Designed to Love (5 page)

"Cat should definitely be present to review
Claire's profile, after all she is her legal guardian," I say, a
claim that nobody verbally disputes. The lead scientist nervously
taps his pencil on the table while he exchanges looks with
Bernie.

"Bernie, is there something you need to tell
us?" Elizabeth asks on our behalf, also noticing the subtle
uneasiness of the team.

"Yes, we looked at each of your profiles and
there is something you should know," she says pausing.

"See, I told you," Burke interrupts, not
bothering to keep the accusation private.

"What is it Bernie?" Alisha prompts,
ignoring Burke altogether.

"Well, most of the genes in the genome are
self-explanatory. For example, a copy of the gene CR2H was found in
almost all of you. It's a gene that's found in large cats and is
responsible for speed. A copy of the gene AG2K comes from eagles
and is responsible for enhanced eye sight. The list is extensive,
with an average of fifty to seventy identifiable animal genes that
correspond with enhanced physical traits. Almost all of the variant
genes come from some animal species; however, each of you has
variant genes that we were unable to identify as either human or
animal.

"What do you mean?" Alisha demands.

"Genes that are not found in nature," the
lead scientist blurts out. It's not the answer any of us was
expecting.

"We'll keep testing it against anything
already in our database, but right now we suspect it to be a
synthetic strand of DNA," Bernie explains.

Elizabeth gasps. "You mean my dad built an
entirely new strand of DNA from scratch?"

"It appears that is precisely what he did,"
Bernie answers somberly.

The four-hour plane ride back to Canada is
uneventful, even with the storm brewing over the Rocky Mountains. I
don't bother connecting mentally to assist with navigating the
aircraft through it; the five others manage just fine. Even landing
on Brandon's icy airstrip is effortless. I spot Cat standing on the
deck from almost a mile away, and my chest tightens. I clutch the
two packets even closer as I contemplate her reaction to the
outcome of our DNA mapping sequence. All of us decided to wait
until we were home to review the results, however now I almost
regret not having previewed the packet. I had no way to prepare
her, other than with what we were told by Bernie.

RONAN

My hands are shaking as I open my packet and
begin the tedious job of decoding the map that will unravel the
mystery of who I am. The others are sitting around the large dining
room table with their packets in front of them as well, and the
room is silent with the exception of the crackling sounds of
burning wood from the fireplace. Claire is the only one absent from
the event. Tired from the trip back, she was ushered to bed early
by Cat. It was just as well. As brilliant as she is, no one expects
her to grasp the significance of the documents and Jason recommends
giving her a reprieve from adult themed activities anyway. He has
already volunteered himself to help Cat review Claire's packet, and
the two quickly become engrossed in the forty-page document.

The first page is an index with every gene
linked to the corresponding species. God bless Bernie and the
scientists for including it. It takes me only a few seconds to
photograph it to memory. I am enhanced with a total of sixty-five
identifiable animal genes and nine synthetic DNA strands or
unknowns, the most enhancements in our group except Claire. Jason
determines that Claire has seventy-three animal genes and eleven
synthetic DNA strands. Elizabeth has the least, followed by Burke.
Naturally, Alisha is the first to make the connection that all of
us have identical strands of the synthetic DNA located in precisely
the same location within the mapping sequence, and mostly linked to
brain tissue. It is an "ah-ha," moment for all of us and we accept
this finding as the most likely explanation for our telepathic and
telekinetic abilities. Furthermore, Alisha, Claire, and I share
three additional synthetic DNA strands that the others don't, a
point that will need to be investigated further. I look around the
table and catch Burke shaking his head in dismay.

"This shit can't be right. It says I have
sloth DNA."

Brandon looks over Burke's shoulder and
confirms the finding, roaring with laughter.

"Let's see what kind of unflattering insects
you're made of," Burke says, snatching Brandon's report from his
hand.

"Hey give it back man. You volunteered the
information-no one asked for it," Brandon hollers in a rare display
of anger.

