The Nature of Predators - Predator Disease (4/8)

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Memory transcription subject: Bonsen, Predator Disease Patient

Date [standardized human time]: December 20, 2136

Aqil held me with tender hands, despite the evident muscles in his forearms. I couldn’t believe that I’d mistaken these weird herbivores for predators, even though I realized the actions didn’t add up! Humans were emotional comforters, who protected me and cared about sapient rights; a meat-eating race would never share any of those qualities. To think that the Federation would kill a vegetable-munching species for their eyes…I felt sorry for them.

The humans excelled at running away, the signature prey skill; they sprinted across the pavement, and seemed to have ample ability to evade the exterminators’ pursuit. This level of conditioning must indicate that predators hunted them relentlessly, if they were able to escape in more than short bursts. Paulo and Aqil slowed their pace slightly, giving Dr. Bahri time to catch up. A physician wouldn’t be as physically conditioned as they were.

“We’re running away from the car!” Bahri hissed.

“They’re blocking our way. We have to lead them away, and double back.” A rumble emanated within Aqil’s chest; I could feel the deep vibrations. Perhaps this growling voice originated to blend in with predators, since the eyes already gave a misleading appearance. “We can outrun them. We just need to stay within sight, so they keep following. Their flamethrowers will weigh them down.”

I burrowed my snout into the human’s vest, soaking up comfort from his warmth. Aqil and Paulo were calm under pressure; this was no blind stampede or panicked flight. Dr. Bahri looked a bit more apprehensive, given that she was unarmed. The soldiers ensured that she didn’t lag behind, while also checking to make sure I wasn’t losing it. Honestly, I was more terrified by the prospect of going back to the facility. Thoughts of the other patients drifted into my mind; it was curious that the arboreal creatures had pledged to free them.

There were a multitude of others who hadn’t struck me as bad people, despite the prevailing notion that individuals with predator disease could be charming and deceptive. If you fit in too much, or walked the line too precisely, you were playing at manipulation. I couldn’t buy that all of these tormented people were dangerous. A few examples stood out, when I reminisced about them.

Stars, with the chaos going on, I’m thinking about which fellow patients would be helpful right now. I can’t think of anything I could do, face-to-face with a flamethrower…no, you were playing back your fellow patients. Do that, Bonsen!

Right, I could check off the patients I thought had been misdiagnosed. Sialsi posted some comments on an internet board about the Arxur possessing higher thinking, and thought that the first contact files should be studied for a scientific understanding. She’d become an activist for the deranged cause, which granted, was obvious predator rhetoric. Maybe a little re-education was needed, but she seemed nice to me when I arrived…she was almost a friend.

Administrator Derva decided to give her a literal rewiring, and the doctors severed and chipped away at some connections in her brain. I don’t know what that meant, but she didn’t come back the same. Sialsi had no energy and physical difficulties; I hadn’t interacted with her in years, because she wasn’t the same person. I was terrified of them doing that to me.

There were others—a lifelong loner named Nulin who was locked in solitary confinement, a dark room with nothing but a bed and a toilet. The lack of stimulation drove him to claw his own eyes out, and only then did Administrator Derva decide it was time to take him out. There was also a young girl named Mollsi who had odd mood swings, either seeming very high or very low. She got more shock therapies than me, and we commiserated on occasion about how odd it was. I hadn’t seen her in a while.

“….what you did on Earth, Aqil. I know, so don’t go playing moralist. Let’s just shoot these fuckers, since they literally want us dead! Humans are only kindling to them!” Paulo’s rigid barks pierced the air, snapping me out of my trance.

I blinked in confusion. “The exterminators don’t feel that way…only about predators, and you’ve proven you’re not predators. Do they not buy your story too?”

Bahri hustled to keep up. “Bonsen, our evolution is complicated.”

“What’s complicated about being a predator or not?!”

“Not now. I’ll explain our ancestry once we’re safe.”

My nose scrunched up, as I gauged her words with a hint of trepidation. If she was talking about evolution and ancestry, that could mean that one of humanity’s precursors was a predator. That could be why they seemed to have latent aggressive instincts, with vestigial genes for bloodlust causing their temperaments. Could I trust a species that still had killing wiring?

