“But surely they will find out at some point?” asked Li Li.
“Someone else will discover the technology,” said Archimedes.
“And come after us,” said Akoi.
Aviva nodded soberly. “Of course. So we have defensive plans. We poison the wells and blow up the bridges…”
“Conduct a disinformation war…” Archimedes said almost to himself.
“Most of this war is a disinformation war,” Aviva agreed.
“To keep the masses confused,” said Li Li.
“Yes, a confused population is a frightened population and a frightened population is a compliant population. Disinformation has long been part of the corporate strategy.”
“But surely the people must eventually revolt?” protested Junji. “Activists have made gains.”
“Yes, we expect a lot of street protests, but they don’t really change anything substantial. A national leader might be sacrificed to appease the crowd but those with the real power never change. It’s window dressing. After the European revolutions and the failed communist experiment, the elites learned how to manipulate protest movements. One way was to cast so much internal doubt and mistrust that any protest movement becomes divided. In such a disinformation fog it becomes difficult to arrive at the correct analysis and devise an effective strategy.
“Divide and conquer,” said Constance.
“Confuse and conquer,” said Li Li.
“Right, but now the strategy is to gain a firm control of government and thereby the courts. Progressive change is being wound back everywhere, except for the issues that are irrelevant to the main strategic game. In the case of the US and Russia it is now total. They may still have elections but they are a charade. They control all three arms of the government no matter who wins.”
“I am afraid it is the same in Europe,” sighed Li Li.
“Australia?” asked David hopefully.
“Not quite yet, but they are in thrall to the US and dare not step out of line. A couple of mining magnates have formed an alliance and have been diversifying, buying media outlets and politicians. We expect them to make a final move in a year or two.”
A sullen silence filled the room. Each person understood that their worst fears had been realised and that they had been in varying degrees of denial.
“I’ve released a series of briefing notes which you’ll now be able to access on your personal devices. The notes will go into more detail. Any more questions?”
They all looked at each other silently. David fidgeted in his chair, apparently on the verge of asking a question. Aviva noticed. “David?”
“Oh, uh, nah, it’s a stupid question.”
“So? What’s the worst that can happen – everyone laughs at you?”
“He’d love that,” said Archimedes sarcastically.
David wasn’t about to let the remark go without a response. “Well, you’ve got access to secret government stuff. What about UFOs? Aliens?”
Archimedes moaned and everyone except Li Li looked shocked. “Of course, it is an obvious question. Surely you and Akash must have inquired?” Li Li asked in defence of David.
All eyes turned to Aviva.
“Yes, of course, very early on as a matter of fact. Now that we have discovered life on other planets it seems a foregone conclusion that there is intelligent life elsewhere and that they have discovered void mechanics…”
“See, it’s what I’ve been thinking ever since I saw the jumpers. It’s like UFOs – the way they move. I was thinking Akash reverse engineered – you know, was part of some secret military…”
“Sorry to disappoint… Much of what we uncovered points to a government disinformation campaign. Some of the first sighting reports were cover-ups of jet test flights. Yes, there was a covert government program but it was a psyops…”
“MISO,” interrupted Li Li.
“Sorry, yes, Military Information Support Operations…”
“Oui, in other words a calculated esprit baise – a mind fuck.”
“Yes, couldn’t have put it better… A deliberate mind fuck designed to see how far they could push a disinformation campaign…”
“Using useful idiots,” said Archimedes, letting out a long, sardonic sigh.
“Plenty of those eh?” David laughed.
“Very useful idiots – the original term was useful innocents – but yes, what we found is that most conspiracy theories are planted to spread confusion. We found several highly classified papers by defence psychologists mapping the spread of planted memes, many of them openly contemptuous of the gullibility of the true believers, the useful idiots. It seems they don’t have to make much of an effort before the fools rush in…”
“Humanity has never been able to look reality in the face,” hissed Archimedes cynically. “It invents fairy tales and religions…”
“The average person cannot handle the complexity of reality, they much prefer simplistic explanations,” Constance responded rhetorically, finding no disagreement amongst her colleagues.
“So, there’s nothing to it?” asked David, disappointed.
“No, I didn’t say that…”
Again there was silence. Li Li smiled to herself, despite their pretence at sophisticated disinterest, she knew everyone was secretly childishly fascinated with UFOs and desperately wanted aliens to be real.
“There have been unexplained sightings that seem to be consistent with vehicles using void mechanics, but that’s it. If they have visited then they’ve been very discrete. They certainly haven’t been abducting people…”
“That is an hallucination caused by a brain malfunction, such phenomenon have been replicated in laboratories. Many cultures have legends of witches and supernatural entities abducting people, children especially. There are tales in my culture,” said Prosperous quietly. Then by way of explanation he added, shrugging his shoulders, “that stuff fascinates me – it is a hobby.”
“So, you’re not ruling aliens out?” asked David.
“No, in fact we think it must be inevitable. But we currently have no idea how prevalent post-void mechanics societies are. They may be very, very rare…”
“Oui, of all the billions of species on Earth, this planet has only produced one sentient species in over three billion years, so the odds are not good,” said Li Li.
