Part 14 (Genome of the Hybrid Paradox): Recap
Amos Goodall sat dejected in the black military vehicle. Facing him was his younger sister, Annetta and her husband, Julius with worried expressions lining their brows. Benetiz and the rest exchanged bewildered glances.
Small slits in the moving armored cell afforded little opportunity to gauge their route or intended location. To distract from his impending incarceration, Amos counted patrol cars with screaming sirens and flashing red lights rushing past every five minutes.
"Wonder what's the commotion for? Cunnelda's caught us, so something else is amiss," Annetta surmised, intensely curious.
An unusual sight that caught Amos' attention cruised alongside the military vehicle. A car without sirens and flashing lights meant someone in authority. Ordinary citizens were restricted from movement on that stretch of road under the recent travel ban and curfew. Amos had no idea who the individual in the unmarked vehicle was and how that person's life would intertwine with his.
It had been a year since Viktor Popov, senior researcher, ventured from ICO's Research Center compound. Living quarters at the Watchtower within the complex provided ample amenities.
Viktor studied the transport vehicle having no clue the person he'd been searching for this past twenty years was traveling the same road. Instantly, a dose of something unwelcome blasted his nostril.
But it was more than that. The rush of air across the highway carried the aroma of iron and burnt plastic. Ash, fine as powdered bone, coated the cracked asphalt of what used to be Route 89, creating a desolate, gray, and white landscape. Viktor kept his hands steady, shook off the odor, then closed the vent.
Before he had time to analyze the smell, the armored vehicle flipped and landed on its side. Briefly, he spied the opposite side of the road. An emblem from the special unit team from ICO North Headquarters employed by Benedikt Inhumos.
Apparently, Benedikt had isolated and identified the transport that carried Amos. Alexis and Loomey. His notes. They're Benedikt's puppets. And I've led them straight to Amos, he fumed.
But why kill those inside? Unless...they already suspected.
Instantly, a blinding, violet-white beam of concentrated light pierced the evening gloom, cutting through the rear armored vehicle like a hot needle through wax. The explosion of metal showered the road in sparks and molten steel. Sliding a few inches down the road through the ash, the armored cell came to rest on its side.
Viktor braked hard, his car swerving to avoid hitting the transport
"Dammit! they've killed Amos" he hissed, hands shaking. Through his rear-view camera, he eyed the prison transport smoking, its side sheared open. Several prisoners quickly piled out over the injured and dead. He spun the wheel, accelerating hard, not away from the fight, but toward the wreckage. As he reached the smoke, he threw open the doors.
Pulling the first man hanging halfway out, he'd no idea he'd just rescued the human hybrid he'd been searching for. Amos Goodall.
Dazed and confused, Amos rose, unaware of what just occurred. He recovered quickly, fighting Viktor off thinking, he'd been sent by his older sister, Cunnelda.
Viktor quickly reached into his pock and retrieved the scanner. The vehicle's interior registered normal thermal signatures. Then, he scanned Amos. The device returned a high-energy signature. Before he could speak, Annetta, Julius, and Benetiz rushed to Amos' side, tackling Viktor.
"Please, I'm not here to harm Amos. My name is Viktor Popov, an ICO research scientist searching for the truth. If you all want to live, get in now!
But before they could escape, Julius heard humming overhead. His military experience knew a serious threat had arrived. He pushed Viktor aside, certain he'd no expertise in combat with Amos and Annetta behind.
"Get to the car, quickly." Julius ordered. His eyes then scoured the cracked asphalt as two soldiers approached, their weapons aimed at him. Behind them a drone's shadow came into focus. Grabbing a piece of the torn metal from the transport, he rushed toward them, breathing in ragged gasps. Surmising the metal was of the same material, he held it high, deflecting the drone's beam, thereby redirecting it back toward them. Bursting into flames the drone fell from the sky. Next, the soldiers. His expertise in hand combat defeated the soldiers. Successful, he raced back toward Viktor's car.
While Julius was busy with ICO, Benetiz rushed injured prisoners toward the woods, then scrambled back. Both Julius and Benetiz jumped inside.
Viktor veered off the road into the thick brush, fleeing from a now hostile Benedikt whose mission had clearly taken a detour just in time before his reinforcements arrived.
Annetta glanced back, watching ICO soldiers fade behind them, then clutched her brother's arm. His skin shimmered with a faint, metallic sheen before she brushed the smoldering ash from it. "Amos isn't injured too badly," she reported from the backseat.
