Tweak

“So you know the basics,” Shin said as the hovercraft lifted off the pad. They were on their way home, a little early, because Joral said that the council of six demanded their return. Something about Layaent had called them, it also had something to do with the fact that Layaent had snarling ordered Shin to teach ‘that fucking idiot’ about the contractual agreements between the tweakers and genetics.

“The, alterations for each line?”

“That’s… not even close to the basics.” Shin groaned, putting his head in his hands.

Layaent was stubbornly ignoring the pair of them and carrying on a conversation with Taya about her latest tea party with the servants. Genetics weren’t allowed to have imaginary friends, so instead the servants got roped into being friends with genetic children who … needed a little more attention than the average child.

“Well, I know that the pool exists to pay for the alterations of genetics in times of economic crisis,” Ash murmured in response, “And Layaent said that it can be used to pay for education.”

“Right, I’ll start with the basics,” Shin muttered, “the basics of the contracts state that the tweakers are in no way bound to serve the genetics in any sort of servant position unless the tweaker voluntarily joins the household for a job. If a tweaker joins the household of a genetic as a servant, they are to be paid twice the salary, twice the modern hourly rate, of a commoner servant.

“The genetics are not master over the tweakers, but given the in depth knowledge the genetics have about the tweaker genetics, the tweakers should give some sway of decisions to the genetics. In the end, the right is still the tweakers, however.”

“What’s that mean?” Ash asked.

“It’s.” Shin paused and tried to come up with a metaphor.

“Like a painter,” Bri said, leaning forward in her seat and drawing attention to herself, “who has been commissioned by a lord. The lord might tell the painter to paint him without that mole on his face, and the painter should pay some attention to what the lord wants. But in the end, the painter is an artist and must be true to his own desires. He has the last say of the painting he is doing.”

“Sort of,” Shin muttered, “anyway, the genetics will pay for all alterations done to the tweakers and will decide what alterations are done. At no time may the genetics give an alteration to a tweaker that either: shortens their lifespan; causes death at a certain age; causes death or pain from disobedience; disrupts the natural beauty of a tweaker on purpose-

“That one was made when it was found that someone had actually made someone who was naturally more beautiful than all the genetics ugly because heaven forbid a tweaker be pretty or something, I don’t know, it was generations ago,” Shin shrugged, “maim or destroy a line; exacts revenge on the foetus’ parents in some way or form.”

“Why either?” Ash said, “that implies that there are only two.”

“It started out as shortens lifespan or causes death at a certain age and more were added through the years,” Shin said, “A genetic must enforce all laws in regards to genetic material. These state that the biological standards are to be given to everyone but for a few tweakers in each generation, wherein new biological standards may be tested. The current number of tweakers without biological standards, outside of the Meita anyhow, are three per generation per family. That’s not three to each set of parents, that’s three for your entire, extended family, three for my tweaker family and so on down the line. Biological standards also ensure a diversification of genetic material, thusly stopping all of us from looking exactly alike. Are you following so far?”

Ash gave a small nod, “I-”

“I don’t want to hear what you do and do not know, save that for the council of six,” Shin said quickly, “all labs must be kept medically sterile, to create genetic material in an unhygienic environment has been proven to create cases of nature of the destructive kind and is a class five felony. I told you about that before,” Ash nodded, “I’ll glaze over the company portion, but genetic companies, the ones who do the work itself, must talk to one another about problems and cannot lie. If they are found lying, that is a class six felony.”

“What’s that result in?”

“Public execution,” Shin said quickly, hoping Ash didn’t ask how. When the male didn’t ask anything else, Shin continued on, “no company needs to hand over the genetic documents, your make up, my make up, even Bri’s make up, to anyone who asks. Bri can ask for her make up or even her husband’s make up when she marries or gets into a breeding contract. She can ask about her parents and her children but that’s about the extent. Meaning I can’t call another company and ask them for your,” he motioned to Ash, “make up. I can however call and ask who paid for your work, just as you can call and ask who paid for my work or even which doctor worked on me. This allows the genetics to trace the work of doctors through generations because companies exchange doctors like they exchange animal genetic material.

