Bottleneck

In the Genetic Age, where almost all the characteristics of a newborn baby could be modified, Benjamin Fulton's parents only had a say in his name. Ethan, resentful of his son's lagging behind his peers, bought Benjamin a shape sorter toy for his first birthday and devoted the time he had left from his work to teaching his son basic geometric shapes. But in vain. Despite his daddy's efforts, Benjamin had difficulty grasping this simple toy, which fascinated him with its vibrant colors.

One spring evening, on a Sunday, when Ethan's childhood friend Tom Mitchell came to visit with his wife Hailey and their baby, Benjamin met his first and only friend Austin.

On the evening he met Austin, Benjamin was thirteen, and Austin was ten months old.

"Hey there," said Austin. "Friend?"

Benjamin couldn't make sense of the sounds Austin was making. He was surprised. Then he started crawling towards his room. Austin followed Benjamin with small steps. Benjamin took the shape sorter out from under his crib and threw it in front of Austin. As he drooled, he looked at Austin with hopeful eyes.

"Want to play?" said Austin. "Okay."

Austin took the triangular prism in his hand and put it through the hole of the box. When he realized that Benjamin was looking at him with empty eyes, he handed him the cube on the floor. Benjamin took the cube in his hand and nibbled on it.

"See here," Austin said, pointing to the box. "It goes in here."

Benjamin tried to put the cube into the triangular hole.

"No," said Austin again. He raised an eyebrow in frustration for the first time in his life.

In the living room, at the dinner table, a more interesting conversation was taking place between adults with decades of speaking experience.

"Did you really get a real pine tree for Christmas?" asked Tom. "Out of the blue, what made you go for it?"

"Madison and I thought, why toss plastic trees every year when we could have a real one in the backyard?" Ethan replied with a hint of pride. "Plus, with Benjamin's first Christmas, it seemed right."

"After dinner, let's see the tree then," Hailey said.

"Ethan had plans to plant it in the backyard," Madison said, avoiding eye contact with Ethan. "But that was three months ago."

"I couldn't find a chance," Ethan said in an embarrassed tone. "I've been all over the place…"

"Come on Madison, give him some slack," Tom said, laughing. "He is the Country Manager of Attica after all!"

"I know, of course, what he's dealing with..." said Madison. She put her hand on Ethan's knee. She looked into his eyes. "But if he wasn't so hard on himself..."

"Ethan was very hardworking as a child too." said Tom. “No surprise he’s the only one from our block in such a high-up job now.”

"You've done well for yourself too," Hailey said, frowning.

"Yes, of course, but my title defines my limits," Tom replied. "I used to be a Service Specialist. Now, I'm a Senior Service Specialist. But that's the highest position here; we don’t have a managerial role or anything beyond it. In essence, I am at the peak of the ladder in my department."

"Are you happy to work there?” Ethan asked.

"Absolutely, I'm content..." said Tom with a laugh. He paused. "Dude, I'm giving you props here." He turned to Madison and Hailey. " Ethan's always been a grinder. Heck, he's my only buddy from Harvard. Look where hard work's got him. Can't blame the man for being swamped."

The conversation at the table was interrupted by the shout of Austin, who came stomping through the darkness of the corridor.

"Mom," Austin shouted. When he entered the living room, he was involuntarily embarrassed by the curious eyes looking at him. He held his mother's hand tightly and looked at the floor. "Let's go. Let's go home."

"What’s wrong, sweetie?" Hailey asked.

"I miss Mia..."

"Aww, my little sunshine," Hailey said, twisting her lips. She kissed her son on the cheek. She stroked his hair. "We will leave soon. Okay, sweetheart?"

Austin hesitantly nodded.

"Come on, now you go play with Benjamin," Hailey said. She patted her son on the butt. Austin walked back to Benjamin's room as he had come.

"Does Austin know? Mia's condition..." Madison asked.

"No, he doesn't know," said Tom. "Austin thought we brought Mia to you because she was sick. Madison, by the way, we can't thank you enough. The new Mia is almost no different from the old one. Even her habits are the same. When we brought her home, she scratched the same end of the couch that the old Mia used to."

"Actually, she is exactly the same," Madison said. "That's the beauty of it."

"What is the process called?" asked Hailey. "Phoenixify?"

"Yes, yes, phoenixify."

"Mia was reborn just like the phoenix is reborn from the ashes," Ethan said, smiling.

"Exactly," Madison said, returning her husband's smile. Then she paused. "In fact, she wasn’t born. She was reshaped exactly the same as she was. So, she didn't become a baby copy of Mia."

