First Antarctica, Then the World

It all started in 5th period Spanish. They thought it was a joke, but I took them seriously.
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I was talking to my friends when Lincoln told us that he had a plan for world domination. He told us the key to world domination was Antarctica. My friends dismissed him, but I kept my ears and mind open. He said he would have killer penguins and let them run rampant over the Earth. His plan was highly improbable, but I knew that with some help, it could work.


His penguin idea was smart, yet ignorant at the same time. There was no possible way normal penguins could be used as mercenaries. That’s when it hit me, what if they weren’t normal penguins. I realized that if I altered the DNA slightly that the ultimate soldiers could be produced. It was then that I started making plans for conquering of Antarctica. No one ever knew what I was thinking. I just pretended to dismiss the idea as well, but kept a mischievous glint in my eyes.


After class I was supposed to go to lunch, but I went to the library instead. I needed to learn everything about Antarctica, its inhabitants, and genetics. I realized that no one really cared about Antarctica enough to do major research there so the only information that I gathered was this: It is cold, uninhabitable, has penguins, has polar bears, has fish. Not much to go on. The biggest problem that I faced was not altering DNA or conquering Antarctica, but making Antarctica livable. I knew the genetics wouldn’t be hard, because I was a certified genius. Taking over Antarctica wouldn’t be a problem because there wasn’t anyone to defeat. I wouldn’t even have to buy the land because no one had any claim to it whatsoever.


After my day of researching ended, I began my plan to conquer Antarctica. I knew it would be expensive, me being a sophomore with no job. Luckily, my grandparents were senile, rich (they won a couple of lawsuits), and were willing to give me anything I wanted. I knew they wouldn’t be able to provide me with all of the money I needed, but it would give me a good start. After my grandparent wired me the 500 grand I set up a new account in the bank under the name T. A. Keover.


I had to make up this account for obvious reasons. I knew that there was no way any government would claim Antarctica as a country if it were to be run by a 15-year-old girl. I knew they would have to take T. A. Keover seriously because after he (I) formed a massive army, a blossoming economy, and a thriving population they could not just ignore me.


I knew it would take a while to be recognized as a country, then as a world power, but I knew it would work, and that it was worth it. I would get most of my population from Russia and Alaska because they were underappreciated and used to the cold weather.


All the while I was studying genetics and (without other people’s knowledge of course) I did live testing. I injected into some rats the DNA of the cat, and sure enough, when the rats had children, the children had the red fur from the cat. Now all I had to do was isolate specific genes so I could add whatever traits I wanted. I also needed other DNA samples from other, more ferocious animals. I would accomplish this task by getting a part-time job at the local zoo.


I soon found out how to inject only specific traits into my test subjects. I soon had crats (cats and rats combined). These new species could compress their bodies to fit under tight spaces like rats, but they could also climb trees and land on their feet like cats.
A few days later I had a small army of crats, a job at the zoo, DNA from 50 different animals, and a slowly rising political identity. T. A. Keover was active in every political debate and was soon in newspapers, magazines, webzines, television, and anything else that held any political views. People were coming to use T. A. Keover as a household name.


Every time he was talked about in my classes I just listened and acted indifferently, but I kept that playful glint in my eyes. One class period, World History, while we were doing our current events, my teacher, Coach Mo Ron, told me I needed to be more like T. A. Keover, and be more involved and gung-ho about politics. I told him I didn’t really think politics were all that important because all politicians do is lie to you, so you can’t actually listen to political debates and come out with any real truths. He told me not all politicians lie, and that until I become a politician I shouldn’t judge the others. Little did he know. I AM a politician, and I do lie. I made T. A. Keover nice and loving and caring. Little did the people know he was going to take over the world and be the next dictator, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


After a few weeks I (T. A. Keover) had a deed to more than ¾ of Antarctica. Many of the world leaders thought I was crazy for claiming Antarctica. I just told them I like the cold and moved on. No one at school knew what was going on in my head and no one asked because I kept up my regular attitude. My biology teacher, Mrs. Strieghtn Narow, was wondering how I knew so much about genetics, but I simply replied, “Internet”, and that was enough to satisfy her.


My job at the zoo was boring at most, but it was worth it. I was now able to create bircats (birds and cats), tibers (birds and tigers), and many more ferocious creatures. As I was creating my bircats I realized that I had just ended a never-ending species war by combining them. For another split second I thought of all the good my extensive knowledge in genetics could do for the world, but I decided to take over the world before I fixed it.


In two months I had a growing army of various new species, enough DNA samples to quit my job at the zoo (Thank God!), and complete control over Antarctica and all that reside there.


After I did all this, I started making plans to make Antarctica livable. I had made a series of prototype tents that, in theory, would keep out all of the harsh Antarctica cold. I soon realized that these wouldn’t work because they were too small to host several people, and weren’t very homey. I soon changed the smallness of the tents, and I found out how to make them feel and look more like the houses they were going to be.


One more month passed and I had several towns and cities set up and livable. To solve my population problem I would have to figure out how to get some Russian immigrants. After I researched Russia and their poverty stricken people, I realized that it would be easy to convince the people to come live in Antarctica. After living in those shacks for all those years, anything would be better to them.


I sent pamphlets and videos over to the Russians about how glorious Antarctica was. The people, of course, believed it, and I, with the help of my grandparent’s cruise ship, had them shipped over. The Russian immigrants were glad to be there, and they immediately fell in love with my tent homes.



I soon had their immigration legalized (after, of course, getting Antarctica deemed a country), and my population soon rose to be over 10,000 people. Not bad for two months huh? I soon told my parents that I wanted to move to Antarctica because it was the place of the future, and that I needed a challenge that my school wasn’t supplying. I assured them that Antarctica’s school system was amazing (which will be true soon) and would give me the challenge I needed. My parents didn’t want to move because they were obsessed with their jobs, but they said if I could find a relative who would want to move down there with me, then I had their permission to go. I immediately went to my grandparents and, of course, they agreed to go.



When I landed in Antarctica, I went to my lab and started creating T. A. Keover. Now that I had my country it needed a leader, and I knew they weren’t going to accept a now 16 year-old girl as their leader. They would in time, but not now. I made a holographic image of T. A. Keover and started making voiceovers for his speeches.



My first speech was today and I delivered it with power. I soon had penguin ranchers, teachers, fishers, and factory workers. My people were confused at first on why I needed penguins, but I told them that I was planning on making them pets for the children after I tamed them.



Months went by and I now had a massive penguin army. I let the original penguins be pets for the people, as I promised. The first time we had a casualty with a polar bear I delivered yet another speech. I told the people that all of the polar bears needed to be captured and not killed. Again, my people were confused. I told them that these bears could be used as great workers once they were tamed, and again, they believed me.



I soon had a massive army of polar bears. I, again like I promised, set the original bears to work in our greenhouses, and other various places. I was getting to know my people more and more everyday because I was one of the teachers. I taught reading skills and computer skills and various other useful skills in my working hours and in my off hours I taught some of the people I trusted most about genetics. I had taught them enough to help me make my massive armies.
My armies were at their strongest, and I sent them to destroy all of the European nations. I was successful in this, and I started to devise my plans to take over the United States and Canada.



When my plans were complete, I sent my armies over there. I was successful in every battle. I was listening to the President’s speech. It went something like this, “People of the world, as you know, we have been invaded by Antarctica, and it is in my deepest regrets that I have to inform you that they have...”



“Jewel, wakeup… What’s the answer to the question?” Coach Nag asked me. When I finally came to, I realized that everything was just a dream, and that I hadn’t really taken over anything.