The Cthonic Manifesto

He waited for Eva at one of the public eateries in the spacious observation platform. It was composed of interlocking curved vertical and horizontal plates of that ubiquitous silicate/carbon polymer. It was a rough material reminding Edward of slate but with little sparkling flecks. Micro-diamonds he was told, as this was of relatively coarse manufacture pieces of crystalline carbon formed in the cooling process. Despite these imperfections the material was incredibly strong, far superior to steel and much stronger. Better composite materials had been developed in the U.S. and Japan but the Russian / South Asian consortiums had developed a much faster production process and in the race to develop new technologies more output meant more revenue for continued research and development. While the U.S. corporations had the advantage of greater capital resources through domination of the Global N.G.Os and unlimited access to government subsidies, popular suspicion of those organisations meant more consumers (including some rogue U.S. corporations) were buying and investing in Cthonic ventures.
Here alone there were over three hundred manufacturing companies ranging from light engineering to world class aerospace design and fabrication: electric cars with performances equal to the best high octane sports models, automated anti-grav lifters for heavy construction, components for deep space exploration projects, games consoles, furniture, composite materials. In short, each chthonic city self contained and self sufficient. In thirty years one Irish entrepreneur starting with almost no start-up capital had created a civilian aerospace company whose presence in the marketplace equalled any of the nation states flagship aircraft manufacturer. There was no major air carrier in the world without their supersonic passenger craft in operation. As the Cthonics influence grew in the global markets the U.S. fell further behind. The E.U., the first global bloc to take advantage of the new economies had already exceeded the United States GNP.
So Morris sat beneath the moulded diamond bubble and looked out over the new phases of the city under construction. He looked grim to the strangers who passed him by. He looked grim and carried the dangerous air of important men about him. He busied himself with his tablet taking care not to appear like some gawping tourist. He settled into his work. He donned his reading glasses and read through some administration documents he was due to sign off. They concerned energy supply logistics for the eastern sea board. Government approved soft fusion licensing schemes covered many rural and super corporate areas but problems had been encountered in urban regions. Black market generators were entering the states via Mexico and Canada. Stiff penalties had so far ceased to deter thousands who had installed then in their homes and businesses. Morris was an advisor to several legislative committees and through his own research company had provided many solutions to government and associated interests searching for reliable means to detect the illegal use of new technologies. The key issue, his main concern was developing a licensed network of urban generators that would provide safe revenues to state sanctioned corporations. He stopped his reading.
All around him people were talking, children were running around noisy and under the most lax of supervision. At observation decks above and below people were sometimes cheering as a particularly large cargo transporter made another successful launch. Morris really needed a secure executive suite for this kind of work but had to settle for this barely adequate public business enclosure. Given the populist nature of the Cthonic centres anything associated with elitism or corporate activity was held in disdain. He had been offered access to the corporate suites but for this visit he needed to remain in the public access areas. Contacts informed him the corporate suites though offering private access to information were routinely monitored by private justice groups keen to ensnare another careless entrepreneur. Fortunately he was an honest man and he brought nothing of value to social vigilantes.

The disposable com unit, issued as part of the junket goodies bag, vibrated on the table. He checked the screen to check the sender’s details and saw that it was Eva placing the call. He answered on the fifth ring.
“ Eva Stanton?”
“ Yes. Is that you Edward?” He paused before answering. It had been a long time since he had spoken to his ex-wife and it was critical that he took control of the encounter.
“ It sure is.“ He said letting something of a smile into his tone of voice. “ It’s been a long time.”
“ Over twenty years Ed.” It was remarkable, he thought, how much people could give away about themselves with so few words. Her words gushed through the phone, vibrant and without guile. Memories long buried rushed to the surface and he was surprised by their intensity. He was a very different man now and it was a moment before he regained his composure. He had been careful so far and these critical moments would determine his success.
“ I guess you’re surprised to hear from me.” Before she spoke a suppressed gasp told him her reaction was near incredulous.
“ Yes, I certainly am. I knew you were here for the trade and regulation conferences but I’m surprised you even knew I was here. What do you want Edward?”
“ I’m looking for information. I’m part of the primary review panel dealing with the international license and patenting agreements. I’m working in your area Eva, advanced modification of cereal crops for commercial markets.” The bait was set.
“ All the information you need is in the public domain Edward, I don’t see how I can add anything new to the discussion. I’m an executive associate, I don’t set policy.”
“ Eva, I’m not interested in policy. All I’m hearing are horror stories about the consequences of contaminated ecosystems-“ Eva interrupted him.
