《Dr. Darcie Harville》


 Chapter 1 - The Vessel

    Can we separate motherhood from women? That was a question Dr. Darcie Harville pondered regularly while gazing at a warehouse of nest-pods after hours. The soft glow of the artificial wombs provided the perfect ambiance for pondering such dangerous thoughts. Society had made such significant strides in equalizing a woman¡¯s chance for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that the mere suggestion of instinctive motherhood would get you dirty looks at the common dinner party. However, society failed to squash the average person¡¯s desire for children. Humanity had an innate desire to be eternal. Having children, passing on DNA, was still the only way to inch closer to immortality.


    A soft red light blinked amidst the sea of pods accompanied by a rhythmic beeping. Dr. Harville made her way down the stairs to the main floor to inspect the beeping machine. Motion sensor lights flickered on around her as she glided through the facility. The pods resembled sleek white eggs with glass aquarium tops. The fetuses were nestled in translucent wombs that floated in a special cytoplasmic-like liquid within the glass pods. The pod¡¯s soft light reflected of proteins within the fluid as they slow-danced around the womb. A screen flashed a warning as the fluid temperature had dropped a half-degree off target. Dr. Harville¡¯s face showed cool collection as she knew her nest-pod design was impeccable. Sure enough, the pod¡¯s temperature regulation function responded swiftly and the alarm quieted. Despite her confidence in her creation, she pulled up the fetus¡¯s stats on the screen. This one was labeled JW394 measuring at 4 months gestation, 11.7 centimeters, 140 grams, and male sex. Though frail-looking, the limbs were clearly recognizable along with the oversized head. The transparent skin was covered with a fuzz and the eyelids remained closed as in a comforting sleep. The perils of the outside world failed to disturb it. Dr. Harville knew her innovative designs had no rival when it came to assuring near-perfect human development. Despite entering the artificial womb market only two years ago, demand for her fetus development had increased 200%. Her company, Gaea Corp., gave her almost complete control over the nesting-pod sector due to her uncanny biological engineering abilities. The competition still struggled with 15% fetus failure. A statistic that even the least paranoid parents can¡¯t ignore. Dr. Harville¡¯s pods allowed the parents to sleep without a worry, with full assurance that in exactly 38 weeks they will receive their healthy bundle of joy.


    Dr. Harville¡¯s watch flashed 2300 hours. Toby, her lonely cat, would be anxious for his dinner. The motion lights flickered as she made her way to the exit.


    At 9:38 am the following morning, Dr. Harville¡¯s assistant, Jaina, poked her head into her private lab. This particular research area was sectioned off only for Dr. Harville. A glass desk with no fewer than 8 screens enclosed it like a cocoon. One screen flashed notification after notification of emails coming in this Monday morning.


    ¡°Hey, Dr. Harville, notice just came through that Lyle is planning on stopping by the Womb Wing this morning. Important update coming through. Mandatory meeting for all senior staff and section leaders.¡± Jaina announced.


    ¡°At the drop of a hat? Don¡¯t they know we have work to do around here?¡± Dr. Harville had been poring over the summary of that¡¯s morning¡¯s metrics for the pods.


    ¡°Apparently not.¡± Jaina didn¡¯t bother to look up from her tablet. Despite her freshly styled hair and make-up, dark circles nestled around her eyes. They all had them. Everyone had been working overtime for months. At Gaea, this typically happened on the cusp of a discovery. But Dr. Harville¡¯s work was making the momentum of a speedtrain. The past two years alone, they had smashed the world¡¯s previous understanding of the limits of artificial gestation. Their CEO, Lyle Winn, drank up their success like liquid opium.


    Just then, Lyle burst through the door with his corporate entourage. Everyone wearing suits and smiles.


    ¡°Dr. Harville,¡± Lyle boomed with his arms wide open, ¡°your success cannot be stopped!¡±


    ¡°Our success. The whole lab works their brains out¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± He interjected. ¡°I thought I would let you in on the meeting for today.¡±


    ¡°That is thoughtful.¡± She replied glancing back at last night¡¯s numbers. The temperature regulation for Pod JW394 was still oscillating over 2 degrees.


    Cracking a wide, white smile Lyle announced, ¡°Gaea¡¯s Baby Pod¡¯s will soon be released for in-home development!¡±


    Dr. Harville fixed her eyes solely at him and his fluorescent white grin. ¡°We can discuss the future possibility, but the pods have a long way to go before entrusting to the public¡¯s care.¡±


    Lyle laughed. ¡°We aren¡¯t discussing at the meeting, we are announcing it!¡±


    ¡°Lyle, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Lyle had held the CEO seat for only 3 months and was clearly attempting to make his mark at Gaea. His position only ever materialized because the previous CEO had retired early after the diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson¡¯s.


