Final Challenge (27 page)

Kelly stopped and put her hands to her fa
ce.

- No, not possible!

- Yes, at first we investigated with beings more elementary as it's logical, with worms, but you know that's very relative, because our relatives are no
t as distant as it seems and their genetic code do
not differ much from ours.

- Well? - Kelly could not hide her enormous curiosity -

- After months of hard work the results were encouraging. We entered a second phase, with the mice I have taught.

Kelly stared at him
in astonishment, but Clerigan realized
that Kelly had drawn her
question on her face and decided to continue.

- We got so successful results that we decided to move to
the next and final phase -
although it was that she expected to hear, those words had a profound impact on Kelly -

- No ... it is ... you're talking about ...

- Yes, dear friend, yes. It's just what you're thinking.

- But ... professor
... can not be!

- Yes. Of course, we aren't looking for eternal youth, quite the opposite! Here, as elsewhere, let's say ... it's easier to destroy than to build ... don't get me wrong, I mean, delaying the aging process, achieve immortality, is much more difficult than accelerating it.

- That means that you've achieved ... it's ... awesome! ... - They were the only words that came to her head -

- It's more th
an that, something much bigger.
The biggest thing that has happened since Creation. I have reached where no one had done
before - he opened his
eyes so much that seemed likely to get out of their orbits, with the same look of illuminated that Kelly had already seen before -. And there is a place to you for sharing this glory.  Clerigan interrupted his soliloquy as he looked at a child who was watching them intently from the doorway.

- Ah, Tommy! Come in, come - told Clerigan to notice him -

- Uncle ... Can I see ... the mice? - Said the boy talking so bad that Kelly had the impression that probably he had any abnormality -

- Of course! Get close. 

The child came to them, Clerigan reopened the cage and gave the child a mous
e that he caught excited. As he was
playing with the mouse in his hands, the professor put his hand on his shoulder and headed to Kelly.

- Tell me, how old do you think is this child?

- No ...I don't ... know ... ten ... maybe ... - said Kelly, who t
rembling like a leaf of gelatin
, was afraid to meet with a response that never would have wished -

- Just over a year.

- My God! But ... by his way to express ... his degree of mental maturity ...

 
The appreciation of Kelly seemed to affect to Clerigan, at least for the way he lowered his head before answering.

- This is one of the problems. We do our best to educate them and
we do it
as quickly as possible, but intellectually still have just over twice its actual age.  Kelly had gone from skepticism to surprise, and from this to the outrage. But she knew that the only way to understand the background of Clerigan's project and follow tying all the ends was trying to contain her rage.

- And this child ... who is? ... I mean ... his DNA ... 

Clerigan caressed to Tommy in his hair.

- You'd be surprised.

- I think I'm losing that faculty with you, professor.

- Based in the
professional success that his predecessor has achieved, I would augur him a good future.

Clerigan picked up the mouse from the hands of Tommy and gave him a pat on his back encouraging him to go away. 

Kelly was astonished. At that time different feelings gripped her until the point she wasn't able to gather her t
houghts, but began to remember
some details of the case that had brought them there.

- I get the impression that immaturity is not the only problem ... - Kelly commented suffocated.

Clerigan became very serious, it was clear he didn't expect her advantaged student put it on the ropes. It would have something that he was trying to avoid but that Kelly had laid bare -

- I always have thought that you were the best. Knowledge aside, your nonconformity, your ability to search through the darkness could become you in an eminence in this field. It's a shame you're wasting your life working for the police. -

Clerigan hesitated before continuing, but then thought that the reaction of Kelly was being very positive for his interests and that it was pointless to hide information that she seemed to have

- Well you're right, yes. There are some alterations in growth, especially bones and brain tissues are most affected. That is what has led us to research on stem cells, looking for a solution.

- What you call ... alterations are actually tumors, very aggressive tumors, right? 

Clerigan looked down again, so Kelly already knew the answer.

- Yes, unfortunately it's something that we still have to control. Hence, we decided to incorporate two eminent scientists to the project ... as you well know surely.

 
Clerigan didn't give her time to reply. He motioned to come out and shut the laboratory door. Then they followed their walk by the garden. For a few minutes did not exchange a single word. Kelly, on the one hand, beli
eved that it wasn't time
yet
to let her position clear to the professor, there were still some dark spots that only he could clarify.
On the other hand,
she didn't know how
to focus the conversation trying to avoid a confrontation between them that, sooner or later, was served. As they was walking near the tree where they had stopped earlier, came up with the perfect excuse to break the ice.

- Professor, before, when I asked you about this tree - she put his hand on the trunk - ... I was left with a doubt.

