Dolly

Date/Timing: 28 December 2011
Setting: Sabine, Dietrich, and Emma's house; Geneva, Switzerland
The original first part of this is now the first part of "Open Hours"
.
== Revised text ==
A knock at the guest room door.
„„Manny, may I come in?““ calls Dee.
Hermann tugs his jumper into place over the cuff protecting his broken arm, calls, „Go ahead.“
Dee steps inside, closes the door behind. „Do you a have moment?“
„Of course.“ Smiles. „If Sabine can spare you.“
Dee grimaces. „She's between bouts. Why the books claim the second pregnancy is easier ....“
Hermann snorts.
„You'll probably want to make yourself comfortable, since this will take a few minutes.“ Dee perches on the edge of the mattress.
Hermann eases himself into the chair, shuffles his wings for maximum comfort, and leans back.
Dietrich runs a hand through his hair, then drops it to his lap. „I, uh, ran with an impulse and sent some old blood draws from all of us siblings and Father with Sabine to her lab for DNA comparison.“
Hermann braces.
„First, we're all siblings, as far as modern testing can tell.“
„But?“
„You and Bunny don't have enough genes in common with Karla and I to be our /full siblings.“ A deep breath. „There's enough difference between the two of you and Father that if he wanted to disown you, he'd win a court case disputing his paternity.“
„That ... explains why he hates us.“
„He doesn't hate you, he just doesn't like meddling in his life.“ Gives Hermann a look. „A trait the two of you share, I might add.“
Hermann grumbles, but concedes.
„That's not all.“
Hermann swallows.
„The sibling comparison? You and Bunny are so close on the test you could be twins. The chances of that happening naturally, given your birth dates, are astronomical.“
Hermann struggles to breathe.
„Then Sabine got curious and ran some gene expression tests on a handful of traits where we've noticed differences between you.“ A deep breath. „Everywhere she checked, you both have all the genes, but only one or the other of yours function.“
Hermann blinks. „How ...?“
„I haven't a clue.“ A beat and then, quietly, „Manny, I think Mother was cloning people and she copied you to make Bunny. It's also possible she copied herself to make you.“
Hermann .... 
„Manny? You're a bit pale—“
.
From the master bedroom, Sabine shouts, „„Who's using my bathroom?““
Hermann rests his head on the toilet. 
Dee rubs his back, calls, „Manny's feeling a little under the weather.“
A beat. 
„„I love your brother, Dee, but I'm not giving him any of my tea!““
„I wouldn't dare to ask, my love!“
„„Good!““
Hermann focuses on his breathing. 
Dee smooths his hair. „I meant it, Manny—whatever the case, you're still our brothers.“
Something—
Hermann's stomach rolls. 
„Manny? Are you—“
„Dolly,“ he croaks. 
„What?“
„The sheep! Dolly the sheep!" Wheezes. "The first the cloned mammal, Dee!" Presses his palms into his eyes. "Her lifespan was cut from the expected by the age of her progenitor. He could die early as a result of—“
„You're not sheep.“
„We're birds—at least in part—if he has /all my genes. Our 'donors' have a similar life expectancy to sheep.“
„You're /not sheep /or birds. Besides, you're a clone of /her.“
Hermann shakes his head, slumps to the rug. „That only makes it /worse. I could die forty years early and him fifty.“
Dee says nothing.
„We have to tell him.“
„What good will it do? He's not going to have children and any health problems which may develop will present when they're going to present. All knowing will do is raise his stress and stress /does shorten lives.“
„I don't like keeping this from him.“
Dee stands, goes to the sink. „I don't like it, either, but I do feel it's the best for him.“ Draws Hermann a glass of water. 
„One abnormality in the family is enough,“ mutters Hermann.
Dee hands it to him. 
„Thank you.“
Dee sits again. „Please don't talk about yourself like that.“
„I—this is a lot to take in.“
„Take a moment, get yourself centered again.“
Hermann takes a deep breath, heart fluttering. „Will she ever stop haunting us?“
Silence.
„Dee?“
„It ... it isn't as though this is something new she's done: we've only substantiated something we've always suspected was true. Nothing's changed.“
„It still somehow feels worse.“
„But that doesn't change the situation.“
„No, but—“ Swallows. „—she was apparently splicing humans and animals, cloning, and turning genes on and off at will /twenty /years ago. What could her people do /now?“
„I don't know, but it doesn't matter.“
„How can you—“
„I choose to worry about my family and let the rest of the world take care of itself.“ A weak smile. „It keeps me from going mad.“
Hermann laughs shakily.
„Get your air back and go cuddle up with Edan. You'll feel so much better then.“
„True enough.“
„That's the spirit.“
„Thank you for letting me know this. It answers a number of questions I've had.“
„You're welcome, Manny.“
„Give me a moment?“
„Of course.“ Dee stands, squeezes his knee, slips out, closing the door behind.
Hermann counts silently to ten, then forces himself to sit upright. He drags a hand down his face, drops it to his lap, lets his head fall back. 
Another five-count and he squares up, hauls himself to his feet, and wobbles in search of Edan.
.
== Original text ==
Hermann leans forward over his desk, shifts his wings under his binder, rolls his shoulders. He straightens, wings still pinched, checks the clock, and sighs, "Another bloody hour."
He sits back, drags his attention to PAIGE.
/hermann_g: Please check for changes in the at-risk students list and inform me.
/PAIGE: Mr Hopkins and Ms Bradley must score at least 90% on the next assignment to remain in good standing, while Mr Kirby will be removed with a score above 70%.
/PAIGE: All three are enrolled in 101.
/hermann_g: Thank you, Paige.
/PAIGE: What shall I do next?
/hermann_g: Please compare Ms Marsden's posted schedule with those of Hopkins and Bradley and send a list of overlapping open 60-minute blocks to my email.
