Tina said, “Captain Stewart, Mister Sanders, Marshall Blakely, this is our chief research assistant, Elizaandra Sherr.
Elizaandra offered a quick wave and spoke with a deep voice. “Hi. Eliza, if you like.”
Tina nodded to Schiller. “Nathan?”
Schiller put his hand on a switch by the wall. “Please keep your voices in check and observe the window.” He flipped the switch and the frosting disappeared revealing a one-way mirror. They were looking in on what seemed to be a fairly nicely furnished apartment. Then Wen Blakely gasped as a figure moved near a desk in the corner. “What the fu…?” And everyone gasped. A man, or sort of a man stood up on legs shaped like that of a gazelle. They were covered in human flesh, but they were unquestionably bent, made for running or perhaps leaping at high speed. That was just the legs. The man, if that was what it was, wore only a pair of customized boxer briefs. He had a broad, hairy chest and a long thick neck that led to the head of a predator. Long sharp teeth filled a casually chewing mouth while huge deep-set eyes looked out from under a heavy brow. Large pointed ears seemed to cast about for extra information until they suddenly focused, along with the eyes, on the mirrored wall.
“Fuck me,” barked Sanders, his voice muffled under his mask.
“This,” said Tina, “is Hansel.”
A door opened and a female version of this being stepped out of a small bedroom. Her focus briefly scanned the male, then she too poured all of her energy into looking at the mirror. “And that,” continued Tina, “is Gretel.”
Dean found his voice. “These are the children that only exist in fairy tales and the nightmares of those who have seen them as infants.”
Eliza said, “Like you, Captain Stewart, I had one of these infants stare me straight in the eye ten years ago. We had no idea then that this,” she nodded at the creatures, “was what would come.”
“They’re so fucking big,” said Wen. “Pardon my French, but what the fuck am I looking at?”
Schiller said, “Though they are only eleven years old, these twin Children of Fiends, Homo Telepathus, or Pucks as we’ve nicknamed them, are for all intents and purposes fully grown adults. We have been studying them since they were captured just before the Terminus was complete. They are the progeny of two infected persons. An evolutionary leap that is far more than the physical attributes that you see before you. They can’t hear us or see us, yet they sense us. If we were to be in the same room together, they would be inside your head the moment they noticed you.”
“Wait a minute,” said Dean. What do your mean in your head?”
Tina said, “Hansel and Gretel, as well as the rest of their species, are telepaths. They have voice boxes, but they don’t really need them. They have an overwhelming power to enter each other’s, as well as other people’s, minds.”
“You got to be shitting me,” said Wen, backing up against the couch arm. “What the hell kind of science fiction shit are you people pulling here?”
“Marshall Blakely, this is quite real,” said Schiller. “We didn’t create them. They came from the union of two people infected with FNDz. These people… These sentient beings, are the result of a massive shift in DNA.”
“Yeah? So can you get infected from them too?” Wen briefly glanced at the masked Halflies.
Eliza stood on long legs and buttoned her lab coat. “Yes sir, but it’s different. It’s not as easily transmitted as it was when their parent’s contracted the disease.”
MacAfee had remained silent until this point. He gestured at the pucks. “We have conjectured that there are millions of them still surviving today. If that is true then they are such a threat to humankind that even Cain’s will seem tame. From peripheral observations… yes we have seen some with our remote surveillance stations - they are… remarkably resilient, cunning, resourceful, and… merciless. It has been theorized that given the chance, they will naturally replace us on this planet.” He looked at Tina for confirmation.
“Your words, sir. But it’s certainly possible.”
Hansel and Gretel moved closer to the mirror, scanning it with curiosity. Suddenly Gretel picked up a heavy looking chair and heaved it at the glass. The chair bounced off harmlessly. Still, everyone but Schiller, Eliza and Tina had stepped back expecting the worse.
Gretel spoke. Her voice was loud and clear over the speakers. “Get in here Eliza! You know that we hate being looked at through the mirror.”
Eliza turned to the guests, “Like I said. They have vocal cords.” She looked at the assembly and said, “I need a volunteer. Captain Dean, since you’re already infected?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Meet Hansel and Gretel
Dean stood with Eliza in an anti-chamber to Hansel and Gretel’s apartment while the others watched them on a closed circuit monitor.
“You can remove your mask, Captain Dean,’ said Eliza. “Like yourself, I am infected.”
In the next room Wen slapped his hand over his mouth and said through his fingers, “What the hell?” He pointed at Sanders then at Dean and Eliza. “If they’re sick, what about the rest of us?”
Schiller replied, “She is not contagious.”
