Liberi Fatalis: The Theriantrope Chronicles

by Eddie-E

A crossover between Ace Combat, Katmandu and another, surprise famous furry comic. An epic tale trascending eras about the life & times of many heroes & villians fighting against an ancient evil from a very distant past. Rated M for language and mature situations.

21. FITZROY

ACT XXI: FITZROY

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There are so many possibilities of life out there that an alien doesn't have to have green, long tentacles. They can be very similar to us.

Matt Lanter

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February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:30 AM

-"This is unacceptable on SO many levels, Dr. Komatsu!"-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who was sitting on a chair at his personal desk in the American scientific laboratory at Fort Bliss, listened patiently to the complaints of that man, Major Matthew Fitzroy, who was his immediate superior at the base, while the latter threw a very angry outburst against the Japanese scientist for several reasons that will be explained below:

-"What do you mean, Major? Don't tell me you came all this way to my lab just to vent your anger on me,"- Komatsu replied with a certain arrogant tone on the American man. -"or do you have something else to say to me, sir?"-

Fitzroy was surprised to see that this apparently eccentric Asian scientist had the nerve to talk down to him, as if he had the right to address him with anything other than "yes, sir," simply because the Major was American and Komatsu was not. Now, the military man wanted to seek answers from that man of science, and he wanted them right now.

-"It has been more than nine years since you have been working in this place, and the only thing we have obtained from you, our so-called Dr. Komatsu, is to see how your stupid thesis has only achieved very limited results, to say the least."-

-"Of course I would achieve better results if you would give me more budget for this project, Major Fitzroy,"- The Japanese man fiercely rebutted the complains of his senior officer. -"or did you expect anything better, while that damn Nazi of yours working for your government, Dr. Von Braun, is being treated like a movie star, while I work worse than a slave?"-

Fitzroy seemed to have had enough of being confronted by that man, and furiously, he slammed his fist into Dr. Komatsu's desk, so that he would understand what his place was.

-"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE THOSE ACCUSATIONS ON US, DR. KOMATSU!"- Fitzroy yelled at the Japanese man's very face. -"WE HAVE OUR REASONS FOR GIVING SPECIAL TREATMENT TO DR. VON BRAUN, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THAT A FREAK LIKE YOU QUESTION THAT! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, MR. MAD SCIENTIST?"-

Despite that incredibly violent warning, Komatsu remained even-handed and as cool as he had been from the beginning, ignoring the aggressive attitude of the American military, and holding his ground as if nothing had happened.

-"In that case, I must assume that special treatment of yours has to do with the fact that Dr. Von Braun designs rockets, while I work with animals,"- Then, he did a more daring question to the American man. -"or perhaps because he is German, and I am Japanese?"-

That insinuation was the last straw that began to break Major Fitzroy's back, and that was more than evident in his face, which was completely red with anger.

-"WHY YOU SON OF A B-"-

Major Fitzroy was furious at the suggestion that he was a racist, and in a violent manner, the American military man grabbed the collar of the lab coat that Komatsu was wearing at the time, while he brought the Japanese scientist's face up to his own.

-"Alright, you useless piece of shit, listen up, because I'm tired of playing Mr. Nice Guy with you!"- Fitzoy yelled at the Japanese man right in his face. -"Here in America we don't like smartasses like you, let alone foreigners who want to screw around with us; you have been using a U.S. Army base as your private zoo for nine fucking years, and the only thing you have managed to get out of that fucking theory of yours is that your animals act the same way a circus animal would act under the same circumstances and for MUCH LESS money than you are spending on your animals that you brought back from Japan!"-

-"..."-

Komatsu did not know how to respond to the accusation made in such a violent and direct manner towards him, and the only thing he could do was to remain silent, with nothing else to say that would upset the military officer.

-"What's the matter, doc?"- Fitzroy furiously teased Komatsu, still with his face in the scientist's own. -"Cat bite your tongue? Or maybe you know I'm right?"-

After those minutes of having that violent man right under his nose in a literal way, Yoshinori Komatsu could only managed to explain his lack of results in the best possible way he could.

-"It is true that I have not been able to obtain the results that you would wish, but I am not going to obtain anything at this rate, if the tools that I have to use for work here in America are not very different from those that I had in Japan before the war ended, Major Fitzroy."- The Japanese man of science explained at the Major. -"The only thing I am asking is that you should grant me some kind of budget increase that I have been working with so far in order to achieve better results, otherwise, I am afraid that it will take many years to see something that meets your government's expectations."-

-"And what the hell makes you think we're going to hand over more money to you, Dr. Moreau-wannabe?"-

-"The fact that many of the animals, especially those like canines and felines, have managed to learn more advanced learning patterns than they would obtain through ordinary known methods, demonstrates that my theory has scientific foundations. In addition, I have at my disposal Raghu, a Bengal tiger capable of communicating with humans through sign language, which could help a lot in this project, if I had more budget to work with."-

-"NAH, that's bullshit, doc!"-

Later, Fitzroy loosened Komatsu's collar, which allowed the Japanese scientist, after regaining his breath, to sit in his chair again.

-"Thank you, Major."-

-"I only let you go because I got tired of smelling your stinkin' face on mine, that's all."-

-"Thank you for the compliment regarding my face, then, Major Fitzroy."-

-"And you're not going to live long enough with that kind of attitude at this rate, Dr. Komatsu!"- The major angrily retorted at the Japanese man.

-"And you think I'm some kind of slave who can be bossed around and asked to do the impossible, Major?"-

-"If you act like you didn't do anything wrong, I think we have a right to decide about your life, doctor, especially after what you did in Manchuria."-

Fitzroy then pointed furiously his finger on Komatsu...

-"And the only reason we haven't sent you to the death row like other war criminals of your kind is because the former President Truman showed an interest in your work, but I doubt that Eisenhower has the same enthusiasm for keeping you on our payroll, much less in this world."-

-"You know very well that I have not killed any human being in China with my experiments; my whole body of work has been done exclusively with animals, and the fact that I am accused of crimes against humanity is something absurd and unreal to begin with."- Komatsu retorted at Fitzroy. -"It's like accusing me of running over someone with a car, when I don't even know how to drive one."-

-"Unfortunately for you, there is no one who can substantiate your side of the story, and we have evidence that you were involved in the death of at least one person at the headquarters of Unit 731 in Pingfang."-

Komatsu knew very well which person the Major was referring to: It was none other than Dr. Masao Kazama, who committed suicide in front of Komatsu when he was drunk after having enough to see all the atrocities happening there, but not before cursing the then young scientist and then blowing his brains out in front of him.

-"If you are referring to that event, I assure you I had nothing to do with it, Major. That was a suicide, and you can verify that with all your sources from where you gained that intel that they were with me back in China."-

-"Really, doc?"- Then, the military man showed a folder with many classified U.S. Army documents, which also included very gruesome photos of mutilated corpses, some of them in such state that even Komatsu had problems on watching them. -"Because our sources depict another very different thing from you, including that you participated in different kinds of human experiments where you transplanted animal organs into living humans."-

-"Wha-WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"-

The Japanese scientist listened with horror to the accusations made about him concerning his participation in crimes against humanity, not to mention his disgust at the horrific photographs of people who died in what seemed more like a place closer to hell than a military base, where all sorts of depraved acts of violence were carried out against civilians and military prisoners who had the disgrace of falling into that place.

-"I did not participate in ANY CRIME against anyone, let alone perform experiments on humans using animals!"- The scientist reacted outraged against Fitzroy and his accusations about Komatsu participating in mutilations against humans, not being able to believe until that point that he was learning the true reason why he was working in the U.S. for their government.

It was obvious that those accusations against him were completely untrue, and that someone or several people had manipulated any witness who had known him in the past in order to speak against him, and to portray him as the worst kind of monster known to human history.

Which, in an ironic overview, would not have been very different from what would take place centuries later...

However, the U.S. government was using those false charges to force him to work in America in exchange for his own life, using his project that he was previously working on in Japan for the Imperial Japanese Army in secret using his advanced evolution theory as a basis.

Seeing that his theory was not giving the results they were looking for, it was remarkable that the patience of the Americans was beginning to wear thin, and they would not hesitate to discard him like a tissue if he did not show them tangible results.

And now, Komatsu had to deal with someone who was accusing him of those crimes, with very few ways for him to dispute those charges against him.

-"We have evidence that you committed despicable crimes against Allied prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the IJA, as well as against Chinese citizens, and we have photos that prove your involvement in those experiments you performed on those people."-

Looking at the photos of the bodies of the victims who died at the hands of the members of Unit 731, Komatsu noticed several patterns that did not match the accusations made against him; Some of the photos, although real, were out of context, so it could be easy to accuse anyone, not just Komatsu, of any crime committed against those people, and there were several photos that looked like they had been edited to make it appear that those people died because of scientific experiments he may have conducted against them, when in fact those people died at the hands of other people, or from other causes.

At that point, it was impossible for Yoshinori Komatsu to know if those photos were edited by the American government in order to accuse him of those crimes, or the edits were made by a third person instead, so the only thing he could do was to prove his innocence, something that would be very difficult to do in those conditions, and at that stage of his own life.

-"And why was I never told the nature of the charges being brought against me when I was accused of crimes against humanity?"- Komatsu loudly complained at the Major. -"All I remember is that at the time, I was arrested in Hiroshima, then imprisoned in Sugamo in Tokyo, and then sent to the U.S., after just telling me before I left Japan that I would work here, whether I liked it or not."-

-"We wanted to ensure your cooperation in some way, and the only approach we could think of was to keep the charges against you secret so that you would participate in any government project that Washington might require from you, and so that you would not attempt to escape from the U.S., especially if you were accused of crimes of such magnitude that it would be impossible for you to go unnoticed under any circumstances."-

Komatsu questioned the American military officer in a very loud way, as he twisted his mouth when despair was starting to creeping on him.

-"And what did Dr. Kazama have to do with me, and with his own death? Are you accusing me of killing him?"-

-"Not exactly, doc."-

The Japanese man was bewildered and enraged by such an outlandish response.

-"What the hell do you mean by that, Major?"-

-"We believe that Dr. Kazama committed suicide when he saw the experiments you carried out on all those people, and he chose to leave this world before becoming an accomplice of your crimes, Dr. Komatsu."-

Within minutes, Komatsu was being accused of being indirectly responsible for Dr. Kazama's suicide, except that he had taken his own life when he saw Komatsu's alleged "experiments" on human beings, when the reality was completely different.

-"THE- THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!"-

To be honest, Dr. Kazama was partially right, although for other reasons that would be revealed many years later, but that is beside the point.

-"Dr. Kazama committed suicide when he saw the crimes committed there by his own countrymen!"- The Japanese scientist explained what really happened that day in China, through omitting some parts of his story in order to avoid incriminating himself further. -"I had nothing to do with his death, not even indirectly. Besides, that day he was really drunk and reeking on sake, and then he started rambling stuff before taking his own life in front of me!"-

-"Well, that doesn't matter anymore to me, and I don't think it's going to matter anymore to you either, because I just made a phone call to Washington reporting my dissatisfaction with the lack of complete results regarding your project..."

Then, Fitzroy placed his finger on Komatsu's nose in a very threatening manner, visually indicating what might happen to him next.

-"And I think I'm not the only one in this fucking administration who thinks that bringing you here to America was a mistake, a waste of time, and most of all, a waste of taxpayers' money."-

The mere mention of that part that referred the American taxpayers was enough to make Komatsu raise his voice in an even more arrogant tone towards that American military man, and for good reason for the Japanese scientist.

-"As always, you Americans are only interested in money, money, money and more money."-

-"WHAT?"-

Afterwards, the Japanese man of science made a slighty closed smile on his American counterpart and later on, he closed his eyes and raised his arms while twisting his hands with his palms of his hands upwards, as a sign of utter defiance towards that man, his senior officer in that U.S. Army base located in Texas.

-"You only see people in economic terms, and how you can take advantage of them, and the day they are no longer useful to you, you do not hesitate to dispose of them as if they were useless garbage. I guess you learned that from the British, or am I wrong, Major?"-

Those words were the last straw for Matthew Fitzroy, who could not believe the insolence of that Japanese scientist who dared to question U.S. culture from its very roots, something he had never heard from anyone else, not even other equally arrogant foreigners, such as Dr. Von Braun from Germany, another Axis country.

No longer able to contain his anger, the American soldier grabbed Komatsu's neck violently...

-"WHAT THE...!"-

...and immediately afterwards, he slammed the scientist's body against his own desk, while he put his face back on the Japanese man's.

-"DON'T TRY MY PATIENCE, KOMATSU... DON'T. YOU. EVEN. TRY. THAT. AGAIN, YOU ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH!"-

Komatsu was horrified and shocked by that dramatic escalation in his own being, as that man, who was already angry with him a few moments ago, now seemed to kill him in his own laboratory with his own hands.

-"You think you're so smart, Mr. Mad Scientist..."-

Fitzroy was screaming so loudly in the Japanese scientist's face that all his saliva was seeping into Komatsu's glasses and the rest of his face, much to his own personal disgust

-"... But let me tell you something in your fucking face, you two-legged walking piece of shit: First, DON'T FUCK WITH AMERICA. Second, DON'T FUCK WITH TEXAS, and finally, DON'T! FUCK! WITH! ME! EVER!"-

Having that hulk of a man over his whole body yelling death threats on him, beads of sweat appeared on Komatsu's very face, and his early haughty demeanor suddenly became one of utter dread, in the belief that violent American soldier could kill him at any moment.

Seeing the danger he had literally over his body, Yoshinori Komatsu had no choice but to say a timid "yes" to Major Fitzroy if he did not want that soldier to decide to carry out his grim sentence.

-"That's muuuuuuuch better, my dear doc."- Said the American Major, still over Komatsu's body for the sole purpose of asserting his authority over him. -"I love when smug assholes like you lose that sweet little shitty face when they face me, thinking they can outsmart an old soldier who survived two world wars, and know all the tricks of this trade."-

With that said, Fitzroy raised himself from Dr. Komatsu's body, and then went to the laboratory's door, as he was about to leave, but not before saying a few more words to the Japanese scientist as a warning.

-"Before we conclude with our "friendly" talk, Dr. Doolitle, let me say the following for you: You'd better find a good excuse for us to continue this project of yours, or else you will return to your country in a coffin, assuming of course that we put your stinking corpse in one to begin with."-

Immediately afterwards, Fitzroy left the laboratory, while he violently slammed its door; Komatsu, on the other hand, tried to regain his composure and his breath after that violent encounter with that man, but without saying anything else, trying to calm down after what happened.

But considering that now his life seemed to hang by a thread, being unable to show anything that would be to the liking of the American government regarding his theory, and that he was basically a glorified slave owned by the government of that country, and that they can decide whether he lived or died, it was almost impossible for Komatsu to stand still anyhow.

-"GODDAMMIT!"-

In this way, Komatsu cursed his fate and then, he slammed his fist on the wall next to him, seeing that things couldn't possibly get any worse for him, and that he should now find a way to justify his own existence to the government that was the master of his own life.

---

February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 12:31 PM

-"Looks like Major Fitzroy really gave you a hard time in the most literal way possible, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"Well, tell me about it, Madison."-

Phillip Madison, who was one of Komatsu's personal assistants during his stay in Fort Bliss, was outside of the laboratory waiting for work in that day when his senior and Major Fitzroy were quarrelling at each other minutes ago.

Once the military man left the lab, Madison timidly entered the lab, watching as his immediate boss tried to regain some kind of composure, without success, while on the other hand, the young assistant of about 22 years old, who was just then a graduate from the University of Houston in biology who had just obtained his first job with the armed forces of his country, tried to encourage his boss somehow.

-"But to be honest, doctor, this is the first time since I work here that I've seen Major Fitzroy so angry with anyone."-

Komatsu took a deep breath, and then he explained what he thought about the Major to his Texan assistant.