"That's enough for now," Viktor replied tersely, only mildly concerned.
"Where are you taking us?" Benetiz queried, not familiar with the area after sundown.
"I've a small, secluded, secured warehouse facility two clicks west." Viktor killed the lights before stopping. All exited the car and moved cautiously toward the building. Viktor entered a passcode to gain access.
A petite, comely woman cautiously opened the make-shift laboratory door. "You're late, Viktor. I was beginning to worry."
"The detainment was worth my effort. We'll discuss this more, Vera. Meet Amos Goodall."
Now, Part 15: (The Lie Unravels In the Silver Silencing)
Annetta, Julius, and Benetiz remained cautious, surveying the hidden facility that externally resembled a vacation get-a-way. The air in the cabin smelled of ozone, pine needles, and the distinct, metallic tang of cooling fluid.
Mildly surprised, Vera moved quickly toward Amos with the anticipation of a seasoned researcher. She inventoried Amos from head to toe. Initially frowning, searching for a signature, a genetic whisper; her expression shifted as she sequenced his internal structure. Stepping back, she peered deeply into his eyes, knowing she'd seen a man who clearly didn't belong in this world.
"Hold on a minute," Vera ordered, pivoting toward the lab table. She returned, a scanner in her hand. Through the thermal feed, she saw the signature that Viktor forwarded. The Cigol DNA was subtle, woven into his marrow, but unmistakable.
"Vera, I present you the specimen we've been searching for this past twenty years right in our midst," Viktor explained.
Behind them, the radio crackled. "Yes, I've confirmed. And, I've been monitoring activity," Vera stated matter-of-factly.
Confused, Amos merely stared, glancing with jerky movements from Viktor to Vera, unsure whether to trust either. His trust lay in only two: his younger sister, Annetta and her husband, Julius; still not one hundred percent certain of Benetiz.
"You're talking about me as if I weren't human," Amos interjected.
"You're not," Vera responded tersely, holding out a silver, glowing vial. He didn't accept, so she continued. "Your family, as you know it, is a lie. Your father was human, but your mother was a Cigol test subject on her way from another planet as part of ICO's covert program studying biological material from a non-terrestrial source. Viktor, take him downstairs immediately!" she ordered.
The revelation felt like a sudden shift in gravity. He turned to face Viktor. "I'm...not human?" Amos stammered.
"All your questions will be answered. Hurry along." Viktor turned to Vera. "Keep a lookout. If you detect any unusual external movement, ring the alarm."
Vera nodded, while Viktor guided Amos toward the basement. Annetta, Julius, and Benetiz followed.
They descended the stairs. Down a long, narrow hallway, the walked briskly toward a secure room. Inside the makeshift, but highly-advanced lab, Amos watched Viktor dim the lights, then shuffle toward and hover wrinkled fingers over a transparent holopad; the only light coming from the flickering holoscreen revealing output only he knew. But the hologram of a double-helix structure was wrong—the base pair glowing a soft, tangled, violet strand.
Viktor jerked his head around and stared at Amos. "You need to sit."
Amos sat, his back razor straight glancing down at his own hands, the veins suddenly appearing almost luminous under the lab's low light, wondering why hadn't he noticed all those years. He seemed to be vibrating. The familiar "human" aches in his bones hadn't been arthritis; they were cellular restructuring.
"You have inherited a recessive non-human gene that appears dormant. I can't ascertain when or what circumstances will trigger activation. "You are the unanticipated product of both worlds," Viktor stated, moving on to anatomical charts; which after scrolling, validated human muscular structure intertwined with extraterrestrial bone density.
"But my boss, Benedikt Inhumos at ICO North Headquarters, doesn't view it as such. You hold the key to human-alien genetic integration. To him, you're a superior weapon he desperately desired to harness that escaped."
Amos’ shock crystallized into an unfamiliar cold, focused fury.
You see, thirty years ago there were four. Two mating Cigol pairs. Shipped from ICO Bridge Planet 9, derailment at the extraction point separated the four experimental subjects. Instead of mating with their assigned counterpart to produce the virus, the female subjects vanished. Years past. ICO became certain the pair mated with humans.
The result. A mutated strain of the virus in the general population. But who and where?
Annetta nodded. Ashamed of her part in the conspiracy, she inched closer to Amos.
"It's true, brother. My parents explained it when I came of age. We were forced to keep you a secret. Especially from Cunnelda who is too loyal to the ICO. Your biological mother demanded it by her actions before she died, threatening to leave with you. You're not my brother, but my cousin."