Eliza began fitting Dean with a visorless black helmet that covered his head to his shoulders. She said, “Forgive the industrial version. It works just as well as the latest tech that the Colonel’s people have. What you’re wearing is not unlike a Virtuhelmet; only this processes three hundred and sixty degree A/V in real time. Without it, Hansel and Gretel can overcome your mind the moment you step into the room; something they can do even at great distances. If they are aware of you, they can lock on you.” Dean found some of her words slipping past his attention as he tried not to be affected by her physical closeness. The woman was like a colorful coral dwelling fish: beautiful and completely unaware of it. She seemed unconscious of the fact that her breasts were brushing against him as she snugged up the strap. She was saying, “Though we have raised them since toddlerhood, they are very distrusting of strangers. They mature at a very rapid pace. Though they are post-pubescent, which occurs around age five, emotionally, they aren’t very different from eleven-year-old humans. For your safety, unless I instruct you otherwise, please keep the helmet on the entire time that you’re in the room.” She finished tightening a strap. “How does that feel?”
“Fine,” said Dean. His voice sounded perfectly natural coming over the speaker in front of his face. “A little disorienting.” From his perspective, he only had to think about the direction that he wanted to see and in his mind’s-eye he saw it with binocular vision, sharper than his own. Wanting to see what was behind him suddenly shifted the image to the monitor where he could see Sanders stretching to reach a spot between his shoulder blades. “Got an itch you can’t scratch, George?”
Sanders stopped scratching and glanced at his hand in amazement.
Wen’s head was overwhelmed with questions. He pointed at the things on the other side of the glass. “I mean, what about a bite from one of those things?”
Tina brought up her hands up in a conceding gesture. “That would be a problem. Saliva injected directly into the bloodstream would likely produce infection. The results are the same as the original: a complete devolution of the brain, rendering it to its primal parts and a significant rewrite of the genetic code, particularly in the male sperm. Unlike Mr. Sanders and Captain Dean, Eliza is the beneficiary of the latest treatment. She is infected, but she is no longer contagious and no longer needs medication. The pathogen remains dormant in her cerebellum. As Elizaandra has proven, we think it’s safe enough for further experimentation.”
MacAfee said, “And that’s the sweetener on this deal. You and your crew, Captain Dean, will be the next level of the drug trial.”
Wen said, “So wait. How did she get infected?”
“I was bitten,” said Eliza from the other room. “When the children where young. An accident.”
“Accident?” sai
d Wen, taking another unconscious step back from the glass.
Dean unstrapped and lifted the helmet. “You mean we could return from exile?” He let a fleeting image of his son cross his mind.
Tina said, “That will be up to the politicians and law enforcement. Despite the new drugs, Eliza hasn’t been allowed to set foot off this island.” She put a reassuring hand on Wen’s forearm. “No one has been bitten since.”
Eliza appeared irritated and said, “Are we done?” She pulled Dean’s helmet back down. “ Listen carefully. They can be easily startled, so no sudden movements. It is in their nature to react swiftly, and sadly for one of our researchers in the beginning, lethally if provoked.” She spoke louder for Blakely. “Just like me. That accident was long ago.”
Dean hesitated, “You’re not exactly filling me with confidence here, Doctor.”
“Technically, I’m not a PhD. And it will be fine.” She gently steered Dean toward the door while opening it. Eliza gestured to the surrounding airlock space, “Just as it did when we entered the main lab, there will be a brief moment when decontamination would have taken place. You can ignore that. The system is shut off. Then we will step into the apartment.” She pressed on an intercom button. “Guy’s, I’m coming in now. As Doctor Freigh promised, I’m bringing a guest. You will treat him as you treat every guest.”
From the observation room the others watched Hansel and Gretel stare at the entry door to their apartment with obvious anticipation.
To Dean’s frustration, his heart skipped a beat as the door to the apartment slid open. He’d seen the worst of urban combat and yet…
Gretel stood first, followed by Hansel who was now chewing on what looked like raw meat. The man creature had a gleaming white set of viciously sharp looking teeth. To Dean’s revulsion, as he focused on the teeth, his view zoomed closer and took in the gory details. He glanced away to reset his vision, instead concentrating on the unnatural shape of their legs: something between a goat and perhaps a frog. It made his skin crawl, but he refused to let it show in his bearing.
Eliza gently said, “Gretel, please stay out of my head. You’ll find out who this is as I introduce you. Thank you. This is Stewart Dean. He is going to go on that trip that we’ve been talking to you about. He is the Captain of the ship we will be on. Captain Dean, this is Gretel and Hansel. They are sister and brother. They were found ten years ago not far from here on the eastern tip of Long Island. They have been staying with us since then. They both speak English very well.”
“Um, how do you do?” said Dean. “I’m sorry, but did you just say trip we are going on?” He looked toward the two-way mirror, the question left hanging. Gretel said, “Very well thank you. You have a very athletic body.”
“Who cares, Gretel?” said Hansel. “I am also well. Why are you wearing the helmet?”
Eliza said, “He’s wearing –
Hansel interrupted “I asked Stewart Dean, Eliza. Do you mind if Stewart Dean answers?”
Eliza let her mouth fall open with barely hidden displeasure, then smiled. “Indeed you did, Hansel. Forgive me.”
Dean hesitated then said. “I prefer it if you refer to me as Captain Dean or just Captain. The helmet… Um, I’ve been told that you have a great gift, but that it can be… troublesome for someone who hasn’t experienced it.”
Hansel said, “We think it would be more reassuring to us if you removed the helmet. We promise that it won’t be troublesome. Captain.”
