New+Parts,+New+Lives

__ New Parts, New Lives __ Written by Anna Corri came bounding down the stairs of her family’s private villa in Austria. She had been anticipating this day for three months, ever since the procedure was scheduled and her name was finally selected for the Induction. Today she was getting a new Brother. She had been curious about her new sibling the moment she heard the news from her Bio-father and started looking at the newcomer’s human history. His surgery was due to Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his deep skin tissue found in his left calf. After going through surgery herself, Corri remembers how difficult it was for her to adjust to her new life. She had to leave all of her life memories behind and not acknowledge any pre-Surgery memories in public. This was something she didn't want to be such a difficult transition for her new Brother. One difficult part of doing The Surgery is that when people come out of anesthesia, they don't remember their own names. "This was one o f the good things that the Surgeons thought of," Gabe, her older Brother told her, "because it makes the Induction go much smoother because it is the only name they remember to learn and respond to in their new lives." Gabe told Corri that her new Brother's name was to be Travis for the namesake of his Surgeon. Corri was taught during the first few days of her Induction to not think about the Servile family and who they were. Her hopes were high that she could instill the same logic into Travis' new life without much unplanned turbulance. In Corri's own Inducion, she was assured that her family wanted to live with her Bio-family after the transplant of stem cell generated right lung. She suffered from second-hand political debates her Servile parents would bicker with each other every night about and inhaled too many opinionated words which caused the fallout of needing a stem cell grown replacement lung. Or so her Bio-mother says. However, if she asked too complex questions like "Why can't all Servile people live like us?", she would simply be told to go ask the Surgeons, who always seemed to have a go-to excuse of "being scheduled for Surgery". As she sat down at the breakfast dining table, Gabe glides in almost as if his feet had never even touched the marble flooring. He gives her a flawless smile as he seats himself across the table from Corri's chair. "You know, one of these days you have to teach me that trick of how you do that." Corri greeted him slyly. "Good morning to you too. How could I teach you more? We have already covered all that is in the book //and// more than that . I do not know what you are talking about," he retorted in the same inflection as Corri. "Don't play it that way. You know exactly what I'm thinking about. It's that half gliding half walking thing you have seemed to have mastered. I'm dying to know how you do it!" Gabe just sat down as smoothly as he had entered the room, almost as the chair was moving to meet him. He gave her a quick smirk through his pair of rich chocolate brown eyes and chuckled ever so lightly under his breath Corri was skeptical if he even made a sound. Breakfast discussions for the two of them had become an unbroken habit ever since Corri first arrived for Induction. There was a special bond an Inductor usually formed with their Inductee, for Gabe and Corri it was no different. Even though they were Bio-siblings, there were no rules for dating inside families because technically nobody was genetically related to each other. Between the two of them there was a definite spark from day one. Today's conversation was different though. She could feel that he was just about to say something because he was trying to pick his words carefully. He opens his mouth just slightly, and then closes them again. Gabe seems like he is not breathing, yet somehow not suffocating. He opens his mouth again to speak to Corri. "Today will be the most difficult day for you since your own Induction," he breathes. "You remember how difficult it was for you as you transitioned. Now you have to guide somebody else through the process. He will be resentful, resistant to everything you say, and may even become aggressive." Gabe stops for a moment and closes his eyes. "Not only will it be a trying time for Travis to get through, but it will also put your strength of mind to the test. If you are not careful, he may start to convince you to think otherwise than what you have been taught. Do not give in to his logic. He is afraid of what is happening and does not know any better to what he is saying." She thinks back to her first few days with Gabe. Now she feels ashamed of her actions and how difficult it must have been for him to control her from acting out and setting her mind straight when she was so confused during her own Induction. Gabe continued, “ I have faith in you Corri. You will perform amazingly. There is no need to worry about this. Just be natural and you will be fine.” He gracefully stood up from the table without touching his breakfast and again ghostly floated out of the room. Corri was whisked away to pick up Travis moments later from his Surgeon. He stumbled through the sliding glass doors into the summer sunlight. She half-jogged over to meet him as he was taking his next step. “Who are you? This has been all so messed up today.” Travis stammered. “Hey Travis, I’m Corri. These next few days will be your introduction for the rest of your new life.” “Huh? New life??” He slurred. “Basically because your tissue transplant was created from stem cells, it is Austrian law you must become part of an elite society, a Bio-society. We are separated from the rest of the world, but live a better life than anyone else since we have technologically advanced bioengineered matter in ourselves. You can’t go back to your old family, friends, or any other part of your life. Do not worry, your parents knew that you would have to take this transition after the Surgery, but they loved you and thought it would be for the best.” Corri started to explain. “Why would we be separated from the rest of the world? Even though we have advanced parts in our bodies now, that makes us no different from the rest of the human race.” Travis said with tear-induced emotion. Corri always had feelings that there was flawed logic in the Bio-society. She never wanted to say anything out loud because she never knew what would have happened.“Travis, I don’t have all the answers for why we live the way we do, but your Brother Gabe will. Let’s go talk to them.” They rode to the villa in silence, both contemplating the logic that had been long since, if ever, questioned by those in the Bio-society. It was a short drive, but all the factors of the flawed logic made the ride seem to never end. Corri jumped out of the car before it even stopped and Travis slumped out of his seat onto the asphalt shortly after her. She bounded up the stairs to find Gabe. His car was gone from the front drive so she went to go wait in his room until he returned. As she sat on his desk, Corri glanced down under Gabe’s bed at a book half hidden from plain view. Her foot kicked in out from its hiding place as she read its blood-red cover title. “Logic from a Flawed Society: Everything Needed to Silence the Questioners”. Corri re-read the title with skepticism, and suddenly understood. Gabe did want to silence the questions she asked him on her first few days of her new life. Even though she did not know exactly all the reasons why they did not want to be questioned by those in the Bio-society, all she knew is she no longer wanted to be in it. Travis limped into the main foyer as Corri glided down the stairs. She took Travis by the hand and pulled him close to hear her barely audible whisper. “The flaws we found cannot even be explained by those who made this society the way it is today. If they can’t rationalize their own reasoning, how can anyone else do similarly?” Corri breathed ever so slightly. “I’m leaving this place. There is no way they can keep me here. The elitism these people feel that they have goes against every moral bone in my body. I just can’t escape this place alone since I’m still very much sedated from my Surgery.” Travis stuttered. She scoffed at his obvious statement. “Yeah, I figured that out. No worries, I’m getting out of here too. Get out of Austria, out of risk of ever being hunted down by this Bio-society.” Corri grabbed Travis and pulled him back out to the front drive. Travis practically fell into his seat as Corri leaped across the Audi into the driver seat. As she revved up the engine, Gabe turned the final corner of the winding drive up the hill to the villa. He turned and gazed quizzically at her, almost as if he had just seen a grizzly bear skate on ice. Gabe was too slow to open his mouth before Corri’s did. “Bye Gabe. I wish it could’ve been different. But it just can’t be this way.” She shifted into drive and sped off down the twisting road, past the custom border, and long until their tracks were intractable by anybody. After many years of being restrained in fear, Corri was finally free from danger and elitism for good....Until the Pro-Green campaign hit Europe in a flash, but story that is for another day and time.