Replication

Chapter One

Chyna’s eyes widened, then she gasped as a sudden sharp pain deep inside ruptured. I must be coming undone. Her life flashed through her mind.

* * *

“Hold still,” Nadia, the maid said, “your hair is rats nest.”

Chyna giggled. The maid’s accent almost always made her giggle. “Remember, today’s a special one for your father, so behave well.”

Just as Nadia set the hair brush down, the door bell rang. Chyna leapt to her feet. Nadia said, “Young lady, you are. Do not forget!”

Chyna held down her impulse to run and walked very quickly to the front door. Thankfully, she arrived just a couple of steps ahead of the butler, James, who said, “Are you trying to take my job?”

She giggled. James was tall and thin, wearing his usual white shirt, black pants and jacket; although he never smiled, she liked him because of his pleasant temperment.

“I’m hoping it’s my bestest friend, Dalton.”

James opened the door. “You should say, ’best friend.’ Bestest is not a word.”

“It is to me.”

“Your mother will be upset if you get dirty, young lady,” he reminded her.

Chyna shouted, “Man am I glad to see you, Dalton. I feel like a stuffed turkey who needs fresh air.”

James put his hand on Chyna’s shoulder and said, “Remember, stay clean.”

Chyna saw the football in Dalton’s hand and frowned. “I told you yesterday I was going somewhere this morning. I can’t get my nice clothes dirty.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’m not planning on playing tackle. We can just toss the ball around. Why do you have to go to this stupid meeting anyway?”

“It’s not stupid. My father’s giving an important speech. He said, ’It’s necessary to have a solid family presence’.”

Dalton laughed at her attempt to imitate her father’s deep voice. “You’ll get bored out of your gourd.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” she said in a voice close to a whine.

“You’re not getting me in a monkey suit—not in a million years.”

“It wouldn’t kill you.” She placed her hands on her hips and pouted.

“I wouldn’t be so sure ’bout that, and just ’cause you gotta suffer doesn’t mean I gotta too.” He placed the ball in her hands. “I’ll go out for a pass.”

Within minutes, Chyna was lost in the fun of their game. One thing she liked about Dalton was he treated her like a normal kid—not one whose father was a millionaire. She went to a special school where most of the kids were too snotty to make friends with. She met Dalton three years ago at the mall when she was five, and he was nine. He asked if she wanted some of his candy. They had been friends ever since.

Her parents didn’t like Dalton. They said he was not of her class and was much too old for her to play with. Because of her parents attitude, he never came in the house. His parents were so different. Their small apartment was in a high rise a couple blocks away. They  always greeted her happily and treated her kindly.

The ball bounced off her head. Dalton laughed. “You day dreamin’ or something?”

She shouted at him, “I’ll show you day dreaming, buster.” She threw the ball at him as hard as she could.

He caught it and said, “Wow! That was a really tight spiral. Excellent throw.”

She smiled and bowed at the waist. “Thank you, Sir Dalton.”

Once in a while Dalton played a knight, and she was a damsel in distress. She enjoyed make-believe. It gave her a break from the real world. Chyna snapped out of her thoughts by the sight of the ball in the air.

It sailed higher than she expected, and she ran to catch it. The ball continued over her head and landed on the ground. It took a hard bounce and went forward, end over end. She heard Dalton shout, but she ignored him.

She heard a loud s c r e e c h, then pain drove her into darkness.

* * *

Chyna opened her eyes to a few blinking lights in the darkness. She felt as if she were floating. Her nose itched, and she attempted to lift her hand, but it wouldn’t move. Fear struck her like a hammer when she realized she was paralyzed. “Where am I?” she called out, but no one answered. She knew she was in a hospital. Why is no one here with me? Tears fell from her eyes.

She lay awake staring at the blinking machines. She was relieved at the sound of the door opening. At the sight of a young nurse, she said, “Are my parents here?”

“It is good you are awake. I will get the doctor, and he will speak with you.”

Chyna wondered why a simple question couldn’t be answered with a simple answer. Thankfully, her wait was a short one.

The doctor had a craggy face and a bald head. He said, “My name is Dr. Harry.”

Chyna giggled. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

He smiled. “I called your parents. I wanted to tell you a few things before they arrived. You were hit by a Mag-hov, and you’ve been in a coma for fifteen days. Your left leg, hip, and arm were broken, and you suffered a spinal cord injury.”

“How long until I’m well again?”

“We can’t fix your spinal injury.”

She heard the doctor’s sad words and closed her eyes. She wanted to scream in protest. How could all the dreams of her life come to an end so quickly? It was unfair this should happen to her. I hope Dalton comes soon; I need him. It was a terrible feeling, knowing I needed someone, but they were nowhere around. Maybe that was why I felt so distant from my parents. It was almost like not even having a family.

After what seemed a long while, she heard the door open again, then she heard her mother’s harsh voice.

“If you had listened to me about that rotten Dalton kid, you wouldn’t be here in this bed now.”

Tears slipped down Chyna’s eyes. She needed love not disdain. “Can I see Dalton?”

The expression of disbelief on her mother’s face was all the answer she needed. Her mother snapped, “I’ll never allow him near you again. He did this to you on purpose out of spite. We called the police about him, but they refused to do anything.”

“It’s not his fault; it was an accident.”

“No, Chyna, he waited until a Mag-hov was coming down the street, then he tossed the ball over your head on purpose.”

“How do you know? You were in the house.”

“James was standing on the porch. He heard and saw everything. James said he shouted a warning to you, but you didn’t hear it.”

