Isotope Unification

"I'd really like to be closer to a beach," James Xander was saying. "I mean, we're two hours away from the nearest beach. Longer because so many roads have been reclaimed by nature."

"Take a house," said his friend, Sato Yamasoto. "Look, no one is ever coming back for them."

"I know," agreed James. "But didn't it feel weird, just moving into someone's house?"

"Not once we found an empty one. Eventually, they'll all be empty. That's just a matter of time."

"Sun's pretty sure about that?" asked James.

"Yes, we're all sure," Sato said. "Sun compared her findings with the few biologists left around the globe, and they all agree. The isotope will totally disintegrate any dead organic remains left exposed."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"I know. Anyway, if you really want to live near a beach, you should grab a plane and come to California and take a place. Plenty of nice mansions here. Lots of room for kids and their kids. The whole family would love it if you guys lived nearby. And the weather is amazing!"

"Sir, we're receiving a strange transmission," said Communications Tech David Johnston.

"Strange? What do you mean, 'strange'?" asked Commander Jacobs.

"That's unclear, sir. It seems normal, but it's not on any of our frequencies. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it's coming from Earth, sir."

"Earth?! That's impossible!" cried Jacobs. "Let's hear it!"

Johnston put the audio on the loudspeaker.

"... has written some fantastic flight trainer games for the ALS and sent them out. You could learn from that. Plus, those Plasma-jets practically fly themselves."

"Sato, it's not like I don't want to come over there. We both want to live closer to you guys. Plus, Zoey has always loved California, so It wouldn't be a tough sell. But I don't know about flying. I just don't trust my ability to fly myself."

"Who is this? Identify yourself!" said Commander Jacobs.

"Fine, you big baby!" laughed Sato. "Hang on," he said as he ran some quick calculations. "San Francisco to Charlotte is only a 45-minute flight. Jason can zip over there and pick you guys up and bring you out here. You guys could be here in time for dinner!"

"I repeat Identify yourself! Who are you and why are you on this frequency?!"

"... Jason is an excellent pilot. Hell, I can take off and land okay, but you know how he is with those videogames. His flight training is like test-pilot level. If there's any kind of issue in flight, you'll be in good hands."

"WHO IS THIS??!!" yelled Jacobs, wondering why these people are so blatantly ignoring him.

"Sir, I don't think they they're receiving us. I think we're just accidentally overhearing their chatter," offered Johnston.

"Where is it coming from?"

"Well, sir, it's not coming from anywhere here on Mars, and it's not from

Yue,"

"You-ay? What's that?"

"Sir, the lunar station was built primarily by China. 'Yue' is Mandarin for 'Moon'. Anyway, the signal isn't from here or 'the Moon,' if you will. That leaves Earth."

"Our youngest just turned one, and we're sick of this bunker. I mean, it's huge, but I want a

house

house, you know? I'm in. Let me talk to Zoey," said James.

"That can't be from Earth," said Jacobs. "Everybody there died."

Johnston clicked off his receiver. "We don't know that for sure. And we've been more worried about our own survival to go back to look for survivors there."

"I heard there was some kind of radioactivity in that year-long dust cloud," said Jacobs. "Once the dust cleared, it looked like everyone was dead. We didn't detect any surface activity for months, so we stopped looking. Planet looks okay, though."

Johnston asked, "Why aren't we trying to go back?"

"In what?" asked Jacobs. "The ships we came over in weren't designed for a return flight. We disassembled the rockets and we're using them to power the city. We're mining and processing more metals, but we need to build infrastructure here. With the resources we have, we can either use them to build a life here for everyone, or to send just a few back to earth. And for what? No, son. A mission to Earth is as far away as a Mission to Mars used to be."

"What about the survivors there?" asked the young officer.

"They're on their own. They've been on their own for years. They don't sound like they're suffering. Tell you what. You find a way to make contact, and we'll see what happens next."

"Yes sir. I'll get on it."

For the next few weeks, Johnston tried everything he could to contact the people talking to him from earth. But they weren't actually talking to him. They were talking to each other, about the most mundane of things. From what he could tell, it looked like there weren't a lot of survivors, but they were pretty decent shape. And there did not seem to be any shortages of, well, anything.

