Characters

Dr. Harold Irving, Ph.D. - Dr. Irving is a Ph.D. in genetic engineering and head of Avalon Corporation’s genetic research division. He is stern and authoritative, but not without a sense of humor. The Sequencer is his brainchild, and he is very protective of it. He is in his 50’s.

Dr. Dawn Kinkaid, Ph.D. - Dr. Kinkaid did her Ph.D. on interactions between genes and works for the Avalon Corporation under the supervision of Dr. Irving. Avalon Kinkaid is her daughter. Dawn has had a hard life and it has hurt her belief in God. She is a professed atheist. Dawn begins the play in her mid 30’s but ages to her mid 50’s.

Dr. Jethro Davis, MD - Dr. Davis is a medical doctor, whose field is reproductive endocrinology. He is employed by Avalon Corporation and is Dawn’s most trusted colleague and friend. However, he harbors a secret romantic interest in her. Jethro is devoted to religion and believes science will eventually bring people closer to God. After assisting in the creation of Avalon Kinkaid in the laboratory, he does his best to act like a mentor and father figure to her. Jethro begins the play in his late 30’s but ages to his late 50’s.

Natasha Lee, Sequencer Technician - Natasha excels at her job, having invented most of the micro-manipulative tools used by the Sequencer herself. Natasha is the mother of Cheyanne and Tammery, who she parents on her own. Natasha studies Buddhism, but considers it more to be a life philosophy than a religion. Patience is one of Natasha’s key virtues and it has aided her greatly throughout her life. She is good friends with co-worker Andrew Edwards. She begins the play in her mid 30’s, but ages to her mid 50’s.

Andrew Edwards, Matrix Programmer - Andrew is a natural whiz with computer programming and genetic code, and also an incurable nerd. Using the two things he is most expert at, Andrew has created the complex predictive programs of the Sequencer. These programs are used to simulate the outcome of infinite numbers of base pair combinations. Working with Dr. Kinkaid and Dr. Davis particularly, Andrew has achieved a truly huge success with his programs. His great failure in life is his son, Quinn, who he cannot seem to understand. Andrew begins the play in his late 20’s but ages to his late 40’s.

President R. J. Williams - President Williams, the wealthy eccentric CEO of Avalon Corporation, has little regard for the laws of the land when it comes to funding his unethical research programs. A professed eugenicist, President Williams hired Dr. Irving to put together the Sequencer team. With his money and influence, he is able to protect his team members from all legal trouble and keep their research hidden for as long as it needed to be. President Williams commissioned the design of his two winged children, Angelica and Raven, who he raises with his wife. President Williams begins the play in his mid 50’s and ages to his mid 70’s.

Avalon Kinkaid - Avalon is the first child to be completely genetically engineered. Avalon is “perfect” and ends up living the perfect life her mother never got to live— she is beautiful, popular, and completely healthy. Her only conflicts are the struggle to know God when her mother doesn’t believe in Him, and her love of Jonathan, who is the son of a fanatic Protestant minister of whom her mother disapproves. Avalon’s most overriding character trait is her innocence. Avalon has a special relationship with Jethro, who she thinks of like a father. Avalon is 17 years old.

Quinn Edwards - Gifted with extreme intelligence, Quinn is secretly very lonely. He often affects a “California surfer” attitude, using words like “dude,” “woah man,” and “that rules,” in order to blend in and obtain the appearance of coolness and popularity. He has learned early on that his intelligence only separates him from the others in his class, even the engineered ones. Therefore he goes to elaborate lengths to disguise his genius, much to the dismay of his father, Andrew. Quinn is 16 years old.

Cheyanne Lee - Cheyanne is older than Tammery, and physically more imposing than her. Gifted with extraordinary athletic abilities, Cheyanne excels in sports. She has learned Buddhist philosophy from her mother and resorts to it often in order to deal with the challenges inherent in having a psychic little sister. She is 14 years old.

Tammery Lee - Tammery was designed to be excessively intelligent, but rather than book smarts, she ended up having unique mental abilities. Tammery is able to pick up the surface thoughts, feelings, and emotions of others. She is very perceptive, and has a special bond with her mother Natasha and older sister Cheyanne. Tammery also has the ability to influence the thoughts of those around her, although she keeps this ability hidden. Tammery often seems wise beyond her years and usually uses this wisdom to try to understand the people around her. Being near a person in emotional distress is often more than Tammery can ignore at this point, and this will sometimes motivate her to take action. She is 13 years old.

Angelica Williams - With hollow bones and wings, there is much debate over whether or not Angelica Williams is in fact Human, and if she does in fact have rights. Angelica is not yet old enough to really understand the uncertain nature of her legal status; she is aware that she is different and understands that some of the children at school tease her because of this. She has been raised in a wealthy environment and will sometimes act spoiled. Angelica is 8 years old.

Raven Williams - With hollow bones and wings, the only person Raven has seen who looks like him is his sister, Angelica. Raven is beginning to notice this difference and feel slightly isolated. At the same time, he likes having wings. Raven’s future is still fairly uncertain; fortunately he has his wealthy parents to protect him. Raven adores his father, which certainly affects his world view; unfortunately, he is inclined to repeat some of his father’s more deplorable sentiments on issues. Raven is 7 years old.

