help it in spite of what other humans might think of her. She went to one of the cut logs that served as benches around the fire and sat down.
'How long do I have to stay here?' she whispered. 'Do they ever let the Judas goat go?'
It sat beside her awkwardly, wanting to fold itself onto the log, but not finding enough room to balance there.
'Your people will escape us as soon as they reach Earth,' it told her. 'You know that. You encouraged them to do it-and of course, we expected it. We'll tell them to take what they want of their equipment and go. Otherwise they might run away with less than they need to live. And we'll tell them they're welcome to come back to us. All of them. Any of them. Whenever they like.'
Lilith sighed. 'Heaven help anyone who tries.'
'You think it would be a mistake to tell them?'
'Why bother asking me what I think?'
'I want to know.'
She stared into the fire, got up and pulled a small log onto it. She would not do this again soon. She would not see fire or collect inga and palm fruit or catch a fish...
'Lilith?'
'Do you want them to come back?'
'They will come back eventually. They must.'
'Unless they kill one another.'
Silence.
'Why must they come back?' she asked.
It turned its face away.
'They can't even touch one another, the men and the women. Is that it?'
'That will pass when they've been away from us for a while. But it won't matter.'
'Why not?'
'They need us now. They won't have children without us. Human sperm and egg will not unite without us.'
She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. 'And what kind of children would they have with you?'
'You haven't answered,' it said.
'What?'
'Shall we tell them they can come back to us?'
'No. And don't be too obvious about helping them get away either. Let them decide for themselves what they'll do. Otherwise people who decide later to come back will seem to be obeying you, betraying their humanity for you. That could get them killed. You won't get many back, anyway. Some will think the human species deserves at least a clean death.'
'Is it an unclean thing that we want, Lilith?'
'Yes!'
'Is it an unclean thing that I have made you pregnant?'
She did not understand the words at first. It was as though it had begun speaking a language she did not know.
'You... what?'
'I have made you pregnant with Joseph's child. I wouldn't have done it so soon, but I wanted to use his seed, not a print. I could not make you closely enough related to a child mixed from a print. And there's a limit to how long I can keep sperm alive.'
She was staring at it, speechless. It was speaking as casually as though discussing the weather. She got up, would have backed away from it, but it caught her by both wrists.
She made a violent effort to break away, realized at once that she could not break its grip. 'You said-' She ran out of breath and had to start again. 'You said you wouldn't do this. You said-'
'I said not until you were ready.'
'I'm not ready! I'll never be ready!'
'You're ready now to have Joseph's child. Joseph's daughter.'
'... daughter?'
'I mixed a girl to be a companion for you. You've been very lonely.'
'Thanks to you!'
'Yes. But a daughter will be a companion for a long time.'
'It won't be a daughter.' She pulled again at her arms, but it would not let her go. 'It will be a thing-not human.' She stared down at her own body in horror. 'It's inside me, and it isn't human!'
