not,” Lillie said.
“It’s like it’s weird and not weird at the same time.”
“I know. But they’re such good people,” Lillie said.
Who were? The Air Force, the pribir, the parents, the workers who died on SkyPower? Keith scarcely breathed, not wanting to give himself away.
Theresa said, “They are good. But my dad says I only think that because the messages are affecting my brain.”
“I know. But, Tess, I thought about this. Could the pribir change our emotions about them and not about anything else? I don’t think everything is good. Or everybody.”
“I don’t know.”
“I still feel like myself. But Uncle Keith looks at me funny sometimes, like he thinks I’m what the assholes call us. Puppets.”
Theresa exploded. “You got it easy, Lillie! Your uncle doesn’t harass you! My mom … if she wasn’t leaving tomorrow, I don’t know what I’d do. Kill her, maybe. She thinks I’m possessed by the devil!”
Lillie said mischievously, “Well, you did kiss Scott Wilkins at the dance, and open mouth, even …”
Both girls giggled and Theresa cried, “You promised to never tell anybody!”
“I won’t. But you’re amazing, Tess. I wouldn’t dare.”
“Well, it wasn’t that great, to tell you the truth. But someday I want to get married and have lots of kids. I love babies. Don’t you?”
“Well … not especially,” Lillie admitted.
“Really? Why not? They’re so cute!”
“I don’t know. I think I’d rather be an explorer. Or maybe a diplomat. Somebody doing something important for the human race.”
“Oh. Well, anyway, I’m glad my mom is leaving. And you know what else? I’m glad the pribir changed me.”
“Oh, me, too,” Lillie said. “It’s like having this really important connection, somehow, who also loves you … I can’t explain.”
Theresa said solemnly, “It’s like knowing God.”
“I don’t believe in God.”
“But you believe in the pribir!”
“Oh, yes,” Lillie said, and at her tone—fervent, uplifted, religious—Keith crept out of the bungalow and came back in with as much noise as he could. Anything to cut that conversation short. Anything to not hear Lillie sounding like her deluded mother.
There was another “message,” leading to another drawing, the next day. Then another the day after that. They came every day, and every one concerned genetics. The Air Force brought in a high school teacher used to basic instruction to explain to the parents in simple terms what was being transmitted by the pribir.
Then a family made a secret deal to sell their story to a Net channel for three million dollars. The secret deal didn’t stay secret. Child and parents were sent … where? Home would be too dangerous; the full set of violent nuts was still yelling “Death to Mutants.” The official sessions passing on communications to the parents stopped. But the drawings didn’t, and Keith looked at Lillie’s latest sketch and then went to find Dennis Reeder.
The doctor and his daughter Hannah were housed with an older woman and her granddaughter. The grandmother had barely finished the eighth grade. Dennis Reeder was glad to talk to Keith.
“The drawing Hannah did Tuesday was clearly of Sertoli cells. Those are found in the testes. The female equivalent is follicular cells in the ovaries, and Hannah’s drawing included those, too.”
So that’s what that strange pear-shaped object had been. Lillie was no Matisse.
“Remember, I’m not a geneticist,” Reeder said, and Keith nodded encouragingly. “But it’s pretty obvious that the long strings of base pairs were descriptions of existing genes that the Sertoli cells switches on to make the corresponding proteins.”
“What do those proteins do?”
“Sertoli cell proteins do a lot of things. But one of them is make cells kill themselves. Apoptosis.”
Keith was startled. “And that’s a good thing?”
“Sometimes. There are genes for apoptosis in every cell. They’re
“It’s like it’s weird and not weird at the same time.”
“I know. But they’re such good people,” Lillie said.
Who were? The Air Force, the pribir, the parents, the workers who died on SkyPower? Keith scarcely breathed, not wanting to give himself away.
Theresa said, “They are good. But my dad says I only think that because the messages are affecting my brain.”
“I know. But, Tess, I thought about this. Could the pribir change our emotions about them and not about anything else? I don’t think everything is good. Or everybody.”
“I don’t know.”
“I still feel like myself. But Uncle Keith looks at me funny sometimes, like he thinks I’m what the assholes call us. Puppets.”
Theresa exploded. “You got it easy, Lillie! Your uncle doesn’t harass you! My mom … if she wasn’t leaving tomorrow, I don’t know what I’d do. Kill her, maybe. She thinks I’m possessed by the devil!”
Lillie said mischievously, “Well, you did kiss Scott Wilkins at the dance, and open mouth, even …”
Both girls giggled and Theresa cried, “You promised to never tell anybody!”
“I won’t. But you’re amazing, Tess. I wouldn’t dare.”
“Well, it wasn’t that great, to tell you the truth. But someday I want to get married and have lots of kids. I love babies. Don’t you?”
“Well … not especially,” Lillie admitted.
“Really? Why not? They’re so cute!”
“I don’t know. I think I’d rather be an explorer. Or maybe a diplomat. Somebody doing something important for the human race.”
“Oh. Well, anyway, I’m glad my mom is leaving. And you know what else? I’m glad the pribir changed me.”
“Oh, me, too,” Lillie said. “It’s like having this really important connection, somehow, who also loves you … I can’t explain.”
Theresa said solemnly, “It’s like knowing God.”
“I don’t believe in God.”
“But you believe in the pribir!”
“Oh, yes,” Lillie said, and at her tone—fervent, uplifted, religious—Keith crept out of the bungalow and came back in with as much noise as he could. Anything to cut that conversation short. Anything to not hear Lillie sounding like her deluded mother.
There was another “message,” leading to another drawing, the next day. Then another the day after that. They came every day, and every one concerned genetics. The Air Force brought in a high school teacher used to basic instruction to explain to the parents in simple terms what was being transmitted by the pribir.
Then a family made a secret deal to sell their story to a Net channel for three million dollars. The secret deal didn’t stay secret. Child and parents were sent … where? Home would be too dangerous; the full set of violent nuts was still yelling “Death to Mutants.” The official sessions passing on communications to the parents stopped. But the drawings didn’t, and Keith looked at Lillie’s latest sketch and then went to find Dennis Reeder.
The doctor and his daughter Hannah were housed with an older woman and her granddaughter. The grandmother had barely finished the eighth grade. Dennis Reeder was glad to talk to Keith.
“The drawing Hannah did Tuesday was clearly of Sertoli cells. Those are found in the testes. The female equivalent is follicular cells in the ovaries, and Hannah’s drawing included those, too.”
So that’s what that strange pear-shaped object had been. Lillie was no Matisse.
“Remember, I’m not a geneticist,” Reeder said, and Keith nodded encouragingly. “But it’s pretty obvious that the long strings of base pairs were descriptions of existing genes that the Sertoli cells switches on to make the corresponding proteins.”
“What do those proteins do?”
“Sertoli cell proteins do a lot of things. But one of them is make cells kill themselves. Apoptosis.”
Keith was startled. “And that’s a good thing?”
“Sometimes. There are genes for apoptosis in every cell. They’re
Similar Books
