Regression (20 page)

She nodded her assent and he
continued. “This will get filled with the next generation of
communications devices soon. Whether it happens here in my lab or
out in a university think tank or even in some kid’s garage,
someone will come up with a new and better way to do things. That’s
what this is all about, creating the environment which fosters
inventiveness, promotes critical thinking, and stimulates
creativity. No matter which field, it’s all starting right now.”
His enthusiasm was tangible.

“
Do you think it will
be enough? We don’t even know what we’re up against, to know where
to focus our efforts.”

“
That’s all the more
reason to encourage those outside the company to be inventive and
innovative. It inspires me, when I think what we do could inspire
someone else to greatness.”

“
Is that how you deal
with knowing you ripped credit away from someone else, the original
inventors or developers of these technologies?”

He tilted his head, deliberating.
“In part. We are saving the world, here, so what does one person’s
financial loss matter?”

“
What if that person
was the one who was going to invent the object, technology, or
concept which could save us? What if that person was the one who
develops the regression technology? And by taking away their idea
you stemmed the tide of their creativity?”

Pausing, he glanced at her.
“Decisions have to be made and made with the best case scenario in
mind. We can’t walk around wondering if we’re doing the wrong thing
because we know we are here to do something. All of us were
selected with a reason. Perhaps even you, although your presence is
out of pattern. Someone or something sent us here and all of us
choose to use our knowledge to the best of our ability in hope we
can save the future.”

“
Do you think it was a
someone or a something?”

“
I personally am very
spiritual and not afraid to admit I have a firm belief in God.” He
smiled, pulling a crucifix from underneath his shirt. “Although an
individual person might be responsible for our presence here, the
hand of God will have guided him to develop the technology which
sent us here. God loves all His children, and would not stand for
us to be destroyed. He would take action if necessary to save us.
Judgment Day might be upon us in 2011 but we have the opportunity
to change before the day comes. If we can influence people to
change their habits, to make them return to key values and beliefs,
perhaps that is what’s needed to ensure survival. Our society
degenerated into hedonism and materialism. The family lost, given
over to working for financial gain rather than just to provide for
your family. People living for themselves, not for others.
Communities with no structure, no sharing, each man an island or
each family an entity to itself.”

“
Do you have a
family?”

“
In the original
timeline, I too had fallen victim to ‘affluenza’. I pushed myself
to invent more and better ways to communicate but never took the
time to personally touch others and develop relationships. It was
only after I came back to myself as a child I realized what was
missing from my life the first time around but because of our
nature as regressees it is impossible now to have a relationship. I
regret never having a child, never sharing a sunset with a wife or
awakening in the morning to see her warm, sleepy eyes respond to my
kisses. You lived that life. The one the rest of us ignored the
first time around and now must deny ourselves.”

As he spoke, Santino held her blue
eyes with his own brown ones and his words of regret sent an
answering pang through her. “I think part of the resentment many of
the regressees feel toward you is for this reason. I hope this is
not a surprise to you.” Glancing down at his restless hand, he
lifted his eyes to her face again. “Not all welcome you with open
arms. You represent all we could have had and now know we cannot
because the great need to dedicate ourselves to our efforts to save
the world.”

She was at a loss. She touched his
hand in sympathy and he brought her fingers to his lips for a brief
moment. Then he turned and led her into the main research and
development area for the department, switching to English to
introduce the team leader for satellite development.

“
Zhuang Gao, Adya is
the latest internship prospect. You have charge of her today to
show her projects under your supervision.”

Zhuang guided Adya through the
current Three Eleven projects with satellites in orbit. “The
satellites themselves are developed at TESC labs and launched from
there but we do the communication components here. The Global Watch
System, a network of stationary orbit satellites which monitor the
Earth’s surface and report when conditions fall outside ordinary
parameters, is our latest development. We work in co-operation with
a number of different space agencies around the globe, their
stations receiving data and interpreting it, then sharing it with
the other partners.”

Adya queried Santino.
“I.C.S.M.D.?”

“
Yes, very good.
Initiated earlier because of the relevance to the mandate for Three
Eleven. You are familiar with the project?”

“
I read the charter
shortly after the Christmas Tsunami.”

Zhuang looked confused, Santino
redirecting the conversation back to the current projects. “Zhuang,
could you please take Adya through the other launches, from
initiation of the program in 1971 through to the current project?
Adya, I will return at the end of the day and brief you as to what
we will look to tomorrow.”

“
Thank you, Mister
Flores, for what has already been quite a learning
experience.”

She spent the remainder of the
morning meeting the rest of the team, and enjoyed a congenial lunch
with them. Zhuang was more than accommodating and again Adya found
the camaraderie encouraging.

After dining, they continued her
orientation. Rarely seeing Santino during the remainder of the
week, she did spend the final day in his office reviewing what she
had learned from the other team members. She moved on to her next
orientation with a positive outlook, set to join Doctor Tehrani in
Medical Sciences. 

Babak Tehrani was polite, courteous and diligent in his role
during her orientation to his program but he never looked her in
the face the first day together. His department worked ensuring the
human race was physically and mentally in excellent condition for
the coming events. His initiatives included changing public policy
and perception about healthy eating, exercise, and wellness.
Non-smoking and anti-drug campaigns around the globe found their
origins with him well before they would have in the natural
progression of events. He also promoted programs to encourage large
families, especially to the chosen staff of Three
Eleven.

