Lindsay Buroker: Torrent

And? I prompted when a follow-up didn’t come through on its own. A long message popped up as soon as I sent mine. Autumn must have been working on it already.

It doesn’t match anything in the database, and the database is extensive. We have the DNA of weeds from the Galapagos Islands in here. Just about every mammal and reptile, and lots of birds and fish as well. Interestingly your sample is closest to human, albeit with a few inexplicable anomalies.

Aside from the fact that it exists?

Yeah. It’s closer to us than chimpanzees, as close as Neanderthals maybe. We’re perplexed by the fact that it doesn’t have a recognizable blood type.

We? I almost hit the icon to call her-I wasn’t ready to have this turned into some highly publicized find for reporters to paw over. But if she wasn’t alone… text messaging might be more discreet.

Autumn wrote, I’ve had a couple of perplexed scientists and professors in here with some interesting ideas. Outer space came up. Normally I would have LOLed at the guy, but he’s a chemist and pointed out the mercury level in the blood would probably kill a human-he thought it might make sense that its owner had evolved on a different planet with a much higher concentration of mercury. The biologist is still arguing with him, saying it’s too close to human DNA to have evolved anywhere except here. Being the science fiction fan I am, I suggested it was a traveler from the future, from when we’ve finished goobering up our environment, and there are higher concentrations of mercury on the planet.

“Why don’t you two talk to each other?” Temi whispered when she leaned in and saw the amount of text on the screen.

I shook my head. “We’re almost done.” As I spoke, I texted, File it as weird, I guess. I’m not sure the owners of the blood are still alive. We had a terrifying adventure today. Stop by on your way back, and I’ll tell you about it.

“Weird?” Simon was kibitzing over my shoulder now too. “File it as weird? Tell her to file it as the first elf DNA in the database.”

I snorted. “I don’t know why but that sounds even less plausible than aliens and travelers from the future.”

“Yes, but we don’t have a ray gun. We have a magic sword.” He lifted up the long blade, which did absolutely nothing magical for him. He held it out to Temi. She touched the cross-guard, and the sword lit up.

I blinked slowly. Things I’d been too busy to think about down in that cavern started clicking into place. “Oh.”

The others looked at me.

I held up a finger and sent another message to Autumn. Hey, one more question. Does your biologist think the owner of that blood could mate with a human and produce viable offspring?

“Ohhh,” Simon said, watching over my shoulder again. “Interesting.”

Temi leaned forward, wanting a look too. I held up a finger while we waited for a response. I imagined the debate that must be going on in some genetics lab at U of A. If these scientists had been there all day on a Saturday, it probably involved pizza and beer. A lot of beer if aliens had been proposed.

Maybe , came the response. We already tested it for compatibility with human blood types.

And?

It’s academic at this point, but the blood group-we’re calling it Tomko after the hematologist who came in to take a look-isn’t… incompatible, not on paper anyway.

Not a resounding yes, but probably as close as you’d get from a bunch of scientists. I tossed the phone to Temi so she could read the dialogue, but I couldn’t resist sharing spoilers.

“Congratulations, Artemis. Somewhere in your bloodline, there was a…” I groped in the air for a word that probably didn’t exist in our language.

“Elf,” Simon supplied.

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t contradict him. Unless Eleriss and Jakatra showed up and told us what they called themselves, we’d never know.

Temi’s “Uh” response managed to convey skepticism and a lack of enthusiasm at the same time.

I supposed it was a testament to my oddness that I was jealous. I wanted to be able to make the sword glow so I could fight any heinous monsters that showed up to trouble humanity. I didn’t want to be the grunt, as Simon had called us. Though I was somewhat mollified to realize he was in the same boat. Not special. A muggle. So much for being a mastermind.

“If it turns out to be true, it’s quite fascinating,” Simon said. “I wonder how widespread the phenomenon is. All of those warriors in the stasis chambers must have the shared genes if Eleriss expected them to be able to wield his sword. If we started wandering through the population testing how many people could make it glow, would there be a lot? One in four? Or would it be exceedingly rare, and it’s random chance that Temi can use it?”

“If agility is one of the defining traits,” I said, thinking of Jakatra’s combat skills-even Eleriss had shown uncanny grace in his mundane movements, “then maybe it’s common in certain populations.”

“Like we should stroll through the Olympic training center and do the sword test?”

“Assuming we could without getting arrested,” I said.

Temi lowered the phone and stared at us as if we were both nuts.

We were returning her stare with frank don’t-you-see-it? stares of our own when someone knocked at the door.

If I’d been sitting, I would have fallen out of my chair. It was almost midnight. Far too late for normal people to come calling.

And elves? I didn’t know.

“Someone with a big sword want to get that?” I asked.

“No,” Simon said.

“I said big sword, not big toothpick.”

“I’m comfortable here,” Temi said.

For a muggle, I sure had to take charge a lot. I peeked through the curtains. Two familiar figures in black leather jackets stood outside. Jakatra had reaffixed his wool cap.

For a moment, I wondered what they’d do if I didn’t open the door. I had too many questions that they might deign to answer to contemplate the notion for long. I opened the door and stepped aside so they could enter.

Wordlessly, they walked inside. Eleriss slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out another of his odd coins. He laid it on the television stand. “As we agreed, the second half of your payment.”

“Oh.” Simon slid into his seat and pulled up his calculator program again.

“Thank you,” I said since he was otherwise occupied.

“Did you come for your sword?” Temi asked. She’d been eying it as if it were a viper since I suggested her tainted-or enhanced, depending on the point of view-bloodline.

“No,” Eleriss said. He exchanged long looks with his comrade before going on. “We have come to offer you training on how to use it.”

Temi’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“We have been unable to locate the other human capable of wielding it,” Eleriss said. “You slew the jibtab . You may be your people’s only hope.”

Temi’s mouth was still hanging open.

Mine probably was too, as I was wondering how they knew everything that had happened. They’d been busy getting sucked down a drain at the time, hadn’t they? “How did you make it out?”

“We were swept through a channel that eventually connected to the lake. The jibtab had destroyed much of the support structure. You are fortunate to have escaped, as most of the cave system collapsed shortly after the water poured in and filled the chambers.”

“Yes,” I said. “We heard.”

“The human warrior is not important, not now when another option is amongst us, one that may be superior for this occasion.” Eleriss met Temi’s eyes with his own strange blue-green ones. “You are not a criminal, so will be predictable and less dangerous to train. You are from this time, as well, so you will not need to be educated again.”