Earth Cat Zero: Last Cat Meowing

by Gary Starta

  “Are you saying whoever is doing this is playing with fire?”

  “More than that. They are no doubt bat crap crazy.” The doctor twirled a finger at his temple. Earth Cat Zero mewled.

  Miranda closed her eyes in recollection. “I felt a malevolent force pulling at my wave version. I think it was the man the fortune teller warned me about.”

  “Fortune tellers?” Brahms harrumphed. “Undeniably crazy.”

  Miranda ran a hand over the cat’s back and exhaled. “Speaking of crazy, I need to tell you something. During the acceleration I felt like my mind was being pulled apart. I experienced a stream – a river – but it wasn’t a river. I saw colors bleed and absorb into each other.”

  “Of course. That was only natural. You were experiencing what it means to exist within a wave state, Miranda. In essence, you might be one of the few people ever to exist as both particle and wave.”

  The cat growled. “Been there done that, Dr. Brahms.” Miranda ignored the cat who preened on the table, back arched.

  “Why? How? I didn’t feel this way during the other accelerations.”

  “It was all about proximity to the metal conductor. You were tethered to Earth Cat by leash. The cat and yourself might very well have been pulled away if not for the Solfeggio Frequency. It kept you grounded. It was a good thing you were outside the projection field.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “Dear, I use forcefields all the time. I knew what was going on as soon as I saw the projectors.”

  “Well, how do I know you aren’t the saboteur?” Miranda gazed at the man warily. The fortune teller had warned of a mysterious male figure coming into play.

  “If I was, what would be my achievement?” Brahms raised his hands with palms up.

  “I suppose you’re right. But why are you here?”

  “The qubits, the chips, the mind sharing. There are factors at play now that we can’t control or account for. It seems the qubits are defining us. Maybe…as life forms. So far, it knows Earth Cat Zero – in both wave and particle state. It knows my nephew and myself because of the chip. But it hasn’t gotten around to defining pure organic human life – without a technological contribution that is. So, who knows? Maybe the collider rejected you as a being it could not classify. In any event – and for whatever reason – when Dr. Brands disappeared, the collider felt a need to put me in his place.”

  “What else might the collider recognize?” Miranda posed the question rhetorically. “I know! I think the qubits would recognize the Earth itself.”

  Brahms pondered. “The cat is blue and green like the planet. Hmm. There might be a connection.”

  “If so, that would be the bigger picture, Doctor.”

  “I must think.”

  “I can’t believe this…”

  “What do you mean, Miranda? Even geniuses need time to gather their thoughts.” Brahms harrumphed.

  “No.” Miranda waved a finger at her phone. “Someone just sent a text. They said our friend is being returned. Dr. Brahms, we’ve got to get back to the United Center.”

  The doctor attempted to shovel his steak into a napkin, but Miranda swatted his hand with disgust. “No more time for revving engines, Doctor. Someone’s fired the starting gun. And give me your coat. Earth Cat needs to travel incognito.”

  The Uber couldn’t arrive fast enough or travel quick enough for Miranda who repeatedly stared at her app, counting down the arrival time. Please. Please. No more red lights. She prayed over and over that Dr. Brands would be greeting them.

  The driver’s wide eyes served as a silent reprimand to the teen who opened her door before the car rolled to a complete stop.

  “Please forgive me, sir. Lives are in the balance.” Miranda hopped out.

  The driver grumbled to Brahms who was struggling to get out of the sedan. “Teens. Their world seems to be crumbling every minute.”

  Brahms offered an apology as Miranda screamed for him to hurry. Meanwhile, Earth Cat Zero remained concealed, wrapped in the doctor’s lab coat.

  “All right. We’re here. Where’s the fire?” Brahms peered around the perimeter of the complex. “I don’t see my nephew. Maybe he went inside…”

  Miranda pointed at the sky; mouth open. “Oh. It’s Red. They’ve sent Red back.” Miranda explained the kidnapping to Brahms who sighed. “This is not a good sign. If they’ve returned the bird, the kidnappers would seem to have everything they need to carry out their plan.”

