THE FIRST ANGEL 12 &13

12

 

I found Dietmar by the hotel entrance with three people. I recognised one of them as Anders Eriksdotter who gave the presentation on future populations. He broke off his serious looking conversation as I approached. Dietmar excused himself explaining he was taking me to “The Old Grill” for breakfast. The little group spread apart. I shook hands with each one as they peeled off.

The snow clouds passed in the night leaving the tree tops rounded off with dazzling snow contrasted against an almost Mediterranean blue sky. The stunning scene surrounding us didn’t seem to have lifted Ditmar’s mood. His greeting was curt, he hardly spoke while we followed the path joining hotel to the glass domed centre. Around us I could hear the hum of snow clearing machines.

A low whistling sound grew louder. Dietmar stopped to look up at a large personnel drone passing slowly just above the conifers. We watched the black spider-like machine hover over a point a short distance away before descending out of view. Its eight propellers raised a cloud of sparkling ice crystals. Tiny diamonds drifted down through the branches speckling our coats.

‘The big guns are here,’ Dietmar brushed the snow from his clothes muttering, ‘Scheisskopfen.’

‘Friends of yours?’

‘These are the guys who’ve come to turn everything we’ve worked on upside down.’  

‘So that’s what this meeting is about?’

‘It’s not so much a meeting as a directive.’

‘What do you mean?’

We reached the entrance to the Old Grill. I remembered from childhood this place would probably have been a pancake house.

‘Let’s get some food.’

Over a light continental style breakfast Dietmar told me NATO and the US anthropological research (UAR) did a big study and didn’t like the conclusions. They said Euresco was dragging its feet. They want to go down a much more revolutionary path before it got too late. In other words they wanted to take risks. The meeting was to detail a reorganisation. When Dietmar finished he looked at me and smiled.

‘I don’t suppose you are going to tell me what Lila-Grace said to you yesterday.’

‘Swore me to secrecy.’

We both laughed.

‘I guess she told you about Brenda. . . . Don’t answer that, Jonny.’

‘She came to see me this morning to warn me DUIA want to move Sally.’

‘I’m not surprised, from what I’ve heard she could be in danger out there in Norfolk’s hinterland. Do you trust Lila?’

‘I don’t think she’s lied to me, but.’

‘You wouldn’t put it past her.’

‘I think Lila’s life is one endless game of chess.’

‘And you are one of her pieces?’

‘I hope not a pawn, but yes. She’s definitely trying to play me.’

‘It can’t be easy for her. It’s a tough job.’

‘I don’t get the impression she’s out of her depth.’

‘I guess not. We should be going, I need to be at the cottage to make sure everything is ready for them,’

Outside a small Botcar stood ready take us to the plush Euresco cottage complex.

The staff greeted us at the door. One of them led us to a large lounge. Through an open door I could see the rather compact room where the meeting was to take place. The setting was unusual. Ten comfy armchairs arranged in a semi-circle each equipped with a small rest for people to place notebooks. The all had a name card. At the front a small desk on the left and a flat-screen on a stand to the right.

Dietmar suggested I waited in the lounge until the others arrived. I got a glass of orange juice from a table with about twenty containing various kinds of juices and squatted on a seat while he fussed around in the meeting room. The time was 09.30, the meeting was due to start at 10.00.

Anders Eriksdotter and Manuel De los Hoyos arrived on foot. At 09.55 a limousine arrived. Lila stepped out looking immaculate accompanied by Professor Maskell, a rather mousey woman and three suits. Dietmar guided all of us to our chairs and the meeting began.

After it was over I came out of the room a different person.

 

13

The results of the study were laid bare, or rather it laid the future of humanity bare.

The estimated percentage of the world population resistant to the virus was 0.001% or put another way there remained 7000 humans about half were fertile women in 2023. Hardly new information.

In the following fifteen years a much lower number of children were born than expected. The numbers fell short of calculated figure of 8000. The CIA and UDIA intelligence indicated 4000. The reason for the deficit was not known, population stress and cultural breakdown was likely the reason.

The bulk of the births are believed to be in high populations. Estimates indicated China and India around a 700 each; 700 spread over Asia-Pacific; 1000 in the Americas; 700 African continent; 1000 Europe and Russia. Over half were untraced. 323 known deaths occurred. This number of people spread so widely over the entire globe would likely lead to an eventual extinction.

As if that wasn’t enough tests on recent pubescent samples (as the suits put it) showed a trend of 75% embryonic or infantile damage from parental infection causing mainly female infertility. Ericdotter’s estimated minimum of 700,000 new babies by 2045 may never be achieved.

Finally research into failed IVF procedures found the virus also damaged the uterus in most cases. Placing laboratory fertilised eggs in thousands of donor women was looking impossible unless a way of making them stay in place could be found.

In the democratic region the programme – of which I was part – currently had seventy-five children on research centres throughout Europe and North America. In most cases the children were with their parents. Sally and a few others were alone.

The DUIA believe China were running an intense breeding programme in the hope of attaining an idealised population to dominate the globe over the coming generations. To counter this NATO and UAR want to set up cloning and parthenogenesis research programmes alongside the current natural birth programme as a matter of urgency. The programme to be run by Euresco and URA under the protection of UDIA.

The suits summarised this as pulling out all the stops to prevent the disaster of extinction within the free thinking World. Huge efforts were being made into AI research to produce a viable support network for the new generation after the passing of current ageing population. Sally’s parents would, along with other “chosen” partners would be entered into cloning programmes.

Children like Sally would be raised in specialised “crèche centres” where they would be monitored and educated to the highest standards to produce a future “elite” to guide the regeneration of a new free population. This was to be termed as “The Guardian Angel Programme.” (GAP)

To my mind the whole thing stank.

When they told me I was to be the President of GAP and an associate director of the cloning/virgin birth programme I refused. I told them I was not a god and had no intention of being one.

It took days of meetings, negotiations and threats before Lila, Dietmar and one particularly nasty suit convinced me I was the only who could run their operations.

I never understood why.