- Yeah
, I know what you were
going to tell me - Clerigan anticipated to her - actually I was surprised that you would not have asked it before. Too large for its age, right?

- Exactly.

- We have managed to accelerate the maturity also in the plant world, about the same proportion. Do you know what that it means? ...

- A huge step for agriculture, as long as ... it hasn't also side effects  ...

- Exactly. And do not forget animal husbandry, the process can be applied, of course, to any living being. We could end hunger in the world at a stroke. It would not be nee
ded resorting to the transgenics
, which have aroused so much controversy, no need to modify the original incorporating DNA sequences from other species, since this would be the same specie with minimal genetic alterations necessary to accelerate the growth. Do you see how we shouldn't put barriers to science? Do you realize the importance of this project?

- I think that's precisely the problem. Like everything in life, its valuation depends on the purpose pursued. In a finding of this caliber, potential risks are proportional to its enormous possibilities.

There was silence again between them. Kelly felt compelled to ask
the question in her head since they
had left the laboratory. She chose a low tone of confidence, trying that he didn't guess any reproach in her words.

- Clerigan ... would it not have been easier that doctors Klein and Olsen were missing, no more?  

The professor didn't need to know why she had asked that question. It was clear that Kelly had tied some ropes. 

- We thought that enough was enough with the disappearance of Owen and myself and that would be the best option, to avoid suspicion.

- So you sent two clones of them.

- Right. We had his blood samples since more than four years ago. We had requested them when we thought about incorporating them into the project at an early stage.

- And you decided to create two clones. But they have had over four years to get them to reach a biological age of forty.

- You've seen Tommy. We can accelerate the life cycle until more of ten times.

- God! - Kelly couldn't avoid an exclamation then retained herself - ie in four years you are able to get an individual whose apparent age is about ... forty years!

- Right. We have this technology applied to human embryos, for almost five years.

- Bu I can't understand how the clones are provided to do the job ... A job where they can be killed.

Clerigan took a few seconds to find the best answer, Kelly noticed it..

- Their outlook on life is somewhat different from ours,
Kelly. For them life is a gift
that they enjoy thanks to us, we are their true and only parents, parents earthly and divine. - He paused - We raise them, we educate them, we give them everything they have. If we then ask them to do something for this project, which is also theirs, they make it happy to serve a cause, their, ours.

Kelly was forced to retain, once again, her impulses before responding.

- But ... are they aware of their problems, their diseases? ...

The attitude of Clerigan, head down and dejected,
didn't transmit good vibrations
to Kelly.

- Only to some extent. They know we're working hard to remedy this, we shall soon find the solution to their woes.

- But in the meantime, some of them die.

- Unfortunately, it's true.

- Or commit suicide, as the case of clones of Drs Klein and Olsen, why ... committed suicide, right? ... - Kelly's voice sounded grieved -

- Huh? Yes, yes, they chose to do so, they suddenly got worse ... and lost control.

Kelly stopped and stared at Clerigan, forcing him to raise his eyes.

- Professor ... did not commit suicide, right?

- What ... what makes you think that ...?

- If they trust so much in you, they would have endured until the end. 

Clerigan began to spin from one place to another without meaning, Kelly already knew such kind of reaction. Then he began to speak very slowly, as if looking for any and all of his words.

- Before answering your question, let me tell you that I am not alone in this. There are deci
sions that are not mine, that I don’
t even share.

- What are you trying to say? - Clerigan didn't answer, kept an eloquent silence - Answer me, please! ...

- Someone above me, not me
, decided that given their condition and before anyone suspected,  it would be best ... help them to die. Finally, after all, it's just about a kind of ... What would you call? merciful ... euthanasia.

-
Are you aware of what you're saying? Is it, Professor? - Clerigan could not stand the look of Kelly and lowered his -

- Let's say ... apart of educating them, we prepare clones for certain missions, but they must be quick and concise, you must think they are im
mature and inexperienced for their age and their
education is limited i
n time. In four years we can't
ask them to reach intellectual maturity of forty, when in fact their brain is the organ that the longer it takes to mature
…
Let's say ... an individual of theoretic  forty years under a biological view and four under a chronological view, has the same intellectual capacity as one of ten or twelve years old. That means the
y must follow strict rules, like
speaking as little as possible, only the essential. The longer they are immers
ed in a world unknowed for them
and for which they are just basically prepared, they're more at risk, they and
…
we - Clerigan realized
that Kelly was listening
stunned each of his words
–

- So, as you give them the life you feel entitled to take it away - Kelly said, about to explode -

- I'm explaining the views of my superiors, not my own.