Leila's Request

Leila wasn’t alone, her tiny frame lay comatose like the multitude of others in this sterile room. A dim light cloaked the white walls like a shroud covering a secret. Only the constant hum of machines sprouting tubes gave voice to the unmoving. She may have received a name twelve years ago, but she is only known by her designation F-B2105/10/14-G8.

A breeze flows through by the slight change in pressure as the doors to the room swing open. Soft sole shoes echo within the large room as they approach Leila.

A soft voice whispers. “She is a beautiful girl.”

With out looking up Jenkin replies. “What?”

“I was just commenting on the fact that she is a beautiful girl.”

“She is neither female nor male, this specimen has a designation … nothing more.”

“I know, but she is remarkable. I was here when she was born.”

“Born? You mean removed from the Surrogate?”

“No, she was birthed, during the protest riots twelve years ago. There were power outages, four children were born that day, she … is the only survivor.

“Lucky her.”

“Her?” Elea chuckles.

“Never mind. Well, this will be it’s final prep. I’m wondering if I should have asked for more money?”

“Final ?”

“Yes, someone is purchasing the entire product.”

“We don’t do that. They have more value once they hit adulthood. The middle age group is our biggest clientele. The law stipulates that a child may not be fully harvested, and only in extreme cases are they parted out.” Elea says this last line while looking upon the white gauze patch covering a now empty eye socket of F-B2105/10/14-G8.

“I agree this one hasn’t reached puberty yet, but the recipient happens to be the daughter of a very influential person, who needs these parts to survive, spinal cord, heart, liver, the works. It’s too bad they didn’t swap the child when it was still an infant, it’s too late now. We will be compensated very handsomely.” Jenkins shrugs.

“But?”

“But nothing. Along with the purchase price the family will also donate an entire wing fully loaded with equipment. That will house another two hundred and fifty specimens worth billions.”

Elea sighs. “She is too young.”

“Apparently this one is the only match for his daughter. They all perish eventually.

Elea stares at the tiny form. “I’ll prep her.”

With a dismissive wave Jenkins says. “No, I’ll prep it, you bring a gurney and mobile transfer unit to keep it stable for transfer.”

Once Elea leaves, Jenkins begins removing the tubes. If he hurries, this shouldn’t take longer than forty minutes. He wants to get home before the game starts. Glancing at the specimen, he gives a slight nod, if this was someone’s child she was rather pleasant to look at, except for that missing eye, but he was paid handsomely for that.

Prendia stiffens immediately the moment her Brain Computer Interfacing notifies her of an incoming message. The BCI runs words across her optical implant. Words she feared may come.

Leila in danger… life function to cease…contact Genisis …delay procedure.

The chilled beverage splashes upon the marble table, condensation droplets pool around the base of her crystal glass. From her penthouse view the world always appears to be a fabrication of the mind. As a Surrogacy, Prendia’s feet have never trodden upon the concrete below, her station in life would never have her sully herself in such a fashion. Below is for the labor class only.

With no way to respond she wishes the messages would never have come, then curses herself for thinking that. She reminds herself they are not children, they are donors.

Yet.

Without thought, Prendia presses the hologram prompter.

Within seconds an image of a tired yet beautiful woman appears, head down, frantically scanning something off view. “Genisis head quarters how may I direct your visual?”

“Good morning Atlantea. May I speak with Chairman Morris please.”

The receptionist’s head pops up immediately, eyes wide. “Supreme Mother. I apologize I didn’t realize it was you.”

Even though she is younger than the receptionist Prendia replies. “No problem child, but this is urgent.”

“Yes, of course. The Chairman is in a meeting, but I will have his image streamed to you immediately.”

“After his meeting will be fine. Thank you.” Prendia signs off.

She needed time to think, how to carefully phrase this request, knowing this conversation should never occur. She hears the front door opening and in moments Neander rushes onto the patio, wide eyes staring directly at her.

“What the fuck Prendia?”

She cannot help but admire the beauty in this young man, angry or not. “I take it you received a message about our child?”

“We don’t have children.”

“We do Neander, we just don’t raise them.”

“Prendia, let’s not do this again.”

Looking up she pats the chair next to her. “I need to share a secret. Twelve years ago, after the birth of our first donor child, an informant contacted to tell me she named the baby Leila. Since then, I receive sporadic updates, and images of her.”

Neander remains silent for almost a minute. “Who contacted you? They are not given names only designations.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“What else is there to say, have you informed Genisis?”

“Neander, they are about to do an illegal full harvest on our child.”

“Not our child, it’s a Saviour. They are created, for harvesting to save others.” Neander continues. “We were chosen to become Surrogacy for this purpose.”

Prendia shook her head. “I was chosen because at birth it was determined I had a higher-than-normal oocytes in my ovaries, allowing a greater number of eggs to be produced. You because of your high spermatogenesis count. That’s all. We could easily have been designated donors.”

Neander smiles. “The new term is Saviours, not donors.”

“Naming them Saviours is a marketing concept to make it easier to accept what is done to them.”

Neander pushes on. “Our offspring produce strong organs and bodies. They truly are saviours.”

”It doesn’t matter what we call them. The truth is they are taken apart, piece by piece until they are nothing but empty husks. Their life to keep the rich alive.”

“Prendia, That is their only purpose. Do you not see they exist because we allow them. Morality wise, they were never meant to be, more than what they are.”

“You never carried them, felt their kicks their movements.”

“Neither do you. They are removed from you in the second trimester, then incubated in a lab.”

Absently she finds the healed scar upon her belly. Fingers trace the nearly invisible line. At times there is an ache that radiates from within. They tell her it is a phantom pain, no more.

