Noila sighed. “But I can’t run the experiment again without them.”
“I know. Don’t worry. They’ll come back. They know how important what you’re doing is.”
Noila’s phone rang—it was a video transmission; the number on the screen was unfamiliar. When she answered it, Gavin appeared on the screen. It was a still image of him, but she could hear his voice.
“Honey, hi.”
Tears filled her eyes as she realized how much had happened and how much she missed them. “Are you and Joshua okay? I’ve been so worried about you both. None of my calls have gone through.”
“Yes, we’re good, although some really strange stuff has been happening. When will you be back? Lucifer continues to be impossible to pin down.” The thought of their night with Lucifer and Arkita ran through his head, followed by his night with Arkita. He remembered how Lucifer made him feel like he would always just be a thought away.
She looked at Addie. “Any idea when I’ll be able to leave?”
He shook his head.
“Who’s that?” Gavin asked.
“Addie, my coresearcher.” It flashed through Noila’s mind that Gavin would be shocked if he saw him. So much had happened and become normalized in the days she’d been here. “It could be some time. We just had a breakthrough in our research that could be substantial. Do you need me there?”
“I could use the emotional support. Dealing with Joshua’s condition has been really stressful. I feel like our whole lives have been turned upside down, and there’s no end in sight.” The connection started to crackle. “Love you…I think I’m going to—” The phone went silent, and Gavin’s image disappeared.
She turned to Addie and wiped the tears from her cheek. She looked relaxed and content, knowing that Gavin and Joshua were okay.
“Your whole face changed,” Addie said. “I didn’t realize you were so worried. I thought Amun’s words had soothed you.”
“Yeah, a little, but there’s nothing like hearing from someone yourself to know they’re okay. I feel like I can really focus on what we’re doing now.” Noila turned back to the rack and pulled out the other container. She looked at the test she had run using a different photon wavelength. She pulled up the results chart and entered “failed” for the second container. “It doesn’t really matter. We found what we were looking for.” She dumped the contents of the second container into the disposal unit.
Addie stood up. “I’m going to set up a meeting to discuss the results with the Antarctican science council. I’ll put it on the schedule a few days from now, so we’ll have a chance to run the experiment one more time. The other scientists are going to be very interested in the results. It’ll impact all their work. You have no idea how big this is.”
“Okay, but I’m a little worried the Ptahs won’t come back. Jeez, I don’t even know what everyone else is working on—I’ve been so wrapped up in this.” Her mind went into overdrive, wondering if she should have taken more time to understand the other experiments and research that was happening in Chimeruth.
…
Several nights later, Vinettea was standing backstage with an assistant. She wore a green evening gown, encrusted with large stones and sequins that covered her left shoulder and hugged her body in an S that flared into a circle at her feet. It reminded Noila of the green-and-pink hula hoop she used to gyrate with for hours on end in her driveway when she was a child. Since Vinettea floated above the ground, her legs didn’t need to move; they were bound tightly inside the dress, accentuating the wideness of the gown, which draped into the space between her body and the floor. Behind her was the stage curtain, which was closed. Noila, standing in the wings, heard the crowd settling in the theater. The ear of Vinettea’s assistant was cocked toward Vinettea, listening, and she waved Noila over to them.
“Noila, are you ready to present your findings?” Vinettea asked. Noila nodded. “I’ll introduce you and the work, and then I’ll let you talk. There’ll be a lot of questions, as we’re all very eager to understand what you’ve found. I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t be afraid to defer to me.” She turned to one of the stagehands and gave the signal to open the curtains.
When the curtains parted, Noila faced a theater full of humans and Antarcticans, most of whom were dressed in formal attire. She suddenly felt self-conscious of her corduroy pants, T-shirt, and lab coat.
Vinettea floated out on stage; Noila followed her closely.
“Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming on such short notice. Tonight Dr. Noila Pennings is going to present the findings of her research, which give us hope that we Antarcticans may adapt to our environment.” Vinettea then did something Noila didn’t expect: she opened her arms, and her voice took on a rhythmic cadence as she recited a traditional chant describing Antarctican history. Once she was finished, she resumed her usual tone of voice. “Since the Great Episode, sixty thousand years ago, when the glaciers melted, and we retreated to the southern pole of our world, we’ve had a vision of our survival, which would take us into the future. We succeeded for some time in bringing this vision to life, and what we see every day, living on the wonderful continent of Antarctica, is a testament to this.” She gestured around her at the magnificence of the theater. “Sadly we’ve made mistakes along the way as we have made this our home. One of the areas we haven’t paid enough attention to is the changing climate and how fast we’ve been confronted with the single issue that could extinguish us.” The crowd was deathly silent. “Dr. Pennings’s research gives us hope that once again we will be able to alter our own biology and survive in our changing world. Our standard protocol is in effect, meaning we’ll hold questions until the end.” Vinettea turned the stage over to Noila.
Noila stepped to the front of the stage and looked out at the serious faces.
“Thank you, Vinettea, for the kind introduction, and thank you for your warm welcome. I think all of you are aware that genetic mutation is the likely way your species will be able to survive the coming warmer temperatures. Lucifer is on a quest to reduce the environmental changes that not only are causing the Antarcticans’ predicament but also will eventually affect all of the earth’s inhabitants. Unfortunately those changes will not come quickly enough to save your species.
