Reborn

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  Come to think of it, it was probably time for him to either give Kendra a raise, or at least a bonus as his way of letting her know how much he appreciated her. He was still considering which option to take as he pulled up to the house and noticed a second bicycle leaning against the tree next to Kendra's. A slow knot of worry grew in Allan's gut. Two bicycles in the drive must mean someone else was here, but how could that be? Kendra knew better than to allow anyone else in the house unless she had decided to break his cardinal rule.

  As he walked through the front door and into the foyer area, he noticed the two coats hanging from the coat rack and could hear two distinct voices of young girls. He recognized Kendra’s voice, but who did the second voice belong to? He followed the voices back to his study, where he found TJ, Kendra, and a second girl with short auburn hair at his desk playing with the computer.

  As he entered the room, he coughed and said, "Hello, what do we have here? A new guest? Surely not, because Kendra knows better than to invite someone over here without my permission."

  The two girls and TJ turned abruptly in his direction with shocked looks on their faces. Kendra was the first one to find her voice. “Hello, Doc. I didn’t expect you home so early.”

  “Obviously,” Allan replied sternly, not trying to hide his displeasure. “How about introducing me to your friend.”

  “Oh, sure. This is Mimi Rawlins. I think I mentioned her to you before.” Allan could hear the tremble in her voice.

  “Yes, I do remember you mentioning that you two were friends, but I don't remember giving you permission… Wait a minute. Mimi Rawlins? Aren't you in charge of the school newspaper? In fact, haven't I seen a couple articles in our local paper with your byline?"

  “Yes, that's right Dr. Pritchard," Mimi said as she stepped forward to shake his hand, apparently pleased that he was familiar with her work.

  Allan ignored the extended hand. “Oh, great! Not only do you break my rule, and invite someone over here without my permission, but you have to invite a young journalist. Kendra, what were you thinking?”

  “That I needed some help with TJ's homeschooling," Kendra answered in a soft voice. "I was planning to tell you; honest, I was. It just never seemed to be the right time, what with you being so busy and all. I'm sorry Doc, really I am, but I can assure you Mimi can be trusted. I made her promise on a stack of Bibles not to say or write anything about TJ."

  “She did,” Mimi confirmed. “And I’ve kept my promise and will continue to do so. Like Kendra, I have grown very fond of TJ. I know about his ‘unique characteristic’ of growing rapidly, and you can trust me to keep it a secret, although I would like to ask…”

  Kendra gave her friend a dirty look. “Mimi, don’t you dare.”

  She turned to Allan, and anguish look on her face. “Please, Doc. I know I shouldn’t have said anything to Mimi without talking to you first, but she really is someone we can trust, and she has been a great teacher for TJ.”

  Allan could just imagine opening the morning paper and seeing the headline:

  Local Veterinarian Arrested for Harboring Alien

  And boy, wouldn’t Pat have a field day when she learned that someone else knew about TJ’s secret, but wait a minute. What did Mimi really know? It was unlikely she knew any more than Kendra knew, and that was only that TJ was growing at a rapid rate. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t a complete disaster.

  TJ, who had been watching and listening to the three of them this whole time, now climbed down from the office chair and ran over to Allan to give him a hug as he gazed up at Allan with a big smile.

  “I really like Mimi. Please don’t be mad at Kendra. She was just trying to help me. Not only do I have a second teacher, but I also have a new friend.”

  Allan stared at TJ with his bright eyes and was once again amazed by how much the boy had grown. He had heard other parents talk about how fast their children grew up, but in TJ's case, it was indeed a miracle. He looked around at the three kids and remembered the sound of their talking and laughing as he had entered the house. No doubt this subterfuge had been going on without his knowledge for quite a while and, though he hated to admit it, it appeared to be working well.

  “Okay,” Allan said as he gave each of them a hard stare. “There’s nothing I can do at this point to reverse what has already happened, but I need to know for certain that this is not going to go any further. No one else is to know about TJ unless I okay it. Is that clear?”

  The three of them looked at each other and then slowly nodded their heads.

  “Absolutely clear,” Kendra assured him. “You can count on us.”

  “That’s right, Dad,” TJ said. “I just have one question.”

  “And what’s that?” Allan asked.

  “Does that mean that Mimi is going to have to call the Waynesboro Gazette and cancel the article about the boy who grew too fast?”

  There was a long moment of silence as Allan, and the two girls stared at TJ in astonishment before TJ finally said, "Gotcha!" and laughed.

  Shapes

  1

  The Saint Bernard lumbered through the undisturbed snow of the forest, looking more like a galloping horse than a large dog as it turned its head from side to side. It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to run so freely and he was thoroughly enjoying the experience. As he reached the crest of the hill, he paused and look down at the serene winter landscape of his home. He had come to love the log cabin and the people who lived inside. They had become his family; at least most of them had.

