Immolation

## Summary
Read more science fiction from Nature Futures “I don’t need the money,” the woman replies roughly. “Yes, you do.” I say this in her best interest. Futures 25 MAR 26 Engaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetry Career Feature 06 APR 26 False hope Futures 01 APR 26 How buildings and cities can be aligned with life Comment 30 MAR 26 Jobs Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Locations: Shanghai or Madrid – hybrid working model Closing Date: 21st April 2026 About Springer Natur... Shanghai (CN), Madrid Springer Nature Ltd Associate or Senior Editor, Scientific Reviews Job Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Scientific Reviews Locations: Shanghai or Beijing (hybrid) Application deadline: April 23rd, 2026 About Sp... Shanghai (CN) /Beijing Springer Nature Ltd Associate or Senior Editor, Communications Sustainability Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Communications Sustainability Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Pune or New Delhi Application Deadline: Marc...

## Article Content
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Illustration: Jacey
It is difficult for us to obtain the necessary supplies to meet the demand. Customer requirements vary so drastically that to satisfy everyone we must offer babies with almost endless combinations of characteristics. Our marketing paints an overly simplistic picture: one knob of the genetic code turned here, one switch turned off there, and suddenly you have your brown-eyed, 75% introvert, anti-flat-footed baby.
Reality doesn’t work like that.
I mention this because it explains why, standing in front of this woman’s tent, I unfold an envelope from my pocket and wave the thick package in the air.
“$10,000 up front,” I promise. “If the combinations pan out, you’ll get another $90,000. Cheque, cash, gold, whatever.”
The figure in the tent shifts. I watch the shadow carefully. A loud cry splices through the quiet, the sound of a hungry infant.
The money we offer will move this woman out of these slums, to a district away from the perpetual smell of rotting eggs and smoke.
According to the files, the woman is an ordinary slum dweller with ordinary features — dark hair, dark eyes, small mouth, stout nose. But, by some miracle, she has given birth to a baby free from lung problems. Even in districts far from the slums, babies enter the world heaving like they’re sucking in a balloon instead of air — a product of centuries of air pollution before the domes were established to protect wealthy districts. The only solutions: lung replacement or buy a baby without lung issues, a feat chromosomal editing cannot accomplish.
Read more science fiction from Nature Futures
“I don’t need the money,” the woman replies roughly.
“Yes, you do.” I say this in her best interest. She can’t raise a happy baby in this tent village, where half the population gets wiped out in their sleep whenever a natural disaster hits. “Else you both will die here. If you take this offer, your baby will go to a family who can provide for him, and you’ll live a prosperous life. A Vessel who can’t take care of herself certainly cannot care for a baby.”
“How do you know I can’t take care of myself?” she sneers. “We live fine here, even without your fancy toilets and sparkling clear water.”
“Exactly. That’s the antithesis of taking care of yourself.”
“Then why don’t you share some of that glittering water with us?” she laughs. “Unless you’re too scared we’ll get it dirty with our grimy hands and faces.”
“That’s not in my jurisdiction. I handle only baby supply.” I pause. “But we can negotiate once you come out of the tent. With this money, you’d be able to afford good water.”
The woman cackles, a loud, high-pitched sound that cracks through the monotonous rumble of trash being dumped in the surrounding landfills. “You’re trying to fix a missing limb with a Band-Aid. And at the cost of my baby? Take your pretty words elsewhere for a fool to entertain.”
This woman fails to realize
she’s
the fool for rejecting a well-fed future, although I don’t bother correcting her further. I feel for the baby, though, because after I leave, the institution will send its task force to take him. Calling the task force is a last resort — we prefer to keep Vessels unstressed and available during the first year of breastfeeding. A stubborn and unwilling Vessel won’t produce optimal breast milk. Damaged Vessels get sent straight to a research facility or a factory to produce more babies.
“I’ll leave my contact card, in case you change your mind,” I say, placing a card at the foot of her tent entrance. I wedge one corner under the groundsheet. “Please decide within the week, though. I can’t guarantee that future interactions will be as pleasant.”
The woman ignores me. I hear loud gulps and breaths from the suckling baby, gasping for air and milk all at once. Even if she can satiate the baby, ingesting the water and food out here is guaranteed to pass on heavy metals and toxic chemicals. A perfect lung baby loses value once its overall health is compromised, an outcome that can cost us a wealthy customer’s order and our reputation. It’s not something I’m willing to lose my job over.
As I adjust my mask, the atmosphere infiltrates and sparks a coughing fit. I leave quickly. If today’s assignment ruins my digestion for the week, I will ask to return to my role as a baby-to-parent matchmaker — it pays less, but it’s not worth doing fieldwork if it’s killing me.
****
I return exactly one week later, without stomach issues and determined to persuade the woman.
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01039-0
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Email Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X Illustration: Jacey It is difficult for us to obtain the necessary supplies to meet the demand.

### Implications
- The money we offer will move this woman out of these slums, to a district away from the perpetual smell of rotting eggs and smoke.
- She can’t raise a happy baby in this tent village, where half the population gets wiped out in their sleep whenever a natural disaster hits. “Else you both will die here.
- If you take this offer, your baby will go to a family who can provide for him, and you’ll live a prosperous life.
- Take your pretty words elsewhere for a fool to entertain.” This woman fails to realize she’s the fool for rejecting a well-fed future, although I don’t bother correcting her further.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers baby, woman, nature topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1231.