Earth Cat Zero: Last Cat Meowing

by Gary Starta

“No.” Schultz rose to his feet. “I was just as skeptical when I saw this. It seems the military has kept certain experimentations from us. But they are willing to disclose this one as a show of faith. They have determined that solving the missing cat mystery is paramount and maybe even a matter of national security.” He paced with hands stuffed into his pants pockets.

  Miranda was about to raise a hand in objection when the din of raised voices interfered.

  “What is going on?” Caron rose from her seat and headed toward the kitchen window which had the best vantage point of the driveway. At least a couple of hundred people had situated themselves on the front lawn and dozens of vehicles lined the streets. Many of the trespassers carried cameras and tablets. Normand peered over Caron’s shoulders with a thudding heart. “Oh, no. I’ve caused this.”

  Schultz grabbed Normand by his arm. “What do you mean, Normand?”

  “I went to a bar last night where I met a woman…”

  “We’ll discuss this later.” Schultz turned to Caron. “I had no idea this would happen; you’ve got to believe me.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether she believes you or not, Director.” Security Captain Catalina offered. “It’s done. The question is what we can do with it.”

  “He’s right.” Brands added. “Up until now you hadn’t officially admitted the existence of our dear Earth Cat. This leak was only a revelation in waiting. If Mrs. Ellis and her daughter are to be caretakers of the cat – then the public would need to know of Earth Cat’s existence.”

  “I hate to admit you’re right, Doctor.” Schultz scowled. “But yes, this can work out for the better, just maybe not the best…”

  Caron pounded a fist on the kitchen counter. “I don’t care about saving face for Brookhaven or anyone else!”

  Schultz countered. “But you do have concerns for the animal. Let that guide your conscience in this.”

  “Conscience? Am I supposed to agree to make that animal into a talking cat? Like that bird, that abomination…”

  Miranda grasped her mothers’ arm. “Mom, this is what has to be done. And Doctor, “she continued, “whatever you’re going to do I’m going to be there.”

  Caron smiled and wiped a tear away from her cheek. “Okay, you’ve got me, Schultz. See, I’m not all iron and stone. Damn it…”

  “You’re doing the right thing, Caron.” Schultz was stammering and Normand realized his director was not above human compassion.

  Outside, the throng continued to mill, some shouting ‘reveal the truth’ and others laying blame: ‘prosecute the killers’.

  “We’ve got a Frankenstein mob out there.” Brands commented. “I think it’s best that Mrs. Ellis delivers her first statement post haste.”

  “Yes, we’ll wait for this to die down and then get her to a studio to make a statement.” Schultz could only nod in agreement with Brands and seemed to be at a loss for further discussion.

  “No, Director,” Caron replied. “I’m going to talk to them right now.”

  Chapter Six

  “Wait, Mom, I’m going with you!” Miranda shouted to be overheard by the throng gathered on the drive and lawn. Caron had already opened the kitchen entrance and was leaving the house in what must have been a surreal moment for the Brookhaven officials.

  Normand observed the Ellis’s unsuspected chess move and inched his way closer to the door. I should stop them. It’s me who they want!

  Yet the engineer was blocked by the lanky Schultz and the bulky mass of Security Captain Catalina who shouted amongst themselves. “No, you’re not going with her!” Catalina shouted toward Miranda.

  “Director, I need to stop them!” With a flushed face, Schultz strong armed the captain from pursuing the mother and daughter. “No. It’s okay, Captain.”

  “It’s not okay from a security standpoint and a legal standpoint. Has this woman never heard of NDA’s?”

  Schultz removed his arm from the door and clasped the captain’s shoulder. “It’s on me, Captain. She hasn’t signed anything yet.” Catalina nodded knowingly and Normand believed the captain was relieved from the way his muscles relaxed. Normand shook his head in silence. Anything she says now wouldn’t be officially connected to the lab. It’s clear corporate interest – not the cats – is what Brookhaven is concerned about.

