65 million years ago, Venus
Colonel Feynman and Nikola Tesla weren't exactly friends. They had only met a few times for work.
Tesla had a good impression of the colonel. He was handsome and efficient, and even out of uniform, his disciplined military bearing was evident in his straight posture and concise speech.
Just moments ago, Colonel Feynman had called to say he had a special gift for Tesla. On the other end of the line, Dean Abbott had raised his voice in agreement. "Nikola, just you wait. We're bringing you a gift. You're going to love it."
One crisis after another had struck Venus, and Nikola Tesla had been constantly tense and anxious. He couldn't imagine what kind of gift could possibly cheer him up.
The doorbell rang. Tesla opened the door to his workshop and froze, unable to believe his eyes. Standing before him was Maria.
"My dear Nikola, I'm back." Maria smiled sweetly, then threw her arms around Tesla and kissed him, unable to hold herself back.
Nikola Tesla knew the laws of Venus well. Maria's unauthorized human cloning had been a serious crime, and her sentence had been exile to Earth, with no return to Venus for the rest of her life.
Reunited with Maria on Venus, Tesla was overjoyed. Only then did he notice Colonel Feynman and Dean Abbott standing outside. As he invited them in, he asked the colonel:
"Has Maria been paroled? How long can she stay on Venus this time?"
"Mr. Tesla, Maria has been pardoned. From now on, she's a free woman and can go wherever she wants," Colonel Feynman said, polite but serious.
"The Alliance has officially approved your plan. The Life Sciences Institute of the Venus Academy of Sciences has urgently set up a cloning technology lab, and Maria has just been appointed its chief scientist," Dean Abbott added.
Nikola Tesla thought it through and understood. Under his crisis response plan, the destruction of Mars depended on humanity on Venus being able to extract genes and replicate human bodies. Maria's expertise would be put to use.
Maria gradually calmed down. Looking around Tesla's workshop, she found the water dispenser and, like a hostess, began making drinks for her guests.
Tesla went over to help. Maria turned back, as if speaking to everyone, or perhaps to herself.
"Destroying Mars—your plan is too crazy. My assignment is to extract genes and clone human bodies. I don't know if I can succeed with one hundred percent accuracy."
Nikola Tesla and Dean Abbott did their best to explain the situation to Maria, keeping their explanation brief. An accident at the Superlight Wave Power Station on Saturn's moon Sedna had caused the moon to explode. The chain of events that followed would destroy the habitable zone of the Solar System, and humanity on Venus would perish as well.
To stop Jupiter from moving closer to the Sun, they had to destroy Mars and create the asteroid belt. When Mars exploded, six billion Venusians would have nowhere to hide. Their only option was to extract each person's stem cells and other genetic material, then preserve them at a temporary base on Titan.
Once the effects of the explosion had subsided, Maria would lead scientists in using the genetic "seeds" to replicate human bodies on Earth and revive the Venusians. Earth would become their new home.
"Protecting the Solar System and reshaping Earth's terrain aren't my specialties. I'll leave those to you. My main job is still Gene Cloning Technology," Maria said.
"Maria, leave the rest to us. I know that even cloning technology alone is incredibly complex. I'm counting on you!" Dean Abbott said solemnly.
Maria thought for a moment, recalling a question that had troubled her for a long time. "Cloning human bodies isn't just a complex feat of engineering. It also involves legal and ethical issues, among others. As a scientist, I've always struggled with that."
"The Alliance Council has passed an emergency bill authorizing the government to lift restrictions on human cloning when the survival of humanity on Venus is under a catastrophic threat," Colonel Feynman continued. "To prevent the technology from being abused or causing an ethical crisis, the bill sets out two principles: minimal use and fairness."
Colonel Feynman explained the principles. Once Maria and the other scientists had mastered mature human cloning technology through experimentation, each of the six billion Venusians would have exactly one opportunity to be cloned, and participation would be voluntary.
"I understand. For years, the legal and ethical questions around human cloning have troubled me. It seems I won't have to worry about those too much now. I'll set up the lab as soon as possible and devote all my energy to developing and testing the cloning technology," Maria said.