“ Whatever you’re hearing is just scare-mongering. Our species are designed for growth in specific hermetic environments, they’re incapable of propagating in natural environments.”
“ What about the studies carried out in Kansas last year?”
“ Those were a different range of specimens. They were tested in exposed areas, and designed for a different set of conditions.”
“ But some of your work was among the test group”
“ No they were not. We submitted some samples but they were subsequently re-engineered before testing began. Whatever results those tests produced were false. The plants tested were not our original designs. “
“ So you said in the official protest you filed, but isn’t it possible you were in error?”
“Believe what you want Edward,” her voice was subdued, sad for a moment. “ if you want to discuss my work on the public genome projects you are more than welcome but I don’t have time to waste on politics.”
Morris listened to her carefully; she was offended at such obvious barbs to her integrity. He had always recognised her talents in the sciences, now he had to take advantage of weaknesses. He let the moment drag on keeping her off guard and taking the upper hand in the dialogue.
“ I’m sorry if I caught you at a bad time Eva. I’m sure these negotiations must be putting you under a lot of pressure. I would like to see your work. You know how much I admire the craft of honest science. “
before she spoke there was a barely audible snort over the line.
“ If only you practised it yourself!”
“ Eva, “ and this time there was steel in his voice.” I will be casting a vote on this issue. Can’t you give me the information I need to make the right decision? You know the reports distributed through congress and the economic forums were edited to cast your work in an unfavourable light. You’re not the only one who wants to see progress made in these negotiations.” He said those words quickly, a deliberate echo of the unguarded words Eva first said to him.
“ Can you persuade opposition members to vote in our favour?” Eva had never mastered politics, a question so blunt was proof of that. It was exactly what he wanted her to say.
“ Not the core opposition groups.”
“ What about the client states and corporate affiliates?” He had to bide his time here. The congress security commission knew some activists were beginning to weaken opposition in the more liberal states. If Eva had any contact with them and he could find out who they were, it would bolster any act designed to keep them in check.
“ Brazil, the sub Saharan states, I’d say they are going to go with the chthonic proposals.”
“ I know that Ed, ” This time perhaps without realising it she called him by the more familiar name. He could tell her guard was up, she knew something and had no intention of giving it up without something in return.
“ I’m due to report to the commonwealth authority later today, if we can meet up and discuss a few issues I think I can get you a meeting with the senior negotiation team. A chance to secure their vote would be a great opportunity.”
“ Yes it would.”
Morris was caught off guard. Her voice had not come through the phone but from her own mouth. He turned, and there she was, close enough to touch.
A moments panic kept Edward in his seat. He wondered what to expect. The eatery he occupied remained the same. None of its occupants, customers or staff were behaving suspiciously. He caught the eye of a middle aged Asian woman. He tried to glean some clue, a sign to indicate what waited behind him. There was no fear, as one might expect if a gang of security operatives accompanied Eva. All he saw was idle curiosity. The woman looked away with a knowing smile to whomever stood behind him, revealing nothing. All of Morris profession and success depended on the ability to read people, from the merest flicker of expression and the deeper motives that drove them. He was angry, he had been caught off guard. It was time to assess the situation and think quickly. He stood first before turning. With a breath he released tension. He smiled. He assumed an expression of rueful sportsmanlike defeat. This point he conceded to Eva.
“ Good to see you again Edward.”
“ And you Eva” He held out his hand and she took it. Her grip was firm, the contact brief. Morris felt like a fool. He had studied her files, seen the recent photos but the one thing he should have remembered, the one memory he had buried was her effect on him.
She was not alone, a gaggle of young attendants followed her. Some talked among themselves as they watched Edward and Eva.
“ I hoped to see you at your labs. You want to talk here?”
“ No, I was meeting my friends here when you called “
“ You could have told me you were nearby “ He forced a smile, but he doubted his eyes would conceal his displeasure at being caught unawares.
“ I’m sorry Edward, I couldn’t resist. I hope you don’t mind us having some fun at your expense.” She must know how important these issues were and yet she risked everything so she and a few fresh-faced accomplices could share a joke.
