"Genesis'

Chapter 9

I tossed and turned for most of the night, sleep proving to be an elusive partner. Finally I gave up and sat at the window to watch the soft rays of dawn creep across the landscape, freeing the earth from the darkness with her warm fingers of light. I gazed, entranced as the scene unfolded before my eyes. I had witnessed mother nature at her best on some occasions, but nothing could beat the wonder of the dawning rays as they woke the slumbering world. Sighing softly I returned to my bed to ponder the day ahead.

Having passed my subjects with honours I was about to embark on the next stage of my life. I was excited, intrigued and scared all at the same time. Today I would step inside Gero's lab for the first time. Who knew what secrets lay within... I shivered at the thought of what lay ahead. Deciding I had wasted enough time with my idle musings I raised myself once again and headed for the shower.

Returning to my room, hair still damp from my shower I noticed Krystal sitting in the chair by my desk.

"Morning," I called cheerfully and proceeded to towel dry my hair.

"Morning," she called back absently.

I moved across to sit on my bed, snagging my hairbrush as I went. I knew Krystal had something on her mind... I had a pretty good idea what that something was, but I knew I would have to wait for her to come out and tell me what was bugging her. I had been in this situation before and with my twin sense I automatically knew that whatever it was would come out soon enough.

Krystal stared ahead, her face looking out the window through eyes that were unfocused and a brain that was totally absorbed on some inner thought.

I cast the odd glance at her as I picked up my brush and began to work it through my black locks, untangling the snarls that had worked their way into the strands. Finally I was done and with one last swipe through my hair I stood and returned the brush to the table. I felt Krystal's eyes on me and sensed the opening of her mouth as the words came forth.

"I don't want you to go in that lab, Jay."

Turning slowly I locked eyes with my last remaining reason for living on this earth. "I have to, Krystal."

"But I don't want to lose you, Jay." Her eyes were downcast as she spoke.

"The answers all lie beyond that door, I am sure of it."

"I'm not so sure I want to know the answers, Jay," she whispered.

"Well I do," I replied a little too harshly and immediately regretted my words.

She turned from me and got up to leave the room.

Quickly I reached out and grasped her arm, preventing her from going.

She stopped but refused to meet my eyes.

"Krystal, I'm sorry. I had no right to speak that way."

She shrugged as my hand released her arm. "It's okay, Jay. I realize that this is something you feel you have to do."

The tone of defeat in her voice cut me to my core. I opened my mouth to say more but then closed it as she spun and quickly exited my room. I watched her leave, unsure as to what I should do. My mind was telling me to go ahead and get the answers I craved, my heart told me to get my sister and run...

#

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Krystal refused to look at me and only spoke when absolutely necessary. I tried to draw her into conversation but she politely answered me with single words. I gave up. Gero also seemed to be a little pre occupied so I ate the rest of my meal in silence.

Having cleaned my teeth I made my way through the residence and headed for the doors of the Lab. I passed Krystal on the way. She was curled up in an armchair in the family room, book in hand, deep in thought. I paused at the doorway and she glanced up.

"I'm sorry, Krystal. I wish you could understand why I feel the need to do this..."

Her expression never changed as her eyes locked with mine. "Please, Jay; don't let yourself be so consumed by hatred that you fail to see what is important... fail to see the real truth."

I frowned at her riddles. "I will see you at dinner," I snapped and then turning, I marched away, my mind in a turmoil. What was happening to me?

A pair of sad, blue eyes watched as I disappeared down the hallway. "Open your eyes to see what is staring at you... let the blindness go and find the answer before it is too late," she whispered

But I never heard.

