Darwin's Cipher

by M. A. Rothman

  The boulder-strewn western edge of the island was made nearly impassable with all of the storm’s detritus pockmarking the beach. Kathy worried about how Brad’s ankle would handle the walk back to the boat.

  She sighed as Brad tossed a handful of spices into the now-steaming water and knew he’d never admit when he was in pain.

  As Kathy breathed in the scent of the Old Bay seasoning coming up from the boiling water, something didn’t seem quite right about their surroundings. The ocean was calm, and the breeze had become almost nonexistent, yet something felt… off.

  The sounds.

  It dawned on her that she hadn’t heard the cry of a seagull, or of any other kind of bird, since arriving at the island. Not one.

  A shroud of silence wrapped tightly around them as she sat up and stared at the nearby forest of palms. “Honey, where do you think all the birds are?”

  “Birds? I don’t know. In Dutch Harbor, the gulls tend to get out of town ahead of any incoming squalls. I suppose the gulls around here do the same.” He withdrew a set of metal tongs from his backpack and clacked them in her direction. “Fifteen minutes and we’ll be eating.”

  Still wondering about the birds, Kathy scanned the trees. And then she spotted it—a rainbow-plumed bird staring down at them from its twenty-foot-high perch in a nearby coconut palm. She couldn’t imagine how she’d missed it at first; its bright plumage stood out against the brown and green of the trees.

  “Hey, look, Brad. It seems like not all of the birds flew away.”

  “Oh, wow. It’s beautiful. I wonder what kind of bird that is?”

  With one hand shading the sun from his eyes, Brad approached the palm tree. Suddenly the bird dropped off its perch and dove directly at him. Brad ducked, and the bird careened off his arm and flew back into the trees.

  “What the hell!”

  Kathy hopped up on the balls of her feet and called out, “Get away from the tree. It probably has a nest that it’s defending.”

  Brad blotted his white shirt against his arm, producing a bloody stain. “That bag of feathers took a chunk out of me!”

  Kathy pulled the first-aid kit from Brad’s backpack. “You don’t want that getting infected.”

  Brad shook his head. “I swear that thing came right at my face. If I didn’t already have my arm up…”

  Kathy ripped open an alcohol swab and smiled. “Come here, you big baby. Let me clean you up.”

  She wiped the blood away, revealing that a pencil-thick chunk of flesh had been gouged from his forearm. “Damn, it really did take a bite out of you. You’re lucky it didn’t get you in the eye.”

  Brad scowled toward the coconut palm. “I’ve never seen a bird launch itself—”

  He ripped his arm from Kathy’s grasp and swung it viciously at her head. She gasped as his hand flew just past her right ear. Kathy staggered, nearly losing her balance.

  “Got you!” he cried.

  Stunned, Kathy followed Brad’s gaze. On the ground behind her lay the broken body of the rainbow-plumed bird.

  “That thing was pissed,” Brad said. “It was like a dart going right for the side of your face.”

  A series of staccato chirps sounded from the palm trees. Kathy wondered if those were hatchlings calling for their mother, and she felt heartsick.

  But then at least a dozen more of the rainbow-plumed birds emerged from within the palm fronds.

  “Brad,” she said, an icy chill washing over her, “let’s get out of here. There are more of those birds.”

  In unison, as if by some unheard silent command, all of the birds dropped from their perches and dove right at them.

  With her heartbeat booming in her head, Kathy watched the scene unfold as if in slow motion. Brad winced as several of the colorfully plumed animals bounced off him.

  Brad grabbed the backpack and charged toward them, swinging it at the attackers, the bag’s contents flying everywhere. “Get the hell away from us!”

  He managed to knock two of the birds to the ground. Bloodstains bloomed all across his shirt.

  Without giving a second thought to the fire and the rest of their stuff, she yelled, “Brad, forget it! Let’s get out of here!”

  Brad nodded. “I’m right behind you!”

