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THE FUTURE
By C
PART II
CHAPTER 34
The following months saw a large portion of the massive rebuilding effort being completed and, in so doing, the time arrived to begin rebuilding the depleted female population. It would have to be done in phases, and names were randomly drawn to determine the order. The women in the first group met this challenge with a continued sense of loyalty and dedication. Discovering the hardships that accompanied being pregnant was a new experience for the vast majority, but they were nothing when compared to hardships they had been forced to endure for as long as most could remember, and therefore, they found little difficulty in being able to adjust.
It was ten months after the adjournment of the committee meeting that had ended in such a dispirited manner that Dr. Morgan invited Dr. Carson to her home one evening for dinner. Dr. Carson had not seen her colleague during this time and accepted with pleasure. She arrived promptly, as was her custom, and received a warm greeting. The two women then looked at each other's expanding waistlines and both laughed. "It looks like we're about the same." Dr. Morgan said. "I'm four months." "Well, almost." Dr. Carson replied. "A little over three for me."
"Dinner will be ready shortly." Dr. Morgan said when they entered the foyer. "I have a nice rump roast in the oven that came from a male whose flesh looks to be extremely well marbled. Let's go sit in the living room while we wait." They were about to proceed when a sound caught Dr. Carson's attention. "My goodness, that's a baby crying upstairs. Someone quite obviously got a head start. Is it OK if I go up and take a look?" She started ahead without waiting for an answer and failed to notice Dr. Morgan trying to suppress a look of mischievous glee.
The two women proceeded up the stairs and entered a small bedroom containing a crib. "I can't even remember the last time I've seen a baby." Dr. Carson said as she smiled tenderly at the sight of a crying infant only a few weeks old. "I think she needs changing from the way she’s acting. Do you mind if I do it?" "Be my guest." Dr. Morgan said as she handed over a diaper and then quickly stepped back while finding it extremely difficult to keep a straight face.
Dr. Carson unfastened a soggy diaper and then stopped short. "Good grief..! This is a male..! I thought the method of being able to control the sex was suppose to be foolproof. "Oh, I assure you it's entirely foolproof. You see.., this is no accident." Dr. Morgan said and then broke out laughing.
Dr. Carson looked at her hostess in bewilderment. "What do you mean it was no accident? And pray tell why you think this is so funny? What's going on, Ruth? Who does this baby belong to?" "Well, er.., I guess you could say that he's mine." "Please Ruth, be serious! It's hardly possible to give birth to an infant when you're four months pregnant with another." "It's possible if the first one was grown on a tree, or at least.., what could be considered the equivalent of a tree. Isn't that what you said was needed?" "Ruth, I’m asking you again to please be serious. What on earth are you talking about?" "It would be best for you to see something before I explain. It’s in my lab in the basement."
A confused look came on Dr Carson’s face a few minutes later as she stood in the laboratory and observed a table upon which sat a large aquarium that was connected to plastic tubes going to a variety of different types of equipment. The back of the aquarium was covered with what looked like some type of thick, reddish colored membrane.
"Well, Martha? What do you think of my male growing tree or, to be more precise, an artificial womb?" “You mean...? Dr. Carson started to say trying to grasp what her friend had said. “Yes Martha” - Dr. Morgan said. “The male upstairs came from there – not from a woman’s body. It’s rather crude – but it works. Let’s go upstairs, and I will explain.”
Dr. Morgan smiled with amusement at the dumfounded expression being displayed on her guest's face as the two women sat down in the living room. She then began her explanation. "You know, of course, that I have been involved from the start in the genetic research program. These studies might not have provided the solution for which they were originally intended, but they can hardly be considered to have been a wasted effort. We have gained tremendous insight and knowledge that is opening avenues which will prove to be of immeasurable benefit. For one thing, we are now able to link birth defects and major illnesses to genetic defects that will lead to both becoming a thing of the past."
"Preventing birth defects and serious illness, however, are far from being the only benefits. We have been successful in unraveling many of the mysteries of DNA so that we are now able to not only isolate different components but to understand the function that each plays to the point of being able to be duplicated in a laboratory. We are only beginning to scratch the surface in this area, but one of the first endeavors was to develop a procedure for growing human skin that can grafted to a body and function in a normal way. The reason for this technique being chosen as one of the first things to be developed was because of so many women being scarred from injuries suffered during the war. I won’t go into technical details, but, by extracting a few cells of healthy tissue adjacent to a damaged area, we now have the ability to grow a sufficient amount to cover the wound. The treatment has proven to be truly remarkable to the extent of showing no evidence whatsoever of ever having been hurt.
