Darwin's Paradox

by Nina Munteanu

  “To what purpose?” Julie inquired, wrinkling her nose at the notion of being likened to a migratory fish. Besides, didn’t salmon die after they spawned? “What’s the advantage?”

  “This isn’t natural selection or evolution, Julie,” Carl said, inviting an impatient look from Zane. “Evolution occurs over millennia through incremental change as genetic material is passed from generation to generation and stands the test of time. This is something that happened because Vogel created an artificial virus—”

  “You’re wrong, Carl,” Zane cut in. “This is evolution,” he said emphatically. “But evolution of a different kind. The kind that happens in leaps and bounds, by a so-called accident in a chaotic soup of opportunity.”

  Daniel glanced at Julie, growing taut beside him. He could tell she wanted to end this debate, which was making her very uncomfortable. It was her they were talking about, after all.

  “But in order for it to contribute to evolutionary change it must arise by natural means in order to replicate and demonstrate advantage over time. It seems to me—”

  “Come on, Carl,” Zane said impatiently. “You’re thinking ancient Darwinian theory. How it arose isn’t as important as how it proceeds. We know that Nature seizes opportunities when so-called accidents happen. But I personally don’t believe in ‘accidents’ where evolution is concerned. What I do believe in is co-adaptive process and change. Veemelds were here for a long time, perhaps always, waiting for Proteus to come along. Vogel knew it. Even Gaia knew it, although they hadn’t even discovered veemelds, yet.”

  Julie jerked to her feet. “This is ridiculous. You make it sound like I was just waiting for this virus to come along so I could fulfill my destiny. It’s artificial, Zane. Vogel made it—”

  “And if Vogel didn’t make it, someone else would have. Maybe even Nature.”

  He’d pushed his intense face close to hers and they stared at one another until she finally blinked and sat down as if she’d been struck. “You’re talking about the whole of our society behaving like an autopoietic system, self-organized, adaptive and evolving...”

  Zane leaned back like a teacher proud of his favorite pupil. “How many times have we seen this sort of thing happen? Like the independent formulation of calculus by Newton and Leibniz or the theory of the evolution of species by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Or McFadden and Pocket independently but at the same time coming up with electromagnetic fields being the seat of our consciousness. Multiple, independent discoveries have increased in society a thousand-fold since the nineteenth century. Did you know that? Why? The reason is obvious: the fabric of our society is acting like a neural network, learning, interacting and sharing toward the achievement of a common zeitgeist.

  “Julie, you’re father’s model of creative destruction shows how a society can operate as an evolving ‘organism’, interconnected through shared knowledge and thought and cycling through nodes of focused ‘strange attractors’. We’re all part of our own evolutionary story, too all we’ve been missing is the communication. Communication is the vehicle for achieving spontaneous, persistent synchrony. Fireflies communicate with light; planets speak through the force of gravity; heart cells share electric currents. We...” He flung his arms out like Moses on the mountain and a little spittle flew out of his mouth. “Imagine what kind of entity we will be when all our individuals connect with Darwin and the A.I.s!”

  “Zane,” Carl said with a tone of mild disgust. “This doesn’t answer Julie’s earlier question about advantage. So it’s a moot “

  “But there is an advantage, Carl,” Zane cut in. “We just have to find it. Just like Charles Darwin predicted the existence of a coevolved moth with a long proboscis based on the existence of the long spur of the Angraecum orchid, we can derive many advantages of her existence if we look hard enough.”

  Her existence. Daniel felt a spike of discomfort from Julie. Or was it his own discomfort? They were discussing the merits of her existence as though she wasn’t even there in the room with them!

  “To take the anadromous salmon example again,” Zane raved on, “the advantage wasn’t obvious. But it then occurred to ecologists that this niche partitioning allowed for more species to co-occur where otherwise they might have to out-compete one another. As for overall advantages to the ecosystems, they also found out that by feeding and growing in the ocean, the salmon brought back with them a wealth of nutrients that were necessary to feed a host of animals that in turn fed on them. Do you see how this works?” Zane’s wild eyes flitted wildly from Julie and Daniel to Carl and Victor. Daniel felt Julie inhale sharply to speak.

