Planet Urth Boxed Set

by Jennifer Martucci

  Once at the bottom of the steps, the laboratory was fully illuminated. Her eyes widened in disbelief. From the indiscernible patch of grass directly overhead, no one would have ever guessed at what resided beneath. She stood below seven-foot ceilings amply lit with bright fluorescent light fixtures. Thick concrete walls lined the impressive area. The single-level refuge appeared larger than her home. There were innumerable computers stationed along the walls. Rows of stainless-steel tables filled the interior portion of the space and held a variety of scientific equipment–all foreign to her. If she had not descended the steps, she would have difficulty believing she was underground. She had expected it to smell musty as a basement of a house might, but it did not. Instead, fresh air circulated through screened vents. Every surface was gleaming, strangely immaculate.

  Viewing the entire facility, Melissa’s mind was dizzied, spinning with disjointed, incomplete thoughts. As her mind whirled and revolved faster and faster, she desperately wanted, needed to reach out and anchor herself to a coherent thought, something concrete, something that made sense. But opportunity to do so did not present itself. And somehow she knew the spiraling would gain momentum in the moments to come.

  “Come on, I want to show you something,” Gabriel said to her as he took her by the hand and led her toward the far corner of the construct, toward a massive stainless-steel tank.

  Staring at the cylindrical chamber Melissa gaped, “What is this thing?”

  “This is where I was developed,” Gabriel said as shame burned plainly on his face.

  Gabriel began turning a large, steel wheel affixed to the cistern. As he did so, a locking mechanism was disengaged, a portal began opening. As the small entryway expanded, Melissa could see inside.

  She gasped and her hand reflexively covered her mouth. She felt her face twist into a tortured expression as she withdrew in confusion, in horror.

  Before her in the reservoir, submerged in a thick, opaque fluid was a partially formed human being.

  Alien-looking with bulbous stumps where limbs should have been, the creature immersed in the milky liquid had a small, curved torso atop which a bald head with eyes that peered out from its temples sat. The being resembled an adult-sized fetus in its eighth week of development.

  She needed to look away but was held, compelled by curiosity, paralyzed by fear and revulsion. She was transfixed. As she watched, the rounded ends where limbs would be elongated. They continued to lengthen to form crude-looking arms.

  Her mind spun even faster, dangerously, threatened to lose control.

  Inhaling sharply, Melissa cried, “Gabriel! Did you see that?”

  She looked to Gabriel as he regarded the form in the tank with shock and dread. A strange expression clouded his features. It was more than shock and dread. She saw pain, and understanding.

  “I assumed the tank would be empty,” Gabriel whispered more to himself than her. He studied the vessel. “It was supposed to be empty.”

  “Gabriel, what is all this? What is happening to that thing?” Melissa breathed, as a flood of tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “This tank, it is like a womb of sorts. The milky substance inside was created by Dr. Terzini. It allows extremely rapid development; development unparalleled in humanity.”

  “That creature in there, it is going to form into a human?” she asked as her eyes, moistened with emotion, searched his for an explanation that would make the horror of what she’d witnessed somehow acceptable.

  “Yes, well, sort of. It’s not a creature in the sense that you’re saying it is. It’s already a human, created from human DNA.”

  “Fine, but it’s been changed, dramatically,” Melissa exclaimed hearing her voice become shrill bordering on hysteria.

  “Melissa, I don’t know what alterations have been made to the DNA of the person growing in there. Terzini must somehow know that I am a failure. But I can tell you this: I am every bit as human as you are,” Gabriel emphasized every word as he spoke as if trying to punctuate their importance.

  “Gabriel, I don’t feel so good. My head is spinning and I feel nauseous,” Melissa confessed.

  The spinning, coupled with tremors that racked her body, shook her limbs violently.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Gabriel said as he wrapped his arm around Melissa’s shoulders.

  Melissa tensed at his touch. Typically, she would allow her body to meld into the contours of his. But now, inexplicably, her body resisted contact with his, repelled the comfort he offered.