  The director cupped his hand and shouted to Caron’s back; she was already positioned on the porch stairway and the mob of reporters and onlookers seemed to stare and scream at her as if she was a rock goddess. “Caron, you didn’t sign the agreement yet!”

  She turned and clutched Miranda. “I will get to it, Director. Right now, this is about doing the right thing, as a citizen, as a human being!”

  Behind all, Dr. Brands stood silent with crossed arms, yet the man was nodding as if in agreement. Normand felt a bit comforted that the man had the decency to acknowledge humanity despite the oddity of his work.

  Outside a reporter yelled. “Is it okay to quote you, Mrs.…?”

  “I suggest,” Caron said in a clipped tone, “that you all respect my privacy in this matter.”

  The reported continued. “And if we don’t?”

  Now Caron’s hands were on her hips. “I am going to be your conduit between the lab, possibly even the government. Anything you want answered is going to come from my lips. I would suggest you start behaving civilly. For the record, my name is Caron Ellis, a former Brookhaven employee.”

  The throng’s voices erupted in a din so loud no words were intelligible.

  “That’s right I worked for the lab! But in reaction to your reaction, I have to say you are jumping to conclusions. No one is to blame for what has happened. The good officials at Brookhaven are working as we speak to find a solution to the cat disappearance.”

  Another reported raised a hand as others yelled with displeasure at the man’s courtesy.

  “Mrs. Ellis, I am Mark O’Shea. I am responsible for the crowd at your door today. My apologies. We just want the truth, and we want answers.”

  “Good, Mr. O’Shea, so do I.” Caron nodded and hugged Miranda tighter. “This is my daughter, Miranda. We are victims of this occurrence just like every pet lover out there. The difference is we may have observed an event which could explain everything.”

  Schultz fiddled with his tie. “For the sake of the cosmos…” Standing behind the director, Normand felt like ants were crawling on his legs. He danced crab like from side- to-side waiting for a chance to wend his way through the Brookhaven gate protectors. I should be taking this heat.

  “And by admitting there was an event, aren’t you admitting the acceleration could be responsible?” The question came from the first reporter, who was now phrasing his questions in a more professional manner.

  “It is through observation that science solves problems. I can’t answer based on conjecture. We will consider all facts.”

  The reporter retorted, rocking on his heels, cat-like. “Excuse me, Mrs. Ellis, but what will be left of the facts once your corporation analyzes them and makes their own skewed judgments?”

  “Your words sound more like a statement than a question, for the record. Could you please identify yourself?”

  “Dan Martinez, Newsday.” He flashed an ID card.

  “Mr. Martinez, I could say the same thing about your publication or any of the other ones represented here today. You answer to corporate owners as well. All I can say is that you should choose to trust in my integrity. In good faith, I am trusting that you are who you say you are and I’m allowing this invasion to take place – even though –.” Caron sighed. “I have a responsibility to protect the safety of my daughter and…”

  “And that cat, isn’t that what you were about to say?” screamed an unidentified woman in a jeans jacket.

  “Yes.” Caron nodded. “Earth Cat is his name.”

  Meanwhile, Captain Catalina seemed to be phoning for assistance. “We have every right to ask for assistance
from the police, from the army if necessary.” The captain was whispering into Schultz’s ear as he dialed. Before he could finish dialing, Normand spotted a helicopter in the air along with a few drones.

  “Looks like they’re already on this.” Schultz muttered.

  “Good. Now it’s about damage control. Who knows what else this woman will say?” The captain raised a hand to Schultz indicating his call had connected.

  Unnoticed except for Brands, Normand dashed toward the living area.

  The reporters who peered into the sunny sky had noticed the aircraft as well. O’Shea shouted. “We need to confirm the cat’s whereabouts. It might go a long way to quell an anxious public, Mrs. Ellis.”

  Miranda and Caron traded glances. “So much for poker face, Mom. We must look like deer in headlights.”

  “My daughter, Miranda, will keep watch of the cat…” She was interrupted by Normand who burst by the lab officials with cat carrier in hand.

