“Are you shitting me?” The voice emerged from within the group of truckers, a large red-faced, red-headed man, his arm wrapped around the neck of a black standard poodle.
“And you are?”
“My name is Billy Susseman. I’m from Atlanta.”
“Billy, do you have a problem I can help you with?” When Wil focused all his attention on Billy, he backed down, losing some of his steam. His voice faltered as he inquired, “Transition . . . Womb . . . new world? I think someone made a mistake. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Somehow, I got mixed up with you people.” His hand made a sweeping gesture to include everyone. “I think the best thing would be for me to go. You want to go with me, Gloria?”
Gloria stood, mice in hand, ready to support Billy.
Wil raised his hand. “I am sorry, sir, but I do not think you want to go back out there. Millions have already died. There will be more bombs. This is just the beginning. The famines will start next, civilization will break down completely. No electricity, no machines. No gasoline, no air conditioning, little drinking water, no laws. Savagery.” His voice slowed to a knowing hiss. “Every savage capability of man will become magnified. Is that what you want to go back to? How long do you think your dog will last after the grocery stores are empty?”
Billy leaned away reflexively, glancing down at his poodle. Gloria slowly let her big butt flop back down on the hard cavern floor with a splattering thud as Billy searched wildly into frightened faces. Not recognizing any support, Billy sat down with a lonely whimper as Netty began to speak, her voice confident and earnest.
“Excuse me, darling, I must get back to my duties. Come along, Baby . . . you will visit with Echo later. We must prepare the little surprise.”
Netty coaxed the other creature to her side. After kissing Wil goodbye, she waved to everyone, sent a special smile to Abby, picked up Baby and swept out of the room, her golden beauty disappearing into the corridor.
Jose stepped forward, his hands held in a consolatory fashion. “I’m with you guys. I might resemble the Elders, but I’m in the dark just as much as you are.” He joined the rest of the crowd, sitting down next to Chloe for comfort.
Wil nodded his head. “Well then, please make yourselves comfortable and I will begin.”
Chapter 12
Whining softly, he fought to understand why his paws lacked traction on what he supposed was the floor. He whimpered, his insecurity heightened as he realized Echo was not with him to allay his fears.
Slowly, he realized the crushing pain that had forced him to fall behind no longer deviled him. His breathing felt eased and comfortable. His heart beat normally, no longer threatening to explode inside his aging rib cage.
He gazed up at the sky, absent of the friendly moon that had always reliably guided him. His dry nose explored the air, searching for the scents of his masters and his mistress, sending a silent woof of apology for not being able to keep up.
A sickening feeling of disorientation made him dizzy. A piercing light focused directly on his eyes, pain forcing him to squint and leak a tear.
He suddenly picked up a scent. A scent he remembered from far back in his puppy memories. His oldest and most treasured memories of his mama and his squirmy littermates before he had been cruelly yanked away to face the ugly world that had slapped him down until found by Papa Diaz so long ago.
The scent reminded him of himself when he was a puppy; the warm, clean, slightly poopie smell that belonged to newborns. He thought he heard voices, a lilting mistress voice. And the welcoming pressure of the golden aura that his beloved Echo used to talk to him . . . yet he failed to understand any words.
He began to tire, longing for a nipple to suckle and a nap. As his mouth opened to yawn, he felt hands holding him to insert a warm rubber nipple into his seeking mouth and he began to suckle, finally drifting into the sleep that brought happy dreams to a tiny newborn puppy that remarkably bore the memories of a life already lived.
Chapter 13
Wil scanned the faces sitting on the floor, all gazing up at him with an assortment of expressions. He could sense strong emotions: fear, bitterness and wonder. The cavern roiled with the odors of musky wildlife and unwashed bodies. All very natural, all expected. He knew they would have no trouble adjusting to their new way of life physically, but the mental toll might be too much for many of them.
His eyes strayed over to Scotty, taking his measure. He appeared to be a strong lad, sensitive and hopefully courageous. He would need to be if he truly meant to be the salvation of his species. If he was The One, time would tell, for they would have much more than their share of time.
“I understand your confusion . . . and your fear.” He waved his hand over his own figure. “I went through something similar myself, a long time ago. Perhaps someday I will tell you the story of how Netty and I met Baby and were saved by the Womb.”
Wil resisted mocking their incredulous faces, knowing soon enough the bravado and disbelief would fade when faced with the unremitting boredom that awaited them as the world above settled down and cleared to make way for the new life that would come.
Scotty spoke up boldly. “Are you going to tell us why we were transformed into Elders?”
Wil nodded his head, pacing slowly in front of the gathering, his bare feet soundless on the hard rock floor. Where to start?
“I’m sorry to say, Scotty . . . the fact that you all are Elders truly was a simple mistake. It is forbidden to heal a human with the powers of a minion.”
To the rest of the crowd, he explained, “Echo and Baby, our creatures that we love as much as our own lives, are minions. They serve at the pleasure of the Womb. They are like little scientists combing the planets from galaxy to galaxy monitoring the life placed by the Womb, including here on Earth. That is how we met. We each clashed with misfortune, needing to be healed, which is what started our changes. Baby was damaged when he finished his journey to earth. He could not remember the laws or his mission, allowing us to heal and convert to Elders. The healing unleashed a dormant enzyme that sped up our evolution or, should I say, devolution.”
