Catnip

by J. S. Frankel

  Mini-rant over, he relaxed, totally at ease, and finished the details. “So, once stage one had been finished—Ivan—I continued on to stage two. Anastasia is a hunter like Ivan is, but her development isn’t complete or rather, it is too complete. Whereas Ivan serves me best in the form he is in, she will devolve.”

  Harry should have been stunned, but his own research had shown him the answer and the practical side of his mind took over. “She’ll become a cat, then?”

  “Yes, she will become a cat. What else would she become?” Nurmelev replied. He actually seemed puzzled by the question. He got up and motioned for Harry to follow him back to the laboratory, and once there, he went over to his computer. He punched in a few commands and a matrix for a DNA strand appeared along with a picture of a long-legged cat with high, pointed ears, gray fur and black spots on its coat. It had a handsome, inquisitive face. The line at the top of the screen read Ussuri.

  “This is what I’ve been working for,” Nurmelev told him. “Anastasia is the perfect spy. Who would suspect a common animal walking around, say, an industrial plant or a computer software company or a military installation or even the White House? No one would. And if the animal is shooed away or even killed?” He shrugged. “We will simply breed another.”

  Harry stood there, his curiosity gone now, stunned by the man’s coldness. Nurmelev was talking about transforming people into monsters and their deaths like someone would talk about stepping on an ant. “How did you manage to get them to devolve?” If he lived through tonight, he wanted to make sure he got something out of it, just so Anastasia or anyone else like her wouldn’t meet the same fate.

  Nurmelev glanced at him as if deciding to reveal the secrets of the universe and then tapped a key on the computer. Another matrix came up. “Note here,” he said in the voice of a clinician, and pointed at a segment of the DNA chain. One of the animal genes seemed to be encroaching upon the human gene. Ten seconds later, it had enveloped it. “You have probably noticed that the animal genes eventually overwhelm the human ones. I have hastened the process.”

  In order to keep up the pretense of learning more and avoiding torture—at least for the moment—Harry nodded and managed to induce a note of respect in his voice. “This is pretty amazing. So how did you get around it with Ivan?”

  “Here,” Nurmelev shoved his finger at a different matrix. “I introduced a retrovirus to disrupt the animal genes and keep them as dormant as possible. However, the delay is, at best, two months, at least for the smaller animals. Ivan, too, will eventually devolve, although I have been able to stop his reversion for the most part. It will shorten his life, but he is not intelligent enough to understand. As for the others, I have never tried to reverse the process and I do not know if I could.”

  Harry stared at the equation and sequestered the chemicals used and the matrix firmly in his mind. The scientist was pretty sharp, and Harry had to admit—grudgingly so—Nurmelev knew what he was doing and was a genius in his own right. He might have been sick and twisted, but he was still a genius.

  He picked his head up and found Nurmelev staring at him, a half-smile on his face. “My formula is workable, is it not?” the scientist asked.

  Harry forced himself to nod and leaned back to think about the scientist’s plan. It was so simple and so frightening, it would work. Not only that, it would work very well. “So Anastasia would go into, say, a military installation and…”

  “And be able to detail everything she has seen,” the scientist finished for him smoothly. He leaned back in his chair, totally at ease and totally in control. “Unlike Ivan, she has retained her full mental capabilities. Granted, it is a stretch for any brain to be able to fit into a small cranium such as a cat’s, so our plan is for her to first reconnoiter a facility that we wish to obtain secrets from, and after, while still in semi-human form, she will be debriefed.

  “Once she devolves, however, she will in all likelihood lose the power of speech, but not the intelligence. It took many trials to find out how to shrink a brain the size of a human’s to the size of an animal’s, many trials and failures, but we finally succeeded. Anastasia is our success. The plan is that she will enter the facility, obtain the secrets, and return to base. There, she will simply point to words in a technical reference manual or scientific journal in order to communicate. That is the genius of this plan.”

