Twisted Spaces: 1 / Destination Mars

by E. N. Abel

  ''Sure,'' Marlene replied dryly: ''But it also says: Remember the risk ...''

  That made both women share a smirk. They held their peace a moment, thinking.

  ''I've extracted Ellie's ovaries.'' Margaret suddenly stated flatly.

  ''What!?!'' Marlene seemed stunned.

  ''Unlawful death; I had to do an autopsy.''

  ''An autopsy ...''

  ''Yes. And I used it to harvest her ovaries. Cold-stored them.''

  ''That can't be legal.''

  ''It isn't.''

  ''Why?''

  ''Because there is a way to bring Ellie back. Kind-of.''

  ''By cloning her?''

  ''No, I consider that unethical. As does the UN.''

  Marlene took a moment, then she gasped: ''You want to produce a child with her eggs?''

  ''Wouldn't make much sense, would it?'' Margaret stirred her cappuccino again, looking into the cup.

  ''One moment,'' Marlene temporized, ''You have her eggs but don't want to clone her or produce a child from them. But you have a way to bring Ellie back.''

  ''Kind-of.''

  ''Could you be a little bit more specific?''

  ''Only way we all can survive death is ...''

  ''Through our children.''

  ''I agree.''

  A few silent moments passed, then Marlene understood: ''Wait a minute! You want to produce their child! Ellie's and Mike's.''

  Margaret didn't answer, just stared into her coffee. Nodded once.

  ''And for that you need his sperm.''

  Again a wordless nod.

  ''Mike would never consent.''

  ''That's why I won't ask him in the first place.''

  ''Margaret! You can't do that! You are deciding over his head! Slip him a child, a child with his dead wife! Without asking him!''

  ''Yes.''

  ''Yes? You are playing God and all you have to say is Yes?''

  ''There is more, like Mike and Ellie are my friends. Well, Ellie was. And my friend and comrade in arms is in horrendous pain. Pain I have the power to ease and bring his Ellie back, to some degree. But beyond such superficial explanations, I've got nothing you would understand to offer.''

  ''So I wouldn't understand ... alright, looks like I have to accept that - after all you've been with Mike far longer then me. But I do understand the basic ethical dilemma: you force a child on him, without him knowing and, as we agree, against his will. Doesn't that pose a little moral conflict for you?''

  ''You have no idea. The last time I had a moral conflict was when I had to let an Iraqi child die because his family rejected help from a kuffar woman. Let it rest, please.''

  Marlene gulped, took a breath. ''Good, we'll let it rest for now. But as Mike would never agree, you can't get his sperm.''

  ''You are right, I can't. But you can.''

  That made Marlene nearly drop her cup. She sat upright. ''Excuse me?''

  Margaret looked into her eyes: ''He always liked you. I mean, every man on board does, pretty doll that you are ...'' she smiled shortly and twinkled, taking any offence out of the words. ''But Mike always had a special crush on you. Only reason he never made a pass at you was because ...''

  ''Ellie. He's married.''

  ''Was married. Ellie's dead.''

  ''Right. So you want me to comfort the widower.''

  ''That would be the easiest way to get his sperm. With his consent, I mean.''

  ''Margaret!''

  ''Come on, you wouldn't mind jumping into bed with him ...''

  ''Margaret! Ellie isn't dead a week! You are disgusting!''

  ''I know.''

  ''Also what makes you think I would jump into Mike's bed?'' Marlene sounded a little bit aggressive now.

  ''I have eyes. And I don't only watch Mike.''

  Silence again. This time it took a quarter of an hour.

  ''OK, let's assume I agree to this. I get the fun, you get the sperm. You have the eggs. Then what?''

  ''IVF Treatment - artificial insemination. In a tube.''

  ''You can do it here?''

  ''Sure. Nothing to it. The method has been perfected in the last ten or so years. And Ellie's ovaries are good; I can stimulate them with hormones, so I have several tries.''

  ''Suppose it works, what then?''

  ''There would be the need of a surrogate mother.''

  ''Christ, you do have some wild notions!''

  ''I would do it. For Mike.''

  ''But ...''