    ¡°Your product is absolutely phenomenal. Absolutely, no other company can compare. Our customers, parents, want their babies at home. This revolutionizes the entire artificial womb industry.¡±


    ¡°Why do I get the sense that you are not asking me, you are telling me?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Harville, part of leading Gaea, is that I have to lead our team, including you, where you are destined to go. Even if it seems uncomfortable at first, it is our duty to aspire to greatness. We must explore every inch of the frontier and you have already made history. Don¡¯t be afraid of what you can accomplish!¡± Lyle turned to his team. ¡°Am I right or what? Let¡¯s give a hand for Dr. Harville.¡±


    Suits, smiles, and lots of clapping.


    ¡°Please,¡± She put a hand to stop the applause. ¡°Lyle, we need to speak in private, please.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll meet the rest of you in the hallway in a few minutes.¡± He gestured to the door.


    After the door shut, his smile cracked across his tanned face. ¡°Dr. Harville, today, now more than ever, we will need to present a united front.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that the pods still need significant modifications for in-home and to be honest, the world is just not quite ready. I know you just got here and everything, but there are major ethical ramifications that must be considered..¡±


    Winn put his hand up. ¡°Please, Dr. Harville. I understand that this may seem frightening on the surface level, but don¡¯t underestimate Gaea. I personally believe we have the best team on the planet. Actually, I know we do. And we have every resource and the best talent to make the pod¡¯s ready to join families in their homes. I know that right now, we have been growing babies here at Gaea, under your watchful eye, of course. But what families crave is growing their children in their own home, which in a way is their nest. It is simply the natural order of things. You cannot resist this, even you know this to be true. So instead of preventing what we as homo-sapiens crave, let¡¯s embrace the desire fully. We CAN do this. You can do this. Do I have your support?¡±


    There was something in the way he said this last sentence. After such a rousing speech, you would imagine a sparkle of hope and determination in his eyes. Dr. Harville saw plenty of determination. It etched itself all over the wrinkles in his forehead, even after the botox injections. But there was a faint outline of darkness. Perhaps the way, a predator looks at another predator. The faint glimmer of a threat.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied.


    Darcie knew she was supposed to stay in her bed, but she was thirsty. She was always this thirsty this time of night. Maybe the air conditioning made it too dry inside because the midwestern humidity suffocated everything else outside. Being 8-years-old, she didn¡¯t really care other than the fact that she wanted a drink. She lazily slipped out of her covers and shuffled down the hallway. Her parents were still up because she could see the light under their door. Plus, she could hear muffled talking. Boring adult talk, of course. Probably about tax season or stressful coworkers. Either way, she didn¡¯t care. Just as she was passing their door, she thought she heard a sob. Now, she DID care. Why was her mom crying? Maybe her parents were getting a divorce. A girl in her class said her parents were divorcing. It meant that they still loved each other, but couldn¡¯t stand their guts. But loved each other. Or something like that. She pressed her ear to the door like a suction cup.


    ¡°Cassie, you are overreacting.¡± She heard her father say matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Do you not understand? All the eggs are gone. Burned up into char. Darcie will never have any children.¡± Her mother cried. Her throat sounded so dry. Maybe she should get her mother some water.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s horrible. Awful. She can still be a mother. You of all people should know that.¡± Darcie heard the mattress springs creak. Her father must have sat on the bed with her mother.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°But, she will never have the option to have biological children. That option is forever gone.¡± Her mother started taking quick breaths. ¡°Oh my god, I did this. I did this.¡±


    ¡°Cassie. Please stop. You are becoming hysterical.¡± Her father sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be a settlement from a huge lawsuit.¡±


    ¡°How come you are not upset? Society has told me up and down, all the way through med school, it is capitalized through all the stupid guidelines. Remove the girl¡¯s fertility, save it in an embryo storage unit, we paid for the most expensive stupid storage facility out there and BOOM, it catches on fire. ON FIRE. I¡¯m on fire. I¡¯m on freaking fire over this.¡± Her mother said through angry sobs.


    ¡°It is going to be fine. Darcie will understand. And she wasn¡¯t the only one. Probably hundreds of girls lost their fertility.¡±


    ¡°How do you tell your own daughter that she won¡¯t have any of her own children?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°I will never have...any grandchildren¡­¡±


    Darcie removed her ear from the door. She felt disoriented. She groped along the wall back to her room. Tucking herself and her Teddy back in bed, she couldn¡¯t help but think about the conversation. For the first time in Darcie¡¯s life, she felt like a failure, even though she didn¡¯t do anything wrong.