Something else didn’t add up with that explanation either; Aqil told me the binocular eyes evolved for arboreal purposes. If that was the truth, then how could a predator be their ancestor? Everyone knew that savage beasts had forward-facing vision to track prey. Maybe they were ashamed of the actual origin of their eyes, and concocted an extravagant backstory.

That could be why the Federation didn’t believe their story: because the arboreal tale was deceitful! I mean, I wouldn’t admit it if my species came from predators…

A few pedestrians had spooked from the sight of us fleeing, and one ran in front of our path. Paulo collided with a Takkan, tumbling to the ground roughly. The human yelped, before holding a disjointed arm awkwardly in front of him. Bahri rushed to help him at once, assuring me that, despite their heritage, these weren’t predators. They tended to their wounded with compassion, which a flesh-eating race would never do.

“Freeze, humans!” The four exterminators had gained on us, as we stopped to collect the downed Paulo. Their flamethrowers were extended; they jogged closer with remarkable fitness, for Venlil. “Surrender yourselves for aiding a predator disease patient, or we’ll cleanse all of you from the gene pool.”

It brought back the memories of when the predator-killing squad who took me away. I remembered how lost and helpless I felt; there was nothing I could do, feet above the ground in Aqil’s arms. His calloused fingers tightened around my chest, and his horrible eyes darted all over with worry.

“Easy. That looks broken,” Bahri remarked, as she tugged Paulo to his feet by his good arm. “Can you keep moving?”

The male human gritted his teeth. “It’s my arm, not my leg. I’ll live.”

“Here, Kiara, take Bonsen.” Aqil handed me over to the doctor, who situated me in her grip. “I’ll make sure Paulo gets out with us, and I’ll cover our escape.”

“Escape? Not happening. You had your warning!” an exterminator bellowed. “Burn them all.”

Uncaring about any civilian collateral, billows of fire jetted from the quartet’s guns. The exterminators weren’t within range of us, but I could feel the heat from a few meters away. Blazes popped up along the ground, catching any stray bushes. Paulo staggered toward an alleyway, with Aqil giving him a shove to herd him along. Bahri carried me into the slender passage too.

Out of my periphery, I could see Aqil wrench a sidearm out of a holster. The exterminators stumbled backward, as the human emptied a few shots into the ground. It seemed more like a warning than aiming at them. The self-proclaimed “foodie” trained the firearm on the quartet for a moment, before sprinting after us when they stayed put. That should put some distance between us and them.

Aqil managed not to shoot them under duress, despite their threats. The ancestral killing genes can’t be that strong, then, even if their predecessors were predators. The fact that their claws are so weak, and the pointy teeth have dulled, might be old hunting traits evolving away.

I glanced up at Bahri, watching her pupils bounce around as we raced for the other side of the alley. The food trucks were far behind us, along with the handful of shops that we could’ve ducked inside. However, that would’ve cornered us in a place with set exits. The doctor’s lips pursed, the pink gloss still shining on them.

Wait, what about the blood on her mouth? I totally forgot that, damn it! Why would an herbivore race do that? Maybe humans have relapses into their predatory ancestry, if it’s there under the “good” surface.

The three humans were about to round the corner of the alleyway. Despite Paulo’s doubled-over strides, we’d managed to keep the exterminators behind us. Once we ducked into the parallel street, we should be in the clear. Then, I could press Bahri about all the concerning questions on my mind. We could all breathe a sigh of relief, having escape within reach.

As our entourage reached the alley’s edge, a shadowy figure stepped out from behind the corner of a brick wall. It was a human physique, with a tailored firesuit; the headgear wasn’t sealed over his face. A gun was clasped between his hands, jabbed up in Aqil’s face. The arboreal creature blocking our path flashed his teeth, and swiveled the weapon between all of us.

“Now, everyone’s gonna stand nice and still and come with me.” This human spoke in a lazy growl. Black hair framed his face, swept back away from his forehead. “Unless you’d rather go with my colleagues. I’m telling ya, they kick up some Biblical levels of fire! You don’t want that.”

“We don’t?” Paulo grumbled sarcastically.

“Well, probably not. Side effects may include…nerve damage, having skin peel off your bones, and death?”