“
In the original
timeline, the educated had begun to either wait later to have
children, have fewer children, or worse yet, not have any children
at all. These factors contributed to the decline in productivity
being experienced by many countries at the turn of the first decade
of the twenty first century. An internal brain drain as those with
the inherent, demonstrated abilities did not pass them on to the
next generation. We want to reverse the trend. At the same time, we
want to improve the overall physical fitness of the
populous.”

“
An ambitious
goal.”

“
Not unattainable, as
can be seen by the results here at Three Eleven. Our workforce has
fewer sick days, better annual checkups, and more children than any
comparable population.”

Babak’s office, located in the
western corner of the medical laboratory level of the island tower,
had an amazing view but blinds blocked it. Numerous piles of paper
covered his desk and stacks of file folders were on the floor and
chairs. He removed a heap from one to make room for her. He did not
sit. Neither did she. Grim-faced, he regarded her across the desk.
“I do not get many visitors in my office. It has been a year since
the last regressee. I will cut right to the chase…your presence
here invalidated much of my theory regarding the physical aspects
of our regressions.”

Adya was taken aback at his
vehemence. “I beg your pardon?”

“
Prior to your
arrival, when only men had been regressed, I had a theory about the
timing of the regression. All of us were displaced into our younger
selves around age fourteen.” His tone became patronizing. “That is
the time when males begin to produce sperm cells, corresponding to
changes in gonadotropin levels which promote development of pubic
hair and an increase in testicular size.” He paused, glancing at
her expectantly. His superior smile disappeared as she calmly
waited for him to continue. “Anecdotal analysis demonstrates all of
the regressees did not experience erections, wet dreams, or
ejaculation prior to their regression, although obviously this
evidence is not entirely reliable due to having to depend upon
recollecting how they behaved when they were fourteen during the
original timeline. But your presence here goes against my theory.
The average female enters menarche at twelve to thirteen years of
age. You are over fourteen.”

Hesitating, she plunged in. “I
haven’t experienced menarche. If the point of regression is
hormonally mediated, your theory could still hold true.”

“
How long have you
been in this timeline?”

“
Could I see a
calendar, please?” She retrieved the calendar he indicated,
suspended on the wall beside his door. Quick calculations revealed
she had been in the timeline for more than nine weeks. Her voice
thick with disappointment, she informed him. “Nine
weeks.”

“
Nine weeks. Then the
theory does not hold for you. You should have begun your cycle two
weeks after regression. Unless…could you be pregnant?”

She sank into the chair. “I was
raped almost two months ago…”

Sitting down himself, he finally
looked into her eyes. “Is there any possibility you’re pregnant,
then? When exactly did the rape happen? What happened?” He paused
for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

After a steadying breath, she
continued. “It happened two weeks after my arrival in this
timeline.”

He sighed. “We have your blood
tests running right now. I will add a pregnancy test to the
battery, and we will know for sure tomorrow.”

“
If Doctor Pinder
didn’t tell you yet, I have a genetic abnormality, extra-nuclear
DNA in the form of a non-integrated plasmid. Have any of the other
regressees had abnormalities?”

“
No, all have been
completely healthy at both the physical and cellular level.
Actually, Peter Merten’s research into the genetic basis of
diseases has found no subjects among the regressees, everyone has
been completely free of heritable diseases. At least, those
catalogued at the molecular level. Peter commented on how healthy
our DNA is. Perhaps a clue as well to the regressions.” Babak had
the same intense look on his face Abraham had the previous week,
flushed with excitement at a new lead in his investigations. He
turned to his keyboard, giving an absent wave as she said
goodbye.

Adya was disturbed and upset at
the possibility of having gotten pregnant by a stranger through
rape. Leaving Babak’s office, she walked the hallway to the
elevator in a fog, absently greeting those who acknowledged her.
She mechanically pressed the down button. She shivered as she left
the cool air of the foyer.

The tropical sun had not yet
reached full power but the radiant heat beat on her head and
shoulders. She found the beach quickly, took off her sandals and
waded into the water. Families played nearby, boisterous and noisy.
The sound of children screaming in feigned fear as slight waves
rolled over their feet made her yearn for her own family. Visiting
the beach had been a favourite pastime. The younger children would
build sand castles while Serina and Will sunbathed. Daniel packed
picnic lunches to share on a blanket spread underneath their large
umbrella. Invariably one of the littlest would begin to bury him in
the sand, the rest of the children joining in until just his face
showed. He would pretend to be stuck, begging and pleading for the
youngsters to dig him out again as they shook with laughter.
Finally, Daniel would roar and pull himself out from the sand,
shaking it off in all directions and chasing the children into the
water like a great, gritty dinosaur. Biting back the tears, she put
her shoes on, found a nearby convenience store, picked up a
pregnancy test, and returned to her cottage.

Unlike the blue strip, “pee on a
stick” type tests she had used during her previous timeline, this
test required mixing solutions and forty five minutes for results.
It did suggest the user perform the test first thing in the morning
since the hormones in the urine would be their most concentrated
after waiting the night, but she did not wait. She performed the
steps listed on the box then prepared her supper. When she saw the
coagulated ring in the bottom of the test tube Adya collapsed to
the floor in tears.

She was pregnant, a child
conceived by a stranger in an act of violence. The hope she carried
for the future fell victim to pain as she contemplated the course
her life would take, being pregnant at fourteen. Her body trembled
with sobs and she felt the most alone she ever had in her life. A
strange timeline surrounded by complete strangers and a new life
growing inside her.