-"Well, let's say I've known the Major since I worked here nine years ago, when World War II ended... and I think that man can't stand me anymore."-

-"As I understand it, the Major fought in both wars, including the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in France in the first war, and in Normandy on Operation Overlord in the second, so that would justify his conduct in a way, I think."-

-"HAH!"- The Japanese scientist responded in disgust, as he suffered the horrors of the Second World War, especially in Hiroshima, his hometown, firsthand. -"The reason why I'm in this place is because of men like that filthy, slimy ape, my dear assistant, and as you know, I don't have any kind of sympathy for soldiers, in the nicest way I could be allowed to express it here."-

-"Weeeell... I can't blame you for that, doctor."-

Madison responded in a wry fashion to his senior, an attitude he did not find entirely agreeable, for obvious reasons.

-"I know what are you thinking right now, Madison: I don't care how many battles that idiot fought in the past just to justify his violence, because as far as I'm concerned, he's a brute, plain and simple."-

Madison knew that when Dr. Komatsu started acting that way, things weren't going to end well for anyone, so he decided to change the subject to something more relevant to discuss instead.

-"Well, changing the whole thing, you told me yesterday to analyze the blood samples I took from each of the animals you ordered, and I found some interesting insights, doctor."-

Upon hearing that Madison had relevant information to share with him, Komatsu didn't care in the least that his assistant wanted to change the subject, and he wanted to hear what that young aide had to share.

-"What kind of findings did you see in those samples, Madison?"-

-"There's a certain degree of difference between the samples you brought from Japan during your stay in the IJA's secret underground bunker's laboratory during the last war, and the more recent ones we have worked with in the last few years since you were transferred from Japan to America."- The young Texan aide replied at his senior scientist. -"That means that your theory seems to be giving some kind of results, though it is somewhat slower than what we would like."-

Hearing that his theory seemed to be paying off, however slowly, made the Japanese scientist put on his face the widest smile that his face would allow, because that meant that all the effort of several decades of hard work, accentuated by the Second World War and its corresponding sacrifices, had not been in vain.

-"Thank god... thank to ALL THE DAMN HEAVENS that all this effort, blood, sweat and tears that I have put into my life's work is finally working. I have dedicated half of my own life to this, and I have feared at several points that none of this would work, but thanks to this, it all means that my theory is feasible!"-

-"Are you all right, Dr. Komatsu?"- Madison said to the Japanese scientist, who kept smiling as his mind wandered to himself about the success of his lifelong theory. -"I see you smiling right now, sir, and normally you are not much of a smiler, at least since I have known you, if I may say so."-

-"You're right on that, my dear Madison..."-

Suddenly, Komatsu's face became more serious and gloomy, and the man, who was 38 years old at the time, knew that his personal victory had value only to himself so far.

Because he would have wished, under better circumstances, to have shared that triumph with two people that he would have always wished for them to know that his life's work was really paying off, and it wasn't just a simple hope written in a book or a piece of paper that he had been writing since he was a child, and that he didn't formally codify until he entered university.

Those two people were his parents, Mitsuyo and Hidenori Komatsu...

...and unfortunately for Yoshinori Komatsu, both had died during the atomic attack in his hometown, Hiroshima.

And the fact that he was working against his will for the government responsible for bringing such destruction and death to his family was a daily poison to his soul in ways he had never before felt in his life.

If he had the power to do something about it, Komatsu would not have hesitated to find a way for those who destroyed his city and his family to pay for what they did with their own lives, but not before making them suffer in the most diverse and painful ways possible known for him.

...but he knew he must keep those feelings of hate for those who won the war to himself, if he wanted to live any longer.

And yet, even Komatsu himself sometimes began to be afraid of thinking in ways to take revenge on the Americans, because, as a scientist, veterinarian, and above all, a doctor, his main duty, having taken himself the Hippocratic Oath, was to save lives, not to seek ways to eliminate them.

But seeing the attitude of those men, especially their implicit and explicit racism, the man of science from Japan came to think whether keeping that oath was still worthwhile.

And at the thought of all that, the only thing Komatsu did, in the face of those conflicting feelings, was to sit at his desk, plunge his head into his arms, and seconds later...

-"Mom...dad...sob...sob...I would like you... to see... that my theory is working... and it is not just a damn hypothesis...sob..."-

...he burst into tears in a painful, heartbreaking way, wincing, pouting in a notable way, and covering his head with his hands, knowing that his beloved parents were no longer in this world to celebrate his achievements.

-"Why are you crying, doctor? Is something wrong with you, sir?"-

Komatsu refused to answer that question, leaving his assistant, Phillip Madison, puzzled by the crying scene in front of him, and not knowing how to help the doctor, except by listening to him speak as he always did.

Still, Madison knew that this scientist's life in the U.S. had not been easy, due to his unfortunate position of being a former member, technically speaking, of the Imperial Japanese Army, and because of his own nationality and race, at a time when people like Komatsu were treated as less than human, and more so for the Japanese, who had lost the war.

Even so, that young man from Texas was not prejudiced against Asians, nor against the Japanese, and he knew that Dr. Komatsu, his superior, was originally from Hiroshima, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb that his country dropped on that city.

This caused some sense of extraneous guilt in that man, for he always thought that to drop a weapon of mass destruction to force a country to surrender at the cost of the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with the conflict was something that even someone as patriotic as he would not agree with, no matter how understandable the motives.

-"Ehhhhh...do you want to be left alone, doctor?"-

-"..."-

The assistant, knowing beforehand the personality of his boss, read that silence as a yes; without second thoughts, Madison left the laboratory, but without leaving the place, staying by the door of the laboratory until Dr. Komatsu could be more calm to then calling him later.

-"God... there are times that as a person I am very ashamed of the terrible things that my country did in this last war to win it..."-

Madison said these words as he tried to find a cigarette to smoke to calm his nerves, only to be reminded that smoking was not allowed, which he cursed immediately.

-"Right now I would give anything to smoke a good one, and not having to listen to all this drama... damn!"-

---

February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 01:21 PM

-"Looks like you had a rough day, doesn't it, Major Fitzroy?"-

-"Can you tell by my voice, Mr. Secretary?"-

-"Well, since I have known you, Major, you obviously have a very... unique way of dealing with problems, to put it mildly."

-"Yes, indeed, especially when it comes to dealing with unfriendly people like that Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu."-

The person Fitzroy was talking to on the phone was the Secretary of Defense at the time, Charles Erwin Wilson, to whom the Major was to report on the status of the various secret projects being carried out at Fort Bliss, especially the project that Yoshinori Komatsu's Advanced Evolution Theory had been working on in the U.S. since he had arrived from Japan, where he was also working on the same project by orders of the Imperial Japanese Army.

As he had previously threatened the aforementioned doctor, the Major had previously mentioned to the Secretary of Defense his dissatisfaction with the progress of the Japanese scientist's project in order for Wilson to intercede with the then President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, to cancel the project so that Fitzroy could get rid of Komatsu once and for all.

But as the American officer realized minutes later, wanting to get rid of Komatsu was one thing, but putting it into practice was a very different thing, as history had other plans for the Japanese scientist in mind.

-"If I'm not mistaken, Komatsu is that Japanese scientist who works with animals, and who claims that his project can make them talk and things like that, right?"-

-"In essence, yes, Mr. Secretary."-

-"And according to what you told me at the beginning of your call, you want us to cancel the project and put Komatsu out of commission, if I remember correctly, isn't it?"-

-"That's right, sir."-

Wilson paused briefly to consider Fitzroy's request, and after a few seconds of waiting, the Secretary of Defense responded at that petition.

-"Look, Major, I would like to consider your request to order the cancellation of Dr. Komatsu's project, but I cannot order the cancellation of that project just like that without a prior analysis of that project, something that has not happened to date since the doctor arrived here in America, so that I can justify its cancellation to the president and the other members of his cabinet."- The secretary further explained his position. -"As far as I remember, there have been no objections whatsoever to that project here in Washington since it began, although perhaps that has to do with the fact that former President Truman had a very strong interest in it because of its nature and the results that were promised at the beginning."

-"Yes, I understand that, Mr. Secretary, but I think everyone here knows that former President Truman, at least here among us, had a certain reputation in Washington's inner circles for having a certain interest in more or less esoteric matters, considering beforehand that our enemies in the last war were investigating supernatural themes, especially the Germans with their famous Thule Society, so I would not be surprised if the Japanese did something similar as well."-

-"Indeed, Major, but from what I've read about Komatsu is that his theory has some valid scientific basis. If it wasn't, I don't think the Japanese government at the time would have continued with that project if they had known ahead of time that ambitious project from that man was going to fail."-

-"But I should remind you, Mr. Secretary, that the Japanese were desperate to win the war at any cost, so they embarked on several projects of dubious reputation, and I have no doubt that Dr. Komatsu's project was among all the garbage the Japanese Empire at that time was working on because they were looking for anything that could help them win, no matter how absurd, ridiculous or dangerous it was."-

The secretary of defense made another brief pause in the conversation, and a few seconds later, he resumed the chat with the major, this time trying to state his position on the subject.

-"Judging by the tone of your voice, and from what you've told me about Komatsu, you don't have much sympathy for the doctor, if I'm not mistaken."-

-"sigh... I'd be lying if I said anything else, sir."-

-"Well, I don't blame you for that, Major Fitzroy, considering both the nature of the project and the person in charge."- Wilson replied to the Major.

-"And speaking of strange projects, I heard that the CIA plans to expand the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field in Nevada as a test center for the development and testing of the new reconnaissance aircraft the government is working on, right?"-

-"Well, I can't talk much about it, but in a way it is."-

-"And when would it be ready, if I may ask?"-

-"According to the CIA, most likely within the next year."-

Again, another pause was made by both men, but Wilson quickly learned what the man meant by asking about that place.

-"You're not going to tell me you want us to send Komatsu there, are you?"-

-"Of course not, sir!"- Fitzroy clarified his intentions regarding the Japanese scientist. -"That should be Dr. Von Braun's territory, not Komatsu's, through I wouldn't mind if that Japanese guy went somewhere else."-

Then, Secretary Wilson did another pause, through his accelerated breathing was heard across the phone, signaling that he was thinking about something to answer to his Texan counterpart.

-"What do you think if we do this, Major: I could go to Fort Bliss to see Komatsu's project personally, so that I would know if the doctor's project is worth continuing to support, and thus give a more or less impartial opinion on the subject to the president and the Senate; I would not like to have to condemn a project, no matter how strange it is, just because of the personal criteria of one person."-

The Texan soldier could not help but grumble with dissatisfaction when he learned that the Secretary of Defense preferred to see Komatsu's project personally instead of canceling it outright as he wanted, but in view of the circumstances Fitzroy had no choice but to accept the idea from his superior in Washington.

-"Well, I can't say that I agree with the idea, but I understand your point, Mr. Secretary."- Then, Fitzroy asked another question. -"And when would you come to Texas, sir?"-

-"I will have to check with my assistant first to see if I have a slot in my schedule to visit Texas, but if I recall it, I don't think I will be able to travel there until the beginning of next year at the latest."-

Fitzroy knew that his patience with Dr. Komatsu would not last more than a year, so he asked his government official the following question:

-"And in the meantime, what do I do with the doctor, sir?"-

-"Well..."- Wilson replied with some audible annoyance regarding the attitude of his Texan counterpart about the topic. -"The only thing I can recommend, Major Fitzroy, is that you behave yourself with Komatsu and not give the doctor any more reasons why he might hate you and us. Also, I've heard rumors from some people based in Texas that you have a reputation for not having patience with those who don't offer results, and I don't intend to derail a project just because you don't like a person. I intend to be fair in that regard, and by visiting Fort Bliss I hope to see for myself whether your fears are unfounded or not."-

-"..."-

The American military man knew nothing more than to add to the subject, and therefore remained silent, waiting for an answer. Then, he blinked at the sudden silence on the other end of the line, until the voice of Wilson was heard in the phone.

-"Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me, Major Fitzroy?"-

-"No, sir."-

-"In that case, I will see you later, and then I will send you a telegram to confirm when I will come to Texas next year."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Thus, the phone call between Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson and Major Matthew Fitzroy ended, with the tacit agreement that the former would visit Texas no later than next year.

On the other hand, Fitzroy cursed himself for not being able to convince his superior to put Komatsu out of commission and therefore cancel his project, as he wished. He knew there was something not quite right about that scientist, and the sooner he could find a way to get rid of him, the better it would be for everyone and for Fitzroy, beyond all doubt.

Major Fitzroy's personal secretary, Catherine, who was writing a report at the time beside her boss, could not help but ask the man a few questions about what had happened.

-"Is something wrong, Major?"-

-"Nothing important, Catherine,"- Fitzroy said, while drinking a cup with water as a result of all the talking he engaged with the man in Washington. -"just that things didn't go as I expected with the Secretary of Defense."-

-"Forgive my indiscretion, Major, but I heard that the secretary will be coming here to Fort Bliss next year, right?"-

-"Exactly."- The burly Texan man said at his personal secretary. -"so I will need you to be aware when he confirms the exact date and time of his arrival to El Paso, although he told me he would send me a telegram first."-

-"Understood, sir."-

At that moment, Fitzroy put a mischievous smile on his face, knowing full well that Komatsu would most likely have no chance in hell of persuading the Secretary of Defense to continue with his project. The mischievous grin remained frozen across Fitzroy's face, since he also knew if Secretary Wilson had decided to cancel Komatsu's project, that would be the end for that Japanese man.

-"Let's see what face that idiot Komatsu will put on when his project goes straight to the shitter at the hands of Secretary Wilson; he won't survive someone from Washington with that attitude of his, and considering his lack of results, his project is already dead to rights!"-

---

February 19th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:12 PM

Phillip Madison, Komatsu's personal assistant, had brought vegetarian udon soup for his boss, Yoshinori Komatsu, who had been working in his lab since morning; It wasn't easy for him to prepare it, as he had to research some cookbooks from the El Paso library on how to prepare Japanese food, which at that time was still not very popular in America compared to more modern times.

When the Japanese doctor checked the soup, he noted it was a bit hot. The steam rose up from it, the aroma of vegetables and sea food was intoxicating for him, as he hadn't tasted udon soup since he left Japan nine years ago. He set it down, unable to resist the temptation; then, he opened the lid. He waited for a few minutes to cool it a little bit. He dipped his chopsticks in, blew on it under his mask, and brought the bowl to his mouth. The steaming broth warmed his face, a sensation he had not experienced in many years.

-"Excellent. Well done."- There was a notable smile in his face and a feeling of happiness in his voice. -"How did you learn to prepare udon, if I may ask, Madison?"-

-"Well, to be honest, Dr. Komatsu, I had to read books on Oriental cuisine in the El Paso library, and that was not easy for me; in fact, my mother asked me several prying questions about why I was preparing that "crap", as she called this soup, But I'm glad you liked my food, sir."

The scientist savored his lunch, still steaming, in the lab, like he never did in many years, and he was very grateful that there was someone who had taken the trouble to prepare Japanese food just for him.

Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, after finishing eating his udon, thanked his assistant, Phillip Madison, for taking the time to prepare that udon soup especially for him, knowing in advance that he missed Japanese food.

-"Oh, it is my pleasure doctor. I mean, it's not every day that I get to see you smiling since you are busy and also because I already know you haven't tasted food from your country since years ago. That would be very depressing for me, if I were in your shoes, doctor."- Madison said with a giggle.

-"Well, thank you for your hard work, Madison. I must be getting old since it took me so long to feel happy after all these years,"- Komatsu laughed as he enjoyed the hot steamy soup. -"If you could, please pass me that cup with green tea, Madison. Thank you."-

-"It's a great pleasure for me, Dr. Komatsu..."-

Meanwhile, the Japanese scientist continued to enjoy his hot bowl of udon soup, with the steaming hotness blowing over his face. It was the kind of comfort that he had been longing for the entire day. From this moment, Komatsu was finally feeling as if the pressure was gone and he could finally take a breather.

