Young Writers Society

This chapter is seen through the eyes of Dr Aniq Bertille, a biologist who along with four others, has been assigned to examine a suspicious body discovered on Earth...
Chapter 5: A Startling Discovery.
Dr Aniqa Bertille.

Marching along the corridor in the Research Center on the Planet Hacac, anticipation filled the young Doctor. She had been invited to join several fellow Doctors in the inspection of an animal taken from Earth several months earlier. This could earn the Nobel Prize if they could discover how that thing had been able to live in a radioactive environment for so long. Yes the reward would be great. Calm down Aniqa thought to herself, you don’t want to turn into an Undrux.
Stepping into the operation room she wore her white surgical overalls and a traditional green mask. She recognised two other biologists there, Dr Jonathon Eberto and Dr Hui-Ying Toshiro. The other pair was strangers to her but the first greeted her warmly.
“Dr Bertille, a pleasure to meet you. I am Dr Fahima and this is my associate Dr Minh. I am sure you recognise these two.” Fahima spoke with a vague Arabic accent similar to Bertille herself.
“We’re very anxious to get started so we shall begin, unless you wish to wait for someone else.” Minh anticipated in a strong Vietnamese accent.
Aniqa shook her head. She and the other doctors swarmed upon the body and began to perform preliminary visual scans. The thing itself had the body and internal organs of an average ape but had somehow spawned wings, gills and lost all its hair. Its facial features were grossly disfigured and shadowed a sickly green colour. All of the observations became noted into an individual recording device that was passed around the biologists.
Information about the peculiar find had not been released to HAC press yet and may never be. The Director didn’t want to alarm the new colonists to any “unnecessary fables”.
“It is impossible that anything could have survived the environmental changes caused, let alone the overwhelming radiation.” Eberto’s upper class British voice murmured.
“Yet this thing has” Toshiro’s Chinese voice enforced “We should do a gene scan.”
Soundlessly a genetic scanner entered the room guided by a silent Assistant droid. The useful humanoid placed the pads on several areas around the creature including its head and an arm with its transparent blue acrylic hands. Switching the device on caused the pads to glow a faint red as it scanned picking up distinctive genes. Within a minute a sheet of paper printed off and the droid passed it to Fahima. She looked at it and her brow furrowed.
“This can’t be right. A375, these results must be wrong. Is the machine functioning properly?”
“My everyday inspection told me that the machine is working perfectly. The results are correct Dr Fahima” the calm voice told her.
“But this is impossible. The machine tells me that this thing has not only the genes of an ape but a falcon, lizard and a blue whale. Honestly A375 you think these results are possible?”
“Anything is possible, regardless how unlikely. Would you like a secondary scan performed?”
“Yes A375 you better.”
The obedient robot returned to the scanner and started a second search. Bertille liked the clever computers but had to agree with Fahima, those kinds of results were indeed impossible. Yet perhaps the after effects of year of radioactive bombardment had caused evolutionary speed up and had morphed different parts of animals together to create strange new species able to survive the gamma waves.
“Dr Fahima, the secondary scans are the same.” A375 reported.
“That’s impossible though.” Toshiro responded.
“I concur” Minh said.
“What do you think Dr Bertille?” Eberto asked.
“Well maybe, and feel free to disagree, the years of continuous radioactive meteoric pummel upon the planet has somehow forced the few remaining animals left to breed and mutate among themselves. This is usually impossible however I have recently been studying Fargon ethics and discovered that they believe in the D’scites, a mystical force that is focused in the centre of the universe. They supposedly have the power to create life. If these D’scites were in the present area they may have allowed this phenomenon to occur.” Aniqa explained.
“Dr Bertille” Minh spoke as if explaining basic maths to a primary student “We are scientists and base our beliefs on fact and evidence.”
“Do you really expect us to believe the words of a fanatic alien Empire?” questioned Fahima.
Aniqa turned to her two friends but both rejected her.
“Sorry Aniqa but even this is too far.” Toshiro responded.
“Perhaps we could continue tomorrow. Take the time to process our data and think of other possibilities.” Eberto suggested and the others nodded in Unison. As the four departed, Bertille looked down at the body for a fruitful moment but swiftly turned away and followed her counterparts leaving it at that.