Gretel gingerly stepped over to Dean and held out her hands.
Eliza said, “Guys, I’m not sure the Captain is ready for –
“It’s okay,” said Dean. “I can tell that these are good people.”
Gretel offered a razor sharp grin to her brother. Dean unstrapped the helmet and pulled it off. He was immediately taken with a strong smell of musk followed by a taste in his mouth of some kind of meat. He almost gagged.
Eliza put a hand on his shoulder while keeping her eye on the pucks. “Even if they don’t purposely try to enter your mind, they can’t help but release a certain amount of what their senses are experiencing. It will inevitably mix with yours.”
Dean rubbed his tongue along the inside of his cheeks. “You don’t say?” He was suddenly sickeningly overcome by a feeling of deep foreboding. An old sensation he hadn’t felt since being overrun and bitten those many years ago. He felt a sudden loss of self-ownership. With feelings of pure shame over the unmanly nature of it, he felt his knees begin to buckle and he involuntarily blinked and yawned to clear his head.
Eliza used her other hand to hold his elbow. “Captain?”
“Um.” Dean rubbed his fists into his eyes. “I’m… I’m fine.”
“Do you frequently begin sentences with um?” asked Hansel.
“Um, no. Forgive me.” He stood straighter, forcing himself to attention. He needed to grab some initiative. “I can taste your lunch, young man. Among other things, I haven’t eaten meat cultivated on land in some time. Virtutrips haven’t captured it as well as I thought.” Slowly he got his bearings back. Like the bright lights, sounds, and smells of a carnival being turned down and then just fading away, his head cleared and he looked at the large owl like eyes of the beings before him.
“You’re very handsome,” said Gretel. “Isn’t he handsome, Eliza?”
Eliza looked at Dean as though for the first time, quickly taking in more than just communication through the eyes. “Uh, I suppose so.” She smiled warmly at Gretel like a teacher to the student. “That’s very kind of you to say, Gretel.”
Hansel said, “It doesn’t require getting into your head to know that you are wondering if we know how different from you we are. We know our origin. We remember our days before this place. We remember the constant hunger.”
Eliza said, “We have always felt it best to make sure that Gretel and Hansel are fully aware of what is going on. They know that they are here as subjects of research. They know that they are part of an evolutionary shift that we are still attempting to understand. They know that their parents were people just like you and me who succumbed to a disease that has both directly and indirectly destroyed at least eighty percent of the world population of Homo Sapiens.”
Gretel said, “We know that there are others like us.”
“Well, yes and no,” said Eliza. “There are others who are like you, but as to language, education, the basic elements of civilization…”
Hansel interrupted. “We are excited to see the world.”
“Yeah, about that” said Dean while glancing at the mirror.
MacAfee’s voice came over the PA system. “Let’s wrap things up for now. Lots to discuss and sort out still. I believe Ms. Sherr has classes to conduct with these young folks.”
The would-be explorers assembled again into the conference room where a soldier in her late-twenties sat alone at the large table typing on a piece of viewing paper. Even though she was seated, her athletic build was obvious. Dean, followed by Sanders (both again wearing masks), noted her but chose to ignore her while sitting down. “There is no fucking way those things can come on my ship!” barked Dean. “I experienced them face to face ten years ago. A mere toddler stopped us in our tracks. Took over our minds. You’re insane to let them out. They’re behaving now, but what’s to happen when they’re truly free? Nothing can stop them from messing with all of our heads, eating us for lunch. You feed them red meat for God’s sakes! You know what real meat costs in this world!”
MacAfee said, “Captain. Control yourself.”
Dean shot a look at the superior officer and repetitive obedience to rank snapped him out of the rage.
MacAfee pointed generally toward the wall as though to indicate the outside. “Captain Dean. From what we can tell, not only are the children of the infected surviving, they are likely thriving and reproducing. We know they build shelters. They use fire and from what you saw of Hansel and Gretel, they are very intelligent. Think
of those two downstairs as our Plymouth (just a thought…_ Indians. We don’t know what we are going to meet out there, but wouldn’t it be prudent to have a couple of these beings with us who are on our side?”
“You must admit that it makes sense, Captain,” said Tina.
Schiller seconded her by adding, “It’s a chance for us to know how the others communicate out there. Hansel and Gretel may only be able to interface with us because we taught them how.”
Wen said, “This sounds crazier every minute. You said this was going to be about trains.”
MacAfee ignored this, saying, “Our pucks may be our only means of communicating.” He paused and said, “Chief.” The soldier set her viewing paper aside and quickly stood at attention. “Gentlemen, this is Chief Warrant Officer Gloria Hernandez. She is among a select few who have been observing the pucks on our border out past the Terminus.” Quickly cutting off any questions, he added, “Yes, they camp in small groups just on the other side of the Hudson. Chief Hernandez will be leading the combat side of the mission. She is up to speed.” He aimed his thumb at the small window where the projector beamed into the room. “She’s been observing while operating the protector.”
Children Of Fiends - Part 1 Winter Is Passing: An Of Sudden Origin Novella Page 5
