Genetic Anomaly

Prologue

Life in a modified world

A short historical account of the past to the present

I opened my mandatory historical society studies book and opened to the first chapter. I laughed at what I read...

In 2030, promises were made. Goals were meant to be reached. A new clean world. All of the plans the world had made to save their future went to shit.

2017, a revolutionary event in history that started the down spiral of the civilised, modern human democracy in Great Britain and eventually the rest of the world. BREXIT. Britains foolish decision to leave the European Union. One silly gamble for popularity and they lost the Greatness they were so named after. What was done was done. What could they do? There was no way stubborn Brits would admit their mistake, so no longer a European country they became. Trying to make the best of their mistake, Britain tried to come up with trade agreements with the European Union. Yet, all propositions were denied until the only agreement that was accepted was the second step to the world's downfall. Now, Brits were no longer allowed to travel to Europe without visas, trade agreement prices were increased drastically and all other former agreements were nullified.

Brexit caused huge tension between Europe, Britain and America. Britain and America made a new trade agreement and alliance now that both were independent countries. Prices of exported items into Britain sky rocketed, causing even more tension, food shortages and unrest in Britain. Eventually by the late 2020s, many of Britain's former democratic ways had vanished, replaced by restrictive, unquestionable laws to keep order and prevent mayhem erupting. By the 2030s , nearly all Britain's former glory had shattered into an almost Communist style society. America was no better. Under the reign of the infamous Donald Trump, foreigners were driven out either by force or by the inequality between the coloured and the whites. By the same year, 2030, many equalities afforded back in the 2010s were disappearing and replaced by restrictive laws made by those who succeeded Trump and kept his legacy alive. America was also not spared from food shortages. The huge demand for food carried on while, immigrant, foreign workers diminished and food product wained. GM foods were untested and dangerous, yet because of demand of food, drastic food experiments caused dangerous side effects to much of the population in America.

All the world was not spared the food shortages. By 2030, the population had nearly reached 10 billion and overpopulation was a huge but ignored problem. With the crisis of food shortages and overpopulation, plans of eco and environmental preservation were left to waste. This was the third step into the world's destruction. By 2035, many of the world's water sources were so badly polluted they couldn't be saved. Many species were brought to extinction. The Bornean orangutan, Pika, Giant Otter, Amur Leopard, Black-footed ferret, Darwin's Fox, Sumatran Rhinoceros, White-rumped vulture. These animals already on the brink of extinction in the late 2010s were no more by the 2030s. Protected areas of rainforest, savanna and many others were raided and no longer had any protection from poachers. In short, by 2040, the world was a bomb waiting for a fuse to light it and explode.

The fuse to this bomb was the D Mutation Epidemic. The last step in the old world's destruction. 2034, food shortages, overpopulation, global warming, rampant pollution, the list goes on and on. But the one thing people didn't expect was a medical catastrophe. America was under huge pressure with GM foods and other products including medicines. In the 2030s, many people had become resistant to antibiotics since control over medical intake was not recorded and people's bodies became immune to any healing effects. This meant new drugs were produced in a rush under the demanding pressure. Drugs were provided to the public incompletely tested. The medical producers didn't realise their mistake, only thinking for profit and gain. Medicine was a luxury item by the 2030s, the smallest amounts being sold for hundreds to the public. So when a new antibiotic miracle drug, named zablanex, was used by anyone who could get their hands on it, no one expected the consequences to be so high. The new drugs side effects were on the reproductive system, causing many young adults to become sterile. Then those who were able to have children found that the drugs genetically altered their children. Their children were still born, disfigured or disabled. This Doomsday Mutation epidemic, D Mutation, caused the birth rate to fall to dangerous levels. By 2040, the world's population had fallen to 4 billion, since no new generations were being born to replace the dead.

The rush to find a cure for this epidemic was on and eventually scientists found they could genetically alter reproductive cells to be resistant to the mutative gene and therefore, result in a healthy pregnancy and birth. The Great Hope was discovered by a Doctorite Scientist, Nina Vonboivitch. With genetic modification being the key to the epidemic, views and laws on restricted genetic and medical testing changed. People became more open to the idea of genetic modification. Opening a whole new world of possibilities.

After finally all the faulty genomes were altered and a new healthy generation was being birthed, people decided to reset the world. To finally resolve meaningless disputes and inequalities. New laws were passed throughout the world. The Offspring Act, which limited the number of children people could have so that overpopulation would never become so out of hand again. The Equality Union, finally equalising the gap in gender. And the Count Check, that registered every person, fingerprints, DNA, name, birth certificate, address, every little change in someone's life from birth til death. This enabled crimes to be easily traced back, causing the crime rate around the world to plummet to record setting digits. Finally everything seemed to be falling into place. Unfortunately, as humans, things never stay peaceful for long.

With the population finally stable again, no wars anywhere in the world for the first time in centuries and people finally taking responsibility of restoring the planet's health back, science and technology flourished. By the beginning of the 2050, genetic modification had advanced far beyond changing a baby's gender or looking into genetic illnesses. People had the luxury of choosing their babies appearance, their personalities. Almost anything someone could imagine. However, these facilities came at a high cost. Only the rich and famous could afford such luxuries. This new availability caused the rich to genetically engineer their offspring to be advanced at one thing. People in accounting, for example, could alter their children to be incredible at mathematics or have an incredible memory for numbers. This new generation of engineered workers meant that those at the top stayed at the top and no one else could reach their level of success. The rift from this generation altering caused the hierarchy to start to crumble until, a new government stepped up to take control and resolve the problem.

The Core was born. They created a new system. The Elites and The Normals or Norms. The Elites were totally cut off from the Norms of society. Going to their own schools, having different restaurants, having more advanced technology. Essentially having their own society. While the Norms had what they'd always had. Same schools, restaurants, technology. It kept everyone happy, or that was the logical solution.

I folded the corner of the page I'd finished reading and mulled over how history had brought us to this day and age. I lived in the Golden Age of the 2060s. Where everything was perfect and where we all lived in harmony, keeping the circuit going for a prosperous, bright future. I laughed. All of it a lie.  Let me tell you the truth of a life in a modified world.