The Keras Genome

by Kurtis Eckstein

  “Just don’t get yourself killed trying to do it…which actually brings me to the topic I really wanted to discuss with you.”

  Chapter 20: Revelations

  Dr. Gabriella Robinson seemed tentative about bringing up the next subject. Up until this point she had seemed eager to provide information, but now she was hesitant. After a long pause, she finally began with a simple, yet somehow disturbing, question. “Noah, tell me…when was the last time you ate anything?”

  Noah paused as he realized what his answer was. “I don’t remember.” He knew he hadn’t had an appetite since he had woken up in the warehouse, but he had just assumed it was because of the horrible things he had been exposed to recently. Was there something else significant about his lack of eating?

  Gabriella’s next question was even more disturbing to Noah. “And when was the last time Madison ate anything?”

  Noah looked down at Madison then, realizing that whatever Gabriella was concerned about affected her too. He wondered why this subject seemed so important to Gabriella. Without looking at her, he said, “I don’t know. I assume before…before she was infected.”

  “Noah, you’ve been literally lifting hundreds of pounds all day. That energy needs to come from somewhere. Haven’t you wondered where? ”

  He shook his no. He realized what she was saying was true, but he had no idea where the energy might be coming from.

  “Let me ask you this. Was there ever a time today when you felt even slightly fatigued?”

  He looked up then, remembering just one time. It had been when he had tried to lift that three-ton wrecking ball with his arms. He had felt worn out for the first time, but it hadn’t taken him long to recover. Looking at Gabriella, he said, “The wrecking ball. I felt tired trying to lift it.”

  “And how long did you feel tired?”

  Noah just shrugged as he tried to recall. “Maybe a few seconds really.”

  “What were you doing when the fatigued left you?”

  “Nothing, I was just standing around.”

  “Standing around where ?”

  Noah wasn’t sure what she was getting out. “Outside. The crane was too big to bring into the hanger. Why?”

  “Noah, I have two theories for how your new body obtains energy and nutrients – one of which has been confirmed already. The first theory is fairly harmless. You see, the Keras have evolved to be able to obtain energy from the void of space. Otherwise, it is unlikely they would have been able to travel through space in the way they do.”

  “And how is that?”

  “Noah, they don’t have a spaceship. They are completely exposed to the void of space, without air, oxygen, water, or anything humans need to live. The Keras are truly the ultimate survivalists, but they still need energy. And the only source of energy readily available in space is radiation.”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Noah, it was a sunny day. You were fatigued, and you felt better after just standing outside for a few seconds. I think your body converts the sunlight into energy just like plants do through photosynthesis, and how the Keras do in space.”

  “Are you serious? I eat sunlight?”

  “More like you absorb sunlight. The human body is already capable of using sunlight to produce vitamin D, so it’s not too much of a stretch, especially considering that your DNA is completely different now. However, that only addresses your energy needs. You can’t get nutrients from radiation, just like a plant needs the ground to grow.”

  Noah waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. She just stopped. He was about to ask her to elaborate, when she finally did on her own.

  “Noah, what I just told you is a theory, which you helped confirm by suggesting you felt better in the sunlight. However, this second one isn’t really a theory. At this point, it’s pretty much a fact. You have been eating, you just haven’t realized it.”

  Shocked, Noah was suddenly worried. What had he been eating? How had he not noticed that he was eating? Had he lost consciousness when he was hungry?

  In response to Noah’s questioning look, she slowly continued. “Noah, do you remember when you were first picked up and taken to the base near your city? ”

  Noah nodded in response. “Yes, I was picked up by three people. They said their names had been Mitch, Laura, and Sam. But they all died after we were attacked by the Keras.”

  Gabriella nodded in agreement. “Yes, they did all perish. However…” She paused again. “When we found Laura’s body, which was the closest one to where they found you, her blood was gone. Like, all of it. There wasn’t a drop of blood on the ground, or in her body. Noah, you’ve been absorbing blood for food.”

  Stunned, he didn’t know what to say. What was she implying? That he was a vampire now? He needed blood to survive? He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He tried to deny it, but then suddenly remembered being back at the facility where he had first gained control of his blood. Madison had gotten blood on her face, but after he had kissed her the blood that his hand had touched was gone. He audibly gulped at the disturbing thought.

  When Noah didn’t respond, Gabriella continued. “This is the reason why I don’t like the idea of creating more humans with the Keras genome. Noah, you haven’t been eating consciously. Your body has just been getting blood whenever it needs it.” Gabriella let that sink in for a few seconds before she continued. “Now, I don’t think your body actually needs blood that often to survive. I think the only reason why you absorbed Laura’s blood was because you were injured, so as long as you don’t get injured you might need it very rarely. This may be especially true since you both seem like you’re almost indestructible now, but nevertheless your body will still seek blood again.”

  Noah looked down at Madison again, as Gabriella’s words sunk in. Madison had been someone who had started donating her blood to ‘save a life’ as soon as the law would allow her. And now she had been turned into a being who needed to take blood from others in order to survive. Up until this point, he hadn’t been too upset about what he had done to her, because he knew she would have wanted it anyway. But now, he was afraid she would hate herself for what she had become. Would she grow to resent him as well? The thought terrified him, even more than what Gabriella was saying.

