A hundred and fifty years before the Sentray attack on Sapey, Sapey was a thriving country and continent. The population was larger and wealthier than ever before. The Linap had managed to maintain control of Sapey with no resistance. They did so using the system they believed they had perfected.
Cromley was a newly elected governor. Despite just a couple of years as a representative, he had climbed in popularity among the Sapien residents of his region, and he had earned the respect of the other representatives. However, much of his success was because of the positive coverage he had received in the media. Charlene, a top journalist for Wolf News, had carefully coached him so that he was always prepared for any questions asked, and she made sure he always came across as competent and confident.
The House of Divine Knowledge and the Business Sector were engaged in a close battle to control the Government and parliament. Cromley, who was affiliated with the Business Sector, seemed like the difference maker for them. His win in the recent elections gave them an edge over the House of Divine Knowledge.
Cromley had recently moved into a new apartment in the Inner Residential Zone of the Capital Region. To celebrate Cromley’s win and his new apartment. Charlene invited herself over to cook Cromley a lovely meal.
Cromley was seated at his dining table. Charlene entered the room carrying two plates of food. She placed one in front of Cromley and the other on the opposite side of the table to him. She then sat down opposite him.
‘Oh wow, this smells so good!’ said Cromley, rubbing his hands together. ‘Your talents are near endless.’
‘Journalism is definitely my true first calling,’ replied Charlene. ‘Though, there are days I yearn to run my own restaurant or bakery.’
‘You’re too smart for that,’ mumbled Cromley as he shoved more food into his mouth. ‘These sorts of things are best left to minions.’
‘Food is our lifeline,’ said Charlene as she smiled at Cromley. ‘I can’t think of a nobler task than preparing great meals.’
‘I can!’ blurted out Cromley as he shoved the last piece of meat from his plate into his mouth. ‘I call it ruling the world.’
‘Of course,’ replied Charlene as she leaned forward. ‘You as governor, and with me, promoting you every step of the way. You’re destined for greatness.’
‘The House of Divine Knowledge has held us back for years,’ said Cromley as he pushed his plate aside. ‘It’s time to begin the investment revolution.’
‘Indeed it is,’ said Charlene as she continued to smile. ‘First, I want to truly see you.’
‘Ah yes, we know each other so well, but we only ever enjoy each other’s company in Sapien form,’ said Cromley as he held his hands out. ‘I’m dying to know if you’re as beautiful in your Linap form.’
‘I’m a little shy in this regard,’ said Charlene as she looked down at her plate. ‘I would feel far more comfortable if you went first.’
‘No problem,’ replied Cromley. ‘I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.’
Cromley shapeshifted into his natural Linap form. His broad, muscular Sapien stature changed to that of a feeble-looking Linap. His hair considerably thinned as his skin turned from bright green to pale brown.
Charlene got up from her chair and walked around the table to take a closer look at Cromley, who was now standing up.
‘Not quite what I was expecting, but definitely not too bad,’ she remarked as she studied him carefully.
‘Okay, okay, sure,’ said Cromley, sounding slightly offended. ‘It’s your turn now.’
‘Yes, I suppose it is,’ said Charlene as a broad smile came over her face.
Charlene shapeshifted from a six-foot-tall, slender Sapien to an eight-foot-tall, large, scaled Linap-like creature.
‘Oh shit!’ shouted Crowley. ‘What kind of sick freak are you!’
‘There’s no need to react that way,’ said Charlene as she shook her head. ‘I’m honestly showing you my true form.’
‘Get the hell out of my apartment or I’m calling my security!’ shouted Cromley as he started to back away from Charlene.
Charlene shrugged her shoulders and then grabbed the steak knife that was on Cromley’s plate.
‘Threatening a governor!’ shouted Cromley. ‘You’re truly done for now.’
Charlene forcefully plunged the knife into Cromley’s neck. Cromley gasped in pain. Charlene continued to stab him until there was no sign of life.
‘This was not the plan,’ said a tall Linap who entered the dining room from the bedroom. ‘You were supposed to poison him with the dessert.’
The tall Linap was August Rezif. He had genetically modified himself with Sentray DNA. He was now close to immortal and had almost an indefinite lifespan. Charlene, who was actually Maskmeera Wolf, had undergone a similar procedure. The two of them had spent the past few centuries replacing prominent figures. August had spent almost his entire time running the Economic Institute playing the role of various heads. Maskameera had played several different roles. Many as a governor, but she was most drawn to the media. Her natural charisma meant she was able to remain a credible celebrity.
