She changed the slide to show a series of hand-drawn birds. “These are Charles Darwin’s observations of the finch population on the Galapagos archipelago. Darwin discovered that although each island had its own distinct species, they all came from the same common ancestor. Darwin observed how the environment of each island had molded each sub-species to best survive. At the time Darwin called the process ‘natural selection,’ and although it’s an accurate description of the process, we would call it genetic drift—or shift—these days. We are using that principle to mold the rabbit herd for our purpose.”
“So we only allow the rabbits to breed if they have the super-fluff?” Halli asked.
Ms. Treble shook her head. “We will eventually, but for now any rabbit carrying the allele is being bred. Who can tell me why?”
Masha raised her hand. “To make sure the herd is genetically diverse?”
Ms. Treble grinned. “Exactly! While aggressively breeding for the desired trait might work in the short term, it is neither ethical nor sustainable.” She changed the slide to show a sickly-looking white rabbit. “This is the Britannia Petite, a breed of rabbit that was created by consistently breeding the smallest individuals. As a result, the breed was almost lost to sickness and temperament issues.”
A boy over by the side raised his hand. “Yes, Stuart?”
“How will the rabbits be able to provide all the wool if only a few of them have the gene?”
Ms. Treble made a face but covered it with a smile. “Fortunately, science is full of happy mistakes. As I mentioned at the start of the lesson, the team attached to the project has discovered a potential issue with their modifications. The changes they made to increase the fiber yield from the rabbits have also altered the time it takes our angoras to reach maturity. Whereas it would ordinarily take decades to completely isolate a trait like the specialized beaks of Darwin’s finches–or in our case, increased fiber production–we will be able to achieve that goal much sooner because the rabbits are breeding like…well, rabbits.”
That got a snicker from the class.
Masha didn’t laugh. She saw too clearly what the consequences would be if the rabbit they’d lost was pregnant when it escaped.
We need to find that rabbit.
She glanced at Mischa. School could not end soon enough.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Medical Level, Psychiatric Wing
Maxim hesitated at the entrance to Ward G.
He felt sick to his stomach, a mixture of extreme joy and fear; joy that he had his father back, and fear that he had changed in some way that meant they could never recover their bond. The rational part of his brain accepted that Nikolai would be different. After all, Maxim had been shaped by his trials. He was no longer the same frightened child his father had said goodbye to what seemed like a lifetime ago.
It didn’t keep the small boy inside from crying for his papa, though.
“What’s up?” Peter asked. “You okay, buddy?”
Maxim shrugged. “I am nervous. What if he doesn’t recognize me?”
“He’s been recognizing your scent for weeks.” Peter placed an arm across Maxim’s shoulders. “He’s much better than he was, and he’s still recovering. There’s always hope, Maxim. Seeing you will do him a world of good.”
Maxim nodded, still unsure. “If you think so.”
Peter paused with his hand on the door. “I know so. Just the mention of you brought a lot back for him, and he’s been making steady progress since. The docs can’t believe the difference in him.”
Maxim nodded again and followed Peter inside.
The first thing he saw was the banner above a side door reading, Happy Reunion!
The second was the ward staff gathered around the reception desk.
Peter didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, everyone! Look who I brought with me!”
The assembled medical staff burst into a round of applause and a woman wearing a burgundy smock came over to Peter, arms extended.
Peter grinned and accepted the woman’s hug. “How’s it going, Dionne?”
“It’s going great, thanks. This must be young Maxim.” She turned her motherly gaze on Maxim. “How are you feeling, sugar?”
Maxim swallowed.
Dionne clucked. “That nervous, huh? You’ll be just fine. Let me take you on through. Your daddy’s been waiting to see you all day.” She turned and headed for the door with the banner over it.
Maxim took a deep breath. This was it.
Dionne led Maxim across the hall, through an arched doorway and into a cozy sitting room where a man sat in a wingback chair, reading a book. Nikolai looked up and dropped his book. It fell to the floor, forgotten in his rush to get to the doorway. “Maxim!”
