"It is critical that we discover the building blocks of our enemies," she explained with the type of elegant tone that so eluded her husband. "By understanding their biology, we can better understand their needs, tendencies, and weaknesses."
Evan asked, "What about finding means to communicate? What about better understanding with the aim of coexistence?"
Anita smiled a polite smile the way she might at a child who wondered if the moon was made of green cheese. "Well, that’s not part of our charter."
"What is your charter?" New Jersey Senator Whitman wanted to know.
"It is our mission to find better, more expeditious means of killing our enemies and more effective means of protecting ourselves from their attacks. Furthermore, we are always looking for clues as to the greater nature of the invasion."
Evan pointed out, "Of course, beginning next year the budget for this operation will be approved on the Senate floor and not by direct edict."
"Is that so?" Again that tone of humoring a child, as if Evan told her he was going to be an astronaut when he grew up.
Whitman interrupted, "Well, I hope they make the things in here suffer real good. Do you have any Jabberwocks?"
"Not presently, no."
They went through a high security door to a catwalk encased in heavy glass above a series of chambers with transparent ceilings, each occupied by an alien creature.
"Here are holding pens for specimens awaiting dissection."
She led the group forward. The security glass muffled all sound from the pens below.
"Are they terminated in a humanly manner?" Evan asked as he eyed a Rat-Thing run headlong into its cell wall.
Anita answered, "Most are put down by draining the oxygen from their chambers. This ensures the cadavers are in the best possible physical condition."
Being in such proximity to alien monsters appeared to unnerve Wasnieski. His voice wavered as he looked down at a Giant Jellyfish in its cell. "Wh-what have you learned?"
"Our research has been quite fruitful. The troops in the field have the most up to date information on how to kill or disable our enemies."
Evan noted a bipedal, reptilian Hivvan in a holding cell. "There, that’s a very intelligent creature. Why is he caged like an animal?"
She told him, "Because it is scheduled for dissection tomorrow morning."
Godfrey's eyes widened. "Are we now torturing our enemies?"
Nehru answered, "No enemy hostiles who surrender are sent here as a matter of policy. This particular Hivvan was a slave pen overseer in Raleigh and was captured after being wounded. It is personally responsible for executing at least one hundred human beings."
Anita used her key card to open another bulkhead into a new section. The skywalk still looked down on specimens, but this time the holding pens spanned areas the size of small gymnasiums.
The first pen held a creature resembling a house-sized hermit crab with slimy, worm like appendages oozing from some kind of shell.
"If you'll look over here," Anita pointed, "you'll see our resident Shellsquid."
Parts of a second creature the size of an elephant with a big seal-like face, a soft fuzzy hide, and a jagged backbone shared the same pen. The Shellsquid held the remains of this "ChewCow" in its tendrils, puncturing its lifeless hide and slurping in chunks of flesh.
Whitman nearly vomited; the other Senators turned their heads.
"Sorry. I forgot it was feeding time."
Wasniewski repeated his earlier question, "What have you learned? What would be your, hmmm, biggest revelation so far?"
As they left the Shellsquid to its meal, Anita answered, "We’ve made some astounding discoveries in terms of the basic building blocks of life. That is, in relation to our existence."
Godfrey: "How so?"
"As you are no doubt aware, every living organism is built with a genetic code or DNA. It’s what makes us look the way we look; gives us big noses and green eyes or," Anita ran her hand through her hair, "beautiful, lovely long black hair for that matter."
"So? So what?" Senator Whitman ignored her attempt at levity.
"All life on Earth is built from DNA and, in general terms, it is structured in much the same manner. That’s why you may have heard that there is a great deal of similarity between, oh, human DNA and nematodes."
"Nematodes?" Wasniewski was not sure if he heard correctly.
"A type of worm. Anyway, all Earthly life forms have similar genetic structures. Evolutionists theorize that this proves life on this planet is descendant from one particular organism; that evolution, time, environment, and other factors resulted in the slow creation of a variety of animals, including humanity. In essence, every type of animal on Earth evolved from the same seed."
The next pen held a monster that had rolled itself into something like a fetal position alongside a big fake rock. The tour could see the thick legs, wiry black and silver hair, lizard tail, four arms, and crocodile-like snout of a Troll.
Nehru continued, "The aliens who have invaded our world have a very similar—if not identical—DNA structure. They look different, of course, but their basic biology is the same and they share a cell structure with us that we categorize as Eukaryota. That means the DNA is enclosed in separate membranes within the cell. You could say it makes us—and these invaders—complex organisms."
"Do you consider that a surprise?" Evan asked.
"Senator Godfrey, it confirms that the basic building blocks of life are obviously the same. We may come from different planets, but we could easily have sprung from the same type of seed."
"Good God," Whitman burst. "You’re telling us that we have a lot in common with these things. I’m not sure I can accept that."
"However, during the course of studying alien DNA we came upon a find that may shed light on the nature of what has been happening to our planet. We were able to identify small—tiny--amounts of damage to the stem cells of the aliens that have come to our world. We believe radiation caused this damage, albeit a kind different of radiation than that attributed to the mass disappearances. Now, NASA had been studying the effects of stellar radiation on the human body to understand how it would affect long-distance space flight. They found a threat to stem cells in particular."
