Savage By Nature

Home > Other > Savage By Nature > Page 11
Savage By Nature Page 11

by Jacob Russell Dring


  But, Asher hadn’t been lying—seating arrangements were thus made.

  Felina also spotted two data terminals in the chamber, one in the right corner from the entrance. The other, flush with the reinforced glass panel that composed the entire far wall. On the other side of it was a gossamer mist almost sallow in color, shrouding vague silhouettes and seeming to cling to the glass itself. The silhouettes were humanoid and yet far from it.

  A pair of scientists were already in the chamber upon Asher’s entrance. He nodded to one, a man in his forties with a severe balding spot, whom then left with a cordial bow of his head. He excused himself through the throng of documenters still near the door, like shy children at a shark aquarium.

  The other was a fair-haired woman with a tight ponytail and crow’s feet on her pale-skinned green-eyed face. Her voice was thin with delicate age as well as a hint of submission to Asher’s presence.

  Felina was too distracted by the lingering mist-obscured silhouettes to develop her thoughts on this. Instead her entire intrigue, curiosity, and focus was glued to the reinforced glass panel…moreover, the shapes beyond it.

  Dark, vaguely serpentine yet humanoid shapes—

  Asher approached the terminal nearest the glass and swiped his right forefinger across the screen. Through fans in the ceiling on the other side of the panel, the mist was vacuumed out of the observation chamber.

  Asher’s voice swelled with pride.

  “I give you, ladies and gentlemen of the USRD, Project Xeno carnem.”

  Gasps of awe, intrigue, shock, fear, and amazement swept the documenters. For what they saw on the other side of what they hoped was utterly unbreakable glass made their skin crawl in a myriad of ways.

  No longer mere silhouettes, Felina’s gaze studied them.

  The creatures were nearly identical in shape and size; she focused on the centermost.

  Despite its prominent head, she found herself staring at the feet foremost. Perhaps it was the awe that had stricken her, that terrible concoction of marvel and horror which urged her to look away but stare simultaneously. Her eyes traced every detail of its body, from toe to head, respectively.

  Four digits on the feet, flesh ending in black claws. Legs were hocked like a horse’s, featuring scaled calves but smooth carapaces over the shins and thighs. Its hamstrings were exposed, but the same color and texture as the rest of its dark gray epidermis, a smooth organic armor Felina thought. Its entire torso was vaguely humanoid—most notable was the rib cage, higher than a man’s and wrapped around its chest like a rigid vest of ashen bones. Beneath it was a shallow stomach, gaunt all the way down to the sexless pelvis and bony hindquarters. Its two arms were jointed at the elbows, connected to the torso via smooth shoulders unlike its upper legs, and featured prominently exposed musculature with intertwining scales and carapaces. The hands ended in four digits structured like a human’s but with fierce black claws similar to its toes. Four stubby protrusions raised from its upper back, two from each shoulder blade, with obvious apertures at their ends; the top two, nearest its shoulders, were no more than two feet long. The other two, half that.

  Felina felt most terrified observing their heads.

  Much less just one of them, but to see three creatures identical and lingering in one spot as if lurking lackadaisically, it made her skin crawl.

  Founded between the rounded shoulders was a flexible neck with exposed yet seemingly tough sinew, roughly equivalent to the size of a human’s, perhaps a few inches longer. On this neck was a curved head that seemed to be stuck in two different worlds; the cranium was long and slightly phallic, with a subtle curve ending in a soft point that hovered above its upper back. It reminded Felina of the cranial crest belonging to a particular herbivorous dinosaur, the Parasaurolophus. Alike its distinguished skull, here she guessed the tubular cranium was not only an extension of the premaxilla and nasal bones but also contained the brain, too, since there was nowhere else the creature could contain such an organ. The bottom half of the creature’s head was also curved, giving it an incomplete crescent profile; its bottom jaw curved toward its chest in a pointed crest. Behind where an eye might traditionally be located but none could be seen, just below the initial curve of its skull, was an arc of scaled flesh. Identical in texture and composition, these scaled portions appeared to be located in the calves, obliques, triceps, and antebrachial muscles.

