Carolyn grudgingly realized Tanya had been right: she
had been
in no condition to drive the trio anywhere, let alone to the family home. Home — for the Smirnoff clan — was a ranch-style house in a gated community about halfway between downtown Ann Arbor and Dexter. The roads she took daily to work were mostly unimproved from the days when this part of Washtenaw County was farmland. Now it consisted mainly of subdivisions... and the traffic was heavier and far more dangerous even when Carolyn was physically and emotionally at her best.
As Rudy pulled them into the garage, Carolyn wondered what was really going on here. Obviously some sort of conspiracy amongst her children had been agreed to. It wasn't that Tanya had cooked dinner — she often did so. It was more so Tanya's calm manner on the phone which tripped her mother's alarm bells...
"She must have known where I was before she called me," Carolyn silently deduced as she got out of her car. "That means Renee had already informed Tanya of her pregnancy..." As the trio opened the door from the garage going into the mudroom, she decided to speak out loud. "What
is
going on here? Why are the four of us eating dinner together at home?"
"Since when," Renee responded, "do we need a reason to eat together?"
Carolyn immediately resurrected one of her patented stares she used when one of her children tried to con their way out of doing homework. The message was duly received...
"Okay, Mom," Rudy intervened on behalf of his
other half,
"you have us dead to rights; we do have something
cooked up
besides Tanya's meal. If you will just bear with us, we'll explain everything to you."
"Fine," Carolyn said as she angrily shuck her shoes in the general direction of the shoe rack and went to find a seat in the living room. "Just let me know when I get to go insane!"
All three of the Smirnoff children laughed, for it was clear to them their mother was past her initial shock and well on her way to accepting the strange truth to which she had been exposed. As Tanya had indicated over the phone, dinner was indeed ready. Renee called her mother over to the dining room table as the final pieces of the family's good silver service were being set in place.
Tanya had prepared a Smirnoff Family favorite: beef stroganoff, wild rice pilaf, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and hot fudge sundaes with all the trimmings for dessert. During the meal, the conversation focused on mundane subjects like school and an upcoming two-week vacation Tanya and Carolyn were taking to a remote location about an hour's drive north of Soo Saint Marie. While she felt it to be forced, Carolyn nevertheless welcomed the momentary distraction.
Nearing the meal's end, Carolyn was surprised just how hungry she had turned out to be. It was usual for her to leave uneaten a little bit of something. Tonight, however, she had joined the clean plate club. And after dinner, her children wouldn't allow her to take her own dishes into the kitchen. She was told to go get comfortable and wait. A few minutes after she had returned to the living room couch, Rudy joined her...
"Believe it or not, Mom, but I know precisely how difficult this is for you... the three of us — that is; you, me, and Renee — have been through this conversation a few times over the millennia."
"Have we, now? And just how do you know those conversations weren't with some
other
mother?"
"You and Father have always been our parents... your combined genetics lead to us... for better or for worse — mostly for the worse I'll grant you. But at least this time you haven't killed us!"
"Believe me, Rudy, the thought had crossed my mind; just not on account of you being something other than human. I take it infanticide has been a common... how shall I say it...
outcome
for you and your sister?"
"Sometimes — most of the time we make it into adolescence before being killed — but that was to be expected. None of us Dyadomorphs could ever be certain when the time would be right for us to begin breeding. That's why we were programmed to emerge at regular intervals: to gauge the progress of human culture. One of the ways we knew things hadn't progressed far enough was when we were killed — usually out of fear — before attaining our ability to breed. Only when humanity had reached a certain level of maturity of thought as well as technology would the Dyadomorphs be ready to do their part."
"And just what
part
is that?" Carolyn asked as her other children came over to join the conversation.
"Do you remember in the Bible where it says, '...the meek shall inherit the earth?'" Tanya asked her mother. Carolyn nodded. "Well, Mom, Dyadomorphs like Rudy and Renee are who was being referred to in that passage."
"Really!" exclaimed Carolyn.
Renee and Rudy both nodded their heads with utter solemnity.
"Really," Carolyn again spoke. Then she asked, "And just when is this
inheritance
to be passed on?"
"It's already begun, Mom," Rudy said. "Haven't you wondered as to the odd, world-wide drop in human fertility? That also was part of the plan: as humanity genetically dies-off, the Dyadomorphs ascend to take their place."
"So," Carolyn mused, "the eleven other pairs like yourself are at this moment beginning to bear children into the world in anticipation of this evolutionary handover?"
"We believe so," responded Renee, "but, we don't know this for a fact. Human culture is at or near its apex, so the rest of them should have emerged and be close to where Rudy and I are in terms of breeding. Another factor triggering the handover is that humanity has poisoned the planet, but not quite to the point beyond our ability to repair. Lastly, this is the first time since our creation Rudy and I have lived long enough to procreate."
"This is the first time in over twenty-thousand years that you've been pregnant?" Carolyn asked, dumbfounded. "No wonder you were so excited..."
"Yes, Mom, that was a large part of it," continued her older daughter. "But another part was that — like a caterpillar encasing itself in a cocoon — the human race will soon sacrifice itself for Dyadomorphs to emerge and manage the planet's affairs from then on."
"Don't you worry that human beings will fight your ascent at every turn? After all, we are both resourceful and resilient."
"Well," Rudy interjected, "past experience has shown humans capable of delaying the change-over for a short while, but in the end the math and science always win; and both things are on our side, Mom."
"What do you mean by past experience?" Carolyn asked.
"Mother," Tanya answered, "this is how the Dyadomorphs have created humanoid cultures on terraformed planets for billions of years: we humans have always been the catalyst for cultural growth and development of the planet's infrastructure. When that job has been accomplished, the Dyadomorphs emerge to take over the planet's long-term management."
"How on earth do you know this, Tanya?"
"We imparted this knowledge to her, Mom," Renee replied.
"And if you are willing," Rudy continued, "we can do the same for you. It really is more efficient than oral communication."
"And more fun..." added Tanya.
"Fun, eh? Just what do I have to do?"
