Final Challenge (26 page)

- Lower the rifle or you'll be cold forever. 

The sentry, after the initial surprise, lowered his rifle slowly, while Marvin was approaching. Once close, Marvin also drew his gun so he would know there was no choice.

- Feign you're chatting with us and unload the rifle, calmly, we have all the time in the world - Marvin whispered the guard - 

The gua
rd was unloading his rifle. As
soon as
Souza ensured that the
re was not any bullets, he set
back his gun in his pants
and instead drew out one of his
few belongings they they hadn't requisitioned, his beloved pack of cards. Without thinking twice he distributed cards for both, before the astonished gaze of the guard, who watched as Marvin, sitting beside him, still
pointed discretly with the gun
so that nobody except him noticed it.

- Now you're going to play with me a while, later you
'll have to do it with my pee
r.

Some Indian warriors noticed something strange and approached, others watched curiously attentive. Hanson used the confusion to get lost in the forest, armed with a rifle
that hung from his shoulder, some
pistols in his belt properly arranged and plenty of ammunition.

As Marvin observed the warriors were coming over, Marvin threatened the makeshift playfellow of Souza.

- Tel
l them to stay away, everything is ok
and that you are only playing with us. And remember, you can deceive me, I don't know their language - he pointed to Souza with his head - but not to him.

- I don't know what you pretend, but whatever it is, you will never get out alive from here - the sentry replied angrily, then as he stared at the menacing look of Marvin chose for telling the indigenous what he exactly had indicated. The Indians went away more disappointed than surprised because they seemed to be excited about participating in that new game.

XXXVII

 
Clerigan enjoyed his improvised botany class with Kelly, as they walked through the garden slowly, stopping whenever arised the opportunity to show a new species. He knew exactly when a topic caught the attention of his audience, he had only to look in her eyes.
If he appreciated a little shine in them, success was assured. And that was the feeling that Kelly transmit
t
ed him, after many years that he hadn't had opportunity to return to practice teaching.
It had been difficult for him to explain why he felt such satisfaction when he saw his devoted audience, following every detail of his explanations, nodding as if it was a dogma of faith.
What he could not suppose was that between the student who wa
s always in the first
row, who smiled his touches of humor, arranged strategically in order to keep the attention of the class in the toughest times, the same student that followed his eyes without losing detail, which always looked at him sweetly, even when he interspersed his controversial views about the scientific spirit, politics and religion, and the woman beside him there was an abyss.

Kelly could not avoid
shudder as she listened him, not only because it brought so many memories of the past, but because she had to admit that Clerigan charisma was as undeniable as his charm.

Clerigan didn't know that behind the glitter in the eyes of Kelly, there was a confused feeling, a mix between nostalgia, sorrow and disappointment. She was surprised herself to discover that, despite the i
naccuracies transmitted by that
cocktail of emotions, she could say without equivocation that it was lacking the admiration that Clerigan had always aroused on her.
As he spoke, she felt that years ago could have become a puppet in the hands of his teacher, a student seduced by his charms, vulnerable to the point of having followed him to the end of the world if he had asked her, even wit
hout that she would have realized
. She also mused that behind every disappointment there's a sign of imperfection on our part, a demonstration of our i
nability to accept our mistakes
.
When
a
love fails us, perhaps we have been guilty in some way to not realize early enough that did not suit us. When a friend lets us down, maybe we had put too many expectations on someone who didn't reach the lath th
at we had previously assigned.
In the case of Clerigan, Kelly thought she had found God's representative on earth, the prophet of just causes, the man of her dreams. And in its place was a man close to insanity, torn by a love that had gone too soon, without clear direction and that needed an injection of self-esteem by someone who came from his past in a desperate attempt to justify his lucidity.

 
Absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the huge bungalow which stood on the right. Even Clerigan was surprised that she hadn't asked him about its meaning.

- Kelly, I didn't know that you liked so much botany.

- Surprised? - Kelly reacted with the first word that came to mind -

- I have to admit that yes.

- It's just another side of life that we often forget, we might think that this is a life of second order, far away from the animal life, but we can't forget that simply is more primitive, different, and th
erefore its
study is exciting - Kelly mused aloud under the watchful gaze of Clerigan -

- It's true. Another
way to help us
to
understand the evolution, a reference that we should not lose. Look at this garden - he whirled, pointing with his hand - Look at the tremendous variety to be found in so small space, with the same climatic conditions. There are even non-tropical species that could adapt to this environment with very little effort.
I
t can’t
be said the same about
the animal world.

Kelly stared at for a while a majestic tree of over ninety feet high. As a neophyte to the tropical flora, she didn't dare to guess the species.

- Professor, that tree ...

