Restoration

by Daniel C McWhorter

  “Put her through, let's see what she has to say.”

  A second later the image of a forty-something woman with short brown hair appeared on the holodisplay.

  “Hello, Ms. Merkel, what can I do for you today?”

  “Hello, Doctor Harris, it's good to see you again,” the woman said with a mild German accent. “I am sorry to bother you but we have had some very disturbing reports coming in from our Overwatch team and I wanted to talk to you in person before anyone overreacts.”

  Overwatch was the group inside the GSSA that monitored corporate activity around the globe. Its agents were international spies that had monitoring equipment in every data center and telecommunications hub around the world. Their mandate gave them tremendous latitude in its surveillance and crime prevention roles and they even had covert agents embedded inside of the major corporations—including Telogene. Aubrey had been careful to cover her tracks with Evan's restoration but the fact that she was getting this call meant that she had missed something.

  Aubrey didn't flinch. “Well, I certainly appreciate that. What exactly is so disturbing that warranted this call?”

  Dianne Merkel smiled. “I'll get straight to the point then, Doctor Harris. Why did you access your grandfather's archive?”

  How did they find out so fast? Aubrey didn't allow her shock to register on her face. “I am not sure I understand, Ms. Merkel. What do you mean by access?”

  “Okay, let me be more specific. Why did you transfer Evan Feldman's engrams from your storage facility in Xi'an, China to your labs there in Lead, South Dakota?”

  Shit, they are on their way here right now!

  This time, Aubrey allowed her concern to show.

  “Ms. Merkel. If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting then that is a very serious allegation you are making.”

  “Yes, I'm afraid it is, and that's why I am calling you. You and I have known each other for a long time, Aubrey, and I will give you one chance to come clean…and one chance only. Do you understand?”

  “Well, I understand what you are saying but I don't think I fully understand what you are suggesting.”

  “Yes, you do, Aubrey. Did you restore your grandfather? Tell me the truth now and I may be able to help you. Lie to me and... well, you know the consequences for violating the HDDA.”

  The Human Dignity and Decency Act was the anti-cloning legislation that banned the creation and growth of human beings outside of the womb. Passed in 2055, three years after Lily Harris's anti-cloning speech, the penalties for violating the act were among the harshest on the books; they included forfeiture of all assets and a minimum of twenty-five years of indentured servitude to one of the large mining conglomerates. Although Aubrey had thought about moving to Luna or Mars a few years back, the idea of working in a dirty mine for the next quarter of a century was not particularly appealing.

  “I am aware of that legislation Ms. Merkel. My mother was part of the committee that wrote it after all.”

  Aubrey threw out that last tidbit for effect. She knew Dianne was aware that her mother had been on that committee but she wanted to remind her anyway.

  She continued. “I have no knowledge of my grandfather's engrams being transferred. But, as you know, we are in the midst of a significant crisis here and we are working hard to find a solution. That means exploring every legal avenue available to us including accessing archived engrams, analyzing stored genetic material and testing new genetic algorithms and therapies that we hope will reverse the current situation before we reach the point of no return.”

  That should buy me some time.

  “I do remember that Lily was on that committee. In fact, you may recall that I was a GFN lawyer at the time and had the pleasure of meeting her on several occasions.” Secretary Merkel leaned back in her large black leather chair and put her fingertips together below her chin. “So, your position is that you have no knowledge of your grandfather's engrams being transferred. Is that correct?”

  When Aubrey didn't respond immediately she added, “Is there someone you need to check with?”

  She's throwing me a lifeline. She has me dead to rights but she is giving me a way out. Why?

  Aubrey tapped on the virtual keyboard projected on her desk. “Yes, that is correct but let me make some inquiries and get back to you.”—she calculated the time difference to Zurich—“It must be after midnight there. Would one hour be acceptable?”

  “Yes, one hour will be fine. I will await your call.”

  Aubrey stopped typing and leaned back in her chair. “Okay, one hour then and thank you, Dianne, for bringing this to my attention personally.”

