He suddenly understood something about Sommerland – the family had to have somewhere private, somewhere that attracted the rich, famous and talented. He wondered how many calculated affairs had been conducted on its grounds? “I see, and you are mostly from aristocratic families?”
Izzy shrugged her shoulders. “We are mostly from old families, families that have survived the ravages of history, of fame and infamy, of wars, revolutions and the cycles of the market. Members must indicate a certain level of financial acuity and stability. New money can be fickle, only interested in short term profit. It can dissipate in a generation or two. We are in it for the long haul.”
“We invest in civilisation,” added Angelika as she pulled a toasted ham, cheese, tomato and basil pesto baguette out from under a griller, cut it in two and passed half across to him. “Our families understood quite a long time ago, that a society that valued the arts and sciences was the best way to sustain our wealth. If there is no appreciation of art, there is no art market. Our assets become worthless. It started with one of my forebears, Reichgraf Willhelm Johannes Christian von Eisenberg. He was was inspired by the Enlightenment and he was instrumental in promoting the new thinking throughout Europe. He was an amateur philosopher, naturalist and composer, a polymath and a friend to Voltaire. He wasn’t the only one of his kind. Several aristocrats made significant contributions, not just to science, but also in establishing scientific societies, museums, galleries and colleges. They understood that they could only prosper in a civilised society. He conceived the idea of a bank that might direct its clients’ capital towards the humanist enterprise. The European scientific revolution might never have happened without the advocacy of the aristocracy. Not all aristocrats were archconservatives; there were many liberal and radical members in their ranks. Are you familiar with Émilie, Marquese du Châtelet?”
He shook his head that he was not.
“She translated the Principia Mathematica into French. Her translation is still used today. She was also a philosopher and took Voltaire as her lover. Montesquieu was also the Baron de la Bréde…”
“My family joined in 1820,” Izzy added. “We had a tradition of patronage going back to the Renaissance.”
“The Medici?”
“It was not just the Medici, but one might say the Renaissance would not have happened without patronage.”
“A form of noblesse oblige?”
Izzy nodded that he was correct.
“Okay, so how many in this Laurel Group are enhanced?”
“The enhancements are still illegal in many countries and therefore very expensive, not just in fees but also in bribes and favours. We are fortunate to be able to afford them. Most have taken the opportunity. Currently there are fifteen of various ages, mostly from European aristocratic families: Spanish, French, Italian, German, Belgian, Luxembourgian, but there are a couple from established business families: industrialists, financiers, that sort of thing. Although we know we are not the only ones. Krauss offers his services to whomever has the money.”
“And how many enhanced do you know of?” Izzy asked Akash.
“I’m not sure, close to a dozen, the children of academics,” he replied carefully.
“I see. It makes sense. Radicals I suppose. This Sauvaterre is known for his transhumanist ideas. We suspected of course, but had no direct evidence. Truth be told we thought he was a bit of a bombast. Seems we misjudged him. He has a son and daughter doesn’t he?”
“Jules and Anaïs,” he said, knowing it would not be difficult for them to discover their names. He did not mention Alice, or Freja and Lars.
“Naturally we would like to meet them,” said Angelika
“It is not my decision. They are an independent group. Our paths crossed, that is all.”
“Destiny perhaps?” said Izzy.
“Probability,” said Angelika dismissively. “We sit in the top .01 percentile of the population. We move in a small circle. There was always a high chance we would encounter one another eventually, perhaps some of us already have.”
“Well I hope our interests coincide,” Izzy suggested ominously.
“We’ll have to see,” he said. “It depends on what your families have to offer.”
Izzy nodded. “Of course…”
“But tell me truthfully. Was I brought here just to meet you?” He asked abruptly.
Angelika looked at Izzy. “In part, we suspected you were up to something that involved the enhanced, some discrete program. We were hoping we might combine our efforts. We believe we share some common concerns. You have set up a program to support gifted students in underdeveloped regions. With Sauvaterre on board we concluded that might involve some sort of enhancement program.”
“We had to see for ourselves,” Izzy interrupted. “Oh, Willy has a specific business proposal of course, but we have our own interests. We are the future of the Laurel Group. Our parents find the pace of change a little daunting. They look to us to explain the technological and social changes, as in turn we will have to look to our children. You are like us Akash. You were a child when you first went to university. You were a teenager when you made the breakthrough in quantum computing. You are not bound by irrational convention and tiresome social mores. The future will be constructed by the young and only they will understand it.”
“We wanted you to join us,” Angelika added.
He was suspicious of their request. Yes, they were precocious and talented but they were also unapologetically elitist. He wasn’t sure they included the commoners in their plans. Perhaps they thought they would become a new nobility of the enhanced? Whatever the case, he needed to be on the inside of their plans. “Well, it’s a question of who should join with whom? Perhaps you should join with me?”
“Or create a new configuration?” suggested Angelika. “The Laurel Group is too Eurocentric. We have not introduced foreign bloodlines into our family genomes. The sudden appearance of non-European characteristics would have caused a scandal. We think it is time to make an adjustment.”
