Children of Men (closed)

[psg420]

Times were changing. There hadn't been a child born in 19 years. It was odd looking at my little brother and thinking this will be the youngest any human ever lives to...

He was still young when it started, maybe 6, but Jet could still remember clearly his mother staring at the TV awestruck. All of the sudden no woman could have babies. It was odd the direction the world went. Jet and his family of six lived in Ireland until his youngest brother turned 7 and the world began collapsing. Education investing began to go and schools were being closed, toy stores boarding up their windows. From Ireland they went to America, where there was still enough money floating around to make education worth while. Jet accelled, while his two younger brothers lived life as the last generation.

They were free and beautiful, they partied hard, did what they wanted and with the newly installed Quietus they had places to call home, which was beginning to become a problem out west. However, Jet and the Reynolds family were on the East Coast nestled in Delaware. Jet was able to pick his program based on his test programs and he studied to be a doctor. He learned everything from how to put somebody to sleep with gas or other drugs to basic surgeries and even how to deliever a baby.

Although his brothers didn't believe it, Jet was determined to seek out girls that could be pregnant and he was able to set up a clinic in New York City. It was a changed city, very, very dreary. The luster was gone, but the concrete jungle still had over 20,000,000 call it home. Jet was determined to find out if any kids could be born. He worked the hospital as head anesthesiaologist and physician. It was a good amount of work, but the weekends allowed to cut off and the cities party scene was flourishing and drugs were easy to get and all the rage. New York was a sorry city, but so was the whole world.

Jet arrived at the clinic early this morning. 5 AM he usually opened up and took in women that were injured or drug users. Today was rainy and quiet. He took the elevator to the top of the building where his office was and looked out. 25 years old and he might be in a lost cause. He had enough money to employ anybody, but he just wanted to find the women. Jet knew he had contacts all over New Jersey, New York and up and down the East Coast, but he knew a pregnant woman might have a tough time coming to the city. Here he had the best technology and he was well defended in the safe part of Manhattan, around the the Lincoln Tunnell and by the ferry.

He sat upstairs and looked out on the rough city and wondered what the future could possibly hold.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate: http://mixfashions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Beauty-in-Brown-Hair.jpg



Kate was a woman who prided herself on remembering all the small details. Some would say that she had a photographic memory. She had been three when the news broke about a world wide stoppage of births. She could remember her mother crying over the cradle of her baby sister, lamenting that the large family she had once dreamed of would stop at two.

Living in a small town in Maine, Kate had grown up in relative peace. Her little sister, Liz, was the golden child, the one that everyone fawned over and it had caused Kate to strive that much harder to show that she herself was worthy of the same love and affection.

Her sister was the wild child, the one that met and bedded men left and right. The very thought was distasteful to Kate and she focused her attentions on a nice little relationship with a local farmer. He was handsome, treated her kind, and there was talk of marriage. Then he was killed in a freak accident which left her alone and, most surprising of all…pregnant.

The very thought was unheard of. There hadn’t been a pregnancy in nearly 16 years, at least one that was publicly acknowledged. What Kate had done was nothing short of a miracle. She kept the news to herself, hiding it from her family until the rumors began to spread around town. Little did she know that there were people beyond her neat little borders that would take an intense interest in her.

The group of men came one night when she was six months pregnant. Sitting in her mother’s living room, they had told her that they were there to take her to New York. There was a facility there that would care for her and the baby, one that would insure that mankind didn’t die out.

As her mother and sister cried, her father looking on in shocked silence, she agreed. The trip was long, tiring, brutal. Under the stress, Kate felt herself slowly sinking. By the time they reached New York City, the baby was gone. Her perfect little boy, the last reminder of her one great love, was stillborn. She named him Adam and had him placed in a sunny little spot in a graveyard outside of the city, a place she would visit often to dream about a future that was to never be.

In the aftermath, it became apparent that the staff of the clinic needed someone like her working for them. They needed a woman that could relate to these others out there that were hiding and scared. So, for the past three years, she’d been working to track these women, to bring them home safely, to maybe even save humanity.

It was 6am as she arrived at the hospital, a thick file under her arm as she placed her rain coat at her desk and moved towards the elevator. Hitting the button for the top floor, she thought briefly on the information that she had today. It seemed promising and she hoped the doctor would agree.

As the doors opened, she walked down the corridor, entering his office without knocking. She’d known Jet for three years, respected the man and his work, and admired his conviction. He was doing his best for a hopeless situation and she could see the desperation on his face as he stared out over the city.

“They think they’ve found one.” She said, placing the file on his desk. “In upstate New York. This one seems promising.”

 

[psg420]

He wondered where his brothers were in this mess of a world. They were probably out with some tribe getting fucked up and living the last lives humans may live. He just hoped that whatever life they were leading was making them happy. It made him think about himself and wonder. Was he happy? He was still so young and the days were growing shorter and shorter. His work at the clinic had nothing to yield and he grew tired of fixing broken bones and aiding junkies.

Jet still in his heart of hearts believed there was someone out there who was pregnant. He still hope. Jet was educated and although his days grew boring, knowing humans may still exist out there with another generation kept him going. He was one of the last truly trained professionals out there. Although the states were growing chaotic, Jet knew he was doing good work.

Someone entered his office and Jet turned to see who it was. He smiled at Kate and looked at her with curiosity. She had a big file under her arm. Kate was a hard worker and a staple at the clinic. For three years Jet had known Kate and always respected the work she did for him. He knew she was from Maine and went through a lot to get to the city. Jet always had a great amount of respect for any woman that could make it here during these days.

