“Look at the size of that thing,” a woman said.
“I’ve never seen a bird that big,” Nick said. “What is it?”
“That’s a thunderbird.” Christine looked around then pointed. “If you look over there, you’ll see another one in those trees.”
“Where in the world did you find them?” Meg asked.
“Here.”
“In the United States?”
“You could say that.”
Nick watched the giant bird open its enormous wings and dive off the branch toward the observation deck. It came so close to the window, the wingtips actually swept across the glass, making everyone jump back.
Just like last night when Nick had seen the shadowy shape flash by Bob’s balcony. It had to have been a thunderbird.
“How would everyone like to get a closer look?” Christine asked. At first there were no takers, then Shane piped up, “Sure. Do we get to ride one of those things?”
“I’m not too sure that would be advisable as thunderbirds are birds of prey and are quite unpredictable. But if you think the thunderbirds are impressive, wait till you see what else resides in the Aviary.” Christine led the way to a glass door that opened up to an enclosed pedestrian bridge, which extended halfway into the free flight cage and came to a dead end on a massive granite column.
Nick noticed that some of the people were apprehensive and hesitated for a moment before entering the elevated corridor. He quickly learned why when it was his turn.
The walkway was also made of glass.
It was like stepping out into thin air.
He looked at his shoes and the vegetation all the way down to the ground. He got a hollow sensation in his stomach and experienced vertigo for a second.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Meg said, glancing at her feet.
“Don’t look down and you’ll be fine,” Nick said, walking alongside and putting his arm around her back.
Christine signaled for everyone to stop and look out the right side of the pedestrian walkway.
Ten creatures with fox-like faces were dangling upside down, wrapped in black cloaks, suspended by a single toe hooked to the steel mesh netting.
“What are they?” a woman asked.
“Those are ahools,” Christine said.
“Did you say a-holes?” Shane poked Gabe and they both started giggling.
“Shane, behave,” Rhonda told her son.
“No, I said ahools,” Christine said calmly even though it was apparent she was getting a little irritated by Shane’s juvenile jokes. “They’re a megabat from Java in Indonesia. They got their name because they make a hoooh sound when they call to one another.”
“I thought bats slept in caves and hunted at night?” Nick asked, wondering why these animals were sleeping out in broad daylight even though it was synthetic lighting inside the dome.
“Each of these bats weighs about thirty pounds and because of their astoundingly large bodies no longer have the ability to transmit echolocation pulses. Which means they are no longer nocturnal predators and hunt during the day.”
“Boring,” Shane said. “So why aren’t they hunting now?” He slapped the glass with both hands. “Hey! Wake up!”
“Shane, I’m not going to tell you again...” but then Rhonda stopped when she saw what was happening outside.
“Good God,” Nick said. One of the giant bats had unfurled its wings. Dangling upside down by its feet, the creature spread its enormous wings brushing up against the others and rousting them awake.
“I would suggest everyone step away from the glass,” Christine warned.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of wings and the ahools flew at the enclosed walkway. They bared their fangs and clawed at the glass. Nick was afraid they would smash their way in with their heavy bodies.
A young girl screamed. Her mother turned her away so she wouldn’t have to see the monstrous bats.
“How do they even know we’re in here?” Nick yelled to be heard over the clamoring outside. “What’s the old saying, blind as a bat?”
“I’m afraid ahools have excellent eyesight,” Christine said. “But they are easily distracted. If everyone would remain still and be quiet, I’m sure something will get their attention and draw them away.”
Meg whispered to Nick, “Did you see that poor little girl? She was really scared.”
“Yeah. Not exactly what you would call a fun place.”
Just as Christine had predicted, a small flock of pigeons flew by that were probably a food source for the predators, and the ahools gave pursuit.
Another bird-like creature soared by.
“Hey, Bob. Didn’t that look like that owl thing from last night?” Nick asked his friend.
“Yeah, it did.”
“That was a mothman,” Christine said, obviously overhearing the two speaking.
Nick instantly thought of the Richard Gere movie he’d seen years ago called The Mothman Prophecies but never remembered seeing such a creature. He did recall that the film had something to do with foreseeing the future as Gere’s character was mysteriously drawn to a bridge where he saved a woman when the structure collapsed.
He wondered if he might have been affected in the same way.
“If you’ll all follow me to the end of the footbridge,” Christine said. “I’d like to show you more of our spectacular birds.”
Meg got Nick’s attention. “Where are they finding these creatures? I’ve never heard of thunderbirds or those giant bats?”
“Good question. Want me to ask?”
“Sure.”
“Christine?”
The tour guide turned and faced Nick. “Yes?”
“Did someone go out and capture these creatures?”
“In essence, yes. But we’ll get to that later.”
“Always with the later,” Meg whispered to Nick.