“When you call a company they need to tell you your rights and access and will greet you by your full name and rank, the entire call is monitored and recorded for later reference. This is basic logic, really. The same conditions that commoners get is the same conditions genetics get. The conditions genetics get should be worse than tweakers. Given the instability of your genetic material, everyone should be wearing biohazard suits and everything is supposed to be inspected every few months. As a company turns out one, maybe two foetuses in that time, only one or two babies can be affected by adverse conditions.”

“Ah.” was all Ash said.

“Tweakers can apply to the same jobs as genetics and should be accepted based on experience and capability. If you applied for my job, given that you had more experience than I do, you could take my job,” Shin said.

“What is your job?” Bri asked

“Currently I am the one who decides what sort of alterations are made to the tweakers in the next generation. It’s a standard, entrance level job, really. We all adjust ranks as people die and such, to learn the higher up jobs.”

“What would happen to you if… say, I applied and got the job?” Bri asked.

“If you had the experience and got the job?” Shin shrugged, “they would find me another job.

“Now, the tweakers have rallied for rights a few times. These rights are included, but not limited to, breeding contracts between tweakers and genetics families. To choose your own breeding partner, to leave the tweaker family, to take a breeding contract between yourself and a newgen family. Etc, etc on down the line.

“You’ve the right to question the genetics at any time. You’ve a right to speak to the council of six at anytime. They will fly to you, it will not cost you, it will cost the Meita family, most especially if you are complaining about the Meita and they are found to be at fault. You’ve a right to withdraw from the pool to pay for your education, you’ve a right to sue if you are ever mistreated. Your fund family must provide enough lands and estate to keep you alive and active. Basic humanitarian rights.”

“That’s it?”

“No, the contract goes into great detail about how certain families will not allow certain animals into their genetic materials. As well as delving into the exact rights, down to what kinds of foods need to be served at parties and what needs to be offered for after parties. It outlines all the humanitarian rights in the constitution itself and the genetics have made great efforts to step over that line and go past humanitarian rights.

“The tweakers are the same as us,” Shin said, motioning to himself, then Bri, “we are not to treat them like animals, nor as creatures to be afraid of but a smart genetic knows that he should step carefully around a tweaker. If one of you killed one of us, it is more likely to be dismissed, than if one of us killed one of you. A genetic raping a tweaker results in infertility and being subjected to shock therapy. A tweaker raping a genetic results in infertility.”

“Why are these crimes not reported to the law?” Bri asked.

“Because,” Ash sighed, “what happens in a family stays in a family.”

“No,” Shin shook his head, “surprisingly, we know a good deal about the other families. You can watch the way they talk and tell what they are talking about. Because we’re all so obsessed with our own lives, we rarely notice that a good deal of people are actually paying attention to what we’re saying to one another. Mainly tweakers, really. Some few ranks are actually tasked with watching such things. The Meita have been very careful about their being broke, however.

“If something like Mysh happened again, all the families would know about it. Would know the cause of it, how it happened, when it happened, who caused it. It isn’t really a matter of if people know or not, because everyone who was alive or old enough to remember, knows about the event, it’s the passing that information onto the younger generations where the genetics fail.

“The families long ago separated themselves from the law. If someone steals from us, we deal with it, if they murder one of our own, we don’t spread it around to the commoners. We find out who did it, we hunt them down and then we destroy them. There’s no record of their crime and, by the time we’re finished, there is no record that they ever existed.”

“Wait. So when Layaent asked us to let him find out who stole the ring and to return it to the officers of law…” Bri said.

“He meant that he would hunt the person down and make them disappear,” Shin muttered, “because the ring was stolen from the museum that my family owns. No doubt, by the time we get back to the city, everyone in the genetics families will know that the ring was lost but families reserve the right to keep things quiet about who actually committed the crime. The fewer people who know about the crime, the fewer people you need to shut up.”