  Unlike the Parasaurolophus which shared its similar but not nearly identical skull crest, this creature and its kin were certainly not herbivorous. Omnivorous, even, doubtful. The teeth lining its jaws, both upper and lower, resembled an anglerfish’s except proportionally larger and more profuse. How the creatures here could close their jaws without causing harm to themselves was beyond Felina’s understanding, although since their reveal they had yet sealed their mouths. They simply lolled open, breathing through tongueless and lipless mouths, breath visible behind the glass panel in puffs.

  The creatures were each about seven feet tall with a subtle hunch in their upright posture. The humanoid aspect of their forms was the only faintly comforting concept, but simultaneously was also one of the most unnerving.

  Felina couldn’t place a single emotion on this revelation.

  Although, curiosity was definitely up there.

  It seemed that, even with the biggest answer thrown at them like this, a dozen more questions popped up in its place.

  And reasonably so, too.

  Felina finally took her eyes off the creatures behind the panel and gawked at Asher. The man was grinning toothlessly to himself, his visage illuminated with a passion that equally disturbed her. He appeared enthusiastic to answer questions, on the verge of asking them himself if he had the opportunity.

  And then Felina glanced at her colleagues.

  Baez, Baxter, Wisniewski, and Calloway had all taken a seat. They periodically cradled their heads in their hands, fingertips massaging temples in deep rumination. In between this action and staring aimlessly at the ceiling, they also frantically accessed their PDA’s. Those still standing, including Felina herself, also stared blankly in no particular direction, after of course having fully observed the creatures.

  Godunov and Ngo seemed to be the only ones captivated enough not to look away for too long from the creatures. In their hands were PDA’s being tapped at and swiped, taking notes eagerly, knowing they couldn’t record video or take photos while in the labs.

  “You said,” Loudon’s voice cut through the pall of silence that had settled over them, “‘Xeno carnem’?”

  “Yes, I most certainly did.” Asher stepped forward, his left hand gliding over the glass panel and yet the creatures—less than five feet from the other side—appeared unfazed.

  “Well, Xeno is Greek for ‘alien,’” Loudon said. “But I don’t recognize carnem.”

  “That’s because it’s Latin,” Wisniewski said from his seat, looking up and suddenly bearing a light in his eyes. “For ‘flesh.’”

  Xeno carnem, Felina thought. Alien flesh.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  “What exactly have you done here, Asher?” Felina asked, seemingly out of the blue. Several of the documenters turned to face her, then stare back at Asher, who smiled far too casually for her comfort.

  “This is where you may want to take notes,” he said, “if you all haven’t been so wise to do so already.”

  Those in their seats gathered their composure to stand and access their PDA’s with heightened keenness.

  “In 2228, the Manticore recovered debris floating through space in the far reaches of the NGC 1300 galaxy. Before then and since then, this was never a moment of great significance for our researchers and analysts. On that day, however, our reality changed monumentally. Through close examination and preservation, we managed to recover an intact strain of extraterrestrial DNA through residual blood on the debris. The debris itself was insignificant, a conglomerate of known ores and minerals. Compelled by this scientific discovery, the
Manticore initiated Project Xeno carnem, or more casually the Xeno Project, in hopes of clarifying what we found. Over the course of the next thirteen months, we established not only the soundness of the DNA being extraterrestrial and beyond our knowledge, but its health to expand tests.”

  “What do you mean by expansion?” Baxter asked.

  “Which brings us to the prologue of the specimens standing before you now,” Asher said rather proudly. “By month fourteen, the Manticore received a direct order from USRD Central Command to “test its compatibility with human DNA, under safe and secure circumstances.” While this at first alarmed us, it also excited us for obvious reasons. And with the proper resources, plus security, it has proved to be an incredibly captivating adventure in science.”

  “Define security,” Baez pressed, hostility rooting her voice. She stepped up to occupy Felina’s right side. “How is it that a force of three sentinels and Ikabu alone are regarded as sufficient security for such a project as this?”

