A/N: This was originally written for Day 3 (Theme: QUIDAM [Meeting as Strangers in an alternate universe])of RivaMikaWeek Cycle 4 in December 2014. It was also originally rated T (Heh). If you have never seen or heard of the perfection that is Andrew Niccol's GATTACA, I highly recommend you do so at some point! The film is not a necessary prerequisite for this fic, since I think I explain the concept fairly alright in this first part (Let me know if you're still confused), but if you need some additional foundation, reading the background of Eugenics should be a sufficient start.
Aberrant (Chapter I)
Rating: M
Summary: She has always dreamt of the skies, yet the earth kept her tethered to itself. RivaMika/LeviMika. GATTACA AU.
She has always dreamt of the skies.
At precisely 0830 hours each weekday morning, Mikasa Ackerman strides through the DNA scanners of the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, voluntarily blending herself into the sea of perfectly-pressed uniforms and rigid body postures. Her every movement maintains a pace that coincides with the rhythm of all her colleagues and fellow Valids – professional, subdued, without a modicum of disorder within actions or reactions.
Occasionally, her grey irises wander off the path of their forward stare, instead directing prudent glances towards those who stand adjacent to her. The sea of people she drowns in day after day is a scientific army both by definition and by trade, each member genetically engineered to be a faultless specimen, marching only to the cadence of society's highest standards. She has always suspected that behind every countenance is actually a rather disturbed mental state, concealed by the faux distinctions of intelligence and obedience - but not even the slightest behavioral abnormality ever surfaces within these confining, colorless walls. Together, sitting behind identical computer screens, they push humanity forward into the unknown, where constellations and wormholes still await exploration via the next calculated flight navigation path. So hour after hour, Mikasa sorts through variables and formulas, concentrating on the future rather than the present. Within her division, she is already a young standout with multiple acknowledgements – deeming her a prime candidate for an actual assignment in space, and a journey away from the monotonous days of deskwork.
On this day, when she finally presses "execute" and watches the latest version of her codes plunge into implementation mode, a sense of thrill engulfs her from head-to-toe.
This is it. The words blink in her mind with the strength of a neon sign. The path to Titan.
When her results finally filter into the communal display at the front of her office space, with its analysis of "99.9% Success Rate" viewable by all 47 engineers around her, there are no congratulatory statements or rounds of applause – only placid stares that betray nanoseconds' worth of jealousy before every eye returns to its dedicated screen.
Placing both palms on her lap, Mikasa shrugs off the expected response and waits with patience, for their recognition is far from what she seeks. A few minutes later, the south side gate slides open with an airy sound, ventilating the room of its aggregating humidity and revealing the lofty stature of her Commander. As always, both his blond mane and uniform betray no sense of disarray, and rather than stepping in, he searches for her from that position just outside, twisting torso and neck only slightly in his scan of the entire room. When he finds her staring back from the third column moments later, the man raises an arm and waves that set of fingers, gesturing for her to follow him.
She obeys immediately, taking care to not scrape her chair against the spotless floor as she stands. By the time she reaches the exit he is already halfway down the illuminated corridor, and she is forced to widen her footsteps to catch up.
"Commander Smith." She addresses once she is within his earshot again.
Up front, Erwin Smith has both hands linked against the small of his back – a pose she also adopts - while his polished oxfords drive him forward at a consistent pace. "You've accomplished quite a task, Miss Ackerman." He states without turning around, and she is relieved to detect a rare measure of pride in his acknowledgement.
"Thank you, sir." Mikasa almost bows in gratitude, but rejects the notion when she realizes that it would only slow her down. Instead, she focuses on staying close behind – an unexpected challenge, as the Commander's height and stride both trump hers.
A few turns later, they encounter a security gate she has passed by just a few times in the past. At the middle of its gleaming metallic surface rests the Aerospace Corporation's circular logo, doubling as both decoration and DNA scanner. Erwin places a finger against the centermost indent, where a needle automatically protrudes and pricks for a customary drop of blood.
Only a second after the needle retracts, the screen above them flickers with the Commander's portrait, positioned over his full name and next to the written acknowledgement of VALID – the final part being the only form of identification humanity abides by in these times. Simultaneously, the gate slides rightward, burying itself in its frame and permitting access to the next path. The new corridor bears little difference from any of the others within this building, though Mikasa does perceive an extra row of markings labelling the side walls.
The officers' wing. She gulps as she identifies all the symbols, each denoting a different level in their organization's upper chain-of-command.
"Where…are you taking me, sir?" She finally inquires as her leader journeys onward in silence, completely unfazed that he has given her admission to a restricted area.
"I would like you to speak to the captain in charge of the Titan mission." Ahead, Erwin states with boldness, though there is a generous pause before he continues. "Do be aware, however, that he tends to be…difficult."
She holds back astonishment, but her hands begin to feel clammy as they remain connected behind her.
"I have heard the rumors, sir."
"Good."