#

The big, steel doors slid open with a soft, graceful hiss that belied their true thickness. I stepped inside, my eyes adjusting to the light. The doors swung shut sealing me off from the outside world. My eyes quickly adjusted to the different light and I took in the surrounding area. Off to my left there stood what seemed to be a storage area, several aisles containing rack upon rack of various equipment took up a large volume of space. The equipment varied from coils of wire and tiny computer chips through to large chunks of what seemed to be some sort of metal. I continued my sweep of the room. To my right were several large work benches with an assortment of large machinery on and around them. Curiously I stared at some of the machines. There was what appeared to be a welding apparatus and a large ... err was that some type of saw?

I shuddered as I took in the various machines, A few I recognized, but most looked like they had stepped out of some medieval dungeon. What on earth did Gero want with the likes of some of these sort of apparatus? I moved forward down the pathway between the two sections and came to another door that took me into the heart of the lab. As I entered this doorway I froze.

"Welcome to my laboratory..."

Staring down into the room that lay in front of me I felt a mix of emotion play through my body; excitement, joy, elation, wonder, awe and fear... The room could only be described as organised chaos. Several computers lined the one wall, each screen busily changing, showing different stats as hard drives were constantly monitoring and regulating something I had yet to determine. Here and there on several tables scattered throughout the room, various robots were busily working. Each table seemed to contain and pertain to a certain thing. Before my mind could become too overloaded, Gero climbed the few steps to where I stood and broke into my mind.

"Follow me boy and I will show you around, then I will explain what it is I am doing here and just how you can help me." Gero's voice was quiet but firm.

I pushed the rising apprehension to one side and nodded my compliance, then followed Gero as he descended the stairs to the Lab floor.

"You have already passed through the storage and large assembly-come-preparation room. That is where all the larger, less complex work is done. Once the basic frame has been molded and shaped then the process is continued on in here." Gero indicated the lab with a sweep of his hand.

I must have looked a little shell shocked as Gero studied my face intently.

"You do know what I am doing in here, don't you Jay?"

"I have some idea," I replied. Oh yes I had a really good idea of what Gero was doing in here, but when forced to face it as I was now, my brain didn't want to comprehend the entire picture.

"Good, I shan't have to explain every minute detail then," said Gero and proceeded to walk to the first part of the lab.

"Here we take the rough, raw frame and fine it down into the smooth sleek skeleton that will form the basis of the android," continued Gero.

On the table lay a complete human skeleton fashioned out of metal. The detail was so precise that had it been bone colored then I'm sure you would not have been able to tell the difference between the real and the metal.

Gero moved on. "This is where the entire nervous system that is required to operate the skeleton is made," and he indicated to the mass of wires, chips and circuit boards that littered the table.

I gazed in awe. A small robot was busily at work soldering and arranging the wires into their network, so they would work exactly as the human system does. Hastily I moved on realising that Gero was forging ahead.

"And here is where the biological side of the work is done."

In this section were several large glass tubes all filled with some form of liquid. Most were covered so I was unable to see the contents but there were a couple of empty ones and one by itself that contained something within those liquid depths. I edged closer, intending to get a good look at what was inside. What I saw caused the contents of my stomach to try to return. Tasting the bile in my throat I forced my breakfast to stay where it was. Once the queasiness had passed, curiosity again got the better of me and I peered through the glass once more.

A shapeless mass greeted my eyes. It throbbed and pulsed with an unseen force and yet it resembled nothing discernible. It was obviously human tissue and was growing and multiplying in its 'womb', but still had some time to go before it would be 'complete'.

By the time we had come to the end of the tour my mind was bursting with questions. I could understand Gero's infatuation with the whole concept of creating artificial life and was eager to learn more, but a small nagging doubt continued to haunt the recess of my mind, but still I chose to ignore it.

"I'm sure you have many questions for me, boy and I will answer them in due course, but first I have some matters to attend to. I suggest you have a bit of a wander around and familiarise yourself with the programs that I am using on the computers as that is one of the main areas that I will be utilising your expertise in," Gero finished his speech and turning went off to the rear of the lab.