Eva turned to her accomplices. They were dressed like her in simple functional clothes the colours and styles denoting to all who were familiar with Foundation policies their profession. There were no obvious marks of rank as hierarchies were frowned upon, from the beginning the foundations were careful to avoid any resemblance to military structures. Morris observed however subtle clues which indicated much. The security branches commanded much respect and were for the most part composed of disillusioned ex military types. By virtue of their putative defection to the chthonic cause they were deeply committed to its defence, as is often the case with converts. They took responsibility for co-ordinating the many civil investigations into corporate crime. The rest of Eva’s companions were dressed in pale cyan and green, information science and biology. Eva wore green with a pronounced white piping; science admin.
It was obvious from the deference to Eva that many were her direct subordinates. Eva whispered something to the young security man beside her. He nodded and took his leave with the rest following.

When they had met in college he was fresh from his graduate studies and completing his MBA. Her beauty attracted him, her knowledge and sharp wit had challenged him. Four years was brief when compared to his twenty seven years of married life, but Eva had been his grand passion and he resented her for it.

She had changed. He remembered her as bright, an excellent scientist. Her failing was her politics, full of sympathy for the less fortunate and unwilling to see they were the products of failed social experimentation. When they had first met he felt much the same and his feelings for her had clouded the objective assessment of the world and its people he was later to become notorious for. There was steel in those eyes very different from the soft doe-eyed glances he had once been given. Something else too, cruelty but he could not tell if she was capable of it or maybe she had just witnessed too much. She sat down, taking a sip from the bottled water she carried. It was thirty years or more since they had last spoken. Her hair was uniformly grey and cropped close to her head. She was tall and athletic in her youth but now she seemed gaunt. The hardcore foundationists were known for their frugality and there was something of the ascetic about her. He did not like what he saw. She was so different from his wife a jolly woman who carried the cost and the joy of rearing his children in the entire carriage of her being. Where he saw a distant sadness in his Eva’s eyes, his wife’s were those of a happy fulfilled woman. He sat opposite Eva and gave her a quizzical look.
“ Fun and games over?” He asked. Eva smiled, revealing tight lines around her eyes and mouth.
“ Edward, what’s the point of all this if we can’t have some fun?” It was a response that typified the foundations. A pithy remark meant to disguise some hidden design.
“ Given how important all this is to you, I would have thought you might be somewhat more respectful” Her response was cool and measured.
“ I’m sorry Edward but I don’t have much time for subservience.” It was well known that Edward belonged to the Men of Tradition league, a Christian reformation movement intent on returning to a strong interpretation of biblical law. It was the bane of feminists and liberals everywhere but their protests had not hampered its growing success. Women, sick of the masculinisation of their lives were turning to the comfort of a decent life as the wives of strong men. Edward had given many speeches around the world and was finding more and more men eager for the life he offered. He was not surprised that Eva was so hostile. Sensing that he was getting the upper hand he made a direct request.
“ Can I see the bio-forge?”
The foundations had committed themselves to an open source policy when it came to sharing technology, but in practice they would often dissemble. They cited incomplete testing or only published parts of their results, all in an attempt to get a head start in mass production of proven products. The bio-forge was their latest innovation. Combining crops modified for rapid growth and an automated hydroponics production system its output, in terms of yield per volume, outstripped its nearest commercial competitor. The foundations were keen to see its use legislated in developing nations, citing the need for a drought proof agricultural sector. The interests Edward represented were more concerned with the technology being used to undermine the already weak cash crop and commodities markets.
“ We can arrange something, we won’t be ready for the official tours until next week but if you don’t mind wearing rubber boots and a plastic overall I could get you in for a quick show and tell” It was the answer he wanted, it did not matter if her reasons were to gain access to the commonwealth representatives. He already knew their decision would serve his interests.
“We’ve both eaten, why don’t we get straight to it?”. He expected her to be suspicious, to question his need to see the facility so quickly. Again, her answer surprised him.
“Fine, I have to meet someone first, but if you want to make your way to the central transport terminus I’ll see you there in about twenty minutes and take you down.”
It was as simple as that, the lack of resistance surprised him. With a curt ‘see you later’ she left him. He did not sense any suspicion, but as she left there was a palpable sadness about her. He wondered if she knew she was on the losing side, maybe by agreeing so quickly she was tacitly offering him her support. It would be a considerable bonus to walk away from here with a high profile defection.