On the other hand, while the doctor was savoring his soup at the time, Madison took the opportunity to ask Komatsu some questions, even though he knew these might be somewhat... troublesome for him.

-"Ehh... Dr. Komatsu..."-

-"Do you want to ask me something, Madison?"- The Japanese scientist inquired at his American assistant, as he finished eating his soup and taking a sip of his tea. -"From your face, you seem to want to talk about something important, don't you?"-

-"Well... yes..."- Madison replied, while looking down and away from Komatsu's face. -"but I don't know how willing you are to talk about it, since you don't like to talk a lot on that subject."-

Yoshinori Komatsu put his cup of tea aside from him in order to talk, after finishing his soup.

-"What kind of topic is supposedly off-limits to discussion with me, Madison?"-

The young Texan assistant took a deep breath, expecting the worst from that question he was about to address to the Japanese doctor.

-"I only know that you lived in Hiroshima, during the last war, and that you were a veterinarian before they brought you here to America, but from then on, you have avoided much talk about your life, except that many people here, including Major Fitzroy, had accused you of crimes against humanity."-

The Japanese man did a brief pause before answering that question...

-"And I guess you believe what all that people say about me, don't you?"-

-"No."- Madison denied accusing his senior of anything. -"I personally do not believe any of those accusations, because, apart from the fact that you are somewhat... eccentric at times, I have never seen you do anything immoral, not even with the animals we work with, much less with humans. In fact, you are more humane than many people I have met here on this base, including, quite frankly, the aforementioned Major, for god's sake!"-

Komatsu looked at Madison with a serious expression; it had been years since anyone had asked him anything about his life, at least in a way that wasn't condescending to him, and the reasons he ended up working in the U.S. for the same people who destroyed his hometown and his family.

-"To be honest, Madison, I don't know if I can maintain my compassion for people any longer..."-

-"Considering in advance what happened in Hiroshima, and also in Nagasaki as well, I can't blame you for feeling miserable, doctor."-

-"Hah!"- Komatsu bowed his body a bit and then, he raised his head to signaling he was both sad and angry at the same time. -"To say what I saw in both Hiroshima and before during the war was terrible would be the biggest understatement this damn century had even heard!"-

-"Was it that bad for you during the war, doctor?"-

Komatsu lowered his head again...

-"Unfortunately, it was."-

The assistant looked closely at his boss, and decided to ask a few more questions, now that he had the confidence to talk more openly with his senior on more sensitive issues about his life before coming to America.

-"I'm sure you didn't come all the way from Japan just because you were a nice guy, right?"-

-"Indeed."-

-"Then all this must have had a starting-point, right, doctor?"-

-"Yes, and this all started in Germany. Frankfurt, to be more precise."-

-"Frankfurt?"-

-"Yes,"- The Japanese doctor replied. -"It all started there, in that city."-

-"But why in Germany in the first place, doctor?"- The young assistant stared starkly at the doctor. -"Aren't you supposed to be Japanese?"-

-"Well, that's a very long story to tell, Madison..."-

Komatsu put the bowl next to him where he had eaten his udon, so that he could talk more comfortably with his aide about his past.

-"...If you don't mind staying here and listening to it, I have no objection in telling the story of my life right before I ended up here in Texas."-

-"Well, that's fine with me, doctor; after all, I already had my lunch, and my shift doesn't end until 7 PM, so I have plenty of time to talk about whatever you want."-

-"In that case, I'll start with the boring details:"- Komatsu started to talk about his life. -"It all started when I was just a kid..."-

In a matter of an hour, Yoshinori Komatsu told his assistant, Phillip Madison, at least in a more or less summarized way, the story of his life up to that point, starting with his childhood, his original idea of his famous theory of evolution that he had at that time, his time in college, how he got a scholarship from the Japanese government to study in Europe, his relationships with some infamous people from the war, his era in both Pingfang, his hometown Hiroshima and Tokyo, up until his arrest and transfer to the U.S.

After hearing all this, Madison was surprised to learn that scientist had a rather difficult and hard life, of which he knew nothing until that point, Not even a hint of it. While living in a small community like Hiroshima at first, Komatsu knew one day, he would be able to change the world, but not yet able to tell which way the world was going to shape itself. And even though his country was at war with America, his interests were in biology, veterinary and zoology, not being involved in petty politics. Even more surprising for Madison was to hear what happened to Komatsu's family, especially on regards about the death of his mother in a makeshift hospital.

-"The truth is... I'm very sorry about what happened to your family, doctor."- The young Texan man, bowing his head in shame, tried to apologize to Dr. Komatsu for what happened in Hiroshima on behalf of his country. -"Even though I don't know all the details that occurred in your hometown, but as an American, I am ashamed to have to admit what my country did to your Hiroshima just to stop the war at the cost of thousands of innocent lives. This is horrible, indeed..."-

-"It wasn't your fault, kid. If you want to blame someone, start blaming your country's government, that's all I can say about it."- Komatsu replied with awe in his voice. -"To be completely fair, I, personally, feel sorry for my people to have been used by the Empire for its own benefit during this senseless war. And also I feel sorry for the crimes my country also did for the sake of those same leaders' self-interests."-

-"That's more than obvious, doctor."- Madison retorted in a sardonic matter at his senior. -"Our leaders are just a bunch of fuckin' morons with dicks for brains, that's for sure."-

Komatsu began to laugh when he heard his assistant curse like that, because in all the time he knew him, he never believed that Madison would use foul language at any time as he would not swear or curse anyone, regardless of the situation he was in.

-"Why did you curse, Madison?"- Dr. Komatsu asked his assistant.

-"I really don't know, doctor."- The young aide replied, somewhat depressed in his own particular way. -"The truth is that knowing that my country destroyed two cities where most of the inhabitants had nothing to do with the war would be something I would consider a criminal and terrible act, no matter what excuses my government gives."

-"Hmm... I think I grasp your drift, Madison."-

-"Glad you understand, doctor; I think you must think we are all a bunch of racist, arrogant rednecks, like Major Fitzroy, in this country. While there are many people like him, there are also people like me who just want to have a quiet life, and we don't have any problems with people of other races like you, doctor, but unfortunately there are people who use racism as a convenient excuse to commit abuses here and elsewhere, something that I would never excuse, regardless of how patriotic I am."-

-"Anyone would swear with that, that's for sure."-

-"That's right."-

Komatsu was silent for a few moments, and looked again at his assistant. Seeing that young man, in spite of being American, was willing to learn anything from a foreign scientist of Asian origin, even at a time when there was widespread prejudice against people like Komatsu, was something that brightened up the man's day, and even more so when Madison undertook the specific task of preparing udon soup for him, something that was not very easy in a southern city like El Paso, Texas, just a few kilometers from the Mexican border.

-"I'm very glad to have you as my assistant, Madison."- The Japanese man said proudly at his aide. -"People like you are sadly not easy to find in this world."-

-"Thank you, sir."- The young Texan man replied somewhat ashamed by those compliments from his boss. -"But why do you say that, doctor?"-

-"I forgot to comment on this, regarding my life story, but I was betrayed by one of my assistants, who was one of the spies working for the Russians, and I was forced to kill him... or rather, it was Raghu who did it in order to defend me."-

-"Oh, you mean the Bengal tiger that uses sign language, don't you?"-

-"That's right."-

-"Oh my! That must surely have been terrible, doctor."-

-"And I don't think you want to know what happened next, Madison."-

Madison gasped as he listened to that part, since just imagining the exact details of that incident where the Russian spies were killed by the animals of his actual boss back in Tokyo provoked revulsion in that young man.

-"Personally, I don't want to hear the specifics, sir, thank you very much anyway."-

-"Don't worry about it, Madison; it wasn't something I wanted to talk about thoroughly either."-

After that long talk, which also included food, Komatsu checked his watch, and realized that it was time to continue working after that lunch break. Then, the Japanese man got up from his chair, straightened his lab coat, and prepared himself for work.

-"Are you ready to resume work, my dear assistant?"-

-"I'm ready anytime you are, doctor."-

-"In that case, notify the other researchers to return to the lab after they finish eating their lunch."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Then, the young man opened the lab's door and left the room to proceed to his destination.

-"He is one of the best, if not the best, scientist I have ever met..."-

Madison was musing for himself, with respect to his superior, but at the same time, he also felt pity for everything that man had gone through over his own life.

-"...but he has also had a very shitty life, and the truth is that I wouldn't want to be in his shoes, not even as a joke."-

A touch of sadness was felt in his voice, as he continued walking over the base's aisles in order to tell the other researchers to come back to work with that man who was his boss.

---

January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's barracks), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:00 AM

The first thing Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu heard, from the old barracks where he slept at Fort Bliss, was the barking of the military police dogs that roamed the military base.

He stirred in his sleep, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the clock he bought in a shop in Offenbach, Germany, during his stay in the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt.

-"Those poor dogs, don't these damn yanks feed their animals at least once for day, for god's sake?"- He said to himself, as he slowly opened his eyes.

Noticing the time, Komatsu woke up from his bed, and after going to the wardrobe, he started dressing as quickly as he could, considering that the weather was a little chilly that day. At least the army had begun to take into account his complaints about the dismal state of the barracks where he slept, and since last year they had begun doing maintenance work on those run-down structures.

But despite all this, the Japanese scientist would have given anything to return to his homeland if he had the chance, something he said aloud as he looked up at the top.

-"This is not a country I like, at all."- he added, talking to the ceiling of his bedroom. -"Why do I have to be here again? Why do I have to work for these American morons?"- He sighed, in the darkness of his room. -"Well, there's no way out, I suppose."- He said, and even though he was feeling a bit nostalgic, the reality was that his life had to go on, for better or worse.

So, after eating a quick lunch first, and after putting on his coat, he went down the stairs from the building. Despite being a bit chilly, he decided to go for a little stroll around the barracks area of the fort, as was his habit while he was at the base.

-"I may hate this place, but at least the air here feels fresh and pure, compared to the underground bunker where I used to work back in Tokyo."- He said to himself, remembering the state in which the U.S. military arrested him, after taking him into their custody following the American occupation of Japan after the end of World War II.

Something that angered Komatsu time and again since he arrived to America was the fact that many of the American soldiers, officers and military scientists, excluding his assistant, Phillip Madison, treated him as nothing less than a expendable asset, ready to be discarded and disposed of as if he were something less than human trash.

And that is without forgetting that many regarded him as little less than a mad scientist, on a par with the infamous Dr. Frankenstein of the novel of the same name.

-"Since my time here in America, I'm practically the property of the U.S. government, even though I'm also their prisoner as well. I'm not even sure if there is a difference between being a prisoner and a slave."- He added as he thought about his current situation.

After finishing his daily walk, Komatsu went to work to his laboratory where he usually carried out his current research. There was a lot of work to be done, and he couldn't waste any more time brooding over his personal misfortunes on himself, especially when Major Fitzroy didn't waste time harassing and nagging him every chance he got.

---

January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:30 AM

-"Good morning, Dr. Komatsu!"-

-"Good morning for you too, Madison."-

Komatsu was glad to see that, among the bad things he had to deal on a daily basis at the base, his personal assistant, Phillip Madison, was one of the few good things he could count on when it came to talking to someone he could trust in America.

-"How are things going?"- Komatsu asked Madison.

-"Well, sir, you know the drill. People are talking, rumors are flying, but nothing extraordinary."- The young Texan man said, while explaining the current developments up to that time. -"Don't you want me to buy you a coffee at Vogue Café, sir? It's on me, if you wish."-

-"Yes, that sound good."- Komatsu smiled.

The Vogue Café was in the middle of the base, and in that time it was quite popular among both the soldiers and the scientists and the upper staff for its excellent menu and delicious coffee there. Komatu found the idea of having a coffee from that place as pleasant, but he also wanted to avoid wasting a lot of time with unneeded diversions.

-"If you're going to go buy that coffee, try not to take too long with, we have a lot to do today, Madison."- Komatsu then said.

-"Yes, sir."- With that, Madison made his way to the coffee shop.

Meanwhile, Komatsu wanted to know how the research they were doing was going. Another of the researchers working in the lab, a man named Fletcher, began to talk with the Japanese scientist.

-"Dr. Komatsu, I believe this may be of interest to you."-

-"Really?"- The scientist asked the researcher curiously. -"What do you mean by that, Fletcher?"-

-"I don't know if you remember the small project that you asked us to do last year related to genetic manipulation in order to try to replicate Raghu's abilities in other cats, even if we could only be able to replicate his ability to use sign language."-

-"I do remember it clearly,"- The Japanese doctor said at his American partner. -"however, to be honest, I don't think it would have worked anyway; replicating other people's memories, even those of animals, is considered by many to be impossible."-

-"I agree with you. However, it appears we were wrong."- Fletcher noted.

-"What?"- Komatsu was curious, and surprised about what he heard.

-"It seems that we did manage to replicate that ability in another cat. However, there may be something else too."-

-"Something else?"-

-"Yes, the cat displays a very high intelligence. In fact, its intelligence is higher than anything that we have seen in other animals, not even with the animals you brought originally from Japan, or their ancestors from Germany."-

Komatsu was deeply stunned by what he was hearing up to that point: Not only had they managed to duplicate the skills of Raghu, the Bengal tiger that Komatsu had been working with in Tokyo, and which had also helped him kill those spies paid by Stalin, as well as to helped him escape to Hiroshima, but they had even been able to improve his talents by using another cat whose genes were grafted onto it before the animal was born using in-vitro techniques.

-"Why... why hasn't anyone told me about this until now, Fletcher?"- The doctor reproached his colleague for not receiving any notice on the subject. -"Do you know how long I have waited to hear something like this since this project began nine years ago?"

-"I haven't heard about it until two days ago, when your head assistant, Doctor Madison, told me about it. It seems that the cat is still very young and they say that it's not quite healthy either."-

-"If that is true, why haven't they told me yet?"-

-"I don't have an answer to that question. Maybe they are still debating whether to tell you since they believe that if you think the cat is sick or weak, you'll want to be the one to help it first before use it as a research subject."-

Komatsu was deeply confused with the silence they had kept about the subject of the cat, but at the same time, he felt happy to have heard what Fletcher had told him. The doctor decided to go to the lab and see it for himself.

The Japanese man of science arrived at the research area and began to see the feline inside a cage; meanwhile, the kitten was sitting on its hind paws and its tail was moving in circles.

The scientist couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the little feline inside the cage, and decided to remove it from there, but the cage was very big, so he had a hard time bringing it in his hands.

Once with the little kitten in his hands, Komatsu brought the cat to another room, where the animal could be seen more clearly. From the outside, the cat looked pretty healthy, aside from its sharp pointed ears and its jet-black fur, who also was was shining like a very black diamond.

Komatsu got very close to see it better, and it seems like the feline could hear his voice. Then, the little animal began to whimper with joy, happy to see that scientist, who was also happy to see that adorable creature he had in his hands.

-"Don't you think this little kitten is adorable, gentlemen?"-

Komatsu said with a really big smile painted in his face. The other members of his research team did the same, seeing that adorable kitten playing in the hands of his superior.

-"...but most important of all, this little kitten will become our next landmark once Raghu is no longer with us, so we have to take care of him as much as possible so that he could have a long life ahead."

-"That's right, Dr. Komatsu."- Fletcher responded. -"Raghu is already getting old and we cannot depend on him forever, so we have to consider a replacement for him sooner or later, and being able to replicate his skills on another feline is a big step for us."-

-"But there is something important to think about later, Dr. Komatsu."- Another researcher, named Mason, threw in a bit of extra weight to what Fletcher had said about the cat.

-"What do you mean, Mason?"- Komatsu asked that man.

