That signpost…it gave me the hovers. That\u2019s what my mother called it when I hovered, unable to take the final step over the precipice and into my decision. I had it bad; my feathers were quivering something awful. It was a horrible childhood habit but even mother wouldn\u2019t flash her perpetual look of disapproval right now, especially considering the magnitude of the decision I had to make. My indecisiveness was justified for once.
\n The DNA-shaped building rose tall, proud and daunting into the gold-strewn sky. Women of all shapes, colours and styles flowed in and out of the brushed metal doors as fluidly as water. I was so busy gawking at the astronomical difference between the women shuffling in and those waltzing out that it took me a moment to realize that I\u2019d been spotted.
\n I almost thought I\u2019d imagined it but then I saw it again. The four doorwomen greeted everyone that walked through the Genesis Building doors. As soon as she had a free moment, the one closest to me zeroed her almost black eyes in on me.
\n Mxii. She wasn\u2019t meant to notice me from here. I didn\u2019t know Genesis had increased their Potential Customer Detection Radius.
\n The doorwoman beckoned me over with one gloved hand, full lips curved into a frighteningly realistic smile.
\n Some people might be fooled into thinking she was organic, or even demi-organic, but I knew better. The smile of an android, even one as detailed as her, couldn\u2019t fool me. I had to admit though that she was impressive for an android produced by men\u2013 almost as good as Venusian work. I\u2019m sure thousands- maybe even millions- of women had been coaxed into the building by that charming demeanor. But not me. My feet wouldn\u2019t budge. Still, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder if I would come out as perfect as her if I went in there.
\n I averted my eyes. What was I doing? What was I thinking?
\n \u201cUm…Maybe some other day.\u201d
\n I walked away.
\n I made my way to the heart of the city, pondering how Martians had improved their androids so soon after their last disastrous update. The dusk traffic flowed seamlessly around me. No one paid me any attention- exactly how I liked it.
\n Usually, when I am in this part of town, I spend time marveling at the sheer beauty of Tilapia Harbour. Designed and built by some of the best architects in the world \u2013 a good number of whom were native Malawians \u2013 many would agree that the only thing that outdid Tilapia Harbor during the day was Tilapia Harbour at night. The open-chambo-shaped city built on the second-largest fresh water body in the United Countries of Africa started to come alive in a whole different sense when the sun began its glorious descent towards the horizon. As God\u2019s artwork faded with a final burst of colour and light, dusk ended and the city picked up where He left off.
\n As night time fell, the walkways lit up, revealing exotic fish living their days peacefully beneath the glass roads. A collage of scents from the stalls lining the pier carried on the breeze, dancing together in a medley of spices, meats, fish and fruits. But even the aroma of flame-grilled chambo couldn\u2019t tempt me away from my thoughts. A woman selling colourful wax zitenje from Tanzania State and an android child waving a holo-newspaper depicting increased female trafficking cases in the UCA both tried and failed.
\n Something caught my eye and I looked over my shoulder again. I couldn\u2019t ignore it anymore; the feeling that someone was following me. I was probably being paranoid but I sped up anyway.
\n I was so focused on my routine evasive manoeuvres that I walked right into him. How he regained his balance- and mine- is beyond me. I expected a Terran to be weaker.
\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d I said quickly, my palms up in surrender, demonstrating that I didn\u2019t want any trouble.
\n He began to respond but his partner cut him off.
\n \u201cYou should watch where you\u2019re going!\u201d the woman snapped.
\n I hated her voice. Whoever had given it to her had done an amazing job but Venusians aren\u2019t easily fooled. My perfectly tuned ears picked up a faint graininess, the inevitable result of voice generation bio-software-unnoticeable by dull Terran ears.
\n Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were drawn together over eyes so huge and blue that the contrast with her onyx skin and platinum blonde 20th century haircut almost made me reel back in surprise. There wasn\u2019t a blemish in sight on her person. I couldn\u2019t help but hate her perfect little tummy, her perfect hips and bust, and her perfectly fake reaction. One of those supermodel types. Her husband must be quite shallow.
