[Year 20 | 2272-73]
“I’m sorry, Artur.”
Artur groggily opened his eyes and saw his dad for the first time in almost fifteen years. His dad was older, more frazzled, covered in scars, missing an eye which had been replaced by a glowing red orb, and walked with a limp. Artur could barely speak, but despite the state of his dad, he still managed to smile warmly. As he looked around, it appeared that he was strapped to a bed in an operating theatre. His dad was wearing surgical gear.
“When I was a kid,” Dad explained to his son, “I was enrolled in the Extension Program for Talented Students, though it was just the ‘Student Extension Program’ back in my day. Like they did to you, they had me sign a binding contract at eleven, signing my life away to them.”
“Dad…” Artur finally mustered, “Not now. They’ll hear you.”
“They won’t. One benefit of surgeries is they all come with dampener fields. It’s an unadvertised safety measure, in case an enhancement is accidentally triggered,” his dad explained. “Anyway, as I grew up, I saw how corrupt YutopiCorp is, and found a way to leak some information. I blackmailed my way to freedom, met your mum, and that was that.
“Or so I thought. I was free, but YutopiCorp was waiting to lock me in a re-education camp. They had scheduled my execution, but I cut another deal with them. I return to work, and you and your mother get to live. Did you know that she was looking into YutopiCorp?”
Artur nodded slowly. “Yeah, I learned about it before they removed me from her. Haven’t been able to reach her.”
“I got a message out to her last year. She knows we’re here, and when we can find a way to bring her along, we will.”
Dr. Simril picked up a syringe and gently slid it into Artur’s neck.
As Artur faded from consciousness, he heard his father’s words. “We’re here together, Artur; I’m just sorry it’s not under the circumstances either of us had fought for.”
wastanley.com 