  “For instance,” he went on as Julie opened her mouth, “in Julie’s di-phasic behavior, perhaps the child is meant to grow up outside, without the A.I. community to prevent overload, or confusion. Or maybe it’s meant to gain during its early development some other arcane value that only the outside has to offer that will be useful to the inside world. As for the mother and father, this provides a season for them to link with the world outside, too. Perhaps this requirement to go outside is just a mirror of the ‘urge’ Julie experienced to return to Icaria to establish a developmental rite, so to speak. The Joining. Either way you look at it, she was meant to happen just this way and Vogel knew it all the time, designed it that way. Chaos, he might have even purposefully designed Proteus to solve the fertility problem. He was a vee-damned genius! And she’s our link to Gaia, the real Gaia. Mother Earth.” Zane was stabbing an excited finger at Julie now. “She’s our prototype for a new race of beings who belong to both worlds—”

  “But she won’t be here,” Carl cut in sharply. He’d had enough. So had Daniel.

  “What?” Zane looked like he’d been slapped out of a dream.

  Carl glanced at Julie and Daniel then at Victor, who had quietly listened the whole time. Carl practically barked at Zane, “Haven’t you been listening to what Julie said? For the sake of her unborn child and her own life, she must leave, and we’re not sure for how long.” There lingered regretful acceptance in his eyes as he gazed back at Julie and Daniel. “I’m sorry you had to listen to this jabbering, but I want you to know that as soon as we heard, I got authorization from the Circle to make arrangements for a transport. A skyship will be at your disposal shortly, equipped with all the supplies you’ll need. Icaria must let you go, for your sake and for our sake.”

  “Okay, so she has to go outside for a while to have her baby and fulfill that phase in her development,” Zane persisted, his voice edging with fluster as his mind returned from his distracted rant to what this meant for Icaria. “But she has to come back. There’s still Proteus and the children and our infertility and Icaria’s future,” he ended.

  “We’ll just have to wait and see.” Carl gave Zane a stern glare then returned a softer look to Julie. “We’ll assess later if and when you can return.”

  “If?!” Zane stomped his foot. “What do you mean by if?” His voice went shrill. “She’s our only chance! She has to come back! She belongs here every bit as much as she belongs out there! She’s our only hope for our children.”

  Everyone fell silent and Daniel knew this hurt her. There seemed no other choice...except for...He found himself stealing a glance at his pregnant wife as his mind developed the plan that would likely meet with her disapproval. Had she already thought of it and discarded it?

  “We can’t let them just go like that,” Zane continued, his shrill voice rising still more with panic, “What if something happens to Julie in the heath, like she gets eaten by a cougar or something—”

  Julie released her pent-up tension in a sharp laugh. “I won’t get eaten by a cougar! Zane, you’re always so dramatic,” she retorted.

  Victor spoke for the first time, “He has a point. There could be complications with your pregnancy, Julie. A host of things might happen. You might crash the skyship.”

  “Angel will
drive,” Daniel said, hoping this would lighten up the group. No one laughed.

  Victor shifted his feet and cleared his throat. “I gave the Circle and Aileen my assurances that you would be protected,” he said and his face tightened with apprehension. “I’m sorry,” he gave Julie a conciliatory look. “You’re considered a critical resource to Icaria.” He threw a nervous glance at Carl, the S.I. representative for the Circle. “We can let you go but you’ll have to accept our escort.” He turned to Carl for confirmation. “We’ll escort them back to their destination and establish an effective communication system with frequent visits.”

  Carl nodded gravely. Zane remained unconvinced. “That only means that we find out sooner when she gets eaten by a cougar or falls off a cliff.”

  “I’m not going to fall off a damned cliff!” Julie exclaimed, her edgy voice matching Zane’s. She’d wound herself into a knot of tense muscle. Daniel thought he could feel her shivering with anger, desperation, and frustration. Wait until she heard his plan...then she’d have a reason to be angry.

