Regression (27 page)

“
How can you test for
that? Critical thinking would further your cause.” He opened the
door to a narrow passageway, ushering her through.

“
It’s not a matter of
critical thinking. You’re correct, it’s needed for our projects.
It’s a matter of willingness to accept the unusual, the
inexplicable or the irregular without delving too deeply. During
the third interview process we use neuroimaging to monitor the
candidate’s responses to scenarios, situations and images being
presented to them. Analysis of the areas of brain activity gives us
insight into their mental processes. We found through the years
certain patterns are associated with the desirable personality
type.” They entered another corridor which widened into a lobby of
sorts.

“
I recall something
similar related to predicting post partum depression and attachment
responses in parents to their newborn children.”

He nodded. “It sounds similar.”
They stopped at a door painted a brilliant orange, Peter’s hand on
the knob. “To continue, once the orientation is finished the newly
appointed department head determines what he needs, creates a plan
for his department and initiatives and presents that plan for
approval by the other regressees. Development of the new initiative
begins with hiring of staff selected by the regressee responsible.
He can evaluate their willingness to work with, and apparent
respect for, someone who may be significantly younger than they
are. At least, that was how things have been done with everyone
else.” He opened the door.

“
So, the question
arises…what to do with me.”

“
Yes, you do present a
bit of a quandary. Here’s Nolawi.” Adya shook hands with the tall,
dark-skinned young man, his handshake firm and solid.

“
Good day, Adya. This
is where we watch the Earth burp, snore, shiver, and shake. I will
show you more during your week with me, but for now I will do a
quick overview.” He quickly guided them through a myriad of
monitors, screens, and printers. “We have sensors positioned all
around the world which feed into our system here. We hope to have
advance warning for seismic events which cause effects like the
2005 Christmas Tsunami so we can prevent such loss of life. There
is the possibility a seismic event could be our disaster of 2011
and so we continue to develop more sensitive and accurate sensory
equipment.” A number of adjoining caverns housed the seismographs
and various other pieces of equipment. He brusquely introduced Adya
to the head of each smaller project and then led her and Peter
toward the geology area, making his farewells and returning to his
department.

“
Well, that was a
rather …shall we say, expedited tour.” Adya looked at Nolawi’s
departing back.

“
Nolawi’s not known
for his tact. I’m sure you’ll get his full attention during your
session with him.”

“
I hope so, I do find
seismology fascinating.”

“
What about geology?
Many people think studying rocks is very tedious and boring, it’s
getting harder and harder to find people working in the
field.”

“
I don’t mind geology.
I collected rocks as a little girl.” She grinned in remembrance.
“My collection was completely catalogued with recipe cards
identifying the source, type, and method of formation for each
sample.”

“
A girl after my own
heart.” Yabarek Dirki joined them, responding to Adya’s comment.
“That is how I started into geology in Australia, collecting rocks.
Our tribe was told to look for magnetic rocks, worth money to
collectors of meteorites. As I searched, I found the other rocks
also interesting.” He provided a brief tour of his facilities where
his efforts were focused on improving extraction of valuable
resources from the ground and assisting in preparation for mining
resources from the Moon. As such, he divided his time between
Sanctum and T.E.S.C. where the Moon Resource Development Program
was housed.

“
Here’s one of my
favourite samples, a geode.” He held up the sample, grey and plain
on the outside but showing beautifully iridescent crystals on the
interior. “There are a number of theories about their existence; no
one really has the time to bother investigating them since they are
worthless from a monetary or geological standpoint. So, they are
beautiful and enjoyable, but not to be taken seriously.” Adya felt
a jolt of shock as she looked into Yabarek’s smug, satisfied gaze.
An inhaled breath from her left advised her Peter caught it as
well. “I will see you in a few weeks.” He nodded in dismissal,
before glancing at Peter. “Peter.”

They headed back toward the
elevator area. Peter was silent, lost in thought. He cleared his
throat before continuing her tour, his eyes troubled. “The next
productivity level houses my laboratory and all of the genetic
databanks and cryogenics facilities. Since you are going to be
spending the next week with me anyway, let’s skip over that area. I
do want to take another blood and cell sample from you. I want you
to come to PN3 around eleven thirty every day. Since the plasmid
disintegrates so quickly, I’ll need a fresh sample
regularly.”

“
Hopefully you won’t
get sick of me, seeing me so often.”

“
I can’t imagine that
would be the case.” His eyes were warm. She blushed.

“
Do you want a sample
now? It is almost time.”

“
No, I’ll take you to
PN4, medical and recreational, before collecting. It houses more
cryogenic facilities. The ones on that level are dedicated to human
specimens whereas my level works primarily with animal and plant
specimens. I divide my time between both levels as head geneticist,
supervising a number of initiatives related to cataloguing genome
sequences as well as developing GMOs.”

“
Like the
bees.”

“
Yes, like the bees we
have other projects to make Sanctum more hospitable. In addition,
we are completing the human gene map to identify different gene
locations and their corresponding alleles which account for human
genetic variability.”

“
I remember the
project from the original timeline. My family was involved in one
aspect of the study because our children’s eyes were all darker
than either mine or my husband’s, which from a genetic standpoint
is highly unusual.” Adya closed her own blue eyes for a moment,
visualizing the beautiful hazel ones of her own children. All five
older children had shared the same startling eyes, and little Hope
would have eventually developed the greenish brown colouring as
well. A flash of pain pinched her face. Peter touched her
arm.