Whitman jumped in, "But the aliens here didn’t come on space vessels, they came through those damn gateways."
Evan held an impatient hand aloft. Whitman must learn when to listen and when to speak.
Anita responded, "I understand that. We believe that their travel through the gateway caused this damage to their stem cells. Nothing major, mind you."
"So we need to be worried about the aliens’ health? Maybe we should offer them free health care," Wasniewski joked but no one laughed. His smile faded fast.
She said, "Damage might not be the right word; perhaps 'marking' would be more accurate, but let's stick with damage for now."
"But..?" Evan wanted to move things along.
"But what’s interesting is the degree of damage done. We’ve identified several very specific levels of damage."
"Wait a second," Godfrey leapt. "You’re saying that different batches of these aliens were exposed to different levels of radiation."
"Consistently, yes."
"I’m lost," Whitman pouted.
Evan answered for Anita, "She's saying that we’ve been able to identify that different groups of aliens came from different points of origin. Am I right?"
Anita smiled in appreciation of his explanation and added, "Yes. For instance, we know that the creatures we call ‘Vikings’ come from the same environment that the animals nicknamed ‘Jaw-Wolves’ and ‘Rat-Things’ come from. And that Hivvans almost certainly originated from the same place as Gremlins. The amount and types of radiation damage to their stem cells links those groups together. It’s as if they traveled further through their gateways or through a different type of gateway…something."
"As if they all traveled on the same bus together," Evan p
ut the final touch on her analysis. He then asked, "Have any we can communicate with—like the Hivvans—told us more about what they know?"
"Very little. We’ve never interrogated a high ranking officer. The most information we’ve obtained from these creatures is that they were either forced or volunteered to come through a gateway to get here. We believe the planets they came from are in our universe but the descriptions they gave of the environments and so forth indicate amazing ecosystems."
Evan said, "But all based on the same genetic framework. So they may look different and have different cultures but they are—biologically speaking—similar to human beings. They breathe air, drink water, and eat food for sustenance."
"Well said, Senator. One might even dare to suggest that we sprung from similar ancient gene pools, but evolution chose different appearances and some different traits, based on the planets each of us are from."
Godfrey asked, "Mrs. Nehru, how is it that aliens that have the technology to cross the galaxy don't have military technology that could wipe us out with the push of a button?"
"Senator, there are several possible answers but I think the most likely explanation is that the gateway technology did not originate with the invaders."
"Wait a second," Whitman waved a hand. "You said you can differentiate between groups of aliens coming from different places. How many have you identified?"
"We’ve identified four distinct damage patterns we feel indicate four points of origin. However, we haven’t cataloged even half of the creatures in the Hostiles Database at this point. That number could double before we’re done."
"Interesting," Evan mused.
"There are two other mysteries just as big."
They came to the end of the bridge. Anita opened the secure door there and they walked into a security station. Several guards with side arms worked there.
"Such as?" Godfrey prompted.
"First, we’ve seen only higher life forms. The smallest thing we’ve done battle with has been cat-sized cock roaches. While they are insect in appearance, they have more in common with tigers, lions, and bears than ants and millipedes."
"What do you mean? What is the difference?" Wasniewski asked.
"Insects perform a vital function in relation to soil and plant life; bees pollinate flowers, worms and beetles decompose organic matter. We’ve found alien carrion eaters but nothing that really lives at the background level. For example, where are the alien versions of spiders or flies? Where are the alien flowers? Or weeds? Just as important, where is the alien bacteria and archaea; those are the categories for simpler organisms that do not have membranes separating their DNA from the rest of the cell."
The expressions on their faces told Anita she might be throwing around too many scientific buzzwords. She decided to simplify.
"When Columbus came to America he brought with him nasty diseases and new viruses. Logic suggests that the alien invaders should have come to our planet with that type of baggage. But they didn’t. And our bacterium appears not to have an effect on them."
"I recall Trevor once suggested that the aliens went through a decontamination process and likely received inoculation against bacteria on Earth," Evan remembered.
"Yes, the obvious answer is that this was a well-organized, well-planned invasion. It also suggests there were parameters. Rules, if you will. Some agreement that dictated what could or could not come over. I mean, do you know how many problems Earth suffered from insect or rodent species changing ecosystems? Snakehead fish are a good example. Someone transported them from their native habitat in Asia to some North American waters. They had no natural enemies and almost destroyed indigenous species. Imagine what alien roaches or other pests could do to our environment. Or an alien disease so different it would take medical science years to understand it. We could have been wiped out without a single shot fired."
Whitman said, "Isn’t it possible that all of that is the same on their home worlds? Maybe insects have come, we just haven’t noticed because they are identical to what we have here?"
Everyone looked at Whitman, surprised at the thoughtfulness of his suggestion.
Anita answered, "That’s possible. It would explain how they survive here with minimal effort."