  As much as he enjoyed romping through the woods, it was getting late. It was time for him to return to his true form although, in truth, this form felt very comfortable as well. But then he remembered something Homlin had told him during his brief stay at Homlin's hunting preserve.

  “The longer you stay in a form, the more comfortable you will feel in it, but be careful, because it is possible to get lost in that form and forget who you truly are," Homlin had warned him. Remembering that warning, TJ trotted back to where he had hidden his clothes and returned to the form of a human boy. He quickly dressed, shivering as he did so. Funny, he felt quite comfortable with the winter temperatures as a Saint Bernard but not as a young human. Then again, he would be uncomfortable as a large dog with such a shaggy coat in the middle of summer. The thought started him wondering again about something he'd recently noticed. No one else he knew ever seemed interested in shapeshifting. That discovery led him to the internet, where he learned other humans couldn't change their physical form. That discovery reminded him of another warning he'd received, this time from Allan only a few days ago.

  “You have many special gifts and talents that make you uniquely who you are, and I encourage you to embrace them. At the same time, some of those gifts are so different not everyone will understand them. Many times, people are afraid of things they don't understand and people who are different from themselves. Be very careful with whom you share your special gifts.”

  TJ also wondered if he had the unique ability to change from human form to canine, might he be able to learn how to transform into other animal forms. He would need to check that out, but that would have to wait until another day for he was already very close to being late for dinner. It had taken quite a bit to persuade Kendra to let him outside on his own, and he certainly didn't want to lose that privilege.

  2

  Aeo found very little information in its database about how to select the appearance of the Primary's new body. What it needed was the info crystal that was a part of all settlement missions, but it was missing. The most he was able to glean was some of the qualities and characteristics necessary for the Primary to possess for the mission to be fulfilled. One of the most important features was for the Primary to blend in well with the dominant species of the planet. Okay, thought Aeo, but I’d already deduced that much. What else do you have for me? Beyond just blending in, the Primary should possess good social skills and be well-liked by the dominan
t species. That makes sense, thought the AI. In the research Aeo had been doing about the dominant species through their internet database, it had learned that this species of Homo sapiens cared a great deal about appearances. In fact, several of their largest industries seemed to center around showcasing beautiful and handsome specimens of the species. This was especially true of the movie industry that invested billions of dollars to parade around the most beautiful examples which they called movie stars.

  So, Aeo thought, it seems to me that it would make sense to shape the primary's new form to look like a movie star. However, to avoid confusion, it needed to be a movie star that was no longer alive or was all that well-known by the Homo sapiens of today. At the same time, it needed to find one with enough pictures on the internet so it wouldn't have to rely on imagination too much. After scrolling through close to a thousand different pages filled with pictures of movie stars, he finally settled on a male star from the silent movie era.

  This particular movie star was considered handsome both by the standards of his day as well as by present-day standards. The man had been so well liked that upon his untimely death thousands of fans had waited for hours for a chance to glimpse his body. I imagine my Primary will be quite appreciative of my selection, Aeo thought. It should make the fulfillment of his mission much easier.

  With the selection of the form completed, it was now possible to begin imprinting the freeform larva growing within the bear. Finally, the mission was getting back on track.

  3

  An uncommonly large amount of snow, especially for so early in winter, had made life for many of the inhabitants of Waynesboro difficult. Allan was amazed to see how innovative his clients became when they needed to have one of their pets examined. In a few cases, he had to resort to making house calls to some of his older clients who had not been able to bring their pets to the clinic. Overall, his staff was doing an excellent job in keeping the hospital running smoothly. The one exception to that had been the large chest type freezer used for storing the bodies of deceased pets. It had been nearly full before the first winter storm, and there was now no more room in it. Fortunately, Donna had received a call from the pet cemetery they used to handle such matters informing her that they'd be able to pick up that evening. Under the best of circumstances, the task of disposing of the dead carcasses was one of the least favorite duties of his staff members. On this occasion, Dr. Pritchard decided to make it easy on them and handle it himself.

  The truck from the pet cemetery arrived shortly after closing, and Allan unlocked the back door to let the driver in. Together they hauled out the frozen carcasses, each one wrapped in its own black bag. The animals ranged in size from a small Chihuahua to a German Shepherd. Allan recognized most of the names written on the white tape as he handed each body to the driver. The taped names identified each deceased pet in case the owner changed their mind and wanted to bury their pet somewhere else. Allan was relieved to see that most of them had been put down because of old age or other situations beyond his control. However, there were a couple he recognized that he felt he might have done a better job of diagnosis or treatment. At the same time, he knew such hindsight was always perfect, and it didn’t help anyone to second-guess himself.

  Still, he was thankful when he reached the bottom of the freezer. He wasn't sure his back could have taken lifting another body out of it. He was surprised to find a cardboard box that had been taped closed. It took him a minute to recognize where it had come from. He closed the freezer door, thanked the driver for coming by so late, and sent him on his way. Only then did he return to pull the box from the bottom of the freezer. After a moment of hesitation, he un-taped the box to discover one of the frozen larva he had taken out of Molly several months ago; the same kind of larva that TJ had come from. Staring down at it, he felt a shiver run up and down his back. He had forgotten how repulsive they were. He considered calling the driver back but then thought better of it. Instead, he re-taped the box and wrote on its top, Do Not Remove. He placed it back in the bottom of the freezer and closed the door.

