Momma’s death terminated experiment; but before she left, made Teacher promise would take over overt management of education, keep pushing me as hard as would accept while Daddy (apparently) continued classic BB father rôle. Momma felt hunger for knowledge already implanted; abetted by Daddy’s careful negative psychology, seeding of environment with selected books (Ha! — always suspected something fishy about circumstances surrounding steady discovery of wanted, needed study materials, always just in time, just as finishing previous volume [not complaining; just wish planting had gone faster]), would carry on through interim without lost momentum. Was right, too — but now know how puppet must feel when wires too thin to discern.
Phase Two of scheme hit snag, though; was not anticipated would take four years for Teacher to extricate self from complications attendant profession(s), “retire.”
Fortunately the delay appeared to be without consequences. Mrs. Foster’s opinion of you was borne out: Dr. Foster reported that you located every book he planted — and not a few that he didn’t. He said it was rarely necessary to “steer” you; that you were quite self-motivated, distinctly tenacious, and could be quite devious when it came to tracking down knowledge in spite of the “barriers” he placed in your way.
By the time I managed to delegate all my other responsibilities to my successors and devote my entire attention to you, your advantage over other AAs had increased impressively. There were only a very few individuals showing anywhere near as much promise. And by the time the blunderings of our late friends behind the Iron Curtain put an end to all such research, you were — for your age — quite the most advanced of our hominems.
If I seem to harp on that point, it is because you must remember that this study was initiated some 20 years ago. You are ten years younger than the next youngest in our group; and as advanced as you are for your age, you still have considerable catching up to do — see that you keep at it.
Yes, I know; the exigencies of solo survival will occupy much of your time, but do not neglect your studies entirely. Cut back if you must, but do not terminate them.
Now, if I may presume to advise a singularly gifted member of an advanced species, there is security and comfort in numbers. You will doubtless find the preservation and extension of knowledge more convenient once a group of you has been assembled. Within the body of the Tarzan File you will find a complete listing of known Homo post hominems. I can anticipate no logical reason why most should not be alive and in good health.
Pawed through File with shaking hands. Found listing referred to: collection of minidossiers. One had small note attached. Read:
Dear Candy,
It is now almost time for me to leave, and a number of things still remain undone, so I must be brief.
The subject of this dossier; Peter Bell, is the direct, almost line-bred descendant of Alexander Graham Bell (would that I could have tested him). A measure of his intellect is the fact that he, alone of our hominems, deduced the existence and purpose of our study, the implications regarding himself, and most of the characteristics of his and your species.
To him, not long ago, I confided your existence, along with my impressions of your potential.
As well as probably being your equal (after you reach maturity, of course), he is also nearest to your own age, at 21; and of all our subjects, I predict he is the most likely to prove compatible with you as you continue your unrelenting search for knowledge in the future — in fact, he may give you quite a run for it; he is a most motivated young man.
However, I was unable to reach him following the attack; therefore he does not know that you are alive and well in the shelter. The burden is upon you to establish contact, if such is possible — and I do urge you to make the attempt; I feel that a partnership consisting of you two would be most difficult to oppose, whatever the future may bring you.
Love,
Teacher
Hands shook, blood pounded in head as turned back to first letter. Balance consisted of advice on contacting other hominems — AAs from study.
Cautioned that, based on (terribly loose) extrapolation of known data, should be perhaps 150,000 of us on North American continent — but virtually all must be considered ABs, replete with implications: high proportion of maladjusteds, discontents, rebels, borderline (or worse, after shock of depopulation) psychotics, plus occasional genius. Plus rare occurrences of surviving Homo sapiens.
Teacher suggested moving very deliberately when meeting strangers: Evaluate carefully, rapidly, selfishly. If decide is not sort would like for neighbor, hit first; kill without hesitation, warning. No place in consideration for racial altruism. Elimination of occasional bad apple won’t affect overall chances for lifting species from endangered list; are enough of us to fill ranks after culling stock — but only one me. Point well taken.
Letter continued:
Well, time grows short. So much remains to be accomplished before I leave, so I had best hurry.
I leave with confidence; I know the future of the race is in hands such as yours and Peter’s. You will prosper and attain levels of development I cannot even envision; of that I am certain. I hope those heights will include much joy and contentment.
I might add this in parting: When your historians tell future generations about us, I hope they will not be unduly severe. True, we did not last the distance; also true, we did exterminate ourselves, apparently in a display of senseless, uncontrolled aggression; equally true, we did many other things that were utterly wrong.
But we did create a mighty civilization; we did accumulate a fund of knowledge vast beyond our capacity to absorb or control; we did conceive and aspire to a morality unique in history, which placed the welfare of others ahead of our own self-interest — even if most of us didn’t practice it.
And we did produce you!
It may well be that we were not intended to last more than this distance. It may even be that your coming triggered seeds of self-destruction already implanted in us for that purpose; that our passing is as necessary to your emergence as a species as was our existence to your genesis.
But whatever the mechanism, or its purpose, I think that when all are Judged at the end of Time, Homo sapiens will be adjudged, if not actually a triumph, then at least a success, according to the standards imposed by the conditions we faced and the purposes for which we were created; just as the Cro-Magnon, Neanderthal, and Pithecanthropus — and even the brontosaur — were successful in their time when judged in the light of the challenges they overcame and the purposes they served.