The smart rail cabin proceeded at an easy pace, according to the progress data it was doing so to allow its passengers the chance to see the city in all its splendour. He was sure Eva had seen this view countless times and wondered why she did not simply request that the cabin proceed by the most efficient route. He realised she was deferring to him. The cabin onboard sensors had detected it was his first time here and its default setting in such a case was to follow a series of waypoints designed to enhance his trip. It was a nice touch but stuck here with Eva, who remained silent, he felt awkward. His wife had no fear that there would be any infidelity but nonetheless, it was his responsibility to observe propriety. Eva’s mood had changed since their last meeting. He was reminded of the few years they had spent together when sometimes he would watch her staring into space, her eyes dreamy and focussed on nothing he could see. There were times then he found it irresistible but now, when she was the spokeswoman for a political movement her idle reverie struck him as nothing less than selfish indulgence. He wanted to break the silence, confront her, and find some weakness he could use to his advantage. A half smile playing across her lips and her eyes until then lost in some inscrutable thought suddenly focussed on Edward. Her expression changed, from pleasant reverie to cold scrutiny. She stood and there was a question in her eyes, as if she were puzzled that he was paying her so much attention and with the softest gesture she led his eyes away into the heart of the chthonic foundation. He caught only the briefest glimpse before the cabin descended into one of the keep-like wall structures. In the distance he saw a huge aero-digger almost thirty metres to a side ripping out the guts of one of the larger hills; preparing for the next phase of this cities expansion.

Edward followed Eva through the complex. They passed above the power generation centres where he saw the unmistakable domes of the soft fusion generators. They were heading towards Eva’s own bailiwick, The G.M. food and product growth chambers. A central tenet of the Cthonic enterprise was that all materials for growth and subsistence were produced within the complex. According to the documentation he had read this required high production efficiency. The solution here had been the production of high output growth chambers. They were located quite close to the power generators so they could take advantage of the same heat transfer systems. He could see the first of the three operational growth chambers, irregular cylinders plated with smoked glass. If he had seen them individually somewhere, say out on a plain near Kansas, he would have been impressed by their size. They were a fifty metres tall and twenty in diameter. Within the confines of an enormous building the scale was difficult to appreciate. The giant glasshouses were suspended from the primary superstructure and looked like some cocoon trapped in a spiders web of gantries and pipes.

Edward saw the pride in Eva’s eyes as the got closer. This was her folly and Edward saw no value to the thing, it was an abomination. Bastardised life feeding a people corrupted by the power of their technology. He said nothing, just tried hard to hide his true feelings. Eva looked at him and smiled. He wondered if she suspected what he had come here to do or was she simply gloating quietly at his discomfort. The moments silence was broken when Eva began what he suspected was a speech she gave to potential investors and detractors alike. They were standing at the universal docking area; so called as it could accommodate many types of airborne and ground vehicles: cars, large trucks, a smart rail terminus and it was crowned by a ring of landing bays, all suitable for personnel and freight transport.
“C’mon” she said, “I’ll show you around”
They entered the forge through the largest entrance located midway along its longitudinal axis. It was part of a bubble extruded from the surface where the primary control station, staff facilities and laboratories were located. It also had an expansive viewing gallery and briefing centre, this particular forge facilitated tourists hungry for the exotic sights of technology gone mad. At the antechamber Eva paused and looked at Morris, her gaze was intense but softened by an almost comical expression, as though she was wondering whether or not to share some secret.
“ I give this tour quite often Ed but I doubt you want the usual sales pitch. I know you suspect something and whatever assurance I give you won’t believe it. So here we are, if you don’t mind wearing a clean-suit I’ll give you the all access tour”
There was no mistaking the hostility and contempt in her voice. Edward paid it no attention whether she knew it or not she had given him what he wanted. As Eva had said he was very familiar with the technologies and construction of the bio-forge. It was obvious to him now that Eva did not realize why he wanted to be here, otherwise security would have stopped him or at the least some excuse offered to deny him access. She knew what he represented but she did not understand. The Cthonics were trying to save the world with technology, rendering the earth into some tame garden with no aspect of nature beyond the reach of human manipulation. But we are not gods Edward thought to himself but the path the chthonic movement was set upon led inevitably to a humanity absolutely divorced from natural law. A product of scientific arrogance beyond redemption.

“ This will change everything” She said. Edward understood what she meant and pre-empted her next statement.
“ Agriculture as just another material industry, a few thousand cubic metres producing the equivalent of thousands of acres of arable land.”
“ That’s what the brochure says..” and there was no hiding the pride, almost triumph in her voice. “…and its so much more Ed. Given the level of automation, the reduced labour costs and output, cash crops can be reduced to very nearly free commodities.” It was that statement that disturbed Edward the most.
“Free, there’s no such thing as ‘free’ Eva. There’s always a cost, a price. You people spend so much time advertising the benefits of but I’ve yet to read a report on the consequences.” That seemed to throw her off guard, her response was measured.
