At a nod from their leader, the other whitecoats also took out full sets of teeth and showed them to the outlanders, with Buford last to comply.
Crichton favored them with a gummy grin. “We have technical skills to replace the teeth we lose but not the medical ability to keep the teeth with which we are born. That answer your question, young man? Chewing is one of our more difficult accomplishments in the institute.”
Mildred raised a hand to attract his attention. “We’ve seen some of what you do here. Not all, by a long way, but I think we get the overall picture.”
“You do, do you? Then that’s extremely clever of you, young lady.”
Mildred smiled. “Been a long while since I’ve been called that, Professor Crichton. Thank you.” He bowed as be readjusted his dentures. “Genetic engineering is the simple phrase that covers it all, but I have some questions.”
“Fire ahead, and damn the torpedoes.”
“What do you use as your raw material for the research? I saw nothing involving live tissue.”
Buford cleared his throat. “We occasionally make use of animals that we trap locally. After use they are returned to the wilds unharmed.”
“Like those dogs you were searching for?” Trader asked.
After a heartbeat’s hesitation, he replied, “Yes. Only they had been bred specially here.”
“Not humans?”
“No.”
“Never?” Mildred asked, pressing him. “I would be amazed, considering the range of your explorative surgery if you didn’t at least use cadavers.”
“Corpses!” Buford looked shocked, like a maiden aunt on a country walk accidentally catching sight of a bull’s genitals. “What do you think we are, Miss Wyeth?”
She stared steadily at him. “Now, that is the big question, Professor. And the other one is why you’re doing all this. What’s the aim? What lies at the bottom of the last page of the book?”
Crichton waved his hand at Buford. “I’ll field that one, if I may, Ladrow. Originally there was military interest. That is long gone, of course.”
“Of course.”
“You are aware that there are all manner of mutations rampant in the United States, or, Deathlands as it has sadly become. Our aim, as you put it, is to genetically remove all the mutations and breed a normal race.”
“All mutations?” Krysty asked.
He lowered his head at her question. “I would not be so ungallant. Obviously only those that harm and destroy. The poor wretches called stickies are prime targets. With our help, they can be removed forever in a single generation.”
“I can remove stickies in thirty seconds flat.” Trader grinned and patted the butt of the Armalite. “Quick and easy and definitely terminal.”
Crichton beckoned one of the silently watching sec men and took the Mossberg from him, holding it with difficulty. “We have our own firearms, you see.”
“Why me?” Krysty asked. “Because I have the mutie talent for drawing on a unique power?”
“Yes. We have used other muties, if you will pardon the expression. Most have had gross physical deformities or appalling social deviations. These are tolerable. I am most repulsed by the inner mutations.”
“But mine is” Krysty began.
Crichton shut her up. “No, no. It is physical, though it has an inner core that you can somehow tap. Once we examine your DNA we can If it wouldn’t be a stratosphere above your head, I would explain what those letters mean.”
Buford jumped in his seat. “In fact, the black woman used”
But Mildred was quicker. “Don’t patronize me, Crichton,” she exploded. “Deoxyribonucleic acid, as opposed to nbonucleic acid. They differ in the pyrimidines. RNA has uracil rather than thymine. Similar but different, Professor, as we both know.”
The long silence stretched and stretched. Finally the old man broke into a smile. “Well, I’ll fly to the moon on a three-legged duck, as my grandmother used to say. Perhaps you can stay here and help us with our work when the others have been are My tongue stumbles. After the others eventually move on.”
“Maybe, but don’t count on it.”
Krysty wasn’t satisfied. “I see what you mean about me. That my power is made manifest outwardly. How do you feel about inner mutie powers like ‘feeling’ and ‘seeing’?”
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110