Read Online Dragon Dawn (Dinosaurian Time Travel) by Deborah O'Neill Cordes - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah O'Neill Cordes
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“Perhaps, if I could see him, I could compare his appearance with my own visions.”
“In truth, I do not believe he is an alien,” Mem said.
“What?” Dawann asked in surprise.
“You see, Your Highness, after years of study, I am convinced his DNA evolved on Shurrr, just as ours did. We can compare it with the Keeper’s genetic structure, which is most assuredly alien, because the orientation of the Keeper’s amino acids is right-handed. Amino acids in cells can exist in either right-twisting or left-twisting versions. But life in our Solar System uses only the left, with the exception of a few right-handed, acid-loving species of bacteria on Shurrr. The mammalian clone’s amino acids follow the left-handed orientation; again, just like ours. The clone also has five digits at the end of each limb. Nearly all land vertebrates – creatures with backbones – evolved from ancestors that possessed limbs with five digits.” He waved his right hand, with its trio of clawed fingers. “Even our ancestors had five. We’ve simply lost them in a process called evolutionary reduction. So, I’m convinced the clone evolved on Shurrr. He is somehow distantly related to us.”
“But how could that be possible?” Dawann asked.
“I do not know. It’s a mystery.” Mem looked at Fey. “Tell her your theories about the amber fossil.”
“Well, I considered two possible explanations to explain the DNA in the amber fossil,” Fey began. “I wondered if it had been left by an alien race of spacefarers, who had explored Shurrr millions of years ago. I also speculated it was the last remnant population of intelligent beings, who had evolved on Shurrr before our own kind.”
“That would explain the DNA connection, wouldn’t it?” Dawann asked.
“Perhaps,” Fey said. “But no one ever found ruins or other artifacts indicating an ancient civilization, predating our own, had existed on Shurrr, with the exception of what I found, which comprised only a few objects. I have to agree with Mem. We have a mystery here.”
Mem slapped the arm of the nano-chair. “Enough of this. There are more practical matters to address.” He turned to Fey. “Shall I show her?”
“Show me what?” Dawann asked.
“You asked to see the clone’s picture. Well, we can do better than that.” Mem continued to study Fey’s expression as he repeated, “Shall I show her?”
Fey gave Mem a grunt of acknowledgement. “I suppose you must,” she said. “We must let her see him, so she can determine once and for all if our clone is the same species as her intelligent mammal.”
Mem-rax moved to an unobtrusive corner of the office, which had paneled walls of a highly polished, blond, knotty wood. He touched a spot on one of the wooden panels, and the wall swung inward, revealing a hidden chamber.
Trembling with excitement, Dawann rose and went to the door of the secret room. Inside stood a saurian-sized, gray monolith, a glass display case, and a nano-chair. Upon closer inspection, she realized the monolith was equipped with a virtual retinal display headset, designed to “paint” laser beam images onto the back of the viewer’s eyeball.
A curiosity rose in Dawann, and she asked herself, Am I going to watch the clone through some sort of virtual reality transmission? Ignoring her racing heart, ignoring the smell of her own pheromones, she inched forward until she was within touching range of the monolith. Just then, she recalled how she had once wondered if Gus’s DNA had been responsible for the clone. It was a tantalizing thought, but undoubtedly a remote possibility.
She looked at the glass display case, hoping to find the amber Fey had found on Shurrr. To her disappointment, the case was empty.
“Where is the amber fossil?” Dawann asked Fey.
“We had to partially destroy the amber in order to retrieve the DNA sample that created the clone. What remains of it is locked away in our laboratory on Shurrr. The plaque
“In truth, I do not believe he is an alien,” Mem said.
“What?” Dawann asked in surprise.
“You see, Your Highness, after years of study, I am convinced his DNA evolved on Shurrr, just as ours did. We can compare it with the Keeper’s genetic structure, which is most assuredly alien, because the orientation of the Keeper’s amino acids is right-handed. Amino acids in cells can exist in either right-twisting or left-twisting versions. But life in our Solar System uses only the left, with the exception of a few right-handed, acid-loving species of bacteria on Shurrr. The mammalian clone’s amino acids follow the left-handed orientation; again, just like ours. The clone also has five digits at the end of each limb. Nearly all land vertebrates – creatures with backbones – evolved from ancestors that possessed limbs with five digits.” He waved his right hand, with its trio of clawed fingers. “Even our ancestors had five. We’ve simply lost them in a process called evolutionary reduction. So, I’m convinced the clone evolved on Shurrr. He is somehow distantly related to us.”
“But how could that be possible?” Dawann asked.
“I do not know. It’s a mystery.” Mem looked at Fey. “Tell her your theories about the amber fossil.”
“Well, I considered two possible explanations to explain the DNA in the amber fossil,” Fey began. “I wondered if it had been left by an alien race of spacefarers, who had explored Shurrr millions of years ago. I also speculated it was the last remnant population of intelligent beings, who had evolved on Shurrr before our own kind.”
“That would explain the DNA connection, wouldn’t it?” Dawann asked.
“Perhaps,” Fey said. “But no one ever found ruins or other artifacts indicating an ancient civilization, predating our own, had existed on Shurrr, with the exception of what I found, which comprised only a few objects. I have to agree with Mem. We have a mystery here.”
Mem slapped the arm of the nano-chair. “Enough of this. There are more practical matters to address.” He turned to Fey. “Shall I show her?”
“Show me what?” Dawann asked.
“You asked to see the clone’s picture. Well, we can do better than that.” Mem continued to study Fey’s expression as he repeated, “Shall I show her?”
Fey gave Mem a grunt of acknowledgement. “I suppose you must,” she said. “We must let her see him, so she can determine once and for all if our clone is the same species as her intelligent mammal.”
Mem-rax moved to an unobtrusive corner of the office, which had paneled walls of a highly polished, blond, knotty wood. He touched a spot on one of the wooden panels, and the wall swung inward, revealing a hidden chamber.
Trembling with excitement, Dawann rose and went to the door of the secret room. Inside stood a saurian-sized, gray monolith, a glass display case, and a nano-chair. Upon closer inspection, she realized the monolith was equipped with a virtual retinal display headset, designed to “paint” laser beam images onto the back of the viewer’s eyeball.
A curiosity rose in Dawann, and she asked herself, Am I going to watch the clone through some sort of virtual reality transmission? Ignoring her racing heart, ignoring the smell of her own pheromones, she inched forward until she was within touching range of the monolith. Just then, she recalled how she had once wondered if Gus’s DNA had been responsible for the clone. It was a tantalizing thought, but undoubtedly a remote possibility.
She looked at the glass display case, hoping to find the amber Fey had found on Shurrr. To her disappointment, the case was empty.
“Where is the amber fossil?” Dawann asked Fey.
“We had to partially destroy the amber in order to retrieve the DNA sample that created the clone. What remains of it is locked away in our laboratory on Shurrr. The plaque
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