-"So far, all our research results have focused exclusively on cats, dogs and rodents."- The man named Mason said at his Japanese senior. -"As I understand it, doctor, the goal of this project is to provide intelligence and speech to any warm-blooded species, as long as they are not primates, cetaceans and inferior beings like insects or fish. Being able to replicate those results in species of the same racial group is good, but none of that will be of any use if we cannot do the same with other mammals and birds."-

-"Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, Mason; domestic animals are easier to obtain and handle than wild animals, with the sole exception of Raghu, and that's why most of our results come from that specific group."- Fletcher replied at his partner.

-"Yes, but what is the use of doing experiments on animals for that purpose, if we are only going to apply the results on domestic animals, when the goal of the project is broader than that?"- The other researcher retorted.

-"So you suggest we apply the results we got with this cat to other wild animals, Mason? Right now we have other wild cats, among them a lion, a puma, a lynx, a serval cat, a caracal and even an Iriomote cat from Japan, and I would not dare to apply that same therapy to the offspring of those animals, not knowing what could happen next, because that would be playing with fire, especially with the bigger felines."- Fletcher responded with concern at the suggestion of applying the results obtained with the small kitten to other wild animals. -"We are lucky that Raghu is cooperating with us, taking into account all that poor tiger suffered at the hands of that zoophile keeper, but maybe other animals are not as nice as him, or even worse."-

-"I know that, Fletcher, I'm not stupid, I understand all those risks."- Mason replied. -"My point is that we have a responsibility not just to our research and the goal of this project, but also to the welfare of animals and people, and by doing any experiments with those animals using only that kitten as a current basis, we will eventually be digging our own grave, if something goes deadly wrong."- Mason said.

An absolute and macabre silence was felt in the laboratory before that possibility expressed by Mason, which was broken by Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu himself.

-"Now, you are making me feel uncomfortable, Mason."- Komatsu said.

-"I'm sorry, but I'm just giving you my two cents of what I think with all that in mind."- Mason said, with a bit of sadness in his voice.

-"Okay, I get it, but what other options are there?"- Komatsu asked out loud to Mason.

-"Well, we could always start doing tests with other animals, just so we get familiar with the general form of this technique and see how it starts to work and what could be its potential dangers and what not."- Fletcher said. -"How different can a pig be from a cat, I mean, it's not that different, after all?"-

-"There are some differences, you know."- Mason said. -"I'm afraid your comparison is a tad simplistic."-

-"Well, I'm not a biologist, Mason."- Fletcher said. -"I'm familiar with cats and dogs, which are the animals I worked with during my time as an army veterinary in New Mexico, and I'm not used to working with other creatures."- He defended himself.

-"Fair enough."- Mason said with a nod.

-"Actually, this raises an interesting point that I did not see."- Komatsu said, raising his hand at the duo. -"Maybe I was too focused on the feline family that it had slipped my mind for a bit, but now that I take a proper look at the differences you mentioned between domestic and wild animals along with the circumstances that make our research results possible in cats, and I see a way to start doing the same with pigs. Maybe a pig is not that different from a cat, but it is still a different animal."-

-"Okay, but how is that going to help us, doctor?"- Fletcher asked with curiosity.

-"Well, as Raghu and the other felines have proven, domestic animals can be taught stuff that wild animals don't, but I don't think the success of our technique depends on just that."- Komatsu explained, making the other two researchers focus their attention to him. -"Sure, domestication, being raised in captivity and the physiological differences like it happened with humans and Neanderthals, made the results very incredible, but our goal is broader than that, isn't it?"- Komatsu asked, getting nods from both Fletcher and Mason.

-"You're right, doctor."- Mason responded.

-"I think I feel the same way."- Fletched said as well.

-"Good, I'm glad we got this cleared up."- Komatsu said, pleased with their responses. -"So, as I was saying, we need to find a way to transfer the results we got with Raghu and this kitten into other domestic animals, but we cannot risk doing the same experiments with any kind of wild animal afterwards, much less with wild felines. No matter what."-

-"Yes, sir!"- Both men replied at the Japanese man.

Meanwhile, Phillip Madison, Dr. Komatsu's head assistant, had returned from the cafeteria, carrying two cups of coffee, one for him and one for his boss. When he entered the lab, he had already noticed that the mood was not the same as before he left.

-"What's going on?"- He asked.

-"We were just trying to find a way to improve our technique we applied with the kitten to a point where we can apply it to animals other than felines, but we ran into some issues."- Mason explained.

-"Oh, I see."- Madison said, handing the coffee to Komatsu, who took it with a small nod.

-"Thanks, Madison."- Komatsu said. -"By the way, when is that female cheetah we requested from the San Diego Big Cat Park going to arrive?"-

-"Actually, we already have the cheetah. The truck carrying her just arrived to El Paso not long ago."- Madison replied.

-"Awesome!"- Fletcher exclaimed -"Good job!"- He said. -"I just hope that..."- The researcher said, but he stopped as soon as he noticed Komatsu frowning visibly and rubbing his chin on his right hand. -"Are you okay, doctor?"-

-"Yeah... I'm okay. I hope?"- Komatsu spoke in an insecure and doubtful tone. -"But your question raises a very important matter for me that I just realized."- Komatsu realized. -"Do you remember the list of the animals I asked you to get from the San Diego Zoo?"- He asked to Madison.

-"Yeah, it's right here."- He replied, taking his notebook from his bag and giving it to the man who was sitting next to him.

-"59 guinea pigs, 2 chickens, 2 pigeons, 6 bats, a rice rat and the female cheetah."- The doctor said, reading the list of the animals that came with the request.

-"Yes, that is correct."- Madison confirmed. -"But, why? Is there a problem?"- Madison asked.

-"No, nothing like that."- Komatsu said. -"I find the way you chose the animals funny."- He said.

-"Funny?"- Madison asked worried. -"Why is that funny?"-

-"It's because you decided to choose stereotypical laboratory animals, and a cheetah, to top it off. Not that I am complaining, although I would like to know if this was caused by some problem with the budget we have so far given, which we all know is not exactly very large, if we compare it with similar projects, such as those of Dr. Von Braun."- Komatsu explained, using the example of the famous German rocket scientist who led the United States' space program in that era.

-"Well, you see doctor,"- Madison hesitated a bit. -"the budget given to us isn't enough to obtain better specimens, so we have to settle with these animals, and the cheetah, which by the way is somewhat old, and I think the San Diego Zoo gave it to us to get rid of it once and for all, if I have to be frank about it."

-"I understand that."- Komatsu replied, who still noticed that Madison's face showed reluctance and uncertainty about the situation, so he decided to clear things out a bit for the man. -"so stop worrying, okay? We need to make the best out of the small budget we are given, and I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job. I like how you're working so far, since the animals are safely cheerful and healthy, which is all that really matters to me at this moment anyway."- Komatsu explained.

-"Thanks doctor, you're a life saver!"- Madison said, a bit relieved. -"And now what are we going to do today, now that you have seen the kitten, seeing that Fletcher and Mason have already done it for me while I was away?"-

-"For the moment, continue to work with other things, in the meantime."- Komatsu said. -"But first of all, I would like to know when those animals will arrive at Fort Bliss."-

-"We should get them by tomorrow."- Madison said. -"I already contacted with Major Fitzroy for clearance, and he said that he will going to send someone from the animal department to take care of their transportation."-

-"Fitzroy?"- Komatsu replied, quite puzzled to hear that the Major authorized such thing so easily, considering he really hated Komatsu with a passion. -"I wonder what caused the Major to allow me to bring in more animals, knowing that the last time we talked about it last year, he didn't want to see any more of them on the base?"-

-"Maybe they pulled his ears at the Pentagon, and forced him to accept your idea, doctor?"- Mason giggled a bit.

-"Yes, maybe."- Komatsu agreed with a smile, taking a sip from his coffee. -"Well, let's just hope for the best, then."-

-"Seeing the reputation that Major Fitzoy has around the base, it doesn't surprise me if he was scolded in Washington, whereas he was almost killing you last year, doctor."- Madison replied, while commenting about that incident when Fitzroy almost strangled Komatsu in his own lab.

Obviously, that incident with the Major was something that Yoshinori Komatsu hoped he would never have to remember again for the rest of his life, and his assistant Madison made the faux pax of talking about it right in front of him, something that he immediately and very gravely made known to him.

-"Excuse me, Madison, but you should keep that in mind that you should not talk about that particular incident in my presence."- Komatsu warned in a very uncomfortable and angry tone.

-"Sorry doctor, I didn't mean to."- Madison said, looking down at the floor, ashamed of what he just said.

-"I'm sorry for the interruption, doctor, but I beg your pardon for being rude and bothering you with this, but...it's just that...there is something I really need to ask you now. You know, since you are the director of this laboratory..."- Mason said.

-"Yes, what is it?"- Komatsu asked suspiciously, considering that he suspected Mason was about to ask something which he was not really sure if he could reply or not.

-"I'm sorry, but I need to know if...ummm...what do you think of those stories about the UFOs that they saw at... uh...Roswell, on New Mexico, at 1947?"- Mason asked, quite nervous and moody because he was really afraid of what Komatsu would answer.

Komatsu was a bit surprised to hear Mason ask that, and it also brought back some unpleasant memories from the past, so he decided to remain silent for a couple of moments before responding to the question.

-"I know what you want to know, Mason, but it's not important to talk about such things, since what happened back at Roswell was just a meddled and stupid conspiracy theory."- The Japanese science man replied. -"Besides, I don't believe in those stupid stories about flying saucers, aliens and that kind of nonsense out of cheap science fiction novels."-

The three assistants, Madison, Mason and Fletcher, were surprised to hear that statement from their immediate boss, considering that in the last few years since that incident in Roswell, they had not stopped hearing rumors about the presence of flying saucers and the possibility that one of them had crashed in that New Mexico town.

But that scientist, Yoshinori Komatsu, had never believed in such stories in his life, even if there might be some truth in them, for several reasons that he immediately made known to his own assistants.

-"To begin with, I don't believe that life exists on other worlds besides our own, and all those stories about flying saucers, little gray men with big black eyes and other ridiculous things show that many people cannot consider the possibility that the human race could really be alone in the universe, and that we are a gigantic cosmic anomaly that by chance exists."- Komatsu explained his stance on the issue. -"Besides, such stories are just the result of hysterical sci-fi nuts that have no idea of the real universe, and just because they like to read fantasy books and the like, they can easily get their imagination going in ways that make no sense. Maybe it would be more natural that such tales would just be pure science fiction, considering that they were born from the minds of writers who think that science fiction is the same thing as science itself."-

-"But, there could be some kind of truth about those stories that they told at Roswell, doctor."- Mason replied. -"Even if they are not totally true, they are not related to science fiction books at all. Believe it or not, it is really possible that a flying saucer from some unknown space civilization crashed in New Mexico."-

-"What, seriously?"- Komatsu asked, a bit surprised to learn that one of his assistants was taking those stories seriously. -"I thought you were a little more intelligent than that to buy into such rubbish!"-

Mason couldn't help but feel sorry that his boss had scolded him for trying to convince him otherwise, not hesitating to regard him as an idiot for believing those stories about flying saucers and aliens, something that was noticeable on the young assistant's face.

-"Ummm...uh...I...I...I apologize, doctor, for decrying your ideas, but I think that at least most of them could be true."- Mason replied, looking down at the floor. -"The thing is that I am aware of the fact that we are likely to be the only intelligent species in the universe. That when you start to think of the astronomical and biological odds against such a possibility, it is very unlikely that there would be any other planet in the universe housing life besides Earth itself. But, I really admit that it is possible that it is not true, as you mentioned before, that life could be created from natural processes without the intervention of some higher intelligence."-

-"Like god, you say?"- Komatsu replied, somewhat annoyed by that implication.

-"Well, not exactly god, so to speak, doctor..."-

Komatsu groaned for a few moments, and did not hesitate to make his annoyance known regarding anything to do with religion, not caring about the consequences of what he was about to say.

-"What surprises me is that there are still people who believe in these idiotic children's fairy tales."-

-"WHAT?"-

Mason, who up to that point had kept respect for Dr. Komatsu in everything he could say, no matter how absurd or controversial it might be, felt that the scientist had gone too far in saying that religion was just stupid fairy tales. That young scientist, who was a devout Protestant of the Baptist branch, could tolerate many things from his superior, except that someone would consider his faith as something ridiculous and childish.

-"I know that you don't believe in God, Dr. Komatsu, but I cannot allow you to insult my faith like that. You are a good scientist and mentor, but you should know that the Bible is not just a fairytale!"-

-"Your so-called Bible, along many sacred books of the same kind, are the source of many deplorable crimes in the whole human history, and not a single word of those books should be trusted."- Komatsu replied. -"Everything from the story of Big Foot to the notions of heaven and hell are rubbish, unworthy of any intelligent person. And what can you possibly say in defense of your own beliefs?"-

-"I could explain things in scientific terms if I wanted to, Dr. Komatsu. I think that I do know a little bit about science and that it can explain almost anything."- Mason replied.

-"Do it then."- Komatsu challenged the young man.

Mason thought about it for several moments and decided to just tell the truth about what he thought and believed in, at least at a very basic level.

-"I believe in God, a creator of everything that there is in the universe, something powerful, all-loving and all-knowing."- Mason replied. -"I believe that he created everything in the heavens and the Earth. I believe that the Bible is the word of God himself, a holy book that contains eternal truths that were revealed by him, and that we should consider it as the word of God itself. I believe that this God has revealed his word through the prophets, as you say, and that he has revealed himself to humankind through Jesus Christ, so that we could understand him better. I believe that everything that the Bible says is true, and that if we untwist all the myths and symbolism, it describes a great universal love story, and the word of God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God to save the world and show us the way to eternal life."-

Komatsu, enraged by the audacity of that young American science man in holding his religious beliefs before him, a man who believed in nothing but science itself, decided, in the most brutal but effective way possible, to make him see his own hypocrisy.

-"In that case, let me illustrate you, in summary, what we plan to do with this project that we have been working on for the last nine years, my dear hypocrite young man."- Komatsu faced Mason, while his face was red on rage. -"This project is about giving intelligence and speech to animals, so that they can speak and act the same way as human beings, and for them, we will be THEIR GODS, in the same way that your famous god from the Bible says he created us humans, and people like you, my dear Mason, will be THEIR PROPHETS, because we created them and gave them intelligence."- The Japanese man challenged Mason's beliefs in his own face -"And I suppose someone like you, who calls himself religious, would not have agreed to work here in the first place knowing in advance that we would be playing God, or am I wrong?"-

The young American assistant was so angry and shocked by what Dr. Komatsu had just told him that he could not help but start to tremble and shout inside, as he was unable to make his voice heard while the Japanese scientist looked at him as if he was mocking him.

-"Then, what the hell are you doing!?- Mason exclaimed. -"That is not what you told me in the first place when I accepted to work in this project. You told me that we would be aiding animals and helping them to survive!- The young man was angry. -"How can you not understand that you are committing a sin that will condemn your soul for a thousand lifetimes!?"-

-"In that case, I think you don't know me as well as you think, and that you're stupider than you really are, not knowing the full implications of this project, especially considering that you've been working here for five years, so you have no excuse for saying that you don't know what the goal of this project is."-

Mason was not going to allow his religious beliefs to be insulted by a foreigner, much less have that man, whom he had so far respected, try to get away with such a blatant act.

-"We shall see about that."- Mason replied. -"For I will not tolerate a man who hails from a country that was defeated in the last war, and who worships many false gods, to come here to America and tell me what I should or should not believe!"-

It was evident that Mason's true face was evident in those words. Behind that façade of a rational and religious scientist, there was a man who had a certain contempt for foreigners, especially towards the Japanese like Komatsu, something that the latter did not intend to tolerate in his presence, much less in such an aggressive manner; likewise, Komatsu was not going to tolerate any more breaches against his authority, and he decided to put a limit to that man's behavior, in a clear and definite way.

