The Great Inheritance of 2021

**Prologue**<br><br>The year was 2021, a year that would never be forgotten. The world had changed a lot over the centuries. Humanity had colonized other planets and formed the United Earth Government. People lived alongside robots, aliens and magic.<br><br>On December 31, 2020, an unknown billionaire called Atlas Moseley died. Atlas was the most mysterious billionaire in history, he was never photographed or seen in public. It was rumored that he had made his fortune from selling his discoveries to the government.<br><br>Nobody knew what Atlas looked like, so when his death was announced, many people were skeptical. However, his secretary, an old lady called Josephine, confirmed his death. She told the world that his only son, Maxwell, had died in an accident at the age of one. That he had no relatives. And that he had left all his possessions to charity. This news spread immediately and became the hottest topic on the news.<br><br>**The Will**<br><br>The will was read at 11:00 AM on January 1,2021. It was broadcasted live on all major TV networks. Josephine stood at a podium outside Atlas’ mansion. Behind her was a large screen that displayed the Atlas Moseley Corporation Logo.<br><br>“Dear ladies and gentlemen,” she started. “This is the will of Atlas Frederick Moseley. He has left behind a vast fortune, with an estimated worth of $5 billion. The inheritance will be distributed as follows.”<br><br>She stared at her notes.<br><br>“The first person is Marina Rodriguez. She is a 35 year-old nurse from Mexico. She was paid $900,000 by Atlas to donate her eggs to him. She gave him one egg that he used to clone his son, and one egg that he destroyed. She is to receive $1 billion.”<br><br>She moved on to the next name.<br><br>“The next person is Jackson Telford. He was a 25 year-old soldier from Britain who was paid $700,000 by Atlas to donate his sperm. He donated four samples that he used to clone his son. He is to receive $500 million.”<br><br>She read through all the names, a total of 196 people. They were all cloners who had sold their genetic material to Atlas. The day ended with many questions. Who were these people? Why had they sold their genetic material? And what would they do with their inheritances? These were questions that would take years to answer.<br><br>**Act I: The Recipients**<br><br>The first to learn of his father’s death was Jackson Telford. Jackson lived a simple life. He worked for the British Army, fighting in different parts of the world. He had never left Britain before joining up. He had been a chubby, nerdy kid who lived with his grandfather in a two-bedroom house. His parents had died in a car crash at the age of nine. <br><br>Jackson had never suspected that his grandfather was a liar. He never knew that his parents were murdered to protect him and his grandfather. He didn’t know that his grandfather had used a time loop spell to keep him from growing old while he was away. The only thing he knew was that he had inherited a lot of money.<br><br>He arrived at his home in a black cab. He paid the driver $17 and got out. The house looked the same. Nothing had changed. Jackson opened the front door and called out to his grandfather. There was no response.<br><br>He went into the living room. His grandfather was sitting in his armchair. Jackson could see that he had died recently. His body was cold to the touch. Jackson called the police and broke down crying.<br><br>**Epilogue**<br><br>The will caused a sensation that the world had never seen. The recipients became famous overnight. People who had never heard of cloning were talking about it. Cloning was used to bring pets and horses back, and some humans back from the dead. But never to create children. This was something new.<br><br>The recipients were interviewed on live television. They had no idea why they had been picked. Jackson had donated his sperm to a fertility clinic. Atlas had bought four samples from them. Marina had signed an agreement with Atlas before he used her egg. The identities of the others were classified by the government. The public could only learn their professions and how they had sold their genetic material. <br><br>As the year went on, many questions were answered. The recipients were all brought to Atlas’ mansion. They were told to wait in a large hall. They were not told why.<br><br>Their answers would come soon. Very, very soon.