outside of the valley. They hunted, gathered, and learned. They had made a determined effort to keep the balance, within the valley itself, as it was. They were producing crops, not much at first, but more each year as they produced more seed, and made sure the animal population remained healthy. The animals knew to stay in the valley through their own instincts, but it was troublesome when the creatures that lived outside found their way in.
It was one such animal, which had gotten the attention of the hunters from Gateway. The tracks were discovered that morning by a young man at the side of the valley stream. They belonged to the great cat. It appeared to be a hybrid of the jaguar. It was dark brown in color, and much larger with prehistoric type features; large curving teeth and oversized paws. It was rare that they ever saw this particular beast, or even the signs of them, on the rim, but with one making its way in, they had to rid themselves of it and fast. The damage they could do to their herds, and other animals, was too great. Let alone if one of the villagers should come upon it alone.
Instead of tracking it, they decided to lure it to them. The firearms they had were of no use. The ammunition had been spent years ago. They crafted their own bows, crossbows, and spears along with an array of smaller weapons. While on their way to the place where they intended to set their trap, one of the men killed a rabbit. They left the bolt in the animal, and tied a thin rope to it.
One member of the party climbed a pine tree, and suspended the rabbit until it was about five feet off the ground. Another took his knife and sliced the rabbit open to allow its entrails to spill out and for the rest of the blood to drain. The man in the tree sat quietly with his small crossbow and spear, while the others took their places nearby.
It was well into the afternoon when they were aware of the presence of the predator. Sounds from birds and other small animals had ceased. The only thing that could be heard was the mild breeze sifting through the leaves. They knew it was near and no doubt, the beast could smell them. It was hoped the easy meal was too much of a temptation for the cat to pass up. When they finally saw it, they remained calm, yet excited. The cat took his time approaching the bait. He looked at his surroundings and sniffed the air periodically. He walked slowly to the hanging pile of fur and blood and sniffed once more. As soon as he was directly below the man in the tree, the hushed thud of the bolt from the crossbow struck the cat between its shoulder blades. Rather than making its escape, this only managed to anger the beast. He snarled and let out a cry as he extended his great claws and began to climb the tree toward his attacker.
With his crossbow now dangling from a string on his side, the man in the tree clutched his spear. It was a spear constructed of solid metal with a very sharp and virtually unbreakable tip. When the cat was almost on him, he thrust the spear into the beast, missing the center of its chest, but striking the bone of its front shoulder. The hunter barely kept his balance from his effort, but was able to hold himself to the tree with his weak side arm. Falling would have meant certain death. His attack was enough to encourage the beast to turn aside. He bawled once more as he retreated to the ground.
When he was once again on the ground, he was not quite ready to leave his intended meal, or the possibility of getting to his attacker. By then, two other hunters had moved within range and fired bolts from much larger bows. They struck the beast, one on each side, and this solicited a violent and angry response. The cat would eventually die from these wounds, but not soon enough to ensure their safety. It turned on the men as they quickly retreated, and gave chase. When it emerged from the corner they had rounded, another bolt let loose hitting the large cat in the chest. Immediately after the creature stopped, in reaction to this last attack, another hunter ran up from the beast’s blind side and drove a metal spear into him piercing the heart. He pinned the beast to the ground, and held him there until he no longer moved, being careful to stay out of the way of the sharp claws.
They retrieved and cleaned their homemade arrows, and prepared the cat to be moved. Nothing went to waste in the valley. It was a hard life, but one that was getting more manageable as time went by.
SIX
Keith was on his third and final checkup with Dr. Maddow. He had undergone every known, and previously to him unknown, test and examination a body could go through while still alive. He was not completely comfortable with his new condition and he was starting to wonder if in fact, he had made the right choice even though he had never felt better, physically, in his life. After satisfying his insatiable appetite through the first few days following the procedure, his eating habits had returned to normal. He at no time felt fatigued, nor tired, regardless of how many hours he was awake, or what activities he had been involved in. His mind was sharp and his senses acute. In fact, he had to learn to concentrate to keep from being drawn into conversations held across the room. Dr. Maddow had assisted him in adapting to these changes.
He only slept for about two to three hours each night, and sometimes felt like he did not even need that. This put a strain on him as he began to feel a bit alien, and not as close to his wife as he once was. He did not understand why this was happening, but Dr. Maddow had assured him it was only a naturally occurring adaptation. He did not know if he believed that, but he hoped it was true. He tried to focus on why he had agreed to this in the first place, to help his mind adjust.
After the last of the tests had been administered, he decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since his father first talked to him about the procedure. “If you had this same procedure, why do you still look old? I mean, obviously not as old as you are, but still not young either?”
Dr. Maddow turned from reading the medical charts he was holding to regard his patient, “I look the same now as I did when I was treated. It will be the same for you,” Dr. Maddow said.
“So what, we just live forever,” Keith asked.
“Forever is a long time. A lot can happen in time. And before you start to think you are invincible, keep in mind that your body is capable of repairing itself within its own limitations. Should you sustain more damage than it is capable of repairing, then you will succumb to whatever fate has in store.”
“What about Terri? What if we have children, would I pass on these characteristics to them?”
“That is an unknown. I haven’t been able to duplicate the performance of these characteristics of the planarian from treated animals. And so far, none of them have passed along any of their altered genetics. I don’t know why this is, but I am continuing to look for answers. As for humans, we will only know in time.”
It was a direct response, and one with which he could not find fault. While Dr. Maddow and his father were friends, he did not think friendship was in their future. The good doctor seemed, at most, tolerant toward others who did not exist in his same sphere of acumen. He, no doubt, made an exception with Keith because they were in a doctor-patient, or maybe a doctor-experiment, relationship.
When they were finished with his examination, Keith was shown what he was to look for when he went ‘outside,’ and where to look for it. The doctor did not tell him when he would be going, or anything else for that matter. Keith left the office and returned to work.
After looking through the daily log of reports, he saw a directive lying on the bottom of the pile. It was issued from the director’s office,
“Whatcha got Chief,” Wallace said when he entered.
Keith held up the paper, “Did you see this?”
“Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that.”
“I don’t really know any more than you. But I think we can both guess,” he said a little evasively.
“You really think we’ll be going out soon? I heard it wouldn’t be safe yet,” Wallace said.
“I don’t know, but keep your thoughts to yourself. We don’t need any unnecessary rumors spreading. Our ‘plate’ will be full enough as it is.”
“Yeah, ain’t that the truth,” Wallace said with a knowing grin.
Most people associate gossip with housewives, when the biggest offenders are people in the military. Nothing moves faster in the military than a good rumor.
“What do you think of selecting a few people to organize the training, then have them rotate staff through