-"In that case, I have no more use for you, Mason, as it is evident that you have no respect for the authority that I have, as head of this project, nor even for me as a person. You can go home now, and take all the nonsensical beliefs of yours with you!"- Komatsu's dismissive tone was belligerent and offensive to the young American's ears.

-"OK, then, I'm leaving!"- Mason replied, taking a step backwards. -"And you can stick your project and your damn theory in a place where the sun doesn't rise!"-

Then Mason, Komatsu's now ex-assistant, stormed out of the lab to an unknown destination, while the Japanese scientist was furious that he had been questioned in this way, and he would not tolerate another such incident from his other assistants and researchers, something he warned them about right away.

-"And the next idiot who thinks he can play with me like that will meet the same fate as Mason, so I will not tolerate any indiscipline of that sort! Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?"-

-"Ye-YES, SIR!"- all the assistants agreed, as they were all petrified of Komatsu's temper.

-"Good."- Komatsu responded. -"That's just the way we like it."-

-"And what do you plan to do with Mason, doctor?"- Madison asked the doctor.

-"Let that idiot say what he wants, I don't think it will do much harm, and if it does, I have my methods to check what he does."-

-"I don't think Major Fitzroy will be very happy about this if he finds out about it, doctor."- The young assistant warned his senior about the consequences on firing that man.

-"Heh! That Major can go to hell as far as I'm concerned!"- Komatsu cursed loudly. -"And I'll deal with him if he complains about it!"-

---

January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 01:40 PM

-"All right, let me see if I have this straight:"- Major Matthew Fitzroy asked some questions to Mason in his office. -"Dr. Komatsu fired you because he didn't agree with your religious beliefs after he mocked them, right?"-

-"That's right, sir."-

-"And what happened next?"-

-"He said afterwards that I was no longer of use to him, and fired me later."- Mason replied, still angry after being kicked out by his former boss.

-"And how did all this mess come about?"- Fitzroy asked the young man. -"Even knowing Komatsu, and how eccentric he is at times, he has never fired anyone without good reason, and for someone to be fired from the hand of that man is because something must have occurred between you and the doc to make him seriously pissed off."-

-"Well, the whole thing started when I started talking about the Roswell incident in New Mexico 8 years ago, and I asked Dr. Komatsu for his opinion on the subject."- Mason explained the events that lead to his sacking from the project. -"For some reason I don't understand, the doctor was very upset when the subject was discussed, because he didn't believe in such ridiculous things, as he called the incident, and neither did he believe in flying saucers or even the possibility of life on other planets."-

-"Well, he's a man of science. Did you expect anything less from him?"- Fitzroy said, as he pulled a box of very expensive Cuban cigars from his desk, and lit one. -"I doubt very much that someone like him would believe in those things about flying saucers or fantastic things, because it has never been his style, although even so, that doesn't explain why the subject turned into a religious one, which is something I would like to know, Mason."-

-"I think this all started because I made a mention of God when he started arguing about the impossibility of intelligent life on other worlds, and suddenly he said that God and the Bible were just stupid children's fairy tales to him."- Mason continued with his explanation. -"I tried to defend my beliefs, but that only caused Dr. Komatsu to explode in anger, called me a hypocrite, and then fired me."-

-"That is a very interesting piece of information."- Fitzroy said, as he thought to himself about what Mason had just revealed to him. -"I always thought that Komatsu was a man who thinks with his mind, not with his heart and beliefs."-

-"Well, the truth is that I don't know what else to think of him; I thought he was an intelligent man, but it turned out that he is someone who doesn't tolerate any opinion contrary to his own, although as you commented, you said that the doctor has never fired anyone without a good reason."-

-"Well, well, those things usually happen with people like Komatsu, although I don't like him much either, to be honest with you, my boy."-

Fitzroy was still furiously smoking his cigar, while Mason was trying to get some help on the matter from his now ex-boss...

-"What do you plan to do about it now that Komatsu has fired you?"- The Major asked the young scientist.

-"I don't really know, Major, I was hoping you would tell me and do something about it, like force Dr. Komatsu to reconsider his idea."- Mason replied as he watched the smoke swirl around in the air from that man's cigar.

Moments later, Fitzroy put his already worn-out cigarette in the ashtray, and looked at Mason carefully, in order to say what he had in mind with Komatsu, and thus kill two birds with one stone: Help Mason and get rid of Komatsu once and for all; and that incident was the perfect opportunity to achieve his goal, as he had the perfect excuse to have Komatsu separated from the project, arguing that Komatsu fired Mason for religious rather than work reasons.

-"Listen, Mason, I'm going to tell you something very important."- Fitzroy said, while he continued watching Mason's reaction to his words. -"A couple of days ago, I received a call from the Pentagon, requesting a report about Komatsu's progress with the whole Project, and asked me the details about my opinion on it. Know that Komatsu has been here for a long time since the end of the last war, and the government is starting to worry about the progress of the whole thing, after many years have passed, without any results, and they want an expert opinion of someone else than Komatsu himself."-

-"And you personally believe that the whole project has failed, right?"- Mason asked the Major.

-"I don't know, and that's something that will be investigated in a few days." Fitzroy then explained the next point. -"Defense Secretary Charles Wilson will come here to Fort Bliss, along with biology expert Dr. Reese Ellington, who is working as Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, next week. They will review the project and decide whether to continue as before, or cancel it altogether, so there's no point in asking Komatsu to reconsider its decision to fire you if there's a possibility that the entire project may be cancelled."-

-"I get it."- Mason replied to the Major.

-"So tell me, do you have any contact with Komatsu's men or any of his other employees?"- Fitzroy asked the young scientist.

-"Well, I was his assistant for many years until today, and I know his head assistant, Mr. Phillip Madison, very well. He and I often talked while we were working, but why do you want to know that, Major?"- Mason asked the burly Texan Major, worriedly.

-"That's just exactly what I needed."- Fitzroy replied with a cold and calculating smile, as both men shared a conspiratorial glance.

-"You didn't answer, Major, why do you want to know that?"- Mason continued asking with sudden curiosity, as he saw Fitzroy's hand cross over to the phone as if it were an instinctive gesture.

Fitzroy couldn't tell him much, and he didn't want to, but he couldn't lie to him after telling him so much information, so he tried to be careful in his framing of the following sentence in his mind: He should have known that Mason was one of those people that were willing to do anything for a cause they believed in, and Mason also would be willing to do anything that he had, if he could contribute on Komatsu's fall.

-"I need you to help me spy on his assistant, Madison, trying to get as much information from him as you can in one way or another, either by stealing information directly from his bedroom, or by trying to convince him to give you any information that might be useful."-

-"But Major, you know very well that Dr. Komatsu is very cautious, and he has already taken steps to prevent something like this from happening by warning us of that very possibility."- Mason explained the main problems of Major Fitzroy's idea. -"In addition, he knows better than anyone that he is being spied on by the government, and it is likely that he has a lot of information in his own mind, so there is not much we can get from other third parties, as the knowledge about the main pillars of his Advanced Evolution Project are held by him in his own head."

-"I know that!"- Fitzroy shouted impatiently. -"I'm just trying to give you a mission so that you will be able to continue working, Mason, and contribute on something at all, even if it is spying on that weasel Komatsu."-

-"Knowing the doctor and his backstory during his time in the Imperial Japanese Army, there is a possibility that if the doctor catches me, I will end up being food for Raghu, the doctor's Bengal tiger, just as it happened with the Soviet spies that the doctor always talks about when he mentioned his time working in Japan."-

-"That's something that needs to be considered in the same way, Mason. And I don't want to risk you on an issue that should be exclusive for the government to resolve."-

Mason gave a look of surprise to the Major, and answered his comment with:

-"You aren't planning to do something stupid, are you, Major?"-

-"No, Mason, it's nothing like that, just answer this question: Would you do that for me, Mason?"- He looked at him straight in the eyes and asked him directly, and Mason tried to look away from him without answering, but the Major persisted by telling him.

-"I am a scientist, not a spy, and I don't want to risk my life in a personal vendetta against the doctor, but if you think this can help put Dr. Komatsu in his place, I am willing to help."-

-"All right, Mason, I really appreciate your help with this matter, and I'll be in contact with you as much as I can to organize the surveillance that will be on the doctor's assistant. If we're lucky, maybe we will be able to get some information that will be helpful to put this matter in front of the top brass of the U.S. government ."-

-"How will we be able to contact each other, Major?"- Mason asked him.

-"That's another issue I've been planning."- Fitzroy answered him. -"For my part I will wait for the decision that Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington make regarding Komatsu's project, and if they both decide that both the project and the whole famous theory on which the project is based have no scientific merit, then we can take care of Dr. Komatsu without too many complications for both of us."-

Fitzroy promised to call Mason within a few days to tell him about the decision he was expecting from Washington and that was going to decide on the future of Komatsu's project.

-"Of course, Major, that is why I agreed to do this, I am willing to help you in any way I can to help achieve your objective against Dr. Komatsu."- Mason responded to him.

Mason left the office feeling confident about what he could achieve in his mission, as he knew that he had already achieved the support of Major Matthew Fitzroy against Komatsu and his project.

-"Excuse me, Major Fitzroy, can I ask you something, sir?"- Commented Catherine, the Major's personal secretary.

-"Is something wrong, Catherine?"-

-"Do you think it's a good idea to involve a civilian in a matter like this in order to get rid of Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"The world is full of unconventional methods, Catherine, and for me it is the only way to solve it."- Fitzroy replied to her.

-"But that means that there is a possibility that the doctor knows that we have somebody spying on him, and the doctor might have advance warning of our plans against him, sir. I wonder if all of this is really worth it, and that it if the doctor will be able to catch us by surprise, we will be in big trouble."- The woman said.

-"Don't worry about that, because I still have Secretary Wilson and Dr. Ellington as aces up my sleeve. If they decide that Komatsu's project has to go down the drain, then nothing that stupid oriental does is going to help him, and in a few days he will end his days in a gas chamber, forgotten by history and by everyone, including his stupid animals."-

-"I must confess, Major, that I am really worried about this whole situation. Maybe it would be better if you go there in person to deal with the doctor. That man might be very dangerous, if you ask my sincere opinion about him."-

-"What? are you saying that Komatsu is dangerous?"- Fitzroy questioned the woman. -"That Japanese jackass can't kill anyone without the help of his animals, and this American military base isn't like that run-down bunker he worked in Japan, and if he even thinks about doing the same thing he did in Tokyo with those starved cronies payed by the Soviets, a world of hurt will await Komatsu at the hands of a U.S. Army's special unit!"-

---

January 30th, AD 1955, El Paso International Airport (National arrivals area), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:45 PM

Passengers coming from Washington, DC, please proceed to National Arrivals Area number two. Thank you very much for your attention.

Major Matthew Fitzroy and his personal secretary, Catherine, were waiting for their two expected guests, who were coming from Washington on a government paid charter flight to El Paso, Texas, in one of the airport lounges at El Paso International Airport.

The first guest was Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson, who had promised Major Fitzroy to come to Texas since last year to visit Fort Bliss so he could verify Komatsu's project with his own eyes. The other guest was Dr. Reese Ellington, Professor Emeritus of the Harvard University's School of Biology, and considered one of the most expert minds on the subject of biology and genetics in the United States.

These two people would be responsible for deciding the fate of Yoshinori Komatsu's advanced evolution project, and thus sealing his fate once and for all, for Major Fitzroy's pleasure, of course.

-"Major Fitzroy?"-

The major quickly spotted Charles Wilson, Secretary of Defense, who, in addition to being accompanied by Dr. Ellington, was also followed by an entourage of U.S. Secret Service's bodyguards alongside the two men.

-"Oh, nice to see you here in Texas, Mr. Secretary!"-

-"The pleasure is mine, Major!"- Wilson warmly replied to the Major, as he shook his hand. -"To be honest, this is the first time I visit El Paso since I took office."-

-"Really, sir?"-

-"Yes, I never imagined El Paso would be so... warm... at this time of year, to be frank, Major."-

-"Yes, well, we simply have very good weather here for the whole year in El Paso, sir. That's what they say at least!"-

Catherine was also both completely shocked for hearing this, and also blushed after hearing the ridiculous compliment her boss said. Even the Secret Service agents at the airport lounge let out a small laugh.

-"And who is the lady accompanying you, Major?"- The Secretary of Defense asked Fitzroy about Catherine. -"Perhaps it is your wife?"-

-"Heh heh, of course not, Mr. Secretary."- The Texan man giggled a bit. -"This is my personal secretary, Catherine Walburg."-

-"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Secretary."- The woman responded politely to Wilson, the Secretary of Defense.

-"The pleasure is also mine, Ms. Walburg."-

Fitzroy almost forgot about his other guest, the Harvard doctor, who was likewise important in his plans...

-"And you must be Dr. Reese Ellington, I presume?"- Fitzroy asked the other man.

The doctor was an elderly man, approximately 65 years of age, with gray hair, blue eyes, graying beard, and average height, but he had a demeanor that made him seem intimidating to some, including Major Fitzroy, who had years of experience in the military, while Dr. Ellington had years of experience in the field of biology and similar sciences.

-"That's right, Major. That's me."- The doctor shook the Texan man's hand in response.

-"And you must be Major Matthew Fitzroy, from Fort Bliss, I presume?"-

-"That's right, you got it, doctor."-

After the proper introductions, Dr. Ellington wanted to know why he and the Secretary of Defense were in El Paso, knowing that the primary reason was to verify a project of a Japanese scientist working at Fort Bliss.

But the seasoned doctor also knew, from the secretary's mouth, his concerns about why they were both there in Texas: They both knew that Major Fitzroy had no sympathy for Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, and that it was probably all an excuse to cancel his project and put him out of commission. While the secretary of defense did not have much sympathy for the Japanese scientist either, at least he tried to be fair and impartial on the issue, while Dr. Ellington was indifferent to the whole thing, but he did not want to get involved in someone else's personal vendetta, in this case between Major Fitzroy and Dr. Komatsu.

After all, even though Dr. Ellington had a Ph.D. in the field of biology, he was old enough to know that the field of Biology and Genetics was not his only area of expertise. This said, he did not know if it was even worth to get involved in something that could potentially ruin a man's life. But Dr. Ellington did not have to decide that yet, since he wanted to know more about why they had been invited to El Paso.

-"So, Major, could you please tell me why were we invited to El Paso along with the Secretary of Defense? Is it for him personally to look at Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu's so-called Advanced Evolution Project both the Secretary and you were talking about?"- Dr. Ellington asked.

-"Yes, doctor, precisely."- Fitzroy responded. -"I thought it would've been a good idea to have you along, being one of the most experienced experts and professors in the fields of Biology and Genetics in the United States, would be of great help in giving an informed opinion about Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu's Advanced Evolution Project."-

-"Well, Major, I'm going to be frank about this and get to the point."- The old doctor inquired the Major. -"As far as I understand, according to the report that the Secretary gave me about Dr. Komatsu's project, his project is based mainly on giving intelligence and speech to animals, using the same concepts that we know about human evolution and applying them in an accelerated manner to other living beings, mainly mammals and birds, right?"-

-"Indeed, doctor."- The Mayor replied in a dry way to Dr. Ellington. -"I guess you must already have your own opinion about the issue, don't you?"-

-"Actually I do, Major. Even though I do not really know much about Dr. Komatsu's project, I do know that in the field of Biology and Genetics, we have a very clear definition for the word Evolution. In theory, the word Evolution refers to the slow changes of species over time, right?"-

-"Uhm, yes, doctor. I think you are on the right track."- Major Fitzroy replied a bit sarcastically, but he had no other choice. He was going to honor his word in bringing the two experts to see Dr. Komatsu's project, and detail it to them so they could make their own independent opinion.