“It has been proposed that mating with a species similar enough to your own will allow reproduction but with enough genetic diversity to create a new species capable of surviving the warmer temperatures, which have been climbing steadily. It appears, however, that this option has been exhausted. I don’t particularly like this option, even if it were to work, because it leaves those who are alive now to die off, much like the Srechritoris did during the Great Episode. Which brings me to the advancement of the research that Dr. Eldridge Cummings worked on for years before my arrival. I believe, had he lived, he might have discovered this himself.
“The field of quantum biology is only about fifty years old and isn’t well understood. And because it isn’t well understood, scientists tend to avoid using it to solve practical problems. We revert to what we know about adaptive evolution to solve genetic problems. But sometimes there are cases where one or the other approach doesn’t work. What I mean is that either something is mutated or it isn’t; there’s a gene expressing itself or not—it’s on or it’s off. Sometimes the solution to the problem is found when a gene is in a state of superposition, meaning it occupies two states at the same time, a state in which the gene can be turned on and off at the same time and the advantages of both expressions are realized. Your species’s biology requires extremely cold temperatures because the atomic structure of your anatomy in comparison with most biological organisms on earth cannot handle the interference caused by higher temperatures. As most of you know, temperature is just a measure of how fast molecules are moving. The lower the temperature, the slower the molecules, and thus the less interference, which allows an effect called quantum tunneling to occur in your atoms. I know this sounds rather abstract, and it is,
but I’m trying to explain it at a level everyone here will understand, because I think it will affect all of you.
“What I’ve found during my experiments is a way to make that superposition occur in your DNA. And I’ve confirmed through my experiments—repeated fifty times—that this superposition is stable. What I still need to figure out is how to create a delivery device to each of you en masse. Think of it as a vaccine, if you will. A vaccine against negative environmental change. Right now the superposition can only be created naturally in the very low temperatures beneath the glaciers.
“What I’ve found could be considered forcing Mother Nature’s hand, but I believe it will make her write a story that all of us will be around to read. As soon as I have any updates on this work, I will let you know. Thank you for your time.”
The crowd broke into raucous applause; some of the Antarcticans even stood up as they applauded her.
“Thank you,” Noila said again, and bowed before she left the stage. Vinettea was waiting for her behind the curtain.
“Brilliant, dear, just brilliant. And being blatantly honest with them about our predicament, well, I’m sure that just sold you over to my people. As you know, honesty is our most treasured moral quality. If you have time, Henri and I would like to meet with you for a few minutes.” She looked expectantly at Noila.
“Sure, I have time,” Noila said.
“Great. Follow the hallway from backstage, and go to room number eight. We’ll be there in a bit.”
Room eight had a small round table in it with four chairs. There was a side table with a food replicator and a picture on the wall of an Antarctic scene. She made a cup of tea, sat down, and waited. She hadn’t seen Henri this evening and didn’t know what to expect from him. Vinettea and Henri were talking quietly to each other when they entered the room. Henri cast a huge smile and put his hand out to shake Noila’s. His wide face looked overly enthusiastic for what she had done. She felt like she saw some Antarctican in him.
“Congratulations on your work. The whole community is so proud of you. Let me get right into why I asked to meet with you.” He sat down at the table. “We have a great need for your abilities here. Addie tells me you’re an excellent researcher, that you see patterns in the DNA that can’t be discovered by running comparison programs or pattern identifiers. He said you’re the best he’s worked with. I don’t know if you know Addie’s past, but he’s probably the smartest biophysicist on this continent. We think with your knowledge paired with his, you’ll be able to solve the final problem we’re facing, the actual genetic alteration of the species. Is there any way you can stay here permanently?”
Noila looked back and forth between Vinettea and Henri. She’d never been in a position where she was sought after; she’d always been the grunt that everyone piled work on, and then, when it was done, someone else took the credit. “I can’t,” she said. “You know the situation with my son, right?”
“Yes, we looked into it. Lucifer inquired as to how you were doing here, and he let me know what’s happening back on the Dragon. They’ve had quite a difficult time there, haven’t they?” He looked at Vinettea, who didn’t respond. “It’s important for us that you stay. We need you to continue. No one else is anywhere near providing us a solution so that the Antarcticans will be able to adapt to the changing environment.”
“I think there’s some misunderstanding,” Noila said. “While I agree that I made the leap in the next piece of knowledge for your research, this was the culmination of the work of many researchers who preceded me. Any well-trained biologist should be able to continue where I leave off.” She paused and took a sip of her tea.
“I can’t say I agree with you,” Henri said.
“I’m very honored, but my son is going through a very rough time. I felt guilty for having left for a few weeks—I can’t stay for longer. Is there any way I can continue my research on the Dragon?”
Vinettea and Henri looked at each other. Noila could tell they hadn’t considered this possibility. “We can get back to you on that,” Henri said. “In the interim, I’m hearing that your answer is no?”
“That’s right,” Noila said.
