thus prolonging the suspense even further. Once the waiter left them to their meals, however, Lozinak finally broke his silence.
“Let us call it the project,” he said, “and I truly believe it is our world’s best hope for survival. Our technology has evolved faster than our ability to use it wisely. The only solution is to create a superior human being, more intelligent and better able to contend with the challenges and opportunities of the future. This is what I, and a [71] num ber of my fellow scientists, have devoted the remainder of our lives to accomplishing: the next step in the evolution of humanity.”
“Pretty fantastic, huh?” Takagi blurted. A plate of hot calamari sat in front of the younger scientist, as yet untouched. “I couldn’t believe it myself the first time I heard about it.”
Roberta’s wide-eyed amazement was only partly faked. “And all this is actually happening somewhere?” she asked, leaning forward avidly. “Now?” She decided a bit of cautious skepticism was in order. “How do I know this isn’t just hype? I like to think I keep up with the cutting edge of things, and what you’re talking about, that’s decades away. Real twenty-first-century stuff. No offense,” she added hastily.
“None taken,” Lozinak assured her. Giving her a conspiratorial smile, he reached beneath the table and brought forth a small package, about the size of a shoebox, covered with a dark velvet cloth. He placed the bundle gently on the tabletop between them. Roberta thought she heard something skittering inside and gulped involuntarily. Images of tarantulas, rats, and even ickier creatures raced through her mind. Oh boy, she thought, what have I got myself into now?
“We anticipated your skepticism,” Lozinak explained. “Thus, a small demonstration.” With a theatrical flourish, he whisked the cloth off the mysterious item, revealing a rectangular glass case housing a single white mouse. Wood shavings carpeted the bottom of the case while a wire mesh lid let air pass freely between the case and the outside world. Inside his cozy domicile, the tiny mouse scurried back and forth, excited by his new surroundings, or perhaps by the smell of their dinners.
Okay, a mouse I can live with, Roberta thought, grateful that Isis was not around to frighten the little guy. “Umm, he’s cute enough,” she commented, unsure about what exactly the pint-sized rodent’s presence was supposed to prove, “but, er, I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t really see his DNA from here.”
Maybe he’s super-smart, she speculated, like the mousie in that Cliff Robertson movie? Roberta remembered crying when the mouse died in the motion picture.
“Patience,” Lozinak counseled her. Lifting a corner of the metal [72] grille, he fed the mouse a piece of cheese from his plate. “The demonstration has not yet concluded.” He lowered his head until his lips were level with the flickering yellow flame of their candle. “Behold.”
He blew out the candle, casting the table into utter blackness—or almost so. To her surprise, a soft white effulgence, coming from inside the glass case, caught her eye. She gasped out loud as she realized that the mouse itself was glowing in the dark, radiating a cool, constant phosphorescence even as the unconcerned animal contentedly nibbled on the piece of cheese that the older scientist had dropped onto the floor of the case. “Oh my goodness!” Roberta exclaimed.
Takagi leaped in eagerly to explain. “We isolated the gene for bioluminescence in an ordinary firefly, then spliced it into the DNA of this mouse’s mother. At least half of the offspring glow like this.” He could barely contain his exuberant glee at being able—finally—to share this discovery with someone. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“I’ll say,” she admitted, her gaze glued to the sight of the luminous rodent. Intellectually, she realized that it would be possible to fake this display, simply
“Let us call it the project,” he said, “and I truly believe it is our world’s best hope for survival. Our technology has evolved faster than our ability to use it wisely. The only solution is to create a superior human being, more intelligent and better able to contend with the challenges and opportunities of the future. This is what I, and a [71] num ber of my fellow scientists, have devoted the remainder of our lives to accomplishing: the next step in the evolution of humanity.”
“Pretty fantastic, huh?” Takagi blurted. A plate of hot calamari sat in front of the younger scientist, as yet untouched. “I couldn’t believe it myself the first time I heard about it.”
Roberta’s wide-eyed amazement was only partly faked. “And all this is actually happening somewhere?” she asked, leaning forward avidly. “Now?” She decided a bit of cautious skepticism was in order. “How do I know this isn’t just hype? I like to think I keep up with the cutting edge of things, and what you’re talking about, that’s decades away. Real twenty-first-century stuff. No offense,” she added hastily.
“None taken,” Lozinak assured her. Giving her a conspiratorial smile, he reached beneath the table and brought forth a small package, about the size of a shoebox, covered with a dark velvet cloth. He placed the bundle gently on the tabletop between them. Roberta thought she heard something skittering inside and gulped involuntarily. Images of tarantulas, rats, and even ickier creatures raced through her mind. Oh boy, she thought, what have I got myself into now?
“We anticipated your skepticism,” Lozinak explained. “Thus, a small demonstration.” With a theatrical flourish, he whisked the cloth off the mysterious item, revealing a rectangular glass case housing a single white mouse. Wood shavings carpeted the bottom of the case while a wire mesh lid let air pass freely between the case and the outside world. Inside his cozy domicile, the tiny mouse scurried back and forth, excited by his new surroundings, or perhaps by the smell of their dinners.
Okay, a mouse I can live with, Roberta thought, grateful that Isis was not around to frighten the little guy. “Umm, he’s cute enough,” she commented, unsure about what exactly the pint-sized rodent’s presence was supposed to prove, “but, er, I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t really see his DNA from here.”
Maybe he’s super-smart, she speculated, like the mousie in that Cliff Robertson movie? Roberta remembered crying when the mouse died in the motion picture.
“Patience,” Lozinak counseled her. Lifting a corner of the metal [72] grille, he fed the mouse a piece of cheese from his plate. “The demonstration has not yet concluded.” He lowered his head until his lips were level with the flickering yellow flame of their candle. “Behold.”
He blew out the candle, casting the table into utter blackness—or almost so. To her surprise, a soft white effulgence, coming from inside the glass case, caught her eye. She gasped out loud as she realized that the mouse itself was glowing in the dark, radiating a cool, constant phosphorescence even as the unconcerned animal contentedly nibbled on the piece of cheese that the older scientist had dropped onto the floor of the case. “Oh my goodness!” Roberta exclaimed.
Takagi leaped in eagerly to explain. “We isolated the gene for bioluminescence in an ordinary firefly, then spliced it into the DNA of this mouse’s mother. At least half of the offspring glow like this.” He could barely contain his exuberant glee at being able—finally—to share this discovery with someone. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“I’ll say,” she admitted, her gaze glued to the sight of the luminous rodent. Intellectually, she realized that it would be possible to fake this display, simply
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