CHAPTER SIXTEEN

‘Is this all we are to expect?’ he walked briskly, hands plunged into his pockets. She struggled to keep up with him.

‘But Abel is asking for equal rights for us, the same as the Non-Labs!’

‘And we are all to sit quietly, waiting to see if they are going to be gracious enough to grant us our rights! Grateful for any crumbs they toss our way. Existing as second-class citizens.’ The youth stopped and stood looking angrily at the ground. Slowly he raised his head. ‘No! That’s not good enough for me! No substandard race is going to treat me like this!’

The girl, who was about his age, looked less sure of herself. ‘What are you going to do about it?’

‘I am going to show them who is superior!’

He started to walk again. She stood for a moment, then hurried to his side.

‘How are you going to do that?’

He walked on in silence for a while, then stopped and faced her again.

‘The Centre. It wasn’t all bad, you know.’

‘They were creating us Labs as spare parts for their own people!’ she protested.

He nodded slowly. ‘Yes, but they were able to create beings of a much higher standard than their own flawed species! Think of the Centre as the springboard for a future, perfect race! Don’t you want to be part of the new world?’