The Antarcticans

by Suriano, James

  Suddenly someone was standing next to Noila. She jumped back and let out a small scream.

  “I’m sorry, madam. I didn’t mean to startle you. Would you like a beverage? Tea maybe?” The man was dressed in the ship’s standard black uniform with the golden dragon on the back of his shirt.

  “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.” She looked back into the grate. “Why are you in a cage?” she asked the Srechritoris.

  “Our natural reflexes are fierce, something I’ve been unable to get a handle on. It’s more to protect anyone who might stumble in here than it is to prevent me from getting out.” He reached a paw over and pressed something Noila couldn’t make out next to him. The gate opened. “Please, if you can stand the cold, come in.”

  “I came here looking for Lucifer.”

  “You found him.”

  She entered the room and looked deeply at his face. A thick coating of ice covered it like a masquerade mask, but she could see into his eyes. She saw him and immediately realized this was the voice she recognized: his sarcastic, witty, singsong voice. “Oh, my God…how?” Temporarily lost to her fear and overtaken by curiosity, she reached forward when she got close enough and touched his paw.

  “Are there more of you?” she asked, retracting her hand.

  “So many questions.” He pressed the button again, and the cage door closed.

  Noila shivered, her neck hair standing on end. Lucifer’s breath seemed to wrap around her.

  “Impossible to know really. The Arctic and the Antarctic are big places. There could be enclaves or loners of our kind hiding out somewhere. Say, would you like to go get Gavin? Or do you think this would be too much for him? I know his faith is on shaky ground these days.” As he pushed his gigantic body up to a standing position, Noila saw the muscles in his chest flex, his blue claws extending for a moment as he stretched. The space wasn’t tall enough for him to fully stand up.

  “I think Gavin is fine. His faith is stronger than it looks. But maybe you can explain to me why you’re stringing me along with my research if what I’ve discovered is what you were looking for. It seems I could back out at this point.” The warmth returned to her, and a well of confidence rose up.

  “I wish it were all so easy. Sadly that’s not the way these things work. The discovery of maintaining a stable superposition is just the beginning. We have to make sure we can deliver it. Without the application, it’s useless. Then there’s the question of where we should spend the time and additional resources to make this work. My first priority is the Antarcticans, but I have my own agenda. I need Joshua’s help with…” He stepped closer to her and trailed off.

  “Joshua?”

  “Yes, Joshua. The Antarcticans aren’t the only species that needs to be saved.”

  “There seems to be a lot of information I’m not aware of.” Noila instinctively stepped back from him. Although she was drawn to him, her head was spinning about trusting the creature in front of her.

  “Noila, Noila, Noila, dear, would it help if I were in my human form? I bet it would, but I don’t have it in me to change right now. The amount of energy required is enormous, and really, there’s no need for it now—you know the truth. Come sit with me.”

  The man who offered Noila a drink reached his arm cautiously through the bars and handed her a cup of tea, followed by a full-length fur coat and a pair of fur boots. He kept his eyes in Lucifer’s direction.

  Lucifer dipped his head and nodded at the garments. “Grizzly bear. Doesn’t get warmer than that for humans, I’m told. Come and watch the ice on the floor. It can be a doozy.”

  Noila put the coat and boots on and inched closer to him. “Is it really you, Lucifer?”

  “In the flesh.” A sound resembling a chortle came from his snout. “You know, there’s so much I want to share with you, about your son and your husband of course, since they’ve been under my care since you’ve been on your trip, but I also want to talk to you about what you mean to us.”

  “Joshua isn’t making the progress I expected. You promised us help with him.”

  “We’ve been doing what we can. Dr. Cristofari has kept me updated, but the hurdles to your son’s recovery have as much to do with your husband as they do with Joshua’s own confused mind.” Lucifer moved to one side of the ice bed then gestured for her to join him.