  He led her quickly across the vast underground research facility to the stairs that ascended to the earth above.

  Once the steel door had been closed and locked and the rectangular piece of sod had been replaced, she walked with Gabriel, slowly, back to his house. Returning to the earth above, to reality, the cold air felt refreshing, cleansing. Stopping on the grass just before reaching the stone–edged border of the gravel driveway, she inhaled the crisp air, turning her eyes heavenward as she did so. She noticed how clouds had gathered and obscured the brilliance of the moon, shrouded the constellations in a murky mask.

  “Melissa, I know you’re upset. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. I love you.”

  “Gabriel, I am something other than hurt,” she said struggling to remain composed. “I am, I am, reeling, okay. I mean, I cannot begin to wrap my mind around everything I’ve heard and seen tonight. Here I thought we might experience a first tonight, together.

  “Well I had a first all right! Boy was I wrong about what kind of first I would experience, though!” Melissa exclaimed, her voice laden with self-derision.

  “This doesn’t have to change anything. It shouldn’t change how we feel about each other,” Gabriel said softly.

  He took her trembling hand in his. It felt warm and soft, a sharp contrast to hers. He placed his other atop hers so her fingers were enveloped in the warmth of both of his hands.

  “Please, Melissa. I can only imagine how confused you must feel, how betrayed.”

  Gabriel placed her hand on his chest, over his heart. She watched as tears flowed freely down the breathtaking planes of his face. He continued.

  “I am the same person you fell in love with; the same person who loves you despite what Terzini’s original intent was. You evoked feelings I was never meant to have. You Melissa.”

  Melissa leaned in toward Gabriel allowing her hand to soften beneath his, above his beating heart. She rested her head on his chest, allowed him to pull her close to him. The tension in her body relaxed as sobs escaped her lips. Gabriel held her as she wept unabashedly.

  After agonizing moments passed, Melissa’s tears had run dry. She looked up into the face of the person she thought she loved. She did not feel anger or revulsion. She did not feel sadness or confusion.

  “Please take me home, Gabriel,” she whispered.

  Without protest, Gabriel released her from his embrace.

  He walked with her wordlessly to the open garage door where his Ford Explorer waited.

  He opened the passenger side door for her and climbed into the driver’s side before turning the key in the ignition.

  Melissa glanced out the window as Gabriel directed the SUV out of the large garage. Clouds had assembled and thickened considerably, fortifying their alliance against the hazy Moon and stars. With each celestial body eclipsed by their charge, the substantial veils of vapors threatened precipitation as they drove away from Gabriel’s house.

  Darkness fully shrouded the ornate structure where Gabriel lived. It no longer resembled the house they approached just hours ago. Instead, cloaked in shadows and blackness, it was arcane, ominous.

  Melissa shivered and hugged herself. Responding immediately to her needs as he always did, Gabriel raised the temperature of the heating system.

  She did not speak as he navigated the winding roads to Blackstone Drive. Silence prevailed until the Explorer turned in to her driveway.

  Ranks of rainclouds sprayed the earth
with a fine mist of water. The only sound emitted was the intermittent swiping of windshield wipers pushing drizzle from the glass.

  Gabriel put the SUV into park and spoke, his voice strong and measured.

  “Melissa, I love you. Nothing has changed. Please don’t end this, don’t end us.”

  “I’m not ending us,” she said in a voice wavering with emotion. “I’m just really confused. I mean, I feel like I’m in a dream, like none of this is real and I’ll wake up tomorrow and everything will be fine again. But in my heart of hearts, I know that’s not true.” Melissa took a deep breath to compose herself then continued. “The way I feel about you has not changed. I just need a little time to process all of this.”

  Gabriel could not meet her eyes. He seemed unable to speak, as if doing so would somehow undermine what she needed. Silently, Melissa turned Gabriel’s beautiful face toward hers. She leaned across the console of the Explorer and kissed him tenderly on his lips before leaving. He waited in the driveway until she disappeared into the house before driving away.

