Ezekiel’s hands gave Alan a start, as he noticed that one of the appendages was neither hand nor paw, but a cross between the two. Retractable claws for slashing, not unlike those of a velociraptor, were evident on the one hand with his claws extending and retracting seemingly involuntarily. The other hand was fully human and held a rather large caliber handgun.
The features of Ezekiel’s face were completely obscured by a soft downy like fleece not unlike a cougar or a mountain lion. Alan could not quite wrap what little was left of his sanity around trying to piece together what this thing must look like when it was wholly one thing or another.
“We will forbear from treating you as the predator to our species that you are and will grant you the quick death you have earned.” Ezekiel took short steps toward Alan now standing up and facing his final adversary. “You have honored us with the truth, but it is now time for you to die.”
“Unbelievable,” was all that Alan could think to say.
Ezekiel swiftly raised the weapon in his hand and fired two quick shots into Alan’s head.
In the Gens Common Tongue, Ezra said, “Leave the bodies to the others for two cycles then take the remains to the Gathering Place. I will take care of the rest.”
The Gens had always been trained to never “play” with their prey or to say anything about the Collective to any human at any time. While the reasoning behind such a proscription was abundantly clear to most, it was also a prudent tenet of their security precautions.
Jimmy and Alan were dead. But, in accordance with IBD company policy, they were both required to activate sat phones on first contact with strangers. Somewhere out there might exist a recording of their conversations with both Maya and Ezekiel.
Would anyone ever hear those recordings? If they did, would any of it be believed, or would it just be covered up by IBD to avoid their own criminality?
Chapter 25
Paulo turned to his brother, Enzo, who had just taken a seat at the rear of the massive conference room. Enzo was satisfied with the robust turnout of eager new students assembled from around the east coast who had passed their intermediate exams and chosen to continue their education in all things Gens. The lectures this week were special; not only given by the Elder and Great Councillor Paulo Fortizi but attended by every important Gens Tracker still capable of air travel and who still cared about the future of their noble race.
Upon attaining the age of fourteen, every transformed Gens in America, as well as most of the industrialized world, were given specialized knowledge of who they were, where they came from and what was expected of them. These requirements were taught to them in a series of regional standardized formal lectures called the Progressions. Children failing their intermediate exams were usually sent off to one of the many dedicated global Preserves without further explanation or preparation. In some extreme cases, Gens acolytes were released involuntarily for a period of time into the wild. While separation from the Collective for a time in the wild might, in certain circumstances, be construed as a mild form of punishment, it was in fact the only real test of survival skills as a true Gens warrior and hunter. Warriors sought the wild and looked forward to the test. Others preferred life in the Preserves.
The Preserves, though fundamentally wild was heavily protected and still had rules. In the wild, rules did not exist. Only survival as an end existed. And survival in the wild was always in natural state. The novo human transformation made the Gens weak as a species and unprepared for the cruelty and harshness of wilderness life. To survive in the wild meant a Gens could never be weak; the Gens Collective viewed homo sapiens as weak and beneath them, according to the inherent value placed by nature on a being’s physical gifts.
Over time, the balance of population between those choosing life in the wild, life in the global Preserves, and life transformed among humans had begun to erode. In ancient times, most chose transformation for the unique physical and emotional pleasures it provided. Rules for Gens/human interaction were less draconian and rigid, and many transgressions tolerated for centuries uncounted.
Life in the Preserves was the clear second choice for those who could not stomach quotidian life among humans. Transforming infrequently, these Gens nonetheless desired the relative safety the Preserve system afforded those who chose to remain in their natural state most of the time. Of course, there were also those Gens who remained in natural state always but still within the Preserve system. For them, there was safety and certainty within pack life. Things were more ordered and less dangerous than in a pure wilderness environment.
Few, other than the Gens Wildmen and wild Gens with no Clan affiliation, both special breeds of free wild Gens, opted for the wilderness outside the Preserve system while remaining in a permanent natural state. Life in the wild could not only be harsh and uncertain there was a much higher death rate resulting from a multiplicity of reasons and causes. Pack dominance and outright aggression in the wild obeyed no rules; Preserve rules of order and behavior did not apply. It was rumored, especially in recent years, that social and mating interaction between wild packs of the Collective and the dispossessed and ostracised tribes of Gens had begun to take root. Considered little more than the Gens version of an urban legend, these rumors were largely ignored as anecdotal at best. Even if true, it meant very little to the power structure of the Collective. It certainly stood no chance of challenging the longstanding order of things.
By the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, fewer Gens opted for transformation and many more had begun to accept the movement to full primitive life outside the Preserves. The balance was now about equal between the three separate states of existence, but the trend toward the life in the wild or solely in natural state in the Preserves was pronounced.