I gazed around once more then walked over to the computer consoles. I sat down in front of one and watched as the program ran through. Understanding began to dawn in my mind. Gero used the computers to format out and do the finer work for him. I followed the progress of the computer to the miniaturised robotics conveyor system that stood off to the side and watched, mesmerised as the tiny 'fingers' worked away creating the fine chips and tangelment of wires that would form the intricate circuitry of the brain. Minuscule components were deftly welded onto impossibly small circuit boards and the whole mass became, in effect, the very centre of the android's being.

Fascinated, I found it hard to draw myself away, but Gero had returned and I had hundreds of questions for him. I moved towards him and hesitated as another android appeared at his side.

"Boy, this is the latest in my design and the almost complete and perfect android. I would like you to meet Omega."

I stared at the figure. To all intents and purposes it appeared *human*... Dammit! if I had met Omega in the street I would have thought he was human. The only defect I could find was the slightly delayed reaction and not so fluid movement of the human. I reached forward and shook the other's proffered hand.

"Omega is the prototype for my ultimate android," said Gero.

"I take it then that you have managed to sort out the minor flaws with the reaction time and smoothness of movement?" I replied.

"Yes... yes I have. There was a small yet very vital piece missing in the program for the transfer of data. But that is all fixed now." Gero gave a rather evil smile as he shared this information with me.

Glancing at Omega and trying to shake off that feeling of unease that once more pushed forth, I continued to ask my questions. "I take it that most of the basic ground work is done by the robots?"

"Yes. They are all linked into the main frame where the entire program is housed. The main frame controls the entire system and in effect sends out the different programs to the different computers. The computers in turn operate the robots via their specfic programme so that each section produces the parts or items they are supposed to. Then the whole thing is linked up together to all fit in and slot into place like a perfect jigsaw. The end result being Omega here."

"Something akin to a conveyor belt system?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose you could say that, but unlike the conveyor belt system I do not mass produce and each section is an intricate and vital part of the finished product, so it is important that they be closely monitored for any deviation from plan, no matter how slight. With this being such an involved and complex project I cannot afford to have mistakes happen."

I stared as the enormity of just what was happening here sank in. Despite the coolness of the lab I began to sweat. "You said before that there was a minor hitch that prevented the android from being completely fluid and barely detectable from a human and that you have fixed the problem."

"That is correct."

"If I may be so bold just what was the problem?"

Gero studied the wall behind me intently for a few minutes before replying. "Ahh, it was but a minor thing involving the transfer of data from the one place to the other."

Riddles... more riddles... I sighed.

Gero, hearing my sigh, stared intently into my eyes and placed his hand upon my arm. "You will learn soon enough, boy."

I turned and began to walk away, back to where the computer screens hummed and flickered, so lost in my thoughts that I barely heard Gero whisper...

"I will give you front row seats to the final unveiling of my ultimate creation..."

For some reason that sentence sent chills of ice running the length of my spine.

#

For the next few days I spent most of my time in front of the computers, checking the data there and occassionally feeding in some new information that Gero had given me. Most was in code so it didn't make a lot of sense, but I could make out some figures in there which were obviously land mass coordinates. I didn't think too much on it though as I was still rather intrigued by the whole idea of actually getting the biological system and the non biological system to combine and work together. Each day I learnt more and more of the cloning technique and how Gero cultivated and grew the organic cells until finaly the metal and the flesh were ready to join so to speak. Once this level was achieved the two were merged and the system left alone to mature and grow into the final stage.

That was what I learnt in theory.

I had yet to see it in practice - and that was the part that I was both looking forward to and dreading.

Krystal had ceased in her attempts to get me to stay out of the lab. I think she finally realised that it was futile as I was becoming just as obsessed as Gero. But that didn't stop her from worrying over me. Sometimes late at night I could feel the sadness and concern coming from her, even though she tried to keep a close check on her emotions.

As bad as I felt about deserting her, I knew I couldn't stop now. I was so close...

And then it happened.

I stumbled upon the discovery that was to change our lives forever...

tbc...