The S-Gene (Book 1: Amelia) - COMPLETE

Mother fucking headache.

Did a fucking truck run her over?

Amelia grabbed her head with both hands, squeezing as she kept her eyes shut. The pounding. Holy moly. This was death for sure. She let her right hand slide to her forehead and then she dragged it down her face and kept going until her hand dropped to her lap.

Wait a damn minute…

She snapped her head up and glanced around, observing her surroundings. She was laying on a black leather couch and it appeared that she was in some sort of office. There was a large wooden desk, a laptop, a comfy chair…

The last thing she remembered was Ezekiel being way too close for comfort and then, she was drawing a blank.

“Good morning Miss Parks.”

Amelia watched as a man entered, his face becoming slowly visible… a face she had seen before… “Dr. Harper?”

He broke into a smile. “I wasn’t sure if you would remember me.”

The creepy doctor who took her blood and was the start of this entire spiral of insanity? She remembered. “What is going on? Why am I here?”

“All excellent questions, I assure you.”

“I wanna go home.”

She didn’t want to talk to him, she didn’t want to spend another minute here. Whatever the fuck was going on, she didn’t want any part of it. She wanted to return to her shitty life and make that work. Somehow. She’d even pay a fine if she had to but this was wrong.

Dr. Harper walked around the desk, his fingers grazing the desk before he plopped down into the chair. He rested his elbows on the desk and then smacked his hands together as if he were about to pray.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible Miss Parks.”

Twitch. “What do you mean, won’t be possible?” she quoted.

He tapped his joint hands against his lips, a smile hidden behind. “Ah, Miss Parks. This isn’t how we usually do this. We much prefer easing our candidates into it. We construct organic situations for you to meet everyone, you spend a few days happy, and then, we can explain it to you.”

Her stomach was twisted into knots, goosebumps covering her arms. Tears stung her eyes, but they weren’t from sadness or fear. It was rage. “Explain what?” This was about the file? The match? “Why Ezekiel’s photo was in my file? What the fuck is a match?”

“Yes. We were quite displeased to see you snoop around.”

Did they see her? Of course. Cameras. The house had cameras. Why didn’t she think of that?

“Really? You were ‘displeased’?” She scoffed. “And I was displeased that there is something seriously wrong with all of you.”

Pissing off these people she didn’t know anything about? While having no fucking clue where she was? Not her best move. Yet, so far she had complied and smiled and gone along with every fucking step of their process and it hadn’t gotten her anywhere.

So fuck it.

If they were going to act like dickheads, she would too.

Maybe that would finally get her some answers.

Yet, Dr. Harper’s smile was unwavering. He extended his hand, gesturing to the chair across from him. “Please sit and allow me to explain.”

She glanced left, then right, half-expecting someone else to pop out of the shadows, but no one did. Amelia ran her tongue across the back of her teeth, before flicking it. There was no way in hell that door was unlocked. Plus, she did ask to understand what was happening.

Amelia kept her eyes on him as she stepped forward, never glancing away, even as she pulled up the chair. She sat down and then crossed her legs, followed by her arms. “Go ahead,” she challenged.

“I’m afraid Miss Parks, that we are not quite in the business of treating anxiety.” He cleared his throat. “Now, are you familiar with supernatural creatures?”

She blinked once. Then twice.

Maybe she needed to clear her eyes. Supernatural creatures?“I’m sorry I don’t understand what this has to do with anything.”

“Are you familiar with supernatural creatures?”

“You mean, werewolves… vampires… Tinkerbell?” Alright. This wasn’t a testing facility, this was a goddamn looney-bin.

He smiled. “Amongst others. Yes. You see, we may have interfered with them too much, and now, it is quite difficult for them to breed amongst each other. Nearly impossible if I’m to be truly honest.”

Amelia pinched the skin of her forehead with her index and thumb, trying to process the information. He was talking about mythical creatures… like they were fucking real? “I-I’m sorry.” She laughed. “Are- we - are you trying to say they exist?”

“They are very real, Miss Parks.”

Was he crazy? Was she crazy? Maybe she was still knocked out, dreaming this entire thing.

“And you see, what we do here at Genecorp, is we locate carriers of the supernatural gene, or s-gene as we refer to it. Humans who possess such a gene can reproduce with a multitude of supernatural creatures, allowing them to avoid extinction.”

She slapped her hands on her face, covering her eyes. She took a deep breath, puffing her chest with air before exhaling against her wrists. She slapped her hands down on her thighs, another peal of laughter escaping her.

“I’m sorry. You,” She paused to chuckle. “You want me to believe that… not only are these creatures real but you also want me to believe that you are some sort of fucked up breeding center for these mythical creatures?”

Could she have hit her head when she passed out? Maybe someone took a baseball bat to the back of her head. She was delirious. Or - maybe the medicine they gave her had some sort of fucked up side effect.

Amelia pulled at the sleeve of her shirt, hoping to create a breeze. Was it her or was it awfully hot in here? There was a rolling in her stomach, but it wasn’t light butterflies. It was a sinking feeling. Each breath she drew made her chest tighten. Was she having a heart attack?

