There’s some elk in the freezer, but I didn’t think that would be the best idea.”
Elayna smiled at him.
“Is this what you asked me to bring them for?” she asked. “To give us a lecture on how McBurger Queen is poisoning us and charging us for it? We know, Dad. Everyone knows. Nobody cares.”
Mallory laughed. “No. I have some news. I thought you would all like to hear it. A new chamber has been discovered in the Great Pyramid. There is reportedly writing all over the walls, and no one can read it. I’ve been asked to come and have a look at it.”
Elayna beamed. “What did you say?”
“I told them I need to bring my own team.” Mallory eyed them each in turn, except Todd. It would have been difficult to get his attention, anyhow; his face was inches from his plate, as he shoveled heaping forkfuls of food in his mouth. He was clearly not listening.
“They told me I could bring three others,” Mallory said. Now he did look at Todd. He was still fervently feeding.
“Would the three of you go with me?” he asked. “I know the timing is bad, and the dean won’t be happy about it, but this could be archaeological history in the making.”
“I’m in,” Allen said. “Who needs a degree?”
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Mallory assured him. “It will be a of couple weeks at least, though. You’ll all miss mid-terms.”
“I’m in too,” Elayna said. “You’re not going to Africa for two weeks without me.”
Maya frowned down at her plate for a moment, then sighed.
“What the hell,” she said. “I’m in too.”
Todd looked up suddenly, his cheeks round with food.
“Yeah,” he said. “Me too.”
“Sorry, Todd,” Mallory said. “They said I could only bring three people. Besides, you don’t want to miss your last couple games, or the playoffs. At the rate you’ve been going, it’s a lock.”
Todd waved his fork in the air and swallowed loudly.
“Message me the name and contact information of the researcher in charge,” Todd said. “I’ll talk to my dad.”
He went back to eating, appearing to ignore them.
“Hey Professor Mallory,” Allen piped up. “Would you have circumcised Elayna if she had been born a boy?”
“Allen!” Elayna frowned at him over the food. “We’re eating.”
“We’re all scientists here, or scientists in training,” Allen pointed out. “Surely we can handle discussing religious persecution and genital mutilation while we eat.”
“I’m not a scientist in training,” Todd remarked, surprising them all by both swallowing his food before talking and by showing that he was still listening. “I’m a senator in training. You all pretend that science is somehow dedicated to truth. It’s clearly not. Science is subjugated to politics. They say what we want them to say, or they lose their jobs. They research what we tell them to, and avoid the research that is off limits according to our dictum. Science is not here to serve any purpose any higher than that of the politician. Pretend you’re scientists all you want; the level of science that you get to work at is due one hundred percent to how good you are at politics.”
Maya gaped at him. “How rude!”
“It’s true,” Allen said. “I don’t think he was being rude. It’s just Todd’s way of pointing out that he can stomach even more than we can. We could all stay calm and clinical examining a cadaver, or exploring ancient cities, or discussing circumcision. The thought of ruining thousands or millions of lives, of sending men and women to kill and die for their ideals although they are actually fighting on false pretense, doesn’t bother him at all. We could examine a corpse, and in many cases tell what the cause of death was. Todd will be the cause of death for many corpses in his career, and he handles that knowledge with the same equanimity that we would handle said autopsy.”
“Now who’s being rude?” Todd nudged Maya.
“Is anything I said
Elayna smiled at him.
“Is this what you asked me to bring them for?” she asked. “To give us a lecture on how McBurger Queen is poisoning us and charging us for it? We know, Dad. Everyone knows. Nobody cares.”
Mallory laughed. “No. I have some news. I thought you would all like to hear it. A new chamber has been discovered in the Great Pyramid. There is reportedly writing all over the walls, and no one can read it. I’ve been asked to come and have a look at it.”
Elayna beamed. “What did you say?”
“I told them I need to bring my own team.” Mallory eyed them each in turn, except Todd. It would have been difficult to get his attention, anyhow; his face was inches from his plate, as he shoveled heaping forkfuls of food in his mouth. He was clearly not listening.
“They told me I could bring three others,” Mallory said. Now he did look at Todd. He was still fervently feeding.
“Would the three of you go with me?” he asked. “I know the timing is bad, and the dean won’t be happy about it, but this could be archaeological history in the making.”
“I’m in,” Allen said. “Who needs a degree?”
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Mallory assured him. “It will be a of couple weeks at least, though. You’ll all miss mid-terms.”
“I’m in too,” Elayna said. “You’re not going to Africa for two weeks without me.”
Maya frowned down at her plate for a moment, then sighed.
“What the hell,” she said. “I’m in too.”
Todd looked up suddenly, his cheeks round with food.
“Yeah,” he said. “Me too.”
“Sorry, Todd,” Mallory said. “They said I could only bring three people. Besides, you don’t want to miss your last couple games, or the playoffs. At the rate you’ve been going, it’s a lock.”
Todd waved his fork in the air and swallowed loudly.
“Message me the name and contact information of the researcher in charge,” Todd said. “I’ll talk to my dad.”
He went back to eating, appearing to ignore them.
“Hey Professor Mallory,” Allen piped up. “Would you have circumcised Elayna if she had been born a boy?”
“Allen!” Elayna frowned at him over the food. “We’re eating.”
“We’re all scientists here, or scientists in training,” Allen pointed out. “Surely we can handle discussing religious persecution and genital mutilation while we eat.”
“I’m not a scientist in training,” Todd remarked, surprising them all by both swallowing his food before talking and by showing that he was still listening. “I’m a senator in training. You all pretend that science is somehow dedicated to truth. It’s clearly not. Science is subjugated to politics. They say what we want them to say, or they lose their jobs. They research what we tell them to, and avoid the research that is off limits according to our dictum. Science is not here to serve any purpose any higher than that of the politician. Pretend you’re scientists all you want; the level of science that you get to work at is due one hundred percent to how good you are at politics.”
Maya gaped at him. “How rude!”
“It’s true,” Allen said. “I don’t think he was being rude. It’s just Todd’s way of pointing out that he can stomach even more than we can. We could all stay calm and clinical examining a cadaver, or exploring ancient cities, or discussing circumcision. The thought of ruining thousands or millions of lives, of sending men and women to kill and die for their ideals although they are actually fighting on false pretense, doesn’t bother him at all. We could examine a corpse, and in many cases tell what the cause of death was. Todd will be the cause of death for many corpses in his career, and he handles that knowledge with the same equanimity that we would handle said autopsy.”
“Now who’s being rude?” Todd nudged Maya.
“Is anything I said
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