Her response is truthful, for the latest man to head the volatile attempts towards Saturn's satellite is no less controversial himself, and mere mentions of the name "Levi" can inspire shudders in her most stable of colleagues. From what she has deduced, he had been promoted to such a position by way of mostly physical – and seemingly implausible - merits. But the whispers of his defiant nature, such as insisting others to address him by first name only, have inspired endless questions about his "Valid" status, and various leaders have raised alarm throughout his ascent in the ranks. To avoid provocation, others like Erwin have kept Levi under wraps, with a total embargo on showing his appearance to non-officers and conducting all internal meetings only in the most secure of rooms. Nevertheless, the myriad of tests by Dr. Hanji Zoe on the mysterious man's DNA continues to return acceptable results month after month, deeming him eligible for every benefit their society has to offer. And thus, the critics are permanently silenced, and Levi's infamy continues without risk of exile.
Just as Mikasa finishes contemplating everything, they reach a final gate that obstructs their destination. Rather than sacrificing his finger again for another DNA test, however, Erwin simply knocks.
"It's me." He voices loudly into the barrier.
The metal shifts aside in that familiar process, opening to an expansive space lit by wall sconces and irradiated floor tiles. Levi's rumored rebellion is not evident here, for the items within still possess the same, monotonous color palette as all the other rooms, with a clear tendency towards white and silver in his choices of furniture. The only outlier – a humble, potted plant bearing forest green leaves - rests at the corner of the wide office desk, serving as the sole decoration in an otherwise austere environment.
Near the rear wall, lined with a few concealed bookshelves, the notorious man sits with his side profile facing them, perusing a tablet displaying animated diagrams and numbers that look somewhat familiar. His hair is the same rich shade as hers, only slicked back with expertise and without a wayward strand. From what she can observe, he also dons the same black suit as any other male employee who marches through these halls, though there appears to be extra bulk beneath the one visible sleeve. In his concentration, sharp features occasionally scrunch into small scowls - seemingly the best demonstration of his supposed seditions against the authorities.
Looks like even the most stubborn rebel must adhere to some standards. Entering the room after Erwin, Mikasa muses at how drastically different her expectations had been.
"Levi, this is Miss Mikasa Ackerman." The Commander initiates the conversation. "Her latest calculations on Titan were just sent to us automatically by the core system."
To her slight chagrin, the Captain directs a cool glance her way before returning to his screen, barely granting her a second's worth of attention. "Yes, I'm reviewing them right now."
"I figured you might want to speak with her directly, so I will leave you to it."
Wait—She wants to break protocol and protest, but her superior – and final buffer – is already out the way he came, leaving her alone to deal with the circumstances.
"Captain Levi." With no other choice, she steps forward somewhat hesitantly. "It's an hono—"
Her greeting stops abruptly short, for the silver nameplate at the middle of his desk finally becomes legible, and it showcases a word she does not expect to see.
"What is it, Miss Ackerman?" A duo of heavy-lidded azure land upon her again inquisitively, though his tone lets slip that he may already know the answer to his own question.
"I…I did not realize that we actually share a surname." She stares at the embossed letterings of "LEVI ACKERMAN" set perfectly against reflective grey.
"Yes, but no need to be concerned." His assessment of the situation is completely devoid of unease. "Between us is less than 0.002% of common DNA, so you're ultimately safe from being connected to any of my ill-famed exploits."
"Did you…run an ancestry diagnosis on me earlier, sir?" Against her back, Mikasa grips her fingers together even tighter, feeling helplessly anxious about his revelation.
"Yes, despite the fact that I personally find them ridiculous and invasive." The Captain's brows knit together in a deeper frown. "But every now and then, my curiosity wins."
Her mind is now racing at lightning speed, but she does her best to remain calm.
"And was…everything as you expected?"
Placing the tablet on his desk, Levi stands upright – and she is temporarily distracted by how short he actually is. "Yes, and I'm admittedly pleased to discover that there is another line of Ackermans who have become critical to the future success of our missions." Instead of linking fingers behind him, he tucks both hands into the pockets of his slacks before facing her. "Your entire history of work here is rather impressive."
Sensing that the matters of her lineage have gone undisputed, she moves on to address his unexpected commendation instead. "I will continue to do my best, sir."
Stillness stretches over them for the next minute, and Mikasa's face nearly reddens at how intensely he scrutinizes her from his position. After years of eugenics, there is not a single individual within these walls who could be deemed unattractive by their current culture, but there is something about this man – perhaps the uncustomary coarseness, or perhaps all the factors still unknown – that already beckons for her mind to stray further than she desires. Deep within, she can already feel her carefully-constructed barriers lowering, allowing for something – or someone - to finally uncover her own dark truths.
No, you must not-
"So do you have interest in joining the five-year journey to Titan itself, Miss Ackerman? Humanity's first endeavor towards Saturn?" Levi finally speaks again, interrupting her implicit struggle with an expectant inquiry.