August had fancied a change and wanted to be a governor. Maskameera selected Cromley for him. Cromley was not married and had no children. Since moving to the Capital Region, he had limited contact with his extended family. Maskameera had gone to some effort to keep him distant from them. As a new governor, he was not particularly well known by the other governors. She saw Cromley as the perfect blank canvas for August to mould into any character he wanted.
‘I couldn’t wait to kill him,’ said Charlene as she looked up at August. ‘He was so arrogant and rude.’
‘Well you have made a mess in my new apartment,’ said August. ‘The stains and the smell are going to be hard to get rid of.’
Charlene took a huge bite from Cromley’s arm. ‘Yuck, he tastes as bad as he looks,’ said Charlene as a small piece of meat from his arm dropped from her mouth.
August shapeshifted into Cromley’s Sapien form. ‘What do you think, Maskameera?’ asked August as he spun around. ‘Have I captured his likeness?’
‘First off, I’m now Charlene, and you’re Cromley,’ said Charlene in a stern tone. ‘And yes, you have 100% nailed his Sapien Look. Now do his Linap look.’
‘I was thinking of changing that up a bit,’ remarked August as he looked down at what was left of Cromley’s corpse.
‘No, absolutely not!’ said Charlene firmly as she took another bite out of Cromley’s arm. ‘You know the importance of authenticity.’
Two years past, August had easily transitioned into Cromley. Charlene continued to promote him, and his popularity continued to soar. He was now the most influential governor in Government. It seemed he could convince the other governors to support everything he suggested. Much of what he suggested was inspired by Charlene. In many ways, she was more powerful than Cromley.
The Linap might have had control over Sapey and the Sapiens, but they continued to struggle with serious health problems. The advances in medication enabled most Linap to live a reasonably good quality of life. However, they were highly dependent on these medications, which were treatments and not cures. The Linap had incredibly low fertility. Their population growth was close to zero.
Meanwhile, the populations of Sapiens were growing fast; they far outnumbered the Linap. They were strong and healthy. New regions needed to be built every few decades to house them. The most recent regions were being built in the Central Agriculture Zone. The Government wanted the Sapiens to become more involved in agricultural production and distribution as food shortages would soon be inevitable. Two new regions had just been completed. The new Inner Sapien Loop line, which was to connect these new agricultural regions, was almost complete. Sapiens would not be moved into these regions until the regions were fully connected to the network.
Despite the general good health of Sapiens, there were a few Sapiens that were different. They seemed somewhat disabled. Their physical and intellectual development was stunted compared to the average Sapien. The Linap were a little concerned as these Sapiens appeared less valuable to them. They were generally less productive and required additional care, which reduced the productivity of their family members.
Claire, a scientist working at the Capital Medical Centre, had made a breakthrough in discovering the cause of their disability. To gain more exposure, she contacted Wolf News. Charlene made her way over to the medical centre to discuss this breakthrough with Claire.
Charlene entered a consultation room at the medical centre. Claire was standing next to a patient who was sitting on an examination bed.
‘I hope I’m not interrupting,’ said Charlene as she looked at the patient.
‘No, not at all,’ replied Claire. ‘I want you to meet Jonah. He’s quite special.’
‘Well, that’s fairly obvious,’ said Charlene as she rolled her eyes. ‘You don’t need a medical degree to see he’s special.’
‘That’s because he has certain traits that make him stand out,’ said Claire as she rubbed Jonah’s shoulder. ‘He has a flatter face and head. His eyes slant slightly upwards. His hair is very straight and slightly thinning. His mouth is small, and his tongue tends to protrude a little. He is a little short in stature and has sloping shoulders.’
‘Yes, yes, I’m still waiting for this great scoop,’ answered Charlene impatiently.
‘I’m getting two scoops of chocolate ice cream because I’m really special,’ interrupted Jonah, emphatically raising his eyebrows up and down.
‘Unique body language is another trait,’ said Claire excitedly as she turned to look at Jonah. ‘I have documented all of this with not just Jonah but several dozen others who exhibit the same traits.’
‘She took lots of snaps of me. I’m going to be famous like you,’ added Jonah excitedly as he pointed at Charlene.
‘Please tell me there is more to this?’ said Charlene, sounding a little annoyed.
‘It’s in their genes,’ said Claire in a more serious tone. ‘Our special friends have the same genetic condition. An additional chromosome on the twenty-first pair.’