  When Noah still didn’t respond, she asked him a question. “Tell me, have you even had the sensation of hunger? What did you feel when you had been injured by the Keras?”

  He thought for a minute before answering, remembering the horrible feeling of having been impaled. “I felt…cold.”

  “Have you ever felt cold since then?”

  Noah knew of one other time. “After the Keras had attacked me, and I woke up restrained to a table in an operation room, the soldiers in the room had shot me multiple times before my blood had killed them. I didn’t have control of it quite yet. But after my wounds healed, I felt cold then.” Noah paused as he thought about the experience, remembering the details. “But then when I got off the table, I slipped in some blood. I was barefoot. I remember feeling nauseous, sickened by the gore, but at the same time I almost immediately felt warm again. It was strangely comforting.”

  “That might be it then. That might be how your new body tells you that it needs blood. You feel cold.”

  He nodded in response, realizing she was right. It made sense. He felt very warm most of the time, but on the rare occasions that he had felt cold it had meant that he had been harmed and needed blood.

  Gabriella spoke again. “And Noah, I think it’s best that you get blood immediately if you have that feeling. Because otherwise, it seems your new body will do it on its own without your consent.”

  “Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you concerned about the fact that I’m basically the ultimate vampire?”

  Gabriella laughed, the abrupt noise startling Noah. “I guess you can use that comparison – vampire. Although vampires don’t really exist of course. But nevertheless, I suppose that’s the c
losest metaphor we have to what you’ve become. It’s kind of a contradiction though – a vampire that needs both blood and the sun to survive.”

  Noah didn’t think it was funny. “But you didn’t answer my question. Why are you telling me all this?”

  She looked at him seriously then. “Because there’s nothing I, or anyone, can do to prevent you from existing at this point. According to Dr. Anderson, even a nuclear bomb might not kill you. But thankfully you seem like a good kid, so the best way I can handle this situation is make sure you understand what’s going on with you, so you don’t go accidentally killing someone you love.” She then lowered her voice and spoke almost to herself. “Granted you will probably have to watch everyone you love die anyways, except for Madison.”

  “What do you mean by that ?”

  She looked at him sternly. “Noah, you can’t even get hurt anymore, but when you still could your body could heal itself from fatal wounds within minutes – possibly seconds. Do you realize what that means? It’s almost certain you’re immortal.”

  Noah’s jaw dropped at the word. “Why…why would you think that?”

  “Because aging is simply a result of DNA damage. And your new Keras DNA can’t be damaged, and if it could be damaged it would just repair itself. The Keras Genome is an immortal genome. It’s probably a good thing you infected Madison while it was still possible, because otherwise you would have ended up being perpetually alone as you continually outlived everyone you love.”

  Noah stared at her blankly, thinking forward a thousand years, realizing he might still be alive. He couldn’t image what that would be like. Would it be lonely, even with Madison? Would he begin to feel like he was a god? What would living that long do to Madison? Would she still love him after a millennium?

  Gabriella continued to explain herself in response to Noah’s blank expression. “This is another reason why I’ve been hesitant to assist in creating more people with the Keras genome, and why I haven’t shared with anyone my suspicion that the window of opportunity is limited. Imagine if someone who was mentally unstable found themselves in an immortal, indestructible body. It would be the world’s worst nightmare come true. Just as bad as the Keras, if not worse. At least with the Keras, it’s possible their goal isn’t to eradicate humanity. Maybe they just want to conquer our world? But with real-life immortal…vampires as you put it, we would surely be doomed if someone psychologically distributed became a Keras human.”

  Noah was beginning to understand the weight of the dilemma Gabriella had been struggling with inside. She had said she was a mother, and Noah now realized she was stuck choosing between two horrible futures for her children. Either a world where there were monsters from the sky, or else a world with monsters walking the Earth. He wondered if she was telling him all this in hopes he would do something in exchange for her.

  “Gabriella, is there something you want from me?”

  She sighed then, leaning back in her chair. “Well, it would be nice if you could get rid of the Keras for us. You don’t necessarily have to defeat them all. They are intelligent beings, so if you show them they can’t win against you then they may retreat. They aren’t going to sacrifice themselves for a futile endeavor.”

  Noah nodded in agreement. It wasn’t like it was difficult to defeat them with his blood, although if there were millions of them, as Wolfe had suggested earlier, then it may take a while to fight that many. However, he still wished he could return to his normal life. Could he disguise himself well enough to prevent anyone from knowing who he was ?

  Gabriella continued. “I realize this is a lot to take in. But this is also why I told you about Riley earlier. Being controlled by the Keras, she currently is the greater threat to humanity, although I’m not sure if they have realized that yet. It’s just as bad as if a psychologically disturbed soldier obtained the Keras genome. She has to either be saved…or eliminated somehow. Her body is likely immortal now, like yours and Madison’s, which means if you don’t free her somehow, she may be trapped in a real-life hell forever.”