"Yeah, I know," Ethan said. He was annoyed by Madison's know-it-all attitude. "But that's where the name comes from, right? From the phoenix?"

"Yes, of course."

"I guess there aren’t many vets who do this procedure," said Tom. "We searched a lot until we found you."

"Originally, the process was for industrial animal husbandry. But now, it's making its way into the pet industry.”

"So, what exactly are you doing to the animal?"

"It's a bit like putting a dying animal to sleep. We used to use a drug called pentobarbital for that. For the phoenixification process, we use stembarbital. Stembarbital also terminates the vital activities of the animal, but it doesn’t damage the stem cells. In this way, we can create an exact copy of the animal through stem cells."

"Is the animal suffering?" Hailey asked.

"No," said Madison. "It's no different from falling asleep for the animal."

"It's quite a breakthrough, right?" said Tom. "Better than mourning over the cat…”

"Exactly," Madison said. "I'm trying to follow similar developments closely. VMX will take place in Orlando next week. Let's see what I’ll see there..."

"A fair? How long will it last?"

"An expo. About a week or so."

"So, Sofia will take care of Benjamin during the whole week?" Hailey asked.

"That’s the plan," Madison said. "Ethan is busy, you know..."

There was a short silence at the table.

"It's a nice coincidence, isn't it?" Hailey asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, definitely," said Tom. "Madison, if our paths hadn't coincided with yours, maybe I wouldn't have seen Ethan for a long time. How many years has it been Ethan? Three?"

"It's something around there," Ethan said.

"We’d just been engaged then, hadn't we?" Madison asked.

"I proposed a few weeks after we saw them."

"How convenient," said Tom. "The last time we met, we didn't even have a ring on our fingers. Now we both have children."

“Austin is really sharp, by the way," said Ethan. "Bright as a button."

"We didn't expect this much either," said Tom, smiling. "I'm glad we fixed him."

"Indeed..." said Hailey. "Austin learned to talk and walk in a very short time. He has good judgment too."

"Ours hasn't spoken yet," Ethan said. Sadness hit his face. He couldn't hide it.

"Madison, if you could’ve seen me on the day Austin said 'mom' for the first time... I cried my eyes out. I never expected to be so emotional. At that moment, time stood still."

"How nice," Madison said. She put on a fake smile to hide her envy.

"Have you folks done any fixing with Benjamin?" Hailey asked.

"No," Ethan said. "We don't support fixing. We didn’t intervene with Benjamin in the womb."

"Why?" asked Tom.

"It’s not natural," Madison said.

"Aren’t we trying to surpass nature’s limits using tech?”

"Yes, but in doing so, you are ignoring the genetic heritage of your parents, the sanctity of nature."

"What do you mean?"

"In my opinion, the fixing process raises ethical questions. It feels like we are tampering with fate, altering what nature intended for our child," Madison said. " Everything that makes Benjamin who he is, is a result of the laws of nature acting on the genetic heritage from both Ethan and me. Otherwise, it doesn't seem much different from playing God."

"I see," said Tom. "So, you are conservative in this regard."

"No," Madison said. "It's not about being conservative. It's about valuing and preserving our genetic heritage."

"Preserve, conserve..." said Tom with a smile. "Sounds a bit like conservatism, doesn't it?"

"If we're going to get caught up on words," Ethan began, "the term 'fixing' really bothers me. It implies those born naturally are somehow deficient or broken. We once used that word for healing the sick. Now, it's being thrown around for genetic interventions that challenge the very fabric of nature."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Ethan. Nature isn’t some flawless blueprint. Fixing might not just be about mending what's broken but elevating what's already good. Why settle for what nature gave us when we can make it even better?"

"Depending on what you mean by better,theanswer to that varies. I don't know, for example, today a blonde, blue-eyed, athletic-bodied person may fit your definition of better, but tomorrow this standard may turn into something completely different. When social values change tomorrow, won't the fact that you have structured your child according to the old values have negative effects on the child? Parents who fix their babies are making a choice. Right or wrong, the burden of this choice is borne by the baby itself. What if the parent's choice is wrong, what then?"

"The moment fixing became an option, all of us parents were handed a choice," Tom remarked, his tone earnest. "It's a choice either way, whether to fix or not. But what if choosing not to is the wrong decision? I believe a natural birth might not be best for society.”

"Why is that?"