\n \u201cI said I was sorry,\u201d I retorted, my wings twitching. \u201cBesides, if you hadn\u2019t stopped so suddenly, this wouldn\u2019t have happened.\u201d
\n The woman kissed her teeth. \u201cYou Venusians are all alike. All you care about is yourselves.\u201d
\n \u201cYou Venusians? My, aren\u2019t you loyal to your species. You traitorous dolls are alike, too \u2013 about as natural as breast implants and as friendly as pit vipers.\u201d
\n Angered, the biologically-enhanced woman stepped forward, hand lifted high in preparation to slap me. Suddenly, a police officer appeared.
\n And, just my luck, the officer was Terran; an organic human man.
\n \u201cIs something the matter here?\u201d he asked, looking from her to me.
\n He lingered on me, eyes narrowed in brazen suspicion.
\n \u201cShe walked into my husband,\u201d the woman said, pointing at me and scrunching up her nose. \u201cShe\u2019s probably broken his rib or something. Venusians are such brutes; they don\u2019t know their own strength- or the meaning of decency for that matter.\u201d
\n Bite me, you racist cow!
\n \u201cI see,\u201d said the officer, completely ignoring her blatant racism.
\n He reached for the slab of black glass strapped to his belt, right next to an electromagnetic stun gun. For a split second, I think he truly considered taking it out.
\n The officer started tapping away details. Then he asked the man if he was hurt in any way.
\n The victim looked me over, probably deciding how he wanted to twist the officer\u2019s ear and make things even worse for me. To my surprise, he smiled and said he was perfectly fine. Liar.
\n Why was he defending me? Martians, the men who settled on Mars, weren\u2019t very fond of Venusians, women Venus settlers. We had, at most, a seething tolerance for each other. Most preferred the bioengineered women. The only way they took up an imperfect Venusian was if she had those imperfections genetically scrubbed out of her. Most of them, like Terrans, wished all-natural, temperamental Venusians like me would scrub up or perish.
\n So what screw was loose in this one?
\n \u201cMiss, you should apologise to this man and his wife,\u201d the officer said, pulling the emergency brakes on my train of thought.
\n \u201cYou\u2019re joking me, right? I did. Besides, she\u2019s being a racist tart. She should apologise to me.\u201d
\n \u201cYou seem quite irritable, Miss.\u201d
\n I snapped my mouth shut. Whoops.
\n The officer narrowed his eyes further.
\n \u201cSorry, but I am obligated by law to ask you.\u201d He paused to wet his lips, his hand slowly reaching for the handle of his weapon. \u201cHave you taken your calming pill today, Miss?\u201d
\n I tensed. \u201cYes, Officer.\u201d
\n \u201c…I\u2019ll be double-checking that in the system. What\u2019s your name and how old are you?\u201d
\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Hope Livuza and I\u2019m old enough to make sure I regularly take those foul pills you force on my kind.\u201d
\n \u201cPlease just cooperate, Miss. How old are you?\u201d
\n \u201cOld enough.\u201d
\n \u201cMiss, you\u2019re only making things harder for yourself. Show me some ID. If you fail to do so, I am within my full rights as an officer of the Malawi State Police Force to restrain you by any means necessary.\u201d
\n He squeezed the handle of his gun for emphasis.
\n With a groan of ill-concealed annoyance, I pressed my palm against the tablet he held out. This is harassment.
\n A neon light illuminated the handheld, followed by a tinny female voice. The tablet was definitely Martian-made. That\u2019s the police for you; even toddlers have better gear than they do.
\n \u201cNAME: DR. HOPE LIVUZA. AGE: CLASSIFIED.\u201d
\n The officer looked at me with a semi-exasperated look. The voice continued.
\n \u201cINTER-PLANETARY CITIZENSHIP: FIRST GENERATION TERRA-VENUSIAN. INTRA-PLANETARY CITIZENSHIP: MALAWIAN. OCCUPATION: INTERSTELLAR MECHANIC. CRIMINAL RECORD: …CLEAN.\u201d
\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s a surprise,\u201d said the bio-woman, arms folded across her inflatable chest.
\n \u201cCalm down,\u201d said her husband, placing his left hand on the small of her back.
