Second Genesis Read online

  The shard touched down close to the center. The road sparked as electrical wiring had been exposed from the shard’s impalement of that section leading through the facility where golf carts often trod. Like all other locations that a shard had breached, it released its vapor upon the unsuspecting creatures sleeping. The vapor snuck its way as if it searched on its own, though in reality it simply expanded. It entered seven exhibits with ease given these enclosures were fashioned with titanium bars. For the bat exhibit, it looked like thick red steam, creeping through the cracks in the doors and underneath it, reaching through the air vents to the large dome. A portion of a white-tailed deer exhibit became exposed as well.

  The wolves became restless, as did the puma. . For the wolves, they growled at one another, and whimpered with the sounds that canines often make when troubled or pained. The cats growled, and as for the bats, they became disoriented and couldn’t fly within their mishnet enclosure. The deer ran at the fences, trying to break free, one of them broke her leg in the attempt. Each of the animals affected, their breathing became labored, while some went into convulsions, foaming at the mouth like they had rabies. It took less than thirty seconds for the red cloud to begin spreading outward, and before long, the animals began to fall asleep, entering a comatose state.

  _____

  Puerto Rico Isla Verde.

  Doctor Aaron Battle was a man of physical beauty, almost unearthly. He was Mediterranean in origin, like Graves. Currently he had celebrated turning 39 but passed for 30. The man was every bit as handsome as the posh Trevor Graves, though in contrast, Aaron was physically larger and more muscular. Another thing separating them was the fact that Aaron chose medicine. He was now the World Health Organization's, chief epidemiologist.

  Aaron knew Graves. The two had been rivals most of their lives. Trevor saw Aaron as competition where women were concerned and attempted to make a move on anyone Aaron sat his sights on. Once, they were friends, now animosity was easily noticed if both were in the same room at summit meetings and parliament gatherings. Aaron did his best to be peaceful, being a humble giant, Trevor took the snooty route.

  Like so many others, Aaron received the call, and had suited up in a white tight forming biohazard suit, with a bubble helmet allowing for better viewing. His muscular physique required a special made suit, just for him to wear. Even with him being the Chief epidemiologist, his size physique demanded it.

  He was arriving via a black oval shaped aircraft built sort of like the aircab, though much larger in comparison, much larger. The craft hovered above what looked like two hundred white bubble shaped tents, all connected by plastic tunnels, right outside a beach in Puerto Rico, Isla Verde. A beach party had been in full swing, when a shard touched down right in the center, suffering every person there to the same fate as the animals in New Beginnings Zoo.

  It had only been 30 minutes since it happened, the response teams were that quick. The vapor had seemingly contained itself and had transitioned from a vapor to a liquid form. It looked like the beach had been stained in a circular pattern of blood.

  Aaron was accompanied by his assistant, Doctor Jane Branson. Branson was Hispanic, dark haired, tall for a woman, and slender. She had a warm smile, though the look of being overly dedicated to her work, gleaned from her facial expressions. She walked alongside Aaron as they encountered a slender medical droid, awaiting a briefing.

  Aaron had a baritone voice. His voice never quite came across being friendly despite his best efforts to prove it wrong. Tonight however, he had his game face on. “Report!”

  “Doctor Battle. We have collected 319 survivors. All of which have labored breathing, and seizure activity occurring. They are comatose Doctor.”

  “Do we know what this red stuff is yet?” Branson asked.

  The medical droid looked at both of them. “It is biological in origin. Preliminary scans have detected a single celled organism amongst the fluid.”

  Aaron’s eyes widened harshly. “An alien organism?”

  The droid nodded. “Yes Doctor. Doctor Steven Morris is already on site. He began collecting samples twelve minutes prior to your arrival and confirmed the findings 37 seconds ago.”

  _____

  The Haze.

  Xairin had finally made it up to the new door man guarding the entry. Xairin expected his friend Burt Townsend, a retired veteran with a cybernetic arm, to be the one checking I.D.s and scanning them for both security reasons and marking who was old enough to drink, with the temporary laser tattooed barcodes on the left hand. Xairin usually disliked the purple barcodes since they lasted two to three days at a time. Tonight, it wasn't Burt. Instead what Xairin ran into, was a bulky bald man looking younger than Xairin was, wearing the Haze’s purple t-shirt and black pants which barely fit the man’s muscular arms. Xairin thought, Cliché much?”

  “Where’s Burt at tonight?”

  The hulky bouncer didn't pay Xairin a single ounce of attention to that inquiry.

  “Is Burt not working tonight?”

  Xairin handed the man his I.D. He scanned it while Xairin read the man’s name tag, Todd Ablestien. Meanwhile Todd looked at Xairin’s civilian file. He looked at a section specifically required for entry, if Xairin had a criminal background, to which he saw none. Beside it, it had Xairin’s basic demographics, red hair, green eyes, six foot, 199 lbs., which was what he weighed in when he had his travel license renewed. It also had a listing for biological, which usually had a person's allergies listed, but in Xairin’s case, it shown, Sensitive: Class 2.