“We don’t know the odds. Maybe one per galaxy…”
“That would still be billions,” said Junji.
“True, but so far we’ve only mastered close interstellar jumping. Intergalactic is a whole other matter,” replied Aviva.
“Yes, the limitation is accurate mapping. We have to be able to accurately measure the signature of local stars, but the further the distance, the greater the inaccuracy. If we jump too far, a mistake of a minuscule fraction could see us jump into a star or the centre of a planet. A good way to end up dead.”
“So we have to leap frog?” mused Archimedes. “Establish a base, leap the minimum distance, establish another base, leap again…”
“It would take centuries,” added Li Li.
“The implication being that there are a limited number of habitable planets within the jump zone,” said Akoi. “Perhaps not enough to share, because that is the other option here – release the technology and let the other consortiums have a planet each.”
“Give ‘em Pangaea,” spat Anne angrily. “Let those fucking turkey monsters deal with them.”
Aviva gave a small, sinister smile. “Oh believe me, I’ve thought of that. Send the Texans there. Look, I’ll be honest with you. This is a gamble. There are so many variables it’s difficult to know what to do. In such a case you can become paralysed with indecision…”
“Humanity has always taken risks,” said Li Li boldly, again pulling the group’s attention to her. “Sometimes it is the act of taking the risk that changes history, non?”
“Ce qui sera, sera,” said Akoi in agreement.
“Fortes fortuna adiuvat,” agreed A
rchimedes. “Fortune favours the bold.”
And with those words it was clear the meeting was over. Aviva suggested they take the rest of the day to read her intelligence reports and deal with the information in whatever way they chose.
They didn’t say much as they filed out of the room, their faces betraying a range of emotion, from anger, sadness and shock, to resolve, resignation and focused determination. Li Li was thinking of the appropriate time to tell the team of her secret. Surely not now? It would be too much.
46
Li Li
Another week of organising and training passed before Li Li could tell the team her secret. She really couldn’t afford to delay any further. They had taken to having a beer at the end of each day as a way to get to know each other and bond. This time it was Junji who had their attention as he told tales of his adventures in the Antarctic battling Japanese whalers. Initially he had been quite shy but with a few beers he became gregarious and quite the comedian. He had them it stitches as he recounted his run-in with an officious Japanese captain who had been quite perplexed when he had found out Junji was a fellow countryman.
When Junji had finished there was a natural lull in the conversation and some began to make noises about heading off to a meal. This was the time.
“Guys, before you go, I have something important to tell you,” she said as she stood to get their full attention.
“Uh-oh, must be important, she got her deadly face on,” quipped David (who seemed to delight in teasing her).
“Well it is,” she continued. “Thing is, I’m a mutant.”
There was stunned silence simply because it was such a bizarre statement.
“What X-men mutant you mean?” scoffed Constance.
“Hey, cool, I like X-men,” said Junji. “I like Mystique.”
“Li, you had a few too many?” asked Prosperous in his deep, melodious baritone.
“Ahh, that got your attention, non?” She sat down, all eyes on her.
“Ever the drama queen, well girl, out with it,” demanded Archimedes. “Don’t keep us in suspenders.”
Akoi groaned at yet another of his beer fuelled vaudeville puns.
“Okay, I am a Cricket. There are six of us. We have all been genetically enhanced.”
“I thought you kung fu freaks were grasshoppers,” laughed David. “I used to watch that show.”
“Genetically enhanced,” asked Anne, “how?”
“Subtle things, intelligence and immune system boost, some genetic diseases corrected. I belong to a group of gene anarchists, the Huxley Cricket Club.”
“What, like some underground group…?” asked Akoi.
“Rogue scientists?” asked Junji.
“Oui, just like you are an environmental activist Junji, we are gene activists, gene hackers.”
Archimedes had been silent. He took a deep breath and leaned forward. His sudden movement caught everyone’s attention. “Huxley, after Julian I presume? Radical transhumanists. So you have succeeded?”
“You are familiar with transhumanist philosophy?” asked Li Li.
“With the Huxleys, yes. I’m a British biologist and they are the royal family of British biology. But apart from that obvious connection, my family has had some personal links with the Huxleys. All part of the same incestuous Oxbridge circle you see. My grandfather went to Eton with Julian and my great aunt bloody well had an affair with him.”
“But you sound like you don’t approve,” objected Li Li.
“You know the history I am sure…”
“What history?” asked Anne.
“Julian was president of the British Eugenics Society,” announced Archimedes.
Li Li responded quickly. She wasn’t sure if he was being serious or merely playing devil’s advocate to prompt an argument, something she was beginning to suspect he did for sport. “Yes, and you know very well that he was instrumental in attacking the concept of race. He said it was a useless concept and had no biological foundation. He did not believe in a master race. But you are being a provocateur non? You also know he was one of the founders of the World Wild Life Fund and the first head of UNESCO.”
