This choice: Dwayne, 19, and Jorge, 20, teammates on a college football team. • Go Back...Chapter #4How did the Football Stars become Conjoined? by: Ctbro   Dwayne and Jorge have known each other since infancy as their parents had been close friends for years prior to their births. Growing up together meant they developed a bond akin to blood-related siblings. And much like their fathers, the boys also shared a passion for the game of football. Their natural athleticism made them stand out among their peers. Many thought the duo, even at an early age, had bright futures as professional football players.
However, tragedy struck. A virus, known as Bud Plague, swept the world, sending millions of young children into the hospital. The disease seemed to only effect children before puberty, as all others simply experience symptoms of a minor cold. Some of the ill children would recover over time, but Dwayne and Jorge were among the few thousand who would die if nothing intervened. The world turned to radical, almost science fiction-like, procedures to save the children. While many unique 'cures' were developed during those dark days, the families of the boys chose one that would ensure both Dwayne's and Jorge's survival.
Teleportation was a relatively new technology. It had made its way into the medical profession for several innovative uses. One of its most-used applications was removing cancerous tumors from a person's body. One team of scientists, by accident, found a unique way of fighting off the virus. The immune systems of two could fight off the virus safely. It involved teleporting two people of similar bodily makeup, such as the same blood type, and re-materializing them permanently into one body, akin to dicephalic conjoined twins. The resulting combined immune system, among other combined organs, would quite effectively fight-off the virus. The draw back was that the two individuals needed to physically match each other in a variety of areas and so mostly identical twins were the only pairs that could survive the procedure. Dwayne and Jorge were two of the unique pairs that could survive, when teleported together. The story takes place nearly 12 years after the boys wake-up sharing a single hospital bed.
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Dwayne and Jorge become fast friends in college. They were the most athletically skilled players on their football team, creating a friendly rivalry between the two. They shared many of the same classes, both majoring in business. And, they were also lucky enough to be dorm-mates. Given both had terrible dorm-mates in their freshman years, it was a welcome relief to have a like-mined athlete share the tiny college room.
Partway through the first semester, things suddenly changed as the price for college sky-rocketed. Due to the growing food prices, and among other astronomically high costs, universities around the globe had no choice to be raise tuition, boarding, and food early in the fall semester. Dwayne and Jorge were both on scholarships, and there was no way their parents could help pay for the risen cost. Their part-time jobs came no where close to breaking the financial hardship.
Hearing the angered cries of its students, colleges around the world partnered with the science and technology company, Techno Future, for a unique financial solution. Students could voluntarily pair up with another student to be temporarily merged into a single body, akin to dicephalic conjoined twins. The colleges would allow the paired students to be enrolled as 'one student'. This would cut the cost of tuition to more manageable financial range and both students would benefit from the credits of the classes they took. Techno Futures required the students to sign year-binding contracts for purposes in the longitudinal study. These contracts noted mandatory monthly check-ins at their labs and that the students would need to remain joined together for an entire year. If students chose to be separated early, for any reason, they would need to pay the cost of the separation out of pocket. Medical emergencies that required immediate separation were exempt for these requirements.
Additionally, Students who would be taking advantage of the cheaper tuition for two or more school years would get an additional stipend based on the number of years of enrolled. All pairs of students would have access to physical therapists and occupational therapists at one of the local Techno Futures buildings. Athletes had priority to these therapists and could request more frequent sessions. With their academic and football careers on the line, Dwayne and Jorge signed up together for a three-year contract. The story takes place any time after they take their first uncoordinated steps from the fusion chamber.
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Another option of the reader's choice for how Dwayne and Jorge became conjoined.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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