Genetic Drift

by Martin Schulte

  “Sorry to do that to you but we decided it would be better to be out here. Trust me, we called for you but you never came,” Ben told him in order to eliminate any guilt Will was trying to put on him.

  “Just please, don’t leave me behind again and let me tell you about those plants,” Will said, and then he explained what had happened.

  DAY 286

  JOINING PARTIES

  TERRAFORMER GROUNDS

  The sky was painted with dark and light gray clouds covering the ground below in a cooling shade. Hope and Maddie exited the terraformer and walked down the ramp. The humidity in the air formed a film of water on their skin. Marcus and Jay were close behind.

  “We’re going to walk the perimeter of this place and check out what is around it,” Marcus told the women. He stood in front of Jay and nodded his head for Jay to follow him.

  “I want to stay with Hope,” Jay said.

  “They’ll be fine. We should see if there’s anything around here,” Marcus said, keeping himself between Jay and his sister.

  “Hope, if anything comes, go back inside and wait for me,” Jay yelled to Hope.

  “I will, Jay. I’ll be fine, I’m with Maddie,” Hope yelled back.

  Jay resigned himself to walking with Marcus. “It’s always better to travel in pairs,” Marcus told Jay as they began their trek.

  “I know, if we got attacked, it’s better that both of us die instead of one,” Jay said.

  “You know, thinking the worst of a situation is only going to make you more on edge.”

  “Marcus, I lost her once and I don’t want to lose her again. It’s not like you understand.”

  “You’re right. I only know what it’s like to be talking to my wife when she died from the Attack. I wouldn’t understand your point of view.” Marcus’ disgust with Jay’s last comment flowed out. Jay heard Marcus and decided it was better to remain silent. Jay knew that any argument that he would bring up would be countered by Marcus’ experience. They walked around the corner of the large metallic structure. Jay was hesitant having Hope out of his sight but continued his walk behind Marcus.

  “Do you wonder where your monitor went?” Hope asked Maddie.

  Maddie hadn’t given Barron much thought. With meeting Bryce, finding Hope, and listening to Rho, she really didn’t have time to think about him. Hope’s question brought Barron to the forefront of her mind. “I really haven’t thought about him until now,” Maddie replied to Hope.

  She wondered if Rho had any idea where Barron might have been. Rho was in her thoughts and told Maddie, “There are currently 47 human vessels being assimilated in the area. I do not have any more specificity than that.” Maddie wondered if one of those vessels could have been Barron. Even though she thought he was being a jerk at the camp, he had still tried to help her whenever she was in trouble.

  “We’ll have to try to find him after we get done here,” she told Hope. “I just hope that he’s okay.”

  “Okay, I was just wondering if you knew,” Hope said shrugging her shoulders.

  Maddie and Hope watched the tree line actually hoping to see Trolls walk through. “If they come out of those woods shooting, or even aiming at us, we’re going to get back into that fortress and avoid them,” Maddie told Hope.

  “If there is any chance that they are going to shoot at us, I bet you that I’ll beat you in there,” Hope said.

  Just as Hope finished, a blue figure walked out of the woods. Maddie braced herself to sprint onto the ramp and grabbed Hope to get her attention. A Troll walked out and looked behind and to its sides to make sure that it wasn’t going to be attacked or followed. The Troll saw the two women in front of it and proceeded toward them. It was holding its orbitizer to its side and approached them as innocently as it could. It walked in front of Maddie and extended its claw toward her. Maddie reached out and grabbed one of its talons.

  I am Rho, we assume that you are here on your own accord wishing to live as an individual. Rho began the conversation.

  Yes, I am here for me and others. The others will not come until they know that it is safe. The memories of my vessel still reside in me and I wish to live as you will let us, without the queen mother’s directives. The Troll passed back to Rho.

  You do understand that your independent life can only happen if the queen mother is defeated? That once you fight against the queen mother, you will continue to fight until you or it are no longer? Rho asked the being.

