Not an Omega (EN)

13

Five years later...

Time had flown by at an astonishing pace. Noah, who had initially worked at Camp 47 in the new city, helping patients adapt to their new lives, had been transferred to one of the many laboratories in the heart of the capital a year and eight months ago. Living far from his childhood home was difficult for him. Although he had fond memories of the place, it was not those memories that haunted him at night. It wasn't the image of his smiling parents that woke him, but rather a cold, oppressive vision of horror that had haunted him since he was 19 and that had returned since that fateful night when his life had turned upside down.

His career change was not insignificant. From the beginning, he had focused his studies on finding a cure for the apocalypse, if such a cure existed. So, when he no longer found satisfaction in his work at the camp, he tried his luck with the laboratories at Aronson Corporation. At least, that was what he claimed during his job interview, a version corroborated by his former classmates and professors when the agency contacted them to verify his statements. Mr. Pakca, the professor responsible for his academic failure years earlier, even went so far as to say, "In my entire life, I have never seen a young man so determined to find a solution to this epidemic." Noah was extremely grateful for that. They had since cleared the air and reconciled.

Despite this, his start at the company was disappointing. The treatment campaign had such an impact that, although it offered a process similar to chemotherapy, no one hesitated to go to the various reception camps set up around the city. From the moment they opened, all the camps were already full, and there would have been many panic movements if Aronson Corporation (AC) had not mobilized security teams to prevent any overflow.

Today, these campaigns were no longer necessary, as few had not followed the social movement and survived. However, AC had managed to capitalize on the situation. As a pioneer in the history of health, the company had not eased its efforts, continuing to deepen its research on the remedy and securing all import/export sales rights. It had become the most powerful private company in the world, holding shares in every sector. One could say that the world was at its feet.

Moreover, AC did not limit itself to the remedy. Following the controversies that arose after its massive distribution, the company had to find quick solutions to avoid backlash. Thus, a new gender system was established: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. It was only much later that the connection between the monthly heats of Omegas and the rut of Alphas was understood. Once poetic and hypothetical concepts, such as soulmates, suddenly became real with the appearance of phenomena like "rejections," "bonds," and other events related to these new dynamics that now dominate the world. Within less than a year, AC's laboratories developed the first contraceptives for Omegas, a critical issue for these young men and women who, overnight, emitted pheromones that drove Alphas to commit frequent but unforgivable acts. Some Betas sometimes joined in these assaults, taking advantage of the lack of severe laws to punish these crimes. "It's just their nature," some would say. "There's nothing we can do about it," others claimed. As if this didn't cause trauma for the victims, who were helpless in the face of these events. Cases of rape rapidly multiplied, and Omegas struggled to find a place in society. Many turned to prostitution to avoid starving, crowded into the city's red-light districts, waiting for an Alpha or Beta to fulfill their needs in exchange for a handful of bills. Among these victims, some became pregnant, others barricaded themselves at home for several days each month, and some had the "luck" of finding their soulmate. Others were marked by persistent Alphas and found themselves bonded to them. The rest perished in various grim ways, from suicides to miscarriages and Omegas who died alone at home, unaware they had formed a bond with an Alpha. This part of society was certainly to be pitied. Today, encountering an adult Omega in broad daylight is rarer than it was a few years ago.

Shortly after, society evolved rapidly to protect the now-rare Omegas. AC's laboratories did not only develop contraceptives for Omegas but also inhibitors for both Alphas and Omegas, allowing them to navigate their heats without major disruptions to their daily lives. Both genders could then work in a stable environment, without the risk of pheromone diffusion and without paying the heavy price. Just as Omegas emit pheromones, Alphas also experience these changes. Although their rut is less frequent than Omega heats, it remains problematic because, once triggered, an Alpha loses control, driven by an insatiable primal sexual urge without direct interaction with an Omega. Conversely, an Omega's heats can also trigger this primal and carnal thirst in Alphas.

It was precisely during the rise of violence cases linked to the "ruts" that Noah chose to join the company.