\n His wedding ring made contact with the small metallic plate fused to her skin. The woman jerked, as if touched by an electric shock, and then melted into the crook of his arm. She almost seemed pleasant when she shut up and smiled like a good little biologically-engineered trophy wife.
\n \u201cVery well, Dr. Livuza,\u201d the officer continued, butchering the pronunciation.
\n \u201cDon\u2019t call me that.\u201d
\n \u201cHave you undergone any sort of genetic surgery in the past?\u201d he continued as if I hadn\u2019t interrupted.
\n \u201cNo.\u201d Then I added, since he was going to ask anyway, \u201cI follow my prescription strictly. This sassy disposition is just my natural state.\u201d
\n \u201cI see.\u201d
\n He didn\u2019t seem convinced but I don\u2019t think he cared. If this issue got any bigger, he was going to have to file a report. Nothing irked the law enforcement more than doing Venusian paperwork. Designed to make Martians\u2019 lives miserable, they said. Ugh, men! Everything\u2019s always about them… not to say they were incorrect.
\n Mr. Tall, Dark and Mostly Silent chose that moment to jump to my rescue.
\n \u201cOfficer, this issue seems resolved to me. I\u2019m fine and she already apologized. Now, if you\u2019ll excuse us, my wife and I have a dinner reservation.\u201d
\n The pair walked away down the pier. If he were Martian, I would understand why he covered for me but a Terran defending a Venusian? That was unheard of. Once upon a time, we had gone to war with them about gender injustices and taken all their women away from the planet to force them to change the living conditions of female population. Generations later, Martian, Venusian and Terran alike lived on between each other\u2019s planets but still hadn\u2019t forgiven each other.
\n Well, that didn\u2019t matter now.
\n \u201cSee, Officer? It sorted itself out and I have a squeaky clean record. Now can I go? I have to catch an aeroshuttle back to Blantyre in a few hours\u2026\u201d
\n \u201cLook…you\u2019ve already acquired dual-citizenship. If you\u2019re tired of taking your prescription, just fill the necessary paperwork and get scrubbed. Don\u2019t get yourself killed.\u201d
\n Was that a hint of concern? Nah. Two Terran men being kind was two too many for any Venusian\u2019s lifetime.
\n \u201cDon\u2019t patronise me. You wouldn\u2019t have treated me like that if I were a Martian, would you-?\u201d
\n \u201cHope?\u201d
\n I turned around ve-ry slow-ly.
\nSean stood a few stalls away, one tattooed arm laden with compressed shopping bags. He cocked one eyebrow, and looked back and forth between the two of us.
\n \u201cUh, hey…Babes,\u201d I mumbled.
\n He scowled. I was in big trouble.
\nAfter a brief cheerful conversation with the officer, Sean grabbed my arm and half led, half dragged me home.
\n The feeling that I was being followed came home with us but I didn\u2019t dare mention it. <\/p>\n
\u201cSean, how long are you going to keep this up?\u201d
\nWhen he\u2019s in stereotype mode, Sean can keep a full-blown sulk on for weeks. Right now we were on hour two and I was already going mad with the suffocating silence. Why couldn\u2019t he be more like us super-repressed Venusians when he was mad? Emotional constipation wasn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing.
\n \u201cSean, seriously?\u201d
\n He continued to ignore me, instead on fitting our belongings into travel-size compression bags. Every few seconds he looked out the window, stared, then went on.
\n He was stressing me out so much that my feathers were starting to fall out. There was only so much coaxing I could do before I reached my limit. Hello, Limit, my name is Hope.
\n I flopped onto the bed, switched on the motel holo-vision and ignored him right back. It didn\u2019t take him more than five minutes to burst. How ironic that he can\u2019t handle the taste of his own medicine.
\n \u201cYou almost got arrested!\u201d he barked at me, smashing his fist against the coffee table.
\nA spider web of cracks fanned out across the surface, each line converging underneath his fist.
