Escape Velocity: The Anthology (46 page)

      
After sliding down the rear windshield he crossed to the curved portion of the trunk. The cat positioned herself accordingly. He might be able to inflict a fair amount of damage during battle, but her size would ultimately triumph. Her uninjured paw swiped at him from below. A series of high-pitched yowls conveyed the fact she meant to kill him. Grasping the interior metal rim of the trunk, he had little room to navigate and inches to go when he found himself dangling. The cat speared his leg, sending a streak of pain the length of his spine.

A group of men raucously emerged from the building and started in Marco’s direction. The cat yanked his leg once more then slunk away.     Marco hoisted himself inside the trunk, safe for the moment. He heard her land above a few moments later, inadvertently closing the trunk.

At 4:25 pm, Tomma stopped to chat with the night watchman before leaving the building. He opened the trunk and zipped his gym bag. Laundry tonight, he wrinkled his nose. He placed his briefcase inside, closed the trunk, and went to get behind the wheel. Marco began chewing a corner of the bag and settled down to wait.

      
When Tomma arrived home he set his briefcase and gym bag in the front hall and went to change clothes. Marco wiggled through the hole and ran to hide behind the sofa. He sniffed the air.

      
Tomma emerged from the bedroom on his way to the kitchen. Marco noted the long, dark braid swaying in time with his stride. His face was rugged but approachable. Marco followed, keeping to the baseboard. Having detected a trace of edibility, he surmised they were headed for food.

      
The man’s activity soon culminated in a dizzying aroma. After filling his plate, Tomma departed whereupon Marco scurried to a wire rack beside the stove. Sidestepping the burners, he reached the counter. Satiated, he went in search of Tomma. After finding him sitting at a computer, he bolted beneath the desk.   

      
A file comprised of several trays leaned against the desk. He could climb to the top, startle the man, and possibly gain access to the keyboard before being bludgeoned. Just when he’d prepared himself to leap, Tomma pushed back the chair and left.

      
Quickly adapting, Marco grabbed the telephone line and swung to the keyboard. He rapidly advanced the Enter Key and typed his message. Finished, he caught the telephone line and slid to the floor. He hid behind a file cabinet prepared to witness Tomma’s reaction.

      
On his return, Tomma placed his coffee on the desk and sat down. After searching through folders in the desk drawer, he drew out a piece of paper, which he studied before turning to the monitor. Marco watched his expression alternate between disbelief and shock.

I SIGN!

CAN YOU SIGN?

DO NOT BE AFRAID.

CAN I REVEAL MYSELF?

Tomma pushed his chair from the desk. Marco sensed alarm amid confusion, especially when Tomma’s gaze tried accounting for the limited space and sparse furnishings incapable of human concealment.

       “
Who’s there?” He walked to the door. Marco heard him open and close doors.

      
When Tomma returned and after studying the screen during a lengthy silence, Tomma called, “Come out; come out, wherever you are.” The wistful, little chant called for play. Marco knew if he let the moment pass, Tomma might lose sight of his fondness for boyhood memories. He may become fearful and adult-like, adopting an attitude of disbelief toward imagining the impossible.

      
Marco appeared several inches from Tomma’s arm, causing him to overturn the chair in a frenzy to escape. He somehow managed to keep his balance and made it to the door. His wild-eyed perusal of the room led Marco to believe his skull was about to be crushed. He raised his hands and succeeded in drawing Tomma’s attention. A neon banner conveying the words “I SIGN!” flashed through Tomma’s brain. Comprehension triggered calm.

      
Marco took the opportunity to approach the keyboard, typing what he hoped would allay the man’s fears and awaken curiosity. “My name’s Marco. The world needs our help. If you’re unwilling or unable, I’ll leave.”

       “
Holy shit,” Tomma whispered.

      
Moving some distance from the keyboard, Marco permitted Tomma to read the screen. They studied one another uneasily. The rat’s humanoid features, uncomfortably conjoined with forced duality, caused a surge of empathy.

       “
Can you understand what I say?”

      
Marco nodded and gave a thumb up. Tomma righted the chair. He seemed unnerved. “Why don’t you tell me what you want?” Then, after a pause, “Someone must surely be looking for you.” Marco nodded. “Are you...we...in any danger?” Marco pointed to the keyboard. This time, Tomma motioned him forward. About to converse, Marco experienced a wave of surrealism. Intertwined through technology, every keystroke now represented a monumental leap in communication. 

       “
My name is Marco. They sent a cat equipped with GPS,” Marco explained, “to follow the transmissions emitted by the chip in my brain. I managed to escape in the trunk of your car, but she’ll continue tracking my position unless she’s killed. Even so, others will replace her.”

       “
You’ve a computer chip in your brain?”

       “
Yes.”

       “
You traveled here in the trunk of my car?”

       “
From inside your bag. Sorry about the blood.”

       “
What blood?”

       “
The cat clawed my leg. I bled on your clothes.” He turned to find Tomma studying his blood-encrusted limb.

       “
Can you understand how difficult this is for me to believe?” Tomma asked.

       “
Sort of,” Marco typed. He hadn’t given much thought to where he might fit into the present. “I realize my existence isn’t commonplace.”

       “
Extraordinary is more like it.”

       “
You’ve reported on the scientific advancements taking place over the years. I chose you because of your knowledge.”

       “
Writing about conjecture and seeing a living hypothesis are two entirely different scenarios, Marco.” The use of his name instilled a measure of assurance, something he hadn’t dared to hope. Things might just work out. He’d wisely chosen his human. “Are there others like you?”

       “
Yes. Some like myself have been genetically crossed with human DNA. Others represent modifications ranging from integrated animal species to plant and insect hybridizations. Apes have given birth to humans at the facility where I lived.”   

