—You mean me. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? You brought me back because I’m still one hundred percent human.

—Still? You’re not the way you are because you somehow magically escaped three thousand years of genetic changes. Your parents probably had alien DNA. It’s just luck that brought you here. But here you are. Now you just need to show them how formidable you can be.

—But how?

—Defeat them.

—I can’t defeat them! We couldn’t beat them with all the armies in the world. How can I do anything on my own? We don’t have the technology.

—Even if you did, that technology was created by people with alien genes. It’s…tainted.

—Really? So you’re telling me that I need to defeat these giant machines without using anything that was invented in the last three thousand years?

—Well, you can assume it took my ancestors a few centuries to spread their gene pool around, but yes, that’s the general idea.

—But we had nothing three thousand years ago! Nothing! The wheel, early steelwork. We certainly didn’t have anything that can destroy these robots.

—Then I’d say you’re in some trouble, young lady.

—I don’t understand. Why not tell me what I need to do? You’ve told me everything else. Why won’t you save us?

—I haven’t told you anything you couldn’t have figured out on your own.

—Why not?

—Because if they think I…if they think my people helped you, they’ll kill every living thing on this planet, alien DNA or not, and let you evolve from unicellular organisms.

—There’s more than that. In some weird way, you agree with them, don’t you?

—Agree with what?

—That we shouldn’t be allowed to live if we’ve been…tampered with.

—Forgive me. It must be hard for you to understand. That noninterference thing isn’t just a slogan. It is ingrained in our culture. It’s something everyone on their world is taught from birth. That belief survived even here. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as you can see.

—Even after all this time? Even if they’re trying to kill you in the process?

—I don’t wanna die, if that’s what you’re asking. But I understand why they think I should.

—What about us? Do you think we should die?

—I wouldn’t be…guiding you if I did.

—But you understand why they’d want us to.

—I understand why they think they’d be doing you a favor.

—What difference does it make whether I have DNA from another species or not? How does that make me better or worse than anyone else?

—Now you understand the problem. For them, it’s not a question of better or worse, it’s about you being what you’re supposed to be. In their mind, humans aren’t what they were meant to be. You, Rose Franklin, are. That means they’ll pay attention to you.

—How is your ancestors coming here any different, any less “natural” than whatever accidental events led to life on Earth, than whatever mutations turned us into what we are? Who’s to say we’re not supposed to be part alien?

—They are! I don’t know if they’re right or not, but that is precisely what they’re saying. And you better hurry. I don’t think you have much time.

—How long do I have?

—I don’t know. A day, maybe two. You know what’s orbiting the Earth, don’t you?

—General Govender thinks they brought in heavy artillery.

—He’s a smart man.

—You know what all of that reminds me of?

—I don’t, but I have a feeling it’s something bad.

—Interracial-marriage laws. We had them until the late sixties.

—I know. I was there. They called them antimiscegenation laws.

—Whites weren’t allowed to marry or have sex with blacks. It was considered a felony. In some states, it was even illegal to perform the ceremony.

—Louisiana banned marriage between Native Americans and African Americans. Maryland didn’t allow marriage between blacks and Filipinos. I see what you’re getting at, but these laws were based on the assumption that some races were superior to others.

—And that’s not what’s going on now?

—They believe there is a purpose to life, and that no one should interfere with that purpose—that things should be the way they should be.

—I’m pretty sure they used that argument in Louisiana and Maryland. I’d say anyone who feels they have the right to dictate what someone else’s genetics should look like is feeling pretty superior.

—And what if they are?

—I don’t think it matters. I don’t think ants should do whatever cats want them to do. I don’t think fish should obey dolphins. I don’t think humans should dictate the behavior of every other species on Earth.

—Humans sometimes do make decisions that affect other species.

—Yes. Look how well that turned out.

FILE NO. 1620

UHF SATCOM COMMUNICATION

BALLISTIC SUBMARINE USS JIMMY CARTER, DESIGNATED SSN-23

Location: Bering Sea

ORDERS 774627-53N

SSN-23—Rooke, Demetrius, CAPT. 225-48-1627

Abort current mission. Return to US waters immediately. Hold position at 48.498682, -125.143043 off Vancouver Island.

Alert Status—Gamma Five. Maintain readiness for SLBM launch on domestic target. Stand by for orders.

FILE NO. 1622

TRAINING LOG—VINCENT COUTURE, CONSULTANT, EDC AND EVA REYES

Location: Shawnee Mission Park, Lenexa, KS

[…]

—You’re doing it, Eva! You’re doing it!

—We’re walking!

—Yes we are. And now we’re going to fall.

—What? NO! What are you doing? NO! NO! NO! AARGH! That hurt!

—You say that every time.

—What’s wrong with you? It was working. I didn’t make us fall! I never got it right until now.

—I know! Do you know what else you never did?

—What?

—Get back up. Every time we fell, you never even tried to get up again. That’s the part that really matters. Now if you want to walk again, we need to get up. I gotta warn you, getting up is hard. Think you can do it?