  “Oh, wait a minute Where do you think you’re going?” Catalina screamed, his hand waving to catch Normand.

  “No, Captain. Let him go. Maybe his indiscretions will spin this story our way after all.” Schultz motioned with his hand to allow Normand passage to the porch.

  Out of breath, Normand attempted speech. “This is the blue and green feline I had observed in the lab.” He held the cage up to the throng. Earth Cat could only stick his tongue out in reaction while a relentless and pointed sun beam pounced off the cage’s steel door.

  “So how did it get out of the lab and to…”

  “All in good time, we must examine this matter before we can answer that inquiry. But I must give my apologies to the honorable Mrs. Ellis for her humane reaction to take the feline into her home.” Normand bowed in an awkward fashion toward Caron while Miranda smiled with fascination. “She has given us the opportunity to find answers.”

  Cameras flashed and video rolled, the equipment all eager to capture the blue and green cat as real.

  “I take responsibility for how this news came to you today. I didn’t know what else to do but to behave humanely as Mrs. Ellis has. I violated protocol by releasing information. I suspect I may no longer have a job within the next few minutes. There, you have the honest truth of my mistake. You have my word my employers will do their dammed best to get back your beloved pets.”

  A reporter screamed. “And that’s T-O-E-W-S, right?”

  Some of the mob continued to behave defiantly, waving raised fists. A woman in a purple top railed. “We still need assurance that these collider experiments haven’t been harming the environment, our lives and the lives of our children over all these years. It seems some accountability needs to be taken and I don’t know how our government officials can allow your lab to jeopardize not only our safety – but the very universe’s.”

  “That’s a good question and concern.” Caron nodded in agreement. She spoke with opened arms. “I am a mother. I hear your concern. I was in a panic to find our precious Joule - an orange cat who my daughter adored – had escaped from our house…” Caron peered at the crowd who now fell silent.

  “…and we chased and tracked her to Brookhaven where she seemed to have vanished without a trace. It was in that moment that we found Earth Cat.” Miranda smiled through tears.

  “Oh my god!” The woman in the purple top exclaimed. “I feel your pain, but doesn’t this verify the experiment was to blame?” The crowd began to chant again, and Normand was certain violence was about to erupt as police sirens wailed from a few blocks over. Another man screamed. “You need to stop that collider, for good!”

  “If the collider was involved, it might be the answer to getting our cats back.” Caron grabbed the cage from Normand. “This little guy, this Earth Cat, may yet tell us what happened. We promise you answers.”

  “I don’t believe this,” - the man continued - “it seems you’ll only understand violence.”

  The crowd inched closer to the porch as bulbs flashed and sirens wailed.

  “No!” Miranda yelled. “At a time like this, we must remember the feelings our cats instilled in us each day. They made us calm, they brought us peace of mind even when we had our worst days. We must honor them by acting with dignity at this time. They would not want us to be behave badly.”

  “She’s right.” The woman in the purple top answered. She clutched a tissue to her chest as she sobbed. “My little guy brought my high blood pressure down. I don’t think we should undo poor Smokey’s work.”

  The rebellious man scoffed. “Yeah, well some work they did for us.” His voice was laced with sarcasm, yet he wore a smile in reflection. “My Bella was treated like a queen. I was at her beck and call and I never even asked for her. She was supposed to be my daughter’s, but I was the one up at night feeding her with a dropper when she was sick…” The man’s eyes teared.

  “It was as if we were their slaves.” The woman in the purple top responded while cameras recorded the scene for the nightly broadcasts.

  The throng was now laughing and hugging one another with remorse it seemed. Normand knew what they were feeling. Anger at loss. But then melancholy tempered the anger with memories. Caron, you were right. Memories are the feelings that we retain to guide our actions in the future. In the darkest moments, memories of past love comforts…

  As Normand contemplated, the reporters hurried final questions about the cat’s name and color. Police cars parked while uniformed men and women were making their way through the crowd. A bull horn charged: “You are all to disperse, immediately!”

