Flutter

by L. E. Green

  Abigail and Roger exited the truck. Roger walked over to Abigail as she investigated the exterior of the home. Neither of them were completely comfortable with visiting strangers, but Roger trusted whomever his mother trusted. Too bad it wasn’t the other way around. They walked past the dirty old trucks and over the leafy yard. There was a dead black bird lying in the leaves. Abigail felt no sentiment and stepped over it as if it were an object. The only thing she felt was the dry crunch of leaves under her heels as she walked to the house. They reminded her of the leaves she ran over in her dreams except they were not lush and green. She could hear mice and squirrels shuffling in the woods, around the house and by the shed. They reached the edge of the porch.

  Roger asked, “Ready?”

  She replied, “Let’s do it.”

  They walked up the porch, reached the door and knocked. Within seconds a tall, older man with salt and pepper hair opened the door. The smell of incense rushed out the door and into their faces.

  Dr. Colin Paltee was more than six feet tall. Under his left eye, he had a birth mark shaped like the state of Florida. It was darker than his natural skin tone. He sported a long ponytail that was braided in the back, gathered together with a leather strap. He had a mustache, glasses, and wore a beaded necklace and bracelet. “Abigail? So that’s what they are calling you now. Abigail! Yes!” He was excited. “Well look at you! It was long ago, but I remember you. Come in.”

  They entered the house through the front room to see Native American artifacts and artwork which decorated the walls of the home. He had many books piled onto shelves and tables. His house was full of his research. There were faded pictures on the wall of an older Native American male and female. Abigail would have guessed that they were Paltee’s parents. There was another picture of a young woman that Roger thought resembled Abigail. She had two long braids that stretched over her shoulders. She was beautiful. The picture was dusty. It was clear there were no women or children currently in his life, possibly because Paltee was completely submerged in his work. He walked Roger and Abigail around the house, showing them a few things they were not very interested in seeing, before they made their way to the living room on the back side of the house.

  Dr. Paltee said, “I haven’t heard from Terry in a couple years. But when she told me about you, I had to meet you again. Have a seat.”

  They all sat in the living room on a very comfortable couch. Dr. Paltee had tea ready on the coffee table. He asked, “Tea?”

  They shook their heads. Roger placed the pictures of the tattoos on the table. Dr. Paltee looked at them. “It’s been a while since I have seen these,” he said in reference to the tattoos. “Oh such beautiful work,” he said as he examined the pictures. He had a curious smile on his face as he fumbled through the various images of Abigail’s back.

  Abigail also pulled out her little bible and dropped in on the coffee table. Paltee picked it up and was confused. Abigail opened it and showed him the handwritten the note: E2 ON THE FIRST FOURTEEN.

  Abigail said, “Someone wrote this but I don’t understand.”

  Dr. Paltee read aloud, “EZ on the first fourteen.”

  She said, “No E2 on the…” then she realized what she thought was a two was a fancy letter Z. “EZ?” she questioned.

  “EZEKIEL?” Roger shouted out. Roger didn’t know why he knew that.

  Abigail grabbed the book and turned to the book of Ezekiel. The first four verses had nothing of interest she could connect to. It was verse five that made her stomach drop.

  Verse 5: Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

  Verse 6: And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

  Verse 7: And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

  Verse 8: And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

  Verse 9: Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

  Verse 10: As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

  Verse 11: Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

  Verse 12: And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

  Verse 13: As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

  Verse 14: And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

  Abigail was astonished, “Ezekiel, the first 14 verses in the book. It speaks of human/beast hybrids. These are the beasts I’ve been dreaming about.”Abigail handed the book to Dr. Paltee and asked, “What does this mean?”

  Paltee closed the book, “Whoever wrote this was trying to remind you in case you forgot.” He looked sad and sipped his tea. “You obviously have forgotten, haven’t you?” He adjusted his glasses before he spoke again saying, “I’m not sure what you know and what you don’t know about project Flutter.”

  She asked, “Project what?”

  Dr. Paltee was happy to explain and said, “Project Flutter. Flutter was the code name for the military based project that you were the product of. There’s so much to this project that no one knew, not even Atkins. She was dealing with it from a different end. We only met occasionally. She told us what needed to happen for it to work. It was my job to deliver a human specimen that fit the criteria and your marks… may I see them? Do you mind?” His heart raced in anticipation. He remembered making the marks using an ancient method of tattooing using sharpened bones, wood and ink using a hand poking technique. The bone, with ink on the sharp edge, is repeatedly tapped into the skin.