"Look, it says here you have a little
hyena," Burke says, releasing a loud, obnoxious cackling sound of a
laughing hyena.

A struggle over the document ensues until
Alisha finally loses her patience with the two.

"You two either grow up or get out of here,"
she says sharply.

"Sorry," Elizabeth says quietly, biting her
lower lip and fighting back tears.

Sometimes we forget that it was Elizabeth's
dad that created us.

"Remember, some genes don't have a primary
purpose. They function to support or enhance other genes," Alisha
says in an attempt to appease all of us. "To be honest, I would be
more interested in getting my hands on the records that reveal how
the synthetic DNA strands were assembled. Liz, do you think there
is any chance that those records still exist anywhere?" Alisha
asks, searching Elizabeth's face for any hint that there is a
remote possibility.

"I've looked everywhere. My dad had a
photographic memory and filed most important data in his brain. I
think he felt that it was safer for us," she pauses and Michael
finishes the sentence for her. "To destroy all evidence, rather
than risk having it fall into the wrong hands," he says, pulling
Liz closer to him in a protective gesture.

The room falls silent as we consider
Michael's statement.

"Ahem, well I don't know about anyone else,
but I'm going to hit the sack," Brandon says, excusing himself from
the table, stretching and yawning as he gathers up his documents.
Burke follows shortly after and when I feel Cat's hand on my leg, I
momentarily lose interest in my documents, giving her just enough
time to push them aside indicating that she is ready to call it a
night as well.

***

I barely have the bedroom door closed behind
us, before Cat is in my arms kissing me in such a way that I can
only assume that she missed me as much as I missed her. It almost
makes the separation worthwhile, when I feel her impatiently
struggling to remove my shirt, then run her hands over my chest
with the delicacy of a blind person trying to read a message in
Braille. When my hands automatically start to travel down her body,
she gasps, but doesn't immediately pull away like she's done in the
past. Instead, she presses even closer, and I am overwhelmed with
desire.

"Cat, are we even close to being safe?" I
groan.

"Technically no, we have a little less than
three weeks to go," she whispers, as she runs her lips down the
hollow of my throat. It was a huge disappointment when the clinic
doctor told us to give the pills a full month before relying on
them to prevent pregnancy, and now here we are, once again trying
to control the urge to ignore his advice. This time, I am the one
to pull away.

"We promised each other that we wouldn't," I
remind her, trying to ignore her hands undoing the button on my
jeans.

"I've changed my mind. I have no
self-control. I am at the mercy of my hormones and cannot take full
responsibility for my actions right now," she murmurs, making me
laugh out loud.

"Well then, I guess it's up to me to be the
strong one," I say as I grasp both her hands and pin them behind
her back. She tosses her head back and looks deep into my eyes.

"There are other methods of contraceptives
besides the pill you know. Can't you borrow a condom from
Burke?"

"Cat, the doctor said it has one of the
higher failure rates. I don't want to take any chances on getting
you pregnant, especially now that I know what type of human animal
child we could potentially be creating."

She looks at me quizzically. "Well you can't
just rinse the non-human DNA out of you Ronan, and eventually, down
the road, we will want to consider starting a family.
Right...?"

Her question stuns me. I drop her hands and
unintentionally take a step back, "You're kidding," I say, not even
posing it as a question because a question would indicate that
there was more than one answer to consider. "Cat, please tell me
you're kidding," I say again, my voice sounding like it might have
risen another octave.

She slowly shakes her head no, and my heart
plummets to my feet. We had never talked about our future past
colleges and career goals, but I just assumed that she understood
that children were out of the question, given my screwed up genetic
makeup.

"Seriously Cat, did you not get anything
from reviewing those documents down there?" I say, unsuccessfully
trying to keep my voice down.

She starts to speak, but I interrupt her
before she has a chance to reply.