  Miranda cried tears of joy, holding her arm in an extended position so the bird could land on it. “Here, Doctor. Take Earth Cat for me.” Brahms shuffled the concealed coat into his arms.

  “Red! Red! Are you Okay?” Miranda asked. Earth Cat Zero peeped out from the coat and waved a paw. “Hi, Red. Please forgive me. This is all my fault.”

  “I will forgive you all. Just get me inside. I swear I’ll never complain about my cage again.”

  “But Red, who took you? Why?” Miranda failed to notice a growing number of pedestrians observing her conversation with the cardinal.

  The bird chirped a few times and tilted his head in confusion. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember is circling Navy Pier.”

  Brahms sighed. “They’ve wiped his short-term memory, Miranda. It seems we are dealing with people versed in both science and medicine.”

  “OMG!” Miranda gasped. “This is a nightmare.” She explained Earth Cat Zero’s shamanic dream. “The man dresses in blue and wears jewelry engraved with the letter ‘A’ – it would seem the possibilities are endless as to whom he is.”

  “Wait a minute.” A stranger’s voice interrupted. It was female and to Miranda, the woman appeared vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t fathom why. She was mere yards away from them and rapidly approaching in a jog.

  “It’s me. Felicity.” The woman grunted in a tone laced with sarcasm.

  Miranda’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “It is you. I should have you arrested right now!” The teen scanned the area for a police officer.

  “No, Miranda. I’ve come to help. It was a real bitch following you three, by the way.” She shrugged her shoulders apparently disgusted at the sweat which had seeped through her clothing.

  “Why should we trust you?” Miranda bared teeth in an overexaggerated grin. Earth Cat Zero pounced out of the doctor’s grip, baring fangs. “No Earth Cat!” Miranda paused to scoop the cat into her arms while Red flew onto Brahms’s shoulder. Earth Cat Zero continued pawing at the air.

  “I am here as a woman scorned.” She smiled but it was contemptuous. “A man who works in space set me up to deceive you. He also promised me a life.” She held up her pendant so the inscription could be read. “That’s why you can trust me. Besides, why else would I use up all my frequent flyer miles?”

  Earth Cat Zero bared fangs again and bristled. “Miranda, this is the woman from my vision.”

  Miranda nodded. “I know, Earth Cat. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

  Brahms grumbled. “I think she’s already said what she needs to.” The doctor asked for permission to hold the pendant in his hands. “In a way, this is a godsend. This necklace might contain the man’s DNA which I may be able to use…” The doctor’s voice trailed off in reflection. “But this engraving…it would seem…” He gasped. “Oh, dear. I think I know what he’s trying to do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Superposition. Superposition. Superposition.” Red repeated the words from the safety of his cage.

  “What are you trying to tell us?” Miranda asked the bird.

  “I don’t know. The word has a familiar ring. Maybe it’s buried in my memories…” The bird paced his cage in frustration, wings flapping.

  Miranda clasped hands. “Try and remember.”

  Dr. Brahms waved a dismissive hand. “Miranda, we already know what Declan Adams is up to. His girlfriend gave him up.”

  “But that doesn’t give us the wh
ole puzzle.”

  “True.” Brahms chewed on his thumbnail for a moment.

  “We’ll have to make a road trip. Uh. Huh.” The doctor muttered to himself in contemplation.

  Miranda’s eyes widened. “Oh. You don’t mean go to…”

  “Yes. I do.” Brahms nodded and waggled a finger at Miranda and Earth Cat Zero. “But you two aren’t going. We need a team with experience up there. Besides, I won’t put you in danger, Miranda.” The doctor sighed. “It’s imperative we convince Brookhaven to run the collider. It will be my teleportation system to the space station.”

  A loud pounding on the door interrupted. Miranda fiddled with an app to see a viewscreen. “It’s Felicity. The real Felicity Mandabelle.”

  When the door opened, the scientist flew into the room with her hair unkempt and makeup smeared. She rubbed a hand at her cheek. “Forgive me. I just should have asked Dr. Brands out for coffee when I had the chance.”

