Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
I hadn’t seen my parents in ages. And yet, they had greeted me enthusiastically and had invited all three of us, Alexander, Claire and me inside. Okay, Claire is really no surprise, they know her from back when I was dating her the first time. But I expected at least some confusion at the sight of Alexander. But nothing. They were just happy to see me.
And maybe assume I’m in a bisexual, polyamorous relationship now.
As we all sit awkwardly on the couch, face to face with my parents, I’m starting to doubt if all this is actually a good idea. But there isn’t really a way to go back now.
”Eve, it’s been so long since you last visited!”, my mom says with a slightly accusatory look. ”You could have at least called.”
”Yes, Eve, you really should have called your parents”, Alexander says teasingly. Great, I didn’t consider that he’d learn my real name in a conversation with my parents. There goes my anonymity. It’s a shame, I liked the name Hel. Then again, how anonymous can you be in a world where the government has all your genetic information?
”I’m sorry, Mom. I know I shouldn’t have just left you two. But I’m back now.”
”We see that”, my Dad says. ”But I somehow think that you didn’t visit us just because you wanted to see us again. You look like you want to ask us something.”
Hiding something from Dad never worked. I take a deep breath.
”Who of you two is the primary? I know it has to be one of you.”
Silence.
My mom stares at me, wide-eyed.
”Very tactful”, Claire whispers. ”Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
I ignore her. Instead, I give my Dad an intense stare. He doesn’t even try to look me in the eye. Wow, he looks so incredibly guilty.
”Dad? Is there something you want to tell me?”
”I never expected you to find out.”
”Find out what Brian?” My mom’s voice is as cold as ice. Surprised, I turn towards her.
”You didn’t know?” My question goes unanswered but the expression on my mom’s face speaks for itself.
”Answer me”, she demands.
”Oh my, I had hoped this day would never come.” My Dad is visibly uncomfortable. ”Iris, Eve, I’m sorry. I should have told you years ago, especially you, Iris. But I was afraid.”
”You can tell us now”, says my mom. ”It’s your only chance to fix this.”
”Eve is right. I’m a primary. I grew up with rich parents as the youngest of three kids. I went to a school filled with perfect and intelligent kids, got a governmental scholarship and went to a high-class college. But I wasn’t happy. Everything was too … perfect. I couldn’t stand the people around me. The pressure to live up to my genetic potential was incredible. So one day, I took all the money my parents had put in my trust fund and ran away. I found a surgeon willing to give me complete facial reconstruction to make me look like an average secondary, which cost most of my money. Only a year later I met you, Iris, and fell in love immediately.”
Everyone stares at my Dad. That was not really the explanation I had expected.
”Why did nobody notice that something is off when Hel … I mean when Eve was born? I can’t believe they didn’t notice the marker”, Alexander finally says. My Dad chuckles.
”That’s where the rest of my money went. I bribed the guy at the lab to exclude this part from Eve’s medical history. As far as the government is concerned, she’s a pure secondary.”
”Well that’s a story I would have liked to hear a lot earlier”, I remark. ”Mom, are you alright? You seem a bit pale.”
”Give me a moment, darling. I just need to … breathe.”
I give her a concerned look but she makes a dismissive hand gesture.
”I will talk to your Dad later, now it’s your turn.”
It’s obvious that my mom is pretty pissed and barely holding it together. But she still manages to keep her cool.
”Do you have any questions, Eve?” My Dad asks.
”Many”, I reply. ”But those can wait. There is something more important we need from you.”
”Which is?”
”A public statement.”
”In conclusion, we shouldn’t look down on those whose parents couldn’t afford to alter their genome. We’re all humans, we’ve always been. And it’s outrageous how the secondaries and tertiaries are treated by society. Listen to me, fellow primaries, we all need to unite and bring back some humanity to the human race!”
I switch off the TV.
”That was a bit over the top, wasn’t it”, I say.
”Maybe. But you need a grandiose speech to appeal to the masses”, Alexander points out. ”People need to be moved. And I think your Dad did a great job. So did your Mom. It was important that they stood together during this announcement.”
”I’m still impressed that we managed to broadcast this recording on all frequencies. How did you recruit people working in Communications?”
”Tech guys are often the ones that mistrust the government most. They were easy to recruit and jumped at the opportunity to spread this news. A primary who willingly leaves the easy life and marries a secondary. I couldn’t have written a better script.”
”Don’t be too proud of yourself, we haven’t accomplished anything yet.”, I remind him. ”We’ll still have to wait and see if the reactions will be what you expected.”
”I know. But this has been a great step in the right direction, believe me. In nine months, the embryos we stole will be newborn babies and the consequences won’t be reversible. We’re on our way to a new era.”
I hope Alexander is right. I really do.
Again, no science tag. Just the ending of my “Perfect Humans” series. I hope you enjoyed it! A short bonus chapter will come up later today and tomorrow, we'll start a new journey.
Got a scientific topic which you want to see as a story? Leave me a comment!
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