“Father?” The word sounded so small coming from Maxim’s mouth that he wasn’t sure Nikolai heard him.
“Maxim!”
Maxim’s doubts vanished in an instant. He ran into his father’s arms with a choked sob and held on with all he had.
Nikolai held him tightly in return, kissing the top of Maxim’s head between exclamations. “My son! You are returned to me at last!” He held Maxim at arm’s length to look him up and down. “Let me look at you. You have grown, Maxim! You are almost a man!”
Peter coughed politely, drawing their attention. “We’ll leave you to it.”
Dionne indicated a cord by the light switch. If you need us, just pull this and we’ll be right here, okay?”
“Thank you,” Maxim managed, still choked with emotion.
Nikolai indicated the chair next to the one he’d been using. “Come, tell me all that has happened to you since I saw you last, Maxim.”
Maxim landed heavily in the chair. “I don’t know where to begin, Father.”
Nikolai smiled gently. “Start from when we said farewell.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Etheric Academy, Alpha Class Dormitory
Yana and Halli watched the group around the table from their place on the sofa while the twins wrapped up their explanation of the rabbit situation to Tina, Maxim, Nestor, Craig, and Bai Hu at the dining table.
Tina shook her head, stroking Fudge’s head as the kitten slept in her lap. “I cannot believe that you two went sneaking around like this. Did you learn nothing from Wales?”
“It was for Devi!” Mischa protested. “We didn’t think it would go this far!”
Masha looked around the group. “So, will you help us find the rabbit? I have a plan, but it’s going to take more than just the two of us to carry it out.”
Tina pursed her lips. “You haven’t left us much choice. I won’t be back until curfew, though. I’m taking Fudge to her new home.”
“Fudge has a new home?” Yana asked. “Where? Who with?”
Tina looked down at the kitten. “Ms. Treble is adopting her. She just had to get settled into her apartment first.”
Mischa made a face. “Didn’t she come up with the last three thousand? That was ages ago!”
Tina nodded. “Yeah, but she still had some unpacking to do or something? I don’t know. Marcus vetted her and said she was fine.” She scooped Fudge up, cooing over the kitten’s sleepy face as she yawned. “Come on, precious. Time to pack up your stuff.”
Yana touched Tina’s arm. “I’ll come and help you.”
Tina smiled a little sadly. “That would be great.”
They headed for the sleeping area, leaving the others to talk amongst themselves.
Tina went to her bunk and placed Fudge on the bed. The kitten stretched and curled up as Tina reached underneath the bunk and pulled out a carryall and Fudge’s kitty carrier. “I just need to get all her things together. I should have done it earlier, but I wanted to spend a little more time with her before she went.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with her going?” Yana asked.
Tina shrugged. “I suppose. I knew she wasn’t going to stay with me forever, so I guess I shouldn’t have gotten so attached to the lit
tle fluffball.”
She began gathering Fudge’s toys from around the dorm to put into the bag, looking under all the furniture. Fudge woke up and noticed the kitty carrier on the bed. The kitten blinked and rubbed against Tina’s hand as Tina packed the toys into the carryall. “I’m going to miss you, Fudge.”
Yana came over and hugged Tina. “I’m sure Ms. Treble will let you visit with her.”
“I hope so,” Tina replied. “I just need to grab her bowls and food and check she hasn’t left any of her toys in the living area, then we can go.” She checked the time. “Ms. Treble is expecting us soon.”
“Here, let me help,” Yana offered.
Tina let go of Yana and opened the kitty carrier, laughing as Fudge darted inside the moment she undid the door. “You like the new carrier a lot better, hey?”
Yana took the carryall with the toys and Tina picked up the kitty carrier with Fudge locked securely inside. Nestor was missing when they got back to the living area.
“Where did Nestor go?” Tina asked.
Maxim shrugged. “He left just after you went to pack, He said he had to go and see Ron about something; told me to ask you to wait.”
