Ender's Shadow

not lag, and Sister Carlotta enjoyed hearing Julian talk about his company and Elena talk about her work as a teacher. All thought of their having risen in the world through government corruption faded as she
     
      realized that however he got his contract, Julian was a serious, dedicated creator of software, while Elena was a fervent teacher who treated her profession as a crusade. "I knew as soon as I started teaching our son how remarkable he was," Elena told her. "But it wasn't until his pre-tests for school placement that we first learned that his gifts were particularly suited for the I.F.”
        Alarm bells went off. Sister Carlotta had assumed that their son was an adult. After all, they were not a young couple. "How old is your son?”
      "Eight years old now," said Julian. "They sent us a picture. Quite a little man in his uniform. They don't let many letters come through.”
      Their son was in Battle School. They appeared to be in their forties, but they might not have started to have a family until late, and then tried in vain for a while, going through a tubal pregnancy before finding out that Elena could no longer conceive. Their son was only a couple of years older than Bean.
      Which meant that Graff could compare Bean's genetic code with that of the Delphiki boy and find out if they were from the same cloned egg. There would be a control, to compare what Bean was like with Anton's key turned, as opposed to the other, whose genes were unaltered.
      Now that she thought about it, of course any true sibling of Bean's would have exactly the abilities that would bring the attention of the I.F.   Anton's key made a child into a savant in general; the particular mix of skills that the I.F. looked for were not affected. Bean would have had those skills no matter what; the alteration merely allowed him to bring a far sharper intelligence to bear on abilities he already had.
      If Bean was in fact their child. Yet the coincidence of twenty-three fertilized eggs and the twenty-three children that Volescu had produced in the "clean room" -- what other conclusion could she reach?
      And soon the answer came, first to Sister Carlotta, but immediately thereafter to the Delphikis. The I.F. investigators had gone to the clinic with the doctor and together they had discovered that the eggs were missing.
      It was hard news for the Delphikis to bear, and Sister Carlotta discreetly waited outside while Elena and Julian took some time alone together. But soon they invited her in. "How much can you tell us?" Julian asked. "You came here because you suspected our babies might have been taken. Tell me, were they born?”
      Sister Carlotta wanted to hide behind the veil of military secrecy, but in truth there was no military secret involved -- Volescu's crime was a matter of public record. And yet ... weren't they better off not knowing?
      "Julian, Elena, accidents happen in the laboratory. They might have died anyway. Nothing is certain. Isn't it better just to think of this as a terrible accident? Why add to the burden of the loss you already have?”
      Elena looked at her fiercely. "You will tell me, Sister Carlotta, if you love the God of truth!”
      "The eggs were stolen by a criminal who ... illegally caused them to be brought through gestation. When his crime was about to be discovered, he gave them a painless death by sedative. They did not suffer.”
      "And this man will be put on trial?”
      "He has already been tried and sentenced to life in prison," said Sister Carlotta.
      "Already?" asked Julian. "How long ago were our babies stolen?”
      "More than seven years ago.”
      "Oh!" cried Elena. "Then our babies ... when they died ...”
      "They were infants. Not a year old yet.”
      "But why our babies? Why would he steal them? Was he going to sell them for adoption? Was he...”
      "Does it matter? None of his plans came to fruition," said Sister Carlotta. The nature of Volescu's experiments was a secret.
      "What was the murderer's name?" asked Julian. Seeing her hesitation, he insisted. "His name is a matter of public record, is it not?”
      "In the criminal courts of Rotterdam," said Sister Carlotta. "Volescu.”
      Julian reacted as if slapped -- but immediately controlled himself. Elena did not see it.
      He knows about his father's mistress, thought Sister Carlotta. He understands now what part of the motive had to be. The legitimate son's children were kidnapped by