The Short Story Compendium

[radio414]

Bearing in mind multiple failed fanfics, I have decided to make a compilation of short stories, as I find them easier to write and finish.

[spoiler=Section 1]

[spoiler=Story One: Trial]

Ten embryos were all placed in ten different artificial wombs. Each embryo was exactly the same, clones. The original, who was observing the process, nodded. Ten usable bodies for any medical need possible. Heart transplants, liver transplants, blood transfusions, you name it.

 

The lights went out. A power surge, most likely. The roll of thunder continued after. There must be a storm outside.

 

The lights didn't come back on.

Surgeons frantically ran about, trying to return the power to normal. The life support of the wombs were dying, and they would have to repeat a procedure.

 

Ten minutes passed. The lights cane on, the power restored. Despite the surgeons' best efforts, life could not be restored to clones number one, two, four, and eight, and five soon followed, already very weak.

 

Disgusted, the original left the hospital.

 

The following morning, the nurses came in, shocked. Clone number six had died in the womb. Seven and ten were weakened, leaving only clone number three at normal, with no signs of destabilizing. Because of this, the nurses only accelerated the growth of clone number three.

 

They were fired the next day. But the damage had already been done. Numbers six, seven, and ten died at 12:47 pm.

 

Number three grew at an above average pace, leaving the womb at eight months, and reaching full emotional, physical, and mental health at an accelerated 5 years. When the original came back to claim what he thought was five clones, he found only one, and refused to claim it, leaving it out and open into the world. Three didn't know what to do, now. It had learned how to read and write, but didn't know how to apply for a job. When it first tried, it was because it was without a resume.

 

The second time, it was better. Kind of.

The employer looked at There's resume, "I just have a couple of questions about your resume. I notice that you didn't fill in your name. What is it?

Without batting an eye, Three answered "They called me 'three' at the hospital, I was never officially christened."

The employer wrote the name down, "Ok, how about your age?"

"Six. I was put on accelerating chemicals that increased growth in all three areas."

The developer filled that in as well, "Good. Otherwise, there are no concerns, so welcome to the company." They shook hands, but instead of grabbing the palm, the employer grabbed the elbow, and slid his hand towards the wrist. Almost immediately, the employer recoiled, as if they had touched something vile. They mouthed the word "clone" before running off. Three looked at his arm. The word "duplicate" was on it. At least he was accepted.

 

He was fired the next day.

 

The next five employers were the same way, acceptance, then expulsion because of the word on his arm.

 

The seventh document Three filled in was a suit against the country on workers rights. Because no lawyer would work the case, Three represented himself. The representatives of the country made a normal defense, stating such things like clones are property, or "its" not "theys" presenting past DNA samples of clones and originals, and things like that. Then Three stood up and addressed the Chief justice directly. "Your honor, I do not dispute that I am a clone. What I can dispute, however, is the rights that humans have as a whole. Am I not human? Am I not entitled to the same rights as other man? I remember from my education that the Constitution gives rights to everyone regardless of race. This is the question I ask now: Am I human? Or am I some aberration that is destined to give some sort of organ to my original? I need an answer!"

 

The justices left the room.

 

The answer was nearly immediate "Three is a clone, and therefore not a human being. Because of this, he may not beg for the same rights as Homo Sapiens."

 

Disgusted, Three left the courthouse.

 

 

 

 

 

Questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, etc are welcomed.

[Twig]

Are going to make a second part of Story One, or are you going to make a new story?

 

I thought Story One was good. It would have been interesting as a chapter story, but it does need explanation since I have no idea how they made clones, and the other stuff that happened.

[Erinyes]

Your first story, for the most part at least, seemed more or less like a long summary of a story.

[Twig]

Erinyes has a good point. You could use more showing and less telling.

[radio414]

I might make a part two. I remember about five seconds after I wrote "Trial" I hated it, so... yeah.

[CrabHelmet]

It's like someone took one of those excessively numerous Star Trek episodes about the rights of androids/clones/holograms/aliens/whatever and made it even worse. The story is sliced down to the absolute barest bones and stripped of all logic via a complete lack of understanding of how scientific classification of species works - and when your story's understanding of science makes Star Trek look realistic, something is horribly, horribly wrong.