“Retina Scan complete – Approved.”
“Dental Records complete – Approved.”
“Please speak.”
“Bite me”
“Voice recognition complete – Approved.”
I suppose I should be happy that one of the most important secret locations in the world has so much security, but damn does it suck when you’re already late, I thought as the cold dead tone of the machine rang out continuously. It wasn’t unusual for me to cut meeting times close, but to be genuinely late, especially this late was an unusual situation. I had one of the worst nights of sleep of my life and even had a nightmare for the first time since high school! It was way more realistic than I remembered back then. I woke up with the biggest headache that only recently had started getting a little lighter.
“Fingerprint recognition complete – Approved.”
Slowly the bright silver metal doors in front of me began opening. I had only been in the titanium box for a minute or two at most, but to be out of it always felt like a relief. I briskly walked past many of my coworkers, a sea of men and women in almost always the same-looking suit. If I hadn’t known better, it would be easy to assume I was on the run in the Matrix. I walked for 5 minutes before finally seeing the conference room I had been summoned to. Right before the door, I straightened my tie and double-checked the cuffs on either side of my suit. Luckily there was no need to check my hair. I had the pleasure of losing it a few years back; very few people had noticed, as I always kept it short. Slowly I opened the door, doing my best not to draw any attention to myself while doing so.
“That is the background information of everything we have found out. While we hope to know more soon, we will update everyone when we can confirm more.” The person currently talking was precisely what a scientist for a top-secret lab looked like on those pointless drama shows I had started watching in the past few years. White lab coat that looks like it hadn’t been cleaned recently, thin and round glasses, disheveled hair, skinny and shockingly younger than you would expect. I could even see the clothes underneath his coat with the collar messed up and that he was wearing mismatched socks. Looking around, I found an open seat far in the back without anyone too high level in the surrounding area. I’d rather not have to deal with a reprimand later if I could help it.
The room looked like an ordinary auditorium I remember seeing on my old college campus with much higher quality furnishings. I attempted to find any type of screen or something up front to help me learn what this meeting was about. Despite sitting far near the back, I had no issue seeing the person on the stage, almost as if I was in the front row and could hear every word he said. He might have even been a little too loud. Maybe sleeping in actually helped me feel better than I have in a while now that the headache is going away, I thought, glancing around again and noticing more details than I was used to. “Now let me pass it over to the Director,” The scientist stated, then was immediately joined on stage by a much older and rougher-looking man upfront as the very young-looking scientist went to sit in a chair in the front row.
The Director had gray hair that was kept short and dressed in the signature suit that everyone in the room wore with no tie. There was never a smile or grimace on his face that I had ever seen. This went for both in person and in every picture, anyone had ever seen with him in it, including with his family. His voice was always of complete seriousness, even with very little emotion. “It is good everyone has made it, although there is no time for pleasantries.” He started while looking around the room. “Everyone here has been vetted countless times to hear this information. With no exaggeration, this is a problem we have never imagined becoming a reality. As Dr. Theodore stated, there is still a lot we are not certain of concerning this issue.” He took a pause as he finished his survey of the room.
I smelled coffee from somewhere in the room and realized I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since I woke up this morning. Surprisingly though, even after smelling the sweet heavenly aroma of black coffee, I didn’t feel the desire to get any. There’s a first time for everything, I thought as I remembered I had even gained a little weight because of my coffee and snacking habit. Maybe I’ll start fitting in some of my old clothes. At the very least, I hope I’m not sick. I rolled my eyes at the thought. The Director started again, “The only upside we have had regarding this situation is we had the luck of containing one such specimen. This has given us some valuable information in regards to their way of life.”
Specimen? I thought. I feel like this was an awful meeting to be late to. I am beyond confused. Looking around, I saw everyone else looking very serious. Not a single person seemed to be confused. I’m sure he will go into more detail shortly. I hoped in my head as I leaned back. The lights began to dim as a huge screen began to make its way down to the bottom of the stage behind the Director. “The specimen is currently contained in a completely sealed room. The only interaction we have allowed is with scientists in full hazmat gear.” The screen finally found the end of its movement. The Director pulled the remote from his pockets and turned the screen on. The screen brightened the entire room; however, my eyes didn’t need any time to readjust as I could immediately see everything on the screen.
It looked like a box made of glass or a type of see-through plastic. In the center of the box, there looked to be a singular person. They appeared to be lying down or perhaps even dead. Don’t tell me this is the start of some new chemical warfare, was the first thought that crossed my mind. I looked at the person I had initially assumed might have passed away. After a moment of observation, I was able to pick up on some movements, and I quickly realized he was very much alive. I looked at this random person and knew I didn’t know them. I couldn’t shake the feeling they meant something to me for some reason. It was like I had found a long-lost sibling or a soulmate. They just felt like someone I needed to get closer to. These feelings rushed over me suddenly and powerfully, making me both curious and confused. I began to shake my leg, which I often did while nervous.
