Yoo Retoont, Sneogg. Ay Noo

7

A strong light hit Snorg in the eyes. For a while he couldn’t focus. Then he became aware that he was no longer in the Room. He was lying on something hard, in a place that seemed vast. He felt terribly alone, because none of his companions was with him. At the other end of the place sat an unknown man. He was very old, but Snorg realized that the man was simply older than those Snorg had been living with. The man, seeing that Snorg was awake, approached him and extended a hand.

“My name is Bablyoyannis Knoboblou,” he said.

Slowly, with an effort of will, Snorg rose from his bedding.

“Congratulations, Snorg. On this day you become a person. You were the best…”

Snorg reached and shook the man’s hand, curious to see what the hand felt like.

“I have here the report of Central”—the man took a few sheets of paper from the desk—“and the decision of the Committee, which is made up of persons… You will receive an identity card and can choose a name.”

Snorg didn’t understand. The man gave the impression of a kindly clerk who was performing a pleasant yet routine duty.

“Your results,” Bablyoyannis continued, running an eye over the papers he held. “A 132. Not bad. On my test, I scored 154,” he said with a smile of pride. “That Piecky one got dangerously close to you, with 126 points, but his lack of limbs, genitals… It’s hard to make up for that with intelligence alone… Better that someone like you was chosen and not one of those stumps.”

Snorg thought, “I’d like to crack your head.” He said, “Piecky is my friend,” and felt the old numbness in his jaw.

“It’s better not to have friends until you become a person,” observed Bablyoyannis. “Do you want to know how the others did? Moosy—84, Tib—72, Dulf—30… The rest, close to zero. The Dagses scored 18 each, and that ox, Tavegner, 12.”

Snorg heard the scorn in Bablyoyannis’s voice and felt a growing hatred for the man.

“What happens to me now?” he asked. The numbness in his face wouldn’t go away.

“As a person, you have a choice. You will enter the normal life of the society. A short period of training… and then you can either continue studying or take a job. From today, you receive an account with the sum of 400 money, as does everyone who becomes a person. Personally I would advise you not to have cosmetic surgery until you obtain a steady source of income. Ears are not really that important…” He gave Snorg a confidential look. “In time, you’ll be able to save up. There’s always a large selection of parts.”

Snorg felt cold sweat trickling down his back: he could see Tib before him.

“What happens to the others?” he finally managed to ask.

“Ah. Yes… You have the right to know.” Bablyoyannis was trying to be patient. “There are always many more individuals born than individuals who attain personhood. We harvest them for material. Among them, you can find a perfectly good pair of ears, or eyes, or a liver… Though some don’t even possess that. A type like Tavegner is probably good only for tissue cultures…”

“That’s inhuman,” Snorg couldn’t help saying, through clenched teeth.

“Inhuman?! No. The war, that was inhuman. Today a hundred percent of the population is born with physical defects, and three-quarters with mental defects. Reproduction, as a rule, is possible only by test tube. Save your indignation for our ancestors.”

Apparently Snorg didn’t seem convinced, because Bablyoyannis went on: “The birth rate has been maximized, to increase the probability of obtaining normal individuals.” He looked hard at Snorg. “As for the others… They’re the cheapest way for us to produce the organs we need. Because even the chosen aren’t perfect, are they, Snorg?… I’ve been working in this department for seven years now,” Bablyoyannis said, “and I can assure you that this path is the only one that’s right.”

“You’re not perfect either, Bablyoyannis. You drag your left leg, and your face is partially paralyzed,” said Snorg.

“I know. It shows.” Bablyoyannis was prepared for that remark. “But I work hard, and I’ve been saving almost all my money… for an operation.”