From Chapter 1
Context: Peter
is a mild mannered man who questions his society but dares not voice
his concerns out loud. He does not want to cause trouble. Trouble
destroys society. He works as a genmod technician, able to sculpt
unborn children into perfection. So long as the would be parents can
afford the price. In this scene, he meets with a couple to deliver
their baby’s Future-Score. (Warning: Content May Be Sensitive.)
He returns to his senses. Must stay professional. His clients appear to the pretentious kind. Not a surprise. The man wears a jet black suit and a power tie. His oily hair is slicked back and glistens in the office light. His wife sits next to him in a tight black dress and rose pattern stockings. Her lips let out an exasperated sigh and then purse in annoyance.
Impatient clients
Time to perform.
“After viewing the results of your baby’s Future-Score, you will give birth to an unhealthy baby boy.”
Dark clouds form over the couple. They remain silent and glare at him as if it’s his fault that their child would be born unhealthy without genmod. Funny, people forget technology exists to correct this.
Must maintain professionalism.
“On to the desirability results.” He does his best to ignore the death glares from across the room. “Based on the Future-Score, when the child is of age, he will have black hair and hazel brown eyes. He will have an autoimmune disease. He will be overweight with an IQ of 123. His skin will be darker than average but his penis size will be average. He is likely to be overly self-conscious and be of an average height.”
The glares intensify. They aren’t satisfied with this report. He taps on his tablet. A hologram of the future child along with the traits and desirability rating appear above his desk. The couple push back into the sofa. Their faces contort to into half snarls.
Way too dramatic.
“Of course, this is how your child would look before applying any genmod. With standard genmod…”
“Abort,” the woman cuts him off.
He stops. Their minds are clearly made up.
“We’ll just abort this thing,” the woman declares.
This isn’t the first time his clients have opted for an abortion. Genmod will correct issues in a unborn child before birth free of charge but it’s an unspoken mark of shame to “fix” so many issues. People want their child to be “natural”. Nothing is more prestigious than having a child who is naturally born healthy, beautiful, endowed, and intelligent.
What’s bothersome is the woman’s choice of words. The unborn child is now a “thing”. Many clients have hinted it but this is the first time one said it out loud.
Nusan slogan number four: “Imperfections aren’t desirable. Nusans are perfect.”
Still doesn’t soften the blow.
“Are you certain?” he inquires. It’s pointless to ask, but professionalism demands it. “Most people don’t opt for an abortion until after seeing the gover—”
“We don’t care,” the man dismisses. “I rather trash this piece of crap, rent out a luxury suite, and buy 2 bottles of VX than trying to fix this!”
Peter holds his sigh of disapproval. Don’t raise suspicions. “Very well.”
He taps on his tablet. The image of the boy vanishes into oblivion. The couple are already off the sofa and gathering their bags.
“The cost of an abortion, in addition to the Future-Score—”
“Just print us a bill and we’ll pay. Don’t need to hear you quoting numbers,” the man barks.
Peter swallows his pride, taps on the tablet, and prints out an invoice. The man snatches the paper from his hand and they storm out. The door slams behind them causing him to jump.
He catches his breath. This is not the first couple to explode during a report. It’s never easy to handle. He isn’t responsible for how their DNA combined to form a child. He’s responsible for how their combined DNA mutates after the child is formed. Only if they would use their intelligence to understand that.
Too bad he can’t say that out loud. That could cause trouble.
“Vanity,” he mumbles as he prepares to see his next couple.
The Visitor, Book 1 of the Corrupted Genes series by Louvie G. Tucker
To ensure Nusa’s perfect society, however, it is law that all babies must be born with white skin, an IQ 120 or above, and without any illnesses or disabilities. These modifications are free of charge. It’s the law. And good Nusans obey the law. The people of Susa, however, are known to be troublemakers.
Thank goodness the dark-skinned Susans all live south of the border, in Susa. The closest Peter ever has to come to a dangerous Susan is either on the silver screen being vanquished by a heroic Nusan hero or on the news as deporters -- the force charged to keep Nusa safe -- prepare to send them south to Susa.
That is, until a dark-skinned visitor is suddenly inside the four walls of Peter’s quiet existence. Snarky. Irreverent and without any regard for the rules, the stranger should be a Susan but is he? Why is he claiming to have fallen from the stars?
Everything Peter knows is suddenly in question and even his status as a good Nusan is under threat as deporters seek him out on suspicion of a capital crime. Has Peter caused trouble?
Life as Peter has known it is fragile. Can he survive long enough to learn the truth? And will he even want to believe it once he finds it?
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