Chameleon by Cara Bristol

Author:Cara Bristol [Bristol, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cara Bristol
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

When Chameleon had promised not to lie, he hadn’t expected Kevanne to zero in on the heart of the conflict within so few questions. He placed the odds of Earth not being invaded or destroyed at around 99 percent. The original DNA extraction had occurred so long ago, and Earth’s location in a minor arm of the Milky Way put the planet so far off the grid, it had been forgotten, except as a footnote in history. Furthermore, while the consortium wouldn’t hesitate to wipe a planet clean and start over when an experiment failed to pan out, Earth was a donor, not a project.

However, the consortium didn’t leave loose ends. He was a loose end, and so were the other castaways.

He trusted Kevanne, but if she confided in someone she trusted, and he or she confided in somebody else, who passed it on…

’Topia’s destruction would incite fear, Earth’s governments would overreact, and panic would ensue. Chatter would flood communication channels, and the extraterrestrials already present could spread the chatter beyond Earth. If the consortium intercepted a transmission and caught word of “’Topians,” then yes, Earth would be in grave danger.

“I would share that information with you if I could,” he said. “But there were…political…decisions I can’t discuss.”

She cocked her head. “Were you one of the decision-makers?”

“I am—was—a member of the ruling council.” The dissenting vote among twelve. He should have done more, sooner. How bitterly ironic his preoccupation to identify potential havens for hypothetical problems had caused him to make a fatal error. One seemingly innocuous report, a couple of missed council meetings, and...disaster.

Prophecy foretold, As the creation is, Xeno once was. As Xeno is, the creation might become. The Xeno Consortium created life, instilling it with intelligence and free will, and then let it evolve. However, they still held dominion over their creations, so when the ’Topians had come close to fulfilling the prophecy, the consortium had gotten concerned. That one line…he’d excised everything else.

He drank his wine, ate his stew, and Kevanne ate hers, and in the silence, he worried where her sharp mind might wander.

She tore off a bit of the roll and buttered it. He did the same. Amazing how delicious a starch could be. Light and fluffy, it melted in his mouth. He’d never tasted anything like it. Earth food and wine was the best in the galaxy. What else might Earth have mastered?

Kevanne chewed, and the movement of her mouth captured his attention. He recalled with vivid detail the softness of her lips as she pressed them to his. She’d felt like she belonged in his arms.

“So…” she said, and he braced himself for the next question. “What kind of DNA samples were taken from Earth? Human? Animal? Plant?”

“All of the above,” he said. “They took anything they considered interesting or useful. They spliced Earth DNA with genetic material from extraterrestrials.” That’s how they’d achieved diversity such as humanoids with horns, tails, tentacles, wings, and/or special cognitive abilities.

“Initial development occurs in laboratories.

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