On the plus side, she now possessed the knowledge of how to kill the bacteria that had so devastated her life. Oxygen toxicity she knew, and had tried. But not in combination with low pressure. How could she have been so dumb not to have considered it? She could have been home free by now. But there was no point dwelling on it. At least now she knew. It was her passport off this planet, her ticket back to Earth.
Yet even with this, she was further away than when she started. Trapped in a nightmare, with no escape. There must be a way out, she thought. At least her mind was beginning to focus now. It was clear to her what her mission was. She would find a way to escape or be recycled in the attempt. What did that mean? she wondered. Was it death or something halfway in between? Some form of termination that could only be conjured from the mind of a geneticist? It wasn’t something she wanted to experience. No, what she wanted was to go home, back to Earth, and be done with Mars and all its insanity.
So, her number one priority would be to find out as much as possible about the inner workings of the colony. Next would be to gain Vanji’s trust and to a lesser extent, the trust of the Council. It was clear from her initial discussion with him that they were not all in favor of keeping her alive. Her stay of execution was prompted by Vanji regarding her knowledge as an asset. She needed to play along with this, and in truth, part of her was fascinated to learn all she could about the experiments being conducted here, especially regarding cloning.
In the end, she realized she had little choice but be a part of Colony Two and try not to get herself recycled. She remembered Vanji’s words. ‘The soul belongs to the person but their biology belongs to the colony.’ A shiver ran up her spine.
7
Homo Ares
Jann awoke to the sound of the door being opened. The light grew brighter and she sat up in bed with a jolt, her body taut, ready for action. The same two black-clad guards entered and took up positions either side of the doorway. They were followed in by a woman carrying a tray of food. Her head was lowered and she moved deftly, but in silence. She put the tray on the desk and retreated, without making eye contact. The two guards followed her out and locked the door again.
Jann relaxed, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. It must be morning, she thought. She eyed the tray of food, picked up an apple and took a bite. It tasted good, so she finished it in four bites. She was hungry. Better eat as much as possible as who knows when she would eat again. As someone who had lived the hunter-gatherer lifestyle for the last few years she was not accustomed to eating only when food was available. She cast her eye over the tray again. There were baskets of fruit and bread, a jug of juice and a small platter with what looked like paté. She lifted it up, examined it, sniffed and was pretty sure it was synthetic, probably grown in a lab. Jann put it back and decided the fruit might be the safer option, and chose a pear. She noticed something odd at the bottom of the basket, and reached in to lift it out.
It was a small hard object wrapped in a paper-like material. She opened it to find a note.
‘Our joy knows no bounds now that you have come. Your presence amongst us fills us with hope. This token will keep you safe. Tell no one.’
Jann examined the object. It was a small white stone, carved into the shape of the beehive hut near Colony One. Its base was flat and etched on the underside was the word ‘Source.’
She turned it over a few times, examining it. She could tell that it must have been carved some time ago as it was worn and unevenly polished, as if someone had kept it in a pocket. Dirt had accumulated in the word scratched in to the base. It was a strange artifact, its meaning obscure.
She dressed, ate and was back examining the object when the door opened and Vanji strode in. She shoved the object into her pocket before he noticed.
“Ah, Dr. Malbec, are you ready for our little tour? I have something very special to show you today. Come.” Jann stood up and made her way into the corridor, sizing up the two guards. She reckoned she could take them, if she had the element of surprise as an advantage. Relieve one of his cattle prod and the other would go down easy. But she would only get one chance at that, and now was not the time.
They walked to the elevator at the end of the passage and entered. “So where are we going?” asked Jann as Vanji pressed a code into a touchscreen.
“We are going to witness an act of creation in the birthing room.” They descended, deep into the bowels of Colony Two. The doors finally opened on a short tunnel, opening out into a wide cavern. The roof had the same, all encompassing lighting. Rows of horizontal glass tanks, each the size of a large bath and filled with a thick, opaque liquid covered the floor. There was something inside but it looked dull and formless through the fluid. Wires and tubes snaked in and around the tanks and they all glowed with a muted luminosity. Vanji led her down a row towards a knot of people gathered around a tank, all busy tending to their tasks. They looked about twenty-five, but Jann doubted that was their actual age.
“Dr. Vanji, we’re ready when you are.” One technician broke away from the knot and approached them. She eyed Jann with a distinct air of suspicion.
“Excellent.” Vanji turned to Jann. “You are now going to witness the birthing of a new life form.” He waved his hand at the technician. “You may commence.”
The technician retreated with a nod. Activity increased around the tank as the glow brightened. Jann could now make out the recumbent form of a human. Pumps activated and the level of liquid in the tank slowly decreased. She was close enough to witness the human breach the surface. It was male, fully adult, and also looked around twenty-five. Its entire body was covered in a thin wire mesh, and various tubes snaked from its orifices.
