The Resistance

him.
    ‘Look carefully,’ Dr Edwards instructed him. ‘You might need to focus it a little to really see clearly.’
    Peter reluctantly moved closer to the microscope and rested his head on it, allowing his eyes to adjust to the magnification.
    ‘Do you see the cell?’ Dr Edwards asked. ‘You should be able to pick out its nucleus.’
    Peter studied the almost transparent blob, magnified several thousand times. Then he squinted and realised that the blob was in fact two blobs. One small blob on the left with a clear, dark centre, and a larger mass on the right. He nodded.
    ‘Describe it to me.’
    ‘Transparent. Uh . . .’ Peter stared at the blob on the left, trying to work out what he should be seeing.
    ‘Shape? Edges?’
    ‘Round. No, slightly oblong. Edges are . . . a bit ragged.’
    ‘Good. Now, back to the colour. Any tinges of colour?’
    Peter frowned. ‘Yellowish,’ he said. ‘A tinge of yellow, anyway. Dark yellow.’
    ‘Does it look healthy?’
    ‘I don’t know. I haven’t learnt . . .’
    ‘Forget learning. Does it look healthy to you? Gut reaction.’
    ‘No. No, it doesn’t. It looks . . . tired.’
    ‘Good,’ Dr Edwards encouraged him. ‘Tired just about sums it up. Now, watch what happens when I do this.’
    Peter watched as a long, thin glass instrument appeared in his view. The instrument deposited a drop of liquid on the small, sickly-looking blob, then disappeared out of view. Immediately, Peter saw the blob change. From a pasty-looking off-yellow colour, the blob became a brighter white colour, almost shining in its translucence. Its edges began to smooth, and in the centre, a core became visible, like an egg yolk but white, even whiter than the rest. The entire process took just a few seconds.
    ‘That,’ breathed Dr Edwards, ‘is Renewal.’
    ‘Renewal,’ Peter said flatly.
    ‘Yes, Peter. Cells Renewed, reborn. The power of Longevity, you see, is not to make the old last longer, but to make it young again. That is the miracle, Peter, that all of this is about, unfolding right before your eyes. Cells being reborn, returning to their initial state, in just a few seconds. Pretty impressive, huh?’
    ‘I thought you were on the side of Surpluses. I thought you liked young people?’ Peter muttered.
    Dr Edwards looked at him for a moment, then lowered his voice. ‘Peter, there is a difference between a thing and its implementation. Longevity drugs, the Renewal process, are the most exciting scientific development the world has ever seen. It’s beautiful, perfect in its simplicity. Surpluses are one of the Authorities’ policies. The two are not entwined.’
    ‘Except they are, aren’t they?’ Peter said. He met Dr Edwards’ eyes, saw them flinch slightly, then he turned back to the microscope. ‘So it works with all cells? Why do people still have wrinkles?’
    ‘It works best with organs,’ Dr Edwards said after a pause. ‘We can Renew other cells, but only on Petri dishes, not whilst they are . . . in situ. Skin is one of the more difficult areas for us. But organs are the most important. They are what keep us alive.’
    Peter stared for a few more seconds, then looked up.
    ‘And my cells. They’re like the white one, are they?’
    Dr Edwards nodded. ‘That’s right. Young, dynamic and healthy.’
    ‘So nature creates new cells too. Only it does it by creating new people, not by renewing old ones.’
    Dr Edwards’ mouth attempted a smile. ‘I suppose so, but what you’re seeing here is nature’s strength being harvested.’
    ‘You think that’s a good thing?’ Peter asked, turning back to the microscope, his eyes flickering up to watch Dr Edwards’ expression. ‘You never wanted children.’ It was a statement, not a question, but Dr Edwards moved back slightly, his eyes moving involuntarily towards the cameras on the ceiling.
    ‘Me? Have children? No, no I didn’t. I couldn’t. Science has always been my child. It required all my energy. All my time.’
    ‘Science?’ Peter sounded more incredulous than he’d intended, more dismissive.
    Dr Edwards shrugged. ‘Many years ago people used to talk about the miracle of childbirth, the miracle of new life. But I see that miracle every day – the miracle of Renewal, of rebirth. And it’s a safer choice, I think, than creating life. Children are more demanding than science. They enslave you; they take away your freedom.’
    Peter looked away. Children were demanding. Ben absorbed far more of