Free Desolation Road by Ian McDonald

is wonderful, but to be a mother too! Haran, tell me, if I can find a way for us to bear children, will you agree to us having a child? Will you?"
    Thinking this, wrongly, to be a passing whim of a recently-wed wife, Grandfather Haran set down his mug, rolled over in his bed, and growled, "Of course, dearest, of course." He was soon asleep. The Babooshka sat up in bed until the dawn came. Her eyes were bright and twinkling as garnets.
     

    here was very little in Desolation Road that missed the attention of Limaal and Taasmin Mandella. Even before Dr. Alimantando, besieged by algebra in his weatherroom, had turned his opticon upon it, the twins had spotted the plume of dust on the edge of the other half of the world beyond the tracks. They rushed to tell Dr. Alimantando. Since their true grandfather's marriage, Dr. Alimantando had become a much more satisfactory grandfather figure, a grandfather with a touch of the wizard in him, kindly, but a little awesome. Dr. Alimantando heard Limaal and Taasmin clattering up the winding staircase and was happy. He rather enjoyed being a grandfather.
    Through the opticon the plume of dust took on the shape of a paisleypatterned caterpillar, which under increased magnification was seen to be a truck and two trailers, advancing at great speed across the dry plains.
    "Look," said Dr. Alimantando, pointing at the display screen. "What does that say?"
    "ROTECH," said Limaal, in whom the seeds of rationalism were germinating.
    "Heart of Lothian: Genetic Education," said Taasmin, similarly cursed with mystery.
    "Let's go and meet this Heart of Lothian, shall we?" suggested Dr. Alimantando. The children took his hands, Limaal right, Taasmin left, and dragged him down the steep, winding stairs and out into the scalding sunlight of fourteen minutes of fourteen. The rest of the population had preceded them but lacking their titular head they did not know what to do and stood about uncertainly, slightly in awe of the word ROTECH on the front of the paisleypatterned tractor. A huge round woman with a face like a potato was handing out business cards.
     
    "Welcome to Desolation Road," said Dr. Alimantando, bowing correctly. The children aped his actions.
    "Alimantando."
    "Pleased to meet you," said the big big woman. She spoke with a curious accent that nobody could quite place. "Heart of Lothian: genetic engineer, hybridization consultant, eugenic education officer for ROTECH. Thank you." She bowed her ponderous bulk to Dr. Alimantando, Limaal, and Taasmin in turn. "One thing," she said, "this place doesn't show up on any of the maps ... you sure you're registered with the Bureau of Development?"
    "Well," said Dr. Alimantando, "er ..."
    "Doesn't matter," boomed Heart of Lothian. "Run into them all the time. I'll sort it out with the boys in China Mountain when I get back. Happens all the time, but it's no skin off my nose. Here ..." She handed them each a business card and shouted in a voice like a thunderstorm, "The cards you're holding entitle you to one free admission, with glass of wine, to Heart of Lothian's Travelling Genetic Education Show: all the wonders of today's biotechnology made available to you, at no cost, through the generosity of ROTECH's regional development council. Roll up, roll up! bring the family, old and young, man and boy, come one, come all and see how ROTECH can help your plantation, your garden, your orchard, your pastureland, your livestock, your fatstock, your birds beasts and bushes, all at the Great PaisleyPattern Biotechnology Show. Doors open twenty o'clock. First ten get free ROTECH badges, stickers and posters. Hats for the kiddies and everyone gets a free glass of wine. Then," she added with a twinkle in her eye, "I'll show you how I make it."
    At twenty hours every man, woman and child in Desolation Road was standing in line outside Heart of Lothian's travelling show. It had somehow unfolded from a tractor and two trailers into a blossom of paisleypatterned