  ''Can't. Got poisoned during my tour in Iran. Chemical weapons attack, with nerve gas. I survived, but no pregnancy, no kids for twenty or-so years.''

  ''That leaves ...''

  ''Nine other women on board. All young and healthy.''

  This time a longer pause developed. Marlene got up, refilled their cups, sat back down again, continued reflecting on what was said: an essential leader, breaking apart because he lost his wife, a medical doctor ready to play God, a child from a dead woman, borne to a ... what - a single mother, living in a nutshell in deep space? The whole idea was just - hilarious - beyond any moral or legal considerations. But there had to be more ...

  ''Margaret, tell me the truth. Is there a plan behind the composition of the crew? I mean, half men, half women, all young and healthy?''

  ''And not to forget: no homosexuals.''

  ''So? Maybe Mike is just homophobic.''

  ''Not to my experience. To me he looks rather indifferent to the matter.''

  ''So what else ...''

  ''Let your imagination flow.''

  ''It seems to me that Mike doesn't just want to travel to a distant star, right?''

  ''He never mentions anything else,'' Margaret replied. ''But, there has to be something after we have reached another solar system. Maybe we'll be looking for an inhabitable world to settle down. Or something goes wrong, and we can't go back. See, Mike usually plans very far ahead. It's obvious that a young and healthy mixed-gender crew, crashed on an inhabitable planet, has far better survival chances then an old one or one with homosexual members.''

  ''You think that is the reason behind our crew's composition?'' Marlene couldn't really believe it. ''Reproduction capability?''

  ''More like survival capability. To me it looks like it's all about survival. I think we are all hand-picked.'' Margaret sighed, then went on: ''Back to the issue at hand. I had planned to cold store the ova until we have found a new home world. And would never have burdened you with this, Leni. But a problem came up.''

  ''A problem.''

  ''A technical one. The cryo units here on board are of a rather simple design. We had to save costs, you see. Nor were they intended to keep things stored for long, or to store such delicate tissue. I need to act soon, or all is lost.''

  ''You mean your chance to create Ellie's child is lost.''

  ''Yes. And with it Ellie's legacy. Her essence.''

  ''Margaret, all this is absolutely out of question.''

  ''I admit - it's quite a stretch.''

  ''A stretch.''

  ''Of all our morals.'' She waved her hand over the galley. ''But we are not exactly on common ground any more. And probably can never go back there. So maybe we should reconsider a few of our values.''

  ''What do you mean?''

  ''Imagine we make it to another solar system. And crash there. On a habitable world.''

  ''So?''

  ''Twenty people are not enough of a gene pool to create a healthy population.''

  ''So it is all senseless. This mixed-gender crew.''

  ''Not really. See, if every woman has at least four children from different men, the combinations carefully planned, and someone can fix arising genetic defects, then it could work out.''

  ''Gene manipulation? Are you capable of that, too?''

  ''Sure. Extended medical training while Mike and his gang were at university. We have a full set of tools for genetic research and treatment on board, even a small gene sequencer - guess why.''

  Marlene took a deep breath. '
'IVF and surrogate motherhood with an egg from a dead person. I can't imagine doing such a thing - or you asking me to. This is an absolute horror!''

  ''Nonsense. Let me tell you, Leni, I have seen true horror, and, believe me, this is nothing like that. As to dead person: that happens quite frequently nowadays, it's just usually the male partner that dies and his sperm is cold stored. As I said: I would do it immediately, for my brother. But ...''

  ''But you can't.''

  ''But I can't.''

  Marlene stayed silent for a long time. Then she took a deep breath: ''I need to think about this.''

  ''You have one week, max.''

  ''Before you ask someone else?''

  ''No. Survival time of the ovaries.'' Margaret stood and walked out of the mess, leaving a young woman full of thought behind.

  Chapter 71

  Geneva

  Monday, 14.11.2016

  A shadow moved slowly towards the fence. Although an almost full moon was hanging in the sky, the figure remained close to invisible. The clouds and drizzling rain helped as well. With a wide, circular motion a fluid was sprayed onto the wire. For a few seconds a quiet sizzling sound was audible, then a large piece of the fence fell backward. The shadow stepped through the hole, entering the CERN compound.