  He went on to further detail the scenarios, and painted an image of an army of trained cats and dogs which could go anywhere, observe everything, and then leave. No secret would be safe from the prying eyes of these Russians, and no one would ever know…except the people who’d been experimented on.

  And what if other countries decided to get in on the act? Voicing his thoughts, the Russian’s face lit up in a smile of delight. “We will sell the formula to the highest bidder. Whether it is the Chinese, the North Koreans, or even the Italians, it will not matter. They will pay and we will become wealthy.”

  His eyes shone with the surety of his cause, and Harry felt simultaneously fascinated and repelled by the concept. Above all, he felt a massive wave of pity for his girlfriend. To end her days as a pet…while she’d live a normal life, it wasn’t the way he wanted her to go out and he knew Anastasia felt the same way. She’d had all choice taken away from her.

  Nurmelev turned his attention away from the computer for a moment and walked to a far corner where another thick door lay. He opened it and beckoned Harry over. “Look in here,” he said.

  Harry took a peek inside and immediately recoiled. The image of a number of grossly distorted aberrations of humanity inside instantly repelled him. None of them moved. They’d all been piled carelessly on top of each other and from the stench, it was clear they’d been there for quite a long time.

  The scientist shut the door, but the images Harry saw, images of defilement and death remained branded on his brain forever. “You’re just sick,” he whispered. “Those were people once.”

  Nurmelev nodded. “Yes, they were. Please note the tense you used. They were people once. After my success with Anastasia, I thought about using other kinds of wildlife such as raccoons, bobcats and deer, but none of them ever worked out. These were other test subjects, also brought over from Russia. They,” he pointed to the mountain of bodies, “they were the failures.”

  He spoke without a trace of emotion in his voice. “When they transformed, they came out of the process insane and often deformed. We kept them in this room. It is specially reinforced to withstand a bomb blast and they could not escape. I must admit that a lot of luck played a part in Anastasia’s transformation. Outside of Ivan and Doug, she has been the only other success story. However, I anticipate greater success in the future.”

  The gorge rose in Harry’s throat and with a great effort he kept it down. “How did you get the process?” He had to know and didn’t want to believe his father had somehow been part of this.

  Nurmelev went back and sat down at his computer. “Our experts hacked into the mainframe of your father’s computer at his company a number of years ago.” The Russian’s face wore a look of triumph. “We also had experts on the inside, industrial spies. Of course, your father didn’t know. My own research had hit a wall, as your people say, and could go no further. The security on your father’s computer was formidable. Once we received the information, one of our expert hackers managed to decrypt your father’s files. He was a most brilliant man—and you are just like him,” the small man said.

  A crafty look came into Nurmelev’s eyes. “In fact, you are even more intelligent. You carried on your father’s research, and yes, we hacked into your computer as well. You also didn’t know, but I must tell you, without your notes we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we have accomplished. All of it was done in a very short time with a minimum of pain and a maximum of success.” He inclined his head ever so slightly. “You have my respect.”

  There was no minimum of pain here, not as far as the previous victims had expe
rienced. This scheme was nothing short of monstrous, and Harry felt like choking the life out of this thing called a scientist. Everything his father had done and everything he’d done, every trial and experiment and note and scrap of information had been stolen and perverted by this psycho and his gang of ghouls.

  There was no way he’d ever help this nutball out, no way in hell! Yet, what could he do? He had no way of contacting the authorities, and the door was impenetrable. The only way out was controlled by the scientist’s computer and good luck getting the code word from him.

  Feelings of guilt overwhelmed him. He’d been a part of it and cursed himself for ever having thought up the idea and felt responsible, for in part he had been responsible for creating both Ivan as well as his girlfriend. And the bear creature had in turn been responsible for the attack on the lab in New York as well as Agent Farrell’s injury and the death of a number of agents and civilians. Added into the mix were Doug and the hunter. So much death and he’d been part of it all.

  The guilt then turned to resolve. Somehow, some way, he had to stop this psycho from doing any more damage…but how? His mind raced over the possibilities and he came up with nothing. “So what happens now?” he asked.

