“The Easterners, of course,” said Leo. “Don't tell us you don't know about the Easterners.”
“The name doesn't ring a bell,” said Destiny. “Should we know them?”
“Their memories,” said Anya. “Maybe it's a side effect.”
“Side effect of what?” asked Destiny.
“You don't remember being genetically and surgically altered,” said Anya.
“I can honestly say that we have no memory of that,” said Destiny.
“The first thing I remember was almost drowning and waking up on the island,” said Anthony.
“Maybe they were brainwashed and sent here to spy,” said Leo.
“If you don't mind my saying so,” said Destiny. “That sounds a little paranoid.”
“It sounds ridiculous,” said Anya. “You'll have to forgive my husband.”
“It does, doesn't it?” said Leo. “So. What are your plans?”
“We don't really have any plans,” said Destiny. “If we could stay here until our memories come back, maybe we can find a way to earn our keep.”
“I'd like to study you,” said Anya.
“That research is over,” said Leo. “Remember.”
“Research?” asked Destiny. “Sounds interesting. What do you research?”
“Now that's exactly what a spy would like to know,” said Leo.
“And anyone else with a sense of curiosity,” said Anya. “Get over it, Leo. A spy would know what we were researching.”
“Not if she had been brainwashed,” said Leo.
“Here we go again with the brainwashing,” said Anya. “They're moving in with us. We have plenty of room until other arrangements can be made. I can study them in my spare time.”
“Maybe if you could teach us something about the research, we might remember,” said Destiny.
“Aha!” said Leo.
“Oh, give it a rest, Leo,” said Anya. “They could advance my research dramatically. You should talk to the professor about allowing me to continue my research. If I can develop terrestrials without the mental side effects, we could still get the contract.”
“I'll see what I can do,” said Leo. “But don't get your hopes up. We'll see you guys later when our shifts are over, and we'll get you moved into our house.”
....................
“Why are we hanging around here?” asked Anthony. “Genetics isn't the research we're concerned about. I wonder what new research they are beginning.”
“We'll find out soon enough,” said Destiny. “I just thought it would be good to learn more about them before we go out and save the world. Maybe they can tell us who is doing research that might possibly affect the earth's rotation.”
“That book I was reading on super magnets,” said Anthony. “It was written by a Professor Harbinger. He could be involved in such research. We should ask about him.”
“All in good time, Anthony,” said Destiny. “Let's help Anya with her research. She seems really nice.”
“Okay,” said Anthony. “But do we only give her hints, or do we come right out and tell her how to do it?”
“We'll see if she can figure it out on her own by studying us,” said Destiny. “Then we'll think about how to help her if she needs it.”
“What if she figures out the truth about us?” asked Anthony. “She seems pretty smart.”
“Too smart to believe in extra-terrestrials,” said Destiny. “I think our secret is safe.”
....................
Anya was excited as she knocked on the door. "Please come with me," she said. "Professor Harbinger has extended my research. But he wants to see results right away. My lab is only a short distance down the hall."
"Professor Harbinger?" asked Destiny. "We were just reading his book on super magnets. Is that what the other research is about?"
"Yes," said Anya. "If I don't get some satisfactory results soon, I'll have to join that research. If they don't blow us up first."
"Is it that dangerous?" asked Destiny. "I wouldn't think that magnetism could be that dangerous."
"It's the power levels they will be working with," said Anya. "Billions of gigavolts can be very dangerous."
"What is the world are they doing that requires that much power?" asked Destiny. "You could move the planet with that much magnetism."
"That's what he intends to do," said Anya. "Or at least tilt its axis about 30 degrees to create polar icecaps and lower the sea level."
"Just imagine the seasons that would create," said Destiny.
"Seasons?" asked Anya. "What are seasons?"
"I have a theory," said Destiny. "The temperature on the planet's surface is dependent on how much atmosphere the sunlight passes through before it reaches the surface. The rays are reflected and absorbed by the atmosphere."
"That's very interesting," said Anya. "But we all know that it's the small diameter of the sun that only allows it to heat a small area directly. The rest is heated by convection and lit by defraction. But what are seasons exactly?"
"If the planet's axis is tilted, as it orbits the sun it will cause any particular location on the surface to tilt more toward the sun during part of the orbit and away from the sun during another part of the orbit. This will cause a repeating cycle of cooler and warmer weather, like you would see if you repeatedly traveled north and then south," said Destiny.
"You mean when the sun orbits our planet, a 30 degree tilt would be disasterous," said Anya. "We would see climate changes ranging from lows we now see 1200 miles north to highs we see 1200 miles south."
