The Other Side

Final Achievement (Ch. 2)

November 9th, 2021.

Again, Baldwin exceeds all possible expectations. 'You will soon be dealing with an unnatural specimen.' That was it. That was all I was informed of. A few months later, shortly after two test subjects somehow managed to escape, I was immediately flown out to Newark Jersey. Home of my very unnatural employers, directly to their headquarters.

Through my way up the rather elegant building, my mind raced what other bizarre surprise would be awaiting me when I reached my new place of work and none of them lived up to reality. There, sitting in my new laboratory, was a fucking martian. An alien taken directly from a neighboring planet currently restrained in chrome steel.

The dizziness from seeing something so out of this world lying on a table in my new office has not left my head. The creature... it looks magnificent. Even with its oval-shaped head, thin structure, and blue eyes, the fact it resembles a normal human as much as it does was certainly not expected.

It was then explained to me that my new assignment was to perform a basic assessment of the remarkable creature's anatomy. The look on both Baldwin and his lapdog: Munnigan were definitely looks of skepticism. Screw 'em. I'm not stupid. Once they locate scientists willing to partake in this work who are more capable of analyzing this thing, I will either be demoted to a position less worthy of my talents or be considered a loose end. Both are equally likely.

Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. But with the way Munnigan looks at me, I suspect he misjudges my mental state as most fools incapable of open thought do. No doubt he slithers to his boss's feet while I'm not looking to advise him against my position. If something is attempted to have me replaced, I pity the poor fool assigned with breaking the news.

Anyways, I took a look at our extraterrestrial friend. After a few x-rays, I gathered basic information. For one, they lack any form of a respiratory system. It appears they don't need air to survive. Another odd thing is their very thin structure. At first, I assumed they were naturally skinny, but evidence suggests starvation.

To my knowledge, I know they haven't been feeding this creature. Possible theories of mine as to how this specimen has survived as long as it has include slow digestion periods or less of a need for nutrients. Though, what is interesting is their exceptional muscle mass. This trait could be natural or due to being molded by the harsh terrain of Mars.

I'm interested in further examining this godly discovery. The only mishap of this dream made reality was the creature suddenly waking from its heavily sedated nap. At least for a few seconds. In those few seconds, it left me with a nasty scratch on my arm. The small wound was quickly cleaned and bandaged, though, I fear what possible foreign bacteria I could retract.

Time will tell whether something of possible consequence comes from this small mishap. For now, I should continue studying this walking miracle.

...

In the large crowd of bus passengers, Montoya has trouble hearing her own thoughts. She, Frank, Jake, and Tucker all sit near the back of the bus that is now about twenty minutes away from exiting the city entirely. While neither of the four survivors nor any of the others has asked the driver what his plan is, his intention to leave the city as quickly as possible is made clear by his route and speed.

The sun outside is now beginning to set, leaving a hint of orange in the sky. When the group first boarded the bus, they and the passengers had to watch frightened civilians on the sidewalk run to desperately find shelter or try to evacuate on foot. But the more the bus traveled, the number of sane people lessened as the amount of crazies increased.

Some of the fleeing citizens tried their luck at flagging down the bus. But much to both the peoples' anguish and relief, the bus driver dared not set his foot on the break. One of the people resting vividly in Jake's mind was a girl no older than twenty. She screamed and screamed, but the bus did not care for her pleas.