Tina pursed her lips and put Fudge’s kitty carrier down on the table, then went over to the cupboard. “I can wait a few more minutes, but Ms. Treble is expecting me to bring Fudge over shortly.” She took Fudge’s kibble out and added it to the bag before washing the kitten’s bowls and putting those in as well.
The dormitory door was flung open and Nestor came in, panting a little as he got his breath back. “Hang on, he’s nearly here...”
Tina nodded, bending down to collect the sack of kitty litter from the cupboard under the sink.
“How’d you get kitty litter up here?” Maxim asked curiously. “I mean, from the pet store, obviously. But where does it come from?”
Tina grinned. “It’s a mixture of regolith taken from the surface of the station and crushed rock from the excavation. Cool, huh?”
Maxim nodded. “Nothing is wasted here.”
Ron came in through the door, walking backward as he held up his end of something large that was hidden under a blanket. “Don’t let it fall, Aleksei!”
Aleksei panted as he came in carrying the other end. “As if I would drop it now, after I carried it all the way here. Just get it inside before my fingers drop off. I can’t feel them!”
They shuffled into the room, carefully placing the whatever it was they were carrying in the space between the sofa and the dining table. It was almost as tall as Tina’s shoulder and she wondered what was under the blanket.
Ron turned to Tina and pulled off the blanket with a flourish to reveal an impressive cat tree. “What do you think? Nestor just told me that Fudge has a home. I’ve been working on this for her in my spare time and I wanted her to have it before she left.”
Tina nodded stiffly. “Thank you, Ron.” She picked up Fudge in her carrier, turning it so the kitten could sniff at the unfamiliar construction. “I really have to get her to Ms. Treble’s apartment before it gets late.” She indicated the cat tree. “Um, how am I going to get this over there?”
Maxim held his hand up. “I have to get over to Doctor Dietrich’s office for my appointment anyway. I’ll give you a hand.” He came over and lifted the cat tree easily, much to Ron’s dismay.
“I need to get some of those Pricolici nanos,” he joked. “It’d be worth it just to never struggle to lift anything again.”
Maxim laughed it off, shifting the awkward load to try the balance before placing it back down carefully. “If you had the nanocytes you’d get the training to go along with them. Do you see yourself enjoying being taught through the medium of pain?”
Ron gaped. “What?”
“Oh, yeah,” Craig told Ron with a straight face. “That’s how Guardians learn. Put it this way: there’s only so many times you can get thrown against a wall before you learn not to repeat the mistake that causes it to happen.”
Masha snorted. “For real? You got cured of your stupid at last? No more missing body parts?”
“I still have both my hands, don’t I? And my ass is intact, thank you very much.” He grinned and held his hands out palms-up to show her, then turned them around and extended both his middle fingers when she threw a cushion at him.
“You are an ass, Craig.” Masha snickered. “Anyway,” she threw in as an aside, “when are you going to ask my sister out?”
Mischa’s head snapped around. “Masha!”
Craig looked helplessly at Maxim.
Maxim shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
“Oh, leave him,” Mischa hid her face in her hands. “He doesn’t have to ask me anything, okay?” She turned to Craig. “Ignore her.”
Craig looked elsewhere. “Didn’t bother me.”
Tina broke the silence that followed. “Are we going then? I want to get this over with.” She went to stand by the door with the kitty carrier in one hand and the bag slung over her back.
Maxim hoisted the cat tree again and followed Tina out of the dorm.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Etheric Academy, Basement Level
It was long after curfew.
Masha and Mischa waited in the shadows by the entrance to the storage area for the others to arrive. The sound of their conversation was masked by the hissing of the pipes, the occasional clank adding to the spooky atmosphere created by the minimal lighting.
“What if we still don’t find the rabbit?” Mischa asked.
“We will,” Masha replied with conviction. “My plan will work.”
Mischa snorted. “You’d better hope it works, especially after the first one ended so well.”