  “Have you taken your Xyphamine?” He asked with a nasally voice.

  Xairin squinted his eyes. “What?”

  “Have… you… taken… your… Xyphamine?” He asked slowly and sarcastically.

  “Not that it's any of your business but yeah.”

  “Look, I don't want some psychic going in there, having a migraine, or getting pissed off and blasting someone across the room with that telekinetic crap. Now, do I charge the $45.00 cover charge to your primary, secondary or savings?”

  Xairin had never encountered a door man this rude before. Xairin felt self-conscious enough with his body, but now he had encountered someone that clearly had issues with sensitives. Xairin thought for sure that shit was over and done with. He remembered his father talking about having to live in a camp as a kid until sensitives were deemed safe to the public. He knew there used to be a stigma too them, but never had experienced it first hand before. “How long you been working here Todd?”

  “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” The man asked

  Xairin cocked his head. “I’m not trying to be rude, but if you check the VIP list, you'll find my name. I used to date the owner here… And by the way, we’re still friends.”

  The man rolled his eyes and checked the VIP list and sure enough Xairin’s name was there, along with a discount of 25% to be administered to his entry fees. The man quickly changed his overall demeanor. He grasped Xairin’s left hand, and pressed the laser pen to his skin, instantly a purple barcode became visible below his knuckles. Todd kept his rude tone. “Ok. go inside.”

  Xairin made a frown as he walked past the brute. He took a deep breath. I’m going to have fun, I’m not going to let that guy ruin my night.” he thought.

  He made his way down a hallway, that was dark, the only lighting above him was black lights, making his shirt glow as he passed by naked statues of men. These statues were not Roman by any means, but an upgraded version that would make anyone who was opposed to male art blush given the fact they were endowed to the point it made Xairin feel uncomfortable. Not that it was his own self-image, it was just the sheer size of the dicks smiling up at him, pointing out like a sword in his way...

  “I really wish Topher would get rid of those or tone it down a little. “He thought loudly.

  Xairin entered what was called the arena. You could still tell the place used to be a warehouse in the main chamber. It had metal walkways above him, that
looked like they tried to refashion into catwalks. There were purple loveseats and sofas everywhere, purple being the main theme. Laser lights flowed across the crowded room of over seven hundred dancing bodies, while holographic images floated in the air with the words, END OF THE WORLD PARTY, being broadcast. On all walls, were large paper thin flat screen TVs, and as Xairin suspected, each one, showing a loop of the crimson comet, traveling, then exploding.

  Xairin saw dancing men and women in purple cages, in various spots. Normally Xairin never paid attention to those who liked dancing in them, but given the event, people were less dressed than usual. Xairin saw a naked man flaunting his goods, which was perfectly legal in establishments that had the license, which the Haze did.

  The Haze on a good night, could fit close to a thousand people it was so large. There were four bars around the room, along the walls. Each one was made of green glass that lit up with soft lighting to make them more noticeable. The attire for those hired here, was usually a purple bikini for the women, and purple speedos for the men. The bartenders wore a red bow tie, to contrast them from the waiting staff, the wait staff had to wear white ones.

  Xairin saw a friendly face, his friend Baxter Howell. Baxter was Xairin’s age, and a party boy by all accounts. He was one of the regular bartenders here. He had a welcoming face, a swimmer’s build that he rocked easily, and flirted up a storm to work his tip count up. Xairin once fancied the man, but he drank too much for Xairin to ever consider getting serious with him. Xairin had an ex once that was a horrible alcoholic that ended violently, making Xairin gun shy on the dating scene. The man also contributed to Xairin’s self-image issues. He was very controlling…

  He made his way through the crowded dance floor as he watched the tiles beneath his feet light up with each step, activated by pressure sensors. Most of the people dancing were so scantily dressed that Xairin felt a little uncomfortable, and turned on, all at the same time. Every manner of body surrounded him in equal gender counts. Xairin usually went for guys that were not overly muscular, but what he defined as beautifully flawed. He didn't care for guys being too skinny, too hairy, though he did like a nice hairy chest. He was ok with guys his build, but not those who couldn’t see their own dick when they looked down, that was one superficial vice he was working on. He liked guys his height or taller, shorter guys were an instant turn off. Not because he didn’t find them attractive, it was based on the fact that his ex was shorter, and triggered memories at times.

  Baxter had to yell once he saw Xairin coming. “YOUR USUAL?”

  Xairin knew he meant a bottle of water since that was all he ever usually drank when he came here. Tonight, he was going to surprise Baxter. “A LONG ISLAND ICED TEA!”

  Baxter had known Xairin for three years now, and in that time, he could count on one hand how many times he had seen Xair get tipsy, Xair being the nickname most called him. Baxter’s eyes grew wide, almost in shock. “ARE YOU SURE?”

  Xairin nodded with an eager smile.

  Xairin watched Baxter, not because of his physique, but the way Baxter handled himself behind the bar. It was like watching a wizard mix up a magical potion the way he moved and added ingredients to his drinks. After dropping in a few cubes of ice, he slid in a purple straw and handed to Xairin with a wink. “TOPHER SAID YOU'RE DRINKS WERE ON THE HOUSE!”