“There’s a ship heading back to the Dragon in two days. We’ll have an answer for you soon about completing the research offshore. Thank you for everything.” Henri stood up and left the room, clearly disappointed by her answer.
Vinettea leaned over the table and splayed her hands flat on the surface, her blue nails centimeters from Noila’s teacup. “You’re making a very big mistake,” she whispered.
“I have to do what’s right for my family. Believe me, I want to stay here.”
“No one’s questioning your honesty.” She stared at her, her feline eyes catching the fluorescent lights and throwing it in spears toward Noila. “I’m not going to report your decision until tomorrow. You need time to consider what you’re giving up, and I’m not talking just about here in Antarctica.” She retracted her hands and stood up, walking to the door.
“I’m not asking, Vinettea. This is my son. I’ll find my own way back if I need to.” Noila’s heart beat faster as she spoke.
Vinettea spun around. “Do you think they’re helping your son for goodwill? Did you ever consider why he’s on board the Dragon, receiving treatment he can’t get anywhere else in the world? It’s because your family has a promise for our species that we’ve been searching for since the Great Episode.” She turned back, waved her hand in front of the panel next to the door, and left the room.
Noila was struck by the idea, that her son was a bargaining chip in the Antarcticans’ hunt for survival. Her mind raced through the dinner with Lucifer and Ruftan. She didn’t see it at the time, but they must have been putting on a spectacular show in order to entice her into her position here. She sat in her chair stunned, looking at the smudges on the table where Vinettea’s hands had been.
Eventually she made her way back to her cottage and climbed into her bunk. The past few days had exhausted her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to make a decision of this magnitude while sleep deprived. She began to drift off when she heard the familiar sound of the Ptahs moving about. They found their way to her bed, slipped under the covers, and wrapped themselves around her neck and torso.
Let them strangle me if they want, she thought, settling into their warm metallic embrace.
…
In the morning the Ptahs were gone, but the samples for the next set of experiments were sitting neatly at the edge of the sink in the bathroom. Noila looked at her torso and saw the faint imprints of where the Ptahs had spent the night. An hour or so later, Vinettea appeared in her room as a projection, just as she had on Noila’s first day here.
“Decision time.” She stood with her finger on her chin, the blue nail spiraling up beside her right eye. “But before you do, I have one more piece of information for you.”
Noila looked up from the samples she was inspecting.
“You can do your work on the Dragon for a month, but then you must come back here and complete what you started. I’ve spoken to Lucifer, and he informed me that your work must be complete before you can go back home to Florida.” She tapped her finger against her cheek, waiting for Noila to respond. “Just think, the faster you work, the quicker you go home,” she said with a smile.
Noila walked over to the projection and stared deep into her eyes. “Is this how your species survives? By intimidation? Lucifer exploited my son’s weakness to get me here, and now you’re carrying it out at any cost to me?” She pointed a finger at her.
“No, no, you have it all wrong. Your son is part of the equation. I spoke with Lucifer last night. He proposes that we transfer your whole family here and have Joshua continue his treatment in Antarctica. He thinks one of the Antarctican doctors might have a technique that can help him.”
“Who’s in charge? Why are the rules always changing? I feel like I’m being led from promise to promise. Who can I talk to? Is it Amun?” No
ila’s voice was getting louder.
“How do you know about Amun?” Vinettea looked genuinely surprised then became coy. “I suppose Addie must have taken you there—he has a weakness for humans.” She looked away and said something to someone Noila couldn’t see. “The ship leaves tomorrow. Be at the dome transport station at eighteen hundred hours. Captain Clark will collect you there, and Noila, I might not see you again, so good luck.” The sentiment was dripping in sarcasm.
Going Home
Captain Clark stood to the side of the dome transport station. He was flipping through a report on his tablet with a look of annoyance. Noila had dressed in the suit she had arrived in and taken one small bag of things she had collected while she was in Antarctica.
“Hello, Noila.” The captain’s tone was flat. “I need to take that from you.” He pointed to the bag.
“Sure. Thanks for helping.” She looked around at the empty station. “Is anyone else coming? I thought I was going to be late.”
“It’s just you, and you can’t bring anything back that hasn’t been approved, so whatever’s in that bag, you can leave here or I can destroy it for you.”
“Oh, uh, well, since I’ll likely be coming back, can you have them hold it here for me?
“Will do.” He took her bag and threw it on top of one of the round disks, which disappeared beneath the ground. “It’ll be here when you get back,” he grunted. “Now let’s go.”
“You’re running the whole ship back just for me?”
“You’re my only passenger, but this is a supply run, and I need to get back to my ship too. Hope you don’t get lonely easily.”
“Your ship?” she asked.
“I’m the captain of the Dragon. I just run the Viking down to Antarctica from time to time when Lucifer can’t find a qualified captain. The Dragon pretty much runs itself. But getting this ship through these icy waters takes some real experience.”
They stepped onto the disk, and it brought them to the boarding dock. Noila settled on the ship in the same room she’d been in on the way here. She didn’t want the stress of anything new, and Captain Clark had told her to pick whichever room she wanted. He suggested she take her meals with the crew and himself and not use the passenger cafeteria.
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