"You've heard of Atlantis?"
It wasn't really a question, but Greg grunted a "yes" despite being a tad confused by what the mythical land could have to do with vampires."The lost civilization, Plato, Poseidon, Creita. A paradise with wealthy people who displeased Zeus by becoming greedy," he recalled from his courses at university.
"Zeus punished them by gathering all the gods together and wiping them out."
"That's what the books say," Lissianna agreed with a hint of amusement.
"What does the mythical Atlantis have to do with your being a vampire?"
"Atlantis is no more a myth than vampires are," she announced. "It was a very advanced race, and just before the fail, scientists there developed a sort of nano."
"Those tiny little computer thingies?"Greg asked.
"Yes," she said. "I don't pretend to understand it all. I've never really found science that interesting. My brother, Bastien, could explain this all more clearly, but basically, they combined the nanotechnology with some sort of bio something or other—"
"Bioengineering?" he asked.
"Something like that," she allowed. "They combined the two technologies to create microscopic nanos that could be shot into the bloodstream, where they would live and replicate."
"I don't understand what that has to do with—"
"These nanos were programmed to repair tissue," Lissianna interrupted. "They were meant to be medical aids, to help heal people who were seriously wounded or ill."
Greg arched an eyebrow. "And they worked?"
"Oh yes. They worked better than anyone had expected. Once in the body, they not only repaired damaged tissue, they destroyed any sort of infection and even regenerated dead or dying tissue."
"Ah," Greg said, suddenly understanding why she was telling him about Atlantis. "And these nanos are how you live so long and stay so young."
"Yes. It was an unexpected side effect. They were programmed to self-destruct once the damage in the body had been repaired, but—"
"The body is constantly under attack from sunlight, pollution, and simple aging," Greg finished for her.
It wasn't really a question, but Greg grunted a "yes" despite being a tad confused by what the mythical land could have to do with vampires."The lost civilization, Plato, Poseidon, Creita. A paradise with wealthy people who displeased Zeus by becoming greedy," he recalled from his courses at university.
"Zeus punished them by gathering all the gods together and wiping them out."
"That's what the books say," Lissianna agreed with a hint of amusement.
"What does the mythical Atlantis have to do with your being a vampire?"
"Atlantis is no more a myth than vampires are," she announced. "It was a very advanced race, and just before the fail, scientists there developed a sort of nano."
"Those tiny little computer thingies?"Greg asked.
"Yes," she said. "I don't pretend to understand it all. I've never really found science that interesting. My brother, Bastien, could explain this all more clearly, but basically, they combined the nanotechnology with some sort of bio something or other—"
"Bioengineering?" he asked.
"Something like that," she allowed. "They combined the two technologies to create microscopic nanos that could be shot into the bloodstream, where they would live and replicate."
"I don't understand what that has to do with—"
"These nanos were programmed to repair tissue," Lissianna interrupted. "They were meant to be medical aids, to help heal people who were seriously wounded or ill."
Greg arched an eyebrow. "And they worked?"
"Oh yes. They worked better than anyone had expected. Once in the body, they not only repaired damaged tissue, they destroyed any sort of infection and even regenerated dead or dying tissue."
"Ah," Greg said, suddenly understanding why she was telling him about Atlantis. "And these nanos are how you live so long and stay so young."
"Yes. It was an unexpected side effect. They were programmed to self-destruct once the damage in the body had been repaired, but—"
"The body is constantly under attack from sunlight, pollution, and simple aging," Greg finished for her.
"Yes." She smiled with pleasure at his understanding. "So long as there is damage to repair, the nanos will live and create others of their kind, using blood from the bloodstream. And there is always damage to repair."
Greg closed his eyes, his mind whirling with the knowledge she'd just given him. It raised as many questions as it answered. "What about the blood?Your … er… feeding, I mean? Is that because the nanos use the blood?"
"Yes. They use it both to fuel themselves and to make the repairs. The more damage, the more blood is needed. But even with just the damage from day-to-day living, the body can't supply enough blood to satisfy them."
"So you have to drink blood to feed the nanos," he reasoned.
"Yes. Drink it or take transfusions."
"Transfusions?" he echoed, pleased to hear such a common word in this conversation. "So it's really rather like hemophilia? Sort of a blood disorder…" Then he paused, and added wryly, "Except for the fact that you're all from an ancient, but scientifically advanced, race of people." He paused as a thought confused him. "But you were born just a little more than two hundred years ago. You aren't from Atlantis yourself. Is it passed from mother to child?"
"It was passed to me through my mother," Lissianna admitted. "But my mother wasn't born with it."
"Your father?" he queried, and realized he hadn't asked how old Jean Claude Argeneau had been when he died just a couple years ago. "How old was your father?"
"He, his twin brother, and their parents were amongst those who fled Atlantis when it fell. Aunt Martine was born a couple hundred years later."
Her father and his family had fled Atlantis when it fell, he considered silently. When had that been? He wasn't sure.Certainly before Roman times, before the birth of Christ… Dear God, it didn't bear thinking about.
"My father introduced the nanos to my mother when they were married," Lissianna added when his silence continued.
Greg gave a start at this news. "So anyone could…"
"You don't have to be born one," she admitted softly when he paused. "They were introduced to the blood intravenously to start with and still can be."
"And the blood doesn't necessarily have to be consumed," he said, his mind going back to that point. He didn't know why.Maybe because it made them seem less alien when he thought of it as a blood disorder
like hemophilia.
Greg closed his eyes, his mind whirling with the knowledge she'd just given him. It raised as many questions as it answered. "What about the blood?Your … er… feeding, I mean? Is that because the nanos use the blood?"
"Yes. They use it both to fuel themselves and to make the repairs. The more damage, the more blood is needed. But even with just the damage from day-to-day living, the body can't supply enough blood to satisfy them."
"So you have to drink blood to feed the nanos," he reasoned.
"Yes. Drink it or take transfusions."
"Transfusions?" he echoed, pleased to hear such a common word in this conversation. "So it's really rather like hemophilia? Sort of a blood disorder…" Then he paused, and added wryly, "Except for the fact that you're all from an ancient, but scientifically advanced, race of people." He paused as a thought confused him. "But you were born just a little more than two hundred years ago. You aren't from Atlantis yourself. Is it passed from mother to child?"
"It was passed to me through my mother," Lissianna admitted. "But my mother wasn't born with it."
"Your father?" he queried, and realized he hadn't asked how old Jean Claude Argeneau had been when he died just a couple years ago. "How old was your father?"
"He, his twin brother, and their parents were amongst those who fled Atlantis when it fell. Aunt Martine was born a couple hundred years later."
Her father and his family had fled Atlantis when it fell, he considered silently. When had that been? He wasn't sure.Certainly before Roman times, before the birth of Christ… Dear God, it didn't bear thinking about.
"My father introduced the nanos to my mother when they were married," Lissianna added when his silence continued.
Greg gave a start at this news. "So anyone could…"
"You don't have to be born one," she admitted softly when he paused. "They were introduced to the blood intravenously to start with and still can be."
"And the blood doesn't necessarily have to be consumed," he said, his mind going back to that point. He didn't know why.Maybe because it made them seem less alien when he thought of it as a blood disorder
like hemophilia.
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