  Noila climbed onto the bed and sat down. She put her hands in the furry pockets of her coat and nuzzled into the folds of dark-brown pelt, which caressed her neck.

  “Put the head on. It really completes the outfit.” He reached behind her with his paw and flipped the hollow bear head so that it rested on top of her head. She protested for a moment, but then she welcomed the warmth it brought against the extreme cold in the den. “Now you’re ready to listen.”

  Noila settled back against the wall and sipped her tea. She looked up at Lucifer’s huge head and eyes to see if she could get a handle on whether he was trying to coerce her. “We have a lot to accomplish here,” he continued, “and we don’t have much time. I know your focus is on Joshua, but the story is much bigger. Once we deal with the repairs on the Dragon—as well as our VIP passengers who have gone missing—I have to address my greatest concern. As you know, the Antarcticans are once again facing an environmental catastrophe, and the world’s oceans are about to get a lot deeper. If our projections are correct—and we’re sure they are—most of the coastal cities in the world will experience flooding and submersion at unprecedented levels. I’ve been doing everything I can behind the scenes—you know, the political jockeying that normally goes on in global summits—to come to an agreement. In the past week, I’ve been able to get all western nations to agree on a solution. It would be political suicide for many of them to carry out the drastic measures that are required, so they’re doing it in private, here on the Dragon. The changes are being implemented as part of various countries’ defense budgets and are blacked out as top secret. That way they avoid detection, and the public isn’t aware of them. Power-plant upgrades in the name of national security, alterations to airlines to improve passenger safety, wind and solar power being inserted into open spaces where no one goes. The changes are happening, but it might not be enough and certainly won’t undo what you saw happening when you were in Antarctica.”

  “I don’t understand. Why does the research I’m doing help the problem of rising sea levels?” Noila asked.

  “It doesn’t, but it does give the Antarcticans hope that they won’t need to live in such a cold climate, that they could move elsewhere and survive, possibly adapt with humans and tolerate warmer climates. Right now, though, I’m wondering if I should tell you what I’m really up to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s a time and place for everything. Let me just say this: the research you’re doing is monumental, but there’s a missing piece to it.” Lucifer sighed. “Okay, well, everyone knows I’m terrible at keeping secrets, so indulge me.” He raised the back of his body with his hind legs and shifted then laid down on the other side of his body.

  Noila watched him cautiously.

  “I think you understand discretion. The truth is, Dr. Cristofari has let me know that she thinks she can use Joshua’s unique brain to solve a problem I have. He should, if all our tests are accurate, be able to take the information you have and be able to apply it to allow the Ptahs to create my heir.”

  “Wait, your heir? I thought we were talking about altering Antarctican DNA?”

  “They’re two parts of the same problem. The Srechritoris must produce enough offspring within the Antarctican species to keep their genetic code close pure. If it becomes too diluted they will lose their special adaptions, such as portaling, necessary for their survival. Seeing that I’m the only Srechritoris left—as far as I’m aware—I hold a very important role in their destiny. But I’m very old, and I know my days are numbered. Even if you were able give the mutation to every single Antarctican and have them adapt to the warmer weather
, without an heir to carry on my role, the entire species would be doomed.”

  “Sir, Mr. Pennings is approaching your entrance,” the attendant called out.

  “He’s looking for me,” Noila said.

  Lucifer looked at her and held his paws in the air. “What should we do? Should I let him in?”

  “Not now. It’ll just be a distraction. I need him focused on helping Joshua.”

  “Your wish. Send Arkita to distract him,” Lucifer ordered the attendant.

  “She was on her way to the fitness center,” Noila said.

  “Don’t worry. She’s always on call,” Lucifer reassured her. “Now, about Joshua and your husband helping him, we’ve run into a bit of a snag and haven’t been able to resolve it, which has delayed our progress in helping your son. Gavin—well, he seems unreasonably committed to his religious beliefs.”

  “Unreasonably committed? I think people have beliefs and stick with them because they feel they’re true.”