*****

*****

On Earth, Jason Yamasoto landed the small but luxurious jet in the clearing near the bunker belonging to the Xander family. He shook hands with James and Zoey, and hugged their three children who saw him on their video screens as 'Uncle Jason.' There was no need to pack a lot. Everything they needed was readily available where they were going. Jason deftly handled the luxury jet for the hour-long flight back.

James, Zoey and their children spent the next few nights in the Yamasoto's mansion... there was plenty of room for everyone, including the five children present. The next week, James and Zoey moved into a seven-bedroom mansion that was just across the street from where Sato and Kiri lived. Jason and Sun lived on the other side with their two children. All James and Zoey had to do was dust and clean out the pool.

The days passed in a blur as Jason, James, and their families settled into their new lives. The children quickly made friends, their laughter echoing through the spacious halls of their mansions. The sun-drenched afternoons were filled with poolside games and explorations around their new neighborhood. It wasn't long before the once-foreign surroundings began to feel like home.

These palatial homes, in this location, were something none of the surviving families would have ever been able to afford before the meteor. But their owners had not survived the meteor or the ensuing apocalypse, while the survivors had. They moved into gigantic, ultra-luxurious homes and settled into a new life. Sato and James began urging other survivors around the globe that perhaps it was time for them to start moving closer together.

While some insisted they liked their solitude (there were only a few thousand people left on earth), Sato and James both emphasized the importance of people being there for each other, especially in times of trouble. While the isotope did remove virtually all sickness and aging concerns, loneliness could be just as deadly. Plus, with all survivors quickly having children, it was argued that in addition to love and nurturing, children needed other children. As a result, much of the surviving population made the journey from wherever they were to the Northern California coast. Jason Yamasoto was now the best pilot in the world. Using the plasma-Jet transport planes sitting idly at airports all over the world, and he and his sister Sun ferried survivors back to the growing human enclave. They began to rebuild civilization there, in the California sunshine, surrounded by beauty.

*****

*****

Zoey Zander was in her new office playing with the radio equipment. Five years ago, she had figured out a way to bounce her radio signal off satellites left in orbit around the planet. As a result, all the survivors on Earth were able to communicate with each other. At first, it was thought that there were up to 2,500 people left on the planet. As it turned out, that number was off by a bit. In reality, there were about 5,000 people alive on earth right now.

Much like in the days before Impact with cellular communicators, everyone could see and speak to anyone else on earth with the touch of a button. She had never tried to reach anyone on Mars, or on the Moon, because there was simply no reason to. So, she was quite surprised when she heard an unfamiliar voice saying he was from Mars, and asked her to answer.

"This is David Johnston of the Mars Humanity Initiative, or the MHI. Are you receiving this transmission?"

Zoe ran to grab her father. "Dad, we're receiving a transmission from Mars!"

"Mars?" he said. "How's that possible?"

"I think they're just reaching out. You're the Head of the family! Go talk to 'em!" she said, smirking.

"Fine," he said sighing. He went to the computer. "Hello, this is James Xander. I am receiving your transmission. Who's this?"

Johnston replied, "We accidentally intercepted some radio traffic from Earth. We were not aware that there were any survivors on Earth. Do you know how many there are? Who should we contact for your government?"

Zoe and James looked at each other. James and several other families had already discussed this possibility, that they might be contacted by Mars.

David said, "Are you the only people there? Who are you two? Where are your parents?"

James answered, "Well, to answer your questions, we thought there were as many as 3,000 survivors on earth. As it turns out, as far as we can tell, there's about 5,000 people on earth now, though people are having children, so that number is growing. Survivors are spread out all over the world with just a handful in some countries, not even every country.

"There is no government. The highest level of government there is right now is the family and each family has a head. And the only thing that designation means is that's the person who speaks for the family. Whether it's a family of two or a family of ten. But a formal, official government? That's not what we have today.

"Our parents didn't die in the impact, but the radiation that came after killed almost everyone on earth. This is my sister." At that point their two children wandered into the view of the screen "Mommy who's that?" asked their oldest.

"And who are the little children, your brother and sister?"

Zoe smirked, but James answered, "They are our son and daughter."

