Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

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Jives
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by Jives »

I still wish to share with any friends I might still have here, my newest short story.

Geneticide

By Jonathan St. Ives

Copyright 2006

(All Rights Reserved)

The Eugenics wars were over. They had lasted for the better part of the last two centuries. Joseph Bane stood at the window of Eugenics Central and stared down to the fountains and the passing crowds 200 stories below in the plaza. He was a tall man; square jawed and square shouldered, with a close-cut head of black hair that belied his advancing age. It had been a long uphill battle, and one that had nearly destroyed humanity, but there had been no other choice. He sighed softly, content with the knowledge that the war for self-preservation was finally over. The latest reports confirmed it. Humanity was safe. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for him. He thought about his position while he remembered the past two centuries.

In the year 2214, the population of the Earth had hit 70 billion. It had been apparent for many decades that something would have to be done, something drastic. The oceans were dead, and the land needed to feed the massive population was dying. All of the public services were completely overwhelmed. The Earth Council had all but collapsed and mankind stared straight into the face famine and destruction.

The Earth Council, in its desperation, consulted the powerful Artificial Intelligences that had made possible the production of food at a level to sustain the current population. They had the solution. As usual, it was anything but simple. Mankind could control its population, but it would have to be done forcibly.

The entire existing population of the planet was combed through to find the needed savior. No job like this had ever existed, nor had the stakes ever been higher in the history of mankind. Finally, one man was found. One man who had the vision and the fortitude, and some said, the lack of a conscience or a soul, to do the job. Richard Bane became the head of Eugenics Control for the Earth Council. He had been Joseph’s Great Grandfather.



In the beginning, it was chaos. The military ruthlessly crushed the massive riots that waged out of control throughout the planet when the announcement was made that no one could have a child without permission from Eugenics Central. After untold millions had died in the fighting and violence, the Eugenics Central began the forced sterilizations. Everyone on the planet was required to be tested for genetics that would advance humanity. One good trait was all that you needed in those early days, a long life span, resistance to diseases, high intelligence, any quality that would make your offspring a benefit to mankind and not a burden.

At the same time, any kind of flaw would bring the Eugenics Squad and their radi-sticks. It only took seconds for the focused burst of particle beams to render the unfortunate “degenner” sterile for life. Untold billions of women learned that the dream of childbearing would never be theirs during that dark century. As a consequence, the suicide rate skyrocketed in the early years and stayed high for many decades.

Yes, it had been a long and difficult metamorphosis for the human race. Cities had been destroyed and at one point it had looked as if civilization itself would collapse into anarchy. But that had not proved true. “Perhaps,” Joseph reflected, “the instinct for survival was not as absent from humanity as some believed.”



His family had born the brunt of the pain and backlash. They had made the decisions that granted happiness to millions and tragedy to billions. To some, they were saviors and angels, to others, the deliverers of tragedy and the final proof of evil in the universe. His father and his father’s father had followed the decisions of the Artificial Intelligences, with faith in the final result to steel their resolve and justify a detestable and heinous means.

It had been a desperate gamble, made by desperate men, but they had won. Here, at the end of the “Holocaust of Broken Dreams,” the end was at hand. The total population of Earth was stable at 10 billion. The birth and death rate was almost perfectly balanced. Intelligence quotients were greatly increased and propensities for cancer and other genetic diseases were almost nonexistent. Average life expectancy had reached 95, with those reaching that age experiencing remarkable levels of fitness and health compared to their ancestors.

Joseph turned away from the window. He glanced down at the papers he held loosely in his hand. “So there’s no chance of a mistake?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“No sir,” replied the tall man standing at attention near the door. Travis Ray was a tall thin man with a black, shoulder-length haircut and a grim expression. He was Eugenics Central’s Chief of Security. “The element is a high-tech conglomerate. It’s near the end of the periodic table. Our scientists estimate that it will take us twenty years to duplicate it and another twenty to find a neutralizing agent. That’s pretty good considering our sources tell us it took the Freebirthers close to a century to invent it.”

He looked at the floor, embarrassed, realizing that he had just sounded optimistic to a man that was holding his own death warrant. Then he looked up and went on, “We’ve found out that they introduced it to your air through a long-range dart fired into your roof. You’ve been breathing it for at least 14 hours, and by now it’s completely absorbed into your system and protoplasm.”

“What about Mandy?” Mandy Bane was a stunningly beautiful raven-haired woman. Even though she knew the risk of marrying into the most reviled family in history, her love for Steve allowed her no choice. Mandy had used her considerable charm, wit and personality to mollify, and lend a gentle side to Eugenics Central’s image and actions. She was steadfast and loyal, despite the repeated attempts over the years on both her life and Joseph’s.

“The catalyst was introduced into her food at a restaurant over a year ago. Since it’s benign until it reacts with the element, we never suspected anything. It doesn’t show up on any of the normal yearly blood tests. We went back and scanned her with everything we have after we found out about you. That’s when we found it.”