  Kathy sprinted across the beach, barely controlling a welling sense of panic as something slammed into her back. She kept her focus on the uneven terrain, racing as fast as she could go. She didn’t slow as something else slammed into her back and she felt a burning sensation. She assumed that a bird had taken a chunk out of her.

  Behind her, Brad cried out in pain. She turned and the world seemed to freeze as she saw Brad climbing back up to his feet. Rivulets of blood poured down his face. There was so much blood on his shirt that there was hardly any white left. And for the first time ever, she saw fear on his face.

  “Damn it, Kathy, don’t worry about me! Keep going!”

  She looked up and saw the birds circling around for another attack. And suddenly she felt frozen in place. Her legs refused to move.

  Brad sprinted toward her, grabbed her arm, and yanked her toward the tree line. “Run through the woods. There’s probably less shit to trip over in there, and they can’t attack us as easily.”

  Kathy felt a surge of adrenaline and raced for the shelter of the coconut grove. As she weaved through the dense vegetation, several more times she felt the sting of a bird attack. Her breath was soon coming in desperate gulps, and she could no longer see Brad, though she could hear him crashing through the brush somewhere to her right.

  “Brad! Are you okay?”

  She got no response.

  She could only hope she was still moving toward the boat. The dozens of burning gouges all over her body were a painful testament that this fight had become life-and-death. And she was losing.

  And then a ray of hope. She spied the end of the coconut grove ahead.

  Imagining herself making a mad dash for the lagoon and the safety of the sailboat’s cabin, she raced past the trees—and came to a lurching halt.

  She stood in a clearing. In front of her was a concrete building, and to its side, not more than fifty feet away, was a tall aviary, filled with the rainbow-plumed birds. They should have been contained, but a coconut palm had fallen through the steel mesh of its enclosure, opening a large tear.

  Her heart pounding in her ears, Kathy ran for the door of the building. At the same moment, a massive flock of the birds flew from their enclosure toward her.

  Please don’t be locked.

  She yanked on the metal door—and it opened. Stumbling inside, she kicked the door shut and collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

  Climbing onto all fours, Kathy trembled as she watched drops of her blood splash onto the concrete floor. She had no idea how many wounds she’d taken from the bird attacks, but it was a lot. Her arms were covered in slick red as if she’d been bathing in her own blood.

  Something vibrated on her waist. The satellite phone. It was ringing.

  She ripped it from her belt. “Brad, thank God! Did you make it to the boat?”

  “Miss, we have a launch crew being sent now—”

  “Holy shit, send a helicopter! We’ll pay whatever it takes. We’re being attacked by a crazy flock of birds and need medical help!” Kathy swallowed a lump of fear and started to cry. “My boyfriend is heading toward our boat, and he’s injured. I’m stuck in some building. I’m bleeding and Lord knows what—”

  “Ma’am, calm down. Did you say you are on the island and—”

  “Yes! Get me some goddamn help! It’s an emergency.”

  “Ma’am…”

  The voice seemed to fade, and Kathy felt fatigue wash over her.

  Have I lost that much blood?

  She lay on her back. The room began to spin. The sun peeking through the intact windows of the odd building faded as darkness closed in on her.

  ###

 
The boom of a distant explosion woke her.

  Kathy sat up and shook her head.

  Another explosion. It sent rumbles through the ground. And this one sounded… closer.

  Shrugging off the pain, Kathy staggered to her feet.

  When she’d stumbled in here earlier, she was too panicked to even notice her surroundings. Now she looked around. This place was clearly some kind of lab. Incubators were lined up on lab benches. Some contained piles of grape-sized white eggs; others held blind, featherless chicks. Leaning closer, she stared at the blind newborn chicks and noticed the beginnings of red pin feathers.

  Holy crap. Someone’s raising these things?

  Her chest tightened as she thought of Brad. She hoped he’d made it safely back to the boat. Feeling woozy, she nearly collapsed against one of the nearby lab benches.