"Because I think that the natural-born will hinder the progress of the intelligent who are born fixed. Because it will make comprehensive social progress difficult, natural-born children will be their generation’s... How do you say..." said Tom. He snapped his fingers, searching for the right word.

"Bottleneck," said Hailey.

"Aha!” said Tom. "They will be their generation’s bottleneck. Those who’re fixed will suffer for their natural-born descendants."

Just as Ethan was about to interrupt, Austin's little footsteps were heard again in the hallway. Austin came to his mother. He climbed on her lap and hugged her.

"Mom," said Austin. "Let's go now."

"Okay, baby," Hailey said. She kissed Austin on the cheek. She inhaled his scent. The rest of the table was watching these two with a sweet smile. "We will go now."

As Ethan and Madison led Tom and Hailey through the door, Ethan couldn't help but ask:

"What was the name of the doctor who fixed Austin?"

"Dr. Siemionow," said Tom. "The best in his field."

"Did you know his great-grandmother performed the first face transplant in the US?" Hailey added. She was putting Austin's shoes on in front of the door. "He's very dedicated. Always keeping a close eye on Austin's progress. He's aware of every detail about him."

That evening, Tom and Hailey had unwittingly resurfaced an issue that Ethan and Madison had barely reconciled in the past. When they had decided to have a child, the two had examined the benefits and harms of the fixing procedure and had initially agreed to take the possible risks. But Madison had changed her mind at the beginning of the pregnancy, choosing not to rely on this new genetic technology, which wasn’t very common at the time. Ethan tried to dissuade Madison from having a natural birth, but she refused to compromise her decision. Ethan accepted this decision in order not to raise the issue and upset his pregnant wife.

Now Madison was neither pregnant nor was there any room for doubt about the fixing. It was obvious that Benjamin was lagging behind his fixed peers like Austin. The day after Toms’ visit, Ethan was determined to revisit the issue they had buried in the past.

Throughout the week, Ethan tried to bring up the topic of fixing every chance he got. But Madison managed to avoid the conversation every time. Exactly a week after the Toms' visit, on the evening Madison was tired from packing her suitcase for the Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, she could no longer avoid Ethan's insistence.

While Madison was in the bedroom packing her suitcase, Ethan was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the hallway, trying to teach Benjamin the shapes on his shape sorter.

"Benjamin, check this out" Ethan said, waving the cube in his hand. "What am I holding?"

Benjamin laughed. Bubbles came out of his nose.

"See how it goes right through here?" Ethan said as he passed the cube through the box. "You see that?"

Benjamin looked at his father with blank eyes. He laughed again.

"Madison," Ethan called out. "Make sure to grab a notebook. It might come in handy."

"Already on it," Madison said. "Thanks, darling."

Ethan looked into Benjamin's eyes for a while. He sighed.

"Madison," he called again. "Do you think we should consult Austin's doctor about Benjamin? What's your take?"

"And why's that?"

"Just a thought," he said. "Maybe he'll give some advice or something."

"No need," Madison said as she placed her shirts in the suitcase.

"I just wonder..." Ethan said hesitantly. "If there's a way to fix him."

"No," said Madison. "Benjamin is perfect as he is. There is nothing to fix ."

"Madison, come on," Ethan said. "Haven't you seen Austin? How will Benjamin fare against kids like that in school?”

Madison put the folded shirt in the suitcase. She stopped. She took a deep breath and walked slowly into the hallway to Ethan.

"Ethan, I know what you've been hinting at all week," she reproached. "'we made a quick decision back then Madison', 'look how far technology has come Madison'... Insinuations throughout the week... We talked about this when I was pregnant. We made our choice back then. You can't just go against nature."

"Madison, for God’s sake," Ethan said. "Okay, I was skeptical too, but now everything is clear. It's been over a year, Madison! Austin's already speaking. And our son?”

"He'll speak in his own time, Ethan. No rush," Madison said. "And trust me, there'll come a day when you'll wish for some quiet."

"What if he blames us later? Asks us why we didn't fix him to keep up with his friends?”

"Ethan, enough!" Madison shouted. "This was our mutual decision. Drop it. If you become a proper father, he won't fall behind, don't worry."

Ethan stood up angrily. Benjamin watched his parents arguing with eyes full of fear.

"How can you say that?” shouted Ethan. "Am I not doing my part?"

"I'm not saying that Ethan," Madison said in a calm voice. "I'm just saying that remember he's your child, Ethan, not some project. He is your son, with his beauties and flaws. Our son."

"Why should we settle for flaws when there's a chance to change them?”