“ No reports Ed?, the foundations have been researching, publishing and holding conferences on every aspect of technology and its human consequences for over twenty years. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that you have ignored every report we’ve published?.”
“ I assure you Eva, we have been paying close attention to the work of the foundations. You might claim it’s for the benefit of humanity but from the start it was an attempt to socialise commercial enterprises.” He liked that last part, if he knew liberals this should start yet another tirade. But Eva remained silent. Her eyes were cold, inscrutable and piercing.
“What’s wrong Eva? I expected quite the response to that one.”
“You expect a lot of things Edward, and from this point on most of them will never happen.” Her tone had lost all it’s passion and it reminded him of someone grieving for a loved one. “We know what you came here to do Edward.”
“ I don’t know what you mean.” But from her expression it seemed his motives had been discovered.
“The aerosol canister, the one you’re carrying in the goodie bag, we know what’s in it.”
Edward knew there was a chance of being discovered, though he had been assured that the material he was carrying would not trigger any alarm, there was always the chance that a chemical sniffer would detect trace amounts of the substance. They were alone in the room, Eva stood close to the exit, he was next to the window overlooking the verdant growth chambers, to his left were the monitor console stations but far more important were the chemical sampling systems where he was supposed to deposit the contents of the aerosol. He wondered if there was enough time, would Eva try to stop him (he doubted she could make any meaningful physical intervention), but more likely several security staff were nearby and ready for action.
“What are you waiting for Ed? I’m sure you’ve been planning this for a long time. You know what to do don’t you?” In her eyes there was something close to malice but no sign yet of any security teams. This was wrong, they weren’t supposed to know and when he succeeded his arrest was to be used as part of a campaign of protests. Yet here he was alone with Eva, his plot discovered but no one it seemed was trying to prevent it.
“Why won’t you stop me?”
“Edward,” her voice soft and condescending “You’re a senior figure in a number of opposition movements, you have every right to protest. If you feel this is necessary to raise public awareness about these issues then by all means do so.”
He knew then there was nothing to gain. If they knew it meant they had already taken steps to guarantee this would only serve their interests. It was a minor setback, the protests would continue. Although this act of vandalism would have been useful as a media focus it was not absolutely necessary and other civil actions would serve just as well.
“How did you know?” It was more than curiousity, her answer might indicate whether it was detected on his person or if there had been an informant.
“Because you’re predictable Ed, given your recent failures to gain any credible following in the developing regions the only course of action was to take a more direct approach. You’re losing the economy so instead you turn it into a matter of high minded morality. In your case it may well be true but it seems to me just another desperate act.” Eva approached him and reached for the satchel.
“May I?” she asked, taking the canister. The one thing that had troubled him was the thought that he might have to use force to sabotage the facility. He had been fortunate that he was alone with Eva but still, it had occurred to him that she might physically resist. Though he was a big man he was gentle by disposition, it would have been difficult to cause her injury. It would have served him better to remember the kind of people he was dealing with. He let her take the canister.
“This doesn’t make a difference.” He said to Eva. “That we were willing to make this protest will be enough to raise doubts about the technology.”
“ I know that Ed.” her voice sound soft, almost condescending. “We might lose the round but we’re already too well established. Even if this project is held over for another few years it just means we’ll have more conclusive data for the next debate.” She walked over to the sampling station beckoning him to follow. She removed the toxin canister from the aerosol and placed it into the same port he had been carefully briefed to.
“What are you doing?” He asked, her actions something of a shock to him.
“There’s no point designing a system with fail safes if you aren’t willing to test them Ed. I know you would have preferred to do this yourself but it seems to me that at least you should have a demonstration.”
Others were entering the chamber. An older man who looked to be in his sixties followed by a loose assortment of security and technical types.
“Senator Morris, a pleasure. I’m Sean Farrell; command executive for the bio-sciences collegiate. Glad you could make it.” There was something in those eyes that he had seen in Eva, a hint of mockery.
“Are you ready Eva?”
“Sure” She said, and flushed the toxin through the system.
“You’ll be glad to hear Senator Morris that we’ve shelved the motion on production licences for the bio-forge system. The Commonwealth and African Congress agreed that there were outstanding safety issues, that coupled with the need for a more comprehensive assessment of environmental impact meant it was unrealistic at this stage.”
