Panspermia Deorum (6 page)

“Good work,
Julien. I’ll pull in the head of security immediately. Keep in
touch.”

*

Another long
flight provided Julien with space to search his heart as well as
his head. He even contemplated the possibility that he didn’t
actually realise precisely how much stress he was suffering. He
seemed incapable of reasoning with his wife, apparently his
daughter was on the edge of suicide, and his only ally within the
family was Eugene. But his son could offer nothing more than tacit
support, because he himself had been accused of being unsympathetic
to Sophie’s condition. His sister-in-law, Geraldine, had somehow
managed to stay neutral in this domestic disintegration. Julien had
religiously reminded himself that he must stay focussed on his
remit, whatever else he did. Otherwise, his family would simply be
claimed along with the rest of the human race. He’d briefly
considered marriage counselling, but at the same time thought it
would have all the hallmarks of capitulation. His entire life had
been plagued with setbacks; how they were dealt with was the making
of a person, so that should be his watchword. His wife really ought
to understand this, everyone else did. But then again there was his
little girl, she was in serious trouble, and he conceded that such
draconian self-analysis had to be guided by compassion as well as
logic. Why had he really taken on the role of saving the world?
There were other people with pretty much the same expertise. Was
there an element of wanting to be needed? Was that what Elise was
feeling too? His mental gymnastics had failed, as the plane began
its descent into Paris. He had the train journey to Lyon to
convince himself that he could turn a problem into an
opportunity.

*

The high speed
train metronomic acoustics threw out an idea. Having an outpost on
the red planet with a surfeit of supplies but nothing to take their
mind off sheer survival, planted the seed. With even rudimentary
technology, by current standards, the crew could actually track
Chocolate Orange from there. With no atmosphere to contend with,
and the distance between the two planets, they had two advantages.
Less interference from planetary magnetic fields, and hackers who
were dependent on the internet. This line of thought led to
reinforcement of his preference to concentrate the overwhelming
proportion of expertise and resource on option 1 in the deflection
strategy. The calculations of time and place would manifold,
leading to even more potential rendezvous coordinates. Narrowing
down the candidates to single figures had to begin immediately,
because of the implications for design of appropriate projectiles
and their delivery time.

*

The family
reunion was, as expected quite strained. Geraldine tried her best
to at least get the conversation going by giving the two of them
privacy; she disappeared to go shopping in the city.

“When can we
see Sophie?” asked Julien.

“Whenever it’s
convenient for you. Everything revolves around your schedules,
Julien. She’s in a bad way, so you had better prepare yourself for
a shock. I know you’ve always doubted …even ridiculed the diagnosis
of mental illness, as has Eugene. But you may not recognise your
daughter.”

“Is Eugene
coming?”

“No, he seems
to think that Sophie’s problem is of her own making…or merely
seeking attention He didn’t at first, but gradually found, as I
did, that he couldn’t get through to her. He simply says she’s in
the best place for her condition and he never visits her now… she’s
his sister and he won’t see…I’m sorry, it’s just so
distressing.”

“So, do you
think he would come if I ask him to?”

“No, I don’t.
None of us are the same people you left behind… that you abandoned,
to save the entire human race in that God-forsaken place at the
other side of the world. Let’s go to the therapy unit, just talking
about Sophie is no substitute for seeing her.”

They took a
taxi to the therapy centre, which in times gone by might have been
labelled as a Sanatorium. It was a tremendous shock for Julien to
see all manner of unfortunate young people wandering around
aimlessly, whispering to themselves. Sophie was in her room, not
feeling well enough to stand up unaided. Massive black halos
circled her eyes and a flimsy nightdress clung to her skeletal
frame. He couldn’t even tell if she recognised him, so devoid of
expression were her facial features. He broke down emotionally and
turned away, thinking he was going to faint. The nurse came to his
rescue with a chair.

When he
recovered a handhold of composure, he tried to make visual
connection once more. A weak smile was her only response. No words
could be cajoled from Sophie.

