âYeah, well⊠I suppose youâve done enough.â
Stella flicked her eyes up from her plate long enough to acknowledge his presence. Though she instinctively balked at the nicknameâshe hated it when people used terms of so-called endearment with herâshe let it slide, mostly because she noted his bandages, and that seemed somewhat more important. She didnât really know if she wanted to know how heâd been hurt, though, so for a while, she just returned her gaze to what she was doing, dutifully ignoring the slight twinge of awkwardness that was eating dinner with a shirtless (attractive, if one went in for that sort of thing) stranger. There were far too many other factors at work here for her to really think twice about any of it. Nothing was going to be normal until the next day, when she went home.
Actually, it was probably true that nothing would be normal then, either. Her eyes slid sideways, and she paused in eating to purse her lips contemplatively. âI wonât⊠if they find me anyway, I wonât tell them where this is. Or your name.â Though considering the strength of the network, they probably had that part already. It was more likely than anything that theyâd just kill her before they bothered asking questions about him, but just in case⊠well, some part of her wanted him to know that.
It was obvious to her that she couldnât just stay at her home once she went back there. It would be better for her to grab as much of her stuff as possible, leave her birds with the neighbors, and hide⊠somewhere. Sheâd never had to do anything illegal before, but she knew some people who had. Stella had grown up with the poorest people in the City, after all, and sometimes, those people turned to crime to get what they needed. She had no money to pay them or anyone else to hide her, but she hoped that maybe theyâd be willing to help her out at the very least to get back at the government they all professed to hate. If nothing else, sheâd disguise herself as well as she could and find an empty building to squat in for a while.
None of it sounded appealing in the least, but she had no desire to die. She just wished she would have had Ash to keep her company, but she would have to go it alone. At least she wouldnât have to worry about feeding anyone but herself. It wasnât much of a plan, but it was the closest thing she could get right now, and so she stood slowly, gathering up all the dishes sheâd used and washing them, shooting Violetâshe was apparently stuck in the habit of calling him that, at least in her own headâa glance over her shoulder. âWake me up when you want to leave, then.â She was a danger to his safety, really, and it only made perfect sense that he should want to get rid of her as soon as possible.
So saying, she took the couch in the living room, apparently perfectly content with that. There was a blanket nearby, which she threw over herself, and true to form, Stella was dead to the world in minutes.
Dietrich half-smiled, the expression surprisingly kind, sighing slightly as he contemplated the question. âOther flowers? Not like her, I should think. Only two of the original eight Seeds were female. One died, along with three of the male subjects, after the initial gene mutation proved to be too much. Ravenna never had any other children, as Iâm sure you are aware. So⊠not with each other. Though⊠there was a short period during which about three of the other Seeds were out in the population, and it is theoretically possible that one or more of them may have produced children before they too were⊠dealt with. None of them ever had any legitimate children on record, and data indicates that a Seed would be most likely to spread only its own properties, overriding the weaker human genetics with its code, so such children would resemble their fathers in ability.â Of course, genetics was not always mathematically exact. Random mutations did occur.
âAnd of course, there have been attempts to replicate the results in a lesser fashion since the original experiment; including the development of surgical procedures and a serum. Mixed results, but all of those things are tightly-regulated by the government, and there are no thefts that have been reported, to my knowledge. On the off-chance you do run into some other Flower, the most likely ability parameters will encompass increased physical capacity, quick self-healing, and possibly one form of elemental kinesisâthey were, after all, designed to have some control over the destabilizing world.â He wasnât the Prime Minister of courseâhe did not know everything he might care to.
âAs for the other half of the project⊠you need not worry that any of those specimens are out in the general population. Of that much, I can assure you.â There was, after all, only one of those Flowers, and he wasnât permitted to talk about it.
âDr. Engels.â Darciaâs tone wasnât precisely inflected as a question, but he had the strong sense that she was almost seeking permission to ask something, so he turned his focus to her and raised an eyebrow.
âYes, Darcia?â He did not look quite as fondly upon the android as his brother had, but he would not deny some attachment to her anyway. Enough that he internally at least referenced her as a she rather than an it. By all reasonable philosophical criteria of what it took to be a person, Darcia was one. That she was only partially organic and had not been born of a womb or a test tube hardly made the difference, after all.
âWhy does Mr. King wish to kill Stella Iaret?â Dietrich supposed it was a perfectly reasonable question. She was the closest thing the world currently had to a maximally-evolved human being. Logically, the government should be most interested in replicating her, with the addition of genetic diversity. The easiest way to do that would be to have her physically produce children, but he could grow them, had he her living (or perhaps very recently-dead, but that was a stretch) body. To simply kill her made little sense from such a perspective. The question was asked with complete innocenceâshe was clearly not making an accusation or questioning the validity of her mandate, only the reasoning behind it. So he answered.