Christine stopped and pointed down at a small pond where a giant black bird with a four-foot long red beak was wallowing in the water. It looked to be about 6 feet tall and had a wingspan of 12 feet. “The species you are looking at is a kongamatok, which translates to “breaker of boats” as these legendary creatures were notorious for attacking African fishermen in their canoes.”
“You said legendary?” Nick questioned.
“That’s right.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Later,” Christine said.
“I’m telling you, I’m going to wring her neck,” Meg whispered harshly into Nick’s ear.
“And that concludes our visit to the Aviary.” Christine motioned for everyone to turn around and head back down the pedestrian bridge toward the hotel.
She hung back and waited for Nick and Meg. “I know I’ve been evasive answering some of your questions and I do apologize, but I’ve been given explicit instructions not to divulge such information until the next leg of our tour. I hope you understand. Besides, our scientists can better explain.”
“Scientists?” Meg said.
“Yes, the brilliant minds that created these creatures.”
12
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Christine led them out of the hotel and down an aggregate path past the pool toward a large circular building.
Nick saw two other groups of at least thirty people, each going their separate ways, one toward the Tank and the other up the hill to Sea Monster Cove. He glanced over his right shoulder at the massive net screen covering the bird habitat. Looking straight ahead, he could see higher structures behind the building they were about to enter, deep inside the dome.
He gazed up at the bold lettering over the entrance. BIOENGINEERING LABORATORY AND ANIMATRONICS WORKSHOP COMPLEX.
As soon as everyone was inside, Christine escorted her party through the foyer to an open doorway of a small auditorium the size of a college classroom with five tiered rows of seats and sitting capacity for fifty people.
Nick and Meg followed Bob, Rhonda, and the boys up to the third row
so they would have a good view of the stage in the front of the room. A lectern and a table were set up next to a white projector screen.
A woman in her thirties and an older looking man with a scruffy beard, wearing white lab coats, stood by the podium.
Two men were on the other side of the stage. They were ruggedly dressed in brown shirts, khakis, and hiking boots. The taller man had blond hair and was lean and muscular. The man next to him was Hispanic and huskily built.
Nick could tell by their weathered faces they spent much of their time in the great outdoors.
“Hello, everyone,” said the woman in the white lab coat. “My name is Professor Nora Howard.” She turned to the man next to her. “This is Dr. Joel McCabe. He is our head geneticist and is in charge of the bioengineering lab.” She waited for the doctor to acknowledge everyone. He gave a curt nod as if being there was a complete waste of his time and there was somewhere else he’d rather be.
Nick took an instant disliking to the person.
Professor Howard turned to the other two men and said, “These gentlemen are Jack Tremens and Miguel Walla. If it weren’t for Jack and Miguel, this zoo would not be possible.”
Dr. McCabe frowned, taking offense to that statement while Jack and Miguel both smiled at the professor.
“For the past three years, Jack and Miguel have traveled all over the world, and in many cases risked their lives, searching and finding the most dangerous and elusive creatures on the planet. Cryptozoology, or what is known as the study of “hidden animals” has always been a pseudoscience not recognized by the scientific community as there has never been substantiating evidence that cryptids have ever existed except in myths and folklore. But that is no longer true. They do exist. Right here.”
Nick saw Bob raise his hand.
“Yes?” Professor Howard said.
“So you’re saying these two men captured that sea serpent and those giant birds and those dinosaur looking things?”
Jack stepped forward to field the question. “I’m afraid Nora...I mean Professor Howard, gives Miguel and I far too much credit. Yes, we have been able to catch a few of these creatures but in most cases, we’re lucky if we can retrieve a hair fiber.”
“Which is all we need,” Dr. McCabe piped in, cutting Jack off. “Seeing as almost every creature here is a byproduct of our bioengineering program.”
“So you’re saying, you made those things in your laboratory?”
Nick couldn’t help thinking that Bob was starting to sound like a heckler.
“Human babies are conceived in laboratories through stem cell research, why not these creatures?” Professor Howard said and put up her hand. “But before we get ahead of ourselves, perhaps we should take a few minutes and watch a video we have prepared for you that will better explain everything.”
Jack went over and dimmed the lights while Professor Howard stepped up to the lectern and turned on the video player that operated the overhead projector attached to the ceiling near the back of the small auditorium.
Nick sat back in his chair as the film began on the projector screen with a brief introduction promoting Wilde Enterprises. The voice of the narrator sounded a lot like Morgan Freeman who then began speaking about the hereditary material in all organisms known as deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA. The tutorial had basic illustrations and was easy to understand, geared primarily for a young audience.
He watched as a double helix rotated on the screen and certain strands were removed from the pattern and new colored strands were inserted to take their place thus altering the DNA.
Once that segment was over, the presentation discussed the process of cloning, primarily organism cloning, a procedure of creating new multicellular organisms.
