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"Bovine Parents"

CHAPTER 1

"Tommy, we have a very important announcement to make," Sandra said as she sat calmly at the dining room table, her son standing in the doorway, "it's something that's going to change our lives, and yours, from now on."

A worried look crept across Tommy's face. Sandra took a moment to breathe deeply as her husband Eric, sitting beside her, gently held her hand. It was beginning to shake. The Reimond family would indeed have their lives changed, but would her son be okay with it?

"Mom...dad...is this about our...money trouble?" he asked with a shaky tone. Tommy -- though only a teenager of fifteen -- already understood all too well his family's financial situation and what it meant if they couldn't pay off their debts. The world had grown unkinder since debtor's prisons were re-established and poor laws that'd make the most miserly Victorian aristocrat weep for the lower classes were brought in. His parents would be jailed and he'd be put into foster care. It was safe to say that no-one in the house wanted that kind of life.

Tommy walked to the table as Eric spoke up: "We know that you want to stay in school. Neither myself nor your mother could even think of pulling you out early to work and rob you of a good future, so we've decided to take drastic action to make sure our family survives."

Tommy's mother was holding back tears as her husband described the situation. She could barely believe things had gotten so bad. It had all started five years ago when the farm the Reimond family owned took a massive hit during the economic crash that rocked the entire country of Unimerica. The only option short of destitution was to sell the farm and move to a cheaper area. That land had been in Sandra's family for several generations and to see it gone utterly destroyed her spirits. It was only through the love for her son and darling husband she was able to recover.

From then on they lived on the outskirts of town, in an area that could politely be described as 'run down'. Eric worked at a local mall plaza as a security guard while Sandra took part-time jobs as a receptionist whenever one was available. Making ends meet was a daily struggle, so the pair worked long hours. Tommy was left to commute to school on one of the shittier busses (the family having sold their car -- another thing sacrificed to the seemingly endless maw of their creditors).

"Ever since we lost the farm, we've been struggling. You know that. Even after selling the land, the animals, the machinery there...there was nowhere near enough to even cover the lease on the old house. Or any of the agricultural contracts we had to renege on by not being able to produce. But that's going to change. We can use our experience to make some money again."

"You mean there'll be a new farm? Your going back to your old jobs? How? We don't have anything left to--" Eric coughed and raised his hand, stopping Tommy mid-sentence. "Not quite," he said, "and that's why we thought it was in your best interest to know -- well -- what's going to happen in the coming months. What's going to happen to...us," he gestured to himself and Sandra.

"To...you?" this statement did nothing to calm their son's growing anxiety.

"To us," Eric repeated. "Your mother and I have signed an agreement with an agri-genetics corporation. Bovinex, to be precise."

Eric watched a new fear manifest itself in his son's face. He knew that Tommy -- like most kids his age -- had heard the rumours of what sort of business they were dealing with. Agri-genetics was long seen in a horrific light, and no-one seemed to care what they did with those folks they took charge of. "Agri...but, you can't be serious," Tommy blurted out. Eric's expression now matched his son's: torn, afraid, ashamed. He felt Sandra's grip tighten around his hand as their son protested.

"They're gonna make you disappear, they're gonna experiment on you!"

"Tommy please."

"No, no no no...I can't believe what's happening."

"Sweetie," his mother raised her voice again, her composure regained, "we are doing this for the best."

"The best?" their son cried, "this...this isn't what's best! There has to be another way."

"Son," his father said, "no matter what happens we are still going to be here for you. We aren't going anywhere."

"Wha--" Tommy's sentence trailed off as he began to calm down. Now he felt worse about his panicky outburst than any nebulous threat to his parents. They were doing what's right, that's what they said. And more so they appeared, well, confident in their decision. Perhaps not_confidence_ per se -- but steady in their minds.

"I'm saying it won't be as bad as you think," Eric did his best to address his son's concerns. "Sandra and I spent a lot of time thinking about this, and a lot of time researching it."

This much was true. What Eric failed to mention was they'd been solicited by a tight-lipped company rep in town, seeking exactly the kind of down-and-outs his parents had become. The man made this quite obvious by his skulking around the social welfare offices, angling for the desperate and the hopeless. Much to their shame, the poverty-stricken couple accepted his offer.

He'd given Eric and Sandra a pamphlet with basic contact information but little else, so they decided to go about investigating the offer themselves before getting in touch. Tommy had always wondered why they felt the need to visit the public library whenever they could these past months, but as his father explained he began to see the whole picture. It did nothing but confirm his fears of what Bovinex and their ilk were up to.

* * *

It was hard to ascertain exactly what they had done, but the agri-genetics corporation had developed a new dairy farming process that so far hadn't been patented. A veil of secrecy was wrapped around news of this technology. No leaks, no substantial rumours, just a load of 'he-said-she-said' regarding this new approach. No-one involved in the development came forward, strict non-disclosure agreements sealed their lips and in some cases lucrative bribes had been given to government officials...allegedly. All Tommy's parents truly knew at the time was that Bovinex was looking for volunteers for a test programme.

With that in mind, on a cold Monday morning fresh before work, they picked up the phone and rang. Sandra, having the best 'professional' phone voice, spoke with the rep. Eric spent his time pacing back-and-forth across the house as he heard one side of a life-changing conversation.

It took ten minutes to conduct the entire call. After hanging up Sandra turned to Eric, the colour having drained from her entirely. Her husband pressed for answers but she gave none. She wasn't ready to say anything after that call. In the evening when Eric returned from his day shift she was able to sit with him and talk it over. It was now his turn to lose all colour in this face.

They would be given a chemical serum that would alter their bodies into something else, something not human, but still 'human' to a degree. As they talked it became clear that the Bovinex rep had prioritised 'recruiting' them because their past as farmers would be an added boon to the agri-genetics firm, as the couple could...manage...themselves better than others. What that meant exactly had not been explained to Sandra, but what was absolutely certain was that any changes were irreversible. With no other options left she'd agreed to abandon their humanity to escape their problems. Eric had embraced her, consoled her as she cried.

"You did what was necessary," he had said, "I love you."

A third brush with agents of Bovinex sealed their fates. They'd arranged a meeting in town to discuss the secretive road-map for the programme over lunch. The person who met with them this time was not the man from before, but a middle-aged woman dressed neatly in no-nonsense business attire. As if by magic, the entire atmosphere of the talk changed. Where the man had been curt and uncaring she'd been gregarious and soothing. The stress of the whole affair became less of a burden to them the more she spoke.

The woman was, at the very least, a good actress. To the Reimonds it didn't matter if she genuinely cared for her charges or if this was all a facade to get them on board, she was offering them a way out of their misery. A final agreement was made that day.

* * *

"There will be one last meeting before anything happens son." Eric said as Sandra finished telling their story.

"Are you still sure this is the best way? I don't want my mom and dad treated like dirt by some big business."

"Yes. We have no other choice. But I'm going to say this again son, we'll still be here. We'll be okay. Trust us."

Tommy walked from the room defeated, intending only to start his homework for the night. Before leaving though, he turned to ask one last question: "When will you be leaving for town then?"

"Sweetie, that won't be necessary. She's coming here," Sandra answered as the two of them rose from the table to prepare dinner, "she has to inspect the premises to see if we all need relocation."

Tommy could almost see a hint of relief in his parents' eyes. Relief that the tense conversation was over. He certainly wasn't relieved. This didn't feel real, and whether or not he could tell as he left, mom and dad felt the same.