“So,” Ash said, “the Meita family have broken a good deal of the contract and taken money from my family to pay for their own alterations.”

“Right,” Shin said, reaching under his seat to pull out his flat screen monitor, “Layaent, how long until we enter the net zone?”

“Oh,” Layaent held up a hand to Taya to pause their conversation, “we should be able to get a bit of a connection now, it would just be slow to connect.”

“How slow?”

“Ten second lag?” Layaent said, then turned back to his conversation with Taya.

Shin turned on the flat screen. There wasn’t much room in a hovercraft so laptops weren’t taken on the flight. There was no point in taking laptops to the estates in the wilds because there was no way to access information there. Calls couldn’t even reach the estate, only the hovercraft, to and from. The screens were connected to the radio of the hovercraft and could connect to the internet as soon as the aircraft could hail the city over the radio.

The screen popped up and told Shin that it would take fifteen seconds to load a page. This was a very long time for Shin to wait, considering once he was in the city the connection was instantaneous. Shin told the screen to bring up the one file he wanted and waited for what seemed like forever for the page to load.

“The Meita family genetic files were opened up, a team of twenty-four investigators are combing through the files, so far it’s been proven that they haven’t been giving more than biological standard to a few of them. The others, amazingly enough, were conceived with the biological standards,” Shin read off, scrolling down, “they pulled from the pool to pay for the tweaker alterations. The family income account has a few thousand in it but they live in such excess that the income pays for the bills and there’s only a few hundred left over at the end of each period. The money, once some is collected actually goes to pay for debts the family has accumulated over the past three generations to avoid declaring bankruptcy.”

“What happens when a family goes bankrupt?” Bri asked.

“I don’t know,” Shin shrugged, “it’s never really happened before, but as the families are all technically related, I should think that we would help out the family that went bankrupt. If they had come to the council of six and told us what was going on. As it is, they’ve dug themselves a great big whole. All the families are petitioning to break off breeding contracts and get out those who want out. When the breeding partners start bailing from a family you know something is about to break very badly.”

“What will happen to my family?” Ash asked.

“That depends on the fallout,” Shin responded, “the pool was designed for when a family fell. The council of six has the option of paying you out a sixth of the pool, that would make your family very rich. Of course, then the competition for who would replace the Meita as the sixth family would begin. There are several genetic companies who are technically tenth generations, thanks to their interbreeding with our families. And the tweakers, of course.”

“What about the tweakers?” Bri and Ash asked at the same time.

“What, you two don’t know?” Layaent growled, ending his conversation with Taya, “if a genetic family falls, the natural decision that has always been given during hypothetical theory testing is that the tweakers of the genetic family steps up and becomes a genetic family.”

“He just said-” Ash started.

“I know what he just said,” Layaent snapped, “but Shin isn’t an oldest, he doesn’t have to participate in hypothetical theory testing. I’m telling you straight out, if the Meita family are removed from power than the first family to be considered as a genetic family are the tweakers of the Meita. Then, most likely, the Meita would become tweakers.”

***

Ash was so stunned that he didn’t quite comprehend what he had been told, even as he was led before the council of six. The Meita member had rejoined the council and looked absolutely pissed. For a genetic, that really said something about the emotions going through the man’s mind.

The meeting was held on Ishteshtin territory, with the council pooling their resources to rent out a civic center for the families. For all the families had a group there to representing them. Genetics stood beside their tweaker families. Genetics dressed in specific colours with their tweaker families being dressed in a shade of the colour that the genetics wore. This allowed Ash, and any of the milling multitude of witnesses gathered, to easily distinguish between the different families.

As the center of attention, the council of six sat on a stage and behind a long, draped table. Each council member had a glass of water before them and a flat screen computer that they would use to call up information.

Such a congregation had not been seen in three generations, not since the tweakers had demanded more rights as the commoners had demanded genetic alterations for one and all. The families did not gather their head of households together under one roof for just any reason. Even for balls, where tweakers and genetics gathered together, heads of the houses rarely attended unless it was their own family hosting the ball.