The Director spoke again while looking at the screen, “We were fortunate to have found this out when we did. We do not know how long this has been happening or how many people are affected. Still, we do know about it now and can begin taking measurements to prevent this.” He looked towards the auditorium again, continuing, “For the most part, the specimen you see in front of you is human in several ways. Do not be fooled, though. They are very much different creatures in their entirety. Some differences are more noticeable than others. I will have Dr. Theodore come back up to explain these differences to you.”
With that, the Director looked at the young scientist as they stumbled back up to the stage, holding a new folder. This meeting had taken another confusing turn, what does he mean they’re not human? I felt like I was taking an advanced class for something I had never done before and was being taught in a long-forgotten language. Don’t tell me it’s a robot or something. Or perhaps it is a human experiment? I wasn’t sure why, but ever since that screen turned on, my blood had been pumping fast, and I felt slightly panicked, as though I knew of incoming bad news. This was unusual for me. I had been in the service for over three decades, and I couldn’t remember the last time a debriefing had such an effect on me.
Dr. Theodore finally got to the microphone, “The tests we ran had varying results. We cannot tell what results are universal for this situation, but I will share what we know. After being affected, the specimen will see its body improve slowly but steadily. This includes muscles, bones, intestines, and all the way down to the base genomes. We don’t have an explanation for how this happens or the limit of improvement. Still, as of now, the specimen would be on the level of an Olympic athlete in multiple regards.” Taking a breath, Dr. Theodore flipped through what must have been a very detailed report, “The specimen also no longer needs food or water, or at the very least, it does not need to be digested any longer in the traditional sense that we do. The specimen you see on the screen has gone without food or water for two months. Not only have there not been any negative repercussions, but the body has continued to improve and maintain steady levels across the board during physical tests.”
At this point in the presentation, I realized that this was all said with extreme seriousness. That isn’t possible. How could something like that be true? What was this specimen exactly, I thought as I listened intently. “The rest of the tests are still in progress,” Dr. Theodore continued, “While we are unsure how dangerous the specimens are, we have seen an increase in worrying actions. Initially, the specimen’s thoughts were similar to how they had been before the infestation. However, with time their philosophies began to change, and so did their goals and ethics. We have been unable to discover what the end goal is. There has been a noticeable decline in empathy for other humans as a whole.” Dr. Theodore paused at this point. Looking towards the Director, who shook his head, Dr. Theodore finished with, “We are certain we will find out more with time,” and began returning to his seat.
“You might be wondering,” the Director started, “Why we are only telling you this now when we have contained the specimen for a few months. We were unsure what had happened, and if it was an isolated case at the time this occurred. This specimen was only found because they were in constant surveillance due to fear for their own life when the infestation happened.” This had been the second time they had used the word infestation. That’s a particular word choice, what has infested them, I thought. The Director was still talking, “As soon as we noticed changes in them, we brought them back here and continued to monitor them and look for new developments. A huge break in this situation happened when this infestation affected one of the scientists working on this case. They noticed the similarities and turned themselves in.”
The Director removed the remote from his pocket again and clicked a new button. The screen now showed a second box almost identical to the one previously on the screen. I looked at this new person and again didn’t recognize them however felt an unusual draw to them. The Director said, “We have learned some new information from this new specimen. The infestation happens at night, and you will wake up the next day remembering it only as a bad dream. You will quickly forget about it and then begin to notice your physical improvements and lack of appetite first. We are still unsure when the brain begins to change.”
The words were like thunder as they landed on my ears, it must be a coincidence. There is no way. This whole thing must be a prank. However, looking around, I knew this was real, and everything happening that day started to slowly fit into place. I almost missed it as the Director began talking again, “We will continue monitoring and will begin country-wide surveillance to look for similar cases. We have also contacted our agents in various governments to look for and alert us to any updates on their end. Everyone in this room will be working on this investigation together. We will protect this country at all costs.” He then pressed another button on the remote as the screens turned off and began rolling back up. The light in the rooms slowly began brightening. I would have preferred if they had been turned off instead.
The Director looked around the room, then said, “Everyone from this day forward will work and sleep in C building and will only move in groups. If there are any questions, please ask the team leaders.” He was then joined by a few people and began introducing them. They must have been the team leaders. I couldn’t pay attention any longer, and my thoughts drowned out his words. How could this happen to me; wait, maybe I’m over exaggerating. I could just be sick. Ya, you know I’ve been working myself way too hard, and when was the last time I took a vacation? But I can’t ask to not be part of the team or take a vacation now. That would make me seem too suspicious, even though I’m totally perfect. Well, for now, let’s just not assume anything and take care of myself. No one else needs to know anything. I’m completely and totally fine. I tried tuning back into what the Director was saying, “… and everyone here will be split into different squads focusing on different areas of the investigation. I will also make everyone aware we will be updating our terminology. Instead of specimen, we will refer to them as The Hosted.”
-Dreams and Reality, two sides of the same story.