"Not human. Alien."
"No. I've reviewed the data on my way down. Our own dear experts have made some headway. His DNA is confirmed as human. It wasn't even modified. The microparticles were foreign to his body. Not that we have many of them to study from those samples you took, a few hundred thousand, but it would seem they rebuild the molecular structure of the cell that they occupy. The modifications are not genetically sequenced. You know what that means."
"Alien."
"The technology certainly is. We've ruled out a Santa Chico connection. This is way beyond anything they have. It's a working nanonic system that can engineer molecular biology."
The SK2's breath hissed loudly again. "Find it." He groaned. Several monitor lights turned red. "Godfuck, it hurts."
"They're just stabilizing you. It'll take another two days before you're ready for regeneration viral therapy."
"Are my balls still there?"
"Apparently so, yes."
"Thank fuck for that. They told me about the rest."
"I know."
"Both goddamn legs."
"They'll be replaced as soon as we get home, along with everything else."
"Hoo-fucking-rah."
"Would you like me to have you placed in hibernation sleep?"
"No. I'm going to see this through."
"As you wish."
"Of course I fucking wish. You know what this means, don't you?"
"The potential for a working nanonic is quite phenomenal, yes."
"Phenomenal, my ass," the SK2 rasped. "It's total. We can elevate the whole human race. And in real-time, too. No more waiting for backward regions to benefit from our investment, no more germline v-writing health policy. My God, we've won. Everything we wanted to achieve can be implemented. There'll be no more moron barbarians holding us back. Society can shift to an entirely active-creative economy."
"Let's hope so," Simon said cautiously.
"Hope be damned!"
Simon didn't enjoy seeing his clone sibling in so much pain. It was far too easy to visualize himself lying on the theater bed with little machines leeched to him. The SK2 was fixating on the prospect of finding nanonics as a way of justifying his own suffering, making the sacrifice and pain worthwhile, which it would be, Simon conceded. But the alien was deploying its nanonics in a very strange and definitely hostile way. "We're still not certain about this nanonic system's capabilities. So far we have a lot of conjecture from overexcited technical staff, nothing concrete."
"I saw him, what he became. We can rebuild every human in the universe to make them sane and intelligent."
"As sane and intelligent as we are." Simon thought he kept the tone irony-free.
"That's what we exist for."
"Quite, although we never envisaged achieving it in one big bang." Simon almost asked What if people don't want to be altered by us? But he already knew the SK2's answer to that. The discovery of this nanonic technology would cause an unprecedented split in the Board; some batches would demand immediate implementation, while others, like his own, would want to move more cautiously.
Although that would be completely hypothetical unless he did actually find the alien and obtain the entire technology. Simon gave the SK2 a thoughtful look. Was that why he'd refused hibernation? To make sure the acquisition was completed? The very fact that he could think that of a clone sibling made him uneasy.
"Well, now we can modify our original objective to take that into account, can't we?" the SK2 said.
"That's some modification you're asking for."
"But possible. And extremely desirable."
"Absolutely."
"Interrogate the girl, first—Michelle Rake, she's a very weak link in their security."
"Of course. Any thoughts on why the alien is using its technology against us?"
"No. We don't have enough information yet. You'll have to determine that as well."
* * *
The dragon's dreams were everything Lawrence had ever dreamed of. He embraced the irony with a kind of bitter humor as he learned of the Ring Empire. Once again, the universe had shifted around him, taking away the life he thought was real. Colorful, elegant facts slowly coalesced, merging with his own thoughts until they became revelation. Within this strange state of enlightenment he floated serenely after Mozark as the prince flitted from planet to planet. There were, Lawrence realized, huge segments missing from the story.
"Most of my memories are lost," the dragon said regretfully.
"This is real, then?" Lawrence asked as he gazed across The City, marveling at the silver-and-crystal palaces emerging in the rosy dawn light.
"This is history."
"How long ago?"
"Tens of millions of years, if not longer. Again, that information no longer exists within me."
If his eyes had been open, Lawrence was sure he would have wept. The dragon's knowledge was stupendous, its physical science tremendous. The potential was here to achieve ... anything. Lawrence wasn't just awed, he was humbled. His own goals seemed utterly inconsequential and petty compared to all this. Yet the dragon didn't judge him, which made his guilt all the greater.
"I hoped I would find wealth here," Lawrence said. "But I never expected to be this rich."
"The villagers never considered themselves rich."
"They are. Believe me. There could be no greater gift than knowing you. You are the kind of hope I had long since stopped believing in."
"Thank you. Though it is humans who must take the credit for resurrecting me this far. I would not exist if it were not for your endeavors."
"I would know one thing," Lawrence said, even though he felt ashamed at asking. "Are you sure about Mozark? Did those places and species he encountered on his voyage genuinely exist?"
"The memories are all I have. They are what I am. Does your past exist, Lawrence?"
"There are times when I wish it didn't"