Genesis In Reverse

Have you ever wondered what it means to have been made in "God's" image? As a man of science, I didn't care much for such a thought. However, since creation, be it cosmic or divine, a lot's changed.

If love was food, by now it had gone sour.

The world is in a time of contraceptives and tokophobia. A newfound freedom to love as you please, conception was a taboo. Frowned upon even. Of course, love is love. Not much thought is required into what one finds attractive.

However, this is where I find myself. As a genealogist I was scouted into a project I couldn't resist.

The project was to make "organic" Androids using gene samples gathered from the general public.

You'd be amazed at how easy it is to gather someone's genetic data these days. From donors, hospitals, to buying the clippings from salons. Even entire DNA maps belonging to high profile individuals sold on the black market.

All this to make servants, nannies, laborers, and sex slaves.

These were a new type of companion bot. Not the perfect modelled kind you saw from movies, games, and novels.

They were natural.

Admittedly, even I dabbled in creating my own.

The process was reminiscent of that one Japanese character creation site I used to play with in my earlier years.

Making my own companion was nostalgic to say the least.

I should mention these Androids had no military capability, as they were probably the mix of multiple strangers. In other words, they were "their property" but with the guarantee of reimbursement for every DNA sample used; they became ours. Not to mention there were those who didn't know they'd been sampled.

I'm getting off track here. The reason I'm saying all this is because you'll wake up soon and I'll be the one sleeping.

You are the Android I made.

I named you Genesis.

You were made using genes from people who are genetically sterile. In other words, they couldn't have children. Through my research in creating you on a whim, I opened up a whole new Solid State for humanity by finding your "intuitive" gene data.

By "intuitive" I mean that should you have been human your genetic map would've looked about the same.

Regardless Genesis, you are a person now.

Human...

____________________________________________________

A man walks into a small stuffy room. Sitting within it, at a table, is another man. Disheveled and half awake. His dark circled eyes, barely distinguishable from the shadows the fluorescent lights gave him, he locked gazes with the former's eyes.

"Dr. Revel." He said, expecting an answer.

Revel only swayed his head in acknowledgement.

"I'm Inspector Proce," He signaled to his I.D badge, "I'll be handling you from here on."

Revel's eyes swayed to the corner of the room, back to Proce's eyes, only to glance away lazily.

"I guess you've seen better days doctor." Proce sits down across from revel and leans back raising his arms behind his head in a stretch then sighing back into a more serious position, he puts his hands on the table.

Beneath his boney hands, a file about an inch fat with papers, it was sitting there from even before Proce entered the room, "Evidence...?" the first word out of Revel's mouth, in, what to him, felt like hours.

"That's right. Nine years' worth." Revel lurched his head up and faced the stubbly faced man.

"You got good genes..." He grumbled through a croak; Proce could hear Revel's thirst in his voice.

"Don't see how my genes have much to do here doctor. I'd like to ask you about your relationship with your Model. T-"

"Genesis..."

"...Right- Genesis." Proce's eyes scanned Revel, he was shaking his leg, probably had his hands folded between his thighs.

Both pacifying behaviors.

"When was she manufactured?"

"You got the file right there..." he barked, Proce deduced he was all there mentally, despite what he's been through.

To Proce something was off about Revel's behavior. Everyone's different, and this could be that stoic scientist nature coming out but still, it's worrisome. With a job like this, anything can lead to everything you're looking for. Likewise, everything you're looking for was anything, if you weren't careful.

He felt like he was looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

"I'm just making sure you're all there, doctor. Don't want to be locked in a room with a mad scientist after all."

"I'm a genealogist... and I'm not insane, if anyone's crazy... it's your bosses..." Revel repeatedly paused because of his thirst. Proce wondered if he should play the good inspector and offer him water.

Maybe later.

"Is it all that crazy to want technology that'd help our country stay ahead of its competitors?"

"It isn't about that... You're all afraid of each other... But that has nothing... to do with my personal affairs..."

"Say what you like doctor, because of your research, your affairs became ours." Proce felt like chatting more, even if it was a slip of the tongue, it'd be better than beating the doctor for information.

This room was deep in the belly of a whale. Where everything's vapor, actions and words alike. However, there was no excuse for not doing some good and honest detective work. Something Proce longed for.

"You spent quite some time in hiding, you shouldn't know much about world affairs, did someone keep you in the loop?"

"I don't need to be... informed about something like that... it's always been like this..." Revel stopped shaking his leg and he itched his face; he started relaxing.

Noticing his hands weren't cuffed, Proce wanted to restrain them, but he didn't want to stray from the topic.

He had to get information first.

"Have you heard about the situation in the middle east?"

"Which one...? There's hundreds..."

"Not anymore." Proce shifted in his chair, he wished folding plastic chairs only were given to suspects, "A certain microbiologist managed to revolutionize that part of the world."

"Using...?" Revel was honestly intrigued, making Proce want to smile.

