He didn’t get to say goodbye to his sister. He didn’t get to see where she went or what was going to happen to her.

  The lady and a man had led him out of the room and down a dimly lit c
orridor. There had been yellow lights on the roof of the corridor, the same as the ones in the room he was in now. He didn’t understand them either. There was no fire inside them and they burned a different colour to any lights he’d seen before. Already in the safe haven there were a hundred things he didn’t understand. Ranging from the small matters like the weird lights, to the bigger questions like what he was.

  At the end of the corridor there had been a small room. It didn’t have anything in it except a light in the ceiling, a chair and a table, both made out of wood. The lady and man had left him in there with a bottle of water. It had been scary. Not in the sense that the room was scary, but because he didn’t know what was going to happen to him – he still didn’t – and that frightened Asher the most.

  At the mutant camp he had been frightened the whole time, but in a different way. He didn’t really remember the journey there. All the boys had been pushed into the SUVs and driven away from the bus. For the whole journey Asher had thought about his sister. Seeing her body lying crumpled on the ground after being thrown from the bus had haunted his dreams every night until he saw her again. She had looked so still, so lifeless. Even now he sometimes couldn’t believe that she was alive.

  When they arrived at the mutant camp Asher remembered what Zahyra had told him. He had to be strong, had to act tough. Like he could be a highly developed mutant that just hadn’t turned ten yet. It must have worked to some extent. Everyone lined up when they arrived and had either been put in group one or group two. He was in group two, with other boys who were younger than ten or wore the branding of a Gen 1 or Gen 2 on their right arms.

  In a way that had seemed like the safer place to be to Asher. The boys in group one were all much bigger than him. All were more advanced mutants and didn’t seem afraid like he was – even the ones who had been on the journey to the camp with him that got put into group one hadn’t seemed afraid. Something Asher couldn’t comprehend.