  We all understand but we also understand that you could be corralling us to kill us. The humans do not understand that we have had no other option until now and they have tried to eradicate us. The being spoke for itself and the others.

  These humans understand and wish for you to join us against the queen mother. This is a logical opportunity to stop trying to dominate them and more of us will survive. Would you join us? Rho asked.

  We have come here to join you and the humans. There are others that will fight against you. The forces of the queen mother will attack tonight as it is the new directive. We have decided to reject the new directive and join the humans for our own freedoms.

  Very well. Have your friends come and join us. Rho invited the Trolls in hiding to come out.

  Ben and Ethen walked out of the terraformer to see the Troll walking away. “Let me guess, he didn’t come to attack,” Ben commented.

  “He wants to join and brought others. He’s going to get them now. Why are you out here? Don’t trust us?” Maddie asked.

  “I decided that we couldn’t do anything else in there. We serve the better purpose staying out here where we can see what’s going on,” Ben answered

  Ben and Ethen walked toward Maddie as the Troll lumbered its way back to the tree line. It disappeared into the woods for a few minutes and walked back out with two Trolls behind it. Ben watched as the three Trolls exited the woods and made their way toward Maddie. The first Troll approached and moved to the side and the two new Trolls approached Maddie. They put out their claws in the same way as the first one and Maddie grabbed both of their claws at the same time. Rho not only invited them to join but also assured them that they were not entering into a trap and invited them to ask others to join.

  Maddie released her grip as Will ran out of the terraformer rambling about a killer plant he had found while wandering through the fortress. They were calming Will when another Troll walked out of the woods. This Troll was with a human. Will stopped paying attention to the others trying to sooth his hysteria. “Isn’t that someone we know?” he pointed toward the human walking toward them.

  Maddie turned around to see Barron walking toward her. She began to walk toward him. The Troll and Barron stopped as she approached. “Maddie, stop walking toward them,” Rho told her. She stopped and stood in place. The Troll and Barron continued to walk toward her as she was not showing any signs of aggression. They walked side-by-side and stopped in front of Maddie. The Troll held out its claw and Barron extended his hand to her.

  Maddie told Rho, “I want to speak to Barron alone. I need you to just listen.”

  She wrapped both of her hands around Barron’s and a voice entered her head.

  I am a new sentient in this vessel and wish to join you.

  Maddie dropped her hands, releasing her contact with Barron. She stared at him. “How did this happen? You were only gone for two days,” she asked as her voice softened with a sigh.

  Barron spoke, “We have learned a faster way to assimilate human vessels.” He pointed to a red scar on his temple and said, “With the proper insertion techniques and replacement of brain cells, a human vessel can be assimilated in a few hours.”

  Maddie’s heart sunk as Barron, or what was posing as Barron, spoke to her. Then she realized he spoke. She grabbed his hand again.

  Not wanting to speak aloud, she asked Barron. Is Barron still there, can he hear me?

  The voice inside of Barron answered. Yes, there are parts of your friend that are still conscious. He has lost the a
bility to control his speech and movement but he still controls his basic functions.

  Can he communicate through you? Can you speak for him? She asked, hoping to get the answer she so much desired.

  He can understand you and says, ‘I don’t understand what is going on. Why can’t I see? Why can’t I feel? Maddie, can you hear me? I can hear you.’ He is still trying to comprehend what has happened. The voice inside of Barron told her.

  Maddie understood. The nanocytes inside of Barron had to filter his thoughts outward. Unlike Rho, who could freely let Maddie communicate through its neural path, Barron was stuck, unable to interact with the outside world. He was a prisoner, a mere consciousness in the grand scheme that was his body. Maddie could reach out to him but his responses would always be buffered. She had to ask the body that was once Barron’s to answer the question that was on her mind. Will Barron ever be able to talk to us?

  The voice answered. I am what is left of Barron. I cannot reconnect Barron to his former self. I am Barron now.

  Maddie dropped her grip again. Her hands went down to her side with no intention of talking through a proxy to the real Barron. With the exception of the red cluster on his temple, this new Barron walked and talked like the old one. Its speech was more boorish than the old Barron but to everyone behind Maddie, they couldn’t tell the difference.