  Nurmelev stared hard at him, and this time his eyes turned a cold blue color, harsh and unyielding. “For such an intelligent young person, you can be exceedingly stupid, but I attribute that to your youth and inexperience.”

  A second later, the Russian scientist’s eyes turned icy. “As I said before, I anticipate greater success. The groundwork for that success has been facilitated by your arrival. You will stay here and work with me. I need your genius. Yes, I will admit to that. I have the training, but at the same time I know my limitations. I have worked very hard on my research, but am ashamed to say that my matrix is not complete. I need your help, and fortunately, you have arrived here.”

  “What if I say no?”

  A cruel smile played around the Russian’s lips. He leaned forward and spoke slowly as if to keep the suspense going. Harry, though, knew what the man would say and his next words confirmed it. “You have seen what Ivan can do,” Nurmelev said. “He kills without mercy and what is more, he enjoys it. I would not wish you to suffer the same fate.”

  He paused to wave his hand at the exit and Harry got a good look at the door. A deep black color, it looked like a door found in medieval dungeons and had a formidable looking lock on it. “The door is three inches thick and is made from the thickest and strongest Black Ironwood around,” the scientist said. “I had it shipped here from Florida. It is practically bulletproof and capable of holding an army off.” He pressed a button on the computer and the lock slid shut.

  So much for the escape plan, Harry thought, and then his attention turned to the cables. They ran from a small car battery to three gas tanks in the far corner next to the prison room. This was totally sick! “You rigged this place up to blow?”

  Nurmelev noticed his gaze and nodded. “On the off-chance that you manage to escape Ivan, please note that those tanks are filled with hydrogen. This cellar has been wired to explode, as has the room upstairs. One command sent from my computer,” he tapped his machine to emphasize his point, “and five minutes later this place is no more.”

  His eyes shone with madness. “Do not try to escape. It is futile, and I do not wish to kill a brilliant mind such as yours.”

  And now the end game came. “So what am I supposed to do?”

  “Look in the corner,” the professor said and pointed.

  Harry followed his finger to the far corner and saw his bag sitting next to the wall. “You want me to provide the matrix?”

  Nurmelev snapped his fingers sharply. “Aah, you understand the situation now, do you not? You will be using my computer…my notes…everything, and you will do it under my supervision. You may use your own research if you wish, but your life belongs to me, so do not ever forget that for one instant. I found out about your incarceration only recently and I can assure you, young man, your talent would have been wasted there. It will not be wasted in my employ.”

  He whistled and the door to the holding room immediately opened. The massive bear loomed in the aperture. Nurmelev stood up and motioned to the giant. “Take him back to be with his,” he deliberated on the word, “to be with his friend. Do not harm either one of them. Cut the girl down. Understand?”

  Ivan nodded and motioned with his paw. As he walked over, Harry wished he had the strength or at least a weapon to fight this beast with, but had only his hands and his skinny body to work with. Inside the room, Ivan looked up at the girl who dangled from the ceiling, grunted slightly, and slashed at the cords which bound her. She fell and Harry barely caught her in time. The bear-man smiled, his fangs flashed, and then he closed the door. Harry heard the lock slide shut and wondered if he’d make it out of here alive.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Flight and Fight

  As Harry sat on the floor he assessed his chances of living another twenty minutes. They weren’t good. The professor only needed him to find the final part of the equation and after—he knew what would happen. Ivan would slowly tear him apart.

  He looked at the sleeping form of his girlfriend and experienced a sense of loss and sorrow at her condition. He also felt frustrated at his inability to do anything to help her. As he watched, her body shrank slowly, perhaps another inch or so, but all the same, the difference was noticeable. He wondered if she knew the truth about what would happen to her and then decided not to tell her. Some things had to be left alone.

  Anastasia woke up a few minutes after the door closed. “Where are we?” she asked. She slowly got to her feet and checked her body for damage. She’d been slightly wounded in the fight with Ivan, yet as Harry watched, her scratches and contusions seemed to heal right before his eyes.

