Inheritance by Malinda Lo Page A

Protocol, which outlined the terms of our cooperative research agreement. We’ve had researchers stationed in Nevada since then, but in June there was a misunderstanding between our researchers and their US counterparts. We decided that we should remove our researchers and reconsider some of the agreements we had made with the United States. However, during the retrieval operation, one of our own people, Amber Gray, was shot.”
    Amber did not look up at the sound of her name. Reese wondered if Amber had been told to be as unobtrusive as possible, because it seemed abnormal for her to be so demure.
    “Our first priority was making sure that Amber recovered from her wound, so we left Earth to focus on treating her,” the ambassador said. “You may remember that President Elizabeth Randall stated that she thought we were gone—and it’s true, we were gone for a short while. However, it was always our intention to return, as we hadn’t fully resolved our misunderstanding with the US government, and we also were concerned about Reese Holloway and David Li, the two teens who were detained by the government after our departure.”
    Hearing Akiya Deyir say her name made Reese stiffen. She inched over in her seat so that she could touch David’s arm with her own.
What do you think he means by “misunderstanding”?
she asked him.
    I think he’s hiding something
, David thought.
The birds, maybe?
    Because the government was using Imrian DNA on the birds?
    Exactly. The government was stealing Imrian DNA and using it in a way the Imria didn’t like.
    “Before I address what happened to Reese and David, let me say that we Imria appreciate President Randall’s offer to begin our relationship anew,” Deyir said. “We agree that the shooting of Amber Gray was an accident and we do not intend to press charges. We also wish to begin our relationship anew, and this time, in a public manner involving all the peoples of Earth.” The ambassador paused and smiled. “Now, allow me to introduce you to Evelyn Brand, who has been working with the United States government for almost two decades and has been our primary point of contact with your people until today.Evelyn will be explaining the details of the research she has been directing, and she will announce a special project that we hope to launch very soon.” He turned to Dr. Brand as she rose. “Evelyn?”
    She took Deyir’s place at the podium, and he sat down in an empty seat nearby. “Thank you, Akiya. And thank you,” she said to the audience, “for coming here today. I’d like to especially thank David Li and Reese Holloway and their parents for joining us. I met Reese and David through a very unfortunate situation, when their car crashed near my research facility. We Imria have a saying,
nig tukum’ta nu nig tukum’ta
, which translates roughly to ‘there is no coincidence.’ I’m certain that if that accident hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be here today telling you about our research, which we believe will be life-changing for all of humanity.”
    Reese braced herself for the wash of attention as everyone turned to look at her and David. Beside her she heard David take a quick, short breath. The Imria looked too—including, at last, Amber—but unlike the curiosity Reese felt from the humans, she sensed nothing from the Imria. The quietness of their collective gaze was somehow more unsettling than the humans’ interest.
    Dr. Brand continued: “Since my arrival on Earth, I have carried on the research that my predecessors began, cooperating with the United States government under the Plato Protocol. That research focuses on awakening latent abilities of the human brain. Humans and Imria are biologically similar in many ways, but humans do not possess the ability we have to share our consciousness with another. We call this
susum’urda
, and it is vital toour society.” Dr. Brand pronounced the word
soo-sum oordah.
“It allows us to have true empathy. True