barely keep track of. And we can devote so much of ourselves to understanding it. We don’t have to worry so much about our physical requirements. The AIs take care of that for us; they run the food-synthesis plants, the cybernetics factories, administration. I consider my life here to be my liberation, Edward. I don’t have to concern myself with the mundane any more. I can use my mind full time.’
‘Then I’m glad for you. You’ve found something new out here. AI utilisation on Earth is causing no end of problems. They can take over the running of just about all mechanical operations and do it with increased efficiency. Industry and utility provision are discarding more and more human operatives. We’re seeing large-scale patterns of unemployment evolving. And it brings a host of social unrest with it. There’s more petty crime than there ever used to be; psychologists need counselling, they have such a heavy workload these days. People are starting to question the true worth of introducing AIs.’
‘I’m sure there will be temporary problems thrown up by AI integration. You never get smooth transitions of this magnitude. Moving to a leisure-based society is going to be hard for a people who are so set in their ways. The penalty for a long life is the increasing resistance to change. The familiar is too easy and comfortable for it to be discarded quickly. And the families are very familiar with their life as it is. But the change will happen. If we have a purpose it is to think and create; that’s our uniqueness. Any non-sentient animal can build a nest and gather food. Now this march through progress has finally started to relieve us of that physical distraction. I mean, that’s what we were doing it for in the first place, right? Once you set out to determine how the universe works, then as a species there’s no turning back. We’re freefalling to the plateau, Edward.’
‘The plateau?’
‘The moment at which science has explained everything, and machines are perfect. After that, human life becomes one long summer afternoon picnic. All we do then is think, dream, and play.’
‘I can’t quite see that myself.’
‘That’s a shame. You must adapt or die, Edward. I took you as someone bright enough to surmount that last hurdle and climb up there to the plateau. Perhaps the Sport of Emperors wasn’t the blessing we like to believe, at least, not for everyone. The original Caesars were so certain they were doing the right thing with their gift for all of the Empire. They’d bred stables of gladiators for generations, evolving their speed and strength until they were invincible in the arena. Only age slowed and weakened them. It was such a short leap to breed for longevity, and what a political weapon that was. The one thing everybody always wants. But the life they bred for in the children of the Empire was longer than nature ever intended. And messing with nature however crudely is always dangerous. Humans change their environment. That is our true nature. The cycle of life and death, of constant renewal, is nature’s way of adapting us as a species to the freshness we create for ourselves.’
‘Are you saying I’ve outlived my usefulness?’
‘I don’t know, Edward. Can you give up everything you’ve lived for in order to face the unknown? Or are you going to watch trees grow as the same old seasons wash past you to no effect?’
‘That’s what you believe you’re doing by living out here, is it?’
‘I enjoy change. It’s the most magnificent challenge.’
‘You have the luxury of enjoying it.’
Her laugh was a fluid-clogged cackle. ‘Oh Edward, so single-minded. You and I are alive, which is more than can be said for Justin. I have to admit, I’m very curious. What can you possibly have to add to the matter at this stage?’
I waved a hand at the curving windows, with their slim reinforcement mesh of carbon strands. That particular carbon allotrope was the reason the glass could be so thin, one of the new miracles we took so much for granted. ‘Carbon 60.’
‘How the hell can pentaspheres possibly be connected to Justin’s murder? We only discovered the stuff ten years ago… Oh. Mary, yes! It was Alexander, wasn’t it? He was the one who found it.’
‘I hope so.’
‘
‘Carbon 60 is an awesome substance. There are so many theoretical applications, from ultrastrength fibres to superconductivity. It’s being incorporated into just about every process and structure we use. And they’re still finding new uses on a daily basis.’
‘So?’
‘So I need to know about Justin’s great project, the one he was working on when he was killed. Was he studying supernovae for carbon signatures?’
‘Heavens.’ She sat back and gave me an admiring look. ‘You really don’t give up, do you?’
‘No.’
‘We only found out that carbon 60 existed in stellar nebulae after we — or rather Alexander — produced it in a laboratory. What you’re saying is that it could have happened the other way round, aren’t you? That some astronomer found traces, proof that it physically existed, and chemists worked at synthesising it afterwards.’
‘It’s certainly possible. The existence of carbon 60 has been postulated for a long time; I traced an early reference back to 1815 — it was some very speculative paper on theoretical molecular structures. Justin might have had the idea carbon 60 could be produced by stellar events, and found the spectral signature.’
‘And Alexander, who was a chemist, immediately realized the practical use such a find would have, and killed him for it. Then when a decent interval had passed, in this case, ninety years, he miraculously produces the elusive substance in his lab, to the enormous benefit of his family who have lauded him ever since. Who would possibly suspect any connection with a tragic murder all that time ago? And…’ She gave a start. ‘Alexander never had an air-tight alibi for that night, plus he was working on carbon at the time. Yes, I can see why you’ve invested so much effort into this.’
‘I’ve never been able to find out what Justin was working on,’ I said. ‘Even you said you weren’t sure. But considering the state you were in after his murder, you weren’t even sure what day it was. And you’ve had a long time to reflect on everything he ever said to you.’
‘I’m sorry, Edward, you’ve had a wasted trip.’
‘You don’t know?’ I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice. It had been a desperately long shot. But it was the first possible lead I’d got in sixty-seven years.
‘I know exactly what Justin was working on,’ she said sorrowfully. ‘I just didn’t want to tell anyone at the time.’
‘Why?’ I demanded, suddenly furious. ‘Information like that was critical to the investigation.’
‘No it wasn’t. Don’t you understand anything? I loved him, I really did. And he had a crazy theory. He thought there might be life in space. Bacteria that floated through the void like interstellar dust clouds, propelled by solar wind. That’s the spectral signature he was looking for, not carbon 60. He said it was possible all our plagues came from outer space — that was why our immune system always takes time to respond, because each one was new to our planet. He believed all that back in the 1830s. Holy Mary, what a brilliant mind.’
‘But—’
‘Yes I
‘So why didn’t you tell us at the time?’ I asked.
‘To protect his memory. I didn’t want people laughing at my beautiful lover. He was too precious to me for that. I wouldn’t have been able to stand it. And they would have done, the newspapers would have ridiculed him, because it was all too fantastic back then. Invasion of the space flu! I wanted to give him some dignity. He deserved that much.’
I sighed in defeat. She was right, I’d put a lot of hope on her confirming my theory. ‘I don’t suppose I can blame you for protecting him. In fact, I’d probably do the same thing.’
She rested her hand on mine as another little tremor ran through the gallery. ‘What will you do now?’
‘Me? Complete the
Her heavy, wrinkled cheeks lifted in a melancholy smile. ‘Thank you, Edward. It’s nice to know that someone else cared about him.’