“Yes. This conversation is much easier after a few days and a few more doses of Valium…”

“A few doses of what?”

“They do in fact treat anxiety. It also allows us to explain this to you in a calmer environment.”

Valium… was that what they had given her yesterday? Was this why she had felt so light, so carefree? They had fucking drugged her, hoping she would become obedient?

“So you kidnap us and you drug us… and all this so you can…” She swallowed. “Breed us with some made-up creatures?”

“Kidnapping and drugging are such strong words. You signed to be part of this trial and you agreed to take medicine. We did not take you from your bed in the middle of the night, Miss Parks.”

“Under false pretense," she hissed out, jumping to her feet. “If I had known this was all a made-up lie by a group of lunatics… I wouldn’t have agreed to do this.”

“Perhaps it would be easier for you to understand if you saw it for yourself.” He pressed the red button on his phone. “Jessica. Could you bring in one of your clients please?”

“Right away, sir.”

“I would have used someone you are more familiar with, but unfortunately Ezekiel is rather indisposed at the moment.”

Ezekiel. The one who brought her here, the one who ruined her poorly planned attempt at escaping this hellhole. “And what is he supposed to be?”

“I thought you would have put it together yourself by now. He is rather a pale, night owl, wouldn’t you say?”

She froze; was he trying to say he was a vampire? No, vampires… there was nothing… Wait. What was it he had said to her? He didn’t go where he wasn’t invited? A chill traveled through her body but she shook her head. It was simply something he said, it didn’t hold a secret meaning.

Before she could issue a rebuttal, the door creaked open. A tall, redhead walked in, wearing a gray pencil skirt and a white blouse. Close behind her was an even taller man, long brown hair wrapped in a ponytail but most importantly… shirtless. All he had to cover his body was a pair of jeans.

Granted the sight was nice. He obviously knew his way around a gym. But it wasn’t like she was in an ogling mood. She was alternating between an urge to run away and an urge to stab someone.

“Charles, if you please. Miss Parks would require a tangible proof.”

The man nodded at Dr. Harper while Amelia frowned. What exactly was he going to do?

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Charles crouched down to the ground, landing on his hands and feet, and stared straight at her in a captivating way. What came next was even more captivating.

Amelia watched, breathless, as he began to shift in front of her.

The nose became a snout, hands and feet turned into paws and a tail grew. One blink and she was no longer staring at a man. Instead, she found herself looking at a large beast of a wolf. He had long coarse brown furs and the eyes that had seemed so human were nothing more than beastly as they locked on her frame.

Her posture stiffened as her brain scrambled to understand what she was seeing. It wasn’t processing. She shuffled back a couple of steps, finding no safety in the increased distance between them. A flush of adrenaline tingled through her body and her mouth slacked open.

“I don’t - I don’t understand.”

Pain spread from her chest to her lungs and then her throat. She was breathing fast, too fast to even catch her breath. She pressed her back to the nearby wall as if that would protect her from the vicious beast in front of her. As if there were any escape possible.

The sound of her heart beating was thrashing in her ears while she began seeing black spots in her vision. How could it be real?

A werewolf. He was a werewolf… Was… was Ezekiel really a vampire? There were myths, Legends… Tales to keep children in line. Stories to be told around a campfire. They were not reality. They couldn’t be.

“Thank you, Charles. I believe this will be sufficient to convince her.”

The beast walked away, still in a wolf form, and exited the room. It should have helped her terror, it should have calmed her racing heartbeat but it didn’t.

Dr. Harper clapped his hands together. “Jessica, please have security escort Miss Parks to one of our rooms. Provide her with a meal.”

“Wait-“

“I believe you require some time to think Miss Parks. You will rest and we will resume our conversation at a later time.”

Amelia didn’t have time to open her mouth or even think of an answer to formulate, that two large men dressed in black uniforms entered the room, each grabbing one of her arms before dragging her out of the room, her feet grazing the floor.

No, no.

“WAIT!”

She screamed and screamed, but her words fell on deaf ears. They didn’t care.

No one cared.

***

They were real.

As in real-real.

She considered the fact that she might be on another medication they hadn’t told her about but… she hadn’t eaten in a while… Maybe they had injected her? Still, nothing else around her was bizarre. No other kind of hallucination, no strange feelings.

Everything was normal.

Except the whole supernatural creatures are a thing part.

She saw it. She saw that man turn into a wolf in front of her own eyes. There was no arguing that, was there? How could it be? How could all these creatures live in her world and yet, they were nothing more than myths and legends? Someone would know… everyone would know…

And what the fuck was this gene thing? What had he called it? S-gene? Breeding? What in the fuck was that?

Knock! Knock!

Amelia would have liked to get up and get ready to charge at whoever was attempting to come inside the room, but she could not. Instead, she remained where she was, huddled in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees.

Her world felt like it had exploded into a million pieces.

How would she ever be able to get out of here?

The door creaked open, and from her angle, she could see Dr. Harper’s legs. “You should eat. We didn’t tamper with the food.”

Oh yes, because she would believe the bullshit that came out of his mouth.

