"Are you sure about this?" My husband questioned, clearly unsure about my decision to have homunculi children.
"Weren't you the one who suggested this in the first place?" I retorted. "Why are you backing out now?"
"I'm not backing out. I still want to do this. I just didn't expect you to be so open to it," he replied, his voice tinged with surprise.
The scientists brought over the paperwork for us to sign. It covered confidentiality and liability. We were forbidden from sharing any details of the experiment with anyone, in any way.
The laboratory would not be held accountable for any outcomes resulting from the creation of homunculi. The responsibility would fall on the shoulders of the guardians until the homunculi turned 18.
My husband and I signed the papers. "Good," Head Scientist Nathan said. "Now, tell me about the kind of child you two want."
"I want a daughter," I said decisively. "She must be perfect in every way: beautiful, intelligent, independent, strong, and kind-hearted. A role model for all Dutch girls to aspire to."
"Very well," he nodded. "We will take your DNA samples now. We'll begin with a pretest to ensure that a healthy baby can develop in an artificial womb before we proceed with creating your daughter."
As I thought about it, memories of my friends—Leontien, Sakina, Balela, Natsumi, Marysa, and Ismene—flooded my mind. We had once promised to have daughters together.
"Wait!" I exclaimed suddenly. "Is it possible to conduct this experiment on multiple people at the same time?"
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked, clearly confused.
"Well, I have six friends who would also love to have children, but it's difficult for them to conceive," I explained.
"The more research subjects we have, the better," one of the scientists said with an eerie smile.
I immediately called my friends, asking them and their husbands to come over. Marysa was the first to answer.
"What's up, Queen?" Marysa asked with her usual upbeat tone.
"I have a Christmas gift for you and your husband," I said. "Can you come over now?"
"Christmas gift!?" Sakina exclaimed, the second person to answer my call. "I've never received one before since we don't celebrate Christmas. I'm not even sure if I should accept it..."
"It's not a traditional Christmas gift, so don't worry," I reassured her.
"A gift from you?" Balela's voice held a note of offense, as expected. She was the third to pick up. "You know I'm wealthier than you, right?"
"What I'm about to give you isn't something your husband could buy," I replied.
"Oh, sure! Thanks for the gift and the invite!" Natsumi said with enthusiasm before I'd even explained the details. She was the fourth person to answer.
"I wonder what it is..." Leontien sounded intrigued. She was the fifth.
"Yes, I'll be there!" I could hear Ismene's smile through the phone—she was always so upbeat. With that, I had called all the women from our friend group to come to the laboratory with their husbands.
Six royal drivers were assigned to bring each couple. Leontien and her husband, Sander IJzerhart, were the first to arrive.
"I have to say, I was surprised to be driven to a laboratory of all places, Frederik!" Sander laughed. "Are you giving us this whole place as a gift?"
"Not quite," my husband chuckled, clearly enjoying the mystery.
Natsumi and her husband were the second couple to arrive, greeting everyone politely, not asking questions about the gift or why we were at the laboratory. Their politeness was always so refreshing.
Sakina and her husband arrived next. She wore a hijab and abaya, modest clothing befitting a Muslim woman, and she looked stunning in it.
"So, where's the gift?" Sakina asked eagerly. "And why are Natsumi and Leontien here with their husbands?"
"I'm going to give that gift to all of you," I said, my voice steady with anticipation.
Marysa and her husband arrived next. "What a strange place to call us to, Queen," she said, looking around. "And why is everyone gathered here? It's Sunday. And why did everyone bring their husbands? What's going on?"
"Just one moment, Marysa. I'll explain everything soon," I said, trying to keep things calm.
Balela and her husband entered, their expressions as cold and serious as ever—typical of a Badilite power couple. "Looks like everyone's here, well, almost everyone," she remarked, scanning the room.
Head Scientist Nathan approached the Badilite couple. "My daughter is in a relationship with the West African Badilite Patriarch, a young man named Yeshaya. But you Badilites refuse to acknowledge my daughter simply because she's not a Badilitess. This is putting a strain on their relationship," he said, his tone direct.
"Who are you?" Balela's husband asked, eyeing Nathan with suspicion.
"Nathan Mazzi, Head Scientist here," he replied. "I can help you both conceive children, but there's one extra condition: acknowledge my daughter as a Badilitess and bless her union with Yeshaya."
Balela's husband chuckled, clearly amused, but a glance from his wife stopped him from rejecting Nathan's terms outright. "Very well, then..." he conceded, clearly giving in to his wife's influence.
Ismene and her husband arrived last. "Assalamu alaikum, Ismene!" Sakina greeted her warmly, offering a bright smile.
"Walaikum assalam," Ismene returned the greeting with a smile of her own. "I didn't know everyone would be here with their husbands, Elara."
I handed out the papers I had just signed to the six couples. "What's this?" Balela asked without even glancing at the documents.
"Read it, and you'll find out," I replied.
"Homunculus... Not allowed to share information about this experiment... Laboratory isn't liable..." Sander read aloud, his voice growing more serious.
"Elara," Balela chuckled, clearly skeptical. "What is this supposed to be?"
"It's not a joke," I said, my tone unwavering. "This laboratory can create human beings. We can finally have children." The room fell silent as everyone realized I was serious.
"But..." Ismene hesitated, her tone filled with apprehension. I could tell all my friends shared her unease. "Should we really be doing this?"
"Remember our promise to have daughters together?" I replied, the weight of our shared vow hanging in the air. "We can finally make it a reality."
My friends exchanged glances with their husbands, silently gauging their thoughts on the experiment.
"Whatever makes you happy, Leonti," Sander said, offering his support with a reassuring smile.
"I'd prefer a son, though," Balela's husband remarked, his tone casual but thoughtful.
"If you're okay with it, I am too," Ismene's husband added, his voice calm and supportive.
"Yeah, Marysa. If you want it, I'm good with it," her husband agreed, nodding.
"Indeed," Sakina's husband said with a warm smile, turning to her. "We can go for it."
"Let's hope it goes well," Natsumi's husband added with a hopeful grin.
"That's fantastic! We can finally have kids!" Ismene exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
Marysa let out a relieved sigh. "I told you girls that a miracle would happen!" Sakina said, a broad smile crossing her face.
One by one, my friends signed the papers along with their husbands. The scientists took DNA samples from each couple, ensuring everything was in order.
"Your baby daughters will be born over a year from now," Nathan said, a smile on his face as he addressed the group. "We'll begin with a pre-test. That means we will create a homunculus from all of your genes to see if it develops according to our theory. We'll keep you all updated on the progress of this experiment. Thank you for cooperating and contributing to what may be the greatest scientific experiment in history."