Hannah and her boys. But the Brattle family’s attention was focused on Zechariah inside the house, not on the scientists who didn’t dare take part in the chase. Gobels turned to Fogel and whispered, “This is fucking hilarious!” He glanced slyly at Hannah but she had not heard him, thank God. “Reminds me of a goddamned cartoon show,” Fogel whispered back, and the two giggled surreptitiously behind their hands. “Nobel, Nobel, Noble Nobel,” Gobels chortled happily. It was hard for him to resist dancing on the spot. A live Skink! All mine, all mine! He felt like singing.
At last Zechariah, flushed with anger and exertion and breathing heavily, emerged from the house grasping Moses firmly about the waist. “Dada! Dada! No! Nooooo!” Moses shrieked.
“Now, you two,” Zechariah gritted, “you take him and get the hell out of here!” He handed Moses, still struggling, to Fogel, who carried a harnesslike device that he strapped onto Moses; as he did that Hannah screamed and might have collapsed if Joab and Samuel had not supported her.
“It is all right, it is all right,” Gobels cautioned. “We won’t hurt him!”
By now a curious crowd had gathered. It was obvious and disheartening to Hannah and the boys that most of the people in the crowd were pleased at what was happening. Although they had voted to keep Moses among them, few had been happy with that decision. For the first time, Hannah Brattle began to doubt that the spirit of Christ still dwelt with the City of God.
“Now leave!” Zechariah commanded the scientists. Gobels and Fogel scuttled off with their precious burden. Zechariah was certain Gobels was laughing hysterically as he climbed back into the hopper. He turned to the crowd. “We all have our duty,” he said bitterly, “and I have just done mine. Go home now and leave us in peace.” He stomped back into the house without saying another word to anyone. It was fully a month before either Hannah or the boys would even speak to him. Dr. Gobels’s Laboratory, Wellfordsville, Earth
“Mumeeeee! Mumeeee!” Moses screamed, but the pain and terror only got worse.
“Uh, don’t you think we ought to lighten up on him?” Fogel asked. “If it dies”—he shrugged—“we’re in the shit.”
“A moment, a moment! This thing tolerates pain very well, Fogel. One more jolt,” Gobels said, and twisted a dial on the control panel. Moses shrieked. “Look! The heart rate has not increased appreciably, Fogel! That much current would knock out a human being. Truly amazing.” He turned off the machine and Moses, sobbing and gasping, went silent. “These things were bioengineered, Fogel. Bioengineered to endure pain and hardship. That is why it hasn’t succumbed to what we’ve done to it! I believe aside from deliberately killing it there’s nothing we can do with our tests that will permanently harm the thing.”
Lying in his cage, Moses quietly murmured what sounded like a name to Fogel. “Well, it certainly feels pain, Doctor. You know, I think it’s calling for its mother.”
“Ridiculous, Fogel! Ridiculous. The thing has no mother. It was designed, I tell you, bioengineered.”
“Well, that Brattle woman—?”
“Oh, come now! What’s gotten in to you, Fogel? They were
attached to the thing the way many people are attached to their pets. Obviously it was birthed while the Skinks were fighting us on Kingdom and somehow got separated from its litter when they took off in such a hurry. I’ve never been able to understand that, how people can become so attached to dumb animals.”
“But it’s not a dumb animal, sir. It’s educable. It has learned Standard English; it has a vocabulary, emotions, that’s obvious. It thinks the Brattle woman is its mother.”
“Oh, humbug! Well, of course we know the adults are highly intelligent, Fogel. They have a highly developed technology, FTL capability, are highly organized. Yes, a formidable species, no doubt. But don’t forget
At last Zechariah, flushed with anger and exertion and breathing heavily, emerged from the house grasping Moses firmly about the waist. “Dada! Dada! No! Nooooo!” Moses shrieked.
“Now, you two,” Zechariah gritted, “you take him and get the hell out of here!” He handed Moses, still struggling, to Fogel, who carried a harnesslike device that he strapped onto Moses; as he did that Hannah screamed and might have collapsed if Joab and Samuel had not supported her.
“It is all right, it is all right,” Gobels cautioned. “We won’t hurt him!”
By now a curious crowd had gathered. It was obvious and disheartening to Hannah and the boys that most of the people in the crowd were pleased at what was happening. Although they had voted to keep Moses among them, few had been happy with that decision. For the first time, Hannah Brattle began to doubt that the spirit of Christ still dwelt with the City of God.
“Now leave!” Zechariah commanded the scientists. Gobels and Fogel scuttled off with their precious burden. Zechariah was certain Gobels was laughing hysterically as he climbed back into the hopper. He turned to the crowd. “We all have our duty,” he said bitterly, “and I have just done mine. Go home now and leave us in peace.” He stomped back into the house without saying another word to anyone. It was fully a month before either Hannah or the boys would even speak to him. Dr. Gobels’s Laboratory, Wellfordsville, Earth
“Mumeeeee! Mumeeee!” Moses screamed, but the pain and terror only got worse.
“Uh, don’t you think we ought to lighten up on him?” Fogel asked. “If it dies”—he shrugged—“we’re in the shit.”
“A moment, a moment! This thing tolerates pain very well, Fogel. One more jolt,” Gobels said, and twisted a dial on the control panel. Moses shrieked. “Look! The heart rate has not increased appreciably, Fogel! That much current would knock out a human being. Truly amazing.” He turned off the machine and Moses, sobbing and gasping, went silent. “These things were bioengineered, Fogel. Bioengineered to endure pain and hardship. That is why it hasn’t succumbed to what we’ve done to it! I believe aside from deliberately killing it there’s nothing we can do with our tests that will permanently harm the thing.”
Lying in his cage, Moses quietly murmured what sounded like a name to Fogel. “Well, it certainly feels pain, Doctor. You know, I think it’s calling for its mother.”
“Ridiculous, Fogel! Ridiculous. The thing has no mother. It was designed, I tell you, bioengineered.”
“Well, that Brattle woman—?”
“Oh, come now! What’s gotten in to you, Fogel? They were
attached to the thing the way many people are attached to their pets. Obviously it was birthed while the Skinks were fighting us on Kingdom and somehow got separated from its litter when they took off in such a hurry. I’ve never been able to understand that, how people can become so attached to dumb animals.”
“But it’s not a dumb animal, sir. It’s educable. It has learned Standard English; it has a vocabulary, emotions, that’s obvious. It thinks the Brattle woman is its mother.”
“Oh, humbug! Well, of course we know the adults are highly intelligent, Fogel. They have a highly developed technology, FTL capability, are highly organized. Yes, a formidable species, no doubt. But don’t forget
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