Read Bastion Science Fiction Magazine - Issue 4, July 2014 for Free Online Page A

shrimp-like thing that pulsated with life. He caught Ojore’s liquid eyes and instantly knew something was wrong.
    “It’s what we expected.” Dr. Nakamura highlighted several regions on the display with her finger. “The embryo is showing all the signs of malformations. I’m really sorry, but it won’t survive.”
    Ojore buried his head in Ignacio’s shoulder. His exoskeleton whirred with the added weight, but he bore it and ran a shaky hand over his tightly curled hair. After a little while, Ignacio swallowed and nodded awkwardly at their obstetrician, then said, “We knew the risks. This is our second attempt.”
    “I just don’t understand why this is happening, doctor? Why can’t we have normal babies?” Ojore’s breath was hot on Ignacio’s neck and for an instant it won over the astringent scent of the clinic.
    The doctor shut off the display and gave an overstated shrug, as if trying to pantomime her sympathy. “Honestly, we don’t know. It could be several factors: the long storage period of the gametes, exposure to higher doses of radiation, the heavier gravity of Papua, the extensive and widely-varying modifications of the parents…or all of them combined. The good news is that you have options. Surrogacy is becoming very popular.”
    Ignacio shifted uncomfortably, elbows on knees. Ojore lifted his head. His cheeks and Ignacio’s shoulder were damp. “You mean the baby belugas?” he asked, before his husband’s hopes got too high.
    Dr. Nakamura flinched at the mildly pejorative term for the new model of infant swimming around Papua . “We prefer the term aquatic children, or water babies. In fact, they’re all aquatic these days, there hasn’t been a typical child born on Papua in three years.”
    Ignacio looked at Ojore again but neither of them said anything. The hard set of his jaw, the knotted brow, the way he rubbed his hands together told Ignacio he couldn’t process all this right now.
    In their silence the doctor continued, “The procedure is quite simple. With genetic and epigenetic modifications we can coax a human embryo to activate ancient aquatic traits. We do insert very specific Mokoani alleles taken from the surrogate so she doesn’t reject the implanted zygote and so the child can safely digest native Papuan food. But your baby will be 98% Homo sapiens.”
    “If that’s all they do, then how do we get spiny-backed, slick-bodied babies that can talk before they’re a week old?” Ignacio asked, and Ojore gave his knee a cautionary squeeze, but the doctor didn’t seem to take offense. It’s a fair question , he thought. 98%? Isn’t that the amount of genes human shared with chimpanzees?
    “Well, the modification suite does more than merely follow the primitive body plan laid out by the child’s genome. It also recreates the Mokoani magneto-communications apparatus. They’ll be able to see, hear and speak using magnetic waves just like the Mokoani. I admit the changes do rewire the human brain and language develops sooner than in typical children.”
    Ignacio opened his mouth, but Ojore spoke before he could, “What do you recommend, doctor?”
    “I can’t tell you what’s best for your family, but I can say that I went with the aquatic augmentation for my child—and he’s an absolute joy—I believe that given our new life on this barely-hospitable planet, these babies will have a better chance of success. I could be wrong, of course. It was a personal decision.”
    Ignacio leaned back, crossed his arms and instead let the plastic creaking of his chair give voice to all of his misgivings. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being sold something. “Has anyone turned down the modifications?”
    “Of course. None of the patients we’ve treated here, but families at other clinics have. They simply choose to not have children or to keep trying the traditional way.”
    “Do you know of any complications from these augmentations? Any developmental