The Deviance

Part 1 - Rainfall

There was rain falling, something Bastion greatly enjoyed, the sound of it on rooftops, the smell of it surrounding him, the mist enveloping the city. It was something that took him back to the simpler times in his life, his childhood. That was so many decades ago, but he held onto the memories fiercely, especially on days like today when he faced a rare problem at work that had him stumped.

He didn't have an umbrella, rather he enjoyed the feeling of the rain on his skin as he walked to his office. He lived in a time where people simply didn't get sick, it wasn't a thought or a worry for him, so why not enjoy the moment.

"Incoming message" registered on his ocular implant, "Accepted," he said, more of a matter of habit than need. His lover's image appeared holographically, only he could see it, superimposed on whatever his eyes caught. "Bas you left without saying goodbye." Nicholas said, feigning hurt, "What's the point in trying to wake the dead Nicholas? Especially with this singing you a lullaby?", Bastion replied gesturing to the sky. Nicholas flashed a mischievous grin, "I'm sure you could have found a way to wake the dead, you do when it's convenient to you.", no emotion crossed Bastions face, he stroked his goatee, "Today wasn't convenient, I'm working on a sample that will probably take me all evening at the clinic, was that why you called? To complain about a lack of affection or was something the matter?". Nicholas scowled, "Always business with you Bas, I called because I am being sent off-world tomorrow for a week, can you bring yourself away from your precious samples to me tonight? I'll have dinner ready, let's say 9 pm." Bastion nodded, "I'll see you tonight then." The call ended.

It wasn't that Bastion was intentionally cold, quite the contrary, he loved Nicholas deeply, however, given their positions, his scientific and Nicholas' political, he always had to be careful of how he showed it on the Net. You could never be sure who was watching. Citizens of the worlds today had gotten used to the lack of privacy eons ago, a small price to pay for seeming immortality.

Faced with near extinction due to rapid climate change on their homeworld, mankind focused their best and brightest at establishing peace between the nations and pushing science to its fullest potential. As a result, Mankind had long outgrown the Earth, rechristened it Terra and had expanded to the stars; colonizing planets, pushing their bodies to their full genetic and cybernetic potential. Society changed for the better, the average life span of a human lasted millennia instead of decades, with human bodies becoming stronger, faster, totally resistant to the illnesses of a Pre-Terra world. Men lived as immortals, much in the ways of their fabled gods of old. Technology factored into everyday life as a form of augmentation that allowed society to communicate over the planets.

Instead of wars, and economic gains, a society focused their people into genetic manipulators, and technological gurus, that was the currency and power dynamic of this new world. Of course, there were humans content with simply living, but the truly powerful had their hands in the massive Genetic clinics who were focused on the cellular improvement of humanity, or the technological gurus further advancing the Net and the augmentation capabilities of tech. Politics was still a function, however, they were also grounded in those two focal points.

Bastion was a part of the Genetic Society, The Mutare, their order was one dedicated to furthering the longevity of the race and pushing genetic manipulation to its fullest. He was exceptionally gifted, not just at his job, but at finessing the Net into a tool that allowed him to crack anomalies with impressive skill. He was a prodigy, and one of the prized assets of his genetic bank. He was also young, only 100 years old, a child by the standards of the Terrans, but one that was carded for greatness.

There was a lot of pressure in Bastion's world, from his job to his relationship with Nicholas, who was a prominent Journeyman of their planet. He always had to be the best, which is why he took delight in simple things, like walking in the rain. He took his time getting to the clinic, the problem he faced there was daunting, even for him, and the implications of what he suspected it meant were staggering.