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Prodigy

  Edward Mullen

  Copyright Edward Mullen 2013

  The Edward Mullen Podcast is available for free on iTunes and www.EdwardMullen.com

  Prodigy

  Copyright © 2013 by Edward Mullen

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person (alive or dead) or event is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a published review.

  Vancouver, BC, Canada

  ISBN PAPERBACK: 978-0-9880487-6-8

  Also by Edward Mullen

  The Art of the Hustle

  Destiny and Free Will

  The Secret Manuscript

  Prodigy Eternal

  Prodigy Returns

  Prod-i-gy – noun

  a.)An extremely gifted individual who has exceptional abilities, especially a child.

  b.)An abnormality causing someone to have extraordinary intelligence or talents.

  c.)An unusually rare person or event that inspires wonder or amazement.

  d.)A sign that something extraordinary is about to happen.

  Introduction

  The year 2030 was a significant turning point in human history. It was the beginning of a global catastrophe known as World War III.

  Those who were fortunate enough to survive the attacks were met with decades of economic recession, famine, and illness. Staying alive during those times required perseverance and a lot of luck. People grew despondent and any remaining civility had long since eroded.

  During the war, there was a total disregard for law and order. Riots, looting, and senseless murders were a routine occurrence in nearly every city. Financial systems unraveled, causing infrastructures to deteriorate. Entire neighbourhoods were completely abandoned as people sought refuge in rural parts of the country where it was deemed to be safer.

  When the war finally ended, it was a pyrrhic victory that decimated the majority of the world’s population and left the world in a state of ruin. If there was a positive, it was that the survivors came together like never before. Roughly one billion remained – a technologically savvy group of individuals who refused to be bound by outdated ways of thinking. They had nothing more to lose and everything to gain. With a fierce tenacity, they organized together and vowed to never let the mistakes of the past lead them to war again. They used the Internet to create a true democracy that allowed them to vote on every issue. Humanity had given life to technology, and when they needed it the most, technology gave life back to humanity.

  The access to information enabled them to be tolerant of other cultures, educated about the issues, and intelligently discuss different ideologies. They took pride in rebuilding a new civilization because they felt like their voice mattered. Each law, policy, and institution was examined and discussed. Within a relatively short period of time, a new constitution was enacted by the people, for the people. Shortly thereafter, the New World Order was established – a benevolent and centralized government that became the administrative body for the entire planet. They operated with a simple agenda of creating optimal living conditions for all. There were no invasions of privacy and no invasions of countries; the sole purpose of the government’s existence was to facilitate the will of the people – the way it was intended by the ancient Greeks.

  Once the financial system was put in the hands of the people rather than power-hungry individuals, everything changed for the better. The economy became more efficient and people were no longer at the mercy of cyclical fluctuations and unstable speculative markets.

  The educational system of the past was determined to be fundamentally flawed as well. It was designed hundreds of years before and no longer met the requirements of the modern world. The entire world population was now required to be educated according to a contemporary curriculum consisting of ten main subjects: mathematics, finance, science, languages, law, history, philosophy, psychology, art, and athletics. Each main subject could be subdivided into a vast collection of subsidiary subjects. Amongst these traditional subjects were a number of new and important additions to the curriculum. The study of personhood, mind management, and discipline were introduced in an effort to help people better understand the complexities of their egos and to moderate their temperaments.

  Each subject would take years to master, but would not be learned in the traditional sense. Now, subjects were broken down into several parts and downloaded directly into people’s brains. Once downloaded, there would be no need for tests since the student was able to recall anything they had downloaded at a moment’s notice. For the most part, learning the traditional way, through repetition, became obsolete. Nearly everyone on the planet was enlightened, in effect, creating a world of kind and rational human beings.

  The concept of countries no longer existed. People were free to live anywhere they wished so that the outcome of their lives would not be so heavily determined by where they happened to be born. Artificial and imaginary borders that kept people separated and divided were now a thing of the past. Individuals from underprivileged parts of the world were offered the chance to receive a one-time location reassignment, temporary lodging, and a full education – completely free. Nearly everyone accepted and moved into major cities leaving many of the harshest environments on the planet abandoned.

  The Child Rearing Act was introduced as a method of maintaining the global population as well as filter out children who were deemed to be a high risk for causing problems in society. Any couple desiring to have a baby was required to meet certain financial, educational, physical, and psychological prerequisites. The Act, and the subsequent evaluation process, was initially contested by a large percentage of the population, but despite the resistance, the law passed. As global populations became more stable, along with receding crime and poverty rates, the resistance eventually waned.