  Mark O’Shea peered into the cage. “Apparently the cat has been in your possession this past day, and you’ve observed him. Can you tell us why this Earth Cat is so special?”

  Miranda shook her head in wonder. “No. But I’m sure he’ll tell us, in time.”

  Chapter Seven

  As the Ellis’s reentered their home - Normand carrying Earth Cat in his cage and the Brookhaven overseers posturing as if they just fought a war – a smaller battle was taking shape underneath the oak tree.

  Shelley Rosenquist shot a wink at her reporter friend who retreated from the Ellis property with a sustained reluctance. She mouthed to him. “This is not over.”

  “I should hope it is, ma’am, at least for today.” The voice belonged to a police officer who startled Shelly. She tugged at her jeans jacket with both hands to make it close. “Hi Officer. Getting unusually chilly. Maybe a storm coming.”

  The officer identified as Harris by his nameplate grumbled. “If I wanted a weather report, I’d be checking my phone.” He grunted again. “Speaking of phones, I wonder how much of this was videotaped. Hmm. Well, we’ll know soon enough on You’ve-Watched-It-Too.”

  Shelley kept her hands on her jacket, where her phone was buried in a pocket. The officer’s indirect approach was not lost on her.

  “Ma’am, didn’t you hear me? I said everyone needs to disperse.”

  “Oh, yes. I just was figuring out a ride.”

  Harris raised an eyebrow. “We would be happy to give you a ride.”

  Shelley felt the sting of the officer’s insinuation. “Look, Officer. We were here to stop a crime against humanity.”

  “Seems if it was a crime, it was directed at kitty cats.”

  Shelley blushed. “I know that. I’m sure you can understand the fervor of a pet owner’s love. That’s why I need to know you’ll pursue this as a crime. The man in that house confided to me, personally, that the collider acceleration was responsible for making the cats disappear. He just wasn’t as forthcoming today, probably fearing a reprimand from his superiors. And I can understand that. I can’t blame him.” The woman continued to ramble with hands clutched together as if in prayer.

  “So, the point is…?”

  “We need you to investigate this, prove the lab caused the disappearance. Take action so this can never happen again.” Shelley pondered what she deemed a crime and anger simmered, her e
yes grew wide. “You can’t just sit back on this, Officer!”

  Harris raised hands. “All right, all right. I’m going to check on the household and see if they are okay. Whether you have a point or not, you’ve got to respect the law that you believe owes you an explanation.” Harris tapped his phone against his chest. “If you were the leaker, ma’am, I might be forced to investigate you. You’ve got to understand that a lot of people could have gotten hurt today. If it weren’t for the weapon detection drones, we might have been a minute away from having S.W.A.T here.”

  Shelley nodded with compliance on the outside but inside her stomach roiled. “Oh, I do understand I will go now. I just hope you’ll consider my request.”

  Harris nodded noncommittally and approached the residence. His knock brought Miranda running toward the door.

  “Oh, Officer. We are so glad you are here.”

  “Hmm. Why? Anyone hurt?”

  “Oh, no. We were just startled.”

  “By an uninvited mob,” Caron added matter-of-factly.

  Director Schultz fiddled with his tie and winced. Normand realized the man had a very heavy weight on him because of his foolish actions. He blurted without thought. “Yes, even our cat is fine. See.” The engineer held up the cage so the officer peering through the doorway could see Earth Cat.

  “Quite a color. Well, we have a lot to sort out here.” Harris wavered, shifting his balance from one leg to another as he stood on the open porch. “I need to report this to my superiors. To be frank, we are treading on uncharted waters. I have no precedent for such a case. In the meantime, anything you can say to calm the public would be appreciated because there are some people out there who believe your experiments are to blame.” A voice emanating from his shoulder mic prompted the officer to wave a silent goodbye. Schultz appeared to be careful not to offer any emotional reaction.

  Once the door was shut, Director Schultz watched Normand set down the cage on the floor where Miranda slid to her knees to soothe her new friend. “It’s going to be okay, Earth Cat.”