Eva interrupted. “What about the extended prototyping agreement?” Farrell Chuckled,
“Relax Eva, we have a preliminary agreement for proto-type testing in South America, Indonesia, and…” He paused for effect. ”…The Sini Congress has requested a proposal for an orbital bio-forge facility.”
There was a round of applause for Eva and she acted every bit the embarrassed ingénue.
Edward looked into the heart of the forge, a sea of green. Alarm systems were flashing and the steady tone of the computers voice described the state of each system as it flushed bleaches and solvents through the contaminated areas. It was working quickly, clumps of matter were sloughed off from the assembly rack and fell into sealed storage bins below. The toxin, he had been assured, was designed to cause a catastrophic failure. According to the information they had obtained, the test facilities were not built to cope. They had been wrong about that and so much more. This attempt at sabotage had been five years of painstaking work; the development of the toxin, getting access to the bio-forge design processes. Edward didn’t know who had originally conceived of the plan, to ensure secrecy personal contacts were kept to a minimum. Yet somewhere among these cells of co-conspirators there had been a weak link. How else could they have known not only who would attempt the sabotage but the nature of the attack. They must have known for several months, long enough to modify the safety systems to detect the toxin. He conceded it was a masterful strategy, his attempt to discredit the enterprise served only to prove the facilities overall safety. He noted that several of the witnesses were highly placed officers from environmental agencies.
He was no longer alone, the crowd had moved to the viewing bay also, to watch several thousand tonnes of modified cereals being jettisoned into bio-containment units. He heard one of the junior technicians inform a Chinese man they would soon be incinerated. Eva was beside him now and she spoke.
“ I’m sorry if this puts you in an awkward position. You can still file your protests but as you can see your concerns over safety were unwarranted.”
“ I’m sure it is, I don’t doubt you know how to build a machine Eva it’s their future we’re trying to prevent.”
“You’re welcome to make your protest Ed, unfortunately using this facility as proof isn’t an option.”
There was nothing more he could do here, his continued presence would only serve the foundations interests. He left. Eva looked around, there was an animated discussion on possible yields in orbital facilities but she had no desire to be a part of it. She made her way to one of the work stations below, to see what the toxin was designed to do.

She was still there when Lexi and Farrell found her. She was hunched over a panel, checking the toxin analysis.
“ Hey there, how you holding up trooper?” Said Eva’s young lover. Success was still raw in his voice until he saw her. She sat on a functional bench in one of the growth chambers monitoring bays. She looked old and her posture echoed future frailties.
Hurt and anger squeezed out in a hiss. ‘Why did he do it?’ The young man shifted uncomfortably in his uniform, the brief silence gave her time to think. He was funny, full of dreams, athletic and good looking: smart; but lacked the sense only years could bring. While her face was in her hands a brief rueful smile flickered through the pain. There was a simple reason she spent her time with him, it was too much to ask that it should be a meeting of the minds too. Now she would have to listen to him as he tried to explain a man she had known for years. It would be a flawed account, more an attempt to demonise than to come to any real understanding.
‘They are afraid of us…’ Lexi began. ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ she silently mocked, always this need to divide and in doing so abrogate responsibility. She knew what she was involved carried heavy risks but politics only hindered any meaningful judgement on the issue. ‘They tried embargos and lobbied their client states but it’s no use. The world is changing and the more they lose their grip, the more desperate the actions they take.’ She did not want to listen. His words seemed too full of rhetoric, echoes of their own demagogues accepted without critical thought.
To stop him talking she reached for his hand and brought it to her face. Let him think his silent presence was comfort enough. She saw too that he was right; there were people who were afraid and what happened today would not be the end.
She thought about the future and those who were trying to prevent it. She had always believed progress would just sneak up on people, by the time some objectionable piece of it was revealed protest would be useless. In the past it had been so, when the future was still full of mystery and hope. But as more realised the end of history was almost upon them, there was fear; about what these new technologies would create and who should control them. And those who were most afraid, were those who wanted to roll back the clock to some simpler better life. A life only fools believed ever existed. So while she sat there in her lovers arms she thought about Morris and what he was thinking in those last few hours.
How had they known some form of sabotage was immanent? She knew Edward would probably suspect a spy, which was just as well. The truth would have terrified him far more. The bio-forge useful as it was in its primary role as a cereal incubator had yielded a second much more useful function. The cereals grown here had been modified not just for use in a synthetic environment but was engineered as part of a vast array of microcomputers, each cell processor, a grain of wheat. There was no informant for Edward to worry about, just the terrible knowledge that given enough processing power the actions of desperate are easily predicted.