“I think we
should go to the cafeteria, Julien,” said Elise, “we can come back
when the nurse has helped her…look, she can’t even go to the toilet
herself. She vomits after every attempt to eat. They are certain
she isn’t bulimic, but I’m not convinced… I don’t believe it. They
say it’s normal, part of her reaction to going cold turkey. They
expect it to last another three or four weeks.”

They walked
solemnly to the coffee machine, but there was a queue so they sat
at the nearest empty table. It was an unexpected outburst.

“Elise, don’t
accuse me of suggesting another quick fix of convenience, but I
can’t go back to work after what I’ve just seen. I want to
understand what is really going on here. Will these people allow us
to take Sophie and her medication away for a break? This place may
have a good reputation but it would depress the hell out of me in
less than a day, and you told me she’s depressed.”

“It was
recommended by our doctor, whom you’ve always respected. And, you
haven’t yet seen her when she’s not in
this…debilitating…gut-wrenching vomiting sequence. She goes wild at
anything you say which is disagreeable to her. I couldn’t take the
risk of having her at home never mind on a vacation. However, if
you’re serious about taking time off… and I mean really serious, I
could use a break. Go ahead, tell them we’re taking her home for a
few days, they can’t stop us, but we will need her medication.”

When they got
Sophie back to Geraldine’s place she seemed even more confused. She
sat by the window looking at two little birds, pecking away at some
crumbs which had been scattered on the lawn. A haunting smile
passed over her face, a momentary flicker of awareness.

“Elise, when I
said we should take Sophie for a break, I meant away from the city.
This is where the problem began, we need to give her something to
keep on stimulating a smile, like she’s smiling now. How about
going to the Cote D’Azur for the weekend? Geraldine, your company
would be most welcome, unless you have other plans.”

“I don’t know,”
replied Elise, wearily, “it’s sure to be busy, I don’t like the
idea of her being in a crowd…you know, or amongst heavy
traffic.”

“Yes, you’re
right. How would you feel about me taking her back to Guiana with
me?”

“Julien, have
you been on drugs too? You’ve never had time for your family -
ever, so, just how do you think you could take care of her in a
place like that?”

“Well, I have
people who could help out, that is if you want to stay here.”

“Back to the
old trusted and tried life recipe, you mean? You go to work, I look
after the family all of the time, all of the bloody time. I said
I’d like a break; that sounds like hell.”

“Fair point,
but when I said I have people who can help, I meant medical people.
The spaceport is in a remote location and we have to make sure the
employees’ wellbeing is a top priority. Listen, the remoteness
could be an advantage. It’s a beautiful, peaceful location with
very diverse wildlife and flora, an artist’s dream. I’d make sure
we got Sophie the best possible care, and we could take her out
whenever we want. Maybe we could help her to start painting again.
Geraldine, I think you would also like the country, the nearest
city isn’t too far away and the coastline is virtually unspoilt.
Would you come with us?”

Elise looked at
her sister and detected a gleam of excitement.

“Hold on a
moment. Can we just sleep on this… and …and decide in the morning?
I must have at least a thousand questions flying around in my head.
I can see the positives in what you say, I just need to get some
sleep… and uh…process everything carefully, including how much of
the time you’ll be accessible if we have problems of any kind. I
have trouble visualising you changing the habits of a lifetime
overnight. Maybe you don’t really know yourself, Julien, even after
all these years.”

“Elise, I swear
that I’ll delegate as much work as humanly possible, to be with
Sophie, you, and Geraldine. I need to step back a little, you’re
right, and for the first time in my career I have subordinates
capable of taking the strain.”

“Fine, we’ll
decide at breakfast tomorrow.”

Julien nodded
and said he’d call Eugene.

