about them. I think I know why this Institute was started.”
“But so do I,” she said. “To do research, to store embryos until—”
“Why hasn’t anyone come back for them?” he asked.
“Well, I used to think that they’d gone to another world, but that they were going to come back someday. Then I thought that they might have forgotten about us.” That possibility was disturbing to consider, but less painful than believing that they might remember and did not care.
Sven shook his head. “They haven’t forgotten, and they won’t come back. I think they’re all dead, that we’re the only ones left.”
His words shocked her. “But why?”
“Are you sure you really want to know?”
“You can tell me,” she forced herself to reply. “We don’t have to have secrets, Sven. It doesn’t have to be like—” Llipel had hidden too much from her; she had to have known about Sven. Now she wondered if she could trust Llipel again.
“You’d find out, anyway, if you went to the library. But maybe it’ll be easier if I tell you. They had wars, Nita.” His eyes narrowed. “But you don’t know what a war is, do you?” He did not wait for a reply. “It’s when one group of people got together and tried to kill as many of another group as they could. They had lots of ways to do it, ways I don’t really understand, weapons that could destroy every living thing and make it impossible to survive on the land where they were used. Then they’d build other weapons, ones that could protect them against the ones they already had. Even when they weren’t fighting, they seemed to believe that another war would come sooner or later.”
Her throat tightened; she could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Why would they do such things?”
“Oh, they had reasons. One group had something another group wanted, or believed something another group didn’t agree with. Or they just hated each other.”
“But how could they treat their own kind that way?”
“They did,” Sven replied. “They’d fight, and then they’d stop fighting for a while and make agreements, but those agreements didn’t last. All of them knew that if they couldn’t control themselves, they might destroy everything, and sometimes they didn’t use all the weapons they had. They’d hold some back as a threat, hoping they’d never have to do anything with them. But in the end, I think they used them all.”
She felt stunned, wanting to deny his words. “Look at this place,” she said desperately. “How could people like that have built it and worked here together? The ones who came here must have been able to get along.”
“Oh, they could be cooperative,” Sven said. “They had to be to work together to make the weapons they did, to get a group together for a war.”
He turned toward the window; his throat moved as he swallowed. “Llare told me about times for togetherness,” he continued, “and times for separateness. He said he didn’t know why he and Llipel were here, only that they seemed compelled to be. Our kind must have had times for peace and times for war. I don’t suppose they could have helped it any more than Llare can stop being what he is. He knew what our kind was—no wonder he and Llipel didn’t want us to meet. They probably thought our time for fighting would come.”
It couldn’t be true; she refused to believe it. She thought of the times she had been angry; didn’t they always pass, and wasn’t she able to control them some of the time? Or would the violent feelings overtake her eventually, robbing her of her will?
“I think I know why those embryos were stored,” Sven said. “Someone must have known that a war that could destroy everything might come, and wanted to be sure some people had a chance to survive. This Institute was made to last for a long time. They probably hoped survivors would come here, find the embryos, and start all over again. But there weren’t any survivors, and no
“But so do I,” she said. “To do research, to store embryos until—”
“Why hasn’t anyone come back for them?” he asked.
“Well, I used to think that they’d gone to another world, but that they were going to come back someday. Then I thought that they might have forgotten about us.” That possibility was disturbing to consider, but less painful than believing that they might remember and did not care.
Sven shook his head. “They haven’t forgotten, and they won’t come back. I think they’re all dead, that we’re the only ones left.”
His words shocked her. “But why?”
“Are you sure you really want to know?”
“You can tell me,” she forced herself to reply. “We don’t have to have secrets, Sven. It doesn’t have to be like—” Llipel had hidden too much from her; she had to have known about Sven. Now she wondered if she could trust Llipel again.
“You’d find out, anyway, if you went to the library. But maybe it’ll be easier if I tell you. They had wars, Nita.” His eyes narrowed. “But you don’t know what a war is, do you?” He did not wait for a reply. “It’s when one group of people got together and tried to kill as many of another group as they could. They had lots of ways to do it, ways I don’t really understand, weapons that could destroy every living thing and make it impossible to survive on the land where they were used. Then they’d build other weapons, ones that could protect them against the ones they already had. Even when they weren’t fighting, they seemed to believe that another war would come sooner or later.”
Her throat tightened; she could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Why would they do such things?”
“Oh, they had reasons. One group had something another group wanted, or believed something another group didn’t agree with. Or they just hated each other.”
“But how could they treat their own kind that way?”
“They did,” Sven replied. “They’d fight, and then they’d stop fighting for a while and make agreements, but those agreements didn’t last. All of them knew that if they couldn’t control themselves, they might destroy everything, and sometimes they didn’t use all the weapons they had. They’d hold some back as a threat, hoping they’d never have to do anything with them. But in the end, I think they used them all.”
She felt stunned, wanting to deny his words. “Look at this place,” she said desperately. “How could people like that have built it and worked here together? The ones who came here must have been able to get along.”
“Oh, they could be cooperative,” Sven said. “They had to be to work together to make the weapons they did, to get a group together for a war.”
He turned toward the window; his throat moved as he swallowed. “Llare told me about times for togetherness,” he continued, “and times for separateness. He said he didn’t know why he and Llipel were here, only that they seemed compelled to be. Our kind must have had times for peace and times for war. I don’t suppose they could have helped it any more than Llare can stop being what he is. He knew what our kind was—no wonder he and Llipel didn’t want us to meet. They probably thought our time for fighting would come.”
It couldn’t be true; she refused to believe it. She thought of the times she had been angry; didn’t they always pass, and wasn’t she able to control them some of the time? Or would the violent feelings overtake her eventually, robbing her of her will?
“I think I know why those embryos were stored,” Sven said. “Someone must have known that a war that could destroy everything might come, and wanted to be sure some people had a chance to survive. This Institute was made to last for a long time. They probably hoped survivors would come here, find the embryos, and start all over again. But there weren’t any survivors, and no