“I see, including my genome?”
“If you are offering it… I mean, I don’t plan on having children until my career is established, but your genome would be a logical choice,” Angelika replied coldly, assuming it was beyond argument.
“Of course, we would use IVF, given you have a wife, but if the Zhang girl is an indication, there are other haplogroups available also, perhaps we can exchange genetic sequences?” asked Iggy.
“There are. But I’m not interested if you intend becoming just another ruling elite.”
Izzy and Angelika both looked disappointed and Izzy retorted quickly. “We have no interest in ruling, only in protecting, and that is best done behind the scenes.”
“Protecting?”
“The gains of civilisation, protecting the galleries, libraries and universities,” said Angelika. “There are forces that would pull them all down, who do not understand their worth.”
He could see they were sincere, although he wondered if they might be a little naïve. “Okay, I’m interested, although I may require a little more convincing.”
“Good, so do we,” said Izzy as she smiled at Angelika. “So there is one more test, an initiation if you like…”
“A Sommerland tradition, since it’s inception, all our friends have participated, a bit of fun, but also a symbol of trust.”
“And what is this test?”
Izzy undid the buttons of her shirt and placed it on the bench. She stood before him completely naked, revealing a pleasantly curvaceous figure and a luxurious patch of untamed, black, silken pubic hair, a rarity amongst her generation. “A midnight skinny-dip in the lake. It used to be a male only tradition, but the Laurel women have their own tradition of being socially progressive. We were not to be left out.”
Angelika pulled off her t-shirt and stood beside Izzy, her hands on her hips so that he could see her awkward, pubescent frame clearly. “You have already seen me naked. It
is only fair,” she dared him, trusting that he could look at her without salacious intent.
He could see by their expressions that to them this was innocent, a case of youthful hijinks, although there was clearly a degree of exhibitionism. He had noticed this with Crickets, a shameless desire to show off their genetically superior bodies and an arrogant disregard of conventional notions of modesty. He shrugged his shoulders with resignation. It might be fun. Besides, wasn’t this a fairly common European thing? They watched as he undressed, expecting him to present himself for their approval. He did so calmly and they smiled. He half expected then to pass some comment but instead they regarded him with the polite indifference of seasoned naturists, satisfied that he did indeed seem to be one of them.
The warm night released a heady floral scent: rose, lavender and linden flower. They walked down steps and across a manicured lawn of a classically landscaped, terraced garden, a full moon giving the white marble statues an eerie glow. Both Angelika and Izzy had become child-like, half skipping, half showing off with simple delight. Angelika performed a cartwheel and dared him to do likewise. He politely declined, knowing he would make a fool of himself. They descended a steep path and came out onto small stone quay featuring a floodlit fountain consisting of a life-sized baroque statue of Aphrodite rising from from the sea, surrounded by putti. Two wooden piers extended out into the lake. Moored at one were a motorised pleasure cruiser and a yacht; moored at the other were a small rowboat and a two-man skip.
“Come on, first one in,” yelled Angelika. She ran toward the edge of the second pier and leapt high, performing a perfect somersault dive into the dark water.
“Showoff,” yelled Izzy after her.
“But it’s an Alpine lake,” he objected.
“It’s okay provided you don’t stay in too long. The sun has heated the surface.” Izzy dove in and waited for him.
He hesitated, surely he had become accustomed the cold? He dove in and shuddered.
“Follow me to the pontoon,” said Izzy as he surfaced. He tried to swim as fast as he could to get out of the cold but he was not a strong swimmer. Fortunately the pontoon was not too far out. Angelika was already sitting on the side, her feet dangling in the water, waiting for them.
“Did I pass?” he asked as he clambered out shivering.
She laughed. “Of course Akash, although the real test was getting you naked. Without our clothes we are all the same you see. It is a great leveller. No aristocratic finery, no symbols of authority, no designer clothes, just the body as nature intended. The real test is to judge if you are willing to drop the illusion.”
He collapsed onto the deck to catch his breath and Izzy and Angelika lay down on either side. Fortunately the night air was still warm.
“I’ve always liked coming out here at night. There is less light pollution. The stars are clearer, although nothing like a clear winter night in the Alps,” Angelika sighed.
“Do you think we’ll ever reach the stars?” Izzy asked innocently.
He wanted to tell her that they already had, that there was a team on another planet hundreds of light years away, but he remained silent, wondering if Izzy realised that her question had just revealed to him that the Laurel Group had guessed only a small part of the picture.
“What do you think Angelika?”
“Angel…” she corrected him softly, suggesting she now regarded him as an intimate.
“Okay, Angel.”
“There are too many obstacles. We cannot spend too long in space because of the degenerative effect of cosmic radiation.”
“But if we could go faster than light,” argued Izzy.
“Akash should know this. Maybe if we used an Alcubierre drive to create negative mass to warp space, but there are a number of serious problems, including very high temperatures inside the warp bubble. We’d be cooked.”