‘Now that sounds a little more scoop-worthy,’ said Charlene as she began to smile.
‘This abnormality can be detected with a simple blood test,’ said Claire. ‘To top it off, this blood test is extremely accurate.’
‘You have me convinced. I’m booking you and Jonah for my Saturday night show,’ said Charlene energetically. ‘I think this might be the most significant scientific breakthrough of this decade.’
‘Oh, thank you so much,’ said Claire. ‘I really feel this is just a first step.’
‘The first step is the most important,’ said Charlene as she turned to leave the consultation room. ‘My personal assistant will be in contact about the show.’
After Charlene left the room, Jonah turned to Claire and said, ‘That went so well; I think I deserve a banana split special.’
‘Absolutely, little brother,’ said Claire as she kissed Jonah on the head. ‘We’re going to show the world what special little guys like you can do.’
That night, Charlene was at Cromley’s apartment. She had prepared a delicious three-course meal.
‘I must say,’ said Cromley as he rubbed his stomach after eating the last mouthful of dessert. ‘You have outdone yourself with this meal.’
‘That’s because I had a very good day,’ said Charlene. ‘I’m happy, and I have transferred my happiness into the preparation of this meal.’
‘Well, that’s wonderful,’ said Cromley as he was about to get up.
‘That was your cue to ask me why I’m so happy,’ said Charlene in an angry tone as she grabbed Cromley’s arm and yanked him back down into his chair.
‘Fine, why are you so happy?’ asked Cromley as he stared intently at Charlene.
‘A budding young scientist has discovered the genetic cause for that disability in some of the Sapiens,’ replied Charlene as she gently released her grip on Cromley’s arm. ‘We can identify them with a simple blood test.’
‘We don’t need a blood test to identify them,’ chuckled Cromley. ‘I could spot one a mile away.’
‘My main point is that it’s in the genes,’ said Charlene as she pressed down on the table. ‘They’re like that from birth.’
‘In the genes, you say,’ chuckled Cromley. ‘That’s not good news. It means they cannot be cured.’
Charlene stared angrily into Cromley’s eyes.
‘I see that hatred in your eyes,’ said Cromley, smiling slightly. ‘As I’ve mentioned to you numerous times before, we cannot kill them or turn them into slaves. Even a governor cannot change divine law. However, it might be possible to relocate them if their presence irks you so much. We have two new regions ready to go.’
‘Tell me, wise governor, when do divine laws apply to Linap and Sapiens?’ asked Charlene as her voice softened.
‘They apply to both Linap and Sapien from the day they are born to the day they die,’ replied Cromley in a stern tone. ‘It’s written very clearly in the scripture. And you are perfectly aware of this.’
Charlene began to laugh.
Cromley was about to get up from his seat, but Charlene grabbed him again.
‘As you would know,’ said Charlene as she smiled at Cromely. ‘We can do blood tests on a baby prior to birth. We can identify this disability prior to birth.’
Cromley looked at Charlene and frowned.
‘We can terminate these babies prior to birth,’ added Charlene as she stood up and looked down at Cromley. ‘Divine law does not offer these babies any protection.’
‘Why do you hate these disabled Sapiens so much?’ asked Cromley as he looked up at Charlene.
‘I don’t hate them any more than I hate any of these other inferior beings,’ chuckled Charlene. ‘If we start terminating these babies, technically they never existed. We can do as we please with their bodies. I’d be able to create the most splendid gourmet meals.’
‘Are you done?’ asked Cromley in a flat tone.
‘No, I’m not,’ said Charlene. ‘After, I’ve interviewed the scientist and her freak. I want you to start a debate in parliament about legalising the prenatal termination of babies with this unpleasant genetic infliction.’
Cromley stared and frowned at Charlene.
It was Saturday night, and Claire and Jonah had arrived; they were backstage waiting to go on Charlene’s show.
An assistant approached Claire and Jonah. She was carrying two drinks. She handed a mug of coffee to Claire and a large colourful cup containing a mixture of fruit juices to Jonah.
‘I really liked this cup,’ said Jonah as he took a huge swig from it. ‘Do you think they’ll let me keep it?’
‘I can’t see why not,’ said Claire as she rubbed Jonah’s head. ‘I’ll ask after the show.’
‘That’s so cool,’ chuckled Jonah.
The show’s music began to play. Charlene strolled out onto the stage.
‘Tonight, we have a very important guest,’ said Charlene into the camera as the music faded out. ‘She is a young scientist who has made an incredible discovery that could change Sapey forever. Let me introduce Claire, the scientist who discovered Trisomy-21.’