/PAIGE: Email sent.
/hermann_g: Thank you, Paige.
/PAIGE: What shall I do next?
/hermann_g: Please compare my lecture notes for 101 with the test questions for Unit 2 used by other instructors over the past 4 semesters and compile a list of questions which cover similar material and send it to my email.
/PAIGE: This will take a moment. Please be patient.
/hermann_g: Please, when you have finished, put yourself in research mode until I shut down this machine.
/PAIGE: Yes, sir.
Hermann sighs, pushes his glasses up onto his forehead, rubs his eyes.
A knock at the open doorway.
""Doctor Gottlieb?""
"Come in, Ms Marsden." He nudges his glasses farther up, swivels his chair to face her.
She smiles, waves. "I can't stay long, but I wanted to check if you had anything new for me."
"There are two more one-ought-one students in need of assistance, if you desire more tutoring work."
"I can always use the extra fees. Who'm I looking at?"
"Mr Hopkins and Ms Bradley."
Marsden sighs.
"Is there are problem?"
"Hopkins will never agree to work with me, the sexist bastard."
Hermann frowns. "He'll just have to muddle through on his own, then."
She snickers. "Have I mentioned you're my favourite professor ever and not just because we're the same age?"
He ducks his head—
His glasses fall, clattering onto the keyboard.
—scrabbles for them, mumbles, "Thank you, Ms Marsden."
"/Puh-lease call me 'Olivia', Doctor. No need to be so formal with me."
Hermann takes a moment fold his glasses and set them safely aside. "I'm more comfortable using your surname, not because I wish to be unfriendly, but because it shows you the respect you deserve for the job you do."
Marsden tilts her head. "Sooooo, if we were to bump into each other on the town, you'd call me Olivia?"
"Yes, I would, because then we'd be two friends meeting on a social occasion." He offers a crooked smile.
"Good to know." Marsden beams. "Have a good afternoon, Doctor."
"You, too, Ms Marsden."
She heads out.
Hermann spins back to his screen, puts his  glasses back on, navigates to the first of the articles PAIGE had flagged for him to read.
Two sentences into the abstract, his mobile sings.
He checks, kicks the door closed, accepts the connection with, „Hello, Dee.“
„„Hi, Manny. Before you worry any further, everyone's fine; I'm only calling from the office so Bunny can't eavesdrop. Do you have a moment to talk?““
Hermann's heart sinks; he pulls off his glasses and drops them beside the keyboard. „Yes.“
„„I, uh, ran with an impulse and sent some DNA samples from all of us siblings—I pulled them from old blood draws—with Sabine to her lab for comparison.““
Hermann braces.
„„You and Bunny don't have enough genes in common with Karla and I to be our full siblings.““ A deep breath. „„It's very likely you're not Father's children, given you don't look a bit like him.““
„That ... explains why he hates us.“
„„That's not all.““
Hermann swallows.
„„You and Bunny are identical genetically. You could be twins. The chances of that happening naturally are astronomical.““
Hermann struggles to breathe.
„„He even has your 'special' genes, Manny.““
„No ....“
„„It seems his were 'turned off' somehow.““
„How ...?“
„„I haven't a clue.““ A beat and then, quietly, „„Manny, I think Mother was cloning people and she copied you to make Bunny.““
Hermann's world reels; he rests his forehead on the desktop.
„„Whatever the case, you're still our brothers.““
Something niggles.
„„Manny? Are you—““
„Dolly.“
„„What?““
„Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal. Her lifespan was cut from the expected by the age of her progenitor. He could die early as a result of—“
„„You're not sheep.““
„We're birds—at least in part. Our 'donors' have a similar life expectancy to sheep.“
„„You're /not sheep /or birds.““
„We have to tell him.“
„„What good will it do? He's not going to have children and any health problems which may develop will present when they're going to present. All knowing will do is raise his stress and stress /does shorten lives.““
„I don't like keeping this from him.“
„„I don't like it, either, but I do feel it's the best for him.““
„One abnormality in the family is enough,“ mutters Hermann.
„„Please don't talk about yourself like that.““
„I—this is a lot to take in.“
„„Are you at home?““
„My office.“
„„Gather your things, get yourself back, curl up with Edan and Dottie, have a quiet evening in.““
Hermann takes a deep breath, heart fluttering. „Will she ever stop haunting us?“
Silence.
„Dee?“
„„It ... it isn't as though this is something new she's done: we've only substantiated something we've always suspected was true. Nothing's changed.““
„It still somehow feels worse.“
„„But that doesn't change the situation.““
„No, but—“ Swallows. „—she was splicing humans and animals, cloning, and turning genes off at will /twenty /years ago. What could her people do /now?“
„„I don't know, but it doesn't matter.““
„How can you—“
„„I choose to worry about my family and let the rest of the world take care of itself.““ A weak laugh. „„It keeps me from going mad.““
Hermann sighs.
„„Go home and have Edan cook you a delicious dinner.““
„As if he was capable of anything else.“
„„That's the spirit.““
„Thank you for letting me know this. It answers a number of questions I've had.“
„„You're welcome, Manny.““
„Give my love to Sabine and Emma and have a pleasant evening.“
„„Thank you, I will. The same to Edan and Dottie.““
„Goodbye.“
„„'bye!““
The disconnection chime sounds.
Hermann counts silently to ten, then forces himself to sit upright. He drags a hand down his face, drops it to his lap, lets his head fall back. 
Another five-count and he squares up, dons his glasses, and stares, unseeing, at his monitor.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Hermann is a clone
Category:Bastien is a clone
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Bastien (mention)
Category:Sabine (mention)
Category:Karla (mention)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Birgit (mention)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Geneva (setting)