minor antigens.’
‘I don’t know why you are agonizing over them,’ Melanie said. ‘In our
first three transplants the clients haven’t had any rejection reaction
at all. Zilch!’
‘I want it perfect,’ Kevin said.
‘I’m asking about pigs for several reasons,’ Candace said. ‘First, I
think using bonobos may offend some people. Second, I understand there
aren’t very many of them.’
‘That’s true,’ Kevin said. ‘The total world population of bonobos is
only about twenty thousand.’
‘That’s my point,’ Candace said. ‘Whereas pigs are slaughtered for bacon
by the hundred of thousands.’
‘I don’t think my system would work with pigs,’ Kevin said. ‘I don’t
know for sure, but I doubt it. The reason it works so well in bonobos,
or chimps for that matter, is that their genomes and ours are so
similar. In fact, they differ by only one and a half percent.’
‘That’s all?’ Candace questioned. She was amazed.
‘It’s kind of humbling, isn’t it,’ Kevin said.
‘It’s more than humbling,’ Candace said.
‘It’s indicative of how close bonobos, chimps, and humans are
evolutionarily,’ Melanie said. ‘It’s thought we and our primate cousins
have descended from a common ancestor who lived around seven million
years ago.’
‘That underscores the ethical question about using them,’ Candace said,
‘and why some people might be offended by their use. They look so human.
I mean, doesn’t it bother you guys when one of them has to be
sacrificed?’
‘This liver transplant with Mr. Winchester is only the second that
required a sacrifice,’ Melanie said. ‘The other two were kidneys, and
the animals are fine.’
‘Well, how did this case make you feel?’ Candace asked. ‘Most of us on
the surgical team were more upset this time even though we thought we
were prepared, especially since it was the second sacrifice.’
Kevin looked at Melanie. His mouth had gone dry. Candace was forcing him
to face an issue he’d struggled to avoid. It was part of the reason the
smoke coming from Isla Francesca upset him so much.
‘Yeah, it bothers me,’ Melanie said. ‘But I guess I’m so thrilled with
the involved science and what it can do for a patient, that I try not to
think about it. Besides, we never expect to have to use many of them.
They are more like insurance in case the clients might need them. We
don’t accept people who already need transplant organs unless they can
wait the three plus years it takes for their double to come of age. And
we don’t have to interact with these creatures. They live off on an
island by themselves. That’s by design so that no one here has the
chance to form emotional bonds of any sort.’
Kevin swallowed with difficulty. In his mind’s eye he could see the
smoke lazily snaking its way into the dull, leaden sky. He could also
imagine the stressed bonobo picking up a rock and throwing it with
deadly accuracy at the pygmy during the retrieval process.
‘What’s the term when animals have human genes incorporated into them?’
Candace asked.
‘Transgenic,’ Melanie said.
‘Right,’ Candace said. ‘I just wish we could be using transgenic pigs
instead of bonobos. This procedure bothers me. As much as I like the
money and the GenSys stock, I’m not so sure I’m going to stick with the
program.’
‘They’re not going to like that,’ Melanie said. ‘Remember, you signed a
contract. I understand they are sticklers about holding people to their
original agreements.’
Candace shrugged. ‘I’ll give them back all the stock, options included.
I can live without it. I’ll just have to see how I feel. I’d be much
happier if we were using pigs. When we put that last bonobo under
anesthesia, I could have sworn he was trying to communicate with us. We
had to use a ton of sedative.’
‘Oh, come on!’ Kevin snapped, suddenly furious. His face was flushed.
Melanie’s eyes opened wide. ‘What in heaven’s name has gotten into you?’
Kevin instantly regretted his outburst. ‘Sorry,’ he said. His heart was
still pounding. He hated the fact that he was always so transparent, or
felt he was.
Melanie rolled her eyes for Candace’s benefit, but Candace didn’t catch