'Upstate? How far away?' Jet asked as he picked up the file and began to read it.

This team upstate was a pretty good one. A team of two that worked a pretty wide range, but were very dedicated. Zoe Tach was her name and she was 20 years old and believed to be pregnant. Jet checked the basics and put the file down. It was the best lead they had in months from people that he trusted and respected. He looked at Kate and allowed a small grin to creep up his face.

'How long do you think you can get ready in?'

Jet already began moving to collect some of his stuff. He had his call bag in the closet. It contained everything a doctor may need and even a small ultrasound device. He was going to get the team ready. The call team was a select group that Jet picked to accompany him out when they needed to make calls. It was a dangerous time they lived in and three armed guards accompanied them everywhere. They traveled in an armored car and Jet had two nurses as well as Kate along for the ride. He pressed a button on his phone letting everyone know to get ready for some action.

'I've got a good feeling about this.'

 

[heartofcourage]

“Near the border.” Kate said as she pointed to the small city near Canada where Miss Zoe Tach lived. “She’s twenty and from what our informants have said, this is the real deal. Not like the Montsarri affair.”

The Montsarri affair had resulted in many deaths for the clinic. It was put on by a young woman who wanted to get to New York City from Atlanta. Kate had been in the thick of the mission and the disappointment in learning that the woman wasn’t pregnant was almost all consuming. They had lost a good doctor and three security guards. The woman now lived in New York City and she was never spoken of in the clinic by name.

“Oh, you know me, Doc. I’m always ready to go.” She said, smiling at Jet as he asked how long it would take her to get ready. “I can have the vehicle stocked and ready to go within the hour. Security knows the new protocol and our nurses are packed and ready to go.”

She always knew when Jet was excited from the way that he grinned. His eyes shined with great possibility and his enthusiasm was infectious. He was a good man, one that was respected and admired. She also worried that he would be hurt out there in the field. There were too few men like him out there in the world and it would be a great shame if he were hurt in the process of gathering these women.

“Are you sure you want to go on this one, Doc? I mean, we can handle this on our own. We’d only be gone a day or two.” She looked out for him in her own way, feeling the need to protect him from what was lurking out there in the uncertain world.

 

[psg420]

'Kate I want to be there.' Jet said it in a calm voice, but he knew he got his message across.

This was a very big deal to the doctor. He had seen so many lies and had lost friends trying to find the next generation. This was his lifes work and the doctor was keen on going even though it was very dangerous. Jet is a highly prized assest for any community trying to live on its own. He was a smart man and a good doctor. Jet knew what the stakes were and he was more than capable of handling himself. Smiling at Kate once more he headed towards the door.

'I'll see you at the truck in an hour. Get something to eat Kate.'

He smiled once more at his assisstant, but it was an excited smile. They might have something. Jet exited his office and proceeded downstairs to inform the head nurse that he would be leaving to persue this. Yannie was an older Jamacian woman, who was almost like a second mother to Jet. Although Jet was in charge of the clinic, Yannie ran it and she was good. She was a kind soul that was incredible with the girls that came in. He found her exited one of the examination rooms.

'Jet how are you sweetie?' Yannie asked him kindly. The accent also made keeping her around very easy.

'I'm good, the team and I are going upstate. I think we actually have something. I should be gone two days at the most. You know the procedure.'

'You be careful now. It's dangerous up there. We can't have you hurt now.'

'I know Yannie, thank you.'

She gave him a quick hug and went to another room down the hall. Jet proceeded to walk to the locker room. He undressed from his business suit and into his field gear. Jet tended to look sharp in almost anything. His name wasn't actually Jet, it was John, but his little brothers always though he looked as sharp as a fighter jet(little siblings...). As he grew into an athlete he was known for his speed. Despite being very busy, Jet always maintained his body. He wasn't incredibly tall, only 5'10, but he had a good looking body and his face was nice too. Bright blue eyes with high cheek bones and short, well kept brown hair.

After gearing up and taking care of other business he proceeded to the garage. He was excited and he felt good in his bones. Jet made his way towards the truck and spotted Kate. Always ready, he thought to himself. It really was nice having another dependable person around. Kate was kind and very good at this and Jet needed people like that around. She was strong too and a good strong will is something that was hard to find these days.

'Good to see you're the first one.' Jet lightly joked.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate watched Jet leave the office and smiled after him. Of course, she thought that he was a handsome man. There wasn’t a woman in the hospital who didn’t have the hots for the doctor. She just could never bring herself to act upon her feels…with any man really. There had been offers, especially once men found out that she’d once bore a child, but there was something unsavory about the whole situation.

With a sigh, she gathered her files and left the office, gathering the duffle bag that she had stashed at her desk. Draping her rain coat over her arm, she went into the cafeteria and bought a sandwich and an apple. It would be breakfast and lunch, enough to tide her over for a while.

By the time she made her way to the vehicle to pack her gear, she noticed that she was the only one there. It usually took longer for the nurses to pack and the security to arrive, but she hoped that they could be on their way by nightfall. It was always more dangerous to travel at night.

Kate paused as she heard Jet’s voice and she looked over her shoulder with a grin. “Oh, you know me, Doc. Always the first to arrive and the last to leave.”

She laughed softly, sitting in the passenger’s seat and unwrapping her sandwich as she watched Jet stow his gear beside hers. She smiled at him as she took a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich, her mind turning over the question that she really wanted to ask him.

“So, Doc…ummm…I’ve been having some of the male staff asking me…well, asking me out on a date.” Her eyes met his and she sighed softly. “Not that I would ever date a member of staff, but I get the feeling that they’re asking because of…well, because of what happened in the past.”