Hybrid Zone Recognition

by C. E. Glines

  “You coming?” I asked Miranda.

  She lifted her head, which she had rested on her crossed arms, and looked at me like she wanted to tell me something.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly alarmed.

  “You two coming?” Adam said from the doorway of Julia’s office.

  “Of course, we’re coming,” Miranda said as she stood up. “I didn’t ride the nausea producing elevator from hell just to miss out on all the action.” She made little shooing motions with her hands at Adam, and to my surprise, he obeyed.

  “Hold on,” I told her, grabbing her arm.

  “It’s nothing, Mace. Just sickened by the ride, that’s all.” She pulled loose from my hand and entered the office.

  I didn’t think it was just the funky elevator ride. She was hiding something. But, she obviously wasn’t ready to tell me, or the time wasn’t right. If I demanded to know, she may shut me out altogether.

  Macy, you okay?

  I smiled at his concern. I still wasn’t used to somebody worrying about me. I hope so, I told him as I walked into the room.

  His eyes met mine, and he gave a quick smile before returning to his examination.

  Juarez had taken his familiar position at the computer. Miranda and Cedars were trolling through the file cabinets.

  Scanning the entirety of the room, I said, “It’s not going to be in here.”

  Adam and Cedars turned their heads to me, expecting an explanation.

  “She wouldn’t leave anything incriminating where Juarez or you could so easily find it. But, she would want it close if she needed to grab and go.”

  As I walked around the office, I began moving things and pushing random objects.

  “What are you searching for?” Adam asked.

  “A button or latch. Depression, maybe?”

  “For a hidden panel?” Cedars piped up.

  “Or compartment. Was there ever anywhere she used to stand frequently? Or anything she used to unconsciously touch?”

  “The mirror,” Adam said, abandoning his search of the files on her desk. “She used to look at herself constantly.”

  He strode to a very ornate wood carved mirror hanging on the back wall of the office. He ran his hands around the mirror’s frame and then leaned in and sniffed it. Everyone, except Juarez, gathered around as he worked. Having settled on a location, he began prodding it in earnest. A small drawer popped open, and he pulled out an old fashioned skeleton key.

  “Any idea where that goes?” I asked.

  Adam and Cedars both shook their heads.

  “I might,” Juarez spoke. He was watching video footage of Julia on the computer monitor.

  Uh, oh. I didn’t think Adam was going to like this.

  I walked over to stand behind Juarez’s chair. Adam followed me and placed his hand on my shoulder. Miranda and Cedars joined us on our right.

  “Six months ago, Olivia and I began to suspect that something was off with Julia.” He looked away from the screen and up at me. “Olivia and her used to be close. Well, as close as she would let anyone get,” he said.

  Tapping another key, he zoomed in on Julia walking towards the mirror.

  “Julia began pulling away. Making weird comments to Olivia. So unbeknownst to anyone, including Olivia,” he looked apologetically to Adam, “I installed cameras in her office.”

  I felt Adam bristle at the action Juarez had taken without his knowledge or approval. Nope. Didn’t like it at all. I leaned back into him and silently reminded him this was a good thing Juarez had done, even though he’d gone around Adam. He did not agree with my phrasing and replaced it with, behind my back.

  Sensing Adam’s anger, Juarez continued more cautiously. “I had the feed sent to a secure server that I maintain separately from the Organization. I’ve known she was doing something in that alcove, but I never knew what until now.”

  He slid the monitor over to give everyone a better view. “This is from two days ago.”

  We watched as a very disheveled Julia collected the key from the mirror and approached the alcove. The pictures that wrapped around the alcove vanished and an antique door appeared. She inserted the key and then disappeared behind the door.

  Juarez fast forwarded the footage, and Julia emerged, carrying a metal briefcase. She did something in the alcove and the pictures reappeared. As if caught, she froze a moment, eyeing the velvet drapes that framed the alcove. She shook her head and hurried to return the key. Still carrying the briefcase, she left the office.

