Seeders: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

treated with chloroform will become anesthetized, just like animals? They can become intoxicated from a shot of whiskey, swaying like a drunk, even passing out and becoming revived with signs of a hangover. Why, simply cutting one leaf of a plant will produce signs of acute shock to the entire organism, and the other leaves can remain depressed and hyper-responsive for hours.”
    “I had no idea plants were so sentient,” Wired said. “It really makes an intelligent person think.”
    “You know what I think?” Enquirer said. “It’s all a bunch of crap. This whole field of study is what you call pseudoscience. Be good to plants because they have feelings too. It’s been going on since the sixties, and frankly it’s getting a little old. So now you fudge a few experiments to back up your claims, and I’m saying, it’s still the same old crap.” He shoved a forkful of lettuce in his mouth and looked around the table with an expression of triumph, as though he’d revealed something important, pointing out the naked emperor.
    The woman from Wired excused herself and abruptly headed to the buffet table, which had just opened.
    She passed Schroeder, who was looking rather nauseous.
    Jules felt his eye twitch and scanned the room full of journalists. What was he doing here? None of these people understood what he meant, not really. He stared at Enquirer, with his cynical, doubting face, and threw him a murderous glance. “I realize there will always be people who question our work at the institute. However, if you bother to actually read the papers that have been written on this subject over the last decade, you will find that plant intelligence is an indisputable fact. We can no longer deny it, any more than we can deny that dogs, dolphins, and rats display their own cognitive abilities. If a crow has intelligence, why not an amoeba, which can navigate a maze as well as a mouse? And then why not snakes, bacteria, or even lima bean plants? Where exactly does intelligence begin? I would argue that the difference is quantitative, not qualitative. So while you may think the study of plant intelligence is crap, any true scientist will tell you that survival is the single greatest determinant of a species’ success on earth, and on that basis, plant intelligence far surpasses that of humans.” Then he added, “Some humans more than others.”
    Enquirer chuckled. “Hey, check this out, Beecher.” He reached across the table to the centerpiece, a spray of flowers, and grasped a carnation between his fingers. He snapped off the top of the stem and waved the red flower at Jules. “I think we’re safe from their tyranny.”
    Jules had had enough. Reasoning was pointless. His heart rate slowed, as hatred replaced anger. “You’re perfectly correct. Until man came along with his penchant for destroying that which keeps us alive, there had never been an enemy plants couldn’t conquer or a geological condition they could not overcome. For seven hundred million years they’ve withstood ice ages, erupting volcanoes, meteor showers, and events brutal enough to kill off ninety-nine percent of species on the planet. So you raise a good point. If plants had the means to destroy humans, would they? Like the cowpea that releases peptides against the armyworm, or the tannins of a hemlock that kill attacking bacteria; would that Dianthus caryophyllus you just decapitated want to chop off your head?”
    “Good afternoon, gentlemen!” Edward Schroeder stood behind Jules with his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. “It’s so good to see you all here. We have a wonderful buffet set up and I’ll bet you’re all starving.” He glared at Jules. “I trust Dr. Beecher has given you an excellent overview of his groundbreaking study. So before we begin our film, I suggest you enjoy our delicious dinner.”
    “Yes, of course.” Jules stood up, towering over the table and spoke softly to Enquirer . “Thank you for the discussion.” In