37. Self Generated Soul

Anthony carefully began to bandage Kira's wounds, while she continued to quiver in pain, and the fear of what she was.

"You see, Kira," Anthony said, "the truth is, you're not really Fred Loehrie's ten-year-old daughter. The Loehrie family has been working on you for over seventy years."

"What? No," Kira muttered. "That's impossible. I'm ten."

"That's when you were born, yes," Anthony said, nodding. "Ten years ago."

"But I… I can't be some machine!" Kira exclaimed. "I remember being younger… smaller…"

"Exactly the point," Anthony said solemnly. "You're built with dividing cells. You grow and change… and you're powered by a self-generated soul. Essentially, you're a perfect artificial human."

2 nudged 5. "Now, that is a homunculus."

"Dipree," 9 whispered. "Do you know how this was done?"

"Yes," Anthony replied. "Fred collected his family's notes. See, Kira, I… well, you weren't supposed to know this until you're older, but… your dad said to tell you everything and I think he meant right now. So… here's the deal. When you grow up, and you get married and have a family… well, the gene that makes you a homunculus, what your family called the clockwork gene, is very, very dominant. Anyone descended from a homunculus will be a homunculus, which essentially means that you're to be the mother of an entire, much more durable version of the human race."

Kira flinched, either in disgust or pain. "So… to my dad, was I just a project?"

"Of course not," Anthony said quickly. "We both know you really were a daughter to him."

"Okay," Kira said. "But… still… everyone descended from me? Wouldn't that bug people? I mean… I'm really, really white."

Anthony laughed. "Hey, racial boundaries are the least of our worries in this age. But if it bothers you, you can change your appearance at will. And your descendants will be able to also."

"7," 9 said, tapping her and pointing to Kira. "We've got to get ourselves one of those."

7 blinked. "Wha… what?"

"You know… in due time," 9 amended, smiling. "Someone like us, someone for us to raise."

5 looked at the adoring couple, and whispered, "Yeah… get me one too."

"Look, friends," 2 said. He pointed off the cliff into the ocean.

Out to sea, a metal barge floated along, and Van was perched atop it.

9 nodded and readied his weapon. "Let's get him."