CHAPTER ELEVEN
“How would they know that these kids were intellectually superior? I mean, in Katelyn’s case, she was an infant. In the other kids’ cases, they weren’t even three or four years old yet,” said Mav, staring at the beautiful minds around him.
“It’s a great question,” said Luke. “So far, at least from what we know from what the kids remembered, the parents were average people. Factory workers, a grocery store clerk, even a ranch hand. It doesn’t appear that any of them had superior intellect.
“I think the question I have is whether or not an average mind can be formed into something more. Is the brain capable of expanding on demand, and possibly force, to take in more information?”
“No,” said Thomas. “Children are born with certain characteristics and traits. Their IQs develop from early learning, but you can’t take a child with an IQ of 105 and make it 165. Also, kids who are labeled as genius often don’t go into the world like Einstein or Newton. They take regular jobs. They still use their genius but in a specific area like math or engineering or science.”
“He’s right,” said Katelyn. “Just because my head works to configure things related to sound engineering doesn’t mean I could build a better engine or building. I could muddle my way through it, but I have my limitations. Everyone does.”
“Then what are they doing, and how are they doing it?” asked Eric. “Are they fucking with people’s DNA? Are they manipulating their minds somehow?”
“Yes,” said Kennedy, walking toward the table. “Sorry, but Victoria asked me a question earlier. It was racing through my brain, and I couldn’t let it go. Then, one thing led to another. She told me what she’s looking for.”
“What do you mean, yes, Mom?” asked Mav.
“A few years ago, an article was published in a medical journal about a doctor who had conducted brain studies for nearly forty years, starting with mice. His study was specifically targeting how to increase their brain capacity. He then moved on to chimpanzees.”
“Chimps? Isn’t that illegal?” asked Luke.
“Yep. It’s done in some countries but not here in the U.S. Not legally anyway. Which is one of the many reasons his study was thrown out, and the journal was admonished for even printing it. Chimps are so closely related to humans it’s unbelievably incredible. They share roughly ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of our DNA, or we share theirs,” she smirked.
“They have opposable thumbs like ours, and most genes in humans and chimps are nearly identical. One of the reasons he may have switched to chimps is that in the animal kingdom, the chimp is one of the few that can see the color red, a definitive human trait.”
“Fascinating,” smiled Katelyn. Mav looked at her and grinned. “Then why are we so different?”
“Each human cell contains roughly three billion base pairs, or bits of information. A little over one percent of that is equal to about thirty-five million differences. Some have a big impact. Others don't. Even two identical stretches of DNA can work differently. For instance, they can be ‘turned on’ in different amounts, in different places, or at different times. Think of it like turning a radio volume up or down.
“Even illnesses that affect humans can affect the chimp. They can get cancer, HIV, and other diseases. A difference would be that they don’t get malaria. That’s because of a small DNA mutation that allows them to turn that defense up. Another huge difference is that chimps, for whatever reason, don’t pass down generational learning.”
“What do you mean?” asked Luke.
“Well, humans learned millions of years ago that they should tell their children and grandchildren of the dangers around them. They see a neighbor getting eaten by a saber tooth tiger, and they tell their children to stay away from saber tooth tigers. Chimps learn from this too, but the communication doesn’t happen from generation to generation. Each one learns for themselves. Now, some of that has evolved but not as rapidly as humans.”
“Is that why chimps and gorillas don’t often fear humans? They just appear curious,” asked Eric.
“Yes. That’s a good example of what I’m saying,” said Kennedy. “Where chimps win are in survival instinct having to do with smell. They smell things much better than humans.”
“What does all this mean, Mom?” asked Mav. Kennedy started to speak and then caught sight of someone coming toward them. She knew.
“I know,” said Mama Irene, walking toward them.
“Grandma, what is it you know?” frowned Luke.
“Now, Luke, don’t look at me like that. You look like your daddy.” He grinned, raising his brow at his grandmother. “Semu.”
“Oh, shit. But she’s a gorilla,” said Eric. “Are you telling me she came from this experiment?”
“Y’all gotta start payin’ attention,” said Irene, shaking her head. “Semu and the chimps we have all came from the same place. If you’d been payin’ attention, you’d notice how dang smart they are. They all know sign language. They can decipher problems. They place their food on plates. Heck, they even helped to make their habitats better, helping Grant and the team.”
“Grandma, why wouldn’t you tell us this?” asked Luke.
“It wasn’t time, child.” Semu came into the cafeteria, looking around. She knew that she wasn’t normally allowed inside the human food place, but Irene had told her to come when she could make her way across the bayou.
“Did that gorilla swim here?” asked Eric.
“She knows how to do all sorts of things. Y’all just never learn,” she said, shaking her head. “Semu, baby, tell them about the place.”
Semu began to sign to the group, and with each word, they would gasp at the things the poor old thing had to tolerate in her life. She spoke of the chimps that had been killed, intentionally put to death for not meeting experiment guidelines, and others as well. Dogs. Bonobos. Even an alligator was involved in the experiments.
“Was it Alvin?” asked Luke.
“It wasn’t Alvin,” said Irene, shaking her head. “He’s from right here in our backyard. That poor creature she’s talking about died. Semu and the chimps were sent to zoos and safari parks. That’s where I found them, but they told me how they didn’t trust humans. It’s why I was able to keep Semu a secret for so long.”
“Grandma, that was a terrible risk. She could have been angry with humans and harmed someone,” said Luke.
“I would have never placed any of you in harm’s way. How dare you think so! I know what I’m doin’, Luke Robicheaux, and don’t you forget it. That sweet angel has added to our family. She helps with the new animals and is smarter than some of you were as young men and women.”
Katelyn giggled, shaking her head.
“Don’t laugh. She might be right,” said Mav.
“Oh, I have no doubt she’s right. I’m laughing because Semu just signed that she likes when the white-haired lady gets angry. She smells good.” They all looked at Semu, who shyly looked down at her hands. Eric reached for her hand, and like his mother would do, she laced her fingers with his.
“We’re not angry with you, Semu,” he signed. “You are family, and we love having you here.”
“Semu, do you know where you were held? What city or state?” asked Luke. The gorilla began to sign, saying there were lots of trees, and it was very cold in the winter and warm in the summer.
“Sounds like Maine,” said Katelyn. “If they injected the animals with something, if they put something in their brains, what if they did something to ours?”
“I’m going to do some scans on you, Victoria, Thomas, and the others who came with Victoria. We’re going to see if anything was implanted or if brain activity is heightened in a particular area.”
“I’m more than willing to find out what all the fuss is about,” said Katelyn. “As I said, I don’t remember my parents at all. I was told I was left there. That’s it.”
“Maybe that’s not it,” said Victoria. “Maybe, for me anyway, what I’m thinking of as a memory of my parents isn’t my parents at all.” Mav stared at the young girl and shook his head.
“Well, this isn’t terrifying at all.”