  “We’re still in the Catskills,” he answered. “Nurmelev has us. He wants me to work on the formula, the formula to create more of you.”

  She shivered at the sound of his name, and then her eyes narrowed. A snarl crossed her lips. “You won’t help him, will you?”

  In this situation, the hero’s first inclination would always be to say “hell no.” Harry didn’t think of himself as a hero. He was powerless to do anything, and what choice did he have?

  Then the resolve which had left him before came back and he decided firmly on the hell no option. He wanted to help Anastasia if he could, but right now, he didn’t know if it could be accomplished—and he knew the scientist wouldn’t hesitate to kill both of them should he refuse.

  Fear also worked against him. He’d never done anything brave in his life, never won a fight…but at the same time, his father’s words came back to him. You can fight back in different ways. He decided right then and there he’d die trying to help Anastasia if he could.

  “I’m gonna say hell no, kitty,” he answered with all the balls he could muster and forced a grin from his mouth. “We’re gonna get out of here, and when we do, the Mad Russian’s toast. He won’t touch you again.”

  Anastasia smiled at the “hell no, kitty” comment, and her teeth, white and even, shone in the semi-darkness. “Thank you.”

  Suddenly, she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. Her whiskers tickled him…he abruptly shied back, not out of dislike but of embarrassment, even now. “Uh, dumb question, but do you love me?” he asked. It didn’t really matter, as he was sure he’d never make it out alive, but he had to know.

  Anastasia nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess I do. When you held me last night, you didn’t pull away, and when you look at me, you don’t turn your face away like I’m some sort of a monster. You never did.”

  “I don’t think you’re anything but what you are,” he answered. “You’re beauti…”

  He stopped speaking when she put her paw-hand to his lips. In the dim light of the room, her expression was wistful. “I know what I am. But when you touch me and talk to me, I feel that I’m like you. And that’s enough.�
� She leaned over and planted another tiny kiss on his mouth.

  Harry felt hot all over and it wasn’t due to the room’s temperature. “If we ever get back to New York or Portland, do you want to…?” He couldn’t bring himself to mention the physical act, but she knew all the same.

  Anastasia gazed at him steadily. “Yes,” she answered quietly, “I do.”

  They suddenly clung to each other, two people of very different backgrounds, and Harry remembered what Nurmelev had told him. Anastasia’s past—what she’d done for a living—it didn’t matter. She kissed him hard and he returned the gesture. Her breath tasted sweet and she wrapped her tail around their bodies in order to keep them locked together. Harry didn’t mind, and right now, imprisonment or not, he didn’t want this moment to end.

  It had to, though, as this wasn’t the time or place to get romantic in any way, much as he wanted to. Anastasia moved back from him, a little, yes, catlike smile on her face. “Uh,” he said, totally flustered, “I’d better look around and see how to get out of here.”

  Her ears suddenly pricked up. “Someone’s coming.”

  A second later the door opened and the massive form of Ivan stood there, his bulk filling the doorway. Not a muscle moved in his face, and with a quick flick of his paw, he motioned for them to follow him. Reluctantly, they trailed behind him and went over to where the Russian scientist was busily inputting data into his computer. When they arrived, Ivan grunted and Nurmelev looked up and smiled at the sight of them holding hands.

  “Ah, you have had some time together and I see you have also had the time to grow closer during your escape from the authorities. It is truly touching, but now, young Goldman, you must put your thoughts of romance aside. You will have your chance to show me what you can really do.” He indicated the computer and pointed to the chair.

  As Harry walked over, the thought of I’m sorry, Anastasia, went through his mind, and reluctantly, he turned his attention to analyzing the matrix Nurmelev had constructed. Three molecules, all separately coded with the relevant DNA highlighted in green, stared him in the face. This particular equation had to do with increased muscle density in the subject. He started in on his calculations and began tapping the keys gently.