Chapter 37 (Infant 1): Ode to Joy
65 million years ago, on Earth's new Tethys Ocean, Taa Island
The clones, young Brahma and young Venu, gradually grew up. For ten months, Maria and her team cared for them meticulously. From the petri dishes to sterile incubators, and finally to the warm, comfortable cribs in the natural environment, the clones’ vital signs were identical to those of Venusian children born naturally.
Maria's cloning experiment had succeeded, and the ethical crisis she feared most seemed not to have occurred. How did the Brahma couple regard their cloned children? Naturally, they considered them their own, as the younger siblings of their daughter Cynthia.
Cynthia adored her brother and sister. Her brother was mischievous, always clenching his little fists and rolling about the bed. Her sister developed faster, already able to toddle along, holding Cynthia’s hand for support.
The Brahma couple were most concerned about the children’s ability to learn language. Would the brother and sister acquire the Venusian language like normal children, or, like Cynthia, would they communicate only through singing?
Thus, Venu tirelessly repeated monosyllabic words to them every day: "Papa," "Mama," and so on.
Both children seemed to respond. When the sister first murmured "Mama," Venu wept with joy, and Brahma rushed out to bring Maria.
“The children can learn our language! This is wonderful. We don’t know how to thank you, Dr. Maria,” Venu said to Maria.
“After their health checks, we found no defects like Cynthia’s in these children. We have always believed they would be able to learn Venusian speech,” Maria replied, her gaze resting on Cynthia, an expression of both guilt and pride.
Cynthia had grown into a twenty-year-old maiden, tall and graceful, with clear, lively eyes, utterly lacking the shyness typical of ordinary girls her age.
She loved to cradle her brother or sister in her arms, gently rocking them as she sang cheerful songs in her lovely soprano. Unbeknownst to Venu, Cynthia was also attempting to teach her siblings to "speak."
Nikola Tesla entered the room, drawn into its pleasant atmosphere. As he watched the two innocent children and the joyful adults, an unspoken worry crept into his heart.
The Brahma couple, as volunteers, each possessed a right to upload their consciousness and extract genetic material, according to the latest Venusian Alliance laws, unaffected by the volunteer project. Tesla knew the couple had chosen to renounce these rights, preferring to stay with Cynthia, who could not upload her consciousness, and care for her brother and sister together.
According to the Venusian Alliance, the brother and sister, though physiologically eligible, could not be cloned again; when Mars explodes, this family will inevitably face destruction.
Brahma seemed to sense Tesla’s thoughts and approached him, smiling quietly:
“Mr. Tesla, don’t worry about us. I’ve been a soldier and a driver, and I don’t have as many worries and regrets as you scientists. Being with my family is my greatest joy.”
Tesla mused: Humanity is such a creature. Sometimes being with family feels like the greatest happiness; other times, insatiable curiosity drives us to seek knowledge, and desire pushes us to possess everything.
After storms and trials, no matter how cold it is outside, with food cooking over the fire and children at one’s knee, one finds the deepest happiness and contentment.
The conversation between the two men was interrupted by the delighted cries of the women nearby. Tesla turned to see Maria, her face full of puzzlement, hurrying to his side.
“Listen, these two children can sing like Cynthia.”
Led by soprano Cynthia, the brother and sister were babbling along, trying to keep up with the melody. Though their pitches wobbled and the harmony was imperfect, it was clear they were using song to communicate with Cynthia.
Cynthia, overjoyed, waved her arms and danced, launching into a new tune—the anthem of the Venusian Alliance.
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In harmony with Cynthia and the children’s scales and melodies, Maria and the Brahma couple joined in singing.
The Venusian Alliance Anthem: "Ode to Joy"
That day will surely come,
We greet it with a peaceful heart.
Let your soul fly free,
And none shall be alone.
Before him, extend your hands,
Give them all you have.
With love, to eternity,
Sing joy together through the ages.
Mutual understanding, tribute to love,
Come, tell the story, sing of freedom.
Let joy resound,
Glory to humanity!