Not every Gens child was destined for the duality of life as a novo human and a Gens hunter/warrior of the Tracker/Captain class. Which offspring were permitted to integrate into human society and which remained solely a natural state Gens was determined by the Council of Elders, upon recommendation of the relevant local Councils. The primary basis of decision was the potential for successful social and cultural adaptation. Not factoring into the decision was gender, although certain external factors such as the capacity for human intelligence were considered.
Both Gens males and females were ferocious hunters and warriors in natural state and true equality of the sexes was had long been a Gens trait and reality. The Collective said it did not matter the state of form; in human form that same equality was a reality. That was myth. Gens women in transformed state were often mistreated and there was no gender equality socially, culturally or politically. Equality in natural state was owing to the ability of the female Gens to rip out the throat of any single male or mate.
However, not all Gens, male or female, could forgo the temptation of snacking on a random human. As discovery by humans was always the foremost risk that the Gens Collective faced, it was deemed best that not all Gens be allowed to equally, or as a matter of right, maintain a human identity. In some cases, a Gens warrior could never be allowed to appear in human form; they were simply unable to supress their natural urge to hunt humans indiscriminately as food prey, even when transformed to novo human form.
Transformation properties, from natural to human states and back to natural state, were far from uniform among Gens individuals. To the extent that Gens phenotype expressions varied in natural state, so too did they vary in transformed state. Aggression expressed deeply in natural state, as well as the lack of disciplined self-control, were most often reasons a Gens individual would be required to permanently remain in natural state.
The Gens, as a species, generally did not murder other Gens. The Gens also generally refrained from any type of killing of their own species, except in unusual circumstances and only for reasons permitted and sanctioned by a Council, such as war or insurrection. As a result, there were no punishments for individual Gens transgressions that could
ever be penalized by death, no matter how extreme or contrary the behavior. However, the threat of social ostracism could be employed to great discouraging effect, though sparingly. Being barred from one’s own Clan or pack was often the functional equivalent of death. A Gens so treated would know to retreat deep into the primal forest and pick a nice spot to die. There was no discussion around what was thought to be a deeply rooted and ingrained genetic and cultural practice.
While Gens assassinations were not common, they had been carried out in ancient times in rare circumstances. Most had to do with rogue Gens seeking to allow or even force discovery by humans of their kind and purges of entire Gens Clans and orders had been recorded in the past.
But the source of this mythology, according to the Gens Great Council, was still grounded in old stories and folk tales that the killing of a Gens by another Gens had rarely, if ever, happened. It was, in fact, neither a biologically nor a deeply rooted cultural imperative.
In fact, a Gens individual could easily kill other Gens if need be. They simply chose not to. Most of the time.
It was a small but dirty secret that the Great Council had, since its inception many centuries ago, routinely eliminated Gens troublemakers who threatened the safety and security of the overall Collective through rash decisions and regrettable actions. Still, Gens on Gens violence in general remained rare. Instead, the Gens normally engaged specially trained humans to kill other Gens in human state. A slight bit of sophistry but one that allowed the Collective to abide, in most respects, consistently with its own mythology.
So much of what it meant to be Gens was not learned, at least not in the human sense of the term. As the Gens offspring grew from childhood to adulthood, they just knew. They knew on some primal and instinctual level what was to be done and when. Like their language, becoming fully Gens simply meant survival among the Gens through adulthood. By the time a Gens child reached the age of puberty, they simply knew most, if not all, of what was required to be a functioning member of Gens society, in both natural and transformed states.
Human customs and cultural norms were far more difficult adjustments. Even those initially chosen to live among the prey could be returned to a Preserve or sent to the wild packs on the six continents. The ability to transform was not considered so much a gift but rather an essential key to the long-term survival of the Gens Collective. As such, the fewer that had human contact, the better. This was the modern trend and more and more of the Collective found novo human rules and guidelines oppressive.
But humans multiply like mice, the average Gens thought. They have invaded all the traditional Gens homelands and destroyed ancient habitats as they went. Something needed to be done to curb this infestation but precisely “what” had not yet been debated or decided by the general populace of Gens. The Great Council of the Gens made those decisions and the most influential of all Councillors was now resident in the United States. Some of them lived in the New York City area; the most powerful Clan headed by Paulo Fortizi lived in Princeton, New Jersey.
Paulo and Enzo taught the Progressions, the lessons on expected adult behaviors while living amongst the humans, to the Gens acolytes. However, there were fewer and fewer acolytes each year, though there were still many. Whether by human disease, illness or otherwise, some Gens elected to return to their natural state and await their fate, whatever that might be. But the decisions made by the Great Councils were no longer just of regional and limited importance. With the advent of instantaneous communication, cell phones and cell phone cameras and satellite images, the issues facing the Gens Collective were ever more pressing.
The subject of today’s lecture was the risk posed by technology to the Gens Collective, especially the technology embodied in what was known as the DataLab Project. In addition to the novice acolytes present for this important lecture by Paulo were many senior acolytes from around the world. These representatives were in attendance by special invitation along with designated representatives of Members of the Great Council and the Council of Elders from the six habitable continents.