"Because you are his father, Ethan!" Madison shouted. "Because he deserves your love, without conditions.”

"Madison, you're making it sound so simple. You're smarter than that." he said, laughing. "Come on."

Madison frowned. Without saying a word, she went into the bedroom.

"Damn!" whispered Ethan. He bit his tongue. He went to the bedroom. "Madison," he said. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

Madison continued to pack her suitcase, ignoring Ethan. When she went to the closet to get her laundry, Ethan stood in front of her.

"Madison, let's just... let's talk about it."

"Will you get out of my way?"

Ethan stepped aside.

"Come on, let's make up," Ethan said. He grabbed her arm. "I truly am sorry."

"Let go of my arm."

"Please."

"Ethan, go away!" Madison shouted, pulling his arm.

"Fine," Ethan said, frowning. He moved towards the bed and picked up his pillow. "I'll crash on the couch tonight." He stopped just as he was leaving the bedroom. He turned to Madison. "And let Sofia know she can have the week off.”

"Why?" Madison asked in surprise.

"I'll take the week to be with Benjamin," Ethan said. "To be a proper father."

There was silence for a short while.

"Fine," Madison said. She didn't want to argue anymore. "Suit yourself."

Ethan went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. As he put the toothbrush back in the bathroom cabinet, he noticed a medicine bottle he had never seen before. He picked up this transparent bottle the size of his thumb and held it up to the light. The bottle was filled to the brim with a transparent liquid.

"Madison!" Ethan called out. He went into the bedroom and waved the bottle at Madison. "What’s this?"

"Stembarbital," Madison said, after looking at the bottle. "Can you put it back, please?"

"What is this poison doing in our house?!" Ethan asked angrily. "What would we do if Benjamin got his hands on it?"

"He can't reach there, Ethan.” Madison said calmly. "You're angry right now, looking for a place to tease."

"Just… I don't want such things here."

"Fine," said Madison. "I'll deal with it when I return. Just put it back for now."

The next morning Madison kissed Benjamin on the cheek before leaving. She didn’t say goodbye to Ethan.

Ethan was going to stay at home and be a proper fatherto Benjamin this week, but his ideas about fatherhood were a little different from Madison's. Right after Madison left in the morning, Ethan and Benjamin went to Dr. Siemionow's clinic. In fact, Ethan didn't have a proper plan and didn't even have an appointment with the doctor. He was trying to find a solution for Benjamin's lagging behind his peers, but he was anxious every step of the way. He waited in the clinic, in front of the doctor's door, for about an hour. When the third patient with an appointment left the door, Ethan got tired of waiting and barged into the doctor's office. Begging and pleading, he got a chance to see the doctor. He took Benjamin in his arms and sat in the chair opposite the doctor. After a brief introduction, Ethan explained Benjamin's condition.

"It seems Mr. Mitchell might not have gone into specifics,” the doctor said. "Fixing can only be done in the prenatal period. At the zygote stage, when stem cells are dense, we can modify many different characteristics of the baby, and at the embryo stage, we can partially intervene with the stem cells. After birth, however, our hands are tied.”

"Doctor," Ethan said. "My wife and I were reading up on genetic advancements before Benjamin was born. There were suggestions that infants might benefit from genetic interventions in the near future."

"Of course, Mr. Fulton, that could be a possibility down the road," the doctor said. He smiled. He had a patience and tolerance for people like Ethan that had been strengthened by experience. "But as for now, unfortunately..."

"Can't you look into it?" Ethan asked. His voice trembled. "If you look at articles or something... There must be studies or progress abroad?”

"I've been keeping up with the advancements in the field, Mr. Fulton," the doctor said. He was annoyed by Ethan's sudden audacity. "That's my job."

"But could you perhaps take a deeper dive into it? Just to be sure?"

"Alright, Mr. Fulton," the doctor said. He smiled. "Share your contact with me. If I come across any method to fix Benjamin, I’ll let you know, you'll be the first to know."

Disappointed in his meeting with the doctor, Ethan shed tears of despair in the evening of that day. He lay down on the sofa in the living room of the house and closed his eyes. He was deep in thought. He thought about the big decisions and mistakes he had made since childhood. Although he was in an admirable place now, the mistakes he had made on this difficult path were considerable. He thought about the gravelly, intricate, long road and the possibilities that Benjamin would build in the future with his decisions and mistakes. The possibilities he would witness grew in his eyes. He worried. These deep thoughts, which were gradually preparing Ethan for a peaceful sleep, were interrupted by a clattering sound. Ethan looked where the sound came from, in the center of the living room. Benjamin had brought his shape sorter to his dad and was sitting on the floor. Benjamin picked up the triangular prism. Ethan sat up and paid attention to Benjamin. Benjamin looked at the toy with a frown and then tried to put the triangular prism through the circle. When he couldn't, he cried.