My heart sank, realizing this interloper was with the exterminators.

Memory transcription subject: Dr. Kiara Bahri, Human Psychologist

Date [standardized human time]: December 20, 2136

The black-haired man looked to be in his mid-twenties, with pale skin and slight stubble on his chin. He eyed us warily, warding us into a shop’s side entrance. The gear he was wearing was either a remarkably well-built DIY knockoff, or a genuine exterminator kit. I couldn’t see the signature flamethrowers, but then again, what Terran would wield a weapon banned by the Geneva conventions…against civilians? It was apparent from first impressions that he was a wise-cracking guy.

The stranger left the door slightly ajar, keeping it open by wedging a foot between it. Verdant green eyes studied the Zurulian, and his smile changed to a patronizing one. He relaxed his weapon, tilting it toward the floor. Aqil twitched, perhaps considering lunging at the man. I shook my head at the Malaysian soldier, and he gritted his teeth.

Now that I think about it, this guy is most likely one of those humans who dresses up as cops, but isn’t law enforcement at all. Exterminators wouldn’t hire a predator.

“Who are you?” Paulo hissed.

The newcomer raised his eyebrows. “William Kane. The man, the myth, the legend.”

“Pfft, I’ve never heard of you. Some legend.”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem. Now tell me, what inspired you fine folks to…and I quote, ‘attack unarmed doctors, incite pandemonium, and commandeer a threat to public safety?’ That Zurulian is something like Venlil Prime’s Most Wanted, and I’ve been told she’s psychotic and dangerous.”

Aqil sighed in exasperation. “Does Bonsen look dangerous to you?”

“No, but neither did the Venlil serial killer that stabbed my friend in the neck.”

“WHAT?! You know, I’m not even going to ask.”

“Good. Answer my questions. Who are you, and why the fuck did you start this shitstorm?”

I decided to intervene, seeing that the soldiers lacked a diplomatic touch. “I’m Dr. Kiara Bahri, and that’s Aqil and Paulo. We were sent to examine the predator disease facilities, and we saw them electroshocking Bonsen. She was screaming her head off; the ‘treatment’ was absolutely barbaric and sadistic. We couldn’t, in good conscience, let it continue.”

“I’m not sure where your morals are, whether you’re a real exterminator or just admire them, so I don’t know if you care,” Paulo spat with vitriol. “Do you get off on burning animals?”

Voices echoed outside, and William gestured for us to hush. He creaked the door open, pointing the gun away from us. The Venlil exterminators were traipsing after us, clearly taking their time after Aqil had fired his service weapon toward them. I waited for the quartet to call this human out as an imposter, and prayed he wouldn’t give us up.

“Hey Will. Have you seen them?” a Venlil asked. “They went this way.”

Wait, he’s an actual exterminator? That doesn’t even make sense.

William ran a hand through his slick hair. “I heard noise this way, and I’ve been checking all the rooms and hiding spots. No luck so far; they must’ve gotten past me. Fucking narrow field of vision sucks, man. You wanna run on ahead, get some tips from the locals?”

“Ugh, I guess we’ll have to find them ourselves. You’d really think a predator would be better at tracking.”

Bonsen jerked with surprise, and I clapped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything. The Zurulian’s eyes stared up with me, pure confusion and terror shining in them. The Venlil exterminators departed, and William signaled that the coast was clear with a thumbs-up. I lifted my palm from the adorable alien’s jaw, waiting for her to speak. Her thoughts seemed to be swirling, but she said nothing.

Exterminator Kane chuckled. “To answer your question, Paulo, no, I do not.”

“You’re an exterminator, but you’re human,” I murmured.

“Why would a human work for a place that’s entire purpose is killing predators? Having no other options will do that. No lifeline for us refugees, ‘less you’re with the UN like you.”

“I’m more surprised that they would hire you.”

“Well, I might be a predator that eats flesh, but I’m a predator that Volek thinks she can fix!” William squinted, as Bonsen began to thrash in my arms. I tried to hold her still, cursing this man for announcing that we were predators. “Go on, Doc. You were gonna tell me what’s her deal.”

“ADHD.”