  Showing her a little gratitude can’t hurt!

  “You're most welcome. It's the least I could do.”

  “Goodbye, I'll talk to you in an hour.”

  “One hour, Aubrey and not a minute more. Understood?”

  That's a warning. I probably have less than that before her agents are banging on my door.

  “Yes, perfectly. Thank you again.”

  “Goodbye, Aubrey.”

  The holodisplay faded. A few seconds later Evelyn came through the office door.

  “Is everything underway?” Aubrey asked as she gathered some of her personal things from around her office.

  “Yes, they will meet you on the hoverpad. The GSSA isn't here yet, or at least they haven't announced themselves. The lab and recovery room are being scrubbed as we speak and I have wiped all records related to your activities over the past twenty-four hours.”

  Aubrey had secretly alerted Evelyn while she was talking to Secretary Merkel and her trusted lieutenant was executing her prearranged instructions.

  “Doctor Hao gave the test subject access to the corporate archives. Please make sure you purge his access credentials and activity logs.”

  “Understood. Where should I say you are when they ask?”

  “Tell them I went to talk to someone in Neural Analytics to find out what's going on. It's a big facility, run them around for as long as you can.”

  “Not a problem, I am sure I can keep them busy for at least an hour.” Evelyn gave Aubrey a sly smile.

  “Thank you, Evelyn. I will never forget this. You are a great friend and I couldn't do any of this without you.” Aubrey gave Evelyn a long hug.

  “You're welcome, Aubrey.” Evelyn figured now was not the time to keep up formalities. “You stay safe and focus on what you need to do. I will take care of things here.”

  “I know you will.”

  Aubrey reached into her handbag and pulled out a small black case. Inside the case was a silver data cube. She handed it to Evelyn.

  “This has everything you need if things go bad. It's encrypted with your DNA signature, if anyone other than you tries to access it they will just find a bunch of unclassified research files.”

  Evelyn took the case and slid it into the inside pocket of her blazer. “Things won't go bad. At least not if you are not here when they arrive. Now go!” She pointed toward Aubrey's private elevator. “I will recall the elevator and wipe the access log.”

  God, she's good.

  Aubrey had long admired Evelyn but today she was going well beyond the call of duty for a good friend and loyal employee. The bond between them was more like that of sisters than friends, and Aubrey found she could not hold back the tear that rolled down her cheek.

  “I love you, Ev, please be careful.”

  “I love you too. Now get out of here before they show up.”

  Aubrey entered her elevator and specified her destination as sub-level five. That level was mostly storage, and it was unlikely that she would run into anyone she didn't want to see. An old mining tunnel exited that level and ran nearly a kilometer to the other side of the complex. From there it was just a few hundred yards to the landing pad where she would meet up with the others and catch her ride out of here.

  She exited the elevator to find herself in a large, rough-hewn cavern—a remnant of an o
ld gold mine. It was relatively small and close to the surface so they had relegated it to serving as storage for old equipment. Aubrey crossed the dimly lit cavern to the tunnel entrance.

  The normally locked steel gate was open and a brand new hoverbike was waiting just on the other side. The hoverbike looked like an old-style motorcycle with a one-foot wide skirt around the bottom instead of wheels. Aubrey had it parked here a few days ago just in case she needed to make a quick escape.

  Aubrey slung her bag over her shoulder and slid her leg across the hoverbike. She pushed the start icon on the handlebar mounted console and the bike hummed to life. The skirt inflated and the bike rose about a foot off the floor on a cushion of air. Aubrey turned on the headlights and pressed the accelerator knob with her right thumb. The bike leaped forward.

  The tunnel was about three meters wide and a straight shot to the surface, so she pressed the accelerator all the way forward. Her hoverbike gained speed rapidly and minutes later she was on the surface. An exterior gate had "accidentally" been left open.

  Thank you, Ev!

