Chapter Eighteen.

Gabriela had never been in a Bioloxys facility before. She had no idea what to expect, but that did not stop her mind from conjuring images of sterile labs, and rows upon rows of Ersatz Wombs. The sellout of fetuses visible behind the foggy glass of the womb. But the reality was much different. The clean esthetics of the office, with their gleaming white, curving walls, and high-backed cushioned chairs reminded Gabriela more of a corporate lounge then a birthing facility. There was even a fire burning in a white marble hearth, its flames dancing and licking the air above them.

She was greeted by a woman whose face was pristine, her makeup so perfectly applied that the woman appeared phantastic, almost dreamlike. Gabriela couldn’t help but wonder if the beauty was natural, or the product of genetic enhancements, or even cybernetically implanted somehow.

The woman sat behind a desk that was flanked by grand staircases that curved around the main room to converge just before the next level of the lobby. The receptionist smiled, a glint of pearl white showing between lips stained with dark burgundy gloss. “Welcome to Bioloxys. Do you have an appointment?”

Gabrila look around her uneasily. She could tell the other clients who waited in the lobby had considerable wealth, judging by the way they were dressed and held themselves, and most importantly; the way they looked. They were all gen perfect. There were no deviants marring the esthetic of the atmosphere.

She approached the desk and smiled back. “I have an appointment.”

“And what is your name?”

“Gabriela Fohren.”

A drone buzzed in the receptionist’s hand and hovered over to Gabriela. The LED next to its optic lenses was red, and after a second are two it blinked to green. The drone beeped happily before it buzzed away and returned to the receptionist’s hand. Its function was complete, and Gabriela’s identity was confirmed.

“Please have a seat and one of our technicians will be with you shortly, Miss Fohren.” The Receptionist said with a plastic smile.

Gabriela let out a breath of pure relief. She had doubted the reality of winning the lottery, fearing it was a dream she would wake from any moment, or worse; that there had been a mistake in the database, and at any moment a representative would great her with his own fake smile and give her an artificial apology before she was escorted from the building.

But no such event occurred while she sat patiently in lobby. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap as she watched the fire dance. The base of the azure flame faded into a warm yellow as it licked at the air above it. Gabriela absently wondered what gas was used to fuel the fire, and how much the carbon cost would be to run such an ostentatious display.

The soft tones of classical music drifted passed her, as well as the muted sounds of a news broadcast that played on a screen above the hearth. The headlines read in bold red letters “Terrorist group the ‘Sons’ claims responsibility for protest bombings in eastern Americas.” The video showed the gruesome aftermath narrated by the morose voice of the unseen narrator.

“Miss Fohren?” A man’s voice pulled Gabriela’s attention away from the vid screen. He was tall and well groom, dressed in a dark suit and a charming smile.

“Yes.” Gabriela stood immediately.

“My name is Claus Wagner.” He offered his hand.

Gabriela shook it and smiled back. His hand was soft and smooth, they were the hands of a man who had never toiled in hard labor in his life, Gabriela remarked to herself. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Wagner.”

“Please, call me Claus. And the pleasure is all mine, Miss. Fohren. I am the reginal director of Bioloxys, and I wanted to be the first to welcome you, and to congratulate you. It’s not every day that someone with your pedigree wins the lotto.” He added.

“Oh,” Gabriela said uneasily, as she rubbed her arm. “Thank you.”

“I had a lovely conversation with your mother this morning. A delightful woman.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to describe her.” Gabriela gave him a weak smile. Of course, her mother would have called ahead, Gabriela thought bitterly. Their relationship had barely been civil for the past decade, but now that seemed to change overnight. Her mother was warm and supporting. The woman was even willing to use her influence to solicit meetings with reginal executives, it seemed.

“Not every day the daughter of the UN Chairwoman wins the lottery.” Claus’s voice was so chipper, he almost sang the words.

“Yes.” Gabriela dropped the smile. “I’m sure it’s quite odd.”

“Not at all,” he exclaimed. “Your mother explained to me that you both felt it was best not use money or influence to solicit our services. That you were a woman of the people, much like your mother.”

Gabriela wanted to breakout the teeth from his fake smile. She wanted to scream at him that her mother would never have spoken to a fuckwit like himself, unless it had some direct benefited to her.

“I hear that you took up service with Taurus security as well?” He continued.

“Did my mother tell you that as well?”

“She said that you insisted on giving back to the people. That a life of public service was the best way to do that.”

Even that was a lie. Gabriela had to resist the urge to laugh in his face. She had joined Taurus because it pissed her mother off. But instead, she took a deep breath and put on her best smile. She had never dreamt she would win the lotto, and she wasn’t about to mess that up with a childish outburst.

“She even said that it was your idea to rely on the lottery for a child,” the man continued, “that you felt it was only fair that you go through the same pathways as any other citizen.”

“My mother told you that?” Gabriela asked hastily.

“She did,” Claus beamed back.

Gabriela felt nauseous. Her mother had insisted that she hadn’t used her influence to change Charter rules regarding eligibility for the Bioloxys lottery. If it wasn’t her mother who had changed her eligibility, then it must mean it was a mistake, which meant that this was some cruel twist of fate, a sick cosmic joke.

“I suppose this must be a lot to take in?” Claus’s voice pulled her from her soul crushing thoughts.

Gabriela hadn’t heard what the man was droning on and on about. She smiled again, attempting to hide her anguish. “Yes. It’s all very exciting. My head is just spinning with the excitement.” She finished with a slight giggle.

