"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Millennium Babies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

"Meaning?"
"I hesitate to say for certain, but it might be indicative of great drive. Stemming, I believe, from the fact that the
parents were driven." His eyes were sparkling. His enthusiasm for his work was catching. She found herself leaning
forward like a student in her favorite class. "We're also finding genetic markers in the very areas we were looking for.
And some interesting biochemical indications that may help us isolate the biological aspect of this."
"You're moving fast," she said.
He nodded. "That's what's nice about having a good team."
And a lot of subjects, she thought. Not to mention building on earlier research.
"We've also found that there is direct correlation between a child's winning or losing the millennium race and her
perception of herself as a success or failure, independent of external evidence."
Her mouth was dry. "Meaning?"
"No matter how successful they are, the majority of Millennium Babies -- at least the ones we chose for this study,
the ones whose parents conceived them only as part of the race -- perceive themselves as failures."
"Including me," she said.
He nodded. The movement was slight, and it was gentle.
"Why?" she asked.
"That's the thing we can only speculate at. At least at this moment." He wasn't telling her everything. But then, the
study wasn't done. He tilted his head slightly. "Are you willing to go to phase two of the study?"
"If I say no, will you tell me what else you've discovered?" she asked.
"That's our agreement." He paused and then added, "I would really like it if you continued."
Brooke smiled. "That much is obvious."
He smiled too, and then looked down. "This last part is nothing like the first. You won't have test after test. It's only
going to last for a few days. Can you do that?"
Some of the tension left her shoulders. She could do a few days. But that was it. "All right," she said.
"Good." He smiled at her, and she braced herself. There was more. "I'll put you down for the next segment. It
doesn't start until Memorial Day. I have to ask you to stay in town, and set aside that weekend."
She had no plans. She usually stayed in town on Memorial Day weekend. Madison emptied out, the students going
home, and the city became a small town -- one she dearly loved.
She nodded.
He waited a moment, his gaze darting downward, and then meeting hers again. "There's one more thing."
This was why he had called her here. This was why she needed to see him in person.
"I was wondering if your mother ever told you who your father is. It would help our study if we knew something
about both parents."
Brooke threaded her hands together, willing herself to remain calm. This had been a sensitive issue her entire life.
"No," she said. "My mother has no idea who my father is. She went to a sperm bank."
Franke frowned. "I just figured, since your mother seemed so meticulous about everything else, she would have
researched your father as well."
"She did," Brooke said. "He was a physicist, very well known, apparently. It was one of those sperm banks that
specialized in famous or successful people. And my mother did check that out."
Your father must not have been as wonderful as they said he was. Look at you. It had to come from somewhere.
"Do you know the name of the bank?"
"No."
Franke sighed. "I guess we have all that we can, then."
She hated the disapproval in his tone. "Surely others in this study only have one parent."
"Yes," he said. "There's a subset of you. I was just hoping--"
"Anything to make the study complete," she said sarcastically.
"Not anything," he said. "You can trust me on that."
Brooke didn't hear from Professor Franke again for nearly a month, and then only in the form of a message, delivered
to House, giving her the exact times, dates, and places of the Memorial Day meetings. She forgot about the study
except when she saw it on her calendar.