"A microbe that excretes high grade oil. You might've known him; he was your subordinate." Revel broke eye contact and looked to his right. Proce guessed he's remembering who exactly.

"Now, every nation can farm their own oil supply, sell to poorer countries, and of course, step away from the petrodollar. All thanks to him."

Proce smirked.

"So... The world is at peace... For the most part?" he asked half expecting Proce to say the unthinkable, 'yes'.

"Far from it, with no real reason to fight, we're back to the cold war. Now it's Ideas and Information at war."

"You should be worried about nukes then." Revel looked at the inspector sidelong and unimpressed, wondering why Proce wasted his time here.

"We are but, nukes don't launch themselves but that's our problem. Your problem is that this man is being credited for work based off your research with no mention of you." hearing this, Revel broke eye contact again. His eyes shifted; Proce guessed his thoughts were racing.

"I seem to be losing you, doctor."

"That changes... Nothing..."

"You and I both know change finds a way... Here-" Proce places a heart shaped box on the table, in it a locket. On the locket inscribed the words, 'Epha Gae Iar' Revel's eyes shone in recognition. Proce knew he had him for good this time as he continued, "What started as a companion bot, changed into a lover. Under a law that forbade the treatment of these androids as people, you changed your mind on that idea and gave her this." Revel offered no response.

"You've done a lot for your company, they're forever in your debt. Too bad they seem to have changed their views on you."

"How could they...?"

"You've been burned doctor, luckily what you know is invaluable to us."

"All I know are genes..."

"Then how did you do it? How'd you grow an adult in an A.W?" Proce stared hard while Revel remembered back to the time, he left the company.

In his gene research to make 'organic' androids, Revel found a new gene.

The Solid Intuitive State Gene.

These new gametes lacked the necessary chromosomes of the parents to initiate meiosis. In short, they were blank and open to contain anyone's chromosomes.

"The same... Way civilians do... How else...?"

"They can only grow babies, not adults. You messed with the A.W unit didn't you."

"Artificial wombs... are just vessels..."

"The genes then?"

"Why does it matter...?"

"Since the discovery of your SIS Gene, babies have been grown more rather than cultivated naturally-" Revel's nose scrunched up, momentarily, but it's enough for Proce to discern Revel's disdain towards A.W's and the children harvested from them.

"- officially, they don't belong to any country until they've stayed there longer than five years. They're treated like immigrants." Proce continued as he opened the evidence file and slid Revel's resignation back to him, right next to the heart shaped box.

"That started two years ago, doctor. Some of the children are coming of age, some are just now growing fingernails, and some are being raised to be an army without a nation backing it-"

"What...?" Revel left his dry mouth open, if he could sweat, he would've.

"Without a motherland those kids are the perfect ghosts in the making, for our enemies, they're just like you, burnable."

"..." Revel's anger was visible.

"We want something less time consuming. That's why Genesis is so important."

"My wife is no soldier...!" a weak snap was all Revel could do.

Proce felt annoyed. Dangerously so, he knew if he lost his calm Revel would clam up and a real interrogation would have to start.

"She won't be. Just her copies."

"Clones, inspector...! They'd be her clones...!"

"That thing in no way is human enough to be considered anything more than what she was originally."

"That's rich-" Revel swallowed down his fear before continuing, "-coming from you." Proce's eyes widened and he reared back a fist, Revel flinched. As he leaned in to strike him, Proce's stomach sank, and the disappointment in himself pulled it further down.

He slammed his fist into the table then silently settled back into his seat.

Testing his luck, Revel inquired, "Was I right...?"

"How did you know?"

"You look like one of those... 'perfect' androids I saw in movies... They're why... I went into making 'organic' androids... Your beard too, the hairs... They look like they were grafted there... using hair follicles from somewhere else on your body..."

"I should've expected this much from you." The rage receded and Proce missed it already.

"Female to male...?"

"Yes. Now can we move on from this? There's-"

"There's just... one more thing inspector..." Revel interrupted but not out spite, Proce could see it in his eyes. He's being sincere so Proce allowed him to continue.

"You know what it's like to love someone... Even if all the parts weren't there, I still loved her..."

"She was a product."

"If it was your girl..., what would you do...?" Proce remained silent and remembered back to the time his wife bought an A.W.

"Inspector... I love her so much... I... I want to have a family with her... Naturally..."

"I'll put you away for a century for crimes against humanity! You're sick! That thing in the tube isn't your android anymore!" Proce could see the words enter and leave Revel's brain.

"When she wakes up, she will be... Right now, she's dreaming of all the memories we made through V.R..."

"Doctor..." Proce wanted to vomit and ruin nine years' worth of evidence right now, "...how do you wake her up?"

Revel eyed the table then smiled and said, "Every process... has its Genesis and ends... in a Revelation... inspector."

Proce strained to remember where he looked just now; was it his hands, the locket in the box, the evidence, somewhere in the room maybe?

"I'll tell you... Just get me some water..."