  “What about having someone live nearby? A medical practitioner, preferably,” Carl suggested. “What do you have to say, Daniel? We haven’t heard from you yet.”

  He sighed and glanced at Julie, who’d pressed against him as if hoping to escape from it all. “I know you’re all concerned for her welfare, particularly given her potential role in Icaria’s future, but Julie will be fine. Don’t forget that we’ve been living in the heath for over a decade. Julie had Angel out there with no problems. With some extra supplies from you it’ll be even easier.” He gave Julie a squeeze. “If we need help we’ll ask for it. She’ll have her baby and be back here in no time,” Daniel ended with a faint smile. He felt Julie looking at him intently and wondered what she was thinking. Turning his gaze to her forest green eyes, he said, “Right, darling?”

  She looked at him with a strange expression he couldn’t read. “Sure, honey.” Then she placed her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer, as if she’d stopped listening and he felt her finally relax against him. Had she settled something in her mind? Surely she hadn’t guessed his plan? No, he concluded. If she had she’d be furious, not half-asleep on his shoulder.

  “All right, then,” Carl said, pacing the room with his hands clasped behind him like a military analyst. “The Circle would be a lot happier if someone stayed there with you, particularly during the latter stages of the pregnancy...”

  “I don’t know if that’s necessary,” Daniel said, thinking of Julie’s penchant for privacy. “What do you think, darling?” He glanced down at her. She was gazing at nothing in particular. “Julie? Did you hear what I said?”

  She blinked and looked around as if suddenly coming out of a dream. “Oh, I’m sorry. I drifted off.” Then she sighed. “Can we discuss this later? I’m not much use to you right now.” She yawned for the twentieth time. “I’m dead tired. I need to go to bed.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Daniel said and squeezed his arm around her. “We can continue our discussion tomorrow morning.” After a quick glance at Victor and Carl, he added, “You go ahead, honey. I’ll join you in a minute. I have to ask Victor about a portable wind-powered generator he told me about.”

  Julie nodded. “Okay.” She got up shakily and started for the door.

  Daniel felt a surge of guilt and stood up to take her by the arm.

  “Zane, would you mind accompanying my wife to her quarters?”

  Zane perked up. “Sure. I’m on my way anyway.”

  Daniel glanced at Julie. She looked grateful. “Thanks, Zane,” she said. “Just so long as you promise not to talk about evolution and two-headed creatures.”

  He gave her a manic grin and offered his arm to her. She hooked hers around his and turned back to the three men. “Goodnight, everyone.”

  When Julie and Zane left the room, Daniel turned back to Victor and Carl. He looked from one to the other gravely. “There is another way...”

  “Your daughter,” Victor said gripping Daniel’s gaze with his own.

  Daniel nodded, lips tightening. “Angel’s a veemeld and she can talk to Proteus too. She’ll make a great teacher. She’s a confident and eloquent speaker, as she’s already demonstrated. I know she’s willing. I’ve already talked to her about it.” He turned to Carl with an inquisitive look.

  “Angel can stay with us if that’s what you were thinking,” Carl assured him. “She already seems part of the family she and Manfred go everywhere together. They’re at the Rec-Center now.”

  Victor shook his head with a frown. “It won’t work. Julie will never agree.”

  The way she’d tenaciously clung to Angel since they’d been reunited had been pretty obvious to everyone, Daniel thought. Like a mother bear with her cub, Julie might refuse to leave her little girl behind. Even if it was for Icaria. He swallowed hard. “Which is why we won’t tell her,” he said grimly. It was obvious from the look on Victor’s face that he questioned the wisdom of Daniel’s choice. “It’ll be like an educational field trip for a few months or years,” Daniel reasoned. “Good for her.”

  “Her mother won’t see it that way.”

  “Initially, she won’t. But she’ll see the rational wisdom of the plan eventually,” Daniel reassured. But he didn’t feel the sureness he’d projected. He knew Julie was in no shape to be rational right now—if ever—when it came to her daughter.