  Dr. Brahms offered a knowing grunt. “Looks like you’re already pretty friendly with my nephew without the need of coffee. Why he’s already given you a biometric key to his – to my life’s work. But feelings aside, shouldn’t we be concerned about the larger problem?” He growled.

  “That is the larger problem!” Felicity growled back. For a moment, Miranda wasn’t sure if the imposter was back in the room with them. The woman produced a device from her pocket. “Here, you can scan my eyes again, Miranda. I know. I’m not myself.” She stifled a sob.

  Miranda placed the scanner on the coffee table. “No need. I see pain and regret in your eyes. Your imposter doesn’t have much a conscience.” Miranda clasped hands with Felicity while Earth Cat Zero mewled and rubbed against her shins.

  “Tell me, what’s going on.”

  “I thought this man” – she glared at Brahms – “would have Albrecht back by now. Oh. God. I could use a drink.”

  “You knew his first name?” Miranda’s face paled. “Why wasn’t I good enough to know that?” She mumbled quietly.

  When the teen glanced back at Brahms, she observed his hands were shaking.

  “What’s the matter, Doctor?”

  “Okay. I’ll tell you what’s the matter. What are your qualifications, Dr. Mandabelle?”

  “I am a physicist.” Her eye color had shifted from deep brown to black. “Since that was a question, what were you going to tell me?”

  “Very well.” Brahms paced with shaking hands. “I – I don’t play well with others. If you must know. I don’t see a need for you to be here.” He waggled a finger at Felicity.

  “Really. I was helping your nephew with a quantum relay system. I think that at a time like this – especially – something like that might come in handy.” The woman’s hands were on her hip, gunslinger-style.

  Earth Cat Zero began mewling incessantly.

  “What’s wrong?” Miranda asked.

  But the cat could not hear anyone except the tiny voice in his head. He batted and swatted paws around his ears until he tumbled to the floor and began writhing.

  “OMG. Is he in shock?” Miranda stared at Brahms with incredulous eyes.

  “I don’t know.” Brahms’s head was tilted in either confusion or concentration.

  Felicity glared. “Hmm, Doctor Brahms. What are your qualifications?”

  Miranda knelt over Earth Cat Zero and stroked his stomach until finally the cat purred.

  “I – know where Dr. Brands went.” The cat panted, tongue lolling out of his mouth. “He’s on Adams’s space station.”

  “I considered that.” Brahms paced the room.

  Felicity gasped. “Is he all right, Earth Cat?”

  “I think so. Just drugged…” The cat batted a paw as if angered. “I’m afraid Dr. Brahms was right about his superposition theorizing. Adams is going to put the Earth into a particle and wave state. He’s going to send the planet somewhere else as the wave. It’s all set to commence at any time.” The cat mewled. “This is all my fault.” The cat’s eyes grew wild as moss and glassy as a snow globe.

  Miranda placed hands on top of her head. “As in move the whole planet – to where?”

  Brahms grimaced. “Miranda. You got your confirmation. We’ve got to convince Brookhaven to run the collider once I put the coordinates of the space station into my chip.”

  “But what about Earth Cat?” Miranda cried. “He’ll have to go with you, like it or not.”

  “No. He will stay. I will put him into a forcefield right in this apartment and the Solfeggio Frequency should hold him here. Besides, I won’t program him with the space station’s coordinates.”

  Miranda slapped hands on her thighs. “I don’t know if that will be good enough. You said it yourself about the qubits. They are intelligent. They will communicate with each other.”

  Brahms raised a hand. To the doctor’s surprise, Felicity came to his defense.

  “No. Miranda. Listen to Brahms. In a time like this we must genuinely believe in the outcome with all our hearts and souls. This will work.” She gave Miranda a motherly nod.

  Brahms snickered. “Such notions for a quantum physicist. My…my.”

  “She’s right, Dr. Brahms.” Earth Cat Zero was nearly growling. “We are all connected. The planets, the stars, our souls. I am proof.” The cat’s tone softened. “And I’ve paid the price for this knowledge.” Miranda stroked the cat’s back gently.