After rain, the palm trees on Taa Island’s shore stood like youths freshly cleansed, rows upon rows solemnly facing the breeze.
Out at sea, a few black dots approached, and the rising roar of electric, unmanned helicopters shook rain droplets from the leaves.
Tesla and Maria walked to the outdoor helipad to greet the Venusian Alliance Parliament’s inspection team. Speaker Kent and Dean Abbott, led by Maria, toured the cloning laboratory, including the healthy, growing cloned children.
“Maria, congratulations to you and your team for your success. Without exaggeration, your work opens the door to Venusian human rebirth,” Speaker Kent declared enthusiastically.
Tesla was happy and proud for Maria. He turned and asked Dean Abbott, “Maria’s cloning experiment succeeded. Is your consciousness upload project on Venus progressing well?”
Dean Abbott replied that Venusian artificial intelligence had matured. By linking neural networks in the Venusian human brain, memories and thinking habits could be uploaded to the cloud without difficulty.
Regrettably, uploading an entire individual’s consciousness to the cloud was technically feasible, but after upload, the brain would cease functioning and the person would die.
“Nikola, the consciousness upload project started off poorly. We scholars have too few solutions,” Dean Abbott said.
“What do you mean by ‘too few’?” Nikola Tesla asked, confused.
Dean Abbott looked at his old friend—devoted to science, lacking some worldly wisdom—with surprise. “Have you considered that a complete upload means immediate death? Who would agree to that? And if our scientists’ predictions about the apocalypse are false or mistaken, then what?”
Abbott’s reminder made Tesla realize he had oversimplified the problem.
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He knew that the destruction of the habitable zone in the solar system, including Venus, was inevitable. But persuading ordinary people to upload their consciousness, to relinquish life and hope for rebirth, was indeed too difficult.
Speaker Kent and Maria joined the discussion. Kent said, “When faced with desperation, people are always reluctant to give up hope. Even when convinced there’s no hope, they wait until the last moment.”
“You mean, with twelve years left before Mars explodes, everyone wants to upload consciousness at the very last second before destruction?” Maria asked.
Abbott replied with a bitter smile, “The temperature difference between day and night on Venus is increasing, food production is plummeting, and the situation will worsen over the next decade. With dwindling resources, we objectively need to complete consciousness uploads in batches as soon as possible.”
Tesla still didn’t grasp what Abbott meant by “too few solutions” among scientists, so he asked:
“Is there any way to persuade people to cooperate in an orderly fashion with this, the only plan that can save Venusian humanity?”
Abbott looked at the weathered old Speaker, then turned to Tesla:
“Speaker Kent is advancing a bill in Parliament, also known as the ‘first come, first served’ bill.”
After Mars explodes, Earth will become the new home for Venusian humanity. The bill stipulates that rebirth will proceed in batches according to Earth’s carrying capacity, and the sequence of revival will correspond to the order of consciousness uploads—in other words, those who ‘die’ first have the right to be revived first.
Tesla was again surprised. The idea seemed both fair and simple, but a nameless sadness welled up within him.
Speaker Kent’s next words unsettled Tesla further.
Kent said, “A popular influencer on a short video platform declared he refuses to believe in the apocalypse or to upload consciousness or extract genetic material. He has already garnered tens of thousands of supporters.”
“If someone opposes the Mars explosion rebirth plan, do we have to stop?” Tesla asked urgently.
“Of course not. The Venusian Alliance Parliament has passed the rescue plan and created new laws; everyone must comply,” Kent continued. “My concern is that after the overwhelming majority support the plan and upload their consciousness in batches—after most have ‘died’—the remaining tens of thousands who oppose it will become saboteurs.”
“So how do we ‘deal with’ those who refuse to upload their consciousness?” Tesla muttered, lost.
&
A poem of collected verses:
Today, newly adorned, descends from the ninth heaven. Ming, Xia Yuanji
Able not to grieve for flesh and blood. Song, Zhang Zhi
Lonely guest, companionless, relies on the child. Ming, Zhang Yu
Some joy in gold mud, comfort at the knee. Qing, Deng Tingzhen
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