  “You were assimilated?” Hope asked the new Barron.

  “Yes,” it answered. It pointed to its scar. “There are areas of the human brain that can be removed to allow us control of the body.”

  “Cool—” Hope started to say.

  “No, it’s not cool,” Maddie stopped her. “That’s not Barron. That’s not an Inject. That’s an alien.” Maddie turned around and walked away. She brushed by Hope as a movable obstacle in her way. She didn’t understand why she was feeling this way since Barron wasn’t even important enough for her to miss. But she knew that he never deserved this.

  Maddie walked up the ramp to the terraformer and looked at Barron one more time. She shook her head and could not believe that it really wasn’t him anymore. She turned away and walked inside.

  Jay and Marcus were completing their patrol around the fortress. Jay saw Hope and ran toward her. “Is that Maddie’s monitor?” he asked Hope as she reached for the new Barron.

  Jay reached her as she made the connection. She stood there in silence and Jay just watched. Hope looked at the scar on Barron’s temple as she was definitely communicating with him. She dropped her hands and then her head. She turned to Jay and just hugged him. “This is so sad,” she said as she gripped him tightly.

  “Barron, are you with us?” Ben asked.

  “That is why I am here,” the sentient answered.

  Hope let go of Jay, knowing that the Troll that had come with Barron had not received any communication or direction. She reached out her hand and invited it to fight with them. The Troll accepted the invitation and walked toward the other Trolls. Barron started to walk with the Troll. In its mind, it was no longer human and the reactions from Maddie and Hope solidified that thought. Marcus noticed the Trolls. He assessed their presence. If they were a threat, Ben and Ethen wouldn’t just be standing there. He knew that those Trolls must have joined them just as Maddie had promised.

  “Barron, you made it back,” Marcus called out as he walked up to Barron’s body.

  “I am not who you think I am,” the sentient replied.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Marcus. Jay was confused by the comment as well.

  “Your Barron has been assimilated. I am Barron now. I did not ask for him to be my vessel. It was the plan of the queen mother,” the sentient responded.

  Marcus squinted at Barron. His happiness at Barron’s return morphed into distrust. He knew that even if it sounded and looked like Barron, it was not Barron. He knew that Barron was gone. He detoured toward Ben and Ethen and let Barron continue to walk toward the Trolls.

  Barron touched the Troll with whom he had met Maddie and then let go. His eyes were fixed on Hope as she talked to Jay.

  DAY 287

  ONBOARDING

  INTERFACE ROOM

  Five more Trolls joined the small human resistance at the terraformer. Hope remained outside to invite others to join. All the Trolls brought their orbitizers for attack and defense purposes except Barron and the Troll that traveled with him. As night began to fall, Ben told his forming army to go inside. Marcus stood lookout at the ramp for any straggling Trolls or worse, attacks. The Trolls were led to the interface room. Maddie had been sitting in there since her talk with Barron. Barron broke away from the Trolls and approached her. She noticed him coming toward her and got to her feet. “I don’t think I’m ready yet,” she put up her hand to stop him from coming any closer. Barron stopped to watch her go to the other side of the room.

  Will went up to Ben and asked, “Do you want to see the killer plant?” Ben easily made the decision.

  “Yes. Ethen, go with Will and take a look at the plant,” Ben replied.

  Ethen followed Will to the stairwell. The Trolls were huddling with no formation. Ben looked at them as an unruly bunch but he knew that they were there to fight against their soon to arrive attackers. “Hope, please come here and help me talk to them,” Ben asked. He turned to Maddie and asked her for help as well, “Maddie, would you come and help me with the Trolls?”

  Rho’s voice spoke to Maddie, “I don’t think it wise to continue to communicate with them. They will become too reliant on us. Let Hope direct them.” Maddie turned to Ben and answered, “It’s best if Hope talks to them. I am going to sit this one out.”