  “Despite the evidence surrounding them?”

  “Belief isn’t about evidence.” Noila let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to get into a theological debate with you of all people. What are you getting at?”

  “The simulations he’s doing with your son require that he have total confidence in his own abilities to affect his life and not appeal to the supernatural for help.”

  “Yes, well, that isn’t Gavin. He gave over his life to God when he was in college. That was more than twenty years ago.”

  “It won’t work then. The individual working with Joshua must believe one hundred percent in their own ability if they’re going to convince Joshua that he has the power to let his demons go.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’m suggesting that if we don’t find a way through this, we could lose Joshua or forever keep him in his current state. But even in his current state, his demons can find a way to overtake him. Let me know if any bright ideas come your way.”

  “You’re just going to let him die?”

  “Why is it my responsibility to make your husband do what’s right for his son?” Lucifer huffed. “I’ve invested more time and money than anyone else was willing to. I’ve reviewed the reports of those nonsense shrinks he was brought to, who give up at the slightest whiff of friction. My staff has stuck with him day and night for weeks, and now, when the weight lies on Gavin to bring Joshua home to success, you think he’ll side with an otherworldly force?” He swiped at his ice mask, and it clattered against the floor. “Look into my eyes, Noila.” He lowered his head to her level. “Look deeply.”

  She searched his eyes for something; his hot breath from his moon-shaped nostrils warmed her face. The blues became white; she saw images of herds of his species, dying and thin, the sun in the background rising, trees blooming, rivers running, ice turning to water in every form. Srechritoris were collapsing, with their babies and families watching; great rivers swept broods of young Srechritoris from their dens.

  “We were losing our war with the world, after ruling it for millions of years,” Lucifer continued, “and then we decided to make a choice to submit to it, to change the way it wanted us to change, to band with another species, which went against everything we believed in, and create a species capable of surviving. It tore apart our pride in ourselves, in our conviction that we were special on the earth. When our researchers discovered the formula for creating the Antarcticans, our population was only one percent of what it had been. Imagine your world, and now imagine only one percent of humans surviving a plague or disaster. The Antarcticans decided to save me, the one known remaining Srechritoris, to carry on the purpose of genetic purity. My survival took enormous resources, though, which is why they likely didn’t pursue looking for others like me.”

  “You were the lucky one.”

  “I wouldn’t call my life lucky. I’m a remnant from a world that no longer exists, a fossil, an echo. I’ve watched my race die and a new one rise, and now I have the dismal task of guiding them through the process we Srechritoris went through sixty thousand years ago.”

  “You’re sixty thousand years old?” Noila was still inside his eyes; tears streamed down her face as she continued to watch the annihilation of the Srechritoris.

  “Much older. That was just when the new race was created, and I’ll try to live for as long as I’m useful. This warming world, however, makes my life difficult. My skeleton is made up of ice and minerals, which allows me to transform and adapt. It’s an evolutionary characteristic that all Srechritoris had. But the conditions have to be perfect, and if they aren’t, I could die.” He closed his eyes, breaking the connection with Noila. “Will you help me?”

  “Yes.” Noila nodded vigorously. The wall that could be seen through the bars had a screen on it, and an image of Arkita talking with Gavin appeared. The angle was from a camera in the ceiling. Noila wondered how much else of the ship was under surveillance.

  “Let’s take care of your son first,” Lucifer said. “I can’t have you thinking about him while we’re trying to focus on our work here. I need you back in Antarctica too. There’s more to see there and definitely more to do. Be in Joshua’s room in the morning with Gavin.”

  Noila reached out and touched Lucifer’s paw. The golden hair felt like satin; he purred in response. She left, shutting the door to Lucifer’s room behind her and approaching Arkita and Gavin in the hall. They looked to be arguing about something.

