Chapter 5 (Oh boy!!)—Odd Stranger

Author's note: Wow. I'm actually getting somewhere! There's almost a plot! (They're hard little buggers to find, you know.) I actually spell checked this one, and I think I fixed the ellipses (the little things that look like three periods in a row.) Bonus points to the first person who figures out who the Stranger-killer is! I'm not going to be one of those people who threatens to stop writing if people don't review. Nope! I'm gonna keep writing until I reach a sufficient ending, so you gotta put up with me. ^_^

...Neo Ark...

A Greater Stranger raised it's head and looked around the jungle-like enclosure with animalistic satisfaction. It had eliminated the other types of Strangers that lived there, the Grin and Lesser, and now it's pack was the undisputed top of the food chain. It's simple mind turned from 'Acquire Territory' to 'Get Food'. It raised it's crested head and sniffed. Plants. Dirt. Metal. All inedible. Birds. Not inedible, just not worth the effort of chasing something that could fly for a meal about the size of the creature's palm and consisting mostly of feathers. What else? Other Greater Strangers. A sufficient last-ditch effort, it decided. Then, another scent wafted through it's nasal cavities, de-railing it's train of thought. It was new. Food or Threat? It's mind wandered over to 'Snoop'. Pushing aside some leaves, it came nose-to-nose with the source of the scent. It started to make an irritated noise.

There was a sickening noise of metal through flesh, and the Greater and Stranger was no longer concerned with food. Or at all, for that matter. The new figure stood up and watched the ANMC melt quietly away. After a moment, he laughed.

...Breeding Room...

Against Aya's instructions, Pierce peered into one of the cages. He quickly looked away and retched. "Hey, Aya!" He said once he recovered. "Aya..." He stepped back to peer around the corner he had come in by, luckily glancing back before he did.

"What?" Aya finally answered, glancing up from the journals scattered across the desk.

Pierce had planned to ask about the cages, but now something else had taken priority. "Where's Kazrov?"

Aya shrugged, turning back to the papers. "In the hall with Eve. I didn't want her to have to see this, and Kazrov likes her. He said he'd protect her. Why?"

Pierce glanced down at the thing he had almost stepped on. "What d'you think he'd do about this?" He prodded the thing with his foot, and eerie yet familiar laughter filled the room.

Aya walked over to look at the Mad Chaser. "I... I don't know." She pointed her flashlight at it, and it gazed rather idiotically at the source of the bright light. Now she could see it was laying on top of some papers, the first page of which it was currently chewing on. She removed it as politely as possible and pushed it off the other papers, causing it to giggle. Once the got the sheets in order, she read it to Pierce, skipping over the parts on the first page that had been rendered unreadable by ANMC drool:

"J--e 3 – Ano--er human test subject. I never thought I'd gr-----sed to this, but I have alre--y locked him in a cell. He was ---eady here when I a----ed, with a note a---ched to the cage instr------ on the tre--ments he would receive to become an ANMC. I v---ified this with one of the G--EMs, as the sub---t is lethargic and refuses to speak.



June 12 – The mental health of the subject brought in on the 3rd is failing. He received the treatments to become a Desert Chaser, and had displayed the symptoms of progress: lightening of hair color, loss of pigmentation in the eyes, lengthening neck, carnivorous tendencies, etc. But now he seems delirious. Sudden stimuli, such as loud noises, flashes of light, or direct stimuli (touch) cause him to laugh wildly, then drop into inconsolable depression. He paces and bangs on the cell door, screaming nonsense, then curls up in the corner near the door and shivers until I put the portable heater near him. I heard what happened to the woman researcher, and I will not let him out, no matter how tempted I am.



June 18 – I'm afraid I may lose the subject brought in on the 3rd. We have given him numerous organ transplants and an artificial trachea, but when he moves in a way that should cause him pain, he only laughs. He has lost all of his limbs save for one arm, on which we have preformed many surgeries. He is no doubt a failure, but the GOLEM No. 9 insists I continue my work.



June 29 – It is amazing that the subject received on the 3rd is alive at all. He still lacks limbs other than a small, weak arm, but he has stabilized and eating again. I gave him a Twinkie today, because he was staring at me imploringly. He seemed to enjoy it.



May 8 – I learned only this morning that there have been similar failures in Desert Chaser treatments, and they are referred to mockingly by many cruel names. I will refrain from calling him any of these names, but because of his advanced dementia, I refer to him as a "Mad Chaser". I must remind myself when I look at him that he was human.



May 17 – I overheard the head researcher, telling the others to kill all the "failures". I know they will try to take the life of the Mad Chaser, because he is too weak to live outside the shelter. I cannot record where, for fear they will discover him, but I have taken him out of his cage and hid him somewhere safe. I wish him luck, but I am leaving."

Pierce shook his head. "So that's what happened."

"Heh? What happened?" Kaz's voice echoed. Aya spun around and quickly saw his small red eyes glowing in the dim light. He wandered up to them, occasionally pausing to sniff random things.

Pierce quickly stepped in front of the Mad Chaser, effectively blocking Kazrov's view. Kaz contrived to look offended. He pushed Pierce aside firmly and crouched in front of the Mad Chaser. The ANMC hunters held their breath. The Mad Chaser giggled. After a pause, Kazrov giggled back and sat down rather awkwardly next to it. The Mad Chaser really didn't seem to know what was going on, but then, they never did.

Aya hesitantly placed her hand on Kazrov's shoulder. "Kaz... I--I'm sorry. It's best not to think about... what happened..."

Kazrov stared hard at the Mad Chaser, then at Aya. "Heh... It's okay. Better than..." He poked the Mad Chaser with a long finger. It giggled again.

"But you were one of those!" Pierce said without thinking.

Kaz shook his head. "No more."

"You're almost a Stranger, or a Chaser... an Odd Chaser?" Aya muttered, mulling it over.

Kazrov nodded. "Heheheh! Odd Chaser! Hah!" He seemed satisfied with the moniker. He started to say something else but a scream cut him off.

Aya immediately recognized the sound. "EVE!!!"