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"Sorry," Cardenas replied. "I don't mean to bore you."
"No, no!" Joe slapped his chest in amusement. "Sorong head of Ciudad. Very bright guy, you see.
Genius, some human research folk say. Nice fella, too even if no bonobo."
It was disconcerting to see a guarded gate in the midst of so much magnificent, undisturbed jungle, but
Cardenas supposed it could not be avoided. He remarked on the absence of fencing.
"Reserva," Joe explained as the truck began to slow. "Animals need freedom to move around."
Cardenas nodded. "The local Ticos don't kill them if they wander outside the Reserva boundaries?"
Joe shook his head. "Tourists come to see wildlife. No wildlife, no tourists. No tourists, no money.
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People know. Even humans understand."
As they approached the gate, the Inspector remembered his history. "They didn't always. Tell me, Joe:
are you happy that some human scientists manipulated" he almost said "monkeyed with" "the
intelligence of your ancestors?"
The bonobo shrugged. "Sure. As means for communication, speaking words beats screaming and
throwing your excrement every time. Joecan still ouk-ouk with the best of them, but language better. Feel
sorry for the little guys, though." With a jerk of a thumb, he indicated the baboons in back. "They just no
get it." He tapped his throat with the back of his free hand. "Anyway, no room in here to lower their
larynxes. Larynx stays up, no possible to have real speech. Just like in human babies in first three
months."
Cardenas was not sure what to expect as they neared the Simiano compound. An absurdist vision of
crenellated battlements manned by armored chimpanzees clutching crossbows and slings harked back to
novels of fantasy he had read as a boy. The reality was far simpler and more prosaic. They passed a
succession of signs warning travelers that they were approaching a restricted area that could not be
entered without prior authorization, then an automatic gate that recognized the truck and rose to let them
through, before finally crossing a narrow, well-maintained bridge. The modest river it crossed was no
moat, but effectively served the same purpose.
The headquarters compound was no different from what the two visitors might have expected to find in a
comparable human zone: small prefab buildings designed to withstand the elements scattered about a trio
of slightly larger, more solid, two-story structures. Several were evidently dedicated to ongoing scientific
research, though whether these studies focused on the rainforest or the residents of the Ciudad the
Inspector did not know. Primates of various species swung above the compound on a network of
synthetic fiber ropes. Beneath these aerial pathways, larger apes ambled about.
"Have our own laws and regulations here." Disdaining the door, the bonobo vaulted effortlessly over the
side of the truck. Baboons spilled from the rear bed, while Hyaki disembarked more slowly. The rough
ride had been hard on his still-healing skin. "Take care of ourselves."
They drew curious stares as they walked toward the main building. Cardenas indicated the nearest
research facility. "Who works in there?"
Their host drew his upper lip back to expose teeth in a huge smile. "Youmean, humans or us? Mostly
humans. No ape got university degree yet. Have enough trouble trying to get CAF allow us to vote."
He spread gray-black arms wide. "You tell me, man. What am I citizen, or exhibit? Is this town, or
zoo?"
"I'm just a guest," Cardenas replied tactfully. "I don't have enough knowledge to even begin to discuss
the subject."
Joe executed a perfect backflip, out of which he jabbed a long finger in the Inspector's direction.
"Someday humans got to take a stand." He started up the steps. A wide covered porch ran around the
building. There were no chairs on the plastic flooring, only lounges, hanging baskets, and a couple of
swings made from old truck tires.
There was no receptionist. With its rooms largely devoid of furniture, glassless windows, and open [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]