Paulo began, “Thank you all for coming to our conference today as we wrestle with the great issues that confront our Collective in our present circumstances. These challenges will test the resolve of our kind in ways we could not have imagined even twenty years ago. For those young acolytes in attendance, welcome. We look forward to hearing from each of you on the great matters before us. For those who are more senior, thank you for making the journey and we hope your stay will provide us with the wisdom and guidance we have come to appreciate for so long.”
A Gens Elder from Asia asked, “Have we discovered any more about the location and status of the Library held by the late Tomas di Gensarii? This seems to be the focus of our attention and our greatest concern at present. We would like to understand how this could’ve come to pass and what our brethren here in America knew of these circumstances beforehand. What can you tell us Paulo?”
“I can tell you that we all thought we knew of his circumstances for many years. His death and the loss of the Library with which he was entrusted were of course a shock to us all. That he had begun writing a book about our kind was completely unknown to any of us. That he had also collected so many important volumes and manuscripts from the Great and Lesser Libraries was also unknown to us.”
That was a lie, of course. Paulo was aware of Tomas’ little writing project and had encouraged him in his efforts. The lies rolled off Paulo’s tongue easily, a trait perfected while in novo human form.
“It seems as though Tomas was conducting research with these materials at home, though this undertaking was without the necessary approvals and permissions. Had we been aware of his activities, we most certainly would have put a stop to them. Tomas carried out his activities in secret and without our assistance.”
Paulo’s lies compounded as he spoke. Tomas did not seek approval because such permission would never have been given. By the Great Council or any other Council for that matter. It was unthinkable to take such a risk. Rather than seek permission, Tomas instead sought the approval of the one man who could help him assemble all the primary source materials he would require – Paulo. Even Enzo was kept in the dark.
“Still, it appears that you should have known something was amiss. That is, after all, your primary responsibility.”
Paulo said, “It was and still is my job here to defend the interests of our kind in North America.”
“And elsewhere.”
“And elsewhere. Everywhere. That is correct. But it is also correct to say that this situation has never arisen before, the circumstances are novel and this betrayal unforeseen. It is easy to place blame now, but could any of you done any better? You may have a renegade in your ranks right now and know nothing of it. Perhaps there is even a Black Shirt or two among us as we speak.”
Paulo looked around the room, his evasion deft.
“Unlikely at present,” said another Elder from Africa. “At least with respect to our remaining Libraries. Once this matter came to light, the Great Library and all the remaining Lesser Libraries were sealed, and all access halted. It may be a case of closing the barn door once the horse is out of the barn, but it is all we can do at present. No one will get in or out of the remaining Libraries without our express knowledge and consent. Any humans found in the vicinity of any of our Libraries will forfeit their lives.”
A Member of the Great Council from Norway asked, “Have we any idea of the potential damage done to date, or, for that matter, the purpose of Tomas’ research? I understand that the past is the past and there is no point in assessing blame now. But aren’t we better off trying to find out what his aims were, along with a thorough damage assessment. Are we any closer to locating the lost materials?”
“The truth is that we do not know what Tomas was ultimately attempting to achieve. As well, we have lost the trail of the Human who stole our materials. Further, we have no idea what he may use them for. T
he Library and the Human behind the disappearance of the Library have simply vanished into thin air.”
“With all our resources? How could that be? I was informed we have access to technology that should have located this criminal by now. Have we made no progress at all?”
“The technology you refer to is the DL Main in the DataLab Project, now operated by the federal government of the United States. Since that is the main reason we’re here today, let’s discuss what we do know and get your ideas on how to proceed.”
“Proceed then,” several acolytes said in unison.
Chapter 26
The lights dimmed in the conference room for the fifty or so participants assembled to listen to updates on the status of the debacle in Tucson. The young acolytes were aware of the problem but did not see the greater long-term implications for the Gens Collective. The senior acolytes, Elders and Members of the Great Council saw the problem as fundamental, immediate and existential. Many long months had passed since the incident in Tucson and the details surrounding the inquiry into, and resolution of, the most pressing issues were sparse and inconclusive.
Paulo began, “I will provide you all here today with a description of what happened, what we have lost and what we have done in response to this most serious breach of security we have ever had.”
One of the Elders, from Australia, asked, “More serious than Italy in 1838? Or Brazil in 1932? We have had leaks and devastating security breaches before. We have always been able to plug the holes. What make this one any different?”
“This is different because of the technology that might be employed to capture the contents of the Library, how it could then be disseminated and who could gain access to it.”
“Start with what has gone missing. Then continue on from there.” The voice belonged to Entebbe Mandari, a Member of the Great Council from sub Saharan Africa. “I’d be far less worried if the information lost was something the humans could not decipher or understand. Or if the information is unimportant and incapable of being useful to them.”
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