Chapter 2: Gold Code

"The DNA strand of a neopromiscere humanus was described by scientists as being coated in gold." 

Documentary voice of Charles Adams, year 2371. Valley Instance Productions.

 Ismeraldo Veandez is a Neopromiscere Humanus, basically meaning new human and the term had categorized the growing number of what was once considered extraordinarily unusual and unprecedented skin tone and eye color combinations. Scientist saw a significant increase in the birth of these new skin tones and new distinct eye color that was never seen before by three hundred percent in specific areas of America by the year twenty-three hundred. Upon further study, it was discovered that Neo humans were born physically and athletically significant, as they called it, and had a twenty percent faster learning slope than average after birth.

It is rumored that scientists had discovered that the DNA strand of a neo-human was a gold-ish color, hence the nickname, "golden coated".

As Veandez walked into the capitol building, dressed in his formal attire that indicated his status as a government established member of the search and rescue division, or SAR, he was not expecting such a relaxed and almost silent lower floor despite at least over a hundred formal civilians walking to and fro. He had no idea where to even begin in this massive building. Fortunately, from the directions received by his superiors, he was to meet his new squad on the first floor of this thousand floor building.

"Golden boy!" a mans heavy voice called in his direction. A muscular, coffee bean colored man wearing full combat uniform, had his hand in the air and was staring directly at him.

Veandez walked cautiously over to the area that he could now see was occupied by other SAR formal and combat uniforms and all of them were staring at him, watching him approach which made his gait feel off balance. The muscular one who waved him down got up from his stool at the bar and immediately placed his heavy hand on Ismeraldo's shoulder.

"Can't believe they stuck a golden boy in our squad", Heberus says with a partly genuine smile. Maar Sativo and some other SAR uniforms sat on the couch nearby and they were all eyeing the golden boy.

"I heard you golden boys are big business in almost everything except where it counts", Heberus grabs his own crotch and the other SAR's laugh. Ismeraldo stands up straight and moves himself to stand directly face to face with Heberus, staring up deeply into Heberus' eyes who were at least six inches above his own.

"Sounds like someone is threatened in the presence of a golden boy. Typical and predictable that a common skin such as yourself", Ismeraldo says, "feels the need to reduce himself to body shaming in front of everybody because he has reminded himself that he may be inferior in every other possible way besides his dick, exposing his own self sense of inferiority and insecurity in the presence of a golden boy. I suggest you fall back, stage three experior, before you force yourself to stoop down another level in a vain and pathetic attempt to kick me beneath you."

"I was just fucking with you, goldie." Heberus says casually, but Ismeraldo wasn't falling for it. That statement was only half true. He had every intention of offending and getting under Ismeraldo's skin with the hopes of future hostility between them, because, possibly in a sub conscious sense, Heberus did not want to be friendly with the golden coated man due to underlying prejudices as well as the aforementioned statements that Ismeraldo had made.

"Sure you were." Ismeraldo replies sarcastically, almost before Heberus had even finished his sentence.

Heberus gazed back into the unfearing eyes of a stage two SAR and didn't give reply. Instead, he slaps his heavy hand on Ismeraldo's back and says, "Welcome to the squad, golden boy", then returned to his stool at the bar counter, barely containing his aggression and prejudice for the golden coated man.

Ismeraldo watched him return to his drink for a moment then looked around for a seating of his own, all the while, the other SAR squad members went about not looking him in the eye and returned to either their handheld screens or their own conversation as if the interaction that occurred before them hadn't even happened. Ismeraldo walks over to a chest high table and takes a seat across from another SAR combat uniform.

Anarissa Tecrovoya stared down at a screen, her silky brown hair dangled passed her shoulders. Once Ismeraldo sat down, her light brown eyes glide up at him. The golden coated man in front of her struck her with an unwilling admiration. His distinct pale green eyes, light caramel colored skin, and wavy, dark brown hair that was tinted with a natural hint of magenta, struck her with a sense of awe. It was like observing an exotic animal outside of its natural habitat. Surprisingly, she realized that this is probably the closest she has ever been to a neo-human.