  On its work surface was a stack of notebooks with a logo emblazoned on them. AgriMed. The computer next to the incubator had a flash drive plugged into one of its USB slots; a sticker on the drive read AgriMed Confidential.

  On impulse, she took it.

  Another boom shook the building, and Kathy ran to the window.

  Her heart raced as six men emerged from the trees, all armed, all dressed in military camouflage. One of them aimed a bulky-looking rifle at the aviary, and a stream of orange flame burst forth.

  Another soldier ran to the building and burst through the door. “Miss, I’m here to escort you off the island.”

  Kathy staggered toward him, her body still burning with pain. The soldier grabbed her upper arm and helped her through the door.

  She felt the heat from the flames immediately. The soldiers were burning not just the aviary but much of the surrounding forest. The heat from the flames was almost unbearable as Kathy tried to keep up with the soldiers leading her away from the building. The billowing smoke from the burning trees stung her eyes, blinding her with tears.

  Pausing for a second to wipe her eyes free of soot, Kathy gasped as a soldier threw her over his shoulder and moved forward, the others joining him. Kathy heard a whoosh and felt the heat of a flamethrower as it incinerated something up ahead. She could barely breathe through the smoke.

  And then she was being placed in the open bay of a helicopter. Its blades were already beginning to turn.

  Kathy coughed. Her chest ached from smoke. Panic rose in her chest, and she grabbed the arm of the soldier who had carried her. “Brad is out there still! You can’t leave him behind!” The engine of the helicopter whined ever louder.

  The soldier’s face was covered with soot; it looked as if it had been carved from a block of stone. He frowned and shook his head. “Not man on island.” His voice was heavy with a German accent.

  Another man placed an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. “Breathe.”

  She inhaled, and the world turned black.

  Chapter Six

  Kathy sat on the edge of a hospital bed in a spartan cinderblock room. She had an attached bathroom, but no windows, no view of the outside world. And no idea where she was.

  It had been the middle of the night when the helicopter landed on a tropical island with almost no hint of civilization. Two men in lab coats took her in and silently treated her injuries. It had taken a while—she had dozens of gouges, each of which needed to be cleaned and stitched—but throughout it all, they’d refused to answer any of her questions. At least she’d been given access to a hot shower afterward, before being left here, completely alone in the barracks-like wing of the building.

  She knew she should try to rest, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even close her eyes without seeing Brad’s bloody face. And she couldn’t stop dwelling on the possibility—probability—that he might now be dead.

  Her lack of emotion over it was something she knew wasn’t like her. Under normal circumstances, she’d be freaking out, crying, maybe furious. But she was emotionally drained. There just wasn’t enough left inside her.

  She felt numb.

  Is this what shock is like? Do I have some kind of PTSD?

  Glancing around the room, Kathy breathed in deeply. The room had the same antiseptic smell as a hospital, yet she couldn’t recall seeing any other patients as she’d been wheeled from one room to the next.

  Her entire body throbbed with pain. She pulled up the sleeve of the clean white shirt she’d been given. Scanning the entirety of her right arm, Kathy noticed all the bruises and began counting. “Ten bites, each with two stitches.”

  She stood, pain surging through her, and walked into the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she shuddered.

  She barely recognized herself.

  A large purple bruise had spread across most of the left side of her face. It was swollen so badly that she could barely open her left eye. She probed her face with her fingertips and was surprised that she felt no pain. Perhaps the docs had numbed it. The rest of her, however, felt worse than she imagined possible. They hadn’t numbed her wounds, which burned. And despite the cool temperature in the air-conditioned room, her entire body felt uncomfortably warm.

  I’m getting a fever.

  A knock sounded on the door to her room. She left the bathroom and opened it.

  A muscular man wearing all-black fatigues stood outside. In heavily accented English, he said, “Come with me. Director arrived and will see you.”

  Director?

  She nodded. “Yes. Okay.”