\n \u201cYou know what happens to Venusians that get convicted on Terra,\u201d he growled. \u201cMalawi may be one of the safest places in the UCA for you guys but the prison system is just as harsh. Are you crazy? Do you want to die?\u201d
\n \u201cNo.\u201d
\n \u201cIt was a rhetorical question!\u201d
\n I take it back. I liked it better when he was brooding.
\n \u201cAnd you still didn\u2019t go to Genesis? Hope, we talked about this-\u201d
\n \u201c-No, you talked, I listened. Hardly the same thing.\u201d
\n \u201cAre you seriously getting technical with me right now? I dare you to say something like that again.\u201d
\n Just like that, he\u2019d switched from his mild, mellow Martian father to his wild, pig-headed Venusian mother. I didn\u2019t challenge him. Challenging an irate Venusian- even a half Venusian- is asking for trouble.
\n Sean closed his eyes and took a deep breath, kneading the space between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
\n \u201cHope, we\u2019re engaged. I know we haven\u2019t known each other for very long but I do care about you.\u201d Liar. \u201cIt\u2019s our culture and neither of us really had a say but I think we can agree that we\u2019re not that bad a match. All I asked was for you to get scrubbed.\u201d
\n \u201cYou say that like it\u2019s simple.\u201d
\n \u201cIsn\u2019t it? You do it all the time. You went to the salon just the other day to get your hair altered. Come on, even Venusian hair doesn\u2019t change color on its own,\u201d he said, gently tugging at a lock of my hair.
\n It coiled back into place, a snake ready to strike.
\n \u201cI don\u2019t see what the big deal is. You\u2019re just doing it to the rest of your body this time. How hard can that possibly be? Life will be much easier for you this way. I\u2019m only insisting because I\u2019m trying to protect you,\u201d he said, cupping my cheek in his hand.
\n And there it was \u2013 that foolishly misplaced Martian heroism that gets on my last nerve.
\n I smacked his hand away.
\n \u201cI\u2019m from Venus, I literally don\u2019t need your protection; you\u2019re not nearly strong enough,\u201d I hissed. \u201cIs genetic rectification easy to you? You\u2019re only asking me to change my very genetic identity for you, to give up the ability to go home for you. But I guess it\u2019s no big deal because I\u2019m a woman and have easily manipulated DNA.\u201d
\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I-\u201d
\n \u201cYes, it is. Hurray for us; we learnt to alter our DNA just to survive on our manless planet. Great for you that you had the resources to build technology that does everything for you. Did you even do any research on scrubbing? God knows you Martians are so lazy, you probably had your AI assistants gather the information for you.\u201d
\n It was his turn to be offended.
\n \u201cI did it myself.\u201d
\n \u201cOh? Then did you know that once Venusian DNA is altered, it can never be changed back?\u201d
\n Sean recoiled as if he\u2019d been slapped in the face. I smirked.
\n \u201cI thought so. Being Venusian is not easy. We\u2019re born with the correct genetic code, theoretically, but only experience determines whether we live or die on that godawful planet. Some survive \u2013 barely. Most die. Our genetic sequence is tricky and can\u2019t be copied, unlike Martian DNA. Everyone\u2019s who\u2019s tried to readapt died.\u201d
\n I sighed and lowered my voice.
\n \u201cLook, I didn\u2019t want to marry you either. Giving up being Venusian means being a second class citizen for the rest of my life, just like the women of the 21st century. I intended to run away.\u201d
\n \u201cThen why didn\u2019t you?\u201d Sean asked, his voice small and riddled with bitterness.
\n \u201cBecause I thought I could convince you to let me stay Venusian. I like the genetic identity I was born with. I want to be able to go back to my planet. I love Malawi but I love Venus, too; perpetual storms and near unlivable conditions and all. I thought I could make you understand.\u201d I lifted my head, looking him square in the eye. \u201cClearly, I was wrong.\u201d
\n He didn\u2019t answer for the longest time. Eventually, he came and sat next to me. He touched my hair, my cheek then my shoulder.
\n \u201cI understand,\u201d he said. \u201cThanks for making this easier on me.\u201d
\n He injected something into my neck that first burned hot then freezing cold. I pushed him back, flinging him clear across the room. The impact broke a leg and his arm twisted into an odd angle but both limbs healed instantly.