Johnston look surprised, and said, "I thought you were brother and sister."

James nodded and said, "We are. You're going to find that this is the situation for most of the families here on earth."

"Wait... are you saying that incest is common there as well?"

James was expecting a negative response because of the incest, and had his retort already loaded. He shrugged at the man and said, "First of all, there are no laws, so there's no such thing as 'illegal' here on earth. Secondly, this,... wait, did you say, 'as well?' What did you mean by that?"

The young man looked over at someone nervously. "You need to talk to our Commander. Can you hold on for a minute?"

James and Zoey nodded, and David Johnston walked away from the screen.

"Sweetie, can you get Sato and Sun to come over for this call?" James asked his daughter. Just a few minutes later, Sun and Jason Yamasoto walked into the room. A minute later, Sato Yamasoto, her father, walked in as well with her sister, Kiri.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Sato.

"We're on the line with Mars," said James.

"Mars?" said Sato. "Well, we always knew that if they made it there, sooner or later, we'd hear from them one day. What are they saying?"

"Nothing yet," said James. "We're on hold."

Sun laughed and said, "You're talking to another planet, and they put you on hold? How rude!"

They all laughed. "I know, right?" remarked Zoey. "While we wait, let's get comfortable in the living room. They all went into the more comfortable room and relaxed on the sofas and chairs. Jason switched on the large video screen and camera, and they waited.

Sato asked, "Do they know about our secret?"

"No," answered James. "I said Zoey was my sister."

"Good plan. It's going to come out, but I'd rather we control that knowledge that we have a fountain of youth," said Sato.

A man came onto the screen. "Hello, I'm Devon Jacobs, Commander of the Mars Humanity Initiative. We're not a military organization, but you'll remember it was the Space Force that put this together. Anyway, we didn't know anyone survived on Earth. We were very surprised to catch your transmission. Mr. Johnston said that you seem to have an incestuous society as well. Can you tell us about that?"

James answered, "There it is again... 'As well.' What's going on up there?"

Jacob said softly to someone off the screen, "Go get Emmett and bring him here. He needs to be in on this call." He looked at the camera. "When Dr. Baker gets here, he'll tell you everything. In the meantime, how about this: You tell us what's been going on back on Earth, and we'll tell you what's happening on Mars. Fair enough?"

James and Sato looked at each other and nodded "This," he motioned between himself and Zoe, "was inevitable. We were trapped in a bunker for years, not even sure if there was anyone else on earth. Of course this would happen. It would have also happened to you. Our children, all three of them, are perfectly healthy. Sato and his family are the same." Sato and Sun both smiled shyly into the cameras. "And once again, you will find this to be the case with virtually all the families here on Earth."

"How are you surviving?" asked Johnston. "What are you doing for food? Fresh water?"

"Our bunkers and habitats were built with the same technology they sent with you out into space. We have the same Fusion, so energy is unlimited. We have the same hydroponics and food replication as you. Our Table Tops manufacture anything we need. We're on earth and the water is fine and plentiful. We have everything we need."

"Was there a lot of damage?" asked Devon.

"Hi, I'm Jason Yamasoto. I've flown over a lot of cities in California, Washington, and Oregon, just sightseeing. Most of the cities are intact. Some outlying areas are being reclaimed by nature, but overall, the planet just looks empty."

Emmet Baker spoke up. "I'm Emmett Baker, Head of Medicine here. We also heard there was some kind of radiation in that dust cloud. Was there?"

Sun said, "Hi, I'm Sun. There was a previously unknown isotope in the dust, presumably from the meteor. That's what killed almost everyone on the planet. A tiny number of us have immunity, and that immunity has been passed on to our children. Everyone who died, died within three weeks of exposure, whether they were protected in a bunker or not."

James continued, "The immunity seems to be genetic, because only family members survived together. Sooner or later, this... incest, was going to happen."

Dr. Baker asked, "Where are your parents? Did everyone over the age of 30 die?"

The six adults looked at each other, as if trying to make a decision. They passed several significant looks between themselves. Both Emmett and Devon could tell there was a silent debate going on about what to tell them.