  Maybe he can tell me what happened to Brad.

  ###

  The German man led Kathy to a comfortable conference room. A steely-eyed woman stood in one corner, and an older gentleman sat at the large table. Unlike everyone else here, he was dressed immaculately in a suit and tie. Not a strand of his salt-and-pepper hair was out of place. And when he spoke, it was clear that he was American.

  “Miss O’Reilly. Please, sit. I’m so glad you’re feeling better after this… unfortunate incident.” He smiled, and paused. “But you do realize that there were signs along the harbor warning people to stay away.”

  His voice was warm, but Kathy sensed a rigidity to his demeanor—as if he were deeply frustrated by something. Maybe having to come out to this remote location, or maybe it was her that he was upset with. Likely both.

  She sat down, eager to get off her feet. She still felt feverish. “I know it was wrong to be there,” she said. “As Brad explained—” She stopped mid-sentence; Brad’s bloody face had appeared once more in her mind’s eye. “Did you find him? My boyfriend? We were both heading back to our sailboat when we got separated…”

  The man glanced at the steely-eyed woman. The woman’s gaze didn’t shift off of Kathy for a moment. “I’m sure your boyfriend is fine,” he responded calmly and tapped a paper that sat on the table before him. “My men report that the sailboat left the harbor almost immediately after they cleared the obstruction.”

  Kathy’s hopes rose. But as she opened her mouth to ask a question, the man continued.

  “But I have no idea where the boat was off to.”

  The world seemed to stop as cold fingers of dread raked through her insides.

  Brad would never have left without her, or without letting her know where he was going. He would have made sure she was okay; she had no doubt about it.

  This man was lying.

  Which probably meant… Brad was dead.

  And nobody in the world knew where she was.

  A chill ran up the middle of her back. She was at these people’s mercy.

  Glancing at the corner of the conference room, Kathy was reminded of the presence of that steely-eyed woman. She had been watching Kathy’s every move. For some reason, she made Kathy more nervous than anyone else she’d encountered.

  The man slid a stack of papers toward her. “Miss O’Reilly, you’ve trespassed on our property, but the company has chosen to overlook this and will not press charges. In fact, we feel terrible about the experience you’ve been through, and would li
ke to make a generous offer of compensation. We ask only that you sign this non-disclosure agreement.”

  Kathy skimmed the first page.

  The man’s voice took on a warm, almost paternal tone. “It’s a fairly standard agreement. You agree to remain silent about what you’ve encountered, and we’ll give you $200,000. As to the details of the agreement…”

  He continued, but Kathy wasn’t listening. She’d never dreamed that someone would offer her that much money for anything, much less simply staying silent about something.

  Of course, she recognized it for what it was: a payoff. But she also realized that she didn’t have a choice.

  She shuddered to think what they might do if she refused.

  Without even waiting for the man to stop talking, she grabbed a pen and signed the papers.

  ###

  “The company” put Kathy on a flight back home to Alaska. But once she got there, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She’d been working at Cape Cheerful in Dutch Harbor, but that place now held too many memories. It was where she’d met Brad.

  She needed to know what had happened to him.

  He hadn’t returned home, and the slip where he normally moored his sailboat remained unoccupied. She sought out his friends and crewmates, to see if he’d reached out to any of them. He hadn’t.

  She was certain something terrible had happened. She told the cops that he was missing. They said they’d look into it, but she wasn’t optimistic. A disappearance at sea was way beyond their abilities, much less their jurisdiction.

  After only a week, the anxiety was too much. Everything about Alaska reminded her of Brad. Brad and that damned island.

  She needed a change.

  ###

  Frank rose from his recliner to answer the knock at the door. He opened it to find the last person he expected.

  His daughter, Kathy.

  They hadn’t heard from her in two months, and even that was a five-minute conversation with Megan, announcing that she’d hooked up with some fishing captain up in Alaska. His baby girl hadn’t been home in over three years.