“
I’m sorry. This must
be so hard for you, leaving a family behind. None of the rest of us
did, we can’t even imagine what you must feel.” He stopped in the
corridor, scrutinizing her expression. “Would you like to take a
break or do you want to continue with the tour right
now?”

Adya shook off her feelings of
loss. “No, I’m okay. Sometimes it just hits me, the finality of it.
With each passing day, especially the further I become involved
with Three Eleven, I realize the chances of leading a normal life
are fading. But, there must be some purpose for it, some greater
good worth the sacrifice of the people I love…loved. I only hope we
can figure it out in time.” She straightened her shoulders, tilted
the corner of her mouth, and gestured grandly. “Carry
on.”

The medical and recreational
facilities at Sanctum mirrored those at Island Tower. Peter briefly
took Adya through PN5, the chemical research and pharmacology
department, PN6 with microbiology and immunology laboratories, and
finally PN7 where Sanctum infrastructure such as water and sewage
treatment as well as the geothermal power generation plant.
Research initiatives into alternative power sources including
nuclear investigations were on PN7 as well. Nuclear testing had
been performed on the surface, the ecological balance being
sacrificed for the future survival of the planet. Adya took her
leave of Peter early in the afternoon, returning to her
quarters.

Her observations and a description
of Sanctum filled another dozen pages in her journal, the fourth
such book. After completing her entry she ventured to the
recreational facilities, continuing her daily practice of
exercising. With a well-developed routine to follow, she could lose
herself entirely in the adrenaline surge of light strength
training. The facilities appeared well attended but supplied with
sufficient machines so she did not have to wait to use equipment.
Adya showered before heading back down to rejoin Peter.

Journal of Doctor Nicholas Weaver

October 5, 98 P. I.

My feelings for Adya
are those of a father for his favoured daughter. Through nine
lifetimes, I have watched her grow and develop, from spoiled and
egocentric to generous and loving. My emotions have run the gamut
from pride to chagrin to sheer joy – just like any father. This
Adya, the tenth Adya, is the closest thing I have ever had to a
daughter.

This past lifetime,
she was the closest she has ever been to what we need her to be.
Six children, a lifetime dedicated to the study of families and
children, some sense of her purpose may have infused her even
though the memories of past lives did not. Hope died with Adya in
the accident. The rest of her family was lost at Impact. In the
chaos afterward, no one noticed my visit to the house where she had
lived. It stood, undamaged, like a monument to her life. Solid,
beautiful in design, very much the product of the woman who created
it.

They had not known
what was coming and so the inside remained untouched. Hope once
told me her mother hid the key in a frog figure at the front door,
and there it was. I could almost feel the echoes of their lives in
that home. Spending an entire week there, I watched their lives
pass by on home videos. I saw their most important moments in photo
albums. And, for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt
Hope.

Adya arrived at Peter’s office on PN3 prepared to provide her
sample. He shifted in his seat at her knock,

“
I won’t draw blood
every day but I have a couple of tests to run I did not have the
materials for on the Island.”

“
Well, I am glad you
won’t collect every day, I can’t stand needles.” She grimaced at
the thought.

“
Oh, is it going to be
a real problem collecting?”

“
Not if you’re
competent at the insertion of the needle.”

“
I’ll have Deborah
Watters, my assistant, do it. She’s much more practiced than I
am.”

Deborah collected the blood sample
quickly and efficiently.

“
One of the
initiatives involves cataloguing all the species known on the
planet and storing female embryos and male sperm from each. We have
created, or at least Abraham’s team has created, a cataloguing
program recording traits of each parent so we have an idea what we
are going to get in the offspring. We plan to selectively breed if
necessary.”

“
Domestic as well as
wild animals?”

“
Yes, the consensus
was domestic animal variations should be preserved as well so we
have samples from top specimens of each domestic species. All
breeds of dog, cat, horse, rabbit, pig, sheep,
etcetera.”

“
How do you determine
what’s a top specimen?”

“
The species’ primary
registration body. For example with dogs we consulted the American
Kennel Club’s listing of top dogs for each breed, contacted those
breeders to purchase the rights for one collection of semen or ova.
The same for horse registries, and so forth. We fertilized the ova
with X carrying sperm and have stored the resultant
embryos.”

“
Why not just store
the ova? And why only female?”

“
We have limited
storage space and time. Producing female embryos is the most
efficient use of both. Females will be the foundation for
repopulation, the first generation if you will. They are the
limiting factor since one collection from a male can inseminate
huge numbers of females. We obtained enough straws from one single
bulldog collection to breed twenty females.”

He pointed at the picture of the
particular dog, each animal having an information sheet for
reference. “So we keep semen from a huge variety of males and as
long as the storage facilities maintain cryogenic stasis those
samples can be used over multiple generations. The females will be
gestated− we’re working on the logistics of that, too−impregnated
with frozen X-carrying semen and then after a few generations of
females we’ll get the natural order of things back by producing
males and starting natural breedings.”

Flipping through a few pages, she
noted initials beside many of the animals. “What about health
tests?” She pointed at the symbols. “Is that was these
are?”

“
Yes, we required
available clearances such as eyes, hips, and heart certifications
to be completed before we would sign the contract. Those initials
show the health registry body.”

She looked further through the
binder. The sheer volume of animal samples was incredible. “What
incentive was offered to the owners?”