"I took an active part in this development and, therefore, knew that the same process could be used to grow other types of human tissue in a laboratory. This awareness resulted in me attempting something that I seriously doubt would have entered my mind if it had not been for desiring to help a close friend. Her uterus had been damaged from a foreign object being thrust into it during a sexual assault. The injury was to such an extent that it was highly doubtful of her being able to conceive, and the thought of being unable to do her part upset her greatly. I extracted a few healthily cells from her uterus and grew enough of the tissue to enable the damaged area to be repaired. It was implanted, and the fact that she is now having a normal pregnancy speaks for itself as to the success."
"It was by pure chance that, before all this occurred, I had conducted a private experiment that, at the time, was done merely to satisfy a professional curiosity. I have long been intrigued by the manner in which a human egg has the ability to divide and become two. The fact that this seldom occurs only served to intrigue me even more. I had often wondered what triggered this action and while conducting various DNA studies I found that, in a very small number of women, there is a slight variation in the DNA characteristics of an enzyme that is produced in the uterus during periods of ovulation."
"I suspected that this might be the link, and, well.., I just had to find out for sure. I asked a colleague to extract my egg the next time I ovulated, and I brought it to my lab downstairs and immersed it under a microscope in an enzyme solution I had developed which contained a high concentration of the DNA characteristics I suspected as being the cause. Martha, I simply couldn't believe what happened. In only ten minutes the egg divided and then both of these divided to make four during the next ten minutes. And, it didn't stop. The four became eight, then sixteen, and then thirty two."
"The dividing continued and, in the rapid rate of mathematical progression, what had started out as being only one egg became over five hundred in just an hour and thirty minutes. I took them out of the solution at this point and don't really know how long it would have continued. I'm sure that it was the high concatenation of the enzyme which, fortunately, could never come close to being duplicated under natural conditions. Can you imagine the plight of a woman carrying over five hundred eggs that all had the potential to become fertilized?"
"As I've said, the purpose of the experiment was to merely satisfy a professional curiosity, and although any new discovery is always exciting, I couldn't see where this particular one would prove to have any practical value. For some reason, however, I was reluctant to get rid of the eggs, and since they can be frozen indefinitely in the same manner as semen, I decided to keep them."
"With all the work going on, I didn't give the experiment a great deal of thought afterward until later when I was growing the uterus lining to be implanted in my friend. I had just finished examining the tissue and was pleased in seeing that the development was going extremely well. I then got something out of my container of liquid nitrogen that was needed for another experiment I was working on, and it was only by chance that I noticed the vial containing the frozen eggs. Well, all of a sudden, I made the connection and found myself wondering if there might be someway to make an artificial womb to which a fertilized egg would attach and begin to develop."
"The things that would be needed came to me almost immediately. If you stop to think about it, when making a baby, a woman's body serves as a manufacturing plant performing functions that, for the most part, we have had the technology to duplicate for a long time. Aquariums provide a safe, fluid environment in which the temperature can be controlled, artificial lungs extract carbon dioxide from blood and replace it with oxygen, injected glucose provides nutrition, and artificial hearts pump blood at a regulated rate and pressure."
"The only feature that had been missing in the past was the means to duplicate the lining of a woman's uterus to which a fertilized egg would attach and start to draw the life giving blood needed to begin development. But now, a means has been discovered, and if my reasoning was correct, making an artificial womb was not only at least theoretically feasible but would be quite simple to construct."
“The thought came to me that if it could truly be done it could relieve women having to undergo the ordeals of pregnancy and giving birth, but I dismissed the idea almost immediately. It was beyond me to envision women desiring this miraculous function of their bodies being replaced by something artificial – regardless of the discomfort and pain that could be avoided. I know I surely wouldn’t.
I don’t think I gave the subject much thought afterward until you started talking about motherhood at the meeting. It came to me that if my theory could be proven to be correct that this issue, at least, could be overcome. But, I didn’t see how this would provide a solution to what was being proposed. I just couldn't envision women of future generations wantonly slaughtering fellow humans, even if they were males produced in an artificial environment, for the sole purpose of obtaining food when there would no longer be a desperate crisis existing that left no other choice."