"Here, in case you missed it, let me run
through my list of animal DNA for you. How about I start with the
large animals first," I say sarcastically. I can tell by the way
she's folding her arms across her body that I've offended her, but
I continue anyway. "Let's see, there's elephant, cheetah, wolf,
dolphin, gorilla, eagle, owl..." She quietly watches as I pace
around the room, reciting all sixty-five genes and finishing with a
reminder about the synthetic, "crapshoot" of man-made DNA. When I
finish, I plop down on the edge of the bed, burying my head in my
hands, waiting for what I was sure would be a reasonable response
indicating that she had come to her senses.

Instead she says, "Are you finished throwing
your little temper tantrum yet?" stunning me once again.

My temper flares and I jump to my feet,
closing the distance between the two of us in two easy strides.

"Cat, this is serious shit! Do you not
understand anything that I've just said?" I seethe, grabbing her by
the shoulders.

Her dark eyes flash with anger and she
recoils from my grip. We stubbornly lock eyes and for a moment, the
only audible sound is that of our heavy breathing.

"No, Ronan, I guess I would need a twenty
point IQ boost to follow along on something so complicated," she
says through clenched teeth, rolling her eyes, as she shoves me out
of her way to snatch a pillow from the bed. "I'll sleep on the
couch tonight," she calls over her shoulder as she walks through
the bedroom door.

I spend the first hour fuming over her
comments, and the next hour mentally defending my position, before
the pain fully settles in. When it hits me, I double over in agony.
Of course, she would want kids. How could I have not predicted
this? I've seen how she takes care of Claire; she's naturally
maternal. How could I be so selfish to ask her to marry me, knowing
that I could never give her something so basic? The irony of it is
I would travel to the end of the earth to make her happy, and give
her anything her heart desired. Anything that is, except a child
carrying my DNA. Now what? Do I break off our engagement and free
her so she can find someone that's one hundred percent human? It
would be the right thing to do; I argue with myself.

The thought of a life without her terrifies
me, and I break out in a cold sweat, just considering it. I last
all of three hours lying alone in bed, before I swallow my pride
and wander out to the living room to get her. Even in the pitch
dark, I can see the moisture of tears on her cheek, and I am
engulfed with guilt. She appears to be asleep and for a moment, I
consider letting her be, but the thought of spending another night
without her by my side weighs in on my decision. I sit down on the
edge of the sofa and gently brush my hand across her cheek, causing
her to stir.

"Cataryn," I softly whisper, letting my
finger trace her lower lip, fighting the urge to kiss her. She
opens her eyes and catches my finger in her hand, watching me
apprehensively. "Please come to bed with me, I don't want to spend
another night away from you. Please."

She swallows hard, and a fresh set of tears
threaten to pave another path down her cheek. "I'm really mad at
you right now," she says quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. Please come to bed, and
we'll work it out in the morning," I plead.

She holds up her left hand, flashing her
engagement ring in front of me. "This ring represents a partnership
Ronan. You don't get to make decisions about our future without me
and don't ever treat me like I'm an idiot again. Do
you
understand?"

Of course, I understood perfectly and I
marvel at her ability to put me in my place, something neither of
my parents could ever figure out how to do. I chuckle and nod, and
she allows me to scoop her up in my arms, to carry her back to our
room.

***

The next morning, I wake to find Cat lying
next to me, with her head propped up by her elbow, studying me
intensely. Her hair is damp and she is already dressed in a pair of
jeans and a sweatshirt, signifying that she has been up for some
time. "What time is it?" I murmur, disappointed that she isn't
sound asleep in my arms.

"Past noon," she says.

"Really...? Why did you let me sleep so
late?" I halfheartedly question her, reaching up to tuck a loose
strand of hair behind her ear, like I've seen her do so many
times.

"You needed the sleep," she replies
nonchalantly.

We silently hold each other's gaze and when
I smile at her, she smiles back.

"Cat, I love you more than anything else in
this world. You know that right?" I say, breaking the ice.