  “I thought she was going in there to pray or something like that. Every other time she let the drapes loose, preventing me from seeing what she was really doing.”

  The tension in the room was so thick it was hard to breathe. Cedars had backed away and taken Miranda with him, which left me between Adam and a still seated Juarez.

  He was trying to protect Olivia. Surely you can understand that. By extension he was also trying to protect the Organization, I argued.

  Adam didn’t acknowledge my assertion. He should have told me. The growl in his response caused me to grit my teeth.

  Granted. But what it resulted in is good, I stressed.

  I could feel Adam’s rejection of my arguments. With the string of betrayals he’d endured so fresh, he could not overlook the indirect challenge to his authority.

  Don’t you think he feels guilty. Look at him. Can you not smell the sorrow rolling off of him?

  I turned and wrapped my arms around Adam. I pressed into him as if that would convey the strength of my arguments. He refused to meet my eyes as he stared at the back of Juarez’s head.

  He might have avoided what happened to Olivia if he’d told you sooner. If he’d trusted you more. He’s been through enough, Adam. Do not hurt him!

  The last was said both in supplication and warning. It caused Adam to snap his eyes to mine. It didn’t seem like he was going to agree with me, and I frantically tried to find another argument to placate Adam’s anger.

  Unexpectedly, he grabbed the sides of my face with both hands. Shut. Up. I’m not going to hurt him. The command in his voice was unmistakable, and I didn’t like that he’d used it on me or told me to shut up.

  Realizing what he’d done, he pulled back and repeated more calmly, I’m not going to hurt him.

  He flipped the key to Cedars, who caught it without flinching. “Try and find the way in,” he told him.

  Cedars and Miranda entered the alcove and Adam turned his attention back to me. “A moment, please.”

  I looked back at Juarez still seated and motionless.

  “It’s okay, MK. I deserve this.”

  The emotion in Juarez’s voice served to erase the last of Adam’s anger. It erased it towards Juarez, anyway. He growled at me for my display of concern when I squeezed Juarez’s shoulder in sympathy. I failed to entirely hide the smile that generated.

  When Adam saw my smile, he ceased the growling and put his hands on his hips. Closing his eyes in anger with himself for his reaction, he tilted his head up to the ceiling.

  Through our bond, I could tell Adam was frustrated with the havoc the leopard DNA was wreaking on him because of me. For whatever reason, I was secretly pleased that I could cause him to lose a little of his control.

  Not too secret, Adam said.

  I released Juarez and pressed my hand to Adam’s chest. Rising up on the tip of my toes, I gently kissed his cheek. Do you want me to go shields up while you talk to him?

  He considered me a moment and then shook his head no.

  Thank you, I said and kissed him again before joining Miranda and Cedars.

  “So, that was intense,” Miranda whispered as I stopped beside her.

  I looked back at Adam who was now down on one knee with one arm wrapped around Juarez. I think Juarez may have been crying.

  “What’s up with the sweetness?” Miranda frowned.

  “He can be sweet.”

  She lifted her eyebrows at me.

  “
He can,” I insisted.

  “Ladies, can we focus here?” Cedars said while dangling the key in our faces.

  Miranda swiped it from him, and I began to examine the alcove. There were no obvious buttons to push. I began sniffing the panels.

  “Good idea,” Cedars said and joined me.

  Soon, all three of us were sniffing. We agreed on one location as the most likely spot, but no matter what we tried, we couldn’t get anything to move.

  “Maybe it’s geared to her personally,” Miranda guessed.

  If it was like the security in the lab, it probably was keyed to her.

  I heard Adam’s footsteps as he appeared in the entrance. “No luck?”

  “Nope,” I said.

  He tapped the panels. “Glass?”

  I shrugged.