-"But before we continue with the subject, I have my doubts about the reasons why you want us to verify Dr. Komatsu's project."- The aged doctor further questioned Fitzroy about his reasons for summoning there very important men to Texas. -"From what you mention in your report, you believe that Dr. Komatsu's project is completely useless to the government at best, or even very dangerous at worst. In short, you are afraid that Dr. Komatsu will become a Dr. Frankenstein or a Dr. Moreau, aren't you?"-

-"Well..."- The Mayor hesitated a bit. -"to be honest, that would be a very charitable way of saying it, Dr. Ellington, among other reasons."-

-"Don't you think that your allegations on Dr. Komatsu's project are a bit overblown, Major?"- Ellington said in a straightforward tone. -"Especially if your allegations have personal overtones, I think."-

Faced with that claim about his personal motives regarding Komatsu, Fitzroy decided it would be best to explain the issue in more detail back at Fort Bliss, where everyone would be more comfortable.

-"Well, gentlemen, why don't we talk about this issue at home, instead of having to discuss it here at the airport?"- Fitzroy said, with a somewhat forced smile in his face. -"Also, I think you and the Secretary of Defense would be more comfortable at Fort Bliss, where you will receive all the data pertaining to the status of Dr. Komatsu's project, instead of having to listen to me say it in a condensed manner, don't you think?"-

-"Yes, I agree."- Ellington said, still not sure why they were summoned. After all, he was an expert that any other would be glad to have on board, so he had to ask himself the real reasons why they were summoned to El Paso.

-"That suits fine for me as well."- Secretary Wilson responded. -"Besides, this is a very delicate subject to talk about in this place."-

-"Well, in that case, we're going home." Fitzroy, Cathetine, Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington walked to the airport exit gates. -"An official vehicle is waiting for us at the airport parking lot, and I hope you enjoy your stay in El Paso, Mr. Secretary, and you too, Dr. Ellington."-

-"Thank you very much, Major Fitzroy, and we hope this visit will be productive."- Wilson said.

-"I hope so, Mr. Secretary, I hope you do..."-

---

January 30th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 05:20 PM

After some time on the road between the airport and the base, and after resting for a few hours to eat, and accommodate themselves respectively inside Fort Bliss, Major Matthew Fitzroy had Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson and Dr. Reese Ellington within in his office, while Catherine, his secretary, was at his side taking notes on her typewriter of what was being said. The reason for the presence of these two people was to continue the discussion about Komatsu and his project, but this time in a more sensitive place, such as that Texan military base.

-"All right, gentlemen."- Major Fitzroy began his speech, and then Dr. Ellington and the Secretary of Defense sat down in two comfortable chairs, while Catherine stood behind them. -"Now, let's get to the point: For nine years, Komatsu has not presented any results that can be considered satisfactory from my point of view, since all he has obtained are results that could be obtained with much less resources than he demands, and I feel that his project is going nowhere..."-

-Well, Major, if I may interject here..."- Ellington interrupted him. -"I do not mind that you say what you want to say, but I want you to understand that you are not in a classroom, and you are not in a seminar about it. In short, what you are going to say will have to be straight to the point. All right?"-

-"Sure, that's fine with me."- Fitzroy said, a bit irritated because he didn't like being interrupted. -"Anyhow, we are not in school; we are talking about something very serious here –or just about to be- and I think, given the presence of the Secretary of Defense with us here, we should proceed with our discussion with a sense of responsibility."-

Dr. Ellington noted the melodramatic tone of the Major's last comment, as if he needed to be reminded why he and the Secretary of Defense were there at Fort Bliss. This is worth mentioning, as the doctor felt that the reasons he had to say about the fate of Dr. Komatsu's project had to do with personal issues between the aforementioned Japanese scientist and Major Fitzroy, and he did not want to ruin a person's life just because of personal problems between two men.

-"Hum…"-

Secretary Wilson thought for a moment about what he was going to say next.

-"All right, Major Fitzroy."- Wilson said. -"I think it is your duty to make the status of Komatsu's project clearer. Do you have any letters of complaint regarding Dr. Komatsu's project and its progress?"-

-"Aside from my own complaints that I have made in the past, I have another from a former assistant of Dr. Komatsu."-

-"From whom, if anyone, can you tell?"-

-"From Dr. Jonathan Mason, who was fired by Komatsu for religious reasons."-

Both the secretary and the doctor were startled by that strange incident, which would have caused Komatsu to retaliate against a specific person.

-"Religious reasons, you say, Major?"- Wilson asked the Texan man.

-"Yes, that is right."- The Major responded. -"According to Dr. Mason, Komatsu fired him when the latter questioned his faith and started making fun of his religious beliefs, calling him a hypocrite, among other things."-

-"Well, I wonder why he would do such a thing as that."-

-"Well, it's because Komatsu is an atheist and, according to Dr. Mason, that man lied to him about the true goals of his project, something that angered Dr. Mason."-

-"I must assume that the real reason Dr. Mason was angry was because Komatsu didn't explain to him that his project was about making animals talk and have human intelligence. And while I understand the rationale for Dr. Mason's anger, I do understand Dr. Komatsu a little bit and his reasons for his response; however, both of them are scientists, and their job is to seek truth through the power of science, not religion."- Dr. Ellington gave his opinion about that incident.

-"But even so, firing someone on religious grounds is considered unethical, regardless of the reason, and if Komatsu fired someone for something as trivial as that, it might be a very dark spot on his record."- Secretary Wilson reminded Dr. Ellington about the ethical implications of that incident between those two men.

-"You're right, Mr. Secretary."- The doctor agreed with what Wilson had just said. -"But I would also like to know what happened after he was fired by Dr. Komatsu."-

-"After that incident, Dr. Mason came to my office and explained what happened, so I could take action."-

-"And what happened next?"- The secretary asked the Major.

-"To be fair, there wasn't much I could do about it, except wait for what you two gentlemen said about Dr. Komatsu's project, because there was no point in helping Dr. Mason if Komatsu's project is cancelled afterwards."-

-"Well, let me tell you something, Major."- Dr. Ellington said. -"Dr. Komatsu did not fire Dr. Mason because he didn't believe in God, but because he thought that Dr. Mason was exaggerating about his faith as a Christian, I suppose."-

-"To be honest, I don't know all the details of what happened that day between Dr. Komatsu and Dr. Mason."- Fitzroy explained. -"All I know, according to what Intelligence told me about Mason, is that he is a devout Baptist; you know, the kind that goes to Mass every Sunday, prays before going to sleep, and the kind that says you should always think of the children."- Said the major in a mocking tone. -"In short, a complete bona-fide Christian."-

-"Yet, Komatsu fired him for a personal issue."- The secretary was very suspicious about Komatsu's action.

-"Well, that might be, Mr. Secretary, but Dr. Komatsu has a strong personality, and he doesn't seem to tolerate anyone to question him, that's for sure."- Said the Major.

-"For fairness' sake, no one is perfect, Major."- Said Dr. Ellington. -"But I must admit that this really looks like a serious incident."- He changed his tone to sound more serious and concerned. -"In fact, this has to be the first time I have seen someone get fired because of his religious beliefs, or lack of thereof."- He also added.

-"Good point, Dr. Ellington."- Secretary Wilson commented.

-"But leaving that aside, gentlemen, I need to know when you, Mr. Secretary of Defense Wilson, and Dr. Ellington will start reviewing our friend Dr. Komatsu's project, mostly to avoid having conflicts with your respective schedules in case things may take longer than required."- Major Fitzroy asked to both VIPs.

-"How about if we start the day after tomorrow, Major, so that we can finish in seven days at the latest?"- Wilson replied at the Major. -"My work schedule is somewhat light because it's January, so I have plenty of time to be here, unless Washington say otherwise, of course."-

-"Sounds good to me, Mr. Secretary."- Dr. Ellington replied at the Secretary of Defense. -"I don't have much work at the moment, and my wife went on vacation with her whole family to Aspen, Colorado and she won't be back until mid-February, so I don't have much to do back home, at least in my case; and besides, where I come from it's cold as hell, to be honest."-

That answer about Dr. Ellington's place of origin intrigued the Major, since he had not asked him where he was from, except that the Major knew that Dr. Ellington was a professor at Harvard.

-"If it's not too much of a stretch, where are you from, doctor?"-

-"Me?"- The old man replied at Fitzroy. -"I am from Augusta, Maine. The snow is covering my garage this time of year, and I'm terrified to think what my home will be like when I get back from here, Major."- He blurted out.

-"I just hope you still have a home when you return home, Dr. Ellington. Heh, heh!"- Major Fitzroy responded in a mocking way to the doctor from the New England region.

-"I'm sure I do, Major. I'm sure I do."- The upset doctor said, trying to recover from that remark. -"Do you Texans have a sense of humor as misguided as yours?"-

-"Well, a lot of people say that we Texans like to make jokes about everything we see around us, and that we don't take anything seriously, so I think I have some of that attitude, doc."-

Secretary Wilson quickly moved into Dr. Ellington's ear to tell the professor something personal that he did not want the Major to hear aloud.

-"As long as our friend the Major is not the butt of the joke, of course."- He joked.

The professor chuckled.

-"Don't worry, Mr. Secretary, I don't think that will be a problem."- Dr. Ellington replied.

-"Well, bad jokes aside, that's all I have to say on the subject of Komatsu and his project. So we'll see you the day after tomorrow, gentlemen."- Then, Fitzroy added something else. -"Is there anything else you would like to say, gentlemen?"-

-"I just want to know if Dr. Komatsu knows about our presence at the base, Major."- Secretary Wilson asked the Texan man.

-"Not technically, Mr. Secretary; I wanted this to be a surprise visit from you two as VIPs sent by the Pentagon to prevent Komatsu from trying to manipulate anything that might make him look good in the eyes of both of you."- Fitzroy replied while looking directly into Wilson's eyes.

-"Good point, Major."- Said Dr. Ellington.

Saying their goodbyes to Major Fitzroy, Dr. Ellington and the Secretary Wilson left the office and returned to their rooms at Fort Bliss, while the Texan military man stayed in his office discussing some other thing with Catherine, his personal secretary.

-"Perfect, now I have the help of the Secretary of Defense and one of the best scientists in his field in the U.S. Once Komatsu is cornered as the mass-murdering fraud that he is, it will be his end in a few days, and he may end his days deep-fried in the electric chair."- Fitzroy gloated in front of Catherine.

-"I hope you are not overconfident of yourself, Major. I'm pretty sure of what your plan may turn into."- She replied to her superior officer.

-"Don't worry about me, dear."- He then flashed a smile. -"I have done this kind of thing before, and I know I will succeed again. You'll see, you'll really see."-

-"sigh I guess I don't have much of a choice on helping you with your plans. Let's hope for the best."- Fitzroy's personal secretary stated.

---

February 2nd, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 09:12 AM

-"Dr. Komatsu, have you analyzed the samples that Dr. Smith told you to see last night?"-

At that time, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu was having a light lunch, consisting of toast, coffee and orange juice, something that caught the attention of his assistant, Phillip Madison, who was writing some pieces of research in his notebook about some of the experiments being conducted that day in the lab.

-"Not yet, Madison, I'm barely having my breakfast right now, as I was a little late, and I didn't get a chance to see anything about any samples last night before I went to sleep."- The Japanese doctor said, while eating the crunchy toast first.

-"That's very rare for you, doctor."- Madison smiled at his senior. -"Usually you are very strict with your own schedule that you impose on yourself, and it is the first time I see you break your own routine, sir."-

-"I'm not a machine, Madison."- Komatsu frowned, surprising the assistant. -"Even I have my limits, and I cannot always stick to my own routines if I am too tired to work, and you know we have worked all week, including Saturdays and Sundays, on this almost without rest."

Madison shook his head in amazement as he saw Komatsu savor a piece of his toast, chewing it slowly.

-"Yes, I apologize sir, I didn't know you were so tense these days with the current progress of the project. I trust everything going well with it, sir?"-

-"So far everything seems to be going well, Madison, and we have made some small progress in replicating Raghu's abilities in other animals other than felines, but I feel that we have a very large roadblock in achieving that step, Madison."-

-"I guess it has something to do with the genetic incompatibility between felines and other mammals, doctor?"-

-"Exactly."- Komatsu explained the problem with his assistant. -"What we are basically doing is trying to rewrite the genetic code of Raghu and the little kitten in other mammals, but for that, it has to be specifically rewritten depending on the species, and each animal species has a completely different DNA, which makes it very difficult to achieve that goal in an acceptable time, even if the number of species I plan to work with is smaller than I expected."-

-"And if I may ask, doctor, how many species do you plan to work with?"-

-"About more than 160 species."- Komatsu replied. -"And I have excluded several groups that I do not plan to include them at all, such as lemurs, and any animal even remotely related to primates."-

Madison couldn't help but be stunned by the number of animals the Japanese doctor plans to work with, and regardless of what his superior would say about it, the young Texan scientist vocally expressed his concern.

-"MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SPECIES?"- Madison said as loudly as he could. -"Even with the best technology at hand here at the base, we will not be able to produce any results with half of all these species even in the lives of all the members of this project!"-

-"Madison, you have to understand that each species has a completely different DNA, and for some of them, we don't even know all the details of their DNA."- Said the Japanese. -"And most of the information available on them is completely outdated, so we have to use the outdated information by trial and error, while trying to update it somewhat at basically at hand."-

-"But even so, doctor, what you are asking is almost impossible to achieve with the technology we currently have,"- Then, Madison faced the doctor about his goals. -"and, if you allow me to make a very harsh parallel, I believe that making rockets that could reach the moon, like those Dr. Von Braun is working on right now, would be easier than working with so many species in a manageable amount of time."-

The mere mention of Dr. Wernher von Braun in Komatsu's presence was reason enough for the Japanese scientist, who had bad experiences with Germans, and especially Nazis, to step out of his seat and decide to raise the tone of the conversation to a more aggressive one. To that Japanese scientist, von Braun represented all the worst that humanity can offer, a man who was even capable of selling himself in exchange for saving his own skin and working with his own enemies quietly in exchange for fame and fortune, something that Komatsu did not enjoy in the least, and while that German scientist was treated like a Hollywood star, Komatsu, on the other hand, was little less than a slave working for the Americans.

-"Listen to me very carefully, Madison..."- Komatsu said very loudly to his assistant, while pointing his finger to him. -"Never, ever utter the name of that Nazi bastard, or any Nazi for that matter, in my presence again, if you really appreciate your job, or your teeth, whichever comes first!"-

-"Y-Y-Y-Yes... Dr. Komatsu."- Madison answered with great difficulty.

-"And THAT'S AN ORDER!"- Komatsu yelled again when he turned around after frightening his assistant. -"And if you ever do that in my presence again, I will not be responsible for what happens to you afterwards. Do I make myself clear, Madison?"-

-"Yes, doctor..."- Madison sadly said, not really noticing his doctor's suddenly painful sore throat as a side-product of all that yelling he did.

And while Komatsu and his assistant were having that discussion, Fletcher, another of the assistants who worked with the Japanese doctor, went over to him to discuss a highly important issue.

-"I am sorry to interrupt your discussion with Madison, Dr. Komatsu, but we have visitors to our lab."-

Komatsu found it annoying that unexpected visitors arrived at the lab, because normally almost all visits were scheduled in advance, so the scientist knew in advance who was coming to his lab, which was not the case on this occasion.

-"And who the hell are they?"- Komatsu complained at Fletcher. -"You know well that I don't like unscheduled visits to the lab, unless it's Major Fitzroy or some high-ranking officer."-

-"In fact... he's a VERY high-ranking officer, doctor."- Fletcher hesitated a bit.-"Or more accurately, one from the Pentagon..."-

-"The Pentagon, you said?"- Komatsu said in a very puzzled and worried tone, changing his angry voice he had before after that argument he had with Madison. -"I just hope it's not..."-

-"Yes, it's the Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson,"- Fletched finally explained at his boss. -"and he is accompanied by a professor who works at Harvard. His name is Dr. Reese Ellington, professor emeritus of the Harvard School of Biology."-

Komatsu was completely speechless when he heard both names, and for very good reasons for that scientist. The former was the U.S. Secretary of Defense working during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had just taken office two years ago, while the latter was one of the best minds in America in the field of both biology and genetics, and perhaps one of the few people capable of matching him.