  ***

  Once inside, Melissa observed from her kitchen window as Gabriel hesitated before backing his SUV out of her driveway. She watched as the illumination of his headlamps was enveloped in the indistinct darkness, how quickly their brilliance faded and was absorbed by the obscurity. A sharp pang of sadness pierced her heart as his Explorer disappeared in the night.

  Melissa turned from the window and looked through the dining room and into the family room. The space was dark; no lights illuminated the downstairs rooms save for the single fluorescent overhead bulb of the stove. Thankful for the dimness and what it indicated, Melissa stepped quietly away from her position in the kitchen. She moved past the front door and up the steep staircase and down the hall to her bedroom.

  She passed her father’s bedroom first. His door was shut signifying that he slept. Grateful for the solitude that her father’s slumber offered, Melissa stepped into her room and stripped off her outfit, the clothes she bought for her special night with Gabriel.

  Forcing his image from her mind temporarily, Melissa pulled off her boots and jeans before shrugging out of her sweater. She peeled off her pink camisole and slung it over her desk chair sitting at an askew angle from her computer desk against the windowed wall.

  In her undergarments, Melissa left her clothes where they had fallen on the floor and stepped into the bathroom. With her father sleeping soundly, she did not risk indecency with her state of undress. Closing the door behind her, Melissa turned the shower on full blast and stepped behind the curtain.

  She stood before the spray allowing its powerful flow to massage her weary body. Melissa turned the temperature control knob to the left making the water hotter, attempted to rid her body of the chill that settled on her, infiltrated her very core.

  With copious beads of steaming water cascading down her body, its warmth enveloping her, relaxing her, Melissa cried. Her tears blended with the running rivulets of the shower. They were cleansing sobs; cries of sadness and confusion, of regret and distress.

  Gabriel had confided in her a secret so profound it overwhelmed her. Melissa closed her eyes tightly as the image of that partially formed abomination in the steel tank appeared in her mind. She rubbed at her eyes with both hands, tried to expunge the horrible image from her mind.

  When the image had sufficiently cleared–even if momentarily–she could envision Gabriel. She rationalized that Gabriel, in his beatific glory, was not a mere fabrication. He was not inhuman despite what Terzini’s plan was. She recalled every tender action he performed, every polite gesture he undertook. They did not seem contrived or artificial. He was genuine and generous of spirit, more so than anyone she had ever met. Gabriel embodied benevolence and kindness. He was patient and protective; brave and bountiful.

  Melissa opened her eyes and turned off the stream of water. With the sudden realization that she knew Gabriel, knew what kind of person he was, Melissa stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. Determinedly, she strode out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. As she dressed in her bedclothes, she fully appreciated the importance of her epiphany. It did not matter how Gabriel came to be; it did not matter what the original intent of his creation was; no more than how or under what circumstances any other human being on the planet came to be. Gabriel James was every bit as human as she was.

  Satisfied with her insight and firm in her resolve, Melissa Martin climbed into her twin-sized bed and slept. In the morning she would rise and go about her day. She would call Gabriel and tell him of her newfound understanding.

  Chapter 14

  Gabriel waited until Melissa was safely inside her home before he pulled out of her driveway. The final moments they spent together replayed in his head. He had refused to look into her eyes. He believed that doing so would compel him to beg her not to leave–even if the separation was temporary. He knew that begging would not have been fair to her. She needed to process all she had seen. She needed to decide whether to be with him based on her needs, not his. And he would be forced to accept whatever choice she made.

  He stopped at the bottom of her hill as earlier events of the night repeated in his head. Images of her troubled face flashed before his eyes. In the flashes, she did not resemble the person he knew. She was wild-eyed with fright, wrought with confusion, with disgust. The memories bombarded him, streaming her horrified expression over and over again. They were seared in his mind. He was powerless to erase them, despite having caused them.

  Gabriel removed one hand from the steering wheel and pounded it, damning his very creation. His eyes clouded with emotion as he began driving again.

  Mist had turned to a steady rainfall as droplets precipitated more purposefully.

  He drove the Explorer dangerously, swerving on rain-slickened pavement, testing the engine as he stepped down heavily on the accelerator. Driving became a challenge. But Gabriel did not care.