Brahma and his wife, Vinu, had returned to the small fishing village some time ago. As a mother, Vinu thought day and night about her daughter Cynthia, far away on Earth.
The difference between day and night temperatures on Venus kept growing more extreme, while natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and violent storms became more frequent. Ordinary Venusians, including the couple, increasingly felt that the crisis had truly arrived. Venus seemed to be becoming unfit for human habitation.
All civilian flights fleeing Venus for Earth or Mars had been canceled. The couple were helpless, and Vinu spent her days weeping as she missed Cynthia, who was far away on Earth.
At dusk, the lights of electric vehicles flickered along the mountain road near the fishing village. Brahma stood on a low wall outside, peering toward the lights. He saw a long convoy approaching. The long-abandoned building where Dr. Maria had once lived was lit up again.
A little over ten minutes later, an electric vehicle stopped outside the couple's gate. The person who stepped out was none other than Dr. Maria. As if welcoming a long-lost relative, Vinu excitedly ushered her into their little house.
"How did you get back to Venus?" Vinu asked. "How is Cynthia? We've been so worried about her."
"I've been pardoned, and I've also taken on a special assignment. Cynthia is fine, so don't worry. When I go to Earth in a while, I'll get to see her again."
"When you go back to Earth, could you take us with you?" Vinu asked hopefully.
Maria was at a loss. She would be traveling to Earth aboard a spacecraft reserved for the Academy of Sciences and had no authority to bring passengers unrelated to her research. Looking at the anxious mother before her, she understood exactly how she felt. Maria changed the subject.
"I came back here to move the files and special equipment I used to keep in the building. I thought I'd visit you while I was at it."
"You've been pardoned, and the Alliance government has legalized human cloning, is that right?" Brahma ventured.
"Yes. Cloning is legal now. Before long, I'll be taking the first group of volunteers to the Earth base to carry out cloning experiments," Maria explained.
"Volunteers? Do you mean the cloning technology isn't mature enough yet?" Brahma asked.
Maria suddenly remembered the abnormal lung function Cynthia had suffered from. Deeply apologetic, she said, "I couldn't replicate Little Cynthia perfectly. I'm so sorry! I haven't had a chance to conduct another cloning experiment in all these years, so I have to start again with the help of volunteers."
"A volunteer? Could I volunteer for your cloning experiment?" Vinu said, seeing hope. "Then I could go to Earth with you and be with Cynthia."
Maria didn't know how to respond. Just as she was at a loss for words, Brahma abruptly stood up and shouted excitedly, "I want to volunteer too! I'll go to Earth with you."
"No, you can't!" Maria shook her head vigorously, repeating herself over and over.
"Why not? You need healthy volunteers, don't you? We both meet the requirements. Please, let us be with Cynthia. I'm begging you!" Vinu pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.
Maria didn't know how to explain. She simply couldn't bear to hurt the poor couple standing before her.
Cynthia. Because of Cynthia, her reason told Maria she had to refuse the couple's request. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Against her better judgment, she silently nodded.
The couple sprang up in excitement and thanked her again and again. Vinu smiled, then cried, her tears mingling with her smile as she called out over and over, "Cynthia, Mommy and Daddy are going to see you soon!"
Maria sank limply into a chair, tormented by the question that had haunted her for more than a decade: Was the technology to clone humans a salvation or a catastrophe? Beneath the façade of a scientific miracle, would it bring about the collapse of ethics and morality?
Perhaps the couple hadn't understood Maria's predicament. They were the least suitable people to be volunteers, because once they were cloned on Earth, it would create an ethical tangle:
The baby in the arms of their twenty-year-old daughter Cynthia would be another version of her own parents.
A poem pieced together from lines to press chapters:
Refined the red pill into jade-soft paste—Song, Bai Yuchan
Dare I enter the great furnace as if it were easy?—Tang, Lu Guimeng
A vermilion tube at the waist holds the elixir—Tang, Han Hong
The power of wisdom supports the thought that nothing is born—Tang, Liangjie
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