It was more than obvious that the presence of those two VIPs at Fort Bliss was not just a random coincidence; there was only one person with the authority to bring in the only people capable of derailing his project in the eyes of Washington, and putting Komatsu behind bars, if not worse.

-"FITZROY, YOU GODDAMNED BASTARD!"- The Japanese man cursed inside his own mind against the most likely culprit of his current dilemma. -"DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS!"-

After that brief mental outburst, Komatsu recovered his composure as soon as he could, for he knew that the fate of his project depended on how he behaved toward those two men, and on the results he could offer them, so that they would understand that his project had scientific validity, and that he could continue to count on Washington's economic support.

The scientist decided then to greet those two VIPs personally. After all, Komatsu was in desperate need of retaining his project, particularly in that critical moment.

And as for those special guests, they were both at the entrance of the laboratory, waiting for Yoshinori Komatsu, the head of the Advanced Evolution Project, and therefore of that laboratory, to receive them.

-"Good afternoon, gentlemen!"- Komatsu greeted them with his most pleasantest voice he could articulate, after he heard the voices of Charles Wilson and Reese Ellington, who were talking between them in that moment. -"I am Yoshinori Komatsu, the head of the lab you are in. And you, Dr. Ellington, are the expert on biology, right?"-

-"Yes, Dr. Komatsu."- Ellington responded with a very friendly smile to Komatsu, after taking the scientist's pleasant greeting with a smile. -"I am very pleased to be in your lab with the objective of seeing and discussing your project with you."-

-"And you must be the Secretary of Defense, right?"- Komatsu asked to the other man next to Dr. Ellington.

-"That's right. I'm Charles Wilson, at your service, Dr. Komatsu."-

The American military man then gave the Japanese scientist a handshake, which Komatsu accepted, though somewhat reluctantly, for obvious reasons. On the other hand, the secretary seemed to ignore the fact that Komatsu was acting very informally before him, although the secretary understood the reason well. Komatsu was a scientist, not a soldier, and although that Japanese man already had experience dealing with high-ranking soldiers during his time with the IJA, he felt no obligation to act politely toward him or any high-ranking U.S. officer, even if it was the Secretary of Defense himself that Komatsu was talking to at the time.

-"It's a pleasure to meet you, Secretary Wilson. I assume the President sent you to assess the results of my project, I assume."-

-"Exactly, Dr. Komatsu."- Wilson confirmed that assumption.-"Dr. Ellington is an expert in the field of biology, especially in the mechanisms that influence the process of evolution. And we came here to look for the results you claimed you had achieved with your project. So, I hope you have good news, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"The results are very good, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu assured. -"We have made progress in duplicating unusual skills from one animal to another, even if in this case both animals belong to the same racial group. I presume that you and Dr. Ellington have already heard of Raghu, the Bengal tiger that uses sign language, right?"-

-"We have heard of him."- Ellington replied to Komatsu. -"And that was thanks to the reports the Pentagon has sent me since last year about your project, and the progress you have made so far."-

-"And I suppose you already know Raghu's personal background, don't you, Dr. Ellington?"-

-"That's right, unfortunately for me."- The elderly doctor responded with an expression of displeasure that was very evident on his face. -"I cannot even fathom how some people can be so degenerate as to abuse an animal at such a young age, and more so in a sexual way."-

-"I fully share your outrage, Dr. Ellington."- The Japanese scientist also felt the same sense of anger as his American colleague regarding the sexual abuse the tiger suffered as a cub. -"And if I could have done anything about it, I would not have hesitated to kill the person responsible for such evil act with my own hands."-

Obviously, the Secretary of Defense was not interested in hearing such a disgusting story, as that was not the case anyway. He was only interested in knowing what Komatsu had accomplished, and the personal background of that animal was superfluous for that man. He also listened to what Komatsu said about the sexual abuse suffered on Raghu with disgust and disapproval, but that was not the reason he was present there. He was going to see the results with his own eyes. And that was it.

-"Leaving the bestiality issue aside, gentlemen, I would like to know from our host what he said about the results that were achieved by the use of that tiger, if Dr. Komatsu has no objection to it, of course."- Wilson asked to Komatsu.

-"I have no problems with that, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu answered. -"Raghu is one of the animals that we are currently analyzing and studying. The results we have obtained so far have exceeded my expectations, to be fair."-

-"Then could you show us what you have done so far, doctor?"-

-"Of course, Mr. Secretary. The specimen is in another room dedicated for that."- Komatsu shows to both VIPs where they should go. -"Please allow me to accompany you, sir."-

-"If you would be so kind, doctor."-

The three men then left the room where they had been talking, passing through the main laboratory, and then they arrived at a door that led to the animal kernel room. This door was made of stainless steel, as it was a protected area within the lab, requiring special authorization to access. After entering the correct code, the door opened and they all entered.

The small room they entered was within a larger room which also housed smaller cages where the researchers used to keep small animals, like mice, cats, dogs, ferrets, and the like. They also had other cages for bigger specimens, like tigers, lions, wolves, etc.

And in another special little cage, there was the little kitten that had inherited from his genetic ancestor, Raghu, his same skills of using human sign language. Seeing the little cat, the three men could not help but delight in seeing how cute and cuddly that little creature was, and how helpless it looked, despite how important it was to Komatsu's project, as it was the first success he had had with his theory since he had tried to put it into practice since his time in Nazi Germany.

The little kitten was sleeping quietly in his cage, as he was comfortable on the soft, big blanket where he was resting, and he was also well fed and hydrated and the doctor and his assistants had assured that the feline was perfectly healthy, While the kitten was still peacefully sleeping, maybe because he had felt there were some vibrations of a few feet of two other humans approaching the cage, and without opening his eyes, the little feline then moved his head and tail towards the vibrations. He then noticed the presence of three bigger "animals", who were in front of his cage.

-"Well, it seems that the little kitten has woken up, I guess."- Ellington replied with a warm smile painted in his old face.

-"Yes, he has."- Komatsu answered. -"I presume that you want him to say something, right?"-

-"I suppose so, but I'd like you to start first, doctor."- The old doctor said at his Japanese peer. -"You know this cat better than we do."-

-"Well, I will be honest, Dr. Ellington: I just found out what this kitten can do since last week through my assistants, and the truth is that I did not expect to get such visible results so quickly, so I will have to use the same methods I normally use with Raghu, but in a more simplified way."- Komatsu explained at the Harvard professor.

-"Does the cat understand human language?"- Wilson asked, with curiosity and interest.

-"That is the primary idea, Mr. Secretary, and his genetic ancestor Raghu is able to comprehend human speech and respond with sign language, although he only uses the Japanese version, and cannot employ the specific one for the United States. I will assume my assistants taught this kitten the American Sign Language when he was born a year ago."-

-"So, put differently, you are actually testing for the first time an animal that is able to speak on sign language for anyone."- Ellington concluded. -"The results you plan to show us at this time certainly must be very interesting for you to show us, doctor."-

-"Indeed."- Wilson and Ellington were both completely fascinated. -"Well, Dr. Komatsu, go ahead."-

-"Much appreciated, gentlemen."- The Japanese doctor then addressed the kitten in sign language and asked him some questions. -"Good morning, little one. Did I wake you up early?"-

But the answer the little cat gave to his human master in sign language was not what he expected, to put it mildly...

-"Who the hell are you?"-

-"I beg your pardon, little one?"- Komatsu responded in amazement at the somewhat rude response the animal gave him. -"That's not a very polite way to respond to someone."-

For obvious reasons, the secretary of defense had no idea what was going on at that point, and asked Dr. Ellington to help translate the sign language of both characters so he would know what they were saying.

-"As far as I could make out, the cat said "Who the hell are you?" to Dr. Komatsu, Mr. Secretary."-

Secretary Wilson could not help but laugh out loud when he saw that the little animal had insulted the doctor, most likely because he had woken the kitten so suddenly from his sleep.

-"To be fair, doctor, I think anyone would be pissed off if someone was woken up like that, whether it was a cat or a human being! giggle"-

Komatsu didn't find the secretary's comment very funny, because that animal was trying to humiliate him in the presence of that very important person. But in the same way, Komatsu had to simply keep asking the kitten a few questions, and wait for the animal to answer them, while ignoring his rude behavior

-"So, then, what is your name?"-

-"Does it matter to you, stupid human?"-

Such a brutal response from the cat left the scientist equally shocked and angry, as he did not expect that the animal would continue to respond back to him in such vulgar language, in comparison to his genetic ancestor, Raghu, who was much nicer than his domestic genetic descendant.

And while this was happening, the Secretary of Defense was laughing at what was happening before his eyes, thanks to Dr. Ellington's translation from the feline's sign language, much for Komatsu's disgust.

-"I think this little feline doesn't like you, doctor! hah, hah, hah!"- Wilson said in his own funny accent, laughing.

-"Forgive me, Mr. Secretary, but I would not be surprised if this cat learned such vulgar vocabulary from any of my assistants, since I had no involvement in his education until last week when I learned of his existence."- Komatsu said in order to defend himself, but the doctor did not feel very happy with the animal's responses and the way he was speaking to him.

-"Well, no one is perfect, doc."- Wilson said with a naughty smile in his face. -"I guess you didn't foresee that, did you?"-

Komatsu realized that the secretary was right about that part. He had never planned for the eventuality that an intelligent animal like that cat could learn foul language from another human who was not careful to moderate his vocabulary, just like a small child who was learning to speak, and required the help of an adult to learn what he was or was not able to say in front of an adult. But considering that they were all inside a military base, something like this was inevitable.

-"I suppose that's something I missed out on, Mr. Secretary."-

-"Well, doctor, I will be honest here: I'm actually impressed that you didn't expect something like this to have happen!"-

-"I am a scientist, not the Oracle of Delphi, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu responded in a dry way. -"I cannot consider any eventuality that occurs, including something like a cat using vulgar language."-

-"But leaving that aside, I must admit that I am surprised to see that that animal responded in such a natural and intelligent way, even if it was not precisely polite, to what you asked, and that is what matters, at least for me."- Wilson added, in a more serious way. -"I'm not disappointed in you, Dr. Komatsu, but I expected to see, first and foremost, the proof that your thesis was correct, but seems that I managed to see the actual wonders of it at the same time."-

-"Yes, it seems the genetic alterations to the cat have worked the way you expected them to work, Dr. Komatsu."- Dr. Ellington said, as the cat was moving his head, as if he was listening to something. -"This little smartass sitting here is not an ordinary cat anymore. He now has a kind of comprehension and a sense more proper for a human than any other feline, or any other mammal, for that matter."-

Komatsu smiled more than he could at the time, and it wasn't for nothing, because he was achieving his goal of showing results, even if they were modest, to the people who really mattered, like the U.S. Secretary of Defense and an important biologist, and not to ignoramuses like Major Matthew Fitzroy, who seemed more interested in getting rid of him than trying to help him in any way.

-"I am very happy that you have liked what I have worked on so far in this project, and I assure you that what you are seeing right now is only the tip of the iceberg of what can be achieved in the future, once the methods we are using are improved; however, for that I think I am going to need more government funding, in all honesty, gentlemen."- Komatsu said to both the Secretary and Dr. Ellington.

-"I see! I see!"- Said the Secretary, with a very serious and wise look in his face. -"So, let me ask you a question: Have you thought of using the same methods to create a super-intelligent being, one with a human-like mind that does not depend on language?"-

That question stumped the Japanese scientist from Hiroshima, who did not expect being asked with such a question, as he had never considered that issue in his theory.

-"To be honest, Mr. Secretary, I have never considered such thing, and I doubt very much that it is possible, theoretically speaking, sir."- Komatsu responded with a worried expression in his face. -"Besides, that would be pushing too much the limits imposed by nature, not to mention all the physical, biological and even ethical implications of something like that, since basically we would be creating a chimera, a living being that should not exist in a natural state."-

-"But, doctor, wouldn't such being be capable to contribute to science?"- Wilson asked. -"I mean, such being would be capable of doing whatever it was it could do to help humanity, to our species. Just think in the untapped potential such creature would bring to the human race, doctor!"-

-"Maybe, in theory."- Komatsu then retorted Secretary Wilson's idea on creating a super-being. -"But let's not take unnecessary risks by pushing this project to limits not explored in my original theory. What if that super-intelligent, superior being decided that we humans are a threat to that creature, and decided to exterminate us? And knowing how things are handled in Washington, I doubt very much that the government of your country would be satisfied with just creating one of these beings, but an entire army of them. What if all of them revolted at the same time? I doubt very much that all the weapons that exist in the world, including nuclear weapons, would be sufficient to neutralize such a threat, and humanity would become extinct in a very short time."-

-"I have to agree with the doctor, Mr. Secretary."- Ellington said, before adding: -"Although what he mentioned is a very plausible scenario, the number of potentially negative variables here are just too much for taking such risks right now."-

-"Thank you so much for helping me with this, Dr. Ellington."- Komatsu then further added his objections on Secretary Wilson's idea on creating such beings. -"Adding something else to the mix, this project is mainly based on making animals able to talk and have similar intelligence to humans, not to create superior beings that we have to worry about stopping them later, in the event things go wrong. So let's just forget about that, Mr. Secretary."-

The Secretary of Defense was silent for a few moments, noting that both scientists, Yoshinori Komatsu and Reese Ellington, strongly disagreed about creating such a creature, in particular if that being could lose control at any time. It should be noted that Secretary Wilson most likely came up with that idea after having seen and read many works of science fiction where a mad scientist creates a very powerful monster based on ideas similar to Komatsu's, and he thought that the government would not lose anything by trying to achieve something like that, regardless of the risks and limitations of trying such a plan in real life.

-"Very well then, gentlemen."- Wilson then said. -"I understand, and I agree with both of you; that was a very silly idea that came to my mind after watching many movies, and I thought that discussing the subject with you would be a useful idea, but it wasn't."-

-"Besides, we really need to focus on making animals talk, while staying in the correct path that our work was conceived."- Komatsu then added. -"Distracting ourselves with such fantastical concepts does not help this project at all."-

-"You're right about that, doctor."- Wilson said after a short, embarrassing pause. -"So then, how far can you go on this matter?"-

-"Well, I am going to continue my work and personally see this through to the end, even if this is going to take years."- Komatsu answered Wilson with a determined expression on his face.

-"And how many years do you think it will take you to complete this project, Dr. Komatsu?"- The Secretary asked the Japanese man about a estimated time schedule for his whole work. -"In light of the ambitious nature of your project, Doctor, I would assume that it will require many years, at least."-

Komatsu suddenly realized that he was at a verbal dead end: He knew very well that the project would take many years, most likely the whole life of both the doctor and all the workers who worked at the base to see any kind of result, and most probably the U.S. government would not prolong a project of such a speculative nature that could take decades to show results, and even more so if that money came from the American taxpayers, a subject that is very sensitive for U.S. politicians, and even more so if it was to finance a project of of dubious ethical nature as was his Advanced Evolution Theory.

Komatsu knew that he had to come up with a good excuse to justify his project to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and that it would also be credible to Dr. Ellington, who was there precisely to help the government decide whether that Japanese scientist's project was feasible or not. If he couldn't prove his lifetime work to these two men, Komatsu knew that his career as a scientist and most likely his life would be over in the blink of an eye.