A waitress walks up to the table and greets Ismeraldo.

"Hello", she says in a squeaky but professionally robotic voice, "would you like a drink?"

"Sure", Ismeraldo was still a bit tense and it was heard in his own voice. "What do you got?"

"Right now we're serving our exclusive super tea."

"What flavors?" Ismeraldo asks, never before hearing of such a drink.

"We only have two at the moment. Blueberry and dragonfruit."

"I'll take blueberry", Ismeraldo says. "What does it do?"

"Our beverages are non intoxicating, if that's what you're wondering. They are meant to naturally boost energy levels and mental clarity utilizing super food ingredients."

"That sounds good. Thank you."

The BMAIP waitress walked away with a smile. Ismeraldo turns his attention to Anarissa who was puffing clouds of pink vapor from the thermal vape wrapped around her pointer finger.

"Didn't know we were allowed to do that in here." Ismeraldo says as he pulls out his vape device and sticks it into the side of his mouth in the fashion that one would bite a carrot.

"You're not." Anarissa replies. Ismeraldo nods his head as he peered deep at her and a wave of violet colored vapor spewed from the slit in his mouth and his nostrils. Not even ten minutes inside of the capitol building and he had already nearly escalated a confrontation and was now breaking the rules.

"Let me guess", Anarissa leans onto the table, "you're interhuman?"

"No, I actually don't give a shit." Ismeraldo replies with a sigh, not shifting his positioned, peering gaze on her. Finally, the waitress returned with Ismeraldo's drink. It came in a tall, glowing glass and a small bowl of blueberries.

"Our search and rescue division receive an extra bowl of blueberries at no cost." The waitress says. Ismeraldo nods and thanks her.

"You probably don't give a shit, but I stand on earthbound. Always have and always will." Anarissa smiles. Earthbound was the political stance of one who cherished human and earth born life above all. To her and others on this political spectrum, growth as a species on earth was still a work in progress, there was still plenty of kinks in society and cultural norms that needed to be worked out despite generations of re-brainwashing, reprogramming and toxic personality and behavior cleansing. Earthbound's have mentally evolved to grasp the ideation that the human, in its purest form, was all that mattered. Not societal status, not ethnicity, not reputation, not political views, not material possessions, just the simple fact that you were gifted to be a human being. Nothing more and nothing less. This is of course in contrast to the interhuman and interstellar stance, that humans have reached the zenith of their evolution both physically and mentally, and that exploration of the stars was their next objective to discover any possibilities of further enhancement. This included and came with the expectation that discovering new life forms would introduce humans to these possibilities. In return, humans would assist in any interhuman endeavors, amiably. Anarissa usually kept such politics to herself especially around Orion because she knew he didn't like hearing it. But she wanted to see if the subject triggered Ismeraldo, which it apparently didn't even though he hadn't much to say on the matter. Much to her interest.

Ismeraldo half smiled and pushed a burst of air out of his nose. Anarissa put her pointer finger to her lips in the old smoking gun image gesture and a pink light on the encasement around her finger lit up. A second or two later, a waterfall of pink vapor spilled out of her lips, her eyes observing Ismeraldo with a hardly contained intrigue that was just above the thin ice that separated it and infatuation. She could sense that Ismeraldo was still tense despite his efforts to appear relaxed.

"I believe", Anarissa continues, "that exploration of the cosmos is cool and all, but the matters and lives of other beings not from Earth should be left alone. There's no reason to get involved in things we can barely understand or even comprehend, let alone try to fix or solve their problems."

"I agree." Ismeraldo nods his head in agreement. He admired and respected her stance but kept his word on the matter all together to himself as to not promote the conversation further without blatantly changing the subject in her face. An act he deemed disrespectful.

Anarissa thought hard about what she wanted to ask the golden coated man. There was so much she wanted to know about him already but ultimately thought it best to leave his mysterious nature and history under the blanket for now. Perhaps a conversation for after the mission, she considers.