When the last of the fluid drained away, the sides of the tank detached and started to rise upwards into the space above. The technicians gathered around the body, removing tubes and wires in a well-practiced routine, all the time getting feedback on bio-status from monitors. After a few moments they all stood back down. The lead technician turned to Vanji. “He’s ready.”
“Excellent. You may proceed with the kick.”
Again the technician nodded, and signaled to the others.
“All clear?” A chorus of confirmations echoed around the platform and the body appeared to be zapped with a high-voltage charge. Its back arched, muscles contracted and it shook, and banged, and vibrated for a few seconds before lying still. Steam rose from the body.
“Again.” A technician shouted.
For a second time the body was racked with a high-voltage jolt, longer this time. Finally it stopped and there was a moment of silence. His fingers twitched, his back arched and he took in a long hissing breath. The technicians moved fast, he kicked and shivered and shook as they gathered around him: probing, testing, analyzing. They watched a large monitor: checking stats, verifying data, monitoring readouts. His eyes were wide and frantic, and one of them jabbed his neck with a syringe. He quieted down. They stood back and inspected the monitors.
“Subject’s physiological and neural data looks excellent. We can proceed with processing.” With that, the technicians started cleaning him before finally lifting him onto a waiting gurney and covering him with a thin sheet. When they were finished they wheeled him off.
Jann stood in mute silence, all the while clutching the totem that had arrived with breakfast. She rubbed its smooth face with her thumb; it comforted her. Vanji turned to her as she watched the huddle of technicians wheel the subject out of the birthing chamber. “You have been privileged to witness the creation of life itself. A new colonist to add to our ever-growing population.”
Jann was speechless. What could she say that could in any way sum up her emotions? In the end she simply said, “Holy crap.”
Vanji threw his head back and laughed. “I fully appreciate your shock at witnessing this event. For the uninitiated it must be a surreal experience.”
“So what happens to him now?”
“He will be proce
ssed over the next few months until he is ready to join our community.”
“Processed?”
“Looks can be deceptive. He may seem fully grown, and in many ways he is, but his mind is like that of a small child. New members require counseling and processing before the full potential of the mind is realized.”
“But how can you create a clone so fully formed, so complete?”
“Would you like to see how it’s achieved?”
Jann thought about this for a minute. She had just witnessed the creation of a new life, the moment it became cognizant, and that new life was the product of science. Not of nature, per se, but through the genius of one man, Dr. Ataman Vanji. He had stolen the secrets of the gods, the knowledge and ability to create life. Part of her felt that this power was not right, not natural—not moral. But the scientist in her was fascinated. How was this even possible?
“Show me,” she said finally.
Vanji stared at her intensely for a moment. Then he smiled and said, “I was right about you, you have the soul of true scientist. That insatiable desire to know and understand. Let me show you.”
They walked back along the rows of tanks until they came to a laboratory. Here again, a tank took central position. It was filled with the same opaque viscous fluid but Jann could see it was empty. From around its base ran a myriad of wires and tubes into machines and systems of indeterminate function.
“This is where the magic begins,” he indicated the tank. “In here is a biological suspension of stem cells and nutrients. Into this primordial soup we introduce the zygote. It is then stimulated, using a complex radiation process with a specific harmonic frequency modulation. This accelerates the cell division process and as each cell starts to define itself, it gathers to it the raw materials—the stem cells it’s surrounded by—and utilizes these to speed up the process of growth.”
Jann touched the side of the tank and peered in. “How do you create these stem cells? I mean, there are so many.”
“We grow them, and we also recycle.”
Jann stepped back from the tank with a jolt. “So that’s what you meant. The soul belongs to the human, but their biology belongs to the colony.”
“You must understand, this is a barren planet, life is precious here. Nobody should die needlessly. It would be a waste.”
Jann put her hand into her pocket and clutched the totem. “Are you creating genetic replicas of all the colonists who came here?”
“Not quite. You see, it is quite a traumatic experience, for an original human to come face to face with their clone. So we have only cloned those that are no longer alive.”
“But there must be over a hundred people here.”
“Our total population is nearing two hundred.”
“So there are multiple clones of the same person?”
“Yes, there are secondary, tertiary and even quad clones. These do not experience the same emotional trauma at meeting their twins. But we are now embarking on a whole new phase. We’re creating hybrids.”
“Hybrids?”
“Yes, a genetic mix of different colonists. You see, clones are an exact genetic replica of their hosts. But with hybrids, we can introduce biological variation and new genetic enhancements. You see, Jann, we are creating a whole new species of human. We call this new species Homo Ares.” Jann shuddered as the implications of Vanji’s genetic experiments with the human race began to sink in. “Oh my God.” She stepped back from Vanji and stared at him in shock. It took every ounce of her will to keep it together. Get a grip, old girl, don’t let him see, she thought as she clutched the totem in her pocket tighter.
“Ah, I see you are suitably impressed, as I knew you would be.” He had mistaken her body language for admiration, not horror.
Jann looked around at the lab equipment to give herself some time to compose herself. Finally she said, “So tell me, why are there no children? Surely with everyone in the full flush of youth there must have been some pregnancies?”
“Ah, well the clones are sterile and, well... natural reproduction is... forbidden.”
“Forbidden?”
“It is too harsh an environment for such fragile biology, and, let’s face it, we have a better, safer way of doing it. We think of it as a major evolutionary step for humanity.”
“But how do you prevent it? The need to reproduce is the very essence of life.”
Dr. Vanji looked down at the floor for a moment. “I wasn’t going to mention it right now, but since you brought it up I might as well tell you. All the females have a procedure to make them sterile. And I assure you it is quick and painless, you won’t feel a thing.”
“What? You’re not serious.”
“It is not a request, it’s for the good of the colony. You must realize this after everything I showed you.”
Jann began to feel even more trapped. She looked around anxiously, she wanted to run, to get out now.
“Just think about this,” Vanji continued. “When you set foot on this planet for the first time you were in your early thirties. Now, three years later, you have the physical body of a twenty-five year old. This is the gift we have given you. What we ask is a small price to pay for this miracle.”
Jann stayed silent and tried to keep from running.
“It is good that you found us, you were using your newfound youth and energy to live like a cavewoman. This was a complete waste of your talents.”
“How do you know that?”
“Ah, we may be hidden from the world but there’s not much we don’t know.”
Jann thought about how much had changed. She had gone feral, that much was true, but at least she had freedom, both of thought and action. Yet here, she could possibly be sacrificing her womanhood. In her mind, this was a very high price to pay. She forced herself to stay calm.
“So why all the secrecy, why hide all this from Earth?”
“Just think of what this technology could do to humanity if given free reign. It would destroy them, and possibly the entire ecosystem with it. It needs complete control and we are not ready yet.”
Jann had to admit, he had a point. It would do nothing for the human race but sow the seeds of its own destruction. “But, why hide? Why not let them know you’re all alive and prospering, but keep silent on the genetic breakthroughs?”
“Because if they know we’re here then they will find out. And then they will come and they will simply take it. Do not underestimate the greed of humanity. The lure would be irresistible. So we must wait until the time is right, when we alone can dictate the terms and keep control.”
“And when is that?”
Vanji gave her a long look as if considering how much he could reveal. “Soon, the time is very soon. And it is you that has made that possible.”
“Me? How come?”
He waved a dismissive hand. “That’s enough for today, I think. We can resume our discussion at a later date.” He signaled to the ever-present guards. “Please see Dr. Malbec back to her room.”
8
The Council
Vanji sat at the head of a long table that had been carved from solid rock and polished to a high sheen. On either side sat the members of the colony council. They were all alphas, original colonists, and all had a youthful appearance that belied their true ages. No clones, betas as they were called, held positions on the ruling council.
He pulled at the cuffs of his robe of office, something he wore only when the council met. It conferred power and status and signified his authority. There was much to discuss, the assembled members were intrigued with rumor and counter-rumor concerning the latest addition to the colony. But, first things first, protocol needed to be observed. Vanji stood and signaled to The Keeper of Records.
“Can we start with the figures for the previous period?” he sat down again.
The Keeper consulted his screen and a 3D rendering of various datasets materialized in the center of the enormous stone table.
“First the good
news. We’ve had a record number of births this period, bringing our total population up to one hundred and ninety three.” There was a cursory round of applause at this news. “If we continue at this rate we will reach a population of two hundred in the next period.” The Keeper continued, “That said, the rate of discontent and insubordination continues to rise. We recycled three this period, and an increasing number of betas are requiring correction.” This last set of statistics was met with muted murmurs.
“It seems that our Head of Harmony Sector is failing in her duty to fulfill the requirements of her office. This cannot be allowed to continue.” Luka Modric, Head of Operations, pointed an accusatory finger across the table.
“I would challenge that it is our Head of Maintenance that is failing in his duty and is, in fact, the root cause of this discontent. These constant power outages are a cause for concern, not just for betas.” Harmony reciprocated by pointing at Maintenance.
“We do what we can with what we have. Some systems are old and spare parts are not easily manufactured here in the colony. Betas still lack the skills to fashion what we need. The population is growing too fast.” Maintenance fought back with a resigned acceptance of reality.
“My betas can make anything.” Manufacturing slapped the table. “Anything you asked for, they have made. Have they not?”
“Enough of this bickering, it is not what we need right now.” Vanji silenced the council members and then waved at the Keeper to continue with the data report.
The Keeper cleared his throat and continued. “Eh… mining output suffered a sharp drop due to… eh… issues with some of the processing machinery.” This was met with silence around the table. “However, we have sufficient supplies in reserve to maintain manufacturing levels in and around those of the previous period.”
Manufacturing directed a raised hand at Maintenance. “I rest my case.” Manufacturing scowled.
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