"I was fully expecting that you would quickly point this out, and, although you did indeed point out what you thought were insurmountable obstacles that would stand in the way, you caught me completely by surprise when you said that you would have no objection to seeing the policy being implemented if some way could be found for these obstacles to be overcome. I knew that my theory, if proven to be successful, could possibly serve this purpose, but, since it would require women doing something that I considered would be contrary to our basic nature, I retained strong doubts as to how this compassion within us could be overcome."
"It was for this reason that I asked you to tell us what it would require for the policy being discussed to become a reality. You could have knocked me over with a feather when you immediately replied that it would need a way being found to "grow males on trees". I was totally spellbound when you proceeded to describe a manner in which, with planning, this could be used to actually bring forth the very type of world we are seeking."
"It was all I could do to contain my enthusiasm, but I didn't want to say anything at the time because, even though I felt confident that it would indeed be possible to build an artificial womb, it was, at the time, an unproven theory that might not work. I didn’t want to take a chance of creating a lot of high hopes that might later be dashed, so I decided to wait and find out for sure one way or another."
As soon as I got home I extracted a few cells from my uterus and started growing the membrane that’s attached to the back of the aquarium. Obtaining and setting up the equipment was really quite simple. When everything was in readiness I drew a pint of my blood and started circulating it through the uterus membrane. It seemed to be functioning in a normal manner so I thawed out some seamen and extracted all sperm containing XX chromosomes so that only sperm with male producing XY chromosomes remained. I then thawed out my eggs I had been keeping, fertilized one in a test tube, and implanted it on the membrane. I can’t begin to describe the thrill I got later when I saw that the egg was not only starting to develop into an embryo but was even forming a placenta. There was still a long way to go, of course, and I held my breath each time I entered the lab dreading that something might have gone wrong. But, no problem arose in the least, and, as you have seen, the infant upstairs is normal and healthy.
"Dr Carson shook her head in admiration. "Ruth, that's just about the most incredible thing I've ever heard. You are indeed amazing. What have you been waiting for in announcing this unbelievable achievement?"
"Well, I wanted to get your reaction first, Martha.” Dr. Morgan replied. "In spite of what you said at the meeting about what might be achieved if males could be “grown on trees”, you were under the impression of describing something totally impossible to attain. I felt that you might have strong second thoughts if you saw that being able to produce human males in massive number could actually be done, and I didn't want to reveal anything without getting your full concurrence. I will leave it up to you to decide on the course of action to be taken.”
“Before you make a decision, however, I think I should point out that even though it would not take long to refine my rudimentary set-up and construct facilities capable of mass production, it will be at least nineteen years after the initial embryos become fully developed infants before “harvesting” could be resumed. I’m sure that you are aware that the flesh of most eighteen year olds taken at the end left a lot to be desired. I know many women were anticipating that the younger age would make the flesh even more tender and were surprised and disappointed to find the reverse being true.”
Dr. Carson nodded. “I know what you mean. I was anticipating the same thing and found myself being disappointed also. It’s indeed somewhat of a mystery.” “There’s really nothing mysterious about it, Martha.” Dr. Morgan said. “In our genetic studies trying to find a cause for violent behavior in males, we paid a great deal of attention to testosterone since aggressive tendencies increase noticeably after puberty. Even though our efforts in this regard proved to be unsuccessful, we discovered something that was quite intriguing. We found a chemical component present in testosterone that is the cause of male flesh being so tender and delicious. This chemical would have no effect on women, but when it combines with flesh containing the male chromosome it works in the same manner as a meat tenderizer that instills a remarkable flavor. But, it is not something that occurs right after puberty. The chemical is rather mild, and it takes a few years before any effect even becomes noticeable. I guess it could be said that a male’s flesh is being slowly marinated between puberty to adulthood which results in the outstanding quality being unmatched. The average age before it takes full effect, however, is between nineteen and twenty. If you’re wondering how we would know when a male would be ready to “harvest”, it can be determined by a simple blood test.”
"The discovery of the chemical and its effect provided the answer to a question that has been quite mystifying. I’m referring to us being baffled as to how the flesh of a male could be so remarkable while that of a female is undesirable. But, at the same time, it created another question that is even more baffling. Martha, this has only been a recent occurrence. We know the chemical make-up of testosterone prior to the war, and this chemical was present in such a slight trace that any effect would have been extremely small to such extent that there would be little, if any, discernable difference between their flesh and our own. But now.., as we are all extremely aware.., that is no longer the case."