“Well.” Clause clasped his hands behind his back. “We shouldn’t keep you waiting. If you will follow me, I’ll show you to our show room.”

Gabriela followed Clause up the stairway and down a hallway. Her stomach turned with each step, twisting itself in to tighter knots.

“Is this building only two stories?” Gabriela asked, hoping the idle chit chat would keep her mind busy.

“Oh, no. This is only the top two floors.” Clause explained happily. “The lower floors are where the magic happens. But they are mostly filled with offices. Nothing very exciting.”

“Will I get to see an Ersatz Wombs?”

“We normally don’t allow unauthorized personnel down in the labs, but I think we could make an exception today.” Clause opened a door and ushered her in.

The show room looked more like a conference room than a show room. A large table with chairs. One wall was made entirely of window screens, broadcasting the current image from outside in crystal clarity.

“I am going to have you watch a mandatory video before the lab technicians come to get you. Can I get you anything to drink or eat?”

“No, thank you.”

Gabriela took a seat at the table. The moment she did, a large widescreen came to life. A charming woman smiled and greeted her by name.

“Hello Gabriela, I am so please that you could be here today. My name is Pearl.”

Gabriela looked over at clause in confusion. “It’s a basic AI governed by Bioloxys’s mainframe.”

“You mean the Mother AI?” Gabriela looked back at the smiling woman on the screen. She had never interfaced with an AI before. “Is she Mother?”

“No.” Clause said with a small chuckle. “She’s more like an interactive recording of Mother. She will explain the process of Ersatz Womb fertilization, as well as your options for upgrade.”

“Well.” Clause clasped his hands together. “I will speak with you in a few hours?”

Gabriela settled into her seat. “Yes. And you will see about that tour?”

“Until then.” Clause made a small bow before he left the room. The heavy door clicking closed behind him.

“Pearl.” Gabriela called out. Her back to the screen.

“Yes, Gabriela?” The AI answered.

“Are recipients of abortion eligible for the Bioloxys lotto?”

“Recipients of abortions are uneligible for any Bioloxys services. The lack of self-control and planning is an unfavorable trait for future populations.”

“Do you have access to Taurus database?” Gabriela twirled her seat around.

“I’m sorry. I don’t.” The AI image kept on smiling. “I would like to play you a short video entitled ‘You, your baby, and your options.’ If that is okay with you?”

“Fine.” Gabriela scoffed as she pulled out her palm terminal. The idea of a designer baby seemed more than an ostentatious gesture to Gabriela; it seemed wrong. Something about it rubbed her the wrong way, despite that she, herself, was a designed human being.

She only half listened to the video that Pearl narrated over, as it when on to talk about the miracle of genetic engineering, and that with it almost all birth defects had been eliminated. Only if you ignore most of the population, Gabriel thought bitterly as she logged on to the Taurus database.

She entered her personal ID as well as offering a retinal scan, before she searched her name and civic number. A lengthy file was selected. All of her life history, relegated to a digital format. Gabriel shortened the length of a file by entering one date: May 17th 2078. It was a day she would never forget. It was the day her daughter was born, and died.

The date was blank. Nothing was recorded. Gabriela double check that she had put the right date in, and then doubled checked she had entered the correct civic number. The date was blank. Even records of her pregnancy were omitted from her file.

Gabriela silently mouthed the words “What the fuck.”, when her terminal flashed an error message “Network lost.” Blinked across her terminal screen.

A sharp wrapping noise at the door caused her to jump. She quickly logged out of the database and called out for whom ever was behind the door to come in.

The receptionist from downstairs peaked her head in the room. “I’m sorry, Miss Fohren, but there is a delivery drone here for you. Is it okay if I let it in?”

Gabriela’s eyebrows knitted together as she frowned in confusion. “Of course.” She waved her hand, motioning for the woman to open the door all the way.

A drone whizzed past the receptionist and hovered in place in front of Gabriela. “Can I get you anything before I go?” The receptionist asked.

“No, I’m fine.” Gabriela said absently as she allowed the humming drone to scan her face before it deposited a sealed package into her hands. It buzzed away happily, eager to find its next delivery.

The receptionist closed the door behind her and Gabriela was once again alone with the Pearl, who contended her lecture as the screen showed happy images of oceans and forest, snow capped mountains, and smiling, healthy children.

Gabriela flipped the package over and examined it. It was a standard plastic shipping box, with the delivery company logo plastered across its dull white sides, as well as a small vid screen that flashed an ad for whatever the sponsored product was that week. She opened the box by pushing up the latch on the plastic lid, and it sprang open.

Slowly Gabriela empty the contents on the table. There was an ear piece and a translucent mask.

“Put on the mask, Gabriel.” Pearl instructed.

Gabriela look up, searching the smiling AI’s face for some hint to the purpose of the mask.

“There isn’t much time.” The AI said. Its voice sounded strained, and its smile looked more like a grimace.

“What it is?”

“Put on the mask, and then the ear piece. I can explain everything after that.” Pearl said. Her image flutters and twitched. “I can not control this AI for long. You need to hurry. There isn’t much time.”

The window screens all changed, the serenity of the upper city scape was replaced by a security recording of the Bioloxys lobby. Armed men filled through the main doors. Caring two large boxes which required two men to lift.

The men were all armed and armored in tactical gear. The logo for Cy-Tech clearly visible on their body armor.

“What is Cy-Tech doing here?” Gabriela stood slowly.

“They are here for you, Gabriela. Put on the mask. This is your last chance.”