  Special Delivery

  1

  For the next few weeks and at the strangest times, Allan found his thoughts returning to the cardboard box hidden away in the freezer. The question kept cropping up, why had he kept the frozen larva? After all, it was not only frozen but dead. He thought about contacting Pat's friend, Oliver, to find out who in the government he could send it to for analysis. He had even convinced himself that was the best course of action to take and made plans to call Oliver the next day, but the next day came and went. For some reason, he kept putting off making the call. He was in his second week of indecision when he finally realized what he really wanted to do with the specimen.

  The next evening he waited until everybody had left the clinic before walking out to his car to retrieve the dry ice and shipping container he had purchased at lunchtime. He walked to the back storage area and opened the freezer. It was an easy task to move the few new carcasses out of the way and pull the cardboard box out. He ripped the tape away and, with just a moment of hesitation, opened the box. He stared at the frozen larva for over a minute before taking a pair of exam gloves from his lab coat and putting them on. He didn't consider himself particularly squeamish. After all, as a veterinarian, he had put his hands in a lot of strange places over the years. Even so, he wasn't all that excited about picking up the frozen lava.

  He placed the mailing container next to the cardboard box and, taking a deep breath, picked up the larva and quickly dropped it into the container. He then dumped the dry ice over it before sealing the container. He tossed the cardboard box into the trash and carried the container to his office. He scrounged around in his desk drawers looking for an address that he prayed he hadn’t tossed. He found it in the bottom drawer among a stack of thank you notes he had received from his clients over the years.

  He took a Sharpie from his top drawer and addressed the container:

  Dr. Lionel Adams

  Bio Vita Tech Labs

  100 Laboratory Drive

  Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709

  He dropped the package off at the mailbox store that had recently opened, beating their closing time by only a couple of minutes. As he released the package to the safekeeping of U. P. S., he breathed a sigh of relief. Next, he would call his old college roommate and alert him to be on the lookout for the package. He and Lionel had shared a dorm room for the first two years of undergraduate school. They had both started out in pre-vet, but when Lionel discovered he had a severe allergy to cats, he had switched to a dual major in Biochemistry and Genetics. They'd stayed in touch through the years, mostly exchanging Christmas cards and the occasional phone call, usually about an interesting case that Allan had seen in his clinic or had read about in one of the veterinary journals.

  After Allan pulled into the driveway of his home, he sat in his car with his cell phone in his hand, trying to decide what to say. He figured it was a better than 50-50 chance that he'd get Lionel’s answering machine. Truth be told, he was praying for that to happen and had about decided he would hang up if Lionel picked up. For once, his prayer was answered. He waited for the beep to deliver the message he had rehearsed in his head.

  "Hello, old chum. This is your long lost vet buddy. So sorry it's been so long since we've talked. I wanted to let you know I just mailed a package to you with an unusual specimen in it. I'm sure you’ll have plenty of questions about it. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to answer any of them. Do with it as you will. All I ask is that you tell no one about it, including where it came from."

  2

  Aeo had run a programming sequence to determine the ideal gestation time that would optimize the health and viability of the new body once it was delivered. The program took into account that the longer the larva remained in the surrogate, the better adapted it would be to the unique conditions of the planet while balancing that information with being sure the developing larva di
d not grow so large that it would explode the surrogate. Observing the distention of the bear's abdomen, Aeo wondered if it had made a miscalculation in the program. It sure looked like the bear might explode at any minute.

  So it was with more than a little relief when the program alerted Aeo that it was time to initiate the delivery. Aeo had been manipulating the endocrinology of the bear to keep it from going into labor prematurely. It now released a wave of oxytocin while reducing the level of progesterone to begin the delivery process. It was a long and difficult delivery since the bear had grown weak from malnutrition and the form it was attempting to deliver was larger than a normal bear cub. However, the bear was finally able to push out the form, which, at this stage, appeared to be a cross between a small human child and a bear cub.

  It was now time for Aeo to provide the newborn with a unique formula that would accelerate its growth to a full adult. Aeo calculated the next month would be the most critical time for growing the new delivery to a size sufficient that it could start caring for itself, hopefully before the mother bear died from malnutrition and starvation.

  During this next phase, Aeo job would be to begin loading the primary’s consciousness into the new form, which would also support the form learning to survive in the world. One of the final steps would be to implant the Mission Imperative into the primary’s consciousness. Once the mission had been implanted, Aeo’s job would be complete. It could then turn the mission over to the Primary, knowing that the Primary Directive would be initiated at the proper time once he had matured sufficiently and become well established in the Homo sapiens’ world.