Gen 1 Ch 6: Extra Terrestrial Life

It turned out that all their worries had been unfounded. Rebekah had taken excellent care of the boys and everything was just as they had left it. It almost seemed like no time at all had passed.

Soon they were back to their usual routine, with the exception that now Kaitlin occasionally ventured out of the house while Arthur was at work, entrusting the boys to Rebekah.

The days passed and Broccoli too grew into a toddler. He was a happy little boy and looked just like Kaitlin.

Just like his older, more serious brother, he had an immense hunger to learn - which relieved Arthur somewhat, since both of them still did not have any other kind of hunger whatsoever.

Every time he voiced his concerns, Kaitlin explained her theories on their absorption of nutrients to him. He had always thought of himself as scientifically-minded, but he could not stop his parental worrying.

Kaitlin only added to his worries by quietly sneaking out of bed almost every night.

Being a high-ranked employee in the police force by now, he did not want to imagine the outrage his wife's nightly activities would cause, were they ever to be found out.

The one thing that helped Arthur clear his mind was painting outside on the deck. He found the somber atmosphere of the surrounding swamps strangely comforting.

However, even painting could not have calmed his nerves, had he known what Kaitlin's newest project entailed.

One day, in the wee hours of the morning, a strange noise woke him from his slumber. It sounded like a crying baby, but it was much farther off than Bloom's and Broccoli's cribs in the adjacent room. Concerned, he jumped out of bed.

Following the noise, which was now unmistakably a baby's whining, he made his way out of the main house and toward Kaitlin's laboratory shack. What he found there took his breath away. Had Kaitlin cultivated another Forbidden Fruit without telling him? Why would she do that?

Comparing the baby's anatomy to the skeleton model in the corner was inconclusive. The bone structure seemed close enough to that of a Sim or PlantSim, but there was just something off about this little green girl.

When Kaitlin walked into the room, she did not seem the least bit flustered.
"Isn't it amazing? Finally the experiment was successful!"
"Kaitlin, why would you grow another PlantSim without telling me about it?"
"PlantSim? No, no! This one was the final success in a long row of attempts to clone an extraterrestrial!"
Arthur's jaw dropped. He could not believe what he had just heard.

"Well, if you don't believe me, let's compare her to the other ones!"
And so they did. The girl's eyes were definitely larger than normal and her little voice had a most unusual ring to it. Arthur still wasn't convinced, but he figured he'd just have to wait and see.

"So what's her name?", Arthur asked finally. He was still a bit shocked about the unexpected addition to the family.
"This one is Subject 6,723 - but I called her Beryllium, because I know how much you love your metals!"
Arthur knew that as far as Kaitlin was concerned, this was about the sweetest gesture one could ever expect. It's the thought that counts, right?