Joseph looked again at the reports. The first one was a blood test scan clearly showing the foreign element in his bloodstream and the catalyst in Mandy’s. The second report was a survey of the damaged test area where the two drops of their blood had been combined to ascertain the resulting reaction. The test area was a mile-wide crater. From the photos attached, Joseph could see that the sand around the test area had been melted into black, scorched glass. Two of his best men had been lost when their bunker had been destroyed.

Travis looked steadily at Joseph through narrowed eyes. “What do you plan for retaliation? We’ve known where their main base is for almost a year now. We could easily wipe them out.”

Joseph sighed quietly. “What good would that do anyone?” He asked, and put the reports down on the desk. “Their power is broken. They have only few followers now, and only most rabid. There’s no reason anymore for revolution, the crisis is passed and the millions who used to follow them would rather forget it and go on with their lives. Soon they will fade in history. They are mortally wounded, and they’ve made their last thrust. We killed their movement with our successes, but they’ve killed me in their death throes. Let’s let it all end here. It’s been a long war.”

“Well, then, what next?” asked Travis.

“What next?” Joseph smiled a sardonic half smile. Well, retirement of course! I’m not needed here anymore and even if I was, I can’t work here in this state. E.C. is in your hands now, Travis. The population is stable and so is the political situation. The population is hard at work on new frontiers. There may even be a day when you will have to undo all my hard work if that ionic hyper-drive works out.”

“No, I meant what about you and Mandy? You understand that you two can never see each other again, how are you going to break it to her?”

Joseph’s face took on a sad and wistful look. “The only way I can, Travis, honestly.”

Later that day, Joseph Bain sat down at his desk and penned a letter to his wife of 22 years. Even after a lifetime of pain and terror, it was the hardest thing he had ever done.



“My Dearest Love:

Twenty-two years ago you willing gave your love to me, knowing full well the lengths to which those who were not fortunate enough to be chosen by nature would go to stop me. You understood the risks then, and I also hoped you understood the desperate straights that drove our family and our colleagues to the despicable, and heinous tasks that were required for the salvation of man. I know you understood that I never enjoyed my job, and it was my love for the people that kept me going through the pain and misery.

You were honest in your love for me. You never judged and you never blamed. Even when it turned out that your genetic predisposition for ALS meant that you and I would never have any children, you stuck by me. For that, I thank you. I have cherished every minute of every day with you and loved you with all the power in my soul.

Today I learned that what we feared would happen someday, has come to pass. The Freebirthers have struck at you and I with their last breath. Although they are no longer a threat to us, they have visited their vengeance upon you and I with all their stored up hatred for a billion unredressed murders.

They have introduced into my bloodstream a reagent, that when combined with a catalyst, will cause a nuclear reaction. The catalyst is in your bloodstream. If you and I should come into contact in any way, the resulting explosion would mean death and devastation for all those near us. We can’t live together, and we can’t touch each other…ever again.

I know that this must crush your heart, but please trust me; I have gone over the reports a thousand times. I have consulted every scientist available to us and pulled in the best minds of our age to find the answer. There is none.

We can converse everyday, like this, we can share our thoughts, and our feelings. We can send each other video and photos of ourselves, and be with each other in spirit every day, but we will never feel the warmth and the beat of each other’s heart again.

I have loved you with all my soul since the day we met, Mandy, and I will continue to love you until the day comes when we can shed our poisoned prisons and this earthbound existence.

Never forget that, please dear. When the loneliness gets too bad, call me. When the isolation becomes overwhelming, write me. And when your heart feels like it’s breaking, remember that some day, we will be reunited forever.

Your Loving Husband,

Joseph”

The months passed slowly. For two lovers apart, each day is a terrible eternity of wanting and needing. It’s said the absence makes the heart grow fonder and for Joseph and Mandy, it was doubly true. They wrote to each other every day. They conversed constantly by phone, they taped their days and adventures for each other to watch and sent each other presents at every opportunity.

Joseph had thought that after a time, the pain of loss would lessen and become more distant from the memory, but unlike a deceased loved one, Mandy was there each day to remind him of his sorrow.

Some of their less close friends thought that they might try to find another mate, someone to take the place of the lost love. But such was not the case. Those closest to the two knew that they could never abandon each other.

The months turned to years, and then the years to decades. Then one day, as Joseph sat in his living room, staring at the most recent pictures that Mandy had sent him, heard the soft beep of the cochleal implant. He reached up and touched the spot just behind his ear to activate it.

“Hello?”

“Hello, my love.”

Joseph smiled in the half-darkness. “No matter how many times I hear it, Sweetheart, I never get tired of your voice.”

“ And I never get tired of yours, dear.” Mandy replied softly.

“What’s the news, have you been to see the doctor?” He asked in an expectant voice.

“Yes,” she replied. “And there’s no doubt, I have pancreatic cancer. It’s terminal”

Instead of sorrow, a smile spread across Joseph’s face. He sat back in the chair and laughed. “Then it’s time! Thank God, it’s finally time. Do you still remember how to get there?”

“Yes, honey. Your directions were very good; I’ll be leaving here in a day or so. I just have to finish up some paperwork.”