  53

  Julie strode along the main corridor of the top floor of the Pol Station, a slight tension in her shoulder blades. This was the last place she wanted to be, but Tyers had caught up to her in the hallway of the Med-Center earlier to inform her that Raymond had, in fact, retrieved her backpack and that he’d left it in the suite she’d escaped from, next to the Head Pol’s. Why hadn’t he brought it down for her? Forcing down uncomfortable memories, she found her backpack on the couch in the leisure room. Faded and slightly crumpled, it was nonetheless a joyous sight. Julie hoisted it over one shoulder and lingered to look out at the view one last time. It looked cheerful and peaceful out there, she thought. The heath lay in bright sunshine and the cumulous clouds formed cotton islands in a sea of deep blue sky. She slipped into veemeld. Hey, SAM...

  [Hey, Julie.]

  Oh, SAM, I’m going home. With my family.

  [Your growing family, Julie.]

  She grinned and stroked her abdomen where her little infant lay. Yes. My growing family. Against all odds, she’d succeeded in her mission after all. With the help of a few special people...and SAM. Thanks for all your help, SAM...again.

  [Someone had to help; you kept getting into trouble.]

  Grinning broadly, Julie strode out of the suite with long clipped steps then jolted to a stop as she came face to face with the last person she wanted to see: Frank. She killed the smile and forced back a sharp inhale. It looked suspiciously as though he’d been waiting for her. Had Tyers set her up?

  “Do you have a moment?” he asked, inviting her into his private suite next door with a nervous sweep of his arm. “I want to show you something.”

  With some effort Julie set aside her distrust and followed him rather furtively inside. He didn’t close the door behind him, as if to reassure her of his honorable intentions. Nor did he move close to her, but kept a respectable distance between them. After lowering his head briefly as if to urge himself on, he plunged into what seemed like a speech he’d rehearsed, “I wanted you to know that you didn’t give me Darwin. I know that for certain now.”

  She gave him a crooked wistful smile. “I know too.” He waited for her to explain, the surprise evident on is face. “SAM explained it to me in the A.I. core and Proteus provided the proof.”

  “Ah,” he sighed, nodding. “I just got it myself from my sources and,” lips firming with determination, “I wanted you to know that I knew.”

  “I appreciate your intent,” she responded and
then they stood for a moment in awkward silence.

  “And—ah—thanks for not...” he trailed.

  For not pressing charges? she thought. “Yeah, well...” she faltered back.

  “Thanks for giving me another chance.” He ended softly.

  She wanted to say, ‘just do something right with it,’ but the words choked in her throat. They stood facing each other in more clumsy silence. So, was that all he wanted to say?

  She started for the door and was about to thank him and say good-bye, when he continued like an awkward boy bent on showing her his new toys, “And I also wanted to show you this.” He led her to his large desk with a vee-com. The holo displayed several files. When Julie realized that they were mostly confidential documents and secret correspondence between Gaia and several Secret Pols, including John Dykstra, the previous Chief of Secret Pols, her interest was caught.

  Frank pointed out several interesting annotations. “Not only do we know that your father was innocent of the two murders,” he said, looking at the holo alongside Julie, “but I now know that he didn’t falsely incriminate my father as a Dystopian: it was all Gaia. In fact she’s the one who had my father killed, just as she did yours. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, she pitted your father against mine on paper...and as a result,” he aimed his blazing eyes directly into hers, “me against you in person.”

  They looked at one another in silence for several heartbeats. “I’m so sorry, Julie,” he offered in a voice splintered with emotion. “She’s played me for a fool from the beginning. From that first time she had me assigned to watch you for the Shadow Unit,” he confided. “She might have been a fool herself for trusting the son of the man who double-crossed her; imagine, her top henchman secretly running the Dystopian movement and recruiting his own renegade Pols right under her own eyes. He was organizing his own war against the very people she was trying to put into power: the veemelds. But I’m still the greater fool for believing anything she said.”