  Before all these changes, the world was on a steep descent into depravity and this seemed like the only logical step to take. Any couple who was found to be in violation of this Act was often imprisoned and sometimes sterilized to prevent future offenses. In addition, the baby became the property of the state to ensure it would receive an adequate upbringing. Although the punishment was severe, it was deemed to be the only way to keep the system from falling back into the flawed ways of the past.

  The ubiquity of information allowed people to gain a thorough understanding of worldly cultures. As a result, many of the cultural differences between people began to fade. Despite being separated by great distances, people still felt connected to each other in a communal sense. They had no nationality, no allegiance to a flag, and viewed themselves as citizens of Earth. They acted as one conglomerate global super-culture where many old nonsensical customs were abandoned and replaced by rational thinking and empathy. For the first time in human history, there was sustained global peace.

  Prologue

  Year 2099

  She knew this day would come and had been preparing for it for months. Now that it was finally here, she just hoped everything would go according to plan. Even though she had rehearsed the following sequence of actions in her head a thousand times, the margin for success was slim.

  Operating on pure reflexes, she entered her bedroom and frantically began shoving several items into her satchel. It was late at night and she kept the lights off to remain inconspicuous, but a small glimmer of light pouring in through the window enabled her to see.

  After gathering the items she needed, she cautious
ly approached the window. While remaining snug against the wall, she carefully parted the curtains with her fingers, allowing just enough room for her to peek out and make sure it was clear. From the window of her second-floor apartment, her eyes scanned the grounds below. Fortunately, they had not arrived yet.

  With no time to waste, she aggressively tossed the window coverings aside and yanked up on the old window frame until it opened enough to allow her bulbous belly to slip through. Once outside on the emergency staircase, she grabbed the rusty railing and quickly descended down two flights of stairs. The moon barely provided enough light for her to see, but she managed.

  At the bottom of the second set of stairs was an eight-foot drop to the back alley. She hesitated a moment before making the leap, but then went for it. Like a heavy bag of sand, she hit the ground with a thud. Her knees gave out on impact and she went down hard. Her left arm hit the ground in an attempt to brace the fall while her right arm scooped across her belly to minimize the severity of the shock. She emitted a noise that sounded like a hybrid of fear and anguish. The fall had definitely rattled her, but she kept moving. After an arduous nine months of trying to conceal her pregnancy from the rest of the world, she was certainly not willing to give up that easily.

  Clutching her stomach with both hands, she hobbled down the street, breathing heavily, searching for a place to hide. She knew the consequences of being caught having an unsanctioned baby meant she would be arrested and her baby would be stripped away from her. Despite what a lot of people thought, the world was not so perfect.

  The streetlights illuminated every corner of the street so she darted into a dingy alley and rested against a brick wall. With her back against the building wall, she slid down into a sitting position and stared up at the starry sky. She began a series of breathing exercises to calm herself down. That was one thing she knew without having to plug in.

  Breathe, breathe, breathe, she kept telling herself. She knew the baby would be coming any minute since her contractions were occurring less than two minutes apart.

  She fought with it for as long as she could, but she was just delaying the inevitable. The time had now come to deliver the baby herself, right there in the unsterile alley. For this, she would definitely need to plug in.

  She quickly took out her access pod and plugged it into the port on her forearm. The holographic screen awaited her command. “Look up… how to... deliver... a baby,” she muffled in short staccato breaths.

  “Data found,” a pleasant synthesized voice responded.

  “Download… data,” she commanded.

  “Downloading data, approximate time… one… second,” the voice said again. A moment later, a green light indicated the data transfer was complete. “Download complete. Your storage capacity is almost full.”

  She let out a horrific scream and prepared to deliver her baby. Her brain sifted through her newly acquired knowledge and selected the first step. A competing thought entered her mind and reminded her to continue the proper Lamaze techniques. As she laboured on the cold cement, her natural endorphins kicked in and flooded her bloodstream. This, combined with her deep breaths, made the pain somewhat bearable. Maybe I should’ve just turned myself in, she thought for a brief moment. She pushed those thoughts aside.

  The sound of synthesized sirens blared in the background, letting her know she didn’t have much time before they arrived.

  She reached into her bag and pulled out her proximity cleanser – a portable sanitary device that emitted an electrical pulse, killing germs and bacteria instantly within a short radius. She flipped on the switch and gave the device a tight squeeze. A flash of light burst out in all directions and simultaneously emitted a low-pitched echo. The light and sound occupied only a fraction of a second and then dispersed. With her hands now completely sanitized, she reached into her bag, pulled out a blanket, and laid it on the ground as neatly as possible given the situation.

  Breathe, breathe, breathe, she reminded herself as she tried to regain control of her breathing. It was too much to ask for deep breaths at that point. The baby was surely on its way any moment. She would have to settle for short shallow breaths.