  Noah felt somber as he considered this revelation. Riley didn’t deserve this. She was just a regular teenage girl, interested in clothes and purses, and now her life had been completely destroyed by the Keras. Noah realized that she was both his responsibility to save, while simultaneously his greatest enemy. What if he couldn’t save her from her prison? Could he go through with it? Could he stomach killing her? Noah knew what Madison would say. She wasn’t a fan of Riley, but she would never advocate killing her. But if Riley couldn’t be saved – if she really was gone – then the longer they waited to try to kill her, the more people would die by her hand.

  Gabriella was finished talking, so they just sat there in silence. Madison was still sound asleep, her slow breathing comforting to Noah as she rested against him. He tried not to think about how she would feel about this information when she woke up. He considered not telling her, but he knew he should. Madison would be horrified if she accidentally killed her own parents by stealing their blood unintentionally. He hoped desperately she wouldn’t hate him for transforming her into a monster.

  Looking at her watch, Gabriella indicated that she needed to leave. “I’ve got a four-hour drive ahead of me.”

  Noah was surprised. “Won’t you just have to come right back? By the time you get home it’ll be after 4 AM.”

  “Oh, I guess I didn’t tell you. I won’t be here tomorrow...” She looked at her watch again. “Well it’s technically already Wednesday isn’t it? It’s 12:19 AM. Anyway, I’m not so essential that I don’t get a day off here and there.” She seemed pensive then. “But I suppose I should say goodbye, in case you aren’t here Thursday when I return.”

  Noah wanted to express his appreciation as she got up. “Thank you for your help. I’ll do my best to deal with Riley, and to get rid of the Keras.”

  She smiled at him, but then seemed to have another thought. “Also, don’t be fooled by the lack of people you’ve seen. There are guards all over this place, especially at the entrance and exits. You wouldn’t be able to just walk out of here unnoticed. They have someone watching the security cameras at all times, so the second you leave this room everyone will receive a play-by-play of your exact movements.”

  Noah thanked her again, and she turned leave. Suddenly a random questioned popped into his head. “Oh! Sorry. I just was curious. What do you think the Keras do for food?”

  She looked at him with a weary gaze then, as if trying to communicate the answer with her thoughts. After a second, she responded. “Considering what we know about them, I think the only possibly explanation is cannibalism…which only reinforces what we just discussed about your nutritional needs.”

  “Oh,” was all Noah could say in response.

  Gabriella nodded her head then, wishing him farewell and closing the door behind her. As he listened to her muffled footsteps in the hallway, he leaned his head back against the concrete wall, trying to work through all the information she had just shared. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Madison everything when she woke up.

  He looked down at her then, suddenly mesmerized by her angelic face. She looked so peaceful resting against his chest. He hoped they could both find peace again after this was all over.

  Chapter 21: Acceptance

  Noah felt wide-awake while he waited for Madison to recover from her comatose state. The empty closet gave the visual impression that it was cold, due to the concrete walls and floor, with the bright white light in the ceiling only intensifying the effect. However, he felt as warm as ever.

  Good. He thought. I guess it means I’m not…hungry.

  He still couldn’t fully accept the idea that he needed blood to survive. He briefly tightened his embrace on Madison at the thought. He was glad he had her with him, but he was also worried about how she would react when she found out. He realized she might accept it initially, with the reality only hitting her later once she needed to consume blood for the fir
st time.

  Suddenly, he recalled that they had drawn a large amount of blood from her earlier in the day. They had filled hundreds of tubes with her blood. She might need to feed sooner rather than later.

  Dammit! Noah thought to himself. He was hoping it would be awhile before she actually had to worry about consuming blood, so that maybe she could have some time to process and accept her new reality. She needed time to accept it and prepare herself mentally .

  After a few moments of thought, Noah decided that when Dr. Anderson returned, he would find out if it was possible to get a bag of blood for Madison. He even planned on telling him the reason why, because he knew Dr. Anderson would be more likely to do it if his curiosity was sparked. Plus, the scientist probably already knew about their diet needs. Neither Noah nor Madison had been offered anything to eat all day, which Noah now realized was strange.

  They must all know. Not just Gabriella . He remembered that Dr. Robinson had presented it as a known fact. In hindsight, he recalled that both of the scientists had been watching them carefully when giving them coffee, observing what they would do. Even their simple gesture of kindness had been an experiment. The scientists probably hadn’t offered them food in order to see if Noah or Madison would even ask for it. They hadn’t, which only further reinforced what the scientists already knew to be true. Noah wondered what other observations they had been making without their knowledge.

  Noah knew she probably wouldn’t like the idea of absorbing blood from a blood bag. It would likely affect her on a personal level since she had given away her own blood in similar bags, but it was better than her accidentally killing someone. He hoped she would be able to handle it.

  Madison didn’t stir when she woke up. Noah just happened to look down at her and see that she was watching him. He estimated that it was around 2 AM.

  “Oh! You’re awake! ”

  She moved for the first time, rubbing her head against his chest. “Yep. I was enjoying the snuggling.”