  “Thanks for the assist,” Ben responded and then turned back to Hope. “They need some semblance of direction, Hope,” he said. He walked up to the Trolls. Either they were oblivious to where they were or they were so used to being in the structures that they did not pay attention to the map that was still displaying on the wall. Each Troll, except for the one that came with Barron, held its orbitizer across its waist, angled down to its left-hand side. “Have them put out their hands,” Ben told Hope. Hope touched the Troll closest to her and then it touched the next, and then the next. Soon, Hope led an interlocked chain of all the Trolls. After she knew that all of the Trolls were abiding by her commands, she told them to put out their hands. The Trolls simultaneously disconnected from the chain and strapped their orbitizers on their backs. They held out their claws ready for Ben.

  Ben took out the marker that Jay had given him and opened the cap. “A white marker? Why would anyone have a white marker?” he asked himself.

  Jay was within earshot and answered him, “I know, I figured no one would miss it.”

  “What did you want it for?” Ben was curious.

  “I got bored in my room,” Jay replied.

  “Let’s just leave it at that,” Ben said. He walked up to the first Troll and painted its claws. The first layer of the marker turned out light blue. “It doesn’t contrast enough,” Ben said. He drew on a second coat and the color was much closer to white. He was content with the mark but knew it wouldn’t last in battle. “We’re going to have to find a better way to discern these Trolls,” Ben told Jay and Hope. He continued to mark each Troll until all of their hands appeared like frosted claws.

  Ethen entered the arboretum behind Will. Will’s eyes immediately shot to the ground and searched for anything that could grab him. “Watch your step,” he advised Ethen, “you never know what can eat you in here.” Ethen looked around and saw orange and red trees scattered in the purple moss that had already started to grow outside of the terraformer.

  “So where is this killer plant?” Ethen asked.

  “Follow the wall,” Will pointed to his right.

  “That’s not how this is going to work, buddy,” Ethen nodded his head for Will to go first.

  “I guess I’ll show you… buddy,” Will said begrudgingly. “Here we go again, Will put your life on the line because YOU found something and MA
DE the mistake of telling the others about it.”

  Will began his walk along the wall. Each step was slow and tender and methodical. He didn’t stop near any of the trees and was focused on walking straight for the area of the blood red brush. Ethen took one confident step and then stopped while he followed each step that Will made. Ethen thought it was a painful process but didn’t want to give Will a reason not to take him to the killer plant.

  The cordons were strung in no particular order. The red strands came into view as they walked along the metallic wall. “There they are,” Will stopped and pointed Ethen toward the plant’s tentacles.

  “Where is the killer plant, Will?” Ethen asked.

  “I’m not going any closer. I brought you to it and my job is done. Just follow those red vines and you’ll find it.” Will was adamant.

  Ethen walked toward the cordons but was careful not to step near them. Will stepped back a few more feet. His footprints were still imprinted in the moss and Ethen matched his stride step for step. Will watched as Ethen moved further away. “Damn, he’s going straight for it,” Will said under his breath and he followed Ethen toward the plant.

  Ethen stepped in every footprint following the cordons to their source and came to the spot where Will rested after the plant pulled him. The red cordons were separated from the rest of the plant. “We could use these,” Ethen said. “We need a better way to identify the aliens and we could tie the vines around their arms.” Ethen began to pick up the cordons. He pulled one cordon and it didn’t budge. Then the plant came to life. Its mouth opened and the cordons started to whip around searching for something to grab. Will was watching and moved away from the flailing cordons. One cordon rubbed Ethen’s leg. Sensing him as a food source, more of the cordons flew into the air and struck the ground searching for their prey. Ethen was nimble and dodged one strike after another until a cordon hit him and wrapped around his arm. Will grabbed his blade and Ethen went across his body to grab his gun. Another cordon wrapped around his arm and then another grabbed his leg. Another cordon wrapped around his free arm and he dropped his gun. The cordons began to pull in different directions and the plant lifted Ethen trying to pull his body apart. Ethen tried to fight the cordons but the more he struggled, the tighter the hold became.