Devon said, "Look, we don't mean any of you any ill intent. We're happy that at least some people are still alive on earth. We're a million miles away, and the rockets we came here with were disassembled and repurposed to power our city. At this point, we barely have flight. Whatever you're protecting, we have no desire or ability to come for it. We mean you no threat."

They all nodded. Sun said, "Okay, we lied. James said we're all brothers and sisters, and we're not. Well, Jason is my brother," she said. "But these guys," she indicated to Sato and Kiri, and James and Zoey, "they are father and daughter. And he," she said, pointing to Sato, "is my father."

Emmet looked confused and said, "But you all look the same age, maybe twenty or twenty-one. I don't understand."

James answered, "I'm 49 and my daughter is 26. Sato is 51 and Kiri is 28."

Sun said, "Those of us the isotope didn't kill were made stronger, younger, and practically superhuman. Honestly, if sunlight bothered us, I'd say we were vampires. And our incestuous children are precisely perfect. We think they'll age normally to some point, and then their aging will slow down as well. So, we survived, we became better, and we fell in love with our family members, so incest is cool with us. What's new with you?" the six of them laughed nervously.

Devon, Emmett, and everyone in the room seemed flabbergasted. "We did not expect that," said Devon. "Wow! Now we feel like perverts," he added.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sun.

"No need," said Dr. Baker. "It's the same Isotope." He looked at someone off screen. "Call Nate and Tyson. Get them on this call now!" he ordered. To the people on Earth he said, "There's someone else who needs to be here. Then we'll tell you everything, okay?"

Jason nodded. They all murmured softly between themselves. The sense of worry seemed to have disappeared. A few minutes later, two other men appeared on the screen.

Devon said, "Gentlemen, you are speaking with people on earth." They both looked surprised. "Tyson, please tell our new friends about Tyson's Scratch."

Sun, always with a quick wit, said, "Hey, this sounds personal! We don't need to hear about your scratch!"

Her joke broke the tension of the call.

Tyson, still smiling, explained, "Our readings showed a huge deposit of iron ore, and we wanted that raw material to build our city, so we went to investigate. On the way, we came across a long gouge in the planet's surface that I identified as a 'scratch' from a meteor glancing off the surface."

"So the meteor landed there, too?"

"No, it looks like it bounced off and went back into space. But there are traces of unidentifiable metals and other elements in the scratch."

Sun looked at her father excitedly. "Has anyone died?" she asked.

"No, not yet," answered Dr. Baker. "And we found this half a year ago. Well, half a Martian year."

"Is everyone healthy?"

Dr. Baker looked at Devon, then answered. "I'm the head of Medicine, and other than delivering babies, I have nothing to do. These are the healthiest people I've ever seen. It's never occurred to me that it might have anything to do with that meteor."

Jason asked, "So what about the incest you were talking about?"

Emmet said, "Devon, you're closer to this than me, why don't you answer that?"

Devon rolled his eyes as if to say, Really?! But he answered, "Well, it looks like something has reprogrammed us to where for one, we're primarily sexually attracted to family members, and two, apparently, you can only conceive from an incestuous mating. A lot of people are having sex with non-family members, and not one pregnancy has taken place. But any kind of family paring creates life. Quickly. My daughter was first."

James said, "Your daughter? Like us?"

"Exactly. My daughter and I are a couple, we are far from the only couple like this, and we have a child together."

Dr. Baker said, "Let me clarify. It seems that, if you were here on Mars with your daughter, the two of you would experience GSA. Irresistible GSA. But if there are no family members present, you would happily get together with anyone else. You just can't get her pregnant."

"Wow," said Sun. She added, "It sounds like you were affected by an isotope that has made you healthier and incestuous. The same one as we were, but ours was at much higher levels. We also thought that if you came to Earth, the isotope would kill you within three weeks. But since you've already been exposed, maybe coming here wouldn't kill you. I need to do more research. We need to improve this communication system so we can share files!"

*****

*****

Having been assigned the gargantuan task of developing a breathable atmosphere planet-wide, terraforming chief Nate Bollinger worked very closely with Environmental Sciences head, Dr. Karen Mitchell. They'd been working on the problem night and day for the past month, oftentimes ending well after Martian dark.