"God damn it!" Ethan muttered. He stood up. Picked up the toy. He took it to the kitchen and threw it in the trash.

That week, when Ethan was alone with Benjamin, passed in the blink of an eye for Madison. She saw her successful colleagues, her friends from the veterinary school. After the hustle and bustle of her daily life, the difficulty of taking care of a child, and her arguments with Ethan, she took a brief respite at the expo. She missed her son Benjamin, whom she hadn’t seen for a week, and forgave Ethan inwardly. She felt peaceful on her way home in the morning. But this feeling wouldn’t last long. As soon as she landed at the airport, she jumped into the first taxi she came across. On the way home, she wondered about her weekly expenses and the financial burden of her trip to Orlando. She opened the banking app on her phone and started to analyze her expenses in Orlando. As she did so, her eyes fell on the balance of her joint account with Ethan. According to the bank statement, fifty thousand dollars had been withdrawn from the account two days ago. Madison's eyes widened. Surprised, she exited the application and logged in again. But the result didn't change. She frantically called Ethan but couldn't reach him. She called again and couldn't reach him either. She was trying not to think of the worst.

When the taxi stopped in front of her house, Madison rushed to the door. She put the key in the hole and opened the door.

"Ethan!" she shouted. She ran to the kitchen. When she couldn't see anyone, she looked in the living room. The house was quiet. "Ethan, where are you?"

Ethan entered through the glass door on the east side of the living room where it connects to the backyard. He was covered in dust and dirt. He was drenched in sweat.

"You took all that money out of the account," Madison said. "What did you do?"

Ethan looked at Madison expressionlessly. He took a breath.

"Hey," Ethan said. "I finally planted the pine tree in the backyard."

Then he headed for the bathroom with heavy steps. Madison followed him. He turned on the sink faucet and squeezed soap into his hand.

"Can't you hear me?" Madison said as Ethan washed his hands and face. "Why did you withdraw fifty thousand?"

Ethan didn't answer. He turned off the faucet and wiped his face and hands with a towel.

"Did you take Benjamin to the doctor?" Madison asked. "Speak up, damn you!"

"Come with me," Ethan said as he moved slowly down the corridor. Madison did as she was told. They stopped in front of Benjamin's room. Benjamin was sitting on the floor, playing with his puzzle toy. He picked up a cylinder and successfully pushed it through the round hole. Then he picked up a cube and put it through the square hole. Then he realized that his mommy and daddy were watching him. He smiled.

Madison ran to her child and hugged him tightly. She smelled him. She waited for a while. Then she sat up and looked at Ethan with hateful eyes.

"What have you done?" she asked in a low voice. "Did you fix my baby? Tell me."

Ethan smiled.

Then Madison heard an unexpected voice: "mom".

Madison turned to her son. Her eyes filled with tears. She held him tightly against her chest and sobbed. She kissed him. She smelled him. She collapsed from the shock of the complex emotions she was experiencing. Her hands trembled; her feet went numb. For Madison, the time stood still at that moment. She forgot everything.

Madison ran to the bathroom crying. She splashed water on her face. When she felt like losing her balance, she grabbed the edge of the sink. She didn't know what to think, what to feel. She took deep breaths in and out. After a while she calmed down. She looked in the mirror. Suddenly she was startled. Her eye makeup had run down her cheeks and her eyes were red from crying. She opened the bathroom cabinet and took a bottle of micellar cleansing water and a cotton pad. She poured the water on the pad and cleaned her face. As she put back the micellar cleansing water in the bathroom cabinet, she caught a glimpse of the bottle of Stembarbital. She took the bottle, went out into the hallway, and pointed it at the window overlooking the backyard. Madison noticed that the liquid inside was slightly reduced with the light filtering through the window. At first, she couldn't make sense of it. Then she looked at the window and the pine tree in the backyard. She froze. The roots of the pine tree had immediately embraced the newly planted soil. It was as if the fertility lying deep in the soil had suddenly endowed the pine tree with life.

THE END

Bio: Berkay Oğuz Aykan lives in Turkey...

E-mail: Berkay Oğuz Aykan

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