"Doesn't that all sound pretty damned human?"
"Perhaps. But it was—it is—the only way we can smash their tyranny, which has already been in existence for thousands of years. I confess that I was a mere dreamer at the beginning, and proceeded with great naïveté. I proposed my plan to some of the laboratory survivors and other brothers and sisters in the district. They refused, however, to share this wonderful vision with me. Comfort, stupidity, and fear drove them back into the arms of human beings. They said that human beings weren't evil at all, and, gullible as they were, blathered about peaceful coexistence. Sure, they would say, now and then black sheep could be found among human beings, just as they could everywhere else and among the members of every species, but basically … These cretins would have preferred leading their lives as slaves and eating stinking carrion out of tin cans than fighting for freedom!
"The only one who listened to me was Joker. He had observed the gruesome events in the laboratory as an outsider and knew what human beings were all about. And so we joined up together as a team. He was responsible for disseminating the ideology, I for the scientific side of the project. But in order not to stir up suspicions we had to get things going very slowly.
"I started very modestly, with just one female and one male who had at least the rudimentary characteristics required for breeding. It was a matter of eliminating the domestication gene within a few generations and of rebreeding Felis catus not only in physical terms, but also in behavioral and instinctual ones. I noticed right away that this was no easy task. Although the female and male lived very near to one another, when they got into heat they were pestered by the ordinary brothers and sisters. Or they took the initiative themselves in going to the others. I had no other choice but to stop those who were not fit for breeding purposes. But they did not listen to me; their sexual desire was stronger, and, devoid of any sense, they behaved like lust-driven robots. And so, one after the other, I eliminated them whenever they tried to mix up my complicated breeding program. Although, as time went by, the new ones increasingly kept themselves apart from the 'standards' and picked lovers from among their own, occasionally lust blinded even them when choosing their partners. Then they would want to hit it off with 'standards,' or the other way around. But before things got that far I would always intervene. Joker showed me the trick of how I could dispose of the corpses without a trace. The killing, however, will soon end, because the last generations are almost all so constituted that they no longer want to mix with us normal ones. The problem resolves itself."
"That's not quite true. Weren't you the one who was observing me secretly about a week and a half ago while I was enjoying myself with that enchantress? Well, no doubt you were able to see for yourself that your finer sort is quite capable of stooping down to the level of the 'standards.' "
He smiled knowingly.
"Hints from me, Francis! Hints and tips I passed on to you so that bit by bit you would understand what the project is all about. Surely you already know the reason why I had not entrusted Jesaja, the good Guardian of the Dead, with the last eight corpses. I'm simply too old and too sick to drag the weight of a brother or sister over long distances. Well, actually that's only half true. Bluebeard told me how you made such an expert inspection of Sascha's corpse just after you moved to the district. He said that you were my equal. Good old Bluebeard only meant that as a provocation and had absolutely no idea that I have been waiting for a prodigy like you ever since I started carrying out my plans. My megalomania is not of such dimensions that I flatter myself with the belief that the sacred mission will be accomplished before I die. It will take years, even decades, before the new race spreads throughout the entire world. The members of this wonderful race, it is true, have been initiated into the plan. They know, for the time being, that they will have to curry favor with human beings, and they will not touch them until day X arrives and the starting shot is fired. Nevertheless, they need a leader to tell them what should be done and to supervise them. That's why I was glad you came. I helped you in your investigations but intentionally voiced doubts about your hypotheses to make you reflect on the hidden motives of the case. The very first moment I saw you, I knew that you would uncover the secret sooner or later. And for this reason I sent Nhozemphtekh to you. Just so you would have something to ponder, just so you would discover the deeper meaning of our cause and be able to get an approximate idea of our ultimate goal, Francis. Admit it, she's a splendid specimen, isn't she?"
I was equally overcome by horror and surprise, and the tension nearly made me vomit. The fellow was more than just crazy—he had turned into a human being himself long ago!
"Well, well. Hints and wonders. And Felicity in all her blood. Was she also one of the treasures that you wanted to make me happy with?"
"No. That was, in fact, a tragic matter, an accident, fully unintentional. Nevertheless, accidents happen to be a part of enterprises like this one. I admit I have shadowed you since the day
