"Mrs. Denton?"
The woman looked up from her magazine. The doctor had finally called her. She followed the nurse into a lab behind the ER. It looked like a dentist's chair with nanoelectric tools stuck half-hazardly at random angles. In this chair she sat down
"The doctor will see you shortly," the nurse smiled and closed the door. It was a reassuring smile.
She looked down at her belly. Hard to believe little Peter in there eight and a half months. She felt a pang of fear and regret at what she knew they would do. She knew that she was getting more than 30 million credits for this, but it was still a child she was carrying.
She felt a pained smirk come over her face. What the hell, she thought, it isn't even my child. Not my egg, not my husbands sperm, I don't even know who this is. She remembered a little about the last time that she met Dr. Reyes. He was a nice man; he talked to her about her "wonderful decision". He seemed like he was, well, a little distracted.
The door opening derailed this train of thought. Dr. Reyes walked in.
"Hello Julie, how are you feeling" said Dr. Reyes in his heavy Mexican accent.
"Okay, I guess. Just getting ready to let little Peter go." She smiled and brushed her golden hair back. She was nervous.
"Then I have good news for you. We need to finish our experiment before the government cuts off our funding. I would like you to meet my friend and colleague, Dr. Simons." He walked in behind Dr. Reyes. Reyes was a shorter man, Simons was not. Julie felt a little uncomfortable with Simons. His face looked as if all of his veins in his face popped out. She knew that it was mechanical augmentation, but it looked scary.
"Mrs. Denton, I just want you to know that this will be no problem. It will be quick and painless."
Julie Denton smiled and relaxed. She knew her family would be a whole lot better with her payment. She knew everything would be better
A nurse walked into the lab. "It's time to go into surgery."
"Well," said Reyes. "Are you ready?" Julie had no time to answer. Simons already had the tranquilizer needle in her arm.
"No, I don't care who dies. I want that boy alive! I have the best genes in that boy and the most qualified surrogate parents lined up. I've spent too much money to have this fail!"
"I realize that sir. But what your doing is wrong, Mr. Page. You are fiddling with genes and murdering the woman who carried him. Look at her. We're up here in the observation room and Walton Simons, who hasn't clue one about medicine is down there waiting to put that woman to sleep forever once Peter is out. That's some determination."
"Shut up Manderley. That boy is being rushed to area 51 and into a clone chamber ASAP, or sooner. I'm not paying VersaLife 70 million credits to have this doctor have a sudden attack of conscience and save the mother."
"Do you have to kill her, sir?"
"Yes."
"You, Bob Page, are a monster."
"Thank you"
"Here he is," said Jaime Reyes. He loved this part of being a doctor. This little boy was being introduced into the world. His happy smile quickly turned to ashes. This boy wouldn't get to live. He quickly sobered up. "He's out and healthy," mumbled Jaime. He carried the child out and up to the observation chamber.
"Ahh," sighed Page, "He's here. Little Peter; little Paul Denton."
* * *
The woman looked up from her magazine. The doctor had finally called her. She followed the nurse into a lab behind the ER. It looked like a dentist's chair with nanoelectric tools stuck half-hazardly at random angles. In this chair she sat down
"The doctor will see you shortly," the nurse smiled and closed the door. It was a reassuring smile.
She looked down at her belly. Hard to believe little Peter in there eight and a half months. She felt a pang of fear and regret at what she knew they would do. She knew that she was getting more than 30 million credits for this, but it was still a child she was carrying.
She felt a pained smirk come over her face. What the hell, she thought, it isn't even my child. Not my egg, not my husbands sperm, I don't even know who this is. She remembered a little about the last time that she met Dr. Reyes. He was a nice man; he talked to her about her "wonderful decision". He seemed like he was, well, a little distracted.
The door opening derailed this train of thought. Dr. Reyes walked in.
"Hello Julie, how are you feeling" said Dr. Reyes in his heavy Mexican accent.
"Okay, I guess. Just getting ready to let little Peter go." She smiled and brushed her golden hair back. She was nervous.
"Then I have good news for you. We need to finish our experiment before the government cuts off our funding. I would like you to meet my friend and colleague, Dr. Simons." He walked in behind Dr. Reyes. Reyes was a shorter man, Simons was not. Julie felt a little uncomfortable with Simons. His face looked as if all of his veins in his face popped out. She knew that it was mechanical augmentation, but it looked scary.
"Mrs. Denton, I just want you to know that this will be no problem. It will be quick and painless."
Julie Denton smiled and relaxed. She knew her family would be a whole lot better with her payment. She knew everything would be better
A nurse walked into the lab. "It's time to go into surgery."
"Well," said Reyes. "Are you ready?" Julie had no time to answer. Simons already had the tranquilizer needle in her arm.
"No, I don't care who dies. I want that boy alive! I have the best genes in that boy and the most qualified surrogate parents lined up. I've spent too much money to have this fail!"
"I realize that sir. But what your doing is wrong, Mr. Page. You are fiddling with genes and murdering the woman who carried him. Look at her. We're up here in the observation room and Walton Simons, who hasn't clue one about medicine is down there waiting to put that woman to sleep forever once Peter is out. That's some determination."
"Shut up Manderley. That boy is being rushed to area 51 and into a clone chamber ASAP, or sooner. I'm not paying VersaLife 70 million credits to have this doctor have a sudden attack of conscience and save the mother."
"Do you have to kill her, sir?"
"Yes."
"You, Bob Page, are a monster."
"Thank you"
"Here he is," said Jaime Reyes. He loved this part of being a doctor. This little boy was being introduced into the world. His happy smile quickly turned to ashes. This boy wouldn't get to live. He quickly sobered up. "He's out and healthy," mumbled Jaime. He carried the child out and up to the observation chamber.
"Ahh," sighed Page, "He's here. Little Peter; little Paul Denton."
* * *