  Abigail didn’t mind. She shook her head. Abigail and Dr. Paltee stood up. Roger watched closely, waiting to see what the man had planned. Abigail took off her shirt and she turned around. Dr. Paltee lightly ran his fingers across the marks on her back. He said, “Yes. You were one of the unique ones. This is your totem on the spine leading up to your brain– the god of your nervous system.” He looked in her scalp and asked, “What is this?” He roughly grabbed her head with his two hands turning her head side to side. “These, I don’t know. The marks on your spine, I did those, but your scalp that is not me. Hmm.” He stopped for a moment to think. Paltee paced the room tapping his head trying to remember if there was something he missed.

  “I can’t imagine who would have done those marks there. But they, too, seem to have a connection with the bible passage... and the marks on your spine.”

  Abigail and Roger hadn’t photographed the marks on her head for Abigail to get a proper look. They touched the marks on her head after he let go.

  Roger asked, “The marks on her spine. What do they mean?”

  Dr. Paltee looked at Abigail’s sad and confused face and said, “It’s an interesting story. Sit, Abigail. Let me explain.” Dr. Paltee walked over to a shelf. He fiddled through some books pushing a few aside and piling others on the floor. He grabbed an old leather book off the shelf and handed it to Abigail.

  Abigail opened the book to see that it was a journal. Paltee reached over and closed the book in her hands.

  “Wait!” he said. “You will never understand unless you listen first. You must hear me out before you open this book.”

  Paltee scratched his head and sat down. He took his glasses off and cleaned the lenses with his white cotton button–up shirt. He put them back on his face. He took another sip
of the tea and poured a little more into his mug from the kettle as he explained, “Project Flutter didn’t become Project Flutter until I got involved, but it had been around for about five years before me and was known as Project Gray Scale. As you know the government wanted to make a super armor that could increase a soldier’s skill, speed, agility and strength. It had to be durable enough to withstand gunfire and small explosions and light enough to wear as undergarment. It had to be sleek, water resistant, fireproof and safe. Thanks to Atkins, this was all accomplished, but they couldn’t find humans strong enough to wear the suit. Our bodies could not naturally react with the speed necessary to make the suits work. So, to make a long story short, we had to make humans have the ability to adapt. We didn’t need a genetically altered human but one with heightened neuro–senses.”

  Abigail and Roger sat quietly listening as he explained.

  “Around the time when you came in, I was brought in to try something different– a creative, unconventional method to adjust, let’s say, insufficient human ability. But right after we thought we had made a few years of progress, the president shut down the program and ceased all funding. A private company picked up the program; but I didn’t agree with the purpose, and I left the project.”

  Abigail asked, “What did you do to me?”

  Dr. Paltee answered, “The purpose wasn’t to hurt you. As you can see by looking at the interior of my home, I am Native American; the same as you. Well half anyway. My last name was a name given to my great grandparents many years ago. The Shaman in my culture played with the spiritual world for thousands of years. They were very much in tune with earth and nature. Many times, their work with the other side placed them right on the edge of our world and what you would call the underworld or the afterlife or... you know what I mean. They played along the edge of that boundary between our world and theirs, often welcoming spirits to dwell among the living and within the living as well, offering their own bodies as vessels to accept the spirit temporarily or permanently. When a human is possessed, that spirit taps directly into the neurological system of the host.”

  Roger interrupted, “Wait a minute. Did you say possessed? What are you saying? She was demon possessed?”

  Paltee answered, “Demons are bad spirits that cannot be controlled. And to possess a human with a human spirit would be pointless. For some reason, human spirits are stronger than us, but not strong enough for the suit. Human spirits can carry grudges, pain, and too much opinion. They are not easily controlled” He smirked. “We used animals.”

  Abigail asked, “Animals?!”

  “Yes. Only an animal can respond with the 6th sense needed to survive the suit. The strength and agility of animals far surpass what a human could ever accomplish. You Abigail were different. You were my little experiment within the experiment. You have multiple, which was against the orders of the design team, but I couldn’t resist pushing the envelope. Our biggest challenge was the ability to control the outbursts of your inner animal spirits… and you have four.”

  Roger shouted, “FOUR!? Jesus Christ!”

  “Four? What are they?” Abigail asked.

  Dr. Paltee explained, “Yes. Four, Abigail. They live in you, nestled within your totem, and when you need them, when you call them, they come forth. Look.” Dr. Paltee spread the pictures of the tattoos on the table and placed them in order. He pointed as he spoke. “This icon, as you know, is mine. This is where the name Flutter came from. This here,” he pointed to another, “is your first possession, an eagle.”

  “That would explain the eagle in my dreams? And the winged figure I dreamt about on the way here.” Abigail tried to make sense of it.

  “That could be the case. An eagle can read the wind like no other animal in the sky. It is fearless of heights and can predict changes in the wind. It’s a very sharp animal. This was a subtle possession since the soul of any bird is rather small. The second… the Taurus. Not to mention it’s your zodiac sign– we needed your determination to be so powerful that even in the face of death your goal would be to complete the mission. No animal is as stubborn as the bull and it is also very strong. The bull has a big spirit but is more reactive and takes a lot of stimuli to project its abilities.”

