Escape to New Atlantis

22 The Cockatiel Confessional

Catalina

Vivien has called us to the aviary? In the middle of a party? Parties are the most important events in Vivien's life, and the cockatiel aviary is her very private space. Yet here we are, the robotic butler herding Saanvi, Sawyer, and me through the partygoers to the inner sanctum.

We pass through the game room and into the conservatory, then to the double doors that ensure no bird escapes. There's only room for one of us to pass through at a time, so I hang back and let the others enter first.

I remember when one young cockatiel did escape, back when I was a little girl. Vivien posted a bounty of 100 NAD for anyone who could locate the bird without harming it. Every kid in the city hunted for the little escapee, but it was an agricultural worker, Letitia Rhea, who found the bird hiding among pineapple plants on a rooftop garden. She refused the reward, asking that the money instead be donated to the Irish Red Cross. Vivien complied with the request, but increased the donation a hundredfold to 10,000 NAD, and she named the cockatiel Letitia. That little Letitia has hatched more than her share of chicks over the years, all with names starting with L. Vivien has let me help her name all of them but one. I was sick that time, and she named the chick Leena, after me.

I enter the aviary and find the tropically dressed trio of Sawyer, Saanvi, and Benedict, standing in front of a sitting Vivien, who's playing with one of her favorite cockatiels, Lucio. She looks up at us, her eyes lingering on me, and sighs.

"Before I say anything, I need each of you to promise that what is said in this room stays in this room. What I'm going to tell you could be devastating to the reputations of the people involved and toxic to the morale of New Atlantis." We all nod, but she makes each of us say the words.

"This is a most inconvenient time to speak with you, but Benny insists he will shout my secrets to the partygoers if I don't come clean right now. He can be such a brat sometimes."

Benedict shrugs and gives his mother a "bring it on" motion with his hand.

"Very well. A parent wants what is best for their child. I don't just mean in terms of shelter and toys and health, but also in terms of how they see the world and how the world sees them. It was certainly true of my parents, who provided me with a comfortable, sheltered life, first in Hong Kong, then in Vancouver. They cultured the way I presented myself to the community and to casting agents. Without their efforts, I doubt I would ever have been more than an extra in Hollywood. But they also formed how I viewed the world. We, the Hong Kong elite, were special people, they taught me. We could go into the world to seek friends and fortune, even a new homeland, but our family must always be restricted strictly to people with the traditional bloodlines and the proper station."

She closes her eyes and continues. "I admit it—I accepted the, oh, what's the word..."

Benedict says, "I believe you're looking for the word bigotry, Mom. And since you mention 'station,' let's make that elitist bigotry."

"Oh, Benny, you make me sound so dreadful. Should I also say I'm selfish? Thoughtless? Manipulative? Maybe ugly and graceless?"

"Keep it real, Mom. There's no questioning your beauty and grace, so let's get back to your bigotry."

She gives a wan smile at Benedict's acknowledgement of her positives. "Of course, my confession. But first, let me reveal some secrets about cognitive enhancement."

I've been quiet, but I'm jarred by the term. "Enhancement, like with our chips?"

"Yes, dear. Cranial implants are key to making the ideal of New Atlantis possible. I know you kids all think they make you smarter, but that's just a myth that serves the greater purpose. They don't make you smarter, they affect your attitudes. Human beings have evolved so that during their adolescent years they rebel against their parents and other adults—behavior harmful to the community. In a pre-industrial society, this instinct encouraged young adults to leave home and seek other tribes, which reduced the problem of inbreeding. But come forward to New Atlantis. You're stuck with the tribe, and no amount of teenage petulance, vandalism, or other antisocial behavior will change that fact. So, our scientists developed cognitive enhancement to allow you, in many ways, to bypass your adolescence altogether. It's why here you earn adult privileges at sixteen."