*

“Hi Dad, how
are things with sis? I guess you were shocked, I just don’t get it,
really. Mother has her in that looney house, and I’ve tried my best
to tell her that Sophie needs a different environment altogether.
She won’t hear of it and Geraldine doesn’t help. I mean, I know my
aunt is a kind, caring person, but she just repeats whatever Mum
says, like a sodding parrot. Even some of the relevant stuff I had
to study at University, which could help Sophie is thrown back in
my face. Sophie has a gift, Sophie is sensitive, sure, and like
many talented people, doesn’t take criticism too well. I’m sure
that’s why her painting became a burden, more noir, bizarre, and
violent in its subject matter. There’s a lot of evidence now that
personality can be influenced by a person’s DNA. Irregularities
which cause conditions like Autism and Asperger Syndrome have been
linked to genetic defects without much fuss in society. But people
don’t want to think about this reaching as far as temperament, or
being self-centred. I gave up trying to help because Mum was so
stubborn. I know Sophie needed medication to control her addiction,
but we need to look at what caused her submission to drugs. Enough,
this sounds like a sermon, what happens next?”

“A lot of what
you’ve just said actually resonates with me. I persuaded Mum to
take Sophie back to Geraldine’s for a while, and we’re there now. I
also suggested taking her back to Guiana, to re-unite her with
nature. You know, solitude when it’s needed, but the family can be
there whenever there’s a wobble. We’ll decide tomorrow.”

“Well, well, I
can’t believe it. That’s exactly what Sophie needs right now.
Listen, Dad, I’d like to come out to see what you get up to in
Guiana, but I can’t take the time off just yet. How about the end
of the summer? I might be able to squeeze a couple of weeks’
vacation then?”

“I’d love that,
Eugene, I’ve never asked you because I thought it would isolate
your mother even more. I hope you can understand.”

“I’d figured
that out already. Anyway, you’ve got my support one hundred
percent, Sophie needs to be out of that zoo. Speak to you
soon.”

E
lise had been up half of the night, researching
anything she could about Guiana. She wasn’t convinced it was right
for her daughter and aired her concerns at the breakfast table.

“When were you
going to mention the oppressive climate, Julien, and all
the…compulsory vaccinations against tropical diseases?”

“After we
decided whether reuniting the family would help Sophie with her
problems. I thought that was the priority.”

“Maybe, but
I’ve read that a current yellow fever vaccination is mandatory…
even for… entry into the country. Protection against malaria is
definitely recommended, and the same applies to tetanus and…
sodding polio.”

“I know all
that, Elise, but it’s under control, unlike drug addiction. And
yes, it’s hot and humid a lot of the time, but accommodation is
absolutely top class, and the city of Kourou isn’t far away. It’s a
tropical environment, with advantages and drawbacks just like any
other place. But the vivid colours and the night sky are truly
something to behold.”

Elise was about
to bring up the question of crime when Sophie gripped her hand.
Then she rounded the table and hugged her father, with tears
streaming down her face. Beckoning Elise to join the embrace,
Sophie’s voice was barely audible. “I want us to go, Mum. What’s to
think about?”

Geraldine had
to excuse herself, unable to control her emotions. Elise just sat
still, as if paralysed. Julien was pulled to his feet and guided
around the table by his daughter. The three of them joined hands,
as Elise saw a light in Sophie’s eyes which had been missing for
several months. They called for Geraldine and it was decided.

*

Having cleared
all the medical requirements and packed the maximum allowance of
life’s necessities for the family, all remaining arrangements at
the other end were authorised by Julien’s call to Volker Brandt.
They also briefly discussed Julien’s suggestions following his trip
to Chile.

“If we narrow
down the options of deflecting the asteroid to only one technique
and one last resort, it would give us the opportunity to alter the
initial Mars objectives. I realise that if we fail with diverting
Chocolate Orange, the chances of surviving on Mars more than a few
years would be unlikely, but we just don’t know what we might find
there. Also, if we do knock the asteroid off collision course,
we’ll know by then exactly what the situation is on Mars.”

There was no
comment.

“Hello, Volker,
are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m just
processing what you said. I’m not sure about leaving a crew on Mars
without back up missions to begin the programme of
self-sufficiency. All my drive over the years has been to that end.
I appreciate your point that we can’t push forward too many
concurrent projects, but if Earth dies, so will the Martian crew,
unless habitat and food propagation has been fully established
between 2033 and 2039. I need to think this through again,
especially as you have said on a few occasions that we should
stockpile supplies on Mars at the expense of scientific programmes,
including food propagation. We can talk again when you get
here.”