Reverend Seth Colton - Reverend Colton is a Protestant minister and a religious fanatic. The prevailing realities of the genetic revolution, including prejudice towards religion, widespread atheism, and the existence of beings and children that are created “outside God’s Order” greatly upset him. His organization has dwindled over the years, and he bemoans the fact that people are determined to turn away from God. He believes it is his duty to do anything and everything necessary to rid society of the seductive science of genetic engineering. This belief is put over the top when he finds out his son Jonathan is dating a genetically engineered girl, Avalon Kinkaid. He is willing to do just about anything to make the world conform to his view of how it should be, including selling his own soul. Reverend Colton begins the play in his 40’s and ages to his 60’s.

Micah Jones - Micah is a lawyer, and he advocates for pro-religious legislation in the state government. He suffers under the heavy burden of taking care of his handicapped son, Daniel. His son and the genetic revolution have turned him into an incurable cynic. Micah is straightforward and makes every effort to say what he means, no matter how insulting it might be. He is married to Linda Jones and is a Baptist. He is in his early 40’s.

Linda Jones - Linda is having her own crisis of faith involving her wheelchair-bound son Daniel. She is a militant member of an anti-discrimination organization that seeks to help the disabled. Though she believes God willed her to have Daniel and that he is special, she has refrained from having any more children after him because of his disability. She is secretly pondering using genetic technology to insure that her next child is born without physical handicaps. She is in her mid 40’s.

Mrs. Mary McClear - A 7th Day Adventist, Mary McClear follows the creeds of her faith to the letter. She is a shy, but sincere woman, and a stay-at-home grandmom. She lives with her somewhat abusive son, Matthew, and her grandson, Michael. Michael’s mother left his father long ago, and now she feels she is the only one who can help Michael with his learning disability. She lobbies his school repeatedly, and is frustrated by the lack of results. She is in her late 60’s.

Reverend Rachel Smith - A Protestant minister of the more open variety, Reverend Smith is not the fanatic that Seth is. She is in favor of trying to mainstream religion into science and popular culture somehow, even though she completely opposes genetic engineering practices. It is her belief that the primary focus of the church organization should be evangelization. She is married and has a daughter, Elizabeth Smith. Reverend Smith is in her late 50’s.

Mrs. Betsy Sloane - Left single after her husband died of cancer, Betsy is perhaps the most unfortunate member of her community. Betsy is raising two children by herself now, Catherine and Eric. Her tragedy centers around her son Eric’s cystic fibrosis. Mr. Sloane, when he was alive, was an ardent anti-geneticist Christian Scientist who refused to have his son treated with new genetic technology. Betsy wavers between her love of him and her desire to respect his wishes, and the reality of her son’s ailing health. She procrastinates and overeats to avoid having to make a decision that she feels will be between her husband, her God, and her son’s life. Mrs. Sloane is in her mid 30’s.

Jonathan Colton - Son of the widowed Rev. Seth Colton, Jonathan misses his mother, and continually rebels against his strict father. His interest in Avalon Kinkaid and genetics stems partially from this rebellion. He doesn’t really trust his father’s interpretation of religion because his father tells him that Avalon and her kind are soulless, which he does not believe. Jonathan falls in love with Avalon, and when she falls ill will do anything to help her. Jonathan is 17 years old.

Michael McClear - Of all the kids in his whole school, Michael is probably the slowest learner without actually being mentally retarded. He is learning disabled and suffers from attention deficit disorder. His father beats him for his poor academic performance on a regular basis. This leads him to he befriend Quinn Edwards in order to get some free tutoring and study skills advice, which his school is currently unable to provide him. Michael is 16 years old.

Daniel Jones - Daniel is a bitter and angry boy who is wheelchair-bound. He has a right to be angry. His whole life he has had to listen to a society of people who are of the opinion that his life is not high “quality” enough to be worth living. He partially resents the fact that he would have been screened out of a petri dish if it were up to the geneticists, and partially he wishes he had been. He hates being different, and takes it out on everyone around him. At the same time, he really wishes he had some friends. Daniel is 15 years old.

Elizabeth Smith - Shy about her awkward appearance and glasses, Elizabeth knows it is wrong to be genetically engineered, but she sometimes can’t help wondering what it must be like. She asks her friend, Cheyanne, about this frequently. Elizabeth has a good relationship with her parents, and is the most stable in her faith of all the community children. Elizabeth is 13 years old.

Catherine Sloane - Catherine is insecure due to the loss of her father when she was young and her little brother Eric’s medical condition. She wants to be a doctor someday in order to save him. Catherine’s greatest fear is that her little brother will die. Catherine understands little of the issues regarding right and wrong, only repeating things her mother has told her. She is, however, secretly envious of Angelica and Raven and their wings. She hopes to go to Heaven one day and have wings too. She is 7 years old.

Eric Sloane - Eric has spent most of his short life sick and fatherless. His mother pays lots of attention to him, and Eric is frequently cheerful despite his physical condition. This makes him dear to his mother. He is pudgy and good-natured. Eric’s condition (cystic fibrosis) could be corrected by current genetic technologies, but his mother refuses to allow him to be treated that way because she is a Christian Scientist who believes that sickness is all in one’s head. Eric, however, is too young to really understand the particulars of his situation. He is 6 years old.

Dr. Kyle Nicholson - Dr. Nicholson doesn’t actually have his Ph.D. in anything except trouble-making. He represents, literally and figuratively, the incarnation of the Devil on the earth. He is selfish, egotistical, power-hungry, and unscrupulous. He is also strikingly handsome and well-spoken, attracting even Dawn’s romantic attention. He should appear to be possessed of slightly supernatural powers which become more apparent near the end of the play. When his plots fail to have a major impact on the Human race as a whole, a frustrated (but not beaten) Kyle disappears. Kyle begins the play in his mid 30’s and retains a fairly youthful appearance throughout.