Serious-minded human beings were working on the chlorophyll problem now, and they hadn't done a lot better yet, but they were doing about fifteen percent better, which was not at all bad, considering. And people might do better yet, if they could get living crops to endure the terrible impact of that much-concentrated human ingenuity. And, in tandem, get the ecosystem to survive the terrible consequences should such a technique ever go feral. Alex was really interested in the chlorophyll hack. He'd read a lot about it, and was following the bigger net-discussions. It was just about the neatest hack he'd ever heard of.
Jane's corn plants were squat and fibrous and ugly, and the ears of corn were about the size and shape of bowling pins. They were splotchy and reptilian green.
"Wow, those are really nice," said Sylvia..
"Would you like some for yourself? Just a second." Jane wandered into her backyard garden shed and came out with a drawstring bag. "You can have some spare seeds if you want." She shook half a dozen kernels of corn into Sylvia's outstretched palm. The misshapen kernels were the size of rifle cartridges.
"Thank you, Jane," Sylvia said gratefully. "These are mega-nice, I really like these."
"Help yourself," Jane told her. "Can't copyright a living organism! Ha-ha-ha."
Sylvia wrapped the seeds carefully in her silk kerchief and stuffed them, unselfconsciously, into the thigh-high top of her striped stocking.
"JANE, COME OU~ in the street for a second," Alex said, opening the side gate to the front yard.
She followed him. "What are we doing out here?"
"I want to show you my new car."
"Okay. Great."
"I parked it up the street around the corner because I didn't want it associated with your house."
The car was sitting where he had left it. He'd had to pay a stiff fee to the university police to bring it inside the district.
"Holy mackerel," Jane said, "looks like they didn't even detach the gun mounts."
"Those are urban antitheft devices. It's licensed for them too, isn't that great? Technically sublethal."
Jane's eyes were alight. "You've put it through its paces already, huh?"
"Yeah. You could say that."
"What kind of interface is it running?"
"A mega-dog-meat military interface. That's why I want you to have it for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I want you to have this car as long as you like. It's yours, you run it. I'd even sign over the papers, but I don't think that's a really good idea, legally speaking."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, and I, uh, wouldn't take it to Hidalgo, Starr, or Zapata counties, or over the border into Reynosa, because it~-inight be slightly hot there."
Sylvia tugged his sleeve and whispered, "Hey. We need that car! Don't give her the car!"
"It's all right, trust me," Alex assured her, "Jane's very good with cars, I've never known her to so much as bump a fender." He smiled.
"You can't just give me a pursuit car, Alex."
"Sure I can. I just did. Who's gonna stop me? And what's more, I want to see you take it for a spin. Right now. Sylvia and I will do lunch and look after nephew, and I want to see you run this sucker out to Enchanted Rock and tear the hide off of it."
"I don't think I can do that. Baby needs looking after."
"Look, Jane, you can't have it both ways. You just made me swear up and down I would guard that child's destiny; you're just gonna have to trust me with him for a couple of hours."
"Well... I'm tempted. I'm really tempted, Alex."
He leaned toward her, smiling. "Give in."
"All right!" Suddenly she embraced him.
It was a solid embrace. It felt surprisingly good to be hugged by one's sister. It was a real gift to have a sister. Not a wife, not a lover, but a woman that you deeply cared about. A friend, a good friend, a powerful ally. An ally against what? Against Nothing, that's what. Against death, against the big empty dark.
He touched his lips to his sister's ear. "Go and run, sister," he whispered. "Go run!"