  Felicity began pacing and now she and Brahms were making figure 8’s around the living room. “Dr. Brahms, even with the coordinates, the space station is in orbit…”

  “I know. I know, Dr. Mandabelle.” Brahms’s show of respect softened Felicity’s tone.

  “And the bigger picture – moving Earth into a superposition state – would require not only the ‘where’ but a pretty precise knowledge of its orbiting pattern as well…” Felicity gasped softly. “I wonder if the collider won’t just send you into outer space…” Her voice trailed off and Brahms interjected.

  “Hmm. You said we must all believe with our hearts and souls.” Brahms clasped hands near his heart. “Then I will make sure I believe in my calculations.”

  Miranda scooped up Earth Cat Zero into her arms and hugged the feline until a chime interrupted.

  “I don’t need interruptions at a time like this…” Brahms swaggered over the refrigerator and scoffed at the unit’s contents.

  Miranda placed a hand on her forehead engaged in her phone conversation. “It’s okay. I – I am glad you are here.”

  Brahms raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s mom. “She’s at Midway International. And just for the record, she’s not an interruption.”

  Miranda engaged Caron in the tightest bear hug she could muster as soon as the woman exited her Uber at West Madison. “I’m worried, Mom. I love you…and…I’m so not playing poker face.”

  Caron winked at the driver. “It’s been a hard, hard, few weeks.”

  The male driver nodded and tipped his cap. “Just please get our cats back, ma’am.”

  When the driver was out of sight, Caron stopped fighting her tears. She placed both hands around her daughter’s face. “I don’t think we should have been separated. You’ve been brave…but now it’s my time…”

  “Don’t worry, Mom.” Miranda placed an arm around Caron as they walked toward the back entrance of Union Center.

  Miranda paused a moment as Caron hesitated. “What’s the matter?”

  “Oh, it’s just that if I didn’t know better, I’d think this all was an elaborate scheme to get me to take you to some expensive concert.”

  “I may not be that girl anymore.” Miranda’s eyes hardened. “Things have changed so much.”

  Caron hugged her daughter tighter. “You may grow and change but you’ll still be you at the core.”

  “I hope so. I hope Earth Cat can still be himself…”

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “Mom. It’s time for him to
go back to where he came from. I’ll accept it as long as he’s safe.”

  “I understand. I’ve talked about this with Normand…”

  “Oh.” Miranda’s expression grew scandalous. “What is going on…and why isn’t he here with you?”

  “I – I didn’t tell him the whole truth about my trip.”

  “Well, I think you should. I know I can use your support. It’s going to be hard to be on the sidelines while Dr. Brahms…”

  Caron placed a finger over Miranda’s lips. “I didn’t tell Normand because I didn’t come here to be on the sidelines.”

  “I don’t know, Mom. Dr. Brahms is pretty adamant.” She explained the events of the past few hours and how Brahms felt only experienced people should be on his team.”

  “Hmm. You were sure he said ‘team’, Miranda?”

  The teen nodded as they rode up an elevator.

  “Then, I’m the experienced team member he needs.”

  “But…I can’t let you go alone.”

  “You will stay with Earth Cat Zero. For right now, you are his team.”

  Miranda laughed softly. “I guess I’ve become part of his pack. He even playfully bites my fingers to show it every now and again.”

  Caron’s eyes grew dark. “Miranda, I’ve got to face Adams myself. I don’t expect you to understand.”

  Miranda’s voice quavered at the notion. “Yeah. I think I do. He’s threatened your pack. But he’s dangerous and you’re not a cop or a soldier. You don’t even have a space weapon.”

  “Then I’ll have to use my claws, Miranda.”

  A sandwich had magically quelled Dr. Brahms’s nerves at least long enough to comply with the notion of teleporting Caron Ellis along with him to Adams’s space station.

  “I got the coordinates when you were gone.”

  “That seemed easy.” Miranda mused. Caron, Miranda and Brahms were seated at the kitchen table.

  “It was not.” Dr. Brahms’s hands began to shake again. “I had to give the DOD some pretty personal information about Albrecht and my relationship with him. Now, they’ll be on my trail to see what I know about…” His voice trailed.