  Aubrey pointed the bike toward the landing pad and accelerated hard. She saw her aircraft sitting on the pad but there was no one nearby.

  They must be on board and ready to go, she thought.

  The aircraft was a Gulfstream G1450 supersonic hoverjet capable of vertical takeoff and landing. It looked like a cross between an early twenty-first-century business jet and a helicopter with two jet engines mounted on the tail and two large turbofans underneath the retractable wings. The rear engines could rotate a full one hundred and eighty degrees, allowing the pilot to direct their considerable thrust down, forward or to the rear of the craft.

  This allowed the hoverjet to take off and land vertically but, once at altitude, the wings would be extended and the rear engines rotated to direct their thrust aft. With all four engines turning at top speed, the craft could travel at almost 2,500 kilometers per hour, or more than twice the speed of sound. Very convenient transportation for the wealthy business person who wanted to get somewhere in a hurry!

  Aubrey slowed as she approached the hoverjet, stopping just under the tail. She got off the bike and walked to the left side of the craft where the access ramp was down and waiting for her arrival. The hoverjet's engines were idling, but she was surprised that nobody was waiting at the top of the ramp to greet her. There were a few people walking to their personal transports on the other side of the campus but nobody seemed to pay any attention to her or the hoverjet. She walked up the ramp.

  As she entered the cabin she started to say “Okay, let's go.” but all that came out was “Okay.”

  There were three people sitting in the cabin and none were who she expected to see. A woman sitting in Aubrey's seat swiveled the chair around to look at her. Aubrey's heart skipped a beat and her words stuck in her throat. It was Dianne Merkel.

  “No, Aubrey, everything is not okay,” Dianne said with a cold scowl.

  Aubrey heard movement behind her and felt a sudden sharp pinch on her neck. She felt lightheaded and her vision faded. Her legs weakened, and she started to fall but was caught by the man who had just injected her. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the General Secretary looming over her.

  CHAPTER 6

  APRIL 3, 2075 7:13 PM GST

  Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

  Evan Feldman glanced out the window of the Gulfstream G1450 hoverjet, a twin of the one Aubrey had planned to make her escape in, as it roared across the Pacific Ocean at almost twice the speed of sound. Doctor Hao was flying the craft at barely 100 meters above sea level, and Evan found he became disoriented and dizzy if he looked out the window for too long.

  He worried about Aubrey but Doctor Hao had assured him she was fine. Their departure from Telogene’s research facility had been unplanned and somewhat chaotic. Evan was about to take a dinner break when Doctor's Berkovic and Walker burst into his apartment. They pulled Doctor Hao out into the hallway for several minutes before all three returned with worried looks on their faces.

  Doctor Hao told the other two to go on without them and they would catch up. He asked Evan to change into a blue jumpsuit while he worked on Evan's holoterminal. It looked to Evan like he was either locking the terminal down or deleting files—or both. After Evan changed clothes, Doctor Hao led him down the hallway to a bank of elevators that took them to the ground floor lobby.

  Evan had followed Doctor Hao outside where they hurried across the parking lot to the doctor's hovercar (Evan found the whole idea of riding in a car without wheels somewhat disconcerting, but he got in anyway). Evan thought he glimpsed Aubrey getting into a jet aircraft parked on the opposite end of the parking lot but he wasn't sure and Doctor Hao wasn't talking—he was too busy driving at top speed to a nearby airport.

  The entrance to the expressway was just a few minutes from Telogene and from there it was only another ten minutes to the airport. When they arrived, Doctor Hao drove through a private security gate and into a large hangar. They parked next to the hoverjet and Doctor Hao told Evan to get on board. The doctor boarded a few minutes later and surprised Evan by sitting in the pilot's seat. Doctor Hao reassured him he had been a Chinese Airforce pilot during the last war and an avid private pilot ever since.