That way, if a ball was attacked, for whatever reason and in whatever form, the heads of the households would not be hurt or killed. Genetic families could still run, could survive the attack and retaliate quickly.

Security was, understandably, tight. Everyone was scanned with a metal detector and it took Layaent’s growling for Shin to be allowed into the center wearing his star ring. Claimed it was too small of a size to come back off and that if the guard dared to take the finger of a genetic of the Ishteshtin line, by all means, try.

The guard had backed down, though Ash was sure that it had more to do with Layaent’s odd ability to make himself look twice as large as he actually was. Ash and Shin were seated at a table on the main floor with the heads of the household because they were the ones who started things. If anyone wanted to know why the investigation had begun, they only had to ask.

“The council of six,” the Ishteshtin said, a microphone attached to his lapel picking up his voice and broadcasting it to everyone in the civic center, once the last family members had entered and sat down, “was called together to investigate a most disastrous accusation. Only to discover that this accusation was just the tip of the iceberg. Meita.”

Meita stood, and glared at his family members, “it has been discovered that the Meita family is broke. Silence!” everyone broke out in murmurings at once and quieted down slowly as Meita raised his hands and his voice, “silence! If you think that is bad. I will speak frankly, to save us all some time. We’ve families to run and have not all day to waste.

“The Meita family is broke, their income is gone and they are in debt, most of these debts are owed to most of the families, no less! They have taken from the income of their tweaker family to pay for the few alterations they made to their tenth generation. Most of the generation did not even get biological standards as is written in laws. Class four, five, six, ten, fourteen and twenty felonies were found. Sixty clauses were broken in the contract between the Meita and the…” Meita glanced down, “Hawk family. Are there any other claims wish to be made?”

Ash stood and adjusted his shirt.

“Yes, you, at the witness table?”

“It was recently brought to my attention that a withdrawal from the pool was made in my name, supposedly to pay for my education.”

“Did you not sign the papers?” Meita asked.

“I didn’t learn how to sign my name until I graduated and began writing reports for my job,” Ash responded, sitting when Ishteshtin motioned for him to.

Meita went a scarlet colour, swallowed and looked to Ishteshtin, down the table. Ishteshtin stood as Meita sat. The man cleared his throat and tapped several times at the screen. From behind him, a projection screen lowered and the information that was on Ishteshtin’s flat screen appeared on the projection screen. Ishteshtin flipped to the pool fund, typed in Ash’s name and called up the funds, then with an ease that surprised Ash, the man slid into the withdrawal and traced the money as it moved through several different funds and ended up at a company called PRD.

“Hey, that account appeared twenty years previous to this payment,” Shin said, drawing the eyes of the council members.

“We’ve not seen this before.” Ishteshtin growled, looking not to the Meita councillor, but the head of house, “though we have detected odd happenings in the numbers, things not adding up, we were not aware of where the money was going to. What is PRD?”

“We refuse to answer,” the Meita head of household responded, “this investigation is a violation of our rights.”

The Meita council member twitched.

“A common claim,” Ishteshtin responded, “one that does not apply to the council of six. If I might remind you, the council of six is above the law and above you. We are answerable only to the heads of the tweaker household. Thus I ask, tweakers, is the council of six out of line in this investigation?”

Silence predominated over the civic center.

“I’m joking, of course,” Ishteshtin muttered, “Without the permission of the heads of the tweaker household, we could not carry out our investigation. Meita, by all means, scream as much as you please, take it as a joke if you wish. However, when you look to those around you, you will see that they are not laughing.

“The charges brought against the Meita family are not brought against all members of the family, but a majority,” the Meita councillor stood, “of those in charge. This is one case where the sin of the fathers is passed to the sons, for without money, those who are lesser members of the family have no way to support themselves. As per the contract holders who have been trying to remove themselves from the household. Short of showing a breech of contract, these requests are being denied.