  Xairin smiled.

  Xairin sat down on a loveseat the furthest away from any occupied areas he could find. All around him, people were making out like frenzied animals in heat, clearly liquid courage was amping their actions and dampening their judgements. Xairin didn’t mind though. The world could have ended, everyone should have a good time tonight.

  _____

  Isla Verde Quarantine Zone.

  Aaron wasn’t having as good of a time as Xairin was. He was working diligently on scanning the patient’s vital signs with a green laser light that emitted from a small ink pen looking device. He took as many recordings as he could among the unconscious masses. The count was up to 412 now. They were still finding people under the red residue and under tents that had collapsed from the panic that ensued.

  “Aaron, We’re up to forty-two locations worldwide now, it's the same thing. Seizures, incapacitated, everything we are seeing here.” Jane said while following behind him while she looked over the reports on her tablet.

  “Is anyone having any luck in reviving them?”

  Being on a first name basis, she called him by name again. “NO Aaron. It's like all brain activity has been put in suspended animation except for involuntary systems.”

  “I need get out there and see this for myself.” He said with an unsteady voice.

  Aaron walked outside of the tent he was in, and onto the beach. He could feel the gooey textures beneath his feat as he stepped across the beach. He noticed droids and other personnel retrieving more bodies that looked like they got trampled in the panic before the coma like symptoms sat in. “What the hell is happening here.”

  Aaron noticed a researcher on the edge of the beach collecting water samples in vials. This peaked his interests when he noticed the tide was taking the red residue out to sea. “How far is it going out? Any marine life being affected?’

  The man turned around and saw the epidemiologist coming. “It's going down the beach sir, we need to expand our quarantine.”

  “Any wildlife affected? Does the saline react with the organism?” Aaron had yet to see the organism up close in Steven Morris’s research. “I don’t know sir.”

  Jane came up to Aaron and tapped on his shoulder. Aaron turned around to greet her. “Trevor Graves is going to have a field day on Grand General Rhymes.” Aaron blurted.

  Jane just crossed her arms. “As much as I detest that pompous ass, I hope he does. If Trevor was right, this entire thing could have been avoided.”

  Pondering their situation, Aaron reached for a tablet secured to a security belt on his side. He pulled it up and brought up the most recent reports in regard to the number of afflicted. Globally, 1,287,444 people had been reported unconscious and having seizure-based fits. “Holy shit, and that number just keeps rising.”

  Aaron crossed his arms also after putting his tablet away. “What’s command saying? Anything from the Madam Supreme yet?”

  His colleague seemed less than pleased. “They’re not saying a damn thing yet. Local news stations are just now reporting the fallout along with local medical facilities becoming overrun by influxes. A few recordings uploaded to Facebook have gone exponential along with a few other platforms, but other than that, that's it. No word yet from the Madam Supreme either. I’d doubt she’s even back on world yet. She’s probably up there still with the rest of parliament waiting for our reports.”

  “Damn. What about Rhymes, has he issued a statement yet?”

  “No Aaron, he’s went silent. Probably sulking in some hidden bunker on the moon somewhere.”

  “What about Trevor? Has Galactic-Corp issued anything at all?” he asked.

  She looked into her superior’s eyes. “Aaron, this is all on you right now. You need to come in and look at this thing. Steven and Ali have tried seven different agents against this organism and nothing is phasing it yet. They can confirm however, it appears to be protean. Transitioning from the clouds we saw, to liquid, and appears to be a blood borne pathogen, but we’re still collating data.” She said with exhaustion in her voice.

  The researcher, Clyde Owens, continued gathering his water samples. The man was thin, you could tell that by his build easily, dark haired, freckled. Aaron figured he was fresh out of a university. He looked wet behind the ears. Clyde kept hunkering down to collect a few more vials of sea water. He looked at the speckled water now that drones were flying around the camp to provide additional light.

  The man was just finishing placing his last specimen in a metal briefcase. He was knelt down on the water's edge. He fastened the case shut. Stood up and was taking a few steps forward. Something knocked him forward. A blur out of
the corner of his eye came rushing out of the surf at his side. The man’s voice screamed into the commlink as details of his pain filled the airwaves.

  “What the hell?” Aaron said while turning around.

  What they saw looked like a slimy skinned child at first. It had arms and hands, legs and feet like a small toddler would, but it had a shark like tail. It's hands and feet however were webbed, and a brown spotted sharks fin arose from its back. The creature had a bulbous shaped head and was clinging to Owen’s leg like a frightened child its grip was so tight. It wasn’t frightened though, it was hungry…

  Aaron and Jane both rushed over to the man to get a better look and see if they could help. The thing rose up. Clyde could see rows of sharp hooked teeth glaring back into his eyes. The thing’s black eyes looked down at him. It almost seemed like it was smiling before it lunged again, biting into his shoulder. It's gill slits on its neck puffed when it bit down.