    There was a gentle knock at Dr. Harville¡¯s office door at 7 pm. Peering over her desk monitors, she softly called out ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Murphy appeared in the doorway with a calm, tired smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to knock, you know.¡± Dr. Harville told her trusted partner. Murphy and her have teamed up from the beginning with the nest pods. In all fairness, the pod¡¯s success is as much of Murphy¡¯s as it is Dr. Harville¡¯s. He led the software development and design.


    He chucked some binders sitting on a chair to a nearby desk and slouch down. He took off his glasses and vigorously rubbed his eyes. ¡°When is retirement? I¡¯m ready for my boat. Winn may force me to hit the Atlantic coast sooner than I was planning.¡±


    ¡°I think that might be his intention. Get the old dogs out, keep our inventions and set the enthusiastic puppies free.¡± Dr. Harville sighed. ¡°What he doesn¡¯t know is that this place would implode without us.¡±


    ¡°He literally sounds like the leader of a cult with his leadership B.S.. Trying to get everyone to drink his Koolaid around here.¡± Murphy joked.


    ¡°Speaking of drinking,¡± Dr. Harville opened a desk drawer and pulled out a glass bottle. ¡°I¡¯ve still got some of this bourbon from the conference.¡±


    Murphy jumped up from his chair. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Dr. Harville smiled and started to pull out two glasses. ¡°Nothing like Gaea to test the functions of my liver.¡±


    Murphy¡¯s watch lit up with a notification. ¡°Oh damn! Totally forgot that Tayla¡¯s got some get-together on Oak Ave tonight.¡±


    Tayla was his young, energetic event planner girlfriend. Beautiful and high strung.


    He started to head for the door in a hurry. ¡°Save some of that stuff for the next Winn meeting. I have a feeling we are going to be needing a lot more around here soon.¡±


    The view from Darcie¡¯s apartment could be called spectacular. An entire glass wall displayed the glittering metropolis of downtown. The white and red lights of traffic flowed through the congested city streets. The veins of the town constantly bringing in the oxygenated talent of youth for the weekends while pumping out the tired 9-5er¡¯s to their suburban sleep until Monday. A typical occupant of the apartment would host glitzy social events. The city would provide the perfect ambiance. Darcie hardly spent enough time there to even notice a new skyscraper. Yet, lately, she has found herself on the couch staring deeply through the glass. It has happened enough nights now that she accompanies it with a glass of wine. Such sophistication, she laughs to herself. It was during one of these nights after opening a 1989 Bordeaux that she heard a knock at her door.


    Curiously, she peered through the peep-hole and immediately smiled.


    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± Darcie laughed as she opened the door to a tall, 20-something girl. This woman happened to be her younger sister. Per usual, she donned the latest fashion in looking superbly casual and sexy. Her long, brown hair in wavy curls and her mink eyelashes fluffy enough to dust her bookcase.


    ¡°Trae had to go on a business trip this weekend and so the girls and I were going to hit up Oak Ave tonight.¡± She eyed the uncorked wine suspiciously. ¡°You sure you were expecting me? Or maybe someone else?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. This one is, uh, just for me.¡± Darcie started to pour into a glass. ¡°Murph¡¯s newest darling recommended this particular year.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you drank wine.¡± She plopped herself on the couch.


    ¡°Yeah, me neither. So, can I get you a glass? Save yourself some money for the bars?¡±


    ¡°You know that I normally I would love drinking rich people¡¯s alcohol for free. But I¡¯m not drinking tonight.¡±


    Darcie sat down on the chair across from her. Both of them basking in the city starlight view. Their relationship consisted of several moments of quiet. Their 12 year age difference did not leave a lot in common for conversation. Sharing the same parents, like with most siblings, laid the foundation of a mutual understanding and comfort. After Kitty entered college, she would come and go at Darcie¡¯s place since she always lived close to downtown. There were times that Darcie wouldn¡¯t have any idea Kitty even stopped at all except for the towels all over the bathroom floor and her missing Thai leftovers from the fridge. After purchasing this downtown highrise condo, her guestroom was always maintained for Kitty¡¯s unannounced visits. Occasionally, Kitty and Darcie would see each other in passing on a weekend night. They would get to talking and sooner or later, Kitty would cancel her plans and they would sit on the couches with tequila and talk about boys, life and what lay behind the stars. But recently, it had been several weeks since Kitty had stopped by.


    Darcie took a sip from her glass and swirled the wine in her mouth a bit. After swallowing, a slow wave of warmth rose in her throat. Kitty sat transfixed at the view on the couch.