Nick looked away from the screen for a split second and saw Dr. McCabe sneak off and slip out the door.
From there the film went on to the case study of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, a tedious endeavor that took scientists 434 attempts before attaining a viable embryo. Nick wondered how many tries were taken to create a cryptid creature; a thousand times, ten thousand, more?
The movie segued into a short cartoon showing the conceptual process of creating a cryptid, beginning in the test tube. The test subject quickly evolved into a cuddly baby bigfoot. The toddler’s antics were comical to watch as it took its first steps, making the children squeal with delight and the parents laugh each time it took a pratfall. The bigfoot got even cuter as the progression was sped up to adulthood making the animated cartoon character seem harmless and goofy.
Nick worried the presentation was sugarcoating the possible dangers associated with creating such a creature so children would not be alarmed. He looked around the room until he spotted the little girl that had been frightened by the giant bats in the Aviary. She was laughing, enjoying the cartoon and didn’t seem to be suffering any emotional scars from her earlier scare. Kids could be so resilient.
The video droned on for another minute before concluding with the narrator hoping everyone enjoyed the presentation before signing off.
Nick looked over at Meg and saw her eyelids drooping. Sitting in the dark room was making him sleepy as well. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Wake up,” and her eyes popped open.
Jack turned up the lights.
Professor Howard looked at the clock on the wall. “We have a couple of minutes before your tour continues if there is anyone that would like to come up and ask questions.”
Shane and Gabe made their way to the end of the row and down the steps to the front of the room. They went up to Jack and Miguel and began chatting them up as if they were famous action/adventure movie stars on the red carpet, signing autographs.
The boys seemed genuinely excited. Jack was taking a special interest, and by the way he was gesticulating, was telling them about one of their escapades.
Nick couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Even though he was proud of what he did for a living, working a mundane job in the relatively safe marketing department was a far cry from risking one’s life, gallivanting all over the world in search of exotic animals.
“Did you see the way Jack Tremens was looking at Professor Howard?” Meg asked.
“What about it?” Nick replied.
“I think they’re an item.”
“You do, huh?”
Christine waved for everyone to follow her out of the auditorium. Nick was expecting the professor and the other two men to come along thinking they would be accompanying the group for the tour of the bioengineering laboratory but they remained behind. He quickly learned why when Christine announced that no one was allowed inside the lab except for the research team.
A few people voiced their disappointment while the rest were content just standing in the corridor and peering into the laboratory through the large pane windows.
Dr. McCabe and two lab assistants were busily at work and ignored the group of visitors gawking at them from the other side of the glass.
Before Nick was promoted to the marketing department he’d been a purchasing agent in procurement, ordering various supplies and equipment for a medical division of Wilde Enterprises, so he was familiar with many of the laboratory instruments and machines.
Some of the workstations in the back of the room were cluttered with Bunsen burners, racks of test tubes, beakers, and flasks while the benches closest to the viewing windows were kept neat and were mostly bare. A table and a few chairs were in a corner for impromptu meetings as there were scientific notations scribbled on a white board on an easel stand and anatomic charts posted on the wall.
Nick heard a screech inside the lab.
Dr. McCabe immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed across the lab. One of the lab assistants started to follow but the other man shook his head and they returned to their work.
“Did you hear that?” Meg asked.
“Sounded like some kind of animal,” Nick responded.
The odd cry stopped.
Dr. McCabe stood and walked back to where he had been previously at work.
“That was strange,” Meg said.
“There’s something not right about that guy,” Nick said. “You don’t think he’s some kind of Dr. Moreau?”
“What, you think he creates these things just so he can abuse them?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“If you’ll all follow me,” Christine said in a loud voice and walked everyone down to another part of the building.
A sign was over two double doors: ANIMATRONIC WORKSHOP.
Christine pushed through the doors, which swung open into a large workshop. A small crew of three men and two women were working on different projects.
An artist was sitting at her drawing board while a sculptor stood at a nearby table, copying the sketch and creating a similar creature out of clay that looked like a giant lizard.
A welder was finishing up with a humanoid skeletal frame that stood eight feet high. The woman removed her face shield to inspect the joints.
One man was operating a joystick on a control box and testing the motor functions on a large puppet that looked exactly like the giant bats they’d seen in the Aviary.
There were tables everywhere with dismantled body parts and busts of creatures’ heads and torsos. A work-in-progress bigfoot was partially covered with a head and furry torso, the arms and legs still bare metal. The place looked like a demonic child’s playroom after all the toys had been torn apart.
A man with a white goatee and gray hair pulled back in a ponytail was inspecting a full size replicate of a mokele-mbemebe which looked exactly like one of the sauropods from Sea Monster Cove. He turned and gave everyone a warm smile.
Cryptid Zoo Page 6