The music began to play again as Charlene made her way to her chair and Claire and Jonah walked on stage. They both sat down on a sofa placed diagonally from where Charlene was sitting.
‘Looks like you brought a friend,’ said Charlene as the music faded again.
‘This is Jonah; he’s more than a friend,’ said Claire, smiling. ‘He deserves as much credit for my breakthrough as I do.’
‘Look at me, I’m famous!’ called out Jonah as he pumped his arms up and down in joy.
‘Yes, you are,’ said Charlene to Jonah. She then turned to Claire and said, ‘Please, tell us about your work and what it could mean for him and, well…, all of us.’
Claire went on to explain her studies and how she found a genetic connection between Jonah and others like him. Meanwhile, as she talked and addressed Charlene’s questions, Jonah became more and more anxious and agitated.
Suddenly, Jonah leapt to his feet and began running around on stage as he flapped his arms.
‘Is this another one of those traits?’ asked Charlene as she slightly chuckled.
‘Oh no, he’s never done this before,’ replied Claire as a deep look of concern came over her face.
Two security guards grabbed Jonah and carefully took him back to the sofa.
‘I understand; this is a big moment,’ said Charlene to Jonah, who was now twitching. Charlene turned to her assistant, who was standing just off stage, and said, ‘Give him his drink. That’ll calm him down.’
The assistant rushed on stage with Jonah’s cup. She handed it to Jonah, who immediately began drinking.
Charlene turned to Claire and asked, ‘This blood test you mention, can it be accurately administered to an unborn?’
‘Oh yes, that’s no problem,’ replied Claire. ‘Knowing beforehand that you’re going to have a special child could help you prepare for him or her. However, I might caution…’
Jonah interrupted Claire by throwing what was left of his drink over Charlene. Charlene screamed and jumped to her feet as Jonah clapped.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ responded Claire. ‘He’s never done anything like this…’
‘Get him out of here now,’ shouted Charlene at her security team.
Jonah got back up and began running around as the security team tried to tackle him. Charlene’s assistant escorted Claire, who was calling out to Jonah to stop, off the stage.
Charlene walked to the front of the stage as the chaos behind her continued.
‘You see this!’ she said in an angry tone. ‘A fully grown adult running around like a maniac. He needs constant supervision. Even then, this happens. Nobody should be forced to waste their lives raising one of these!’
Jonah ripped through the back of the set with a stage light he had pulled down. Two security guards leapt on top of him as they finally successfully subdued him.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll have another expert on my show,’ Charlene continued. ‘He’ll tell you about a very useful procedure that can fix this problem.’ Charlene gestured towards Jonah, who was now being carried away by four security guards.
After being forcefully escorted from the studio, Jonah was taken to the medical centre. He suffered several bad bruises from being tackled several times by the security guards. Claire wanted to ensure he had no serious injuries.
The next day, Jonah was sat up in a hospital bed watching television. Claire entered his room to check in on him.
‘I’m so famous!’ blurted out Jonah. ‘I’m on every channel.’
‘You’re fine,’ said Claire in a flat tone. ‘You can go home now.’
‘I’d like a box of puffy pastries for breakfast,’ said Jonah in a jovial tone. ‘You know, just like the movie stars.’
‘I’ll see to it,’ sighed Claire as she left the room.
Later that day at the Wolf News studio, Charlene had invited Lucas Carvaress to explain a new medical procedure. She had also invited Governor Cromley and Governor Joshua to discuss this procedure and if they supported it.
‘So, tell me about this new procedure,’ probed Charlene as she leaned forward in her seat.
‘It is what I like to call a family planning intervention,’ said Lucas. ‘It enables us to stop the creation of an unneeded life. It gives the family more control over its expansion.’
‘So this procedure does not involve the taking of a life?’ asked Charlene as she leaned further forward.
‘Of course not, that would be barbaric,’ replied Lucas firmly.
‘How safe is this procedure?’ asked Charlene in a stern tone.
‘There is no risk to the pregnant Sapien,’ replied Lucas. ‘She’ll barely feel any pain at all.’
‘Well, that’s fantastic news,’ said Charlene as she smiled at the camera. ‘Will this procedure still be possible once the unborn has reached a point of maturity that a blood test for Trisomy-21 is possible?’
‘Well, of course,’ replied Lucas as he turned towards the camera. ‘This procedure can be safely and