- Do you like?

- Yeah
, it's great ... just that ... - she approached to examine it more closely - it's strange, it look
s
like a Timbo. But ...

- There is something that does not agree, right?

- Yeah ... its fruits resemble that of a guarana, white with a black circle.

- Yes, your assessment is correct.

- A hybrid? ...

- A transgenic to be more precise, I played a bit around with their genetic sequences. I haven't decided a name for it. I do not have much free time but you are discovering how I spend it. There are some few more in this garden, but this one is the most striking for its large dimensions.

More than by its origin, had attracted her attention precisely by its size, but dared not ask any more for fear of making mistakes. She was still having the fear of ridicule that gripped her when she was young, when in doubt that a question could be a symptom of her ignorance about any topic, she chose to remain silent. She thought her attitude was absurd, because she thought that had enough maturity and self-confidence. There should be a syndrome of the past that resurfaced strongly in the presence of her former teacher.

Absorbed in her reflections, she didn't realize at first of the wooden structure that stood a few meters. When finally she noticed the bu
ngalow, pointed to it with her
finger and told Clerigan:

  - Professor, do not tell me that you have h
as also improvised a greenhouse!

- Greenhouse? - Clerigan replied, surprised -

- Yes, I would love to see it - she paused as she observ
ed the look of surprise on her
companion, then continued

- if ... does not care, I mean.

- Not at all! Although I'm afraid it might disappoint you - Clerigan said displaying a wide smile -

- Disappoint? Why? The garden is beautiful, wonderful, I see no reason to believe that ... - Clerigan interrupted her -

- It's that you look so interested in the world of botany ... well, it's
not really
a greenhouse, follow me.

  
Cler
igan beckoned to accompany him
at top speed towards the building, by his way of acting he looked like a child who wanted to show his best kept secret to his best friend. Kelly, realizing his excitement, came out from her slumber. She wanted to be immersed in the real reason to feel encouraged and near her former professor. As they approached the bungalow, a shiver ran through her body so that, when entered, she felt a strange sensation close to distress.  Before her eyes there was a huge experiment room, an empty laboratory in which the only sounds came from the cages full of mice, snakes and worms.

- Welcome to my laboratory. I know it's disappointing to see it so sad, but I can assure you that usually it's not. 

Clerigan approached one of the cages and motioned for her to come.

- Come, I have to teach you something that
is the key to all my project - one could realize
like the excitement that was upon him was reflected in his voice - 

Parsimoniously opened the cage and grabbed
a baby mouse, that put on her
hands.

- It’s
one week
old
, exactly a week - he said as Kelly played with the cute animal -

- Yeah
, that I
had
calculated. It's cute.

Clerigan put his hand in the cage again to get another mouse, similar to the previous, apparently of the same species, but much larger. He put it on the other hand of Kelly as he asked: 

- And this ... how long has?...

  Kelly was weighing both mice, swinging their hands up and down, then frowned and replied hesitantly.

- I don’t
know ... according to its weight and size, I would say that perhaps several months...

- You are wrong.

- How? ... 

Kelly realized that Clerigan overflowed the emotion t
hat precedes the big news, but
she didn't understand its meaning.

- It has exactly the same time of life than the other ... one week. They were born the same day, almost at the same time.

Kelly received such an impression that instinctively released the mice letting them drop suddenly in the cage.

- No way! It's impossible! Is it some specie ... enhanced by a genetic treatment? - Kelly asked noticeably nervous -

- Not at all,
they
belong to the same specie, under normal conditions would have the same size and weight.

- What then? ...I find it impossible, professor!

- You also doubt my word?

- No ... no ... at all ... excuse me ... is that I find so amazing ...

- In part, you were right. The big mouse embryo was subjected to a small genetic alteration.

There was silence for several long seconds. That break seemed to Kelly like the drum roll that precedes the somersault of a tightrope walker. Clerigan fixed his eyes on Kelly and gravely he revealed his great secret.

- It's the aging gene. 

Kelly froze. There was much more than a big
surprise behind that statement
. It could mean that Clerigan had gone much further than the rest of the scientific community on a field that was still in its infancy. After a moment's hesitation, her voice breaking, she decided to pursue the subject.

- Does the aging gene? ... I have read quite about it. It seems that the XPD gene is directly related with the process, so that a gene defect determines an imbalance in the body. It is also considered that the PASG gene is involved in premature aging. There are several theories about it now, but nothing definitive. 

Clerigan smiled and threw a knowing look.

- In fact there are more than on
e gene responsible for aging,
ie influencing the programming
of the life cycle, altering the normal metabolism. I am able to tell, Kelly, we have made
significant progress in this area,
so
we can say that ...