  “That explains a lot,” Roger mumbled.

  Paltee continued, “The white tail deer, your third spirit, a very strong spirit and very swift. We needed you to have that speed and agility. It would have been your dominant spirit but that ended with the presence of your fourth possession, the jaguar. When you get in your element, this is the spirit that dominates all others. The rest pick up where he leaves off. This is the animal we experimented with. Most others have bears or lions or deer. No one was given multiples, let alone the jaguar. It was a fragile experiment, but it worked.” He piled the pictures and handed them to Roger.

  Roger suddenly felt sorry for Abigail, “Do you think that it’s okay to use someone’s life and experiment this way?”

  Paltee tilted his head in shame and said, “No. I don’t. I was young then and didn’t have the experience I do now. I was trying to understand the science of my family traditions. I wanted to see if they could be used to... I’m sorry Abigail, for any pain I have caused you. This is why I am here to help you. Are you having trouble remembering things?”

  She answered, “Yes. I have dreams...”

  “Nightmares!” Roger blurted.

  “Nightmares...” Abigail corrected herself, “all the time, but I have lost most of my memories. I recently remembered a few. I had an episode not too long ago.”

  Dr. Colin Paltee said, “Your memories are within you, Abigail. You haven’t lost them. They are stored wherever your spirits have placed them. The eagle can place them in one place and the deer another. They store memories according to their needs so that they can adapt for the next time. Your personal memories will get jumbled in the mix. All will collide and come forth in your dreams.”

  Abigail, “I remember your face from them.”

  He nodded and said, “That is probably so.”

  Roger asked, “So what do you remember Abigail?”

  Abigail paused for a moment, thinking of where to begin and said, “I remember a car accident. I was being followed by others like me. The car spun out and I ran to an old farm. I was losing a lot of blood from the accident, so I stopped to quickly tie down the wound on my leg when I heard them closing in. I ran to the backyard through a cornfield. Eventually one of the men caught up. We fought. I was on the ground. He shot twice and whispered, ‘Run!’ I picked myself up and took off faster than ever before. I heard another shot, but I kept going. I just kept running. I don’t remember the details. Everything was a blur.” And a blur it had been. Abigail ran into downtown Boston, into the street and was hit by a car. She banged her head on the hood and went out cold. No one else was on the road at the time. The driver and passenger were both extremely drunk. They looked around and knew no one had seen what happened. They got out of the car and quickly dragged her into alley and covered her body with trash. “I woke up with bullet wounds, a bruised head and no memory of what had happened,” she continued.

  Dr. Paltee said, “They will be looking for you Abigail. I’m sure they are close. They will find you. You have to run or confront them, but you have already decided, haven’t you? You will not run.” Dr. Paltee sipped his tea, “It is not in your nature to run. You are a trained killer from a young age. You have been trained to stalk, attack, kill, and disappear without a pinpointing trace. You will fight to the end.” He looked at Roger and said, “And what do you plan to do, Roger? These men are highly skilled and trained to rip you both, limb from limb. I don’t mean to sound negative. I am here to help you, but I’m not here to give you false hopes about the enemy you face.”

  Roger was offended initially, but he knew the man spoke wisely. He thought to himself, What can I do? He could barely fight off the four men in the alley. He was well trained with weaponry and was an excellent shot with handguns, co
mpound bows and knives, but his hand skills were lacking. He couldn’t fight very well. He imagined how different his skills would have been if he had taken a little time to practice with Frankie and Larry in the fight club. How could he be worthy of Abigail if he couldn’t protect her or even hold up to her enemy? Roger felt a lump of shame grow in his throat and made a promise that this would never happen again.

  Abigail also had a few thoughts running through her mind. All this talk about spirits and possession of animals. Now she knew that her exotic looks were because she, too, was partially Native American. She had never known anything about her past or origination, her heritage or her real family. But she did know that her enemy was strong. She didn’t feel hopeless. She was concerned for Roger for a moment, and then she remembered the artillery in his basement and his strong arms and hands. He had the build to be a strong fighter, but he lacked training. She could fix that. She knew she needed him as much as he needed her. His only weakness was his lack of confidence, and it would take more than encouraging words to build that.

  Abigail was hungry for more information. Her questions about her origin could wait. She said, “Tell me more about the company that picked up the project.”

  Dr. Paltee responded, “Remember, I told you I left the project because I didn’t agree with the direction it was going? They said they wanted the research for some bullshit. It didn’t even make sense. I think they were creating corporate killers to take out the competition or… Oh my. I just thought of something. Alan Jiang. He was murdered recently. His partner is missing. His firm just invested in a firm called Indigo Inc. I remember that company poking its head around the facility. I’m pretty sure they were the company that took over the project. Yes. I think so. Let me check something.”