“And high energy requirements, which comes back to your concerns Angel, but tell me, consider it my test now that I have passed yours: if you wanted to work for me would you give up everything you have, including possibly ever seeing your family again?”
She remained silent as she considered his question. “What, move to Bhutan and work on some top secret program?” She sighed. “No, family is everything to me. I want to protect it, not abandon it. Can’t you set up a division here in Switzerland?”
He stood up. It was as he suspected. This cohort was not interested in leaving Earth.
“Have I said something?” she asked as she stood and followed him to the edge of the pontoon.
“No. It’s just that what I’m involved in requires total commitment.” He smiled at them. “Thanks for the chat and the baguette. The swim was, well, interesting.” He dove into the icy water and swam to shore. They did not follow.
As he walked back to the house he wondered what to do with them. They were certainly highly intelligent and physically adept, but they were Earthbound, and that wouldn’t do. They were not colony material, but they might make useful allies. It would all depend on what they had to offer.
111
Aviva
As soon as she entered the bar she sensed something was wrong. She understood there was a fine line between paranoia and justified suspicion. Various cliques had worked out Shunyata was up to something. The number of cyber attacks had increased. They had all been rebuffed and counter attacks mounted so it was inevitable they would try more conventional espionage methods. Everyone was on high alert and a number of safety protocols had been put in to place, and even though it made Akash nervous, she had again suggested an aggressive policy. If the spooks were out there it was best to flush them out.
The bar was in the Castro district, Fifth Street. She had chosen it as her regular haunt because it was small and attracted a regular clientele. It was easier to spot people who didn’t belong. She was well aware that there were lots of corporate spooks active in San Francisco, most hoping to enter the social circles of Valley geeks to gain inside information. She had warned all Shunyata employees about honey traps and had to fire a few who had succumbed.
She looked around the room, recognised a few familiar faces and smiled, then focused on the noobs. It was the male couple sitting at a booth in the corner who caught her eye, not quite pulling off the gay look. She wondered if they were Chinese or Russian. They had the most difficulty negotiating the nuances of the San Francisco gay scene. She reached for her mobile and pretended to check her messages. When they weren’t looking she snapped a quick sequence of hi-res images and sent them to Shunyata for reference. She then sent an alert to a back-up team - if they weren’t distracted by playing vid games or just goofing off, they would arrive in ten to twenty minutes. Their task would be to monitor the spooks. Whoever was following her would soon find they were being followed.
She ordered a drink, bourbon, and began to chat to a regular. She was beginning to think she had been mistaken when a beautiful Afro-Asian woman entered the bar. She was stunning: heavily tattooed with a slightly punk hairdo, one side of her head shaven, her nose pierced. This was their first mistake. The woman began to flirt from across the room. In order to avoid obvious honey traps, Aviva always made the first move, rejecting anyone who approached her. She watched the woman’s body language carefully. She was a little too confident and her clothing was at least two seasons out of date. She was also a little too beautiful, someone’s idea of a punk dyke. Still, she was impressed. They seemed to know what she liked.
Her support team made their presence known. One of her best, Anouk Rasmussen, a muscular ex special forces cop, caught her eye briefly when she ordered a drink at the other end of the bar. Once she knew they had her back it was time to play. She smiled at the woman and asked her name.
“Wei Ya…”
“The graceful one?”
The woman was taken aback. “You understand Chinese?”
“I lived near Chinatown back in New York. I’ve fucked one or two in my time. You a Frisco Chinagirl?”
&n
bsp; The woman nodded. “Lived on Alpine as a kid.”
That was another mistake. The Chinese community was highly stratified and it was unlikely that a mixed race child would live so close to Chinatown. There were certainly plenty of mixed race couplings in San Francisco, but they tended to live outside their respective communities. Besides, her accent was flawed. It was good, but she was being too careful. This told her these spooks were almost certainly foreign, but she could not yet work out their precise nationality.
“So Wei Ya, I’m butch and I don’t mind me some Asian pussy. You want to be fucked by a Jew dyke?”
The woman hesitated and a faint hint of fear flickered in her eyes. “You are direct.”
“I come here to score. I’m a busy woman and I don’t have time to play games. You coming home with me?”
The woman nodded. Of course she was coming home. That was another mistake. No matter how sexually adventurous they were, most of her pick-ups would have found her too aggressive and declined her invitation. There was a code of behaviour and she had just broken a cardinal rule. This indicated that these spooks were desperate and would seize any opportunity. It did cross her mind that they might be after ransom money, kidnapping was becoming increasingly common. She was not concerned; her backup team would be prepared.
Her apartment was not too far, a few blocks into Buena Vista. On the way she let the woman tell her a concocted story, whilst she carefully avoided revealing too much about her own life, only confirming what the woman must already know. She allowed herself to laugh and joke in order to relax her, although she knew that the woman’s compatriots had been following them a safe distance back on the opposite side of the street.
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