  “AAAAHHHHH!” she cried out in agony. “Oh my god – oh my god… just relax, breathe,” she said out loud to herself.

  Most women preferred to use artificial wombs instead of giving birth the natural way. Avoiding the burdensome effects on the body was just one benefit. The other advantage was a machine would nurture the fetus under the most optimal conditions possible, ensuring it received the ideal amount of nutrients and stimuli. That was a luxury she could not afford.

  She was all alone, giving birth by herself in a dark and barren alley. Ironically, if she were to throw a stone in any direction, she would likely hit someone with vast amounts of medical knowledge.

  “AAAAHHHHH!” she screamed out again.

  So far, she was following the instructions perfectly – slow steady pushes in between contractions. She reached down and could feel the top of the baby’s head as it emerged from the crowning stage. She continued to push and felt as though she might pass out from the pain, but she somehow summoned the strength to endure. A few deep breaths and pushes later and the baby’s head fully emerged. She took one last deep breath and gave a final push, and the rest of the body slipped out. She let out a huge sigh of relief and began to cry. The baby, now lying bare in the crisp night air, also began to cry.

  She wrapped the baby up in the blanket and laid it gently against her chest. She would have to deal with the umbilical cord later. For now, she just wanted to savour the moment. Her first time giving birth was a success, despite being under less-than-optimal conditions. She was exhausted, but proud, holding her beautiful baby girl.

  An instant later, two ominous shadows stretched down the long alley. She cast her gaze down the alley toward the figures. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she saw two uniformed guardians standing with their backs to the light, creating a glow around their dark silhouettes. Judging by their massive frames, she figured they were at least 6'5" each. The two guardians shined their lights on her. She had barely enough energy to turn away from the bright lights. Her face was moist with sweat and she looked like she had just been through an ordeal.

  “Come with us please, madam,” one of the guardians demanded.

  The guardians assisted her to her feet and helped her into the guardian transport vehicle. “Where are you taking me?” she asked worriedly.

  “You are under arrest for the violation of the Child Rearing Act.”

  One of the guardians activated his precision laser cutter, causing a tiny blue beam of light to protract from the small handheld device. It made a faint humming noise, which grew louder as he brought the device closer.

  “No,” the woman pleaded.

  One of the guardians held the baby while the other one used the device to effortlessly cut through the umbilical cord.

  “Where are you taking my baby?”

  “This baby has now become a reclaimed citizen of the Union and will be given a proper upbringing.”

  “But I can give her a proper upbringing!” she pleaded.

  “Unfortunately madam, that is not for you to decide.”

  The woman was secured in the back of a transport vehicle and the doors were sealed shut. The baby was placed in a second vehicle where medics checked its vital signs. Both vehicles hovered for a moment and then silently took off into the night.

  The faint cries of the woman could be heard as she screamed in the back of the vehicle. “Give me back my baby!”

  Chapter One

  Year 2117 — 18 years later

  Alex returned from her graduation ceremony and approached the window in her room. Sitting on a large sill, she stared out at the cityscape under the beautiful golden sky. She began daydreaming about her mother, which she did often. Is she out there somewhere? Who is she? Why did she abandon me? There were so many questions that needed
answers.

  It was Alex’s last day at the Facility. She had graduated earlier than usual by completing the mandatory fundamental education at age fourteen and the elective advanced education, in two separate disciplines, by the time she was eighteen. She was the youngest person in history to do that, which caused her to receive quite a bit of attention from the major media outlets. She didn’t particularly care for the attention, but she enjoyed some of the perks that came along with it. As a result of the buzz surrounding her, practically every firm in the world offered her lucrative employment contracts with cushy benefits. Judging by her demeanour, a person would have no idea she was so gifted. She didn’t allow any of it to go to her head. Most students finished their fundamental education at age twenty and if they were not too burnt out, and their brain capacity permitted, they would typically complete their advanced education by age twenty five. Alex was seven years ahead of any other student her age, including Milo.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Milo said, as he entered the room with care.

  “No, not at all. Come in.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m just staring out the window one last time, trying to preserve this view in my mind. It’s hard to believe it’s my last day here.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “As soon as I finish packing.”

  “Have you decided what your plan is when you get out?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Have you accepted any offers yet?”

  “No, but I’m thinking about interning at a law firm.”

  “Lawyers still exist? I thought we got rid of all of them,” Milo joked. “You may as well be a butter churner; it’s just as obsolete as being a lawyer.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Why don’t you just sell some of your inventions? I’d be the first to order your invisibility cloak.”

  “I can’t, I don’t own the IP rights. Besides, invisibility cloaks are illegal.”

  “They are? I didn’t know that.”

  “See that’s why there are lawyers. There are a lot of aspects about the law the average person doesn’t know.”

  “So I’m average? Thanks.”