“But to be president of a society promoting eugenics,” frowned Akoi. “I am very familiar with this idea. In Germany…”
“Non, he rejected the whole notion of a master race - to him it was about improving the genetics of all of humanity, black or white, rich or poor. In fact he saw genetic improvement as a way out of poverty and racial inequality. If Huxley were alive today he would promote improvement through gene therapy – he was ahead of his time.”
“You sound like a neo-luddite Archi. Do you really believe that humanity should not interfere in evolution?” Anne goaded him.
“I am on the record as opposing GM food,” he replied somewhat officiously.
“But for what reason?” snapped Constance. “You of all people must understand that nature alters genes all the time; mutation is the engine of natural selection. Surely you are not deifying nature, arguing that nature has some sort of teleological purpose?”
“I sense Archi is a British romantic at heart,” offered Junji, surprising everyone with such an astute understanding of British culture.
“I am, I must admit, rather offended by crude mechanistic approaches. Who cannot say that Mother Nature does not have soul.”
“Ah, there, a closet vitalist, I knew it,” laughed Junji.
Li Li narrowed her eyes with suspicion; surely he had adopted a false position? “And the answer to that is that humanity is part of her plan and she gave us the intelligence to help her to improve nature.”
“Exactly,” said Constance. “You took the words right out of my mouth. By definition humanity is part of the process of natural selection. We have been interfering with nature since the beginning.”
“Yes, all dogs are evolved from wolves through human domestication,” added Anne. “It is Darwin’s argument.”
“Wasn’t that pigeons?” asked Junji.
“And us blackfellas used fire to shape the land,” David said breaking into a broad smile.
“My people have a symbiotic relationship with our cattle. We changed them and they changed us,” said Prosperous looking at Akoi for confirmation and she nodded that it had been the same with her tribe.
Archimedes leant back and stretched, again using his body to draw people’s attention. “All true, but the question is who gets to decide? We have been altering plants for thousands of years, but GM is in the hands of corporations who design plants purely for profit. I know Li says she is an anarchist but surely this is a naïve position? I think Julian’s younger brother Aldous got it right. The elites are the ones who can best afford genetic enhancements and they will use them to improve their children. The poor will still suffer from genetic disease and disadvantage and gradually become a permanent underclass. It’s like education. The rich send their children to the best schools and vote against policies to educate the masses because it might cost them more tax. Above all the privileged want to maintain their privilege. It’s the whole point of being privileged.”
“But you are privileged yourself,” objected Akoi angrily.
“Precisely. I went to school with these people so I know exactly what they are like, how they think. Constance knows this too. She is the product of generations of East Coast breeding and education at Ivy League institutions.”
“And yet you are not like them. You have rejected their values have you not?” argued Li Li sensing the contradiction. “I am the same. My family came from a long line of scholars and mandarins, the Chinese upper class. The consequence of that breeding was to create rebellion; people who questioned the status quo and my father paid the ultimate price. I am his daughter.”
“She is right,” interrupted Constance. “I studied a bit of psych. The simple fact is that the higher the intelligence the more unconventional people become…”
“Kohlberg,” said Junji, showing yet again that he was well rea
d. “He was a developmental psychologist who showed that those with higher cognitive capacity demonstrated a shift in moral reasoning. He called it post conventional…”
“Yes, that’s right, now I remember, Kohlberg,” added Constance. “Conventional moral reasoning is just that, conventional…”
“You mean like sheep?” asked Prosperous. “Bound by tradition, blind followers?”
“So where does that put us?” protested David. “Us uneducated mob, the great unwashed? It’s fine for you professors.”
There was surprised and embarrassed silence until Li Li reacted. “That is bullshit, foutage de gueule. You were carefully selected. I can guarantee you that everyone here is of above average intelligence and post conventional. Education has nothing to do with it so don’t be une trou du cul…”
Akoi laughed and those who understood French smiled. David shook his head. “No need to translate…”
“Yeah, don’t put yourself down dude,” added Junji.
“So Archi, if it is true that an increase in intelligence leads to more sophisticated moral reasoning and the likelihood that the individual will question convention, wouldn’t increasing the average IQ be a moral imperative?” asked Constance, staring at Archimedes triumphantly.
He smiled, pleased at the debate he had generated. “It doesn’t solve the political problem Connie. It is the corporations, the conventional thinkers who control the financial resources, who dictate the research. I know many biologists who are opposed to the corporate control of genetic research but they are relatively powerless.”
“But that is just cynicism,” Prosperous objected. “There can be progress…”
“Exactly, and who drives the progress?” said Constance. “It is a question of numbers. At present the majority of the world’s population is locked at conventional. Imagine a world where the majority is post conventional. Maybe we wouldn’t be in the mess we are…”
“Ah, don’t listen to him, he is being a provocateur. It is his entertainment,” laughed Li Li.
Archimedes smiled. “Not exactly. If I am correct Li Li is about to tell us that her friends the Huxleys have joined forces with Dr Evil and we will be asked to submit ourselves to genetic enhancement.” He looked at Li Li and she nodded. “Which is an issue we need to think about carefully. It is a political act is it not?”
Paradise Reclaimed Page 30