Masha scowled and was about to say something equally snarky when she heard footsteps. Tina, Maxim, and Yana arrived at the entrance a minute later. Maxim was behind the other two, carrying some kind of box. Masha switched on her tablet’s flashlight function for Tina and Yana, knowing their unenhanced eyesight wouldn’t be sharp enough for the labyrinth beyond.
Masha could make out that they were dressed in dark clothing like hers and Mischa’s.
Next to arrive was Ron, with Aleksei and Halli close behind.
“Nice to see we all went for the burglar aesthetic,” Tina remarked dryly as she shone her tablet’s flashlight over the group.
“As long as we don’t get arrested, I’m cool with it.” Ron chuckled. “Although I could see you in a mugshot, Tina” He snapped a photo with his tablet, momentarily blinding her with the flash.
“Ron, you jerk!” Tina accidentally-on-purpose let the beam of her flashlight rake Ron’s eyes.
“Ow! Cut it out, Tina!”
“Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry.
Mischa blew out an exasperated breath. “If this is all you two are going to do, you may as well leave now. The rabbit is skittish enough without all the noise you’re making.”
Tina huffed. “I’ll just go, then. I’m not really feeling it anyway. It was hard saying goodbye to Fudge.”
Ron’s temper deflated instantly when she conceded so easily. He reached out to her. “Don’t go, Tina. I’m sorry…really.”
Tina shrugged his hand off. “Whatever. Let’s just help the twins find the rabbit so we can get out of here.” She turned her back on Ron and went over to stand with Yana.
“Where’s your brother, Yana?” Mischa asked.
“He stayed in the lobby,” Yana informed her. “He saw something he wanted to add to his star chart so I left him up there. I think he said Todd was helping him with a project? They’re good friends now.”
“Oh, that’s so cute,” Mischa cooed.
Yana smiled fondly. “I know, right? He’s been using the tablet the Queen sent him to make a copy of the lobby galaxy. He says he wants to make a map of all of the stars.”
Maxim nodded and put the big box down. “Nestor mentioned something about that.”
Masha grinned, hearing pu
rposely light footsteps and the click of claws on stone. She shucked off her backpack and knelt to empty it on the floor. “I take back what I said about little brothers. Those kids are pretty adorable.”
There was a chuff behind them. “Were you going to start without us?”
Masha laughed as Devi emerged from the shadows, followed by Craig. “Nice try, but I heard you coming. Anyway, you are the most important part of my plan, Devi. Our noses may be good, but yours is the best.”
Devi wagged her tail, pleased by the compliment.
Craig leaned in to see what Masha had brought. “What is the plan?”
“Gather round and I’ll tell you.” Masha sorted through the jumble before her, separating it into piles which she began handing out. “So, our rabbit is somewhere in the storage area.” She indicated the door behind them. “This is our entrance. If you haven’t been in there, it’s a maze of rooms and open bays. It’s twice the footprint of the Academy, so like, really big. Some of the rooms have stuff stored in them, others are empty. Our goal tonight is to search every corridor, room, and bay until we find that rabbit.” She held up a net. “I borrowed a bunch of these. I thought we could split up and string them up to block the bays.”
Craig raised an eyebrow. “You ‘borrowed’ them?”
Masha lifted an unconcerned shoulder.
Tina indicated the box Maxim had been carrying. “I had some time after I said goodbye to Fudge, so I knocked these together. They’re a rabbit-sized version of a no-kill mousetrap.”
Ron grinned in appreciation. “I’ll help you set them up. Where do you think the best place is to put them?”
Aleksei held his chin and tilted his head, considering. “We should place them wherever the rabbit scent is strongest.”
“That’s what I was just thinking,” Masha agreed.
Devi cocked her head in confusion. “Why are we only catching one of the rabbits?”
“What?” Mischa asked. “We only took one rabbit, Devi. You saw it, remember?”
Devi snorted. “Smell.”
Tina frowned as the Wechselbalg in the group inhaled deeply and adopted identical worried looks. “What’s going on?”
Alpha Class - Graduation_A Kurtherian Gambit Series Page 12