“I carried our first child to full term, and she needs our help.”

“We don’t even know if that’s true, it could be a crazy person. They didn’t arrest all the protestors…..”

Prendia cuts him off. “I called Genisis, I’m asking Chairman Morris to intervene.”

Blood drains from Neander’s face. “They’ll toss us out, we will lose everything. Is that what you want?”

"I will proceed on my own."

“That isn’t how it works, and you know it. We are together because our DNA match produces healthy individuals.”

“What about their life?”

“They would never have been born. These saviours are no more then livestock, we need them, therefore we breed them. What do you not understand about that?”

“But they are alive, they are breathing, they have wants and needs.”

“We don’t know that . They are in comatose state their entire existence. Human organs fail, injuries and disease happen. We give others a chance to have a productive healthy life, through Saviours.”

“You mean the rich are given that opportunity. We won’t, we will be discarded when we are no longer useful?”

Neander Shakes his head. “We’re not even twenty-five, and yet we have produced seven perfectly healthy specimens.”

“Because they subject me to Intrauterine insemination.”

Neandeer continues. "We are in the top percentile of all Supreme Surrogacies within Genisis. What we do extends lives.”

Shaking her head. “ Did you know this was originally meant for every person, but now it is an elitist treatment only.”

“We are revered, an integral part of society.”

“What do we benefit from this? We are not paid. We have no money. Sure, our lifestyle is lavish and wonderful, given anything we desire and our station in society is near the top. However, when we age we will not be able to afford any replacements from donors. We have expiration dates.”

He debates whether to share a secret. Supreme males continue to be used long after the Supreme females are past their giving years.

Instead says. “Why would they abandon us?”

“Have you ever seen an elderly Supreme Surrogacy?”

Now that she mentioned it, he hasn’t.

Whistling a tune that has been stuck in his head since morning, Jenkins reaches for a scalpel and makes tiny incisions at the base of the subjects skull, where the electrodes from the mobile unit will be inserted, activating the nociception cells within the brain to supress dopamine. Making it easier for transferring as they lose all motivation functions.

He can’t help but smile thinking about the new wing. He never mentioned to Elea that the real use of the wing will be as an incubation lab. They are getting closer to perfecting a manufactured womb for gestation. No more need for the risky second trimester removal of the fetus from a human body. The loss rate was twenty seven percent, this will significantly reduce that number to only sixteen percent.

Plus, they will save millions by no longer treating the supreme Surrogacy like Gods. They can just as easily remove what they need from them in a comatose state.

“So, are you going to help me convince them to save our child from an illegal harvest?”

Neander sits motionless, finally shaking his head. “We aren’t even supposed to know about her…it.”

“But we do.”

“Why are you concerned now. Why this one? We created others and if we want to keep our position in life, we need to keep producing.”

“Because she has a name. Aren’t you curious to know what our children would have been, who they may have become?”

Silence covers the balcony, until Neander whispers. “Not all will be harvested. Some may become Surrogacy like us. A rare few are adopted into influential families who are unable to have children of their own or swapped at birth if they are sickly. ”

Prendia grips the young mans hands. “Neander, those are rumors. I became a Surrogacy at fifteen, you at sixteen. They blind us with wealth and status, in truth, we have less than the common workers who live below. I want to stop the procedure before it is too late.”

“I’m content, why aren’t you?”

Prendia laughs. “We produce donors, yet technically we are still virgins. They take from you, and implant in me.”

A cool breeze sweeps across them. Neander, refrains from telling her, he has been given women to satisfy his needs, he just assumed she had that luxury as well.

“Will you talk to Chairman Morris with me?” Prendia pleads.

Jenkin jumps when the doors burst open, Elea pushes a gurney, one wobbly wheel disrupting the silence as it rattles.

“What took you so long?”

“I had to assist louden. A saviour woke during a routine nephrectomy procedure, it was chaotic.”

“Jesus, was anyone hurt?”

“No, but the subject began freaking out.”

“It’s back in Stasis?”

“Yes, not before every stitch was ripped open. How are things here?”

“Good, almost complete. At least we don’t have to worry about this one waking.” He chuckles.

Elea notices the incision. “Did you preform a ECT before you had the mobile unit?”

“You were taking to long, we just need her body not her brain, now load her up.”

Elea’s shoulders droop, slipping the syringe filled with midazolam meant for Jenkins into her pocket, she sighs and helps load Leila upon the gurney.

Simultaneously Prendia and Neander BCI’s receive a notification:

F-B2105/10/14-G8 Harvest complete...Leila at peace….

Before they can process this information, a hologram projects an image of a well-dressed man with a touch of grey appearing around the temples.

“Supreme Mother I apologize for the delay. I have just received your inquiry. How may I assist you?”

Neander steps forward. “Chairman, it is us who need to apologize.”

“Oh, I was not aware you were here as well. Is everything okay?”

Prendia stutters. “Yes…no…”

Neander notices Prendia’s hand Instinctively reach to her belly. Forcing a smile he says. “Everything is fine. There was a small request we were going to ask of you, but it no longer matters. Good-bye Chairman.”

Thank you,

Jason

NOTE:

Prendia (Derived from Pandeia) - revered for her ethereal beauty and was often celebrated as the embodiment of divine radiance.

Neander- is of Greek and German origin, meaning "new man" or "newcomer", ( basically a neanderthal.)

Elea- "The other voice" or "she who speaks for others"

Leila- Arabic origin, meaning “night.” or it can also mean one of fair speech which I thought would be Ironic because she is forever in a comatos state.