“I’m ready to go, I’ve been packed for traveling for a month now, just waiting. I’ll meet you there. I love you Sweetie, soon now, the loneliness will be over.”

Joseph tapped the touchspot and got up from the chair. He looked around his room for a second, thinking of all the things he would miss, but his gaze settled again on the pictures he had been looking at when the call arrived. He picked them up, kissed the top one softly, and put them in his pocket.

He tapped the touchspot and spoke again, “This is Joseph Bane, 225698 E. 20,301st street. I’ll be needing a long distance shuttle to pick me up right away.” He hung up, humming a very old tune happily to himself.

Hours later, the shuttle put him down on a dry, sandy plain. Dozens of miles off to the South, a few small mountains rose up half-heartedly. Small mounds of desert grass and a few sagebrushes were the only visible life forms. It was hot and there was no breeze.

The pilot was skeptical about the spot. “Are you sure this is where you want off? You understand it’s a long way to anything from here. If you get into trouble it could take a while to reach you.”

“That’s OK, this is the place I want. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Joseph placed his thumb on the scannerpad and a green light winked back at him.

The pilot acknowledged his payment with a wave of his hand, looked at him curiously for a second, then climbed back into the anti-grav shuttle. There was a whine of engines and the shuttle floated off the ground. Then it accelerated greatly and in a second had disappeared over the horizon. A faint sonic boom carried back to Joseph’s ears.

Joseph scanned the horizon and turned around. Another shuttle was fast approaching from the West. It came to a halt about 100 meters away from him and settled to the ground. A small woman, stooped over, slowly got out of the passenger compartment. The pilot helped her to the ground. Joseph could see the pilot arguing with her, but it was clear from her body language that she would not be persuaded.

Finally, the pilot climbed back into the shuttle and quickly sped away.

She stood there for a minute looking in his direction. Joseph had to stop an urge to run as fast as he could to her. “I have to be careful,” he told himself. He began to walk to her and she to him. They stopped when they were about four feet apart.

Tears came to his eyes, she was already crying too. “Mandy…Oh Mandy, It’s been so long. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Yes dear, and I have missed you and loved you. It’s our time now, sweetie, I’m very tired and this sun is so hot, please Joseph, let’s leave this place.”

“Yes dear, but first, we have one last thing to do…”

Joseph stepped forward. He held her hands for a moment, and then he reached up and held her face. “It’s time to go now, honey, but we’ll be together on the other side. I’ll never leave you again, Mandy, not even when the mountains erode and the seas dry up forever. We’ll have all the time we want now. All the time of eternity.”

Then he kissed her. As the two elements combined on their lips they felt a split second of heat, then for the second time in history, a blinding light illuminated the desert of the old Trinity site.



First version – 05/09/2006

(All rights reserved. No one may use this story or any portion of this story without the author's expressed permission nor may it be posted on any other web site without notification of the author and his written permission.)
All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players...Shakespeare
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abbey
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by abbey »

:-1



True love :-4
Jives
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by Jives »

change one: I started out with Joseph's name as "Steve" (my brother in law) but my son asked to be in a story and it's his birthday, so I put him in instead as "Joseph."
All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players...Shakespeare
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theia
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by theia »

I haven't had a chance to read your story yet, Jives, what with the FG weekend and lovely Weeder staying with me but I'm really looking forward to reading it at the weekend :-6
Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers...Rainer Maria Rilke
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telaquapacky
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by telaquapacky »

I enjoyed reading that! You have a winner there, Jives. Romance for the girls, science fiction and a big explosion for the boys.
Look what the cat dragged in.
Jives
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by Jives »

lol. That was the idea, T! My son brought his new girlfriend Mandi over for his birthday, and I had already started this, so I finished this as kind of a birthday present for him.:D

Looking at it last night, though, there is still some work to be done. And I'm not sure if the "Trinity Site" isn't a bit too cryptic for people.:o
All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players...Shakespeare
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OpenMind
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by OpenMind »

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It drew me in and as I read each sentence, I eagerly anticipated the next. Very well written with just one reservation.

I found myself being drawn into the two main characters as the story transferred its focus from the "past" to the "present". I experienced mixed emotions that were concerned about forced eugenic control of the human race and the sad fate of the many over the few, the "degenners". Yet, I also felt a compassion for Joseph and Mandy, in spite of their role in the forced eugenics program.

As I neared the end of the story, I began to anticipate an ironic ending. Ironic it was, but not what I had expected. A very appropriate ending that drew the story to an appropriate and final close.

Another pleasing aspect to this story was the way it opened up the option to write a trilogy. One book based upon each of the Banes from Richard to Joseph giving the events for each period.

Well done, Jives. A masterpiece.:yh_star
Jives
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by Jives »

You're too kind, Openmind. But thanks! I'm taking your advice and changing the word "degenner" to "unchosen" to get rid of the negative connotations and the parallel to the word, "degenerate."
All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players...Shakespeare
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OpenMind
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by OpenMind »

Merit where merit is deserved.:-6
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jbbarker1947
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Geneticide - A new short story by Jives

Post by jbbarker1947 »

Great read Jives. Should I add the copyright notes to mine?



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