"But what concerns me even more is core slippage," said Destiny. "A jolt strong enough to tilt the planet could throw the solid outer planet out of sync with the liquid inner core. This could adversely affect the planet's rotation."
"We'll have to discuss this with Leo when we see him tonight," said Anya. "Meantime, let's get back to my research. This is my lab. Make yourselves comfortable."
"So. How do you plan to accomplish these genetic enhancements that will help you to breathe air like we do?" asked Anthony.
"We use nanites," said Anya. "They can be programmed to make certain modifications to the genetic code at the cellular level."
"Doesn't the body reject the newly created cells?" asked Destiny. "You must temporarily disable the immune system."
"That was our latest breakthrough," said Anya. "How do you know so much about this?"
"I guess I haven't forgotten everything I knew," said Destiny. "Is there such a thing as selective amnesia?"
"Well, it doesn't matter," said Anya. "You may be of even more help than I expected. I was thinking of studying your DNA to see what changes have been made."
"Do you really think you should base your research on what others have done?" asked Destiny. "Seems like they might have used a shotgun effect. They may have changed a lot to see what would happen. Well, it wasn't all good."
“I just want to see if I can gain some insight,” said Anya. “Obviously we don't want to duplicate what they've done. I can't imagine why they removed the gills. Was it necessary?”
“No idea,” said Destiny.
“I sure could have used them when I was drowning,” said Anthony. “Maybe you could give them back to us.”
“That's a wonderful idea,” said Destiny. “I don't feel like we fit in the way we are. We're just freaks.”
“Don't say that, Destiny,” said Anya. “You're a medical breakthrough.”
“I just want to be normal,” said Destiny. “At least I want to look normal.”
“Well, let's see what they've done to you,” said Anya. “I'll do what I can.”
....................
When her shift was over, Anya led Anthony and Destiny back to her apartment where Leo greeted them with a smile. "How was your day?" he asked Anya.
"Fascinating," said Anya. "We've learned so much today. You've got to hear Destiny's theory about seasons."
"Dinner's ready," said Leo. "I hope you like
sushi."
"If it's cooked right," said Anthony as he took a seat at the table.
"That was a joke," said Destiny. "Anthony's always joking. He loves sushi."
"So, Destiny," said Leo. "What are seasons?"
"Let me tell him," said Anya. "Correct me if I get it wrong."
....................
"You explained that the sun orbits our planet and that it is much too small to heat up the entire planet directly, didn't you?" asked Leo.
"That's where it really gets interesting," said Anya. "She says that the sun is hundreds, maybe thousands of times larger than our planet."
"Where did you get such a strange idea?" asked Leo.
"It's all about distance and perspective," said Destiny. "It only looks small because it is so far away. We discovered perspective when we were gathering firewood on the island. What looked like small pieces turned out to be too heavy to carry when we got nearer to them."
"I've never spent that much time outside," said Leo. "And I didn't have time to look around all that much."
"And underwater you can't see far enough to really notice it," said Destiny."Without childhood memories or preconceived theories of this world, our minds were wide open to create their own theories."
"If you look backwards through a magnifying lens, you can see the effect of distance," said Anya. "It's amazing."
"So, you want me to recommend that we only tilt the planet a maximum of 5 degrees," said Leo. "I'll need more proof of these theories before I can do that. I can't convince the professor if I'm not fully convinced."
"Fair enough," said Destiny. "How long before they will attempt to tilt the planet?"
"A couple of months at least," said Leo. "We've got to be sure that the magnetic force fields protecting our underwater habitats won't destabilize."
"You don't have any long range communications, do you?" asked Anthony.
"Depends on what you mean by long range," said Leo. "I can yell as loud as the next guy."
"That pretty much answers my question," said Anthony. "It's amazing how advanced you are in genetics and magnetism, yet so far behind in other fields."
"Behind who?" asked Anya. "The Easterners?"
"What he means is you're so far behind where you could be if you only spent more time on other research," said Destiny.
"It's difficult to get funding unless you can show how the research can help to better our species," said Anya.
"I can see where TV would be difficult to justify," said Anthony.
"TV," asked Leo. "Is this another one of your theories?"
"Never mind," said Anthony. "I was just thinking out loud."
"Hold still for a minute," said Anya. "Your gills are beginning to form. You'll be looking normal in no time. We should go to the pool and get some exercise."
"I love to swim," said Destiny.
"Well, who doesn't?" asked Leo. "We have some spare swimsuits that should fit you two."