\n I rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Venusians and freezing cold simply don\u2019t mix. Any colder and I\u2019d die. I wrapped my wings around my body in an attempt to keep me warm but it was no use. My feathers were too light. Malawi didn\u2019t get this cold so my wings weren\u2019t adapted to this temperature.
\n \u201cWhat…?\u201d I clutched at my chest. \u201cWhat…did you…do…?\u201d
\n \u201cJust calm down, Babes,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re just going to take a little nap. My associates will take good care of you.\u201d
\nThe door to our motel room swung open and three Martians in dark outfits strolled in. One handed Sean an electronic cheque. Sean whistled appreciatively.
\n \u201cAs always, it\u2019s a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen. You\u2019re worth a lot of zeroes, Babes. I could even buy a bio-woman of my own. I\u2019ll make sure to tell your parents the sad news about your accident and organise a beautiful funeral for you. Where did you want to be buried again? Cape Maclear? Oh well, on to the next one.\u201d
\nOne of the men put me inside the last empty compression bag. It stretched out to accommodate my size then began to shrink. I had the vague sense of being constricted.
\n \u201cYou should\u2019ve gotten scrubbed when he asked you nicely. Oh, and nice evasive manoeuvres, by the way. You almost gave me the slip several times back there,\u201d he said, zipping the bag shut.
\n I flitted in and out of consciousness. If anyone thought my kidnapper was suspicious, no one stopped him. Terrans respect Martians. Partly because they\u2019re both male and do this weird male bonding thing, but mostly because Martians were responsible for the technology that brought female company back to Terra.
\n Where would I end up? Venusians with African ancestry are exotic and rare. Most likely I\u2019d probably be on the first subterranean-shuttle to the Eurasian Confederate and sold to the highest bidder. And here I thought I\u2019d be safe in my home country.
\n I was just about to shed my first tear when I was unceremoniously thrown out of my abyss. I landed on a hard surface with a thud. Before I could orient myself, my ankles and wrists were strapped down and my mouth bound.
\n \u201cMake it snappy. This is the last one to be shipped out then we\u2019re closed for the season.\u201d The voice sounded as far away as if he were at the end of a tunnel.
\n I was wheeled to another room. I looked up at the nurse through the haze.
\n \u201cLet\u2019s get you ready, shall we?\u201d she said in a singsong voice.
\nShe swabbed my skin then injected something into my bloodstream. I assumed it was a serum flooded with Nano-robots that would alter by DNA on command. The surgeon in charge read out the specifications but I could barely hear over the pounding in my ears. I never should\u2019ve come back to this cruel planet.
\n \u201cAlright. You might feel a slight sting-\u201d
\n \u201cFreeze! You there! Step away from the Genetic Splicer!\u201d
\n Yelling, threats and gunshots erupted around me. A strong pair of arms lifted me upright. Someone supported my lolling head against his shoulder. Male…Terran…Familiar-looking…
\n \u201cDr. Livuza, drink this. It\u2019ll help.\u201d
\n \u201cPlease, don\u2019t call me that,\u201d I croaked.
\nHe lifted a bottle to my lips. I started to feel better instantly. I glanced up at my savior.
\n \u201cYou…but weren\u2019t you that…?\u201d
\n \u201cWe meet again. I\u2019m with Special Enforcement, my name\u2019s Darren Phinda. I owe you an apology for using you as bait to capture Sean Jemusi and his associates. We\u2019ve been after this Venusian Trafficking Cell for a long time.\u201d
\n \u201cWha-? Sean was-?\u201d
\n \u201cBut, you know, you owe me for bailing you out at Tilapia Harbour. How about we discuss it over dinner?\u201d
\n I\u2019m a genius yet I didn\u2019t see any of this coming.<\/p>\n
GENESIS GENETICS: Malawi Headquarters Service to women only That signpost…it gave me the hovers. That\u2019s what my mother called it when I hovered, unable to take the final step over the precipice and into my decision. I had it bad; my feathers were quivering something awful. It was a horrible childhood habit but even mother […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[344,343],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n