“For fuck’s sake…you gotta be shitting me. The motherfuckers…my car’s this way. I’ll get you off the streets. Come along.”

Aqil raised a skeptical eyebrow. “How do we know you’re not tricking us into turning ourselves in?”

“Because I could’ve told those fellas you were back here. Also, I hate their entire racist ‘boohoo, predator’ song-and-dance. You ever get tired of alien Karens calling you a monster? I sure am.”

“I’m sick of it too,” Paulo offered. “They shock children—”

“And bomb Earth, killing a billion civilians—”

“But we just want peace, and we’re the monsters.”

“Fuck that, man. Let’s go.”

William checked that there were no exterminators in sight, leading us out of our hiding spot. I suppose if worse came to worst, he could claim that he had us in custody. It was difficult to get a read on him; some of the things he said could give you whiplash. Bonsen was reeling from his admission of our predatory status, in direct contradiction to her conclusions during our taco sharing. The Zurulian’s demeanor had warmed to us, and she admitted she hadn’t viewed us as people.

Still, I should’ve told her then and there that we were predators…or issued some kind of denial to her idea that we only ate plants. She must think we’re liars.

We retraced our steps through the alley, and I ran a hand down Bonsen’s shoulders. She offered a pitiful whimper, so I decided against the gesture of affection. William hurried over to a car’s shotgun seat, flagging down the driver. It took considerable effort to keep my reaction in check, when a Krakotl poked her head out the window. Paulo’s eyes darkened; he seemed to forget about nursing his wounded arm for a second.

“Hey Marsala! Alright, get in the backseat, you four,” Kane ordered.

Marsala…an unfortunate Krakotl name, glared at him. “Did you really find a ‘chicken’ word that rhymes with Luala? All of your nicknames are still about me being food.”

Paulo curled his lip, before flopping down in the car. Aqil sidled in after him, and I found a spot with Bonsen at the edge of the row. The poor Zurulian must be on the verge of a breakdown, from all the mixed stimuli in her environment. She couldn’t pin down what humans were, and our conversations were giving her whiplash. It almost seemed more like internalized hatred than fear of us.

Will’s cheeky grin was visible in the rearview mirror. “I put a lot of effort into them, Lulu.”

“I’d be more pissed at you, if you hadn’t just caught the guys we’re after,” the bird chirped. “They came with you, willingly? Whatever…I’ll call it in.”

“Now, let’s not do anything hasty. I was thinking we help them escape to—was there a destination in mind?”

“Our ship, at the embassy,” I sighed.

Luala stared at the human exterminator like he’d lost his mind. “That Zurulian is a dangerous predator disease patient, and you want to aid their escape?”

“Bonsen is misdiagnosed. Trust me.”

“You can’t offer zero proof of that, and expect me to stick my neck out. There’s not one good reason I should do this!”

“I gave you credit on TV for the Intestine-Eater thing.”

“Because it was my lead! You’ll have to come up with something better than that.”

“Bribery? You can pick the driving music today.”

“Not just today. For a week.”

“Greedy bird. A week? But your chirping shit is steaming hot garbage—”

“It’s about to be two weeks, Will.”

“Fine, one week.”

The Krakotl squawked triumphantly. “And you’re gonna use my real name unless instructed otherwise.”

“Ugh, you drive a hard bargain. But hey, I’m serious; this is as awful as the predator attack cover-ups. I’m right about this, Luala. The Zurulian is harmless.”

Luala exhaled a disbelieving breath, but started the car engine. I wasn’t sure whether the Krakotl would stir up any unpleasant feelings in the soldiers; however, William seemed to have a strange rapport with her. If she would help us, I didn’t have any personal objections based on her species. My concern was for the tensions that would rise up, and worsen Bonsen’s decline.

With exterminator accomplices on our side, we might be able to reach our ship undetected. Our aim was still to dismantle the predator disease facility, once we could acquire backup.

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A/N - Part 4 is here! William Kane returns to help our posse escape, while immediately stating that humans are predators in front of Bonsen. Meanwhile, it still will be a long ride to the embassy, and we've yet to see what the UN will do. What will the human government's stance and reaction to the facilities be? Will our human characters be punished or lauded for their actions?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!