“The last I remember was Dalton coming to the door, but he would never do anything to hurt me—not ever.”

* * *

After two months, Chyna’s hospital stay ended. She was transported home to her room on the second level of the house. A technician awaited her. A short robot floated into the room. “This is a Drobbie model AI-A. It can assist you in many different ways.” The technician put a Personal Compact Computer on her left wrist and a pair of glasses on her head. “To activate your nanglas, blink your eyes rapidly three times and to close it, blink twice. Go ahead and try it.”

Chyna did as instructed. “I see a vid.”

“Excellent. All you need now is to say, ’PCC; AI-A menu,’ then you will see a list of its various functions. Vocally select what you want and go from there.”

Chyna was grateful for the Drobbie, but she missed Dalton so much. It was hard to believe six months had already passed since returning home. She missed school and even the snotty kids, but now she had an AI-logue for a teacher. Her isolation from people was only broken by Nadia and James on a regular basis. Her father never came to her room and her mother infrequently.

"PCC; AI-A." A panel in the wall opened, and a levitating wheel chair floated out to her bed. When it reached her bed, she said, "Gravs." She floated slightly off the bed, and the upper part of the wheel chair extended outward, and two flat pieces extended under her, conforming to her body. "Gravs; normal."

She was pulled into the wheelchair. "Bathroom."

While Chyna sat in her wheelchair in the shower stall, she reflected on how technology had taken over her life. A narrow arm on the wheelchair held a wash cloth and gently wiped her face.

After her bath, the AI-A dressed her and took her to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. After her meal, she floated back upstairs to her room to prepare for another day of home schooling.

Chyna’s life became even more isolated when her father was elected mayor. They moved into Gracie Mansion. The worst part was that Nadia and James could no longer live in the house because of some stupid city rules. They both quit to work for someone else, and she was left with no one to talk to.

Her father was busy with his mayoral duties, and her mother was devoted to entertaining and other interests. Chyna felt neglected, but there was nothing she could do to change her situation. She wasn’t allowed to use the internet. Her parents feared she would try to contact Dalton.

Lonely days became trying months, which turned into very long years. As Chyna’s eighteenth birthday drew near, she could feel the excitement building within her. She planned to leave home on her birthday. Her father was now the President of the United States, and her situation was even worse than when he was mayor.

Secret service agents following her everywhere put a real damper on her life. She would receive a small part of her trust fund at eighteen, and she planned to put it to good use and get out of here.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother. “Dr. Horace Matthews is here to see you.”

Her mother told her she’d found a doctor who could help her, but Chyna had seen many doctors over the years, and none of them were able to do anything for her, so she didn’t expect much.

Dr. Matthews entered the room. His tall, thin frame seemed out of place for his large head, which held a mop of thinning brown hair. He appeared middle-aged or maybe a bit older. “Hello, Chyna.”

His smooth, engaging voice surprised her. He could have been an announcer for a news broadcast. “Hello, Dr. Matthews.”

“I’ve seen many patients over the last twenty-five years, but you will be the first one for my new procedure. What do you know of nanotechnology?”

“Not much.”

“In that case, I will give you a more detailed explanation of what I can for you. Other doctors were not able to help you because the damage to your spinal cord was too severe. I’ve created programmable nanomachines. Thousands of these microscopic machines can be ingested and sent to the damaged area where they will repair it.”

“How will they leave my body?”

“When they complete their work, they dissolve so the body can absorb and excrete them.

Chyna grimaced at the thought. “How soon would I be able to walk?”

“You will still need physical therapy to build up the muscle strength in your legs, but I believe within a few months, you’ll walk again.”

Chyna smiled. “That’s great.”

“Because of the importance of this operation, a vid crew will be making a documentary,” he said. “Your permission is needed, and you will be asked to do interviews.”

“I can do that. I just want to walk again.”

“Excellent. Now I want to introduce my assistant, Dalton Edwards.”

Dalton entered the room. He had changed a lot over the past ten years. Chyna didn’t know what to say. He pulled a chair up to her bed and sat. “I will talk quietly, so the secret service agent won’t hear us. I’m sorry for what happened to you. I tried many times over the years to see you, but your parents wouldn’t allow it.”

Tears fell from Chyna’s eyes. “I know, and I never blamed you, Dalton. Do my parents know you are the doctor’s assistant?”

Dalton smiled. “No, and I have no plans to tell them.”

“How soon will I have this operation?”

“About six months at the earliest.”

“Why so long?” she asked in whiny voice.

“Because you are a brat, and brats take longer to cure.”

She laughed. “Sorry, it just came out that way.”

“The nanomedibots need to be programmed for specific functions. The writing of those instructions takes time. You have an appointment at Dr. Matthews lab in Alexandria this next Friday at ten in the morning. Bring all your medical history and insurance information with you.”

All to soon, Dalton said, “I need to go, and I will see you Friday.”

“Must you go?”

“Yes, I have a full schedule.”

“Perhaps . . . you could stop by later?”

“I’m sorry, Chyna. I spend most of my free hours with, Dalia, my fiance.”

Chyna felt a stab to her heart. She wanted to protest at the injustice of life. Dalton belongs to me, so said her heart, but in her mind she knew he’d been lost to her long ago.

Her facial expression must have showed her pain because he put his hand on hers and said, “I’m sorry. Until I met Dalia, I thought I would never get past my hurt from being separated from you. This operation will restore your health, and you will meet the perfect person.”

Chyna sighed. I already have. “I will see you Friday.”

After Dalton left, Chyna wept. Everything that mattered to her had been taken away. She prayed this operation would be a success.