Chapter 5 Islak Polenta (4)

I nod. "We're doing the same thing," I said. "Really? You are..." She didn't seem to know how to ask the question she wanted to ask. "I'm corn myself," she finally said coyly. I checked the translator.Uslu: corn, maize.I looked in the dictionary again, and it said that the Uslu in Islak and the corn on my plane are the same plant. One of the strange things about corn, I know, is that it has no wild varieties, only a wild ancestor that you would never recognize as the original image of corn.The crop corn is a completely artificial variety bred over time by ancient gatherers and farmers.An early genetic miracle.But what does this have to do with Ai Li? Ai Lei?

Ai Li A Lei's thick blonde hair, braided into thick braids with scrunchies... "Only four percent of my genes," she said. "And about five thousandths of the parrot gene, but recessive. Thank goodness." I'm still trying to understand what she told me.I think she must have sensed that my shocked silence had answered her question. "They're totally irresponsible," her voice rose suddenly. "They wanted to make everything better, a bunch of self-righteous fools. They unchained all the genes and allowed all kinds of creatures to interbreed freely. Completely wiped out rice in only ten years. They bred Varieties were not able to produce rice at all. There was a terrible famine... Butterflies, we used to have butterflies, did you have any?"

"And some more," I said. "What about the dilettu?" My translator told me it was a chirping firefly, now extinct.I shook my head nostalgicly. She also shook her head reminiscently. "I've never seen butterflies and dilettus. Just pictures...the plants that kill insects put them...but the scientists didn't learn anything - no! They started modifying animals. Transforming ourselves! Talking dogs , a cat that plays chess! Humans with all kinds of gifts, don't get sick, live five hundred years! They made all of them, oh yes, they made all of them. Talking dogs are everywhere, they It's so annoying, walking around, copulating, shitting, smelling of them all over the place, and constantly asking 'do you love me, do you love me, do you love me'. I can't stand it Talking dog. My poodle Rover, he just doesn't say a word, God bless his good soul. Then it's human's turn! We will never, never get rid of the Prime Minister. He is as healthy as hell. He is now Ninety years old, looks like thirty, and will be Prime Minister for four full centuries. He is a total hypocrite, greedy, stupid, mean, dirty liar. Such a guy will rule us and Our boy for five hundred years... the ban cannot be in effect on him...but I'm not saying the ban is wrong. They had to do something. Fifty years ago, things were bad. That's when they found out , genetic hackers have infiltrated all the laboratories, half of the technicians are fanatics of biotechnology, and in the secret factories in the eastern hemisphere, the people of the Son of God are frantically mixing all the genes... Of course those products Most of them are non-viable. But there are plenty of them that do...those hackers are good at it. Surely you've seen it, chicken man?"

As she asked the question, I realized I had indeed seen it: some crouching, clucking little humans huddled together at an intersection, and all vehicles were forced to give way to them, creating a huge traffic jam. "They make me want to cry," said Ai Li A Lei.She looked like she wanted to cry. "So the ban prevents further experiments?" I asked.