-"Well..."- Komatsu said while hesitating, and carefully thought about what he was going to say. -"The truth is I don't really know yet how long the work will be. I am making estimates that at the very minimum it will take about between five to fifteen years to see the first results."- The Japanese scientist explained, as a last resort. -"And that's if everything goes well: if we're given the resources we need to complete our work, then I am sure we will be able to complete it much faster than if we are forced to use the current resources made available by the government in this base, very much less the money."-

Secretary Wilson looked closely at Dr. Komatsu's laboratory, and he realized that the Japanese man was right, because the laboratory where Komatsu worked was too low-key and seemed to lack the necessary resources to work on a project of such magnitude, compared to Dr. Von Braun's workplace, which received better treatment, and more and better resources from the U.S. government.

-"Very well, I see you have a fair point there, Doctor."- Wilson then said. Then he turned to Dr. Ellington, who had not said a word for a while. -"Professor Ellington, what do you say about this matter?"-

-"Well... I will be honest with both the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Komatsu:"- The old man replied with certain serious tone in his voice. -"while my colleague's project seems very interesting, for ethical reasons I also have my reservations about it. Making animals talk seems to me to be something that has always been a centuries-old dream for us humans, but at the same time we have to question how practical it would be to do something like that."-

Dr. Ellington then said with an unnerving look on his face to Komatsu.

-"I have to say that animals' ability to communicate would help us in many aspects in our lives, especially in veterinary medicine, pet care, along other fields, and we could have a real and effective channel of communication with the other species of animals in the world of wildlife."- He added with a stern tone of voice. -"However, the problem with this project is that we would have to use the same procedure that was used to make humans talk and speak, and I don't think that this phenomenon was the only ingredient that led us to be the dominant species on Earth. In fact, we still don't exactly know why humans evolved on top of other species, even though we have been studying these questions for decades..."- Dr. Ellington continued with his explanation. -"And also, I don't think that we would ever be able to use the exact same techniques that the process that led to humans' evolution and language use, due to the following reason: The biology of humans and animals is too different to make a cross-species evolutionary jump be possible."-

Wilson looked satisfied. -"Well, I think you said enough, Professor Ellington..."- The Secretary of Defense then said.

Komatsu, who was still worried about the old man's answer, began to feel more hopeful now that Dr. Ellington was starting to speak about the project in a more positive manner, although the academician's words still made him feel uneasy.

-"But before giving a final decision, we would like to continue seeing your project for at least a week for a few hours a day, in order to have a more complete picture of the scope of your work, and thus give a fairer verdict, to both you, Dr. Komatsu, and the government of my country."- Wilson said at Komatsu.

Komatsu breathed a sigh of relief to see that the Secretary of Defense seemed to be more interested in giving a verdict with better information at hand, than simply ruling on the project in its entirety, as he seemed to be very interested in Komatsu's project when he saw the nature of his theory, even if it only superficially suited the American government's interests.

-"Won't that be a problem for you two, gentlemen?"- The Japanese man asked to both VIPs.

-"As for me, I expect to be here for a week, if Washington or the Pentagon doesn't say otherwise."- Wilson responded at Komatsu about his planned schedule.

-"From my side, I don't have much work to do back home, and my family is on vacation in Aspen, Colorado skiing in the mountains, so time is not a problem for me, not to mention that it's snowing quite a bit back in my town, Dr. Komatsu."- Dr. Ellington also replied on regards on his own schedule as well.

-"And, where are you from, if I can ask that question, Dr. Ellington?"-

-"Augusta, Maine."- Dr. Ellington responded. -"And how about you, Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"Oh, me?"- The Japanese man responded in an odd way. -"I was born and raised in Hiroshima, in Japan."- Komatsu answered.

-"And what do you think of the United States of America, Dr. Komatsu?"- Dr. Ellington asked.

The question that Dr. Ellington asked his Japanese peer turned out to be very awkward for him to answer, for more than obvious reasons, and even more so since the Secretary of Defense was present at the side of that honored scholar, so Komatsu opted to try to shift the topic.

-"I think that would be a very difficult item to discuss, if I may say so."-

-"I see."- The Maine doctor said. -"I was saying this mostly because of the fact that it must have been very difficult for you to come to America after what happened to your hometown, but I understand your discomfort if you prefer not to talk about it anymore, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"One has to be very naive, very cynical, or very brain-dead stupid to be an American, and have the nerve to say that to my face, that's for sure."- Komatsu criticized his American colleague in his own mind for that innocent remark Dr. Reese Ellington made about Hiroshima.

-"Something wrong, doctor?"- Ellington asked the Japanese man, after the latter remained quiet for a few seconds in order to think for himself. -"You were quiet for a few moments, I see."-

-"Oh, no, not really, Professor Ellington. It's just that this kind of discussion is not the kind of topic I want to talk, if you know what I mean."-

-"I see."- The elderly professor said in a curious tone. -"Well, if that's all, doctor, we should end our conversation here, I think."- Ellington said to the Japanese scientist, after seeing that he was unwilling to talk further with them. -"We have a lot of work to do, so we should be leaving now."-

-"Very well, then."- Komatsu said goodbye to both men. -"Then we will see meet again tomorrow. Hope you have a good stay here in El Paso, gentlemen."-

-"So are you. See you tomorrow."- Secretary Wilson also waved goodbye to the Japanese man.

-"See you, Mr. Secretary."-

Once both VIPs left the lab, Yoshinori Komatsu breathed a sigh of relief that at least he had managed to make a good impression on both men, which meant his project still had a chance to go ahead.

But even so, he knew he shouldn't claim victory yet, as they would spend a week supervising his project, and if they found something they didn't like, both Dr. Ellington and the U.S. Secretary of Defense could change their minds as quickly as Komatsu managed to make a favorable impression on them.

And as if that weren't enough, he still had to deal with Major Fitzroy, who was probably responsible for both men being in Texas in the first place to oversee his project, and now depended on his charisma and ability to improvise to keep things from getting worse for him at a moment's notice.

---

February 2nd, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:12 PM

-"And what do you think of Dr. Komatsu's project, gentlemen?"- Matthew Fitzroy asked with some derision to both men, Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington, who had just left Dr. Komatsu's laboratory a half hour earlier. -"I imagine that what Doc Komatsu showed must have been something very impressive."- The Major summed it up with a lot of sarcasm that was evident in his voice.

-"I've gotta say, I've never seen anything like it."- Wilson said with a reserved tone. -"This is truly something unique. Although what Dr. Komatsu showed was relatively brief, it was very impressive nonetheless, because of what he was able to accomplish despite having fewer resources than other similar projects."-

-"I share the opinion of the Secretary of Defense, Major."- Ellington added for his part about his opinion on Komatsu's project. -"Making a small kitten able to use sign language is not a feat that anyone can boast about, and that is something worth commenting on, although it would have been nice if Dr. Komatsu had taught that animal some manners, as he was very rude. heh, heh"-

Those compliments to Dr. Komatsu were not the caustic criticisms that Major Fitzroy expected from the two of them. That meant that Komatsu had managed to pull an ace up his sleeve at the last minute, in this case the little cat who used sign language, to make a good impression on the two VIPs from Washington, which was starting to derail his efforts to get rid of him completely.

-"A small kitten that can talk with sign language."- The Major said with skepticism. -"I don't want to doubt your word, Mr. Secretary, but I have my reservations about what Dr. Komatsu achieved in his laboratory. For the last nine years, that useless, good-for-nothing Japanese buffoon has achieved results that could have been achieved for much less money, and in some cases, these are achievements, to call them by that name, that even a lowly circus performer can do with the help of a whip!"-

-"We have to give Dr. Komatsu his due recognition for what he has achieved here, Major. As an advisor said who worked in the Los Alamos Laboratory alongside Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, after the successful detonation of the first nuclear weapon on July 16th, 1945, the hardest part of nuclear weaponry is the engineering that has been managed to make it work without blowing up something else."- Wilson said emphatically. -"It is the magnitude of what has been accomplished here that surprises us about what Dr. Komatsu has accomplished, and if I'm not mistaken, you helped him in achieving that as well."-

Fitzroy was surprised, and at the same time angry, to see that this scientist dared to compare the testing of an atomic weapon with making an animal talk using sign language, because in perspective it was much more realistic to create a weapon of that nature than making an animal talk, not to mention the usefulness of the former over the latter. Such kind of words like that kind of sincere praise to that Japanese scientist's works were like a knife to the Major's heart, causing him to curse Komatsu inside his own, twisted mind.

-"DAMN YOU, KOMATSU!"- Fitzroy thought furiously. -"I don't know what the hell you have in mind, and what kind of tricks you pulled out of your ass, but don't think you're going to get out of here alive so long as I work in this place!"-

While the Texan Major was furiously thinking about how to ruin Komatsu's existence, he was also trying to convince his guests from Washington of the importance of continuing to observe Komatsu's work closely, in order to find some flaw that he could capitalize on, and exploit it as much as possible, in order to make him look bad in the eyes of the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington at the same time. That would be the finishing touch that would give him the leverage that would make him request the termination of Dr. Komatsu's project.

-"You know, Major, what is most impressive is that despite the difficulties that Komatsu faced, he managed to continue his project for more than nine years, and if I am not mistaken, according to the Intelligence report on him, we must also include the time he has been working on the same project since his time as a Japanese government scholarship student in Germany, and that also includes his time in Unit 731 in Manchuria, and also during his stay in the IJA secret subterranean bunker in Tokyo."- Ellington commented. -"And he managed to produce his results despite many obstacles that might have discouraged others from continuing similar projects."-

-"Yeah, but this guy, if you ask my opinion, is nothing more than a worthless human scumbag, undeserving to be called a human being after all the crimes he did."- Interrupted Fitzroy in a rude way. -"And that's not to mention the fact that he fired one of his assistants because of religious differences; I also need to add that he was a member of Unit 731 and the Imperial Japanese Army, and we don't know how many people he had to kill to accomplish all those results."-

-"Oh, please, Major!"- Secretary Wilson retorted at the Texan man in a very annoyed tone. -"Don't tell me you're buying into the story that Komatsu committed war crimes in Manchuria too? That was a doctored fabrication in order to secure Dr. Komatsu's involvement with the government, and thus prevent him from refusing to work."-

Obviously, the Major was furious to learn that all that information that had been sent to him about Komatsu turned out to be a blatant lie created by Washington, and he swallowed that whole story with bait, hook and sinker.

-"And why wasn't I told from the beginning that everything that was told about Komatsu was a lie, huh?"- Fitzroy angrily asked the Secretary of Defense, after growing tired of what he was told.

-"Simple. We have our suspicions that Komatsu would have realized our true intentions and refused to work if we had only arrested him for being a member of Unit 731."- Wilson replied at the Texan man in a very dry way. -"But if that unsettles you, Major, we still plan to get rid of him if we feel that he is either inconvenient for our interests, if he rebels against us, or if the Soviets should seek to repeat what they did in Japan here in America."-

-"What is that supposed to mean?"- Said Dr. Ellington.

The Secretary of Defense realized that he had said something that he should not have said out loud in front of a civilian like Dr. Ellington, because it involved executing a very likely innocent person in order to protect military secrets from the then Soviet Union.

-"I see... I think I get what you are referring to, Dr. Ellington, but I understand your point, as immoral as it may seem to me."- The man from Harvard replied. -"But you don't need to say that again, Mr. Secretary."-

There was a tense silence in the room for a few seconds, who was later broken by the Texan military man, Matthew Fitzroy.

-"If I am interpreting correctly what you two are trying to say, do you also think, on a personal level, that Komatsu might be out of his mind?"- Fitzroy asked to both VIPs.

-"Not necessarily, but we also want to make sure that Stalin doesn't try to kidnap Komatsu here in America, and at the same time, we want to make sure that Komatsu doesn't try to do anything that harms the government, either physically or in its interests."- Wilson explained at Fitzroy.

The possibility that Washington might consider executing Komatsu should the need arise was something that lit up Major Fitzroy's face with a broad smile, as it meant that he still had a chance to ruin Komatsu's plans, if he found the right cards to do so. But for the moment, all he could do was let the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington oversee the project as planned first, and depending on the outcome, he might even contemplate sabotaging Komatsu to make him look bad in the government's eyes, but he had to wait for the right chance.

-"Well, gentlemen, if no one has anything further to add to this discussion, I will bring this meeting to a close."- Wilson concluded the chat. -"Tomorrow, Dr. Ellington and myself will begin our work, and hopefully Dr. Komatsu can convince us that his project is worth the effort in order to have Washington's support."-

-"And what role do I play in all this, gentlemen?"- The Major said at both men.

-"Oh, you?"- The Secretary replied at the Texan man. -"You could stay here in your office and wait until we require your help, if needed. This is a Washington issue, not a base issue, and I have stated before that I would prefer this to be handled as impartially as possible, so your presence would not be required at this time."-

-"Oh..."- Fitzroy said, trying his best to hide his disgust. -"I see, sir."-

-"Do you have anything else to say, Major?"-

-"No, sir, that's all."-

-"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good day, Major Fitzroy."-

-"Same to you, Mr. Secretary."-

The Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington stood up to leave, and afterwards, the two men shook hands with each other and with the Major as well, before opening the same door which has the same number 5050 printed on the other side. Major Matthew Fitzroy remained in his office with just him and his secretary, Catherine Walburg, with his smug self confidence smiling widely at him from time to time as the door opened and closed.

But one thing that was beginning to bother the veteran Texan Major, after a few minutes of thinking about the whole issue carefully, was the fact he felt that the secretary and the doctor were trying to sideline him, because they knew beforehand that he had a personal feud with the Japanese scientist, and they preferred to settle the whole matter in the most impartial way possible, without personal bias through third parties like the Major.

And that was something that Catherine, his secretary, who had heard all the conversation between those men, let the major know right away...

-"Seems like the Secretary of Defense and the doctor would rather handle this on their own, and they don't want you to interfere, from what I'm seeing, sir."- The woman said.

-"Seems like the Secretary of Defense and the doctor would rather handle this on their own, and they don't want you to interfere, from what I'm seeing, sir."- The woman said. -"I think it would be wise if you play your cards right for this one, if you are not already too late."-

-"I guess you know who I'm referring to, right, Catherine?"-

-"You mean Dr. Mason, sir?"-

-"That's right..."- The Major said at his secretary, with a smile in his face. -"And now it's time for Mason to help us get Komatsu off the map. It may not help him get his job back with him, but at least he'll feel better knowing that moron got what he deserved."- Fitzroy added. -"And I'd like to see that idiot's face when his project ends up like a house of cards: completely knocked down and on the floor."-

Catherine couldn't help but smile as the Major took out a small cigar box from the armrest of his chair with his right hand, and he took one of the cigars from the box with his left one. He carefully cut the end of the cigar, lit it up, and began to smoke strongly from the burning cigar for a while before he took a quick pull from the cigar itself in order to finish it.

-"And the next time I see that Japanese clown, that's when I'll see him crying out for his life before he gets fried in the electric chair, forgotten by everyone, including by the story itself, and I'll have a lot of fun sticking this lit cigar in his fucking mouth before he dies, in the same way I would like to stick my big American dick into some Siamese whore's mouth. At least he'll have his last smoke, whether he likes it or not, heh, heh heh!"-

Even if the woman shared much of his opinion regarding what Fitzroy thought of Komatsu, that vulgar analogy about the way he wanted to see the Japanese scientist die caused quite a bit of disgust in that lady. It didn't matter which way Komatsu would have to die, but comparing his death to having oral sex with a prostitute was an incredibly sickening parallel on any level.

But sadly for Catherine, there was nothing she could do to criticize the man's words, except listen to them in silence, whether she liked them or not. At that time, a woman like her could not contradict a man as powerful as Fitzroy, no matter what the reason, and she should be grateful that that violent and vulgar Texan soldier did not think of doing something worse to her.

-"If you plan to execute Komatsu that way, I'd rather not be there to see it happen, you old fuck..."-

END OF ACT XXI

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