“Are you ready to discuss this further, Miss Parks?”

Did she have another choice? They were not letting her leave and she had no clue what was going on or what they wanted from her exactly.

“Pretty sure you’ll do what you want, regardless of what I want,” she spat out before resting her chin on her forearms.

He closed the distance between them before crouching to the ground, becoming eye level with her. “As I was saying earlier Miss Parks, you are a carrier. Most carriers are optimal for one type-specific type, werewolves per example. The uterus and blood type make it more likely conception will happen. Once in a while, however, we do come across carriers such as yourself. You are compatible with pretty much any of our types of clients.”

Dr. Harper spoke with such a smile on his face. What? Did he want her to think this was good news? It didn’t sound like good news to her. Most of all… why her?

Amelia rose to her feet, her fists clenched by her side.

“You’ve made a mistake.”

They had her confused with someone else. That could explain it. If she were a carrier as he said, wouldn’t there be more in her family? Wouldn’t she have heard stories, weird disappearances… anything that might help make sense of this insanity?

He imitated her new position, standing tall in front of her. “We do not make mistakes my dear. We tested your blood multiple times. You’re a universal carrier of the s-gene.”

Again, he spoke like she should be understanding this and be grateful for it. None of this made sense to her. She didn’t want to be a carrier, she didn’t want to be an anything.

“And what does that mean? Does this have anything to do with that match percentile?”

“Somewhat. This percentile is how genetically compatible you are with the clients in our database.”

Clients. He meant monsters. He meant despicable… beings.

“Then what the hell is a universal carrier?”

“It makes you a less suitable match in terms of percentiles. Usually, our clients seek someone who has a ninety percent and above to ensure conception. Despite that, in your case, clients are willing to look past the percentage.”

He walked back to the end of the room and picked up a file from the small wooden table.

“You see, there are two possible outcomes, depending on the breed of the client. You could produce a child that is of the same nature as them. Or you could produce a carrier. In your case, the carrier would share your variation of the gene and also be a universal carrier. That would be profitable for our clients who would then forgo our services and match their child themselves - with anyone.”

The highest bidder.

He was saying that the child would be given to the highest bidder.

How was this not human trafficking?

“Selling people. You’re talking about selling people?” The anger forced her voice to crack as she spoke.

“What our clients do with their own children is their business. We however do not sell people.”

Insane. He was insane. “Are you…” Should she laugh? Should she cry? “What the hell do you call this?” she screamed, gesturing to the room around her. “I’m pretty fucking sure you’re keeping me here against my will.”

“We are only keeping you here because we needed you to listen. I do not believe you realize what an opportunity this is.”

“An opportunity? To be what? A baby machine to some freak?”

For the first time, she saw a crack in the happy facade he had displayed from the beginning. Always smiling, always pleased - acting as if all of this was a normal Monday morning. There was a twitch of his lips, a scrunch of the nose.

“You came to us in the hopes of earning money is that correct?”

“Yeah but-“

“We ran a background check on you, Miss Parks,” he interrupted. “We know you need money. We are not in the business of finding love, or matchmaking. If it occurs, it is a bonus. Carriers are free to choose whom they would like to reproduce with and how. Naturally, scientifically. Whichever suits the needs of both parties. You can dictate the terms of your contract. A number of children. A number of attempts. You can also choose what kind of compensation you may receive. Any amount. I have seen carriers get impossibly rich with these contracts.”

“And if I don’t want any contract or anything to do with any of you or them?”

Money in exchange for her body? For her uterus? It was insane. Alright, alright. People - normal fucking humans - did this. She knew that. Which was fine when both parties were volunteering for this. Except, she hadn’t signed up for this. She hadn’t asked for any of this.

“Then you may return home.”

“Easy then. I wanna go home.”

Did she not say it was what she wanted from the start? Hadn’t she asked to go home? He had said that it wasn’t possible. Why withhold that choice from her?

“Even if that is what you wish… I must warn you. If you decide to return home, it will bear consequences. You have been identified as a carrier. Clients are aware of your status. Within these walls, you are in charge and make the decisions since we are here to facilitate and promote these contracts. Nothing happens without our authorization. If you leave and a client happens upon you, I cannot guarantee that you will be compensated for your services.”

Amelia wrapped her arms around her belly, fighting the urge to bolt. She shook her head, her knees shaking, begging her to crumble to the floor. Her skin was clammy, her sweaty fingers barely holding on to the fabric of her shirt.

There was no returning home.

There was no being free of this.

This wasn’t freedom.

“I will let you think it over. Here is the file containing your matches. We had not included anyone who didn’t mean the seventy percent threshold. However, if none of them are to your liking, we could look into lower matches. We allow this only in cases of universal carriers.”

He put the file down on the bed and then turned around, walking away from her.

She sneered. He would let her think it over. As if she had choices. She had two options and even then, they were not options. She had to pick between horribly bad and tolerably bad.

Be kidnapped and bred against her will.

Or.

Reluctantly try to have a child with some supernatural stranger and be compensated for it.

Either way?

She was fucked.