“Your families married into this house and there are two members of other families who have contracted into the Meita family and taken part in illegal activities. Thus one or two have ruined it for everyone. The council has deemed that all possessions of the Meita are to be sold at auction, the family is to be shamed publicly. Each person accused of a crime will be tried and when found guilty will be disciplined starting with the punishment least likely to result in death.

“Each head of household, and when I say each, I mean each, are to witness the final executions of those involved. After which time the heads of households, of genetic and tweaker alike, are to perform one hundred hours of community service and complete a seminar that commoners use to… produce trusting feelings amongst members of a company,” Meita’s lip turned upward as he spoke, “the council will participate in this last part.”

“What about the Meita council member?” the Ishteshtin head of household muttered as he looked down at the Meita head of household, who was going an odd gray colour.

Meita’s council member sat as Ishteshtin’s council member stood and spoke, “The Meita council member was investigated as the council of six investigated the Meita family. He was found to be innocent in all his dealings, amazingly. The investigation can be found by anyone who wants to look at the file as well as all the evidence used to determine his innocence. As such, the Meita representative will sit on this council until his replacement is trained. Then he will take up as the head of the Meita household, as appointed by this council. He is the oldest Meita member, that we thus far know of, who is innocent. He is also the most qualified.

“As per,” Ishteshtin sighed, “the Meita family. They must renounce, one and all, their rights as genetics.” the man paused as everyone burst into an outcry. No one could believe what they were hearing, even Ash had trouble with the idea and he had been informed of it several hours previous. The din died down and Ishteshtin took a deep breath before he continued, “Which leaves us a family down.”

And they burst into questions, the entire crowd, witnesses and heads of the members of the household. The Meita wailed. The only quiet ones were Ash’s family, who were uncertain of their own fate. Or perhaps it had not sunk in for them yet. Perhaps they were still in that limbo place where they just didn’t comprehend what the Meita’s being removed from power meant.

“Silence!” Ishteshtin called out, raising his hands. People quieted down slowly and he waited for silence before he spoke, “with five families, this means we are in need of a sixth family. Whoever takes the place as the sixth family will inherit the…” he looked over at the screen beside his, as his was still projecting a list of crimes, “Hawk family of tweakers. Unless the Hawk family succeeds the Meita family. Should this happen, the Meita family will become the tweakers of the Hawk family. Should another tweaker family take over for the Meita, then the Meita will become tweakers to the old fund family of the tweakers who take over the sixth place.

“What I am saying, if it is not clear to you all here, this position is not open to the newgens, it is open only to the tweaker families. All those who wish to declare their intention to apply for the position, please speak now. Heads of the house, call out.”

“Aye,” Jeral, Ash’s father called out, from the back of the center, as the head of the Hawk household. The family members behind Jeral echoed his call, raising their arms into the air once.

Ishteshtin and Meita looked from one family to the next in turn, but no one spoke up. Either no one else wanted the position, or this was the tweaker families’ way of doling out vengeance. The position was, by right, Ash’s family’s. As the tweakers of the genetic family, it was only right that they rise to power as the Meita family fell.

“With no calls, the only application to be accepted will be from Hawk family. Should they be accepted,” Ishteshtin raised his hands to silence anyone before they could protest, “one sixth of sixteen trillion or the summation of the pool, at the time of being appointed as the sixth, will go into their funds for the running of the household and the purchasing of necessary contracts.

“No matter the outcome of the application of the Hawk family,” Ishteshtin paused to breath, “the Meita family will repay four generations of thievery, lying, abuse and misrepresentation of not only this council, but of the genetics themselves. The council believes this will take two generations to pay back and that it will be at least ten. More. Generations before the Mieta have enough money in their accounts to do anything besides pay for generic toilet paper to wipe their asses with.

“An example is being made of the Meita family, let no one. Commoner, tweaker or genetic, ever claim that the council of six did not uphold the laws of the families and stand for the tweakers, our partners in this eternal path of ours.”

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