âWhy does anyone destroy a rose, Darcia? The most obvious answer is because they fear the thorns. Whether that is true, well⊠even I do not know the Prime Ministerâs mind.â
Actually, it was probably true that nothing would be normal then, either. Her eyes slid sideways, and she paused in eating to purse her lips contemplatively. âI wonât⊠if they find me anyway, I wonât tell them where this is. Or your name.â Though considering the strength of the network, they probably had that part already. It was more likely than anything that theyâd just kill her before they bothered asking questions about him, but just in case⊠well, some part of her wanted him to know that.
It was obvious to her that she couldnât just stay at her home once she went back there. It would be better for her to grab as much of her stuff as possible, leave her birds with the neighbors, and hide⊠somewhere. Sheâd never had to do anything illegal before, but she knew some people who had. Stella had grown up with the poorest people in the City, after all, and sometimes, those people turned to crime to get what they needed. She had no money to pay them or anyone else to hide her, but she hoped that maybe theyâd be willing to help her out at the very least to get back at the government they all professed to hate. If nothing else, sheâd disguise herself as well as she could and find an empty building to squat in for a while.
None of it sounded appealing in the least, but she had no desire to die. She just wished she would have had Ash to keep her company, but she would have to go it alone. At least she wouldnât have to worry about feeding anyone but herself. It wasnât much of a plan, but it was the closest thing she could get right now, and so she stood slowly, gathering up all the dishes sheâd used and washing them, shooting Violetâshe was apparently stuck in the habit of calling him that, at least in her own headâa glance over her shoulder. âWake me up when you want to leave, then.â She was a danger to his safety, really, and it only made perfect sense that he should want to get rid of her as soon as possible.
So saying, she took the couch in the living room, apparently perfectly content with that. There was a blanket nearby, which she threw over herself, and true to form, Stella was dead to the world in minutes.
âIt is, after all, the purpose of Seeds to grow.â
Dietrich half-smiled, the expression surprisingly kind, sighing slightly as he contemplated the question. âOther flowers? Not like her, I should think. Only two of the original eight Seeds were female. One died, along with three of the male subjects, after the initial gene mutation proved to be too much. Ravenna never had any other children, as Iâm sure you are aware. So⊠not with each other. Though⊠there was a short period during which about three of the other Seeds were out in the population, and it is theoretically possible that one or more of them may have produced children before they too were⊠dealt with. None of them ever had any legitimate children on record, and data indicates that a Seed would be most likely to spread only its own properties, overriding the weaker human genetics with its code, so such children would resemble their fathers in ability.â Of course, genetics was not always mathematically exact. Random mutations did occur.
âAnd of course, there have been attempts to replicate the results in a lesser fashion since the original experiment; including the development of surgical procedures and a serum. Mixed results, but all of those things are tightly-regulated by the government, and there are no thefts that have been reported, to my knowledge. On the off-chance you do run into some other Flower, the most likely ability parameters will encompass increased physical capacity, quick self-healing, and possibly one form of elemental kinesisâthey were, after all, designed to have some control over the destabilizing world.â He wasnât the Prime Minister of courseâhe did not know everything he might care to.
âAs for the other half of the project⊠you need not worry that any of those specimens are out in the general population. Of that much, I can assure you.â There was, after all, only one of those Flowers, and he wasnât permitted to talk about it.
âDr. Engels.â Darciaâs tone wasnât precisely inflected as a question, but he had the strong sense that she was almost seeking permission to ask something, so he turned his focus to her and raised an eyebrow.
âYes, Darcia?â He did not look quite as fondly upon the android as his brother had, but he would not deny some attachment to her anyway. Enough that he internally at least referenced her as a she rather than an it. By all reasonable philosophical criteria of what it took to be a person, Darcia was one. That she was only partially organic and had not been born of a womb or a test tube hardly made the difference, after all.
âWhy does Mr. King wish to kill Stella Iaret?â Dietrich supposed it was a perfectly reasonable question. She was the closest thing the world currently had to a maximally-evolved human being. Logically, the government should be most interested in replicating her, with the addition of genetic diversity. The easiest way to do that would be to have her physically produce children, but he could grow them, had he her living (or perhaps very recently-dead, but that was a stretch) body. To simply kill her made little sense from such a perspective. The question was asked with complete innocenceâshe was clearly not making an accusation or questioning the validity of her mandate, only the reasoning behind it. So he answered.
âWhy does anyone destroy a rose, Darcia? The most obvious answer is because they fear the thorns. Whether that is true, well⊠even I do not know the Prime Ministerâs mind.â