Monologue

The Alchemist seemed to lose all the colour on his face and became openly tense. He was like a strained wire on the verge of snapping. For a moment, I thought he was going to have an outburst, but he composed himself. 

I knew I was onto something with my guess about his actions. 

"You have no idea what you are talking about," He spoke with a tight voice, almost gritting his teeth. "All the research I have conducted has always been legal and aboveboard. I have no reason to do anything untoward."

I chuckled lightly. 

"I do not doubt that what you say is true. Of course, I am sure that even if it were not, you would find a way to make sure it was. I am not questioning your intelligence or the ability to consider the pitfalls of your work."

"However, as I mentioned before, I do not think you have a true sense of who humans are and what they want. Your entire world is that of technology. To you, the people are no different from the machines you build."

The Alchemist seemed to relax a little bit.

"That is a simple-minded way to assess my work. I thought you said only people like Kyle are naïve due to their intelligence," He said with some amusement. 

That same wave of irritation crawled back on my neck. I wanted to get it under control before it compromised my objective empathy. I genuinely wanted to understand the Alchemist and his motives. 

It was the only way I could escape from this madness.

I would deal with the Kyle obsession later. 

"People like Kyle want to defy gods and prove that the concept of divinity is foolish. They do not believe in the sanctity of life but in the power of human beings. People like you want to become gods and stand above all." I responded with forced calm. 

"It is obvious that your agenda with the fertility tech lab is to develop a way of having babies without the natural order. I am not a big fan of said natural order, but it is what it is. Biology dictates specific rules for reproduction for human beings."

I stretched and got more comfortable on the seat before continuing. 

"In my opinion, humans got the short end of the stick from the so-called natural design when it comes to reproduction. We consider ourselves to be advanced, but we probably have the messiest process of all living things."

The Alchemist did not respond. 

"In other circumstances, I would agree with people like you who are trying to find a way to break free of the horrible cycle. You know, if you were not as evil as you are and had not kidnapped me."

There was no sign of discomfort from the Alchemist. 

Since he was not bothered, I decided to vent. 

"Apart from a few other species, human females are the only species that experience overt menstruation. In most mammals, the uterine wall is simply reabsorbed rather than shed. That is an inherent disadvantage for women because of the health implications as well as the general inconvenience and costs."

"When a woman does get pregnant, the burden to their health is even heavier. In addition, the care needs of human babies are excessive since they are born altricial. I know you are a parent, so you must know that babies are tiring even if you love them to bits." I said with a meaningful look. 

The Alchemist stiffened before his face softened. "They are a lot of work, but it is worth it."

I did not react to his statement because I did not want to engage on this topic. Like the Kingmaker, the Alchemist was the kind of person who separated their callous nature from their role as a family man. 

I could not comment because I do not understand if it is compartmentalisation, repression or just a weird type of psycho personality. These people always seemed to have no issue with being two-faced.

I decided to continue with my rant of internal musings about human biology.

"I always think how convenient it would be if babies were born precocial. Pop one out, and it will start walking and eating independently. At the very least, it would justify the labour laws that prevent prolonged leave for parents, right?"

"Even taking the reptilian or avian route would be easier for human beings. Imagine how easy it would be if women laid eggs. It would be so easy. I suppose that what you are trying to do with your fertility tech investment is somewhat similar."

"Imagine if we could also have parthenogenesis and eliminate the need for a mate. Embryonic diapause is another useful feature. If a woman is pregnant and loses their financial or social support, they can suspend foetal development until they are ready."

"What about the seahorse advantage? We have long-running TV shows of men constantly claiming that they are not the fathers. The seahorses do not have that problem. If we had this option in reproduction, women could finally get the opportunity to turn the tables."

The Alchemist seemed to become impatient with me.

"Is this leading somewhere interesting, or do you just love hearing yourself talk?" He asked with a flat look in his large eyes. 

I chuckled lightly. "Can't it be both?"

"Well, I am losing my patience." His voice sounded threatening. 

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. I will get on with it and try to keep my ramblings to a minimum."

"Continue."

I tried to organise my thoughts so that I could be as clear as possible. 

"As I was saying, I do admire the spirit behind the fertility technology efforts. If some of these ideas pan out, it would mean a better life, especially for women. However, at the moment, this advanced technology is only theoretical at best."

I leaned forward a little and looked at the Alchemist right in his eyes. 

"Are you patient enough to wait for decades to see results, or have you already taken a darker path to accomplish your goals? I do not believe that you are simply letting the research process proceed ethically and naturally." 

The Alchemist also leaned forward. 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If I were a movie-type villain with your goals, I know exactly what I would do to accelerate the process of opening a baby farm. It is quite easy. But as they say, there is no way to make an omelette without breaking a few eggs."

Unfortunately, in my analogy, women were the eggs.