"On the surface, undergoing a physical change can not be considered unusual. The human body is subject to doing this as is the case for all other species. It is well known that, on the average, we are physically larger than our ancestors as well as being stronger and faster. But, changes such as this have always been gradual - taking decades to even be realized. To have something like this suddenly occur, almost overnight, in not just some males but all of them throughout the world, staggers the imagination. Something happened that obviously triggered it but, as to what this might be, I can not begin to fathom."
"There might well be some logical scientific explanation, but at this time, the only thing I can offer is that there appears to be forces at work of which we have no understanding. I will say this though - there is very little that happens in nature haphazardly for which there is no purpose. If so, could such a purpose be aimed at women discovering how remarkably delicious the flesh of human males had become? But, what would this have gained unless the reason for making the discovery had been intended to lead to something else of far greater significance? The creation of a world similar to what you described would surely fall within this category. Trying to perceive nature intending something as profound as this to actually come into existence is beyond my ability to comprehend. I know both of us have heard a great deal about nature intending activity such as this being discussed by young women but, like you, I had attributed it to being nothing more than unrealistic youthful enthusiasm. But now, I must to admit that it has given me reason to pause for thought."
“That's the story, Martha. As I've said, I'm going to rely on your judgment as to what to do. I simply don’t have the courage to attempt making a decision on something as monumental as this on my own. On one hand, I find myself being excited and on the other, being frightened. If we start down this path there can be no turning back. We will be raising males in such massive number that, even if circumstances arise that might make it something which was not desired in the least, there would be no choice but to slay them simply to prevent being overwhelmed. Well, what do you think we should do?"
Dr. Carson paused a moment before answering. "What you have said does indeed make one pause for thought, but as far as I’m concerned, it makes no difference, whatsoever, whether this might be something intended by nature or the result of nothing more than extraordinary circumstances having occurred. But, be that as it may, the first thing we should do in the morning is to see how soon the committee we're on can be called into special secession. After that, I’m afraid both of us will be extremely busy. You will be heavily engaged in advising and making recommendations on designing, constructing, and operating numerous facilities that have never existed in the past. I, on the other hand, will begin extensive planning on recommending methods to be adopted that will indeed bring forth a world that, until now, the only thoughts I had given to it were things that came to mind when you asked me to speculate at the meeting. I think, however, that although only speculating at the time, the basic premise of what I outlined is definitely the direction to go. I will, therefore, concentrate my efforts on developing and refining proposed methods as how to obtaining this objective can be achieved in such a manner that it will indeed be openly accepted, around the world, by all future female populations.” She then paused and uttered a short laugh. “In my wildness imagination, did I ever remotely contemplate actually planning how to implement something so profound that it will dramatically change the course of history, going far beyond any impact from what we have done up to this point or, for that matter, anything that has ever occurred in the past. And do you know something..? It will be in a way that I find to be extremely fulfilling and exciting just thinking about.”
Dr. Carson paused and shook her head. “All of this is so overwhelming that I think both of us needs to calm down a bit. Besides, I can smell the aroma coming from the kitchen, and it’s making my mouth water. I think I’m going to enjoy this meal a great deal more than the ones I’ve had the past few weeks. It’s been somewhat depressing in thinking that the stockpile of frozen bodies is almost depleted and that, in the very near future, I would never again enjoy the fantastic taste of a meat to which we have become so accustom. Now, however, even though it will require a long wait, it is not something that will be lost forever. But, with this being the case, we must not loose sight of the one and only valid justification for taking such an extreme course of action. A one and only valid reason that overshadows all else to such extent that, as I have said, makes no difference at all whether or not it might be something intended by nature.”
“Thanks to you’re extraordinary genius, Ruth, we will be breeding human males, in extreme excess of what would be needed for reproduction, to be slain for meat and, in so doing, indeed turn them into becoming nothing more than livestock. If the sole purpose for doing this was only for obtaining this meat, regardless of how extremely delicious it might be, I would strongly object. But, if I am correct in my judgment of which I’m fairly certain, the undertaking of such action will insure a world of lasting peace becoming a reality, and as far as I’m concerned, not pursuing an opportunity to achieve a goal as noble as this, with everything that is within us, is unthinkable to such a degree that whatever fate it means to the male of our species, regardless of whatever enormity it might prove to be, does not even enter into the equation.”
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