  He produced claws on his right hand. They left long gouges in the glass as he drew them down the panel. Pacing to the desk, he picked up a crystal paperweight. “Stand back,” he warned. Then he slammed the paperweight against the center panel, causing it to shatter. Just as in the video, the antique door appeared.

  He held his hand out for the key, and Cedars gave it to him. The lock turned over, and Adam opened the door. No one made a move to enter.

  “That was dumb,” Miranda chirped.

  “Why go to all the trouble of a hidden key and door if you can just break through the glass?” I agreed.

  “It does seem uninspired,” Adam commented.

  “Has this alcove always been here?” I asked.

  “Ever since I can remember. Cedars?”

  “It’s always been here. I never paid it much attention. I just thought it was a sitting area.”

  “There are no seats,” Miranda said.

  Like a bunch of idiots, we all looked around for nonexistent seats. Apparently, we were all a little gun shy when it came to unexpected circumstances.

  “Can we sweep it for booby traps or something?” I said, looking up at Adam.

  “Done and done,” Juarez called from the desk. “It’s all clear. There are no trip wires or pressure switches. No electrical or bio components of any kind. Julia really wasn’t much of one for subterfuge,” he concluded, looking back at the computer screen. “Until recently,” he muttered.

  “Any indication of what awaits us?” Adam asked Juarez.

  “It appears to be a small cavern.”

  Did I miss that on the video? I turned around to stare at Juarez.

  “The geological scan just finished,” he shrugged. “Whatever the room contains, it’s been here since the beginning. It doesn’t appear to be man-made. It’s not that big either.”

  Juarez sure was a handy one to have around.

  As no one else had taken the initiative, I decided to start the ball rolling. “I’ll go first,” I offered, taking a step forward.

  Adam caught my elbow and pulled me back. “You will not,” he stated firmly.

  Like I didn’t see that coming. I smiled mischievously at him as he slipped past me into the lead. Lights came on as he crossed the threshold, and one by one, we followed him in.

  Quickly skimming the room, revealed it to be a small lab. Stacked against the far wall, like relics from the past, were beige metal filing cabinets. The majority of the room was furnished with stainless and glass, which made the inclusion of the filing cabinets even more suspect.

  As the others spread out, I crossed the room to the filing cabinets. Running my finger across the top of one, it came back coated in thick black dust. Whatever she used them for, she didn’t bother with the dusting.

  Pulling out a drawer, I randomly selected a file. I was startled to recognize the name. It belonged to an individual from the Colony that had died last spring. I returned it and continued scanning the names on the other files. They all belonged to the various hybrids at the Colony. On a whim, I looked for my name, but I didn’t really expect it to be there. I was wrong.

  With no small amount of trepidation, I pulled the file from the drawer. It had my name and a listing of numbers—1945MG001, 1956MG002, and so on. Under the bio, it listed my birthdate as March 28, 1945.

  That was impossible.

  “Macy, I think you should see this,” Adam said.

  I lifted my eyes from the file and walked to the lab table where Adam was seated. On the table in front of him was a file entitled Mindbenders. He flipped it to the page he wanted me to see. A brief paragraph gave the synopsis of the report.

  The subjects listed herein were the Organization’s attempt to create minds of great analytical skill. Embryos were hybridized with DNA from sources of known intelligence, including such great minds as Albert Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, Robert Oppenheimer, and other such distinguished scientists. This report chronicles the failures and successes of the endeavor.

  My heart rate increased with every sentence I read. Below the paragraph was a list of names under the title of subjects. Mine was the last on the list with the same date as the one in the file I held.

  Suddenly, I felt weak. Adam pulled me in front of him and wrapped an arm around my waist. I placed the file I held on the table and picked up the report in front of me. Slowly, I turned the page.

  The trials were broken into four separate attempts starting in 1915, well before the founding of Biometrics. This, I guessed, was the precursor.

  There were ten subjects in all. The first five never made it to birth. Due to complications associated with the hybridization, the developing fetuses had been severely deformed. The details were too grizzly to read, and I flipped the page.