  Chapter 72

  Beijing

  Monday, 14.11.2016

  A huge wide-screen TV had been set up in the central committee's meeting room and the available information was displayed as a cleverly charted matrix. All committee members were present, breathless suspense prevailed. Everybody stared at the screen. Suddenly a window moved from the lower left corner into the screen's center, thereby increasing in size a bit. It showed an abstracted map with a regular dotted line surrounding a large area with buildings and streets. A blue dot pulsed on the right side of the compound, touching the dotted line, then passing through it.

  ''Operative in target compound,'' an operator announced into the silence.

  The chairman turned away from the picture and to an Army General who had to play liaison to the strategic air command tonight: ''Are we ready?''

  ''Yes, comrade chairman.'' The officer nodded eagerly.

  The dot on the screen moved rapidly between the buildings.

  ''The device is in hall 34,'' Xao commented the action on the screen. ''The antimatter production unit was shut down two days ago. It seems they have enough of the material for now.'' He paused a moment.

  ''Continue.'' The chairman was curious.

  ''Yesterday our man on site was ordered to prepare the extraction. He checked that the production unit is really shut down and informed us about security.''

  ''They have a lot in place?'' a minister asked.

  ''A hundred or so guards. Officially CERN personnel, but actually French Foreign Legion.''

  ''The Legion? How so?'' Again the chairman seemed interested.

  ''CERN's chief of security is an ex-Legionnaire, a Colonel. He probably pulled some strings.''

  ''Are they any good?''

  ''Superb. But our man is equipped with our latest stealth technology - a suit that makes him nearly invisible against optical, infrared or radar detection. His only chance - if they detect him, it's over.''

  The chairman followed up: ''What will happen next?''

  How strange, Xao thought. During the preparation phase he didn't want to know anything. And now ... ''Our agent on-site will disable the guards in hall 34. They are original CERN security people, not as alert and tough as the Legionnaires.''

  ''Will there be casualties?''

  ''Hopefully not.'' No need to make things more complicated than they already are, he thought, saying aloud: ''We have smuggled in some electrical shock weapons.'' Taking a breath, he pointed: ''See, the penetrating agent has nearly reached the target. It's the yellow rectangle.'' And sure enough, the blue dot entered the yellow rectangle.

  ''How can we follow our man?''

  ''High frequency pulse signal. A micro-transmitter in his suit.''

  They watched for a moment, then the blue dot changed colour, to green.

  ''What ...''

  ''He has it. Reports successful extraction.''

  The now-green dot left the hall, moved back to the fence - on the other side of the area.

  ''He's not going back to his entry point?'' someone asked.

  ''No. We are reducing the risks. If a guard has found the hole ...''

  ''An alarm would rise!''

  ''Not necessarily - at least not an open one.'' Xao took a short pause. Teaching central committee members field craft and operational tactics required some finesse, the exact right tone - and some patience. These dogs did bite. ''The men guarding the perimeter are highly trained professionals. You don't need a bell to wake them up. A quiet signal over radio, and they intensify their watch three times over.''

  ''At the wrong place.''

  ''Again: hopefully.'' Always these assumptions ... ''But we don't increase our chances by heading back to the entry point, so ...'' he let the sentence dangle as the green dot passed the perimeter line again.

  ''Agent left target compound,'' the operator's voice announced.

  ''He will now return to his getaway car, then drive to his pick-up point.''

  ''What about that fairy tale of self-destruction?''

  ''We were unable to gain further information on that issue,'' Xao answered.

  ''So we will have to chance it,'' the chairman shrugged.

  That poor chap will have to chance it, Xao thought bitterly. He knew the agent personally; he knew each and every one of his field agents personally.

  The picture on the big screen changed.

  ''Real-time satellite transmission coming in,'' the operator stated.

  Again they could see the area, now in relative darkness. Thousands of tiny light spots marking streets, buildings. A small, pulsing green dot highlighted the position of the agent in a relatively dark area. The agent moved further towards his pick-up point, which, on Xao's insistence, was located in an uninhabited, now completely dark area.