       “
What?” Tomma gasped. “Why?” Marco debated how much to divulge, fearful he’d detract from Tomma’s ability to focus on the immediate task. He chose his answer carefully.

       “
To use these offspring in further studies toward perfecting the human genome.”

      
The sound of shattering glass startled them. Tomma grabbed Marco.

       “
They’re not getting you back.” He ran for the door with Marco tucked in one arm, his briefcase, and keys in the other. He cracked the front door then ran for his car.

      
He was using the car phone to dial 9-1-1 when Marco dove off the seat and hit disconnect. Tomma shook his head perplexed and opened the laptop. Once it powered up, Marco punched keys.

       “
NO POLICE.”

       “
Why not?”

       “
They’re useless at this juncture and could cause more harm. We must act according to plan.”

       “
And that would be?”

       “
No time for explanation. Trust me.”

       “
You’re a rat...and I hardly know you.” Marco cringed with the note of desperation, knowing the repercussions implied by that human trait. How would he accomplish everything in so little time?

      
Tomma stopped the car. 

       “
There are entities,Tomma, that will stop at nothing to safeguard plans for establishing universal sovereignty.”

       “
What are you talking about?”

       “
A collaboration of sentient beings whose sole purpose is to disrupt the established norms for evolutionary life.”

       “
Are they human?”

       “
In a sense.” 

“
That could mean anything,” Tomma groaned. “Are they extraterrestrial?”

       “
More like omnipresent.”

       “
A zillion life forms fit that bill. Viral? Bacterial? Chemical?”

       “
Not exactly.”

       “
Spiritual?”

       “
Sort of.”

       “
Can you tell me anything for certain?”

       “
I can tell you what they aren’t.” Marco stopped to confront Tomma’s confusion.
How will we get them up to speed
, he wondered. He returned to the keyboard. “They aren’t silicon-based.”

      
Tomma closed his eyes. “Less than an hour ago I’d been putting together a piece on the newly developed nano-brain, Cyberscore. Now, I find myself pursued by alien life forms whose intentions placed humanity on the verge of subjugation. What in the world was going on? Are these beings connected with world affairs? Have they infiltrated the government?”

       “
There has always been the need for human collaboration,” Marco replied.

       “
I need to know more.”

      
Marco wrestled with time constraints. He couldn’t explain the entire matter while minutes away from capture or death. Yet he knew he had to offer Tomma something.

       “
They’re genetically engineered Homo sapiens with electrical properties,” he grappled with a means of portrayal. “Bioluminescent marine organisms, such as dinoflagellates or single-celled algae,” he continued, “are similarly adapted for transmitting light waves, so to speak. One well-known classification of earthworm, Diplocardia longa, is an example of a terrestrial organism with similar bioluminescent capabilities. The same is true of Omphalotus nidiformis, a type of bioluminescent mushroom. All of these organisms are endowed with a fluorescent molecule called green fluorescent protein, or GFP. Laboratory trials have led to the extraction, purification, and cloning of this protein. These beings are the culmination of years of genetic research, unifying human genes with those of bioluminescent organisms. To put it simply, they’re the morphological equivalent of bioluminescent mermen, with resultant aqua-terrestrial attributes. They’re suitably adapted for survival in either environment.”

       “
Talk about retrogression,” Tomma murmured. “Do they walk upright?”

       “
Their outward appearance is entirely human in daylight, except for a minute extension to their tailbone. Of course, ordinary humans cannot view them at night, unless they choose to discharge synchronous fluorescent light waves.”

       “
You mentioned they possess control of this feature?”

       “
Through a mechanism analogous to a dimmer switch. Their bioluminescent oscillations are similar in frequency to the pulsations emitted by fireflies, only a trillion times faster. You can only view their bioluminescent attributes under low light. However, their need for solar nourishment causes them to idle, sort of on standby. That’s why their human attributes become apparent during the day. Animals, in particular nocturnal species, are capable of detecting their presence day or night. They possess a highly reflective optic membrane called the tapetum lucidum, used for refraction. With the use of this membrane they’re capable of forming images from the most minuscule electrical emissions. They can perceive telepathic communications.”

      
Marco scrutinized Tomma’s face for signs of understanding.

       “
I think I follow,” Tomma nodded. At least he had a concept on which to build, albeit creatures like the Anglerfish and jellyfish, Aequorea Victoria, a hydromedusa, filled his mind with pretty images. Their bioluminescent capabilities hardly seemed fraught with sinister implications. Too many pieces were missing. 

       “
They’re really quite beautiful.” Marco echoed Tomma’s thoughts. “Sadly, the appearance of beauty often belies intent to do evil.”

       “
What are their desires? To rule or destroy?”

       “
The accomplishment of the one may well lead to the other. Their purpose is to wrest control of planetary dominion from humanity.”

       “
How?”

       “
We’ve an idea,” Marco answered.

       “
So they’re capable of nighttime concealment while appearing human by day, with aqua-terrestrial adaptability. Do they possess any other attributes?”

      
Marco’s eyes widened at the sound of screeching tires. “They’re coming!”

      
Tomma started the car and sped off, his mind burgeoning with scraps of information and unanswered questions. Marco busily performed keystrokes

       “
What are you doing?” Tomma asked with a glance in the rearview mirror. “Whatever it is, you’d better hurry. We’ve a tail, and I don’t mean of the animal variety.” Marco finished typing and dove beneath the dashboard.

      
With traffic hampering a means of outdistancing their pursuers and road conditions turning treacherous from snow, Tomma changed lanes and headed for the highway. “I’m heading for the home of a trusted friend. He’s a professor in biomedical engineering,” he said without expecting a comeback.