  “Hello again.” She nodded politely at Arkita. “Gavin, we need to head to the medical bay in the morning.” She saw a glance pass between him and Arkita; she couldn’t place the look. “I apologize if I was interrupting something,”

  “I’ll let you go, Gavin,” Arkita said. “Lucifer needs me for something anyway.”

  Gavin and Noila went into their quarters. “What was that all about?” Noila asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is she still chasing after you?” Noila asked casually as she walked into the bathroom to take off her makeup. She stared into the mirror as she wiped her eyeliner away.

  Gavin didn’t answer; Noila heard some rough shuffling in the bedroom. “You okay, honey?”

  “Yeah. No, nothing is going on,” he called back, his voice choppy.

  Noila looked into the mirror and saw Gavin scratching the back of his head. She knew his nervous tic. She put down her cotton ball, which was smeared with makeup, and walked to face him. He was fixated on a blue-velvet box on the table.

  “I didn’t ask if something was going on, but now I will. Is there something going on between the two of you?” Noila put her hands on her hips.

  Gavin sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. He sighed. “It was only once, and it was a mistake. There was alcohol, and you were gone and—”

  Noila shook her head, stepped back into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

  Behind the mirror, Arkita stood biting her long painted nails in anticipation. “Finally,” she said. She would let Lucifer know as soon as she could.

  …

  Early in the morning, Dr. Cristofari met them at the door. “I’m so glad you came. Joshua’s having a very difficult time. One of the hallucinations has trapped him, and he’s unable to communicate with me any longer. You’ll see what I mean when you get in there.” She looked at Gavin and Noila, who were standing unusually far apart.

  Gavin went through the preparation process, and then Dr. Cristofari guided him into the room. Noila saw Lucifer sitting in the corner; he had resumed his human form and had his finger to his nose. Noila knew he wanted her to keep a secret, and after last night’s revelation from Gavin, she didn’t feel bad about it. She helped Gavin into the white carbon-fiber bed next to Joshua’s. There was a seat between the two beds, slightly elevated, with two steps leading up to it. Noila sat between them and took each of their hands. She leaned over to Gavin and whispered in his ear.

  “You owe me. You do whatever you need to do in there to save Joshua,
or I’ll never forgive you.” She straightened herself up and nodded to Dr. Cristofari that she was ready.

  The room dimmed, and the sound of a rhythmic heartbeat drummed through the room. Noila saw green lights swirl above both their heads and felt Gavin’s body tense.

  Gavin dropped out of the void and into Joshua’s world. He felt unsure of his purpose this time, having failed during his last couple of tries. The world was dark, and rain was pounding against a broken cobblestone road. Jagged mountains surrounded the small city he was in and reached for the sky. The streets were narrow, and the dense buildings closed in on him; the smell of industrial smoke filled his nose. He saw a building that looked like a city hall a few blocks ahead of him. Its windows blazed with lights, and he faintly saw people milling around outside it.

  “Joshua?” he called into the night. A metal object struck the cobblestones in a nearby alley.

  Gavin took off running in the direction of the city hall, focusing on the large clock above the building’s portico. His legs were powerful and didn’t fatigue; he felt like he was a teenager again. He kept yelling Joshua’s name as he ran. Lights came on in the windows of the buildings he passed. A large flock of bats flew overhead, swirling in a mass, darting in multiple directions but holding the overall direction of the flock. He reached the stairs of the city hall and galloped up them until he was under the clock. To his shock and surprise, it wasn’t people on the portico but creatures that were a grotesque mixture of human, bat, and dragon. They walked upright, with talons jutting from their striated wings. They had human-shaped bodies and bat heads with vicious-looking teeth and red eyes. The beasts hissed and shrieked at Gavin. He clasped his hands together in prayer for a few seconds then tried the doors; they were solid wood with iron reinforcements. He tried to open the doors, but they were locked. When he turned around, the human-bat creatures were gathering and moving toward him. The south side of the portico looked to be clear of the beasts, so he ran to it; to his relief, none of the creatures chased him.