Up From the Slums: Genesis

The New Arrival

The next morning, I awoke with a pounding in my head; it must've been hit in the rush. I was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, so I changed into something more comfortable, and headed to the Food Hall. There I found Zak, Ronan, and Jacob.
 "Mornin', lads. What's happening?" I asked, sitting down with them.
"A Sentinal Scout turned up yesterday. Tall. Blonde." Ronan started.
"Hot." Zak sighed.
"Hey. If you want to break up, just tell me." Ronan yipped.
"I don't. I'm just saying he's hot. I'm allowed to have an opinion. I mean, you think Ivy's hot, but you're not gonna go date her."
"I mean, yeah, but..."
"Okay, moving on." I exclaimed, eager to change topics. "What else is there to know about this kid?"
"He's seventeen." Zak said.
"He said he ditched a Scout Trip. They shot him at him. He managed to get away of course."
"So the Faculty's struggling then." I smiled.
"What do you mean?"
"Faculty law states that the minimum age is for a Scout is eighteen years. If this kid is seventeen, then they're running low on options. They must've rewritten the law.
"Or run the women dry." James smirked.
"James!" I scolded.
"Just saying."
"Then we have to make our move." Jacob declared.
"Exactly."
"Hey, Ivy. You never told us why you were late yesterday." James pointed out.
"Didn't I?"
"Nope."
"I was following Sentinals."
"Again? Seriously?"
"I thought it sounded like Damon."
"Say what?" Zak cried. Jacob almost died from choking.
"Dude. No way." Ronan sighed slowly. "Did you tell Carmen?"
"Well, I couldn't exactly lie about it."
"Fair point."
"But you didn't, right? You know how she feels about that. It's her biggest regret. You were there when..."
"Hey." A voice spoke from behind. Ronan and the others whirled to see a tall, blonde stranger in a grey tank and green cargo pants standing behind them. "Mind if I sit here?"
"You're the Scout." I said.
"Henry. My name's Henry."
"Bit young to be a Scout, aren't you?"
"I suppose."
"Listen, buddy. No hard feelings, but we're not exactly at the 'trusting stage' of your... presence. You got me? You can sit. But the minute you start asking questions, I'm getting my gun, and its bullets are going where the sun don't shine. Got it?" I smiled.
"Got it." he squeaked lowering himself between Zak and Jacob.
"So, what brings you to the Genesis Rebellion?" James piped up.
"The Faculty is getting out of hand. They have this new technology. These microchips they put in your brain that stop any original thoughts from coming. Everyone is exactly the same. The days are such a drain. Everyone's timetables are the same. Haircuts, uniforms, furnishings, step counts. Everything."
"Hate to break it to ya, pal, but that's how it's always been. Doesn't sound like much has changed." Jacob sighed.
"But that's not all. They've found a way to manipulate the sexual and physical development of a fetus."
My heart missed a dozen beats as my spoon fell into the bowl of porridge, splashing its contents everywhere. But no one was paying attention. We were all hooked on what Henry had to say.
"You're saying they can..."
"Mechanically engineer a child through the manipulation of chromosomes to determine its sex while it rests in the host's womb. They can decide what eye colour it has, what defects it will be born with."
"Why would they want to decide that?"
"Well, that's exactly why they have it. They've completely eradicated defects and disabilities via birth due to this technological development. They can even speed up or slow down a fetus' developmental process."
"Anything else?"
"They can manually increase and decrease hormonal levels when the child is of puberty. They have a way to change brain growth and functionality so the child is proficient in a sole area so they will receive that job when they are of employment age and based on necessity. It determines what emotions will be prominent in the child's life, how they feel, who they fall in love with."
"Let me get this straight; The Faculty have devised a piece of technology that can manipulate the sexual, physical, emotional, mental composition during the foetal stages in the womb of a "host", which can be sped up or deferred until required. Then based on what statistics say are needed most, they give the child its natural gifts that usually comes with time and experience and put them in that job the minute they reach the minimum age."
"That's exactly what they're doing."
"Jesus Christ."
"Yeah. Hi. Um, four morons here. Can someone put what you guys just said in layman's terms?" James griped.
"The Faculty has found a way to mass-produce babies like a plastic toy in a cereal box and determine what sex, personality, and talents the child will have without it ever having parental figures."
"Holy fuck, dude. That's fucked up, man. That's so fucked!" Ronan cried.
"Okay, here's a question." Zak spat. "Why the fuck are we believing a single word this piece of shit is saying? For all we know, he could be lying through his teeth to get us to go take a look because the Faculty know we are Carmen's dogs. We're the field team and the best at that. Fuck, we're the best at everything and that's why Carmen send us. So if they eliminate the best, then they won't have to deal with shit getting stolen or destroyed, and they can focus on building their dystopian cesspit and destroying the rebellion. I say we shoot his ass."
"Hey, now. I think we should listen to the kid. Look at him. He's been to hell and back." Jacob advised.
"Like I give a shit about what one of the Faculty's pets have been through. We've been through worse."
"What do you think, Ives?" Jacob asked, clearly eager to put an end to Zak's rant.
"I say we take him to Carmen. She can see if he's lying or not. And no, Zak. We may be Carmen's dogs, but we're not the best. The Wolfgang is the best. We're just the lucky bastards who came second. Now grab him and let's go talk to the boss. And make sure there isn't a single weapon on him."