"You raise some interesting questions," Evan conceded.
"Ah, Senator Godfrey, if you think that’s interesting, now consider this."
She led them to one of the security monitors and told the guard there to "Punch up three."
The man pushed a button and the monitor displayed a "Mutant" in its pen. The humanoid creature wore a leather-like outfit over pale skin, had an oval—almost egg-shaped—head, a massive mouth, and tiny eyes positioned above small flaps that might have been nostrils.
"Just another alien invader, right?" She suggested.
"No," Evan said. His face went blank and, for a moment, he lost his statesman aura and shivered. For a moment, he was just another survivor with horrific memories.
"Yes," Anita Nehru said. "I remember that you—"
Evan regained his composure and cut her off, "You were making a point?"
Anita paused for a moment and then explained, "As I told you already, we’ve identified four different patterns of radiation damage to stem cells that seem to indicate four different points of origin. I have to add a fifth classification to that. A fifth point of origin, if you will."
"The Mutants have a different level of radiation damage?" Whitman guessed.
"You could say that, yes," she admitted. "But not to their stem cells."
It took a moment for Anita’s next words to shock them because they did not quite comprehend what she said. "They have no stem cells and no genetic structure. No DNA."
"What?"
She rattled off more names, "Mutants, Rollers, and Goat-Walkers are some of the others. We also analyzed particles of the Wraiths General Brewer encountered in the Arctic Circle. No trace of DNA there, either."
"Mrs. Nehru," Evan tried to simplify the conversation, "What does that mean?"
"Most of the extraterrestrial invaders have a genetic structure similar to man. Yet according to our experiments, some of the creatures attacking us have no such structure. They are, in essence, not living. At least, not in terms of our definition of life. They have, instead, a molecular composition that gives them the physical traits you’d expect in a living being, such as an outer shell we would call skin or mouths or eyes or even liquid resembling blood flowing through their veins. That’s where we found the radiation damage. But they have no ability to reproduce, no growing cells. No activity inside their bodies."
"Wait a moment," Whitman jumped in. "We see these things move. We see them—Mutants—eat their victims. Some even communicate. Obviously your research is wrong."
"We do not believe Mutants require sustenance. Mutant number three here has not been fed in two months. Its behavior is the same as it was when it first came here. It will consume ‘food’ when given the opportunity. It’s as if it eats for fun or out of habit, not out of need."
"But there is intelligence?" Evan led.
"Yes. In the Mutants, a blob of mass resembling a brain, but no electrical activity. No living cells. Just matter that resembles organic parts but in reality does not appear to be alive."
"Then how do they…how do they live?" Wasniewski struggled with the contradiction.
"That is a mystery that is compounded by one other interesting anomaly. We’ve examined remnants of the ‘organic’ machines used by The Order as well as salvaged implants removed from converts under the control of Voggoth. They do have a form of DNA but it is radically different from anything else we’ve seen. In short, it is a strain of DNA that is very basic, very simple to the point that we would classify it as archaea in structure, yet so foreign from our experience that we cannot figure out how it works, how it survives. It does not appear to have reproductive qualities. That’s something that even the most basic microbes on our planet can do. Honestly, we are stu
mped."
"So this Voggoth and his Order," Godfrey summarized, "are completely unique even among the invading creatures?"
Anita smiled a wait-until-you-hear-this smile. "Senators, we found radiation damage on The Order’s organic machines and implants that matches the type and level of radiation done to the creatures that have no DNA to speak of."
Again, that look of confusion.
"Gentlemen," she explained slowly. "Voggoth and the creatures that have no DNA—like Mutants, Wraiths and Goat-Walkers--they are all from the same place of origin and stand apart from the other invaders in terms of their biochemistry."
The politicians stood silent for several moments while each tried to understand. Evan decided he had had enough learning for the day. He returned the subject to the first question he had asked when he arrived at the front gate of Red Rock two hours prior.
"Where is Trevor Stone? We scheduled this tour with him weeks ago."
"Oh. His people cancelled his appointment. Something about a scheduling conflict."
Evan thought she spoke the truth, but he had not received that phone call of congratulations after having been elected President of the Senate.
"Well then. If the Emperor will not come to us. I think I’ll go to him."
14. Stress Fractures
Jon Brewer sat at the head of the conference table overseeing what passed for a military council meeting but lacked a fair number of the usual participants. General Hoth and both Omar and Anita Nehru usually attended, but Hoth and Omar continued the search for Trevor while Anita hosted VIPs at Red Rock.
Therefore, that February 4th meeting included only Generals Shepherd, "Stonewall" McAllister, and Prescott as well as Gordon Knox, Director of Intelligence, Brett Stanton, Dante Jones, and Jon's wife and Chief Administrator, Lori Brewer.
Very few people outside of this group realized that Trevor and Revered Johnny had not been seen since January 25th. Given the time of year, it would be difficult to explain their disappearance as a vacation to their beachfront property in Wildwood, New Jersey while the number of meetings, conferences, and appearances canceled had begun to add up.
Beyond Armageddon: Book 03 - Parallels Page 18