Those are the same words she has wished for ever since adolescence, and she somehow conceals the utter jubilation bubbling from within, all the while controlling the tremors in her response.
"Absolutely, sir."
"Good. Then we shall double the amount of your physical training, starting tomorrow." He announces with authority. "I will have the system permit your DNA access to the officers' fitness quarters on level 5, and you will meet me there at 0600 hours sharp. For now, you are dismissed."
The series of orders cuts no corners, and in her exhilaration she is more than willing to comply. "Yes sir!"
When his office gate shuts on her moments later, however, Mikasa realizes that Armin will need to reschedule his visit tomorrow to 4am.
She has always dreamt of the skies, yet the earth kept her tethered to itself.
In any other instance, Mikasa Ackerman would be forcibly ostracized from her current path, because by the present standards, she is merely masquerading as an accepted member of this society. IN-VALID is what every result of her DNA screenings should display, a lethal label cursing her from the moment of her birth to the moment of her death.
She bears no apparent faults, unlike others before and after her who have fallen due to their "inferior" IQs or "subpar" physiques, believed "unfit" to even strive for success in this world. The reason for her original In-Valid status rests solely on the predisposition for a terminal disease – one with a 25% chance of occurrence much later in her lifetime. Nevertheless, that risk percentage always proves too high for the powers-that-be to accept, and when her parents first receive the result during their first extensive prenatal screening, her medical records are already stamped with the red brands of her misfortune, deeming her forever incompetent at negative-five-months-old. Within the establishment that discriminates against perfection, she was, is, and will always be a feared disease, requiring permanent quarantine from the Valids or complete eradication, perhaps prior to labor.
Had that same clinic not burned down the next day due to an accidental fire, taking all her existing records with it before they could be officially entered into the global system, she would have been relegated to working the lowest tier of jobs as an adult, or even institutionalized – certainly not walking the halls of the Aerospace Corporation as an honored employee.
Instead of despair, her parents had taken advantage of the clinic's plight and swiftly sought help from their close friends, the Arlerts – brilliant genetic researchers who secretly disagreed with the eugenics system they helped put in place years ago. So at negative-four-months-old Mikasa became their first and only specimen – her mother the recipient of complex weekly injections of artificial chemicals, designed to modify the predisposition structures of Mikasa's genetic sequence without affecting its core. It was an act of complete faith, for no one could predict its eventual consequences, but once the next prenatal screening results arrived in her parents' hands, the red stamps screaming IN-VALID were nowhere to be found, and the unborn Mikasa Ackerman had become the successful product in a scheme that would never see the light of day.
To everyone's relief, the side effects were negligible even after her arrival into this world. The secret weekly injections were transferred from her mother to her at lowered dosages, and she was able to live out a beautiful childhood, embraced by family and society alike.
At the age of nine, however, her parents were swept from their coastal summer home – and this earth - by the unrelenting force of a hurricane, never to be found again. Mikasa had been staying inland with the Arlerts and their son Armin, escaping the same fate. From that day on, the three-member family decided to add her as a fourth, and for the rest of her youth, she dove into fulfilling her physical and mental potential, not wanting her guardians' continuous, risky sacrifices in keeping her status Valid to go to waste.
Though the bitterness of loss still lingers, she has come to understand how differently nature and nurture function over the years. After all, mother earth has always cared little for the discriminating ways of humanity, and both Valids and In-Valids will always continue to fall victim to its unpredictable disasters. Rather than fixating upon what no longer exists, she has always chosen to look forward.
Yet, one childhood memory has always remained.
"Daddy, why does the night sky glitter?"
"Because the stars contain the souls of everyone who has ever passed away, and they are always communicating to us."
Once she graduated high school, ranking first in her class, Mikasa decided to aim for space. Even beyond nostalgia, within its infinite expanse also seemed to contain infinite possibilities – contrary to the irrational limitations of this world that nearly crippled her from the outset. So three years ago, with veins pumping blood comprising two decades' worth of falsehoods, she successfully infiltrated the front doors of the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, making her mark amongst the Valids ever since.
But soon, she will leave it again, this time in pursuit of those long-awaited dreams.
At 0400 hours this morning, Armin arrives at her doorstep for his weekly delivery of his parents' chemicals. As always, the series of concoctions takes two people – herself included – and nearly 40 minutes to administer, and due to the spontaneous training scheduled by Captain Levi the day prior, she had been forced to request Armin's presence two hours earlier than usual.
Rubbing her eyes, Mikasa opens the door to the sight of her childhood friend's fatigued face, visible dark circles emphasized even further by her porch's dim lighting.
"Please tell me that it's not always going to be 4am from now on." His speech is audibly slurred by a yawn.
"I'll try my best to avoid having these sessions conflict with you every week." She sighs apologetically and steps aside, granting him a path inward. "Sorry…again."
Behind closed doors, they continue perfecting her masquerade.
[To be Continued]
A/N: In the original film, the corporation actually does head to Titan – so it's quite an interesting (Though unintentional) SnK connection ;)