Waiting in the Silence

Oriana is pregnant, a rare occurrence in her Nantucket home. Her child should gestate in an exo-uterus, its genetics carefully monitored and altered by VISHNEW, a seemingly omniscient disembodied system that melds the virtual with the real.

Most in Oriana's community view VISHNEW with a mix of adulation and fear, and with reason. Any deviations from the system's plans are dealt with quickly.

Oriana finds herself accused of stealing her VISHNEW-selected mate's genetic material. Forced to stand trial in the Nantucket Compliance Court for Obstetrical Obedience, she is found guilty of obstetrical obstinacy.

The court gives her a choice. Either she allows VISHNEW to immediately connect to her unborn child, or the fetus will be retrieved and her womb immobilized.

Oriana chooses a third option-flight. Unsure of even where she's going, she hides out in an abandoned Quaker meetinghouse, knowing that outside VISHNEW waits. Her only hope for her baby lies with a childhood friend but comes with a terrible price. To save her child, Oriana may have to lose her forever.

A provocative tale questioning the power society assigns to technology, "Waiting in Silence" is reminiscent of "The Handmaid's Tale "in its scope and themes.