  Struggling to stay on the road, he agonized over her impending decision; that morning would bring about a painful verdict and he would lose Melissa forever.

  Envisioning his life without her was unbearable. His days would be meaningless. Terzini’s vision, his many genetic gifts, all of it was inconsequential, his existence worthless if she were not a part of it.

  His erratic driving continued during his soggy journey home. He sped down the gravel driveway and directed the SUV in to the garage before turning off the engine and getting out. He walked through the laundry room and climbed the steps. As he opened the door to the hallway and peered into the living room, a fresh swell of despair racked him. Before him was a once inspiring setting, romantic and filled with promise. Now, however, it was empty.

  He immediately spotted the plate Melissa had eaten from sitting atop the coffee table. The once meticulously stacked dessert, lovingly prepared, sagged, melted and malformed.

  The fire still burned in the hearth. Candles still glowed in the dining room. He was now charged with cleaning, restoring everything to its previous position.

  After he cleaned, Gabriel surveyed the living room and dining room. As his eyes scanned the space, he noticed a piece of charcoal-gray woolen cloth draped behind the sofa. He walked to it and picked it up immediately.

  Recognizing the shape of the material and its owner, he realized the small coat belonged to Melissa. She had not worn it when they went to Terzini’s laboratory. She did not wear it home.

  He stood for a moment, clutching the fabric in his hands before raising it to his face. The warm, familiar scent lingered. Notes of vanilla, caramel and coconut, Melissa’s fragrance, brought Gabriel to his knees, an unrelenting pang twisting in his chest.

  Outside, the rain picked up in intensity and mixed with sleet. Tiny ice pellets showered down, mortaring the roof tiles. Frozen precipitation bounced and ricocheted about the house and its surrounding property before changing back to a heavy rainfall again, soaking and saturating everything in its wake.

  A
fresh wave of agony washed over Gabriel, threatened to drown him in a churning sea of misery. Instead of retiring to his room as he originally intended, Gabriel lay on the couch fully clothed, grasping Melissa’s garment.

  Thoughts swirled about his mind, muddled and fragmented until mercifully, sleep found Gabriel. Comforted temporarily by dreams of a future with Melissa, he was granted repose for several hours. But with dawn came reality.

  The rain and sleet had stopped. The earth was washed clean, absolved of its impurities.

  As the sun punctured the horizon and sliced through the darkness, bleeding the blue-black refuge in torrents of crimson and shades of sallow ginger, a small, dark presence appeared before Gabriel.

  Sitting up, Gabriel rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. The blurred image of his creator came into focus. Terzini’s stood, looming over Gabriel with his feet planted at shoulder width, his hands on his hips. His thin lips were pursed and the creases that lined his rumpled forehead were deepened further in pensive silence.

  Terzini was alerted to his awakening; the nearly imperceptible twitch that arched his left eyebrow revealed as much. Gabriel watched as Terzini, from behind his wire-framed glasses, trained his small, watchful eyes on him and searched, narrowing them until his minuscule coal-hued irises were nearly invisible.

  “Sir,” Gabriel said groggily. “I wasn’t expecting you until later this evening.”

  Terzini remained, unflinching and eerily still, his gaze as stony as his stance.

  “Who were you expecting Gabriel, Melissa Martin?” Dr. Terzini asked and enunciated each word slowly, icily.

  “Sir, I can-”

  “Do not insult me by attempting to concoct a story, Gabriel. I know everything. The question in my mind is: how long have you felt such stirrings?” he continued, his inflection flat and formal.

  “Sir, it began when I met her,” Gabriel confessed. But how did you-”

  “Know?” Terzini finished Gabriel’s question coolly then continued. “After the incident with the school bonfire when you defied me, I decided to install numerous extremely sensitive audiovisual recording devices. Tiny cameras with microphones were put in almost every article in this house and in my laboratory, though I doubted you would have the audacity to trespass in my inner sanctum. Yet you did,” Terzini said levelly.