Page 18 of Maverick

“I think that’s a reasonable conclusion,” said Eric. “Victoria, these other missing kids. How do we find them?”

“I have to find all the names first and be certain they can’t trace it back to us. Hiro and AJ are going to help me with that. But Eric, I’m worried about Hayes. He’s out there working, and if someone knows who he is, he could be in danger.”

“I know, honey. We’ll find a way to get a message to him. For now, the two of you and Thomas cannot leave this location.” The two girls nodded, and Katelyn reached for Victoria’s hand.

“I guess we’re sisters in a strange way,” she smiled.

“I always wanted a sister,” said Victoria shyly.

“Well, you might regret that if I start borrowing your clothes,” laughed Katelyn. “But you’re welcome to whatever I have.” Mav walked up to the group and smiled, then frowned at the expressions.

“What did I miss?”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“How would they know that these kids were intellectually superior? I mean, in Katelyn’s case, she was an infant. In the other kids’ cases, they weren’t even three or four years old yet,” said Mav, staring at the beautiful minds around him.

“It’s a great question,” said Luke. “So far, at least from what we know from what the kids remembered, the parents were average people. Factory workers, a grocery store clerk, even a ranch hand. It doesn’t appear that any of them had superior intellect.

“I think the question I have is whether or not an average mind can be formed into something more. Is the brain capable of expanding on demand, and possibly force, to take in more information?”

“No,” said Thomas. “Children are born with certain characteristics and traits. Their IQs develop from early learning, but you can’t take a child with an IQ of 105 and make it 165. Also, kids who are labeled as genius often don’t go into the world like Einstein or Newton. They take regular jobs. They still use their genius but in a specific area like math or engineering or science.”

“He’s right,” said Katelyn. “Just because my head works to configure things related to sound engineering doesn’t mean I could build a better engine or building. I could muddle my way through it, but I have my limitations. Everyone does.”

“Then what are they doing, and how are they doing it?” asked Eric. “Are they fucking with people’s DNA? Are they manipulating their minds somehow?”

“Yes,” said Kennedy, walking toward the table. “Sorry, but Victoria asked me a question earlier. It was racing through my brain, and I couldn’t let it go. Then, one thing led to another. She told me what she’s looking for.”

“What do you mean, yes, Mom?” asked Mav.

“A few years ago, an article was published in a medical journal about a doctor who had conducted brain studies for nearly forty years, starting with mice. His study was specifically targeting how to increase their brain capacity. He then moved on to chimpanzees.”

“Chimps? Isn’t that illegal?” asked Luke.

“Yep. It’s done in some countries but not here in the U.S. Not legally anyway. Which is one of the many reasons his study was thrown out, and the journal was admonished for even printing it. Chimps are so closely related to humans it’s unbelievably incredible. They share roughly ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of our DNA, or we share theirs,” she smirked.

“They have opposable thumbs like ours, and most genes in humans and chimps are nearly identical. One of the reasons he may have switched to chimps is that in the animal kingdom, the chimp is one of the few that can see the color red, a definitive human trait.”

“Fascinating,” smiled Katelyn. Mav looked at her and grinned. “Then why are we so different?”

“Each human cell contains roughly three billion base pairs, or bits of information. A little over one percent of that is equal to about thirty-five million differences. Some have a big impact. Others don't. Even two identical stretches of DNA can work differently. For instance, they can be ‘turned on’ in different amounts, in different places, or at different times. Think of it like turning a radio volume up or down.

“Even illnesses that affect humans can affect the chimp. They can get cancer, HIV, and other diseases. A difference would be that they don’t get malaria. That’s because of a small DNA mutation that allows them to turn that defense up. Another huge difference is that chimps, for whatever reason, don’t pass down generational learning.”

“What do you mean?” asked Luke.

“Well, humans learned millions of years ago that they should tell their children and grandchildren of the dangers around them. They see a neighbor getting eaten by a saber tooth tiger, and they tell their children to stay away from saber tooth tigers. Chimps learn from this too, but the communication doesn’t happen from generation to generation. Each one learns for themselves. Now, some of that has evolved but not as rapidly as humans.”

“Is that why chimps and gorillas don’t often fear humans? They just appear curious,” asked Eric.

“Yes. That’s a good example of what I’m saying,” said Kennedy. “Where chimps win are in survival instinct having to do with smell. They smell things much better than humans.”

“What does all this mean, Mom?” asked Mav. Kennedy started to speak and then caught sight of someone coming toward them. She knew.

“I know,” said Mama Irene, walking toward them.

“Grandma, what is it you know?” frowned Luke.

---