Redolent

Chapter 3: The Altered Person

"Are you sure you're not going to tell her?" My mother's voice wafted out of my parent's bedroom, their door was left slightly ajar. My feet seemed locked to the floor. I was the only female child in my family. There was no question about whom they were referring to. Retracing my steps silently, I backed until I was slightly to the side of the opened door.

"Why should I?" My father's voice came again, "Her knowledge will not affect anything."

"I know," my mother trailed off silently, "But I just feel like she has the right to know."

A sigh followed her words and I could almost envision my father's stern look as he stared deploringly at, Sica, his chosen wife.

"You know we can't do that. Of all the experiments, only some reacted well to being told what they were. The rest turned violent. Even suicidal."

The blood running through my veins turned to ice. That is, if it really was blood. I pressed my ear against the door, waiting for more information to be said. I was not disappointed.

"Well, how could you not?" My mother flared, "I think she'd be more hurt to find out that this was hidden from her for so long."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" My father, Eist, replied calmly, "Her birth was scheduled long before any of us could of dreamed of it."

Scheduled? I could feel the shock winding it's way through my body, I staggered and caught the wall before I slid down to the ground. However, the bang echoed through the mansion and all movement within my parent's door stopped abruptly.

Swearing under my breath, I got to my feet hurriedly just in time to see my mother slide the door open.

"Oh, Aris," her smile seemed a little too fake as she beamed up at me.

"Mother." I replied coolly.

"Ah, it's almost dinner, isn't it?" She put a delicate hand to her face, "I should hurry and tell the cooks to make something grand in celebration of your engagement."

"Yes," my father cut in, "perhaps some champagne." That was certainly a treat. Champagne was absolutely impossible to find nowdays. People had stopped manufacturing when the Mechan were invented—robots capable of anything. Anyways, that's how our generation was formed. They used Mechan to experiment on real people. In this way, we have Mechan qualities. But there are very limited, and are mostly classified by good looks and smarts, nothing like the real "robots"—they say there were an incredible race. Nothing we have compares to them.

Well, anyways, some time has passed now, and ages of secret brewing for the drink had been lost with the times. And, it seemed a little too grand to me. Inwardly, I snickered.

"Thank you Mother, Father." I could tell that my words had a profound effect on both of them. My father's eyes went cold and my mother bit back a gasp. "I'm so glad to be your daughter, you spoil me so much." I lightened my tone with polite laughter as they squirmed under the guilt of this secret they weren't telling me. The initial shock had worn off and although I was shaken, my lust for truth was beginning to take over.

"Oh, Eist," Sica gave him a look of longing, "I must tell her."

She pulled my arm and forced me into the bedroom before my father could protest. She slid the door closed and the banging of my father's fists echoes in the room.

"Listen to me, Aris." Her voice was uncharacteristically solemn and she stared directly into my eyes. "You're not who you think you are."

"W-What do you mean?" My voice stuttered out.

"You were…" she trailed off as she tried to locate a delicate word to explain my birth, "inseminated… after… ah… alteration."

I tried to find my voice, but it seemed to have vanished along with any shreds of truth I used to believe.

"Altered?" I choked out.

"Your DNA is one similar-- actually, very similar to Tetra."

"Tetra?"

"Your ancestor, dear. You were created as the new head of the Exto Corporation. It was said that she was an unimaginably good ruler. She had the IQ of a genius, beautiful beyond comparison, and extremely power-hungry."

"So that means… I'm an AP."

"Yes, Altered Person," she confirmed, "the government issued you to be created. You were to be brought up in secrecy, but now that you're to be engaged, telling you of your heritage would trigger your inner potential."

I nodded without feeling any real conviction. I was created to be a ruler. Created to lead this company into further wealth.

But there was an ulterior motive.

"But that's not all," I guessed.

"Well, Tetra." She stopped before fixing me with a gaze of extreme caution, "Tetra was a Mechan."

Her last words left me in a daze as I slipped back into my bedroom after assuring her I didn't have any suicidal tendencies.

"I'm a Mechan?"

"No. But close to it. Aris. You are the closest we have ever gotten to a perfect mixed Hybrid. To tell it to you frankly… You aren't more than 5% human."

 

You… aren't… human…

 

No. I was a machine. A programmed robot to follow the plan the government set up for me.

I blinked once, and the layout of my dashboard appeared in front of me. After fixing a few button options, I waited impatiently as my call was patched through. As the face I had been waiting for appeared, I smiled.

"Hey Entron… About that deal…"