?I wouldn?t. Why should they??
Silence. She frowned down at him. ?You mean you could get home from here??
?I could if no Humans stopped me.?
?And you think no Humans will stop the girls??
?I think
I think they?re afraid. I think they?re frightened enough to sting.?
?Oh, god.?
?What if someone were going to cut your eyes out, and you had a gun??
?I thought the new species was supposed to be above that kind of thing.?
?They?re afraid. They only want to go home. They don?t want to be cut.?
?No.? She sighed. ?Get dressed. Let?s go to breakfast. The riot should be starting any time now.?
?I don?t think they?ll find the girls.?
?If what you say is true, I hope they don?t. Akin??
He waited, knowing what she would ask.
?Why didn?t they take you with them??
?I?m too small.? He walked away from her, found his pants in the next room, and put them on. ?I couldn?t work with them the way they could work with each other. I would have gotten them caught.?
?You wanted to go??
Silence. If she did not know he had wanted to go, wanted desperately to go, she was stupid. And she was not stupid.
?I wonder why the hell your people don?t come for you,? she said. ?They must know better than I do what they?re putting you through.?
?What they?re putting me through?? he asked, amazed.
She sighed. ?We, then. Whatever good that admission does you. Oankali drove us to become what we are. If they hadn?t tampered with us, we?d have children of our own. We could live in our own ways, and they could live in theirs.?
?Some of you would attack them,? Akin said softly. ?I think some Humans would have to attack them.?
?Why??
?Why did Humans attack one another??
Suddenly there was shouting outside.
?Okay,? Tate said. ?They?ve realized the girls are gone. They?ll be here in a moment.?
Almost before she had finished speaking, Macy Wilton and Neci Roybal were at the door, looking around the room.
?Have you seen the girls?? Macy demanded.
Tate shook her head. ?No, we haven?t been out.?
?Did you see them at all this morning??
?No.?
?Akin??
?No.? If Tate thought it was best to lie, then he would lie?although neither of them had begun lying yet.
?I heard you were sick, Akin,? Neci said.
?I?m all right now.?
?What made you sick??
He stared at her with quiet dislike, wondering what it might be safe to say.
Tate spoke up with uncharacteristic softness. ?He had a dream that upset him. A dream about his mother.?
Neci raised an eyebrow skeptically. ?I didn?t know they dreamed.?
Tate shook her head, smiled slightly. ?Neci, why not? He?s at least as Human as you are.?
The woman drew back. ?You should be out helping to search for the girls!? she said. ?Who knows what?s happened to them!?
?Maybe someone decided to follow your advice, grab them, and cut off their sensory tentacles.?
?What!? demanded Macy. He had gone into the room where he and the girls and his wife had slept. Now he came out, staring at Tate.
?She has an obscene sense of humor,? Neci said.
Tate made a wordless sound. ?These days, I have no sense of humor at all where you?re concerned.? She looked at Macy. ?She was still pushing to have the girls? tentacles amputated. She?s been talking to the salvagers about it,?
