Changelings
- Автор: Маккефри Энн, Скарборо Элизабет
- Серия: The Twins of Petaybee #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Changelings». Краткое содержание книги:
CHANGELINGS
They are Ronan Born for Water Shongili and Murel Monster Slayer Shongili. Twin brother and sister. Children of Yana and Sean. Children of Petaybee. As such, theirs is a destiny deeply intertwined with the sentient planet that is their home. For Ronan and Murel are more than human. Like their father, each can transform into a seal and converse telepathically with the planet’s creatures–such as the friendly otter whose life they save one day from a pack of ravenous wolves.
But the twins’ bravery has unforeseen results when a visiting scientist witnesses their startling metamorphosis and becomes obsessed with their capture. To protect their children, Sean and Yana send them to stay with a powerful family friend on an orbiting space station. But no one realizes that Ronan and Murel hunger to discover the origins of their shape-shifting talent–and that their search for knowledge will place them squarely in the path of peril.
Meanwhile, Petaybee is changing–and much faster than an ordinary planet’s natural evolution. It appears that portions of the sea are heating up and a landmass is suddenly rising from the depths. To investigate the startling occurrence, Sean heads out to the open water in his seal form. But the newly unstable region holds untold mysteries–and the potential for disaster.
She nodded slowly, which wasn't exactly a lie.
"I think in the future-Dewey, is it not?-you must allow Murel to clarify her own comments. Yes?"
"Okay, Professor. Sorry."
"The other interesting feature of this art form is that it demonstrates a certain knowledge of the anatomy of these creatures. It was probably influenced by the earliest dissections, at least insofar as shown by bone structure, organ placement, and the relationship of the parts to each other. Therefore, we will be doing dissections in this class-hands-on ones, not via computer or videotape. Since there is no extraneous animal life aboard this space station, when I learned I was to have a teaching position here, I brought specimens from my last laboratory.
We will begin tomorrow. For now, you are to read the first two chapters in your text, and we will discuss them tomorrow."
She dismissed the class. Murel and Ronan stood up to leave, but Rory stopped them. "My mum said I should ask you two if you'd care to come for dinner tonight. She's making a special meal in honor of Gran. Can you come?"
"Sure. We'll have to ask Marmie, but I don't think she'll mind," Ronan said.
Marmie met them at the flitter when they came home that afternoon. She had a small bag in her hand. "I have been called away on business for a couple days, children. While I am gone, Petronella will look after you. You must not annoy her. She is not as tolerant as I am, and is much better at hand-to-hand combat, so I trust you will behave." Petronella Chan was Marmie's chief of domestic security, in charge of the mansion, grounds, and in fact the entire deck housing Marmie and her staff. She reported only to Space Station Security Chief Fadeyka Petrovich, but he also reported to her. They worked together to ensure that the station, and especially their employer, was safer than most fortresses. Neither twin had been in an actual fortress, but knew they were supposed to be really safe. Pet was a tough cookie, but she also baked great cookies, and the twins liked her a lot.
"We always do behave, Marmie," Murel said.
"Rory wants us to come to his place for dinner tonight," Ronan said. "Is it okay? Will Pet let us?"
"I shall call her and tell her I authorize it," Marmie answered, and bent to give them each a double-cheeked kiss before boarding the flitter and buzzing off to the docking area.
Rory's folks were quite nice and had sponsored class events before, though they'd never invited the twins to their quarters.
His mother, Elizabeth, was a scientist, a biologist like her own mother, Professor Mabo.
Rory's father was an engineer. Everyone was bustling around like mad when the twins got there. Dinner was cooking, and it smelled delicious, all spicy and vaguely like roasting meat.
Rory's da carried a large chair and set it down in front of Ronan and Murel, emitting a huff as he did so. "Have a seat, one of you. Or better yet, pick up something and set it on its chalk mark."
"Is it a game?" Murel asked Rory.