..........................
“Nice pool,” said Destiny. “But it's not very big for a swimming pool.”
“How deep is it?” asked Anthony.
“About 200 feet,” said Anya. “Oh, that's right. You can't breathe underwater yet.”
“We can hold our breath for a short while,” said Destiny.
“Really?” asked Anya. “How do you do that?”
“You just stop breathing,” said Destiny.
“But how?” asked Anya. “It's an involuntary action.”
“We discovered that we can control it,” said Destiny.
“That's amazing,” said Anya. “They can stop breathing, Leo.”
“Why would they want to do that?” asked Leo.
“They can't breathe underwater,” said Anya. “Haven't you been listening.”
“Look, he's splashing around on top of the water,” said Leo.
“What's Anthony doing?” asked Anya.
“He's swimming,” said Destiny. “It's much better exercise than swimming underwater.”
“I can see how it would be,” said Anya. “There seems to be a lot of wasted movement.”
“Do that in the lake and you'll attract every hookfish for miles,” said Leo.
....................
"It looks like your gills have fully formed," said Anya. "And my lungs have fully developed. How would you like to go outside today?"
"That would be great," said Destiny. "Is Leo going too?"
"Leo doesn't know that I've been growing lungs," said Anya. "I want to test them before I tell him."
"Well, what are we waiting for," said Anthony. "I'm going stir crazy."
"Follow me," said Anya. "I believe the sun is rising about now. Let me get a mist inhaler just in case my lungs don't work."
"After a walk on the beach, can we go for a swim," said Destiny. "I'd like to see your world. Maybe it will bring back some memories."
"Sure," said Anya. "We need to be sure that your gills haven't affected your ability to breathe air and vice versa."
"Do you think Leo will be pleased?" asked Destiny. "It wasn't very wise to experiment on yourself."
"He won't be pleased that I experimented on myself," said Anya. "But if it's successful, it will be worth the lecture I'm going to get."
"Don't look directly into the sun," said Destiny as Anya opened the door. "It could harm your eyes."
"I'm sure you're right," said Anya. "But how did you know all of this?"
"I often wonder that myself," said Destiny. "Does it really matter?"
"The sky is so big," said Anya. "It kind of makes you feel small and insignificant."
"Small maybe," said Destiny. "But you're certainly not insignificant. Size isn't important."
"That's not what you told me," said Anthony.
"That was a completely different subject," said Destiny. "And you compensate very well."
"A few nanites could fix him right up," whispered Anya.
"He fine," whispered Destiny. "I just like to keep him guessing. He tries harder."
"Look," said Anthony. "See that small piece of driftwood. Let's go take a closer look."
"You don't have to convince me," said Anya. "Leo's the one that's hardheaded about his beliefs."
"Are you going to experiment on him next?" asked Destiny.
"As soon as I'm sure I can breathe out here. Hey, I'm breathing out here. It worked," said Anya. "This is wonderful."
"Shall we go for a swim?" asked Anthony. “I can't wait to see your world.”
“I'm afraid it wouldn't be safe to swim that far,” said Anya. “We should stay in the shallows or go back inside and use the pool.”
“Why isn't it safe?” asked Anthony.
“Predators,” said Anya. “We have to live inside force fields to protect ourselves.”
“Has it always been this way?” asked Destiny.
“Ever since we started experimenting with nanites,” said Anya. “We injected some of our favorite species so we could increase their size and our food supply. The nanites were designed to be destroyed by chemicals unique to our digestive systems. Unfortunately they were eaten by other species higher up on the food chain. Needless to say, we now program our nanites to self-destruct after teo weeks.”
“Haven't you been able to develop any nanites to undo this mess?” asked Anthony.
“They outlawed the use of nanites on non-intelligent species. But something needs to be done,” said Anya. “Last week one of our subs was attacked by a cephalopod.”
“An octopus?” asked Destiny. “How big do they get?”
“Their arms can get up to fifty feet long,” said Anya.
“That pool is sounding better and better,” said Anthony. “But let's walk around for awhile before we go back in.”
“Aren't there other lakes that you can move to?” asked Destiny.
“Probably,” said Anya. “But we could never travel far out of water until now. We're not even sure there is life in other lakes. Many believe we are uniq
ue. We may be the only intelligent life in the universe.”
“The universe is a big place,” said Destiny. “That seems like a waste of space.”
“We'll soon find out,” said Anya. “I can't wait to tell Leo that the experiments were successful.”
SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES VOLUME IX Page 12