  “Please, you must calm down. I understand the shock, the awe especially, but details are reaching you in a staggered manner. Please, be patient. Realize that these creatures, as fierce and unreal as they appear, are simply incapable of escaping their confinement. This panel alone is composed of silica-palladium glass, with a two-inch thickness. We never thought it would actually serve such a purpose, as I imagine neither did the Manticore’s architects, but at last it holds up well. Besides, with gaseous calming agents in each chamber, as well as high-voltage shock treatments, the specimens are incredibly domesticated.” Asher laughed strangely. “Not quite so to the point of a petting zoo or household pet, mind you, but taking all things under consideration we have accomplished light years of achievements.

  “As for security, the sentinels only know as much as the rest of the personnel aboard the Manticore. Which is, suffice it to say, very little. Minimal, really. They all are aware that we’re “analyzing inert extraterrestrial DNA.” Key word, inert. A white lie, nonetheless, it keeps everyone calm as well they ought to be, especially with the SC6 aboard. Now, before you go about more inquisitions, I’ll introduce you all to Space Command 6, the security team sent by USMB themselves, for additional security. Mind you, they too are under limited knowledge so it’s imperative you don’t expose what you see here to them later.

  “This, mind you all, is an extreme privilege that the USRD and Manticore itself is permitting you. I understand, it is a lot to take in, but with seven days left I assure you by the time you leave you won’t want to.”

  Why do I doubt that? Felina couldn’t help but think.

  “Now,” Asher continued, “as for the specimens themselves and the Xeno carnem strain that helped make them what they are today. Along with SC6, USRD Central Command—”

  But he said SC6 was USMB, not RD, Felina mulled, wondering if he realized he let that tidbit slip or not, though nobody was voicing a concern about it.

  “—sent blood samples belonging to death row inmates sentenced for execution on Earth. All male, all physically healthy donors. We used these for the cross-species bioengineering experiments, combining human DNA with that of Xeno carnem; through trial and error, we’ve managed to cultivate what you see before you. Alien flesh—resurrection from a microscopic existence, the last of its kind for all we know, and can only theorize how far away their origins are traced. Now, alive and breathing, but a part of us as well. It truly is magnificent. Wouldn’t you all agree?”

  The looks on the documenters’ faces was an array of different emotions. These hadn’t changed significantly since they first caught spectacle of the ‘specimens’ opposite the glass, but there certainly was a development. Their curiosities had shifted, intrigue leveled, criticisms now open for discussion.

  There was little satisfaction at present.

  Even those such as Godunov and Ngo, who appeared most enthralled by this revelation, were still very inquisitive. They wanted to know more, not necessarily about the bioengineering process but the creatures lingering before them now.

  Diet, respiration, composition, reproduction, senses…

  “Magnificent indeed,” Godunov nodded before raising a bushy eyebrow at Asher. “But what of the creature’s characteristics and biological features?”

  “Ah, yes, an excellent and of course essential question,” Asher replied rather buoyantly. It irked Felina how undead he had seemed up until today. “Each specimen, as you can tell, stands about seven feet tall. They walk upright, bipedal, but prefer a hunched gorilla-like posture that utilizes their long arms and hocked legs to a versatile advantage. Although we’ve never tested one in a wider area than this, simply because we don’t have the ability to aboard the Manticore, we have observed individuals alone in an entire chamber rather than with others, and studied its behavior. One alone can move rather nimbly, and even traverse the walls as well as ceiling, which isn’t too shocking considering the starkness of the chamber.”

  This was true, and obvious.

  Felina had noticed secondary to the creatures themselves that the chamber on the other side of the glass was not like the room in all its smooth whiteness, instead holding stronger semblance to the corridors outside. A grated floor, bare bulkheads and exposed pipes, the like. Despite this, Asher reassured the documenters that the surrounding husk of each chamber was reinforced, though not with the same material as the glass, it was nonetheless impenetrable to any of their primitive attacks.