    ¡°Everything going okay?¡± Darcie asked. Kitty pouted her mouth and signed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some news for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Tell me.¡±


    She sat silent for a minute before answering. ¡°Trae and I are having a baby?¡±


    Stunned, Darcie¡¯s mouth fell open. But she had learned long ago that you never reveal anything more than mild surprise with Kitty. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! Congratulations.¡±


    Darcie took a big gulp of the wine. The fire rose from her chest to her face. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mother is absolutely elated.¡±


    Kitty laughed, obviously relieved. ¡°It was as if I told her I won a billion dollars.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve obviously talked to the Fertility Evaluation specialists then. I know everyone cares so much about whether a baby will have blue or green eyes or whatever, but you really need to impress on them the importance of the Diabetes and Obesity influencer genes. I saw Trae¡¯s extended family at your wedding. Lots of people who reached for the second helpings all their lives. I could place money that half of them have diabetes or will have diabetes. And if you can prevent artificial pancreas implantation, all the better--¡±


    ¡°Darcie, please.¡±


    ¡°Just hear me out, okay? And BRCA gene test is an absolute must because complete removal of the breast tissue is dramatic enough. But the technology out there for testing embryos and sperm is amazing. I could even have some of the specialists at Gaea take a look at your embryos. Gen owes me like 12 favors--¡±


    ¡°Darcie¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got some nest pods that are absolutely gorgeous now too. I still feel a bit uncomfortable with the in-home units because they are still testing the durability and fire-proofness. But I swear I will keep the little peanut in my own office and I¡¯ll even give you a key and you can come and go just like you do here--¡±


    ¡°Darcie! Listen!¡± Kitty jumped up to face her sister. ¡°We...we are having a baby the natural way.¡±


    Darcie frowned in confusion and delicately placed her glass on the end table. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How do I explain this in your language?¡± Kitty laughed and paced in front of the glass window.


    ¡°Trae injected his sperm into my vagina which traveled all the way up to my eggs and formed, what do they call it, a zygote? Which then took the little joy ride down my fallopian tubes and snuggled itself into my uterus.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m impressed now.¡± Darcie laughed. ¡°But if you are wanting to do the ¡®natural¡¯ thing, which is a whole other thing, they¡¯ve got to implant the fertilized zygote in you. Mom and Dad had all your embryos taken out for safe-keeping when you were little.¡±


    Kitty smiled and turned to approach the glass. She started to tap a false nail at a little knick.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hilarious part.¡± She didn¡¯t sound like she thought it was funny at all. ¡°I never had mine removed.¡±


    ¡°What? Of course you did.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve got all mine. I actually have, or had, periods where I bled like an angry demon. Bet your students would be interested in studying me.¡±


    All of this information was going into Darcie¡¯s ears and to her brain, but the data was not translating to any sort of understanding. The cogs were going around and around with no result. Everything was calculating.


    Kitty turned to face her now stunned sister. ¡°I now crown you an Aunt Darcie. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°You never had your embryos removed?¡±


    Kitty signed. ¡°I knew you were going to focus on that.¡±


    ¡°No, both Mom and Dad told me that you did.¡±


    ¡°Well, technically, Dad thought that I had mine removed. Mom lied and she made me keep it a secret. Do you know what it is like to have to hide your nasty-ass tampons? Sure taught me how to be a sneaky-little bitch by burning my own medical waste in the trash.¡± Tension pulsed through Kitty with every word. Years of suppressed truths coming out of her mouth like bile.


    ¡°Kitty, this is going to ruin you,¡± Darcie stated blankly.


    ¡°Yeah, I can tell you¡¯ve got lots of experience in giving advice about that. Especially with all the pitter-pattering of little feet going up and down these cold, empty hallways.¡±


    Darcie sensed the rage building in Kitty, but her own dragon was rising from the ashes within herself. ¡°You¡¯ve lied to me all this time, Kitty.¡±


    ¡°I came here to be bearer of beautiful news and instead you¡¯ve made this about yourself. You know, Mom told me to LIE to you and tell you that I was going to use some stupid baby pod and just hide from you for nine months. But I wanted to share this experience with you, especially since you are like the Queen of babies for the whole world. You are going to be an AUNT for God¡¯s sake. This child is happening and all you want to do is be angry that you are as barren as the whole fucking Mobi desert.¡±


    Darcie stood up. ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    After her few strides across the room, the door slammed at her exit. Darcie picked up her glass to take another gulp, but instead threw it at the glass view shattering it. The dark red wine dripped in long streaks down to the scattered shards on the floor. The downtown continued to twinkle.