first line Prompt #456 - First Line

[comicfan]

“How did I forget his birthday again?”

[JohnAR]

The weekly contribution from the Metaverse - with a cheeky entry. https://www.gayauthors.org/story/johnar/metaprompts/41

[JamesSavik]

More from Cadet Cruise

 

______________________

 

 

“How did I forget his birthday again?”

 

Allister said, "Jerry, it's your birthday too you know."

 

Jerry sighed and rolled over facing the fire. "Our birthday is a lot more complicated than you think."

 

Troy said, "That's right, you guys are some of the Genies that were freed during the Corporate War."

 

Agli muttered heatedly, "Don't be racist Troy!"

 

Jerry laughed and said, "It's OK. He doesn't mean anything by it. Genie is just what some people call us. Only the ones that call us something other than human are racists."

 

Troy said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just don't really understand what happened."

 

Jerry said, "Back in the early days of the Alliance, the Corporations were big, rich and influential. After several decades of political wrangling, they were granted development rights for a whole sector. They could operate there un-taxed and unregulated as long as they agreed to abide by the Alliance Constitution."

 

Riley said, "Wow, how did they ever manage that?"

 

Doug said, "Incredible wealth and a legion of lobbyists. Eventually they even had their natural enemy the Green party voting for the concession."

 

Troy said, "The Greens? They hate the Corporations. How did that ever happen?"

 

Jerry said, "It was pragmatism. They figured that if they granted the Corporations a sector to exploit, it would keep all their filthy, polluting industry all in one place. It worked for a while- until the Nordia incident."

 

Troy said, "The Nordia incident? I've heard of it but I don't know what it was about."

 

"Somebody hasn't had Alliance Civics yet", Riley quipped.

 

Jerry said, "The Corporations were always trying to make bigger and bigger profit. They tried robotics but that only took them so far. In secret they began to genetically engineer their own workers."

 

A light went off and Troy said, "The Genome Protection Act."

 

"Exactly. They broke one of the Alliances biggest taboos- genetically engineering human beings. A freighter carrying thousands of workers bound for a high gravity world had a fire and was forced to stop at Nordia Station where they were busted in the worst way. A Galactic News Network crew was right there on the spot. People throughout the whole Alliance were horrified at the pictures of hundreds of charred bodies on what amounted to a slave ship. That's what triggered the Corporate War."

 

Troy sat up and looked just like a little kid listening to a particularly gruesome ghost story in the fire light. He asked, "You and Gary were supposed to be workers?"

 

Jerry said, "No. We were supposed to be their soldiers. They tried to created super soldiers because their ultimate goal was to conquer the Alliance and run the whole show. It was a technical challenge that they never quite got right. They could create fully gown soldiers and stuff their heads full of knowledge but it didn't work. They were psychologically unstable. There was just no way that they could grow a human without going through developmental stages and socialization. Then they tried what they called the Gemini Project."

 

Gary walked up out of the darkness and sat down beside Jerry. He said, "I guess your telling our own personal horror story by the fire."

 

Jerry asked, "Too much info?"

 

Gary shook his head. "They should know. They know us and they like us so why not?"

 

Jerry nodded at Gary and he said, "The Gemini Project objective was to create super soldiers that were balanced and not bat shit crazy. They made us all as twins. We served as each others family, brother and we looked after each other. They made hundreds of us a year and started educating and training us as early as we can remember."

 

Troy said, "That's why you don't know your birthday?"

 

Gary nodded and said, "Yes, but that's not the end of the story. Many of the Corporation people didn't think we were any good. It seems that they weren't really after soldiers that could think for themselves. They wanted to destroy us all but the scientists fought them over it."

 

Jerry said, "They were losing the war and they were going to rig the fusion reactor to blow but one of the scientists shot all of the Managers and security people before they could. Of course we didn't know what was happening. We were going about our lessons and drills and then a voice came over the public address system that said there had been a change in management."

 

Gary took over the story, "An Alliance Marine Sergeant came into our training area and told us that we were free. Over the next few weeks we stayed with the Marines. They taught us how to laugh, play and, be real kids. It was the best time we ever had."

 

Jerry said, "It took a while longer but we were adopted by that Sergeant. He took us home and gave us our Mom, big brother Karl, little sister Kara and a golden retriever named Beau. That's why our birthday doesn't really matter. That was the day we became real. That is the day we celebrate."