When they both arrive, Lachlan has Zaitsev make the wraparound and then Lachlan shows him the files he just read.
‘I need context.’
Zaitsev scans them, a fast reader.‘This is accurate.’
‘Human context.’
‘Is that an insult?’
‘No it’snota fucking insult at all.I just mean please put this into a context I might have some hope of understanding.’
‘Which part?’
‘What’s this?’he asks, scrolling back up to the compound table.‘This stuff.’
‘It looks like a scientific experiment.’
Lachlan’s temper frays dangerously.‘Yes, Iknowthat,’ he says with enforced calm.‘Could you explain it to me?’
‘Explain what?’
‘What does PN mean?Is that Paranatural?’
‘Yes.’
‘Right.Amazing, great, fantastic.What are these others?RN and FM?’
Zaitsev seems to be weighing his answer.‘They are… other kinds.’
‘Other kinds of what?’
‘Non-humans.’
Lachlan exhales slowly, seeking calm.‘Sergei, I appreciate you’re a man of few words, but could you possibly make an exception?’
‘I am not scientist.I do not know…’ Zaitsev says, taking a moment to scan the page, ‘mimeticsorenzymes.’
It’s a clever denial.
‘So tell me what youdoknow.’Lachlan taps the screen.‘Like this.’
Zaitsev reads aloud.‘Horizontal vector transfer achieved through hematologic and seminal bioexchange.Subtype compatibility confirmed.Cross-class uptake consistent.Integration stability maintained.Baseline human rejection immediate.’
‘What does that mean to you?’
‘Tanner, I barely speak English.’
‘I don’t believe you.Youknowwhat this means.’
‘Lachlan,’ Danya intones gently.‘Calm down.’
‘I’m really fucking calm for someone who discovered that there’s a whole bunch of other species on the planet, actually!’
‘Youaresnippy when mad.’
‘Baseline human rejection immediate.What does that mean?’
‘It means humans cannot catch it,’ Zaitsev says, eyes flashing faintly.