“But, dude, you look a lot like the little creatures.” Dezi’s observations were met with universal nods and agreement from the gathering as they contemplated the resemblance between the shimmering wings they shared with the creature called Baby, not to mention their mesmerizing eyes and the golden glows from the same fine fur.
“Well, it is only natural, since our original ancestors were created by them from one of their own cells.” His statement was met with silence, faces uncomprehending.
“Yes, you did not know? The minions went against the law of the Womb and created life in their own image. As punishment, the Womb stripped them of their immortality. The Womb allowed the new life to evolve here on earth where it could be watched as it evolved. We were given chance after chance to redeem ourselves but failed in the eyes of the Womb. Too aggressively bloodthirsty it appears. The minions were sent to begin the process of eliminating our species. It is what they refer to as an intervention, Intervention 6609 to be exact. That is exactly how many times they have intervened on one planet or another. And it is not the first time it has been done on this planet.
“Do you recall the dinosaurs, another species that was ruining the planet? There were just not enough resources to maintain them in the long run. A simple meteor strike combined with extreme volcanic activity started the chain of evolution over again. Of course, the Womb supplied the raw material for new life after the glaciers wiped the plate clean.
“Baby was sent to Earth to begin the process again while saving most other life forms this time. Unfortunately, Baby was pregnant with Echo. He gave birth to Echo upon landing. I am sorry to say that Baby has never fully recovered from the effects of the journey and his rebirth, he is still damaged. His poor brain failed to fully recover. But we love and are delighted by him just the same. He is like a child to us.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Billy shouted at Wil, clearly unwilling to accept what he was hearing.
“Echo and Baby were pre-empted by our own miserable leaders in their atomic war games. I do not know how this started, but when the Womb realized what was in store for the planet, it ordered Netty to persuade Abby to rescue these animals. The Womb is fond of the rest of the creatures of this planet, always has been. They are the innocent. I am so, so disappointed you were unable to rescue the rest from the other zoo.” Abby hung her head in shame.
“We understand, my dear. You did your best. The fact that you and the other people have managed to survive is meaningless to the Womb, but we have made provisions for your survival. We will take you on a tour as soon as Netty returns.”
Cobby stood up facing Wil, his expression puzzled. “This story you’re telling us. It sounds like you’re trying to say there’s no God. How can that be?”
“My dear good man, you do not understand, do you?”
“Understand what. . . . exactly?” Cobby’s perplexed voice evinced a slow dawning horror. “No . . . you can’t mean?”
“Yes, of course . . . that is exactly what I mean. The Womb is God.”
The stunned silence reverberated through the cavern, open mouths sagging with confusion as the crowd tried to absorb the truth that contradicted everything man knew about his past and all that so many relied on to give hope to futile lives.
Johno’s melodic African voice spoke first. “Sir, you truly look like an angel to me. Are you saying there are no chosen ones? That we are all the same?”
Wil stopped his pacing. “I am sorry to say this, but not only are you all the same, but the only chosen ones are the other creatures on this planet. The Womb has no affection for our species. We have evolved with so much, yet we continue to subjugate all species on this planet as we anoint ourselves rulers of all. The Womb has had enough. If our species were allowed to continue, we would eventually extinguish all other life, to the detriment of the planet. The Womb loves this planet. The decision was made for intervention, hence Baby’s mission. You might want to call him an intervention specialist. As I said before, this is not the first time. It has been necessary only six thousand, six hundred and nine times, in all of space and time—an almost unnoticeable drop in the bucket. Unfortunately, as you know, it appears that the intervention did not come soon enough. Your politicians seem to be doing Baby and Echo’s job for them.”
From the corridor at the back of the cavern came a yip, sounding like the high energy bark from a puppy. The golden light brightened and Netty entered the cavern with Baby and his kitten on her hip and a tiny puppy with curly white hair tripping at her bare feet.
She stopped, allowing the puppy to advance into the room. The puppy’s nose rose to sniff the air. It froze as Echo shuffled and bobbed as fast as she could toward the puppy. A switch turned on in the puppy’s eyes, his tail a metronome of pleasure. He began to whine, high pitched and painful as he rushed toward Echo to be embraced.
“Gee, the creature sure likes dogs,” Bonnie said, her sister cooing, trying to coax them to her side. Netty strode further into the cavern.
“Young lady, this is no ordinary puppy, this is Barney . . . Echo’s Barney.” Scotty stood, turning to Netty, yet keeping his eyes glued to the curly-haired white puppy now sitting in Echo’s lap.
*
“That isn’t possible.” Scotty whistled. The puppy’s head popped up, and he stared at the crowd of people spread around the floor. Without missing a beat, the puppy tripped over his own chubby belly in his excitement to welcome Scotty, then ran unprompted to Jose and Abby. The three of them felt an aura of lightness engulf them.
“My Barney is back, Brother. I knew he would be. Sister Netty and Brother Baby promised. I am happy. My Barney is happy. He is the same, only better. His heart is brand new. Everything is wonderful now.”