"Nah," he said. "They moved us into bigger quarters now that Gran is with us. She has an apartment of her own next door, but there's a connecting door. Our other place wasn't set up that way. They just told my mum today."
"That's fast," Ronan said.
He and Murel helped to put things where they were supposed to go. Finally, Rory's mum called out that they should stop and told Rory to go next door and get his grandmother so they could eat.
Professor Mabo was the only one who didn't look overheated and sweaty. Rory's mum and dad rushed around trying to get the food on the table, but the professor took a seat and stayed there. "Seniority has its privileges," she told Murel and Ronan, showing her dimples as she smiled at them as if it were a big joke.
"Sure," Ronan said. "I bet you had to run around like this to take care of stuff when Rory's mother was little too."
"Oh no, I had assistants to do these things. Unfortunately, Elizabeth has not attained the stature I had even as young as I was, and so she must raise Rory and entertain his friends with no help except that of poor Bram, who as you can see is not quite up to the task."
That's a nasty thing to say, Murel told her brother.
At least she isn't being nasty to us, Ronan answered.
"Rory, go back to my apartment and fetch the book on my dresser," his gran said. "There are pictures in there I want to show you all."
Rory had just settled into his chair and was helping himself to the first ladle of food from one of the steaming dishes.
"Can't it wait until after dinner, Mother?" Rory's mum asked. "The food is hot now."
Ronan and Murel exchanged nervous looks. Rory's mother sounded as if it took all of her courage to speak up to Professor Mabo.
I think I'm not so sorry we don't have a grandma after all, Ronan said.
They're not all like her. We know lots of nice grandmas in Kilcoole.
But Professor Mabo looked at the two of them and changed her tone. "I'm sorry. How thoughtless of me. Of course we must eat your lovely meal while it's hot. Rory can get the photos afterward or perhaps we can all go to my quarters to look at them while you and Bram clean up. My rooms are more spacious and comfortable anyway."
She smiled at the twins and Rory, and everybody dug in. Professor Mabo seemed to relax during the meal and even told some funny stories about collecting species on various planets and her other work with the institute. " 'What kind of a rat is that?' the man asked me, and I said, 'It's a bear, actually' He said it was no wonder he had sustained so many injuries while trying to catch them with cheese."
The twins offered to help with the cleanup, as they'd been taught, but Rory's mother seemed relieved to have everyone out from underfoot. "No, no, you go. It's quite an honor for you that Mother wants to share her work-or at least its history-with you."
"Yeah," Rory said, frowning. "She never showed me any of that stuff before."
By then, Professor Mabo was waiting impatiently by the door, so the three of them caught up with her.
Rory acts like he's mad at us, Ronan told Murel, with a big question mark hanging over the thought.
Well, she's his grandma but she's being nicer to us than she is to him. I wonder why?
'Cause we're so cute? Ronan asked.
Does Professor Mabo seem like the kind of person who cares about cute to you?
No, not exactly. Why, then?
I dunno. Maybe we'll find out -pretty soon.
Professor Mabo's place didn't look very grandmotherly at all, or even homey. It was bare of pictures and personal touches. In the center of the living room there was a long white table with chairs around it, as if prepared for a meeting. Her computer was at one end. Instead of knickknacks, she had specimen jars. They seemed to contain small pickled creatures or parts of them.
I don't think I want to see what's in the fridge, Murel said.
"Now then, children, have a seat and I will bring out my album," Professor Mabo said. When she came back out, she was wearing a shawl over her ship suit and fuzzy slippers, as well as a pair of reading spectacles, an old-fashioned touch.
She sat down with the album in front of her and asked Murel and Ronan to pull up chairs on either side. Rory had to peer over her shoulder.
After showing them a number of creatures that were variations on lions, tigers, bears, and camels, she displayed a picture of two different sorts of lizard. "Now this is a Sorrysaurus," she told them of the first one. "Guess what this one is?"
"Dunno," Rory said.
"Me neither," Ronan said..
Murel shook her head.
"Just guess."
"Can't," they all three said.