Our Future : Altered

Prologue

In the year 2055, scientists became fully capable of genetic alteration. The richest families of the world would go to clinics and pay for their children to be protected from diseases and disabilities. However, this method of purification became quite popular, and with the constant purchase of the modifications, the scientists were able to lower the price of this procedure.

In the next generation, almost everyone was Altered to protect from diseases and disabilities that they became a 'superhuman' race of sorts -- completely and totally protected from natural selection. At this point, the scientists of the world came together to decide what the next step in DNA modifications would be, and the answer soon came to light.

For their next experiment, the scientists were in need of test subjects. Because the generation in question was already considered exponentially advanced, scientists soon were able to Alter a person's DNA after they had already been conceived or born.

This development called the 'Alteration Experiment' was soon available for purchase. Parents from across the world began to Alter their children's DNA to give them gifts, or Alterations, such as super-human beauty, strength, intelligence or talent. These children were raised alongside the 'normal' children, causing segregation between the newly Altered children and the children of the last Series (or experiment). Parents began to separate their children, the newer Altered families claiming that their children were 'held back' in their education, and the older Series families pushing that the new Series was 'stuck up' and believed themselves to be 'superior'.

The government was quickly made aware of the disturbances in schools and decided that for the safety and prosperity of both Series that they should be separated. The older Series were kept in their schools, whereas the newer Altered children were sent to special training facilities on the outskirts of the capital where the government was housed.

These facilities were the homes of children from the age of five to eighteen years of age, training them in their Alteration as well as other advanced classes. The scientists, now called Clinicians, made sure that every child was well versed in their Alteration as well as in other general areas so that they became the most advanced generation of humans to ever exist. These children were prodigies, unlike any ever seen.

This new generation was thought of as a great leap for mankind by most but caused unrest in the Pure Blooded (un-Altered) citizens. The Embassy was formed to create peace between the two races, Pure and Altered. It was formed by a leader, always Pure, and a house of Ambassadors, half of which were Altered.

It was decided by the Ambassadors, with much deliberation, that if these new Alters were supposed to be the future, that they had to treat them as such. Procedures were set in place to keep bloodlines and training to a complete science. Every year, at the age of eighteen, every Altered child was ordered to a Clinic to have their Alterations and DNA judged and ranked. Their DNA potentials were ranked, and they would be paired up, or Matched, with another Alter of the opposite sex to procreate a more advanced Series. Their Alterations were ranked through different tests, and based off the results, they were either sent to a more advanced training facility, were trained to be an Ambassador, bought by a company, or sent to have their DNA stripped and sent for tests (the name for this procedure was being Discontinued).

Once two Alters are Matched, they are given a house and sufficient funds in exchange for the conception of a child. Once the child has been conceived, the mother will attend multiple checkups where Clinicians will begin Altering the baby's DNA. The moment the child is born, they will be taken into a wing of the training facility for babies, where they will be taken care of accordingly until they reach two years of age. At that point in an Alter's life, they will begin their training.

The process of Discontinuation is a rare and complicated task. Being Discontinued can occur from many different events, such as: if an Alter fails one or more components of their Checkpoint, if an Alter's Alteration is failed during experimentation, bad behaviour in the training facilities, act or speak of rebellion/uprising. Once an Alter is deemed Discontinued, they are sent to a Clinic where their Altered DNA will be stripped from them. This process is quite painful, as it is ripping open the fabric of their existence, and the pain has deemed punishment for their actions. The Alter now has average DNA, stripped way back to before disease or disability prevention. The individual is now put before the Ambassador Court to decide their future: will they be arrested, sent away, or killed? More often than not, the Discontinued Alters are exiled from the Embassy's protection and sent to a land as prosperous as its name, The Barrens. There the Discontinued will live their lives in exile away from family, civilization or protection from the war-stricken planet.