  “That said, their aggression is considerably low. To each other, there is minimal hostility. We have had these specimens in their current healthy and intact state for about three weeks now. When in the same chamber together, if accidental contact is made, they hiss in the same manner that a king cobra might, with similar head and neck gestures, but never striking. In the most extreme cases they snap their jaws at each other, but never making contact or drawing blood. With this in mind, during transfusion tests as well as investigating wounds that their teeth make in their mouths during the process of opening and closing the jaws until they’ve adjusted, the blood is similar in viscosity to a human’s, but of a hue between crimson and mauve.

  “Durability wise, their flesh is incredibly resilient. Where the skin is smooth and sports a subtle sheen, such as the skull and parts of the unscaled arms and legs, resilience is top grade. To our surprise, it is the scaled portions of the Xeno hide that exhibit a tenderness in lieu of promoting elasticity. This is why the specimens are so lithe and nimble.

  “Internally, they are not unlike humans. Heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, intestines, and all—but in an incredibly compressed state, with varying proportions from ours. Digestively, their metabolism is off the charts and waste secretion is limited to a gelatinous urination via a single aperture in the back of the pelvis, at the base of the spine. We have fed them a variety of rations, from vegetation to preserved flesh in the form of whole cattle corpses from butcheries on Earth. They have no reaction to the vegetation, as if it wasn’t even present in the chamber. The meat, however wasn’t as simple as we expected; cold, it too gained no reaction. Once artificially warmed, they attacked it without hesitation. Although autopsies and dissections have been performed, we’ve found no apparent means of infrared sensory organs in the elongated brain, or elsewhere for that matter, but heat detection is certain. This said, we tried heating the vegetation, and while the specimens noted its presence, they ignored it otherwise as insignificant. Meanwhile, some of the pipes surrounding the chamber can grow rather warm, but never do they investigate these areas, that is, no more than they usually do.”

  “What do you mean, usually?” Schuman asked.

  “Well, they are rather acute and intelligent creatures, this much is unavoidable and fascinatingly so.” Asher sporadically squinted as he spoke, almost in a worshipping manner while still trying to grasp the reality of the circumstances. “Periodically they take the time to meticulously investigate the boundaries in which they are kept; observing the walls, the floor, the ceiling even, alt
hough they rarely seem to gaze directly at anyone in particular through the glass panel. Due to the panel’s natural temperature neutralization, the specimens are unable to detect our body heat from the other side.”

  As Schuman and the others absorbed this piece of information, likely with the rest of Asher’s lecture, their fingers served as the middlemen to their PDA’s. Given, while video couldn’t be recorded nor photos taken, audio dictations were allowed as well.

  Asher began to continue his physical description of the Xeno carnem when Zometa interrupted him.

  “Cattle flesh aside,” she said quizzically and with subtle attitude, “have they ever had any direct human contact?”

  Asher laughed curtly. “Nonsense, absolutely not.”

  “Afraid your pets will bite the hand that feeds?” Baez said with a raised eyebrow and not a morsel of hesitation.

  Asher was flushed with austerity.

  “Don’t be absurd,” he said plainly. “It is merely a logical concern, and safety precaution. We have the security to protect ourselves, but to further confuse them and their perception of our species, it could be catastrophic to our understanding of them.”

  “So you’re saying,” Godunov said rather confusedly, “that you’re more apprehensive of their safety than your own? In the event of human interaction, that is.”

  “On an ecological scale, yes.”

  Even Godunov seemed skeptical of this, especially discernible as he solemnly made a quiet notation on his PDA.

  “Any further questions on this matter,” Asher asked, failing in an attempt to seem unperturbed, “or may I continue?”

  Muteness was the documenters’ response.

  “Excellent, I thank you,” Asher said with a fleeting smirk, and then proceeded. “The specimens’ lung capacity is thrice that of an adult male, giving them a robust endurance that is most astounding. Vocally, they hiss and screech, but seem incapable of producing low or guttural verbalizations. The ability to breathe underwater has been ruled out as of last week, during a failed experiment; the specimen began convulsing, and eventually stopped breathing but managed to revive itself after seven seconds ‘on dry land,’ without our interference. This said, we expected the production of bile or some kind of regurgitation, but none came; during autopsies, it’s been found that they do possess a bile duct, but it appears to be of no use to them. A similar mystery much like their heat detection.

 

‹ Prev