  They taxied quickly to the runway and less than thirty minutes after leaving Telogene they were airborne and flying west across Wyoming. Thirty minutes after that they were just south of Seattle and starting their five and half hour flight across the Pacific to China. They flew close to the ground the entire time, and they went even lower after they crossed the coastline. Doctor Hao said something about flying “nap of the earth” and “avoiding being tracked by ground sensors.”

  Once they were well out to sea, the doctor put the plane on autopilot and came back to explain to Evan that plans had changed and they were moving to a Telogene facility in China. He said Aubrey had other business to attend to but she would join them tomorrow as would Doctors Berkovic and Walker. Evan wasn't sure he believed him but he was in no mood to argue. With all the other weird things that had happened to him in the last twelve hours, what was a last-minute trip to China?

  The doctor showed him how to access the holoterminal in front of his seat and encouraged him to use the flight time to catch up on events leading to the current global crisis—namely the inability of a significant portion of the population to conceive children by natural reproduction, and the sudden appearance of random genetic mutations in the few children being born. Evan spent most of the flight reading old news reports and watching video footage from the time of the last war and global famine—and what he saw horrified him.

  The first global famine was caused in large part by large multinational agribusinesses (including Telogene) selling genetically modified seed that was incapable of reproducing on its own. Since the crops were sterile, farmers could not save seed from each harvest, which forced them to purchase new seed every season. This system worked well enough for several decades (especially for the multinationals that were raking in huge profits every year on seed sales) but, when the 2025 financial crisis hit, farmers around the world could no longer borrow the money they needed to purchase seed.

  The problem became even more dire a few years into the crisis as hyperinflation made the seed unaffordable for even the most prosperous growing operations. Since no other sources of seed were available (at least not in the quantities needed) millions of acres of prime agricultural land went unplanted, which created huge shortages of rice, wheat, corn, soybeans and other vital feedstocks.

  Five years into the crisis, global food production dropped by over fifty percent and within ten years it was down over eighty percent. The world's inability to produce adequate grain supplies led to massive shortages of livestock feed which resulted in the loss of billions of pigs, goats, sheep, cows and chickens. The situation got so bad that incidents of human cannibalism became too many to count and more than a billion people died of st
arvation and disease before a solution was found.

  Thankfully, a few enterprising governments and individuals had the foresight to stockpile large caches of unmodified seeds. The largest of these was the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. The Norwegian government created the seed stockpile in 2008 and had accumulated over two billion unique seed samples from around the world over the subsequent decades. Although the Svalbard facility was the world's largest seed repository, they had nowhere near enough to supply global demand—but that's where Telogene came in.

  Lily Harris refused to accept at first that Telogene had been responsible for the famine even though her company produced many of the genetically modified crops that ultimately failed. There were dozens of competitors worldwide and they were all creating and patenting genetically modified plant stock.

  Her perspective changed though when a highly respected team of scientists from Europe published a report that proved beyond a doubt that, although global climate change and widespread drought played a big role in the famine, it was the genetic modification of plants that caused the mass extinctions. Telogene's stock lost ninety percent of its value overnight and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy but Lily was determined to reverse the catastrophe that her company helped cause.

  Thousands of researchers around the world requested samples from Svalbard hoping to discover a means of mass producing economically viable seeds for the world's farmers, but Telogene's scientists perfected a method of cloning seeds that didn't require the comparatively long germination times of other methods. Rather than seeking a patent for its seed cloning process, Telogene gave it away for free. Within two years, global seed production surpassed one trillion seeds a day and Telogene went from being hated and despised for its role in helping create the famine to revered as the planet's savior. Three years later the world was once again producing adequate supplies of food for its diminished population and the famine was over.

  One year later the nations of the world set aside their differences and formed the Global Federation of Nations. Since the end of the twentieth century, the world had endured more than its share of climate change, financial crisis and conflict between nations and it couldn't withstand the global outbreak of famine and disease that swept through every population on the planet. It took over three billion deaths and the mass extinction of animal and plant life on a scale not seen since the Cretaceous period but the nations of the world finally realized that humanity's survival depended on their ability to work together.