  Having learned from their mistakes, the next round of implants starting the following year proceeded at a more restricted pace. The next two subjects made it to their early teens before expiring.

  Encouraged by their success and their breakthroughs in nanotechnology, they followed with the next round of trials in 1930. By the time the subjects were teenagers, it was concluded that neither one of them would achieve the results the Organization was hoping for. Their conclusion proved to be true when one of the subjects died in a car wreck in the fifties, and the other in the Vietnam War.

  The last section of the report was devoted to me.

  I looked up and found the rest of the group staring at me with blank expressions. Adam nudged me, and I leaned into him, grateful for the support. Taking a deep breath as I turned the page, I resumed reading. Adam placed his head on my shoulder and continued to read with me.

  Unwilling to let go of their aspirations, they embarked on their final attempt in 1945. In an effort to subvert the complications they’d encountered in previous subjects, they subsidized the initial embryo hybridization with additional injections of nanobots at critical developmental stages. Their aggressiveness led my body to hibernate for three separate time periods with the longest lasting approximately twelve years. It was an unexpected and unknown variable in their experimentation.

  Each time, I had gradually emerged from stasis and resumed a normal human growth pattern into pre-adolescence. It seemed the hibernation periods were preceded by the injection of the nanobots. I had no memory of this. Maybe because I was so young at the time, but either way it was frightening.

  I was placed with a family—my family in Texas, which I did remember. The family had no knowledge of the composition of their daughter. They were told only that she had some mysterious disease and required extensive medical examinations every few years, which the “adoption agency” was happy to supply free of charge.

  The last annotation regarding myself was handwritten and stated that I had developed beyond all their expectations and was now ready to be drafted into the service of the Organization. I felt Adam cringe as he read the last statement. It was dated April 1st, 2011. It was quite the April Fool’s joke.

  I felt completely numb. Even Adam’s arms around me were no longer a source of comfort. Maybe numb wasn’t the right word. I was in shock, yes, but I was angry too. Angry that I’d been played with? Created for the Organization’s purposes? Bu
t wasn’t everybody created for a purpose one way or the other?

  “Can I?” Miranda held her hand out for the file, interrupting my thoughts.

  I gave it to her and leaned back into Adam, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

  Even if I was created in a test tube in 1945, I was not going to freak out about this. I’d already had enough drama to last a lifetime. The only thing that had changed in the last five minutes was what I knew about where I came from. I was a hybrid before I was a hybrid.

  So I’d been given DNA from some of the smartest men and women to walk the face of the earth. It was mine now. I was still me and whatever I made myself into.

  “What are you thinking?” Adam whispered in my ear.

  “Too fast?”

  “Little bit,” he snorted softly.

  What was I thinking? That knowing this, didn’t change who I was now. Also, Adam now had verifiable evidence and could feel justified in his assessment of me. I’d have to acknowledge his rightness in the matter. Eventually.

  “I’m thinking this doesn’t really change anything. How I came into being doesn’t affect the direction my future will take.” Then I barked a laugh at the irony in that. “Other than it already has. Hey,” I said suddenly, “that must be why we could sort of communicate telepathically in the beginning, before I was your kind of hybrid. I mean re-hybrided? Whatever, you know what I mean.”

  “Because you already had nanobots.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed.

  Adam rested his cheek against my neck. His worry radiated through our bond.

  “I’m okay, Adam. Really,” I assured him.

  I could feel him push against me, searching for anything I was shielding.

  “I’m not hiding anything from you,” I said sarcastically, mentally swatting him.

  “You’re really alright?”

  “Mm huh.”

  He began to nuzzle my neck with his nose. “I couldn’t offer you any comfort?” he asked, his lips replacing his nose.

  I smiled at his playfulness. “You’re pretty spry for an old timer.”

  “You’re pretty hot for a seasoned citizen. You’re what, sixty-seven?”