Natural+Rebels

Natural Rebels By, Alena S. “Kelly, your mother’s on the phone!” Travis was surprised that Kelly’s mother would dare to call. Kelly and her mother had not spoken since she married Travis. Lara strongly disapproved of the marriage, because she knew that Travis was did not approve of the creation of designer babies, and that he could be a rebel if he wanted to. She didn’t want her only daughter to get in trouble with the government for disobeying the rule about designer babies.

Twenty-five years ago, the government of Morocco made a rule that all children must be genetically created within the specified boundaries. No children were allowed to have an IQ less than 80. Parents could pick and choose any other traits; the only standard attribute is that the child must be somewhat intelligent. The government just didn’t want any obtuse people in the country. People were not allowed to be too smart either. No one could have an IQ over 130. The government didn’t want anyone to be smart enough to be able to outsmart them. The new law about the creation of designer babies with a certain IQ is better than the old ways, because the government isn’t killing all the brilliant and dumb people anymore; they are just not being created.

Luckily for Lara, her daughter Kelly was born just after this rule was created, meaning she was a designer baby. Kelly was created to be not too smart but not too dumb either. She was on the smarter side of the government norm. Lara and her husband chose Kelly to have green eyes and light curly blond hair. Kelly was beautiful, just the way her parents wanted.

Travis, on the other hand, was born just before the new rule, and he was not a designer baby. Fortunately, his parents were attractive people, so he got the good genes without being genetically created. Travis had just the right IQ to stay alive during the mandatory government test at age 13.

Kelly sighed and said, “Tell her I’ll be there in a minute!” Kelly didn’t really want to talk to her mother. She must have found out Kelly and Travis were wanting to have a baby soon. Travis and Kelly had spent many long nights discussing designer babies. Travis didn’t want his child to be “messed up” with genetic modification. He wanted his child to be created and born naturally, just like he was. Kelly had just made the decision to go along with Travis’ idea of getting away from Morocco and escaping to the freedom of Spain across the strait of Gibraltar. She didn’t have any issues with designer babies, because she was one, but she didn’t want to disappoint Travis. It would be a hard trip, but Kelly felt she was up to it because she would do anything to make Travis happy.

Once Kelly picked up the phone, she had decided that she was not going to tell her mother anything except that she and Travis were going to wait another year or so before “ordering” their child because both the government and society would greatly disapprove of their desire for a natural child. Kelly chatted uncomfortably with her mother for good half hour. As soon as she hung up, Travis and Kelly resumed creating their escape plans. Their plan was relatively simple. They would pack a minimal amount of belongings (including Kelly’s iPod that she used for inspiration with her new favorite song by a band called Daughtry), and stow away on a cargo ship across the strait. They were to leave in two weeks time, leaving only very vague notes for their parents. They would say something along the lines of, “Sorry, but we had to leave for our own happiness. We love you.” They were sure they would be followed and searched for, because the government didn’t want any news of their treachery getting out. At one point in time, every country had required designer babies, but eventually, there was a revolution because everyone hated the system so much. Morocco was one of the few countries that still went along with the whole law about the creation of designer babies. The revolt was not in Morocco, so the government hadn’t felt a need to change their law. Every once in a while, they would have to suppress a rebel, but it hadn’t happened for awhile.

Two weeks later, Travis and Kelly were sitting on a ship that carried livestock across the strait. They didn’t have any trouble getting to the ship, or getting the Spanish captain letting them on. They even were “stowed away” in the captain’s cabin. He had a soft spot for any escapees because his wife had been one as well. Once the ship was docked in Spain, Travis and Kelly stopped worrying about being followed. There was only two ships that went across the strait each day, one from each direction. They bought a new apartment with ease, and proceeded to buy some food for the night. They were never looked at suspiciously or anything.

About nine months later, Travis and Kelly had a brand new baby girl named Kailee to care for. Kailee was not genetically modified, and her parents were happy. Every once in awhile, Kelly would miss her mother, but she would see her new baby and she would remember why she gave up her old life. Travis had a job that he loved, and Kelly was a stay-at-home mom. They loved their neighbors and their new house. They could not believe how smoothly their plan had worked. Travis and Kelly were almost euphoric at their good luck.

It was Kailee’s two month birthday when a Moroccan government official knocked on their door. Kelly was scared that he would take away their baby and whisk them back to Morocco. Instead, he told them that there had been a revolt in Morocco, and that Kelly’s father Chris had been killed. He also told them that the law about designer babies had been abolished, and the travel between the two countries was now allowed. Kelly was sad about her father, but she was also happy because her mother could now come visit and even move to Spain if they wanted.

Three years later, Kelly was expecting again, and her mother Lara was there in Spain with her, Travis and Kailee. Everyone was very happy with their lives and the government. Everyone lived happily ever after.