Scotty suddenly remembered back to Bird Key, to the night Echo plucked hairs out of the coats of Barney and Mimi, depositing them in tiny bottles that she carried around in her fanny pack.
“Echo, where are those bottles you carried in your fanny pack?”
“They are no longer in my possession, Brother Scotty.”
Their thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Netty. “I have the containers of Barney’s hair. The other dog too. We planned this some time ago. Animals can be cured but do not possess the minion enzymes that will enable them to achieve immortality like humans do, at least not without assistance. So as an accommodation to Echo, we agreed to save Barney. We knew the time would soon come.”
“An accommodation? You saved him? How can that possibly be? Barney was dead, for Pete’s sake.”
Netty worked her way over to where Echo and Barney frolicked. Kneeling down she ran her fingers over the hard ground so Barney could chase them. She laughed with delight, enjoying his antics, then glanced up.
“Fear not, young Scotty. There is much you do not know. I am sure you recognize the existence of the theoretical soul? Well, the soul, which is in actuality the mind, the energy of the brain, can be rescued from the body as long as some of the brain matter can be retrieved and not much time has elapsed. We need but one brain cell. It was a simple matter to clone a new puppy from the follicle of one of the hairs Echo plucked from Barney. I merely had to collect them and grow the cells into a new Barney as the time grew near. The Womb made the mind transfer and here we all are.”
Scotty thought he had her. “And how did you collect the hairs from here? We lived in Sarasota.”
“Well, I simply came to Sarasota, silly. Do you not see I have the same wings you do?”
Jose interrupted, his face flushing with blood, his heart visibly pumping madly. “Does that mean we can fly?”
“Of course, my dear, we have many forms of flight.”
With that, Netty snapped her wings, enfolding them around her body to disappear. Her voice came from the front corridor that opened into the cavern. She appeared, entering the room, not a golden hair out of place.
“Just a demonstration, I could just have easily flown. We have plenty of time for more questions. And endless time to teach you the things you will need to know.”
“Wait a minute now, lady. Did you forget about us?” Voices from the crowd rose.
“Yeah, what are we going to do?” The din of frightened and indignant voices grew.
Wil joined Netty to stand at her side, a wide smile on his face. “I think you will be pleased with the arrangements the Womb has made for you. If you can be just a bit more patient, I am going to collect all the animals and escort them to their separate living spaces.”
He eyed Tobi and her herd. “Johno? I understand you and your men can control the elephants without the need for implants?”
“Implants? I do not understand. What are implants?” Johno’s face reflected anxiety, his arms strapped protectively around the neck of the recovered infant. “We would be most appreciative if we could just bed down with our elephants. The babies need us. The juveniles, even Tobi, would be disturbed if we were separated.”
Wil nodded his head.
“I understand. Please remain behind while I remove the rest of the wildlife. The elephants will remain with people. Any other animals need to remain behind?”
Jose raised a finger. “I need the primates and the dogs with us. The primates have implants.”
“Okay, in time some of the other animals will become habituated and you might wish to make new arrangements. Netty will show you around as soon as I am gone. I will join you tomorrow to discuss the new laws.”
An undercurrent of murmuring charged the atmosphere as the crowd watched Wil signal to the animals to follow him to the back of the cavern.
Quiet voices whispered anxiously among the group as the procession departed. It became clear as everyone discussed Wil’s pronouncement and awaited the tour of their new home that everything they were taught as children about
their faiths and the world was wrong. The difficulty of processing the new truth overwhelmed them as they attempted to absorb their incredible situation. A deep feeling of insecurity insidiously infected them as their heads reeled with the announcement of the discussion of ‘new laws’.
Soon the cavern emptied of all the wildlife except the elephants, the dogs, the primates, the turtles they decided could go wherever they pleased, and one quiet and glorious Siberian tiger named Caesar.
“Oh, no.” Scotty sighed as he realized the big cat’s magnetic jeweled eyes bore into his own. Chloe traced Scotty’s line of sight to the tiger.
“Is he the one that pissed all over you on the boat? Why’s he looking at you like that?” Chloe didn’t appear concerned, just curious.
“Okay, ladies and gentleman, if you’ll just follow me?”
Scotty and Chloe scrambled to their feet with a backwards glance to Caesar. They gathered the dogs and fell in line to follow the crowd that clustered around Netty. As they disappeared into the back corridor of the cavern, Scotty cast another glance to the rear, not surprised to find Caesar padding softly toward them, eyes like lasers, only for him.
Chapter 14
Lorna and the girls drove down the highway at about thirty five miles an hour. Lorna’s time behind the wheel counted about eight or nine hours now. They had made good time when they left Tampa. The highways were jammed but the traffic moved at a good clip.
They drove about four hours north of Tampa before the freeway slowed to a crawl. Four hours later, Lorna noticed they were getting low on gas. In the last three hours they had averaged fifteen miles an hour with all the stops and starts in the flow of traffic. She decided they had better pull off the freeway and attempt to find a gas station without a huge line. The last thing she wanted to do was tap into her precious supply of gas stored in the trunk.
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