Even more confused, Amos slowly removed Annetta's hand from his shoulder, simply staring into her face. A slight resemblance stood staring at him.
"Cousin?" You're riddled more than those two weird individuals calling themselves scientists.
"My older brother discovered your mother hiding one night near a railway yard. Clearly distressed, he rescued her and brought her home. She was different, he could tell. But she was alone and frightened. She didn't understand our language, so couldn't communicate."
"Apparently well enough to submit to conceiving me." Amos' tone turned sarcastic, mixed with confusion.
Viktor cleared his throat. "All that's non-essential. What's important is the mission that threatens our planet and all inhabitants."
"What do you mean?" Amos looked quizzically. "Are we being invaded by aliens?" If it wasn't both outrageous and frightening, he would have chuckled.
Viktor continued. "I discovered that by accident. Omicron Vorsey Planet 9 is its official name forbidden to be mentioned anywhere on Earth. Only the superiors at the four ICO District Offices know of its existence and purpose. They use the acronym "OVP9". After reaching Earth, Benedikt applied a simpler name his crew and inner circle humans on board with his mission could adapt to: "ICO Bridge Planet 9."
"You mean we're being manipulated by aliens!" Amos shuddered before shrinking back.
Not only manipulation, but domination of a very tiny world. They're behind the scene. The frontrunners, ICO, is the middleman. Or should I say, middle alien liaison. ICO has a stake in how OVP9 manages its conquest of Earth. You see, OVP9 is a carbon planet in a small solar system with three other planets; but dying. Scarce nutrients forced Zolgroth, their Supreme Leader, to look elsewhere outside their galaxy for survival. Species savagely competed for resources, with top predators devouring all resources. Earth is resource plenty and an easy target. Not cooperation, but extinction. He knows no other way.
Weary, Viktor paused. "I'm dead tired and must eat before I faint. Let's return upstairs. Vera's an excellent host."
"I figured you'd be starving after the day you've encountered," Vera suggested to the group. "Come, help yourself. There's plenty."
The group consumed their supper. A hush fell over the room as Vera observed each of them. She already knew the context of the conversation; especially eyeing Amos' somber expression.
Amos was first to break the silence.
"Does anyone on our planet know? I mean, humans. And what silences them?" he asked, glancing from Vera to Viktor.
Viktor set his drink down. "Those under the illusion the ICO has created of a better world through the only enticement humans responded to. Greed. Benedikt discovered this and informed Zolgroth. Thus, the Silver Coin. The control key. Pendant of Eternal Life or Perpetual Dread. Hanging on a wall in my office at ICO North is its photo with those words. And the final blow ensuring compliance. "YOUR CHOICE".
"Some alternative," Amos grimaced, rubbing his short beard, then continued. "So you do ICO's bidding? At what cost did you betray your fellow human beings?" He paused, then rushed forth the answer he'd heard others mention.
"The Silver Coin with no life expectancy date encoded?"
"You don't understand," Viktor replied exasperated. My mission was to uncover the truth. I've worked at the Research Center for over twenty years. You pick up tidbits over time. The first year I overheard them mention OVP9, my curiosity peaked. My boss is Benedikt Inhumos at ICO North Headquarters. The Silver Coin controls humans with mind manipulation. Once ICO secures the planet, OVP9 can "as you say, come out of hiding and reveal themselves. One is no better than the other. However, ICO most closely resembles human features, with slight modifications."
Viktor hesitated, searching each person's reaction, but focusing mainly on Amos' stunned silence and chiseled face. He believes me. Good, he assured himself, as Annetta, Julius, and Benetiz stared into space, unable to find the words for his unbelievable story.
With confidence, Viktor continued.
"I've been searching for the missing link. The truth unearthing the connection about who's currently in charge of our planet. And the truth led me after twenty years to you, Amos Goodall."
The words hung in the air between them like complex mathematical formula being analyzed. Amos broke his gaze; by then he realized the implication. All those years growing up in a household full of siblings feeling out of place, that indeed, he didn't belong.
A human-hybrid with a parasitic genetic marker dormant for twenty years. Cigol. The realization hit him not as fear, but a cold, burning clarity. He was a hybrid-human. He felt his pulse spike, a strange buzzing noise vibrating at the base of his skull...a latent hybrid trait awakening.
An undeniable fragment of life.
[to be continued]
18 December 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2590: fragment of life
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