  ''A helicopter is waiting for him in the next side valley,'' Xao explained. ''If he can reach it, he's in ...''

  A bright light appeared at the agent's position, expanding rapidly, illuminating the valley and mountain sides, grew bigger, radiating a violent glare, blooming over the valley's sides, then collapsing, shrinking, and disappeared. The green spot was gone.

  A collective cry: ''WHAT WAS THAT''

  ''That, comrades,'' Xao sighed, ''was an antimatter annihilation. A nuclear detonation.'' Looking on the side of the satellite's picture, he read off the incoming data. ''Roughly half a kiloton.'' He turned to the chairman: ''Looks like the self-destruct story wasn't just a fairy tale. Phase A failed. And our agent is lost.''

  The assembly room filled with expectant silence. Finally the chairman cleared his throat.

  ''Phase B. Fire the missile.''

  When the Defence minister started to turn, Xao spoke up: ''You really want to follow up?''

  ''Yes. We have decided so.'' A nod from the almighty party head.

  ''Against my advice. Now, since you are really doing this, may I suggest a minor alteration?''

  ''And that would be?'' The chairman seemed annoyed with Xao's concerns.

  The General knew himself on the brink of getting dismissed, degraded and maybe even shot, but he had to try anyway: ''To minimise the danger of a counter-strike I had my people prepare a message to NORAD and Voyska PVO - the American and Russian Air Defence Agencies, announcing we will fire an ICBM straight into deep space. This way they know we are not shooting at them, they can watch and verify the trajectory and otherwise keep their fingers off the trigger. We have private channels to them. How about sending it a minute or so before launching?''

  The chairman seemed impressed: ''Lian Xao, you are a sensible man.'' He turned to the Army General: ''How long to launch after my command?''

  ''Two minutes.''

  Looking at Xao, getting a nod, the
chairman continued: ''Launch one missile!'' Turning to Xao: ''Send your message.''

  Chapter 73

  Earth Orbit

  Monday, 14.11.2016

  ''Mike! Michael MacMillan!'' Reyd Shagan's voice startled Mike; he had fallen asleep in his seat. No wonder, after an uneventful eighteen-hour shift. For a moment he seemed dazed, then his eyes cleared.

  ''What is it, Reyd?''

  ''The grav generator at CERN has self-destructed!''

  ''Holy mother! Where?''

  ''About three kilometers from the compound. Side valley, as it seems.''

  Mike switched on the intercom and bellowed: ''General Quarters! General Quarters! Crew to battle stations! INTEL to the bridge immediately!''

  It only took a moment, and people began to stream onto the bridge, running to their positions. Simone, still in her pyjamas, came floating out of the lift's ceiling hole. She grabbed the handrail and swung herself onto the bridge. Yawning, still half-asleep.

  'What happened?''

  ''Scenario four.''

  ''Scenario four ... someone stole the gravitation generator?''

  ''Yes.''

  ''Stupid idiots!'' Then she concentrated: ''And it blew up?''

  ''Five hundred milligrams of Anti-Tritium.''

  Simone took a deep breath. ''Wow, that must have been a real spectacle! Now, the most likely follow up scenario is ... damn, one moment!'' She massaged her temples.

  ''Mike!'' Reyd interrupted: ''We are being showered with a whole thunderstorm of radar impulses - from American and Russian stations ... that must be NORAD and Voyska PVO. My god, Mike, they are hitting us with everything they have, we are being lit up like a Christmas tree!'' She looked at him, inquiringly. ''What the hell is going on ...''

  ''Scenario twenty seven!'' Simone shouted. ''A missile attack! Anti-strategy ...''

  But Mike already bent over the control panel and pushed sliders to their maximum. A wild hum answered from the reactor bay.

  Carl Muller, as current watch officer for Defence straightened in his seat and announced from his place: ''Deflector on maximum! Combat computer coming up!''

  Alexandrej Rosskov fell